Oscars 2013: Remembering The Most Famous Infamous Speeches Ever

5. Cuba Gooding Jr. - Best Supporting Actor (Jerry Maguire)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnCMqr1QRQw The Oscars show, especially in the last 20 years or so, is notable for its 45 second time limit for acceptance speeches. Because the show is live the producers have to keep to a tight schedule to ensure everything runs smoothly, and of course, so the show can meet its quota of ensuring all interpretive dance numbers are seen. There have been many times that a person has been cut off by the Academy's live orchestra for going past the time limit. When Cuba Gooding Jr. won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1997 for Jerry Maguire he gave the orchestra permission to cut him off after his time was up. In sticking to their guns and adhering to the show's rules, the orchestra began playing him off at the 45 second limit, but Gooding, wrapped in emotion turned the tables and began shouting every name he could possibly think of and turned what would have been an awkward moment into one of the most rousing and classic acceptance speeches in the show's history. So historic in fact that the following year Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who also ended up giving an exuberant rapid fire acceptance for Best Original Screenplay, thanked Gooding for giving them the idea to give a speech that way.