Ronald WanWhile we wait in eager anticipation for the 81st Annual Academy Awards, we shall relive our favourite Oscar moments since the 90s. Why not go as far back to days when Bob Hope hosted the event (18 times between 1939 and 1977 to be precise)? Because at UrbanWire, we know our young readers grew up with those special moments in the past decade or two. See you at the movies.
Musical Chair
Roberto Benigni conducted a master class in how to celebrate an Oscar victory – by jumping out of his seat and on top of chair after chair at the awards ceremony in 1999 when Life is Beautiful won the Best Foreign Language Film award. Every actor and actress cheered at the Italian actor-director’s stunt (he hopped onto stage for good measure) and subsequent delightful acceptance speech, which nobody could really understand. All those boring speeches should be canned in favour of moments like this.
Kissing the Trophy (Girl)
One of the perks of winning an award at the very announced moment is to get up from your seat, kiss fellow actors around you, sashay onstage and then kiss the presenter (maybe not if it’s Jack Nicholson). Adrien Brody got the memo and went a step further when he won Best Actor for The Pianist in 2003. He planted a long and wet kiss on Halle Berry, who was taken back by surprise (or disgust). We suppose Brody mistook Berry for the Oscar statuette.
King James
All hail James Cameron, the self-declared King who shouted, “I’m the king of the world!” when he won the Best Director award for Titanic, which swept 11 Oscars that eventful night. Strange somehow the king never seems to repeat a coronation like this again. We can safely say the king has since been dethroned whose career probably hit an iceberg.
Hello Billy
We’ll let the picture do the talking. In case you’re clueless, that’s Oscar host Billy Crystal disguised as Hannibal Lecter wearing a muzzle strapped to the gurney at the 1992 awards show where Silence of the Lambs won the major categories. We want Crystal back as host!
Moore Guts Than Anyone Else
“Shame on you, Mr Bush!” yelled Michael Moore after going onstage to accept the Best Documentary Feature Oscar for Bowling for Columbine. Kudos to the director for berating the ex-President on sending America to war. And that tirade was way back in 2003, which made so much sense of late. Shame on the show’s producers for drowning Moore’s speech with the band’s music and the not-so-liberal audience for booing.
And Peter Jackson Rules Them All
At last, our favourite film won for its third instalment. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingswept all the awards and director Peter Jackson invited all his cast and crew onstage to celebrate the Best Picture victory. Reunited and it feels so good…
Show Him His Money
He didn’t utter that famous line but we heard something else. Before there was Katie Holmes, there was Cuba Gooding Jr, who declared his love for Tom Cruise (and everyone else in the audience). “I love you brother!” The actor won Best Supporting Actor for Jerry Maguire and since 1997, we haven’t heard or seen him as much. Probably somewhere with TomKat.
What’s your favourite Oscar moment? Tell us in the comment box below. For more Oscar history, go to http://www.oscars.com