I want to thank ... blah blah blah blah

Have you ever been put in the spotlight and suddenly your memory draws a blank and you can think of nothing witty to say? Have you ever wished that you are able to woo your audience with such eloquence? Have you ever dreamed of being witty, funny and serious all at once? Have you ever wanted to be able to say so much with so little?

For me, yes to all the above!

And that's what I love about watching the Oscars. It can be a pain watching speech after boring speech after boring speech ... zzzzz. But once in a while, you catch a glimpse of such eloquence and brilliance, that touches not just your mind, but your heart as well.

Tonight, what stood out for me were two speeches. One by George Clooney and the other by Ang Lee.

George's speech encompassed the three ingredients that I wish I could have made so effortlessly as he seemed to have done. He managed to sound witty, funny and serious all at the same time. The following is an excerpt from his speech.

The part that drew the chuckles ...
"Wow. Wow. All right, so I'm not winning director. It's the funny thing about winning an Academy Award, it will always be synonymous with your name from here on in. It will be Oscar winner, George Clooney. Sexiest Man Alive, 1997."

The part that made one feel proud to be a part of Hollywood ...
"And finally, I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while. I think it's probably a good thing. We're the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn't really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects. This Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I'm proud to be a part of this Academy. Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch."

And as for Ang Lee, I have only the deepest respect for him ~ to be able not only to cross the racial and cultural divide, but to be able to direct a movie that has nothing to do with his Asian upbringing. Here, I am talking about the cowboy and the gay bits. Although if we consider deeper, love is universal. And despite all the countroversy of gay cowboys, Brokeback Mountain is first and foremost a beautiful love story.

Despite and in spite of all his achievements, it's a pleasure to hear Ang Lee speak as he still managed to come across as that humble Chinese man. In the words of a friend, "... the really great thing about Ang Lee is that you can still see him as that Ah Pek sitting at the Kopitiam"!

And his speech is equally eloquent. The following is an excerpt that I like.
"First of all, i want to thank two people who don't even exist. Or I should say, they do exist, because of the imagination of Annie Proulx and the artistry of Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Their names are Ennis and Jack. And they taught all of us who made "Brokeback Mountain" so much about not just all the gay men and women whose love is denied by society, but just as important, the greatness of love itself. Thank you."

Here's to great speeches and public eloquence. May I be bestowed with them from herein onwards! :)