Entertainment Weekly Ranks Oscars Speeches

Entertainment Weekly has ranked the Oscars speeches from best to worst. Garnering the top spot is Graham Moore, who won for the Best Adapted Screenplay, The Imitation Game. Moore's speech is a lesson in vulnerability, a topic that will be covered in the 10th edition of Business Communication.

Second best was J.K. Simmons' speech, accepting the award for Best Supporting Actor in Whiplash.

More speeches this year seemed to have a theme or message for us. These first did as well as the third and fourth ranked on ET's list:

• John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn, who won for Best Original Song for Selma, "Glory." Performer John Legend also said, "Selma is now, because the struggle for justice is right now."
• Patricia Arquette, who won for Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood. She said, "To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights. It's our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America." Perhaps more notable than Arquette's words was Meryl Streep's reaction:
  

Discussion Starters:

• Read the rest of Entertainment Weekly's list, particularly the ones at the bottom. Do you agree with the order and comments? Too harsh?
• A few years ago, I remember people getting angry about winners using the stage to promote political and other agendas. Do you think that has changed? Or, what makes these speeches different?