6 Lessons We Learned from Oscars Acceptance Speeches

“Call your mom” and “Stay weird” are two key pieces of takeaway
By Michelle Corriston
Updated August 26, 2015 12:16 AM

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CALL YOUR PARENTS

Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Viewers everywhere reached for their phones when Best Supporting Actor winner J.K. Simmons said, “If you’re lucky enough to have a parent or two alive on this planet, call them. Don’t text, don’t email.”

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STAY WEIRD

Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Graham Moore winning Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game led to one of the most revealing and inspiring speeches of the night. “When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I’m standing here.” He then directed his message to the kid out there who feels the same way: “Stay weird, stay different, and then when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person that comes along.”

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WOMEN DESERVE EQUAL PAY

Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

“We have fought for everyone else’s equal rights. It’s high time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America,” proclaimed Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette, prompting Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez to cheer.

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THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty

When Common and John Legend took to the stage to accept statues for Selma’s hit “Glory,” Legend reminded everyone that “Selma is now because the struggle for justice is right now.”

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AN OSCAR EXTENDS YOUR LIFE EXPECTANCY

Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty

Okay, we’re still fact-checking this one, but frankly, we’re inclined to believe anything that comes out of Julianne Moore’s mouth. The Best Actress victor shared, “I read an article that said winning an Oscar could lead to living five years longer. If that’s true, I would really like to thank the Academy, because my husband is younger than me.”

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By Michelle Corriston