"Imma Let You Finish...": A Decade in Quotes
From historical remarks to ruminations on Chicken of the Sea, check out the best quotes culled from a decade chock full of trash-talking celebrities, potty-mouthed politicians and those whose words will stand the test of time.
"Yo, Taylor. I'm really happy for you, Imma let you finish but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!" - Kanye West really stepped in it when he stole the mic from singer Taylor Swift as she accepts the "Best Female Video" award during the MTV Video Music Awards (2009)
"You don't have to get snippy about it." - Al Gore called back George W. Bush to retract his concession during the 2000 election, which Bush won by a small margin. Many votes were lost, particularly in Florida, where errors with the paper ballots resulted in the infamous hanging chads. (2000)
"Let's roll." - Todd Beamer was among the passengers and crew members of United Flight 93 who were dubbed heroes after they helped divert the hijacked airplane from its intended target Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11. (2001)
"I just want one day off when I can go swimming and eat ice cream and look at rainbows." - Mariah Carey gave a bizarre strip tease and handed out popsicles on MTV's TRL and was later hospitalized. (2001)
"When I die I want to be born again as me." - Hugh Hefner. Can you blame him? (2001)
"It was hard for me to concentrate in the conversation with Condoleezza Rice because she has very nice legs." - Ariel Sharon , the 73-year-old prime minister of Israel, said he found it difficult to concentrate during his meeting with the security adviser because of her yams. (2001)
"Lawsuits is the American way." - Boxing promoter Don King shrugged off concerns that he could face lawsuits from both Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. (2001)
"Always chew on your pretzels before you swallow." - President Bush scared the hell out of everyone when he began choking and passed out because he didn't chew his pretzels. These pretzels are making me thirsty! (2002)
"I'm Al Gore -- I used to be the next president of the United States." -- Al Gore may have been a little bit bitter when he spoke to a crowd of 1,400 investors and biotech executives after he won the popular vote in the 2000 presidential election but came up short with the electoral votes. (2002-2009)
"The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is little hope invested in [Donovan] McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve." - Rush Limbaugh was fired from ESPN after he made this remark about the Philadelphia Eagles' QB. And he wonders why he gets so much push-back when he claims he's not a racist. (2003)
"That's hot" - Paris Hilton shot to fame after a sex tape and reality show put her on the map. Her catchphrase, which she uttered incessantly on the reality TV show "The Simple Life," inexplicably caught on. Annoying? Yes. Zeitgeisty? We're afraid so. (2003)
President George W. Bush never uttered the words emblazoned on the banner behind him as he stood aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and proclaimed an end to the major combat operations in Iraq. But the remarks would be forever known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech. (2004)
"Not only are we going to New Hampshire ... we're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we're going to California and Texas and New York! And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan. And then we're going to Washington, D.C. to take back the White House, Yeeeeeaaaaaargh!" - Howard Dean's Iowa concession speech. Affectionately known as "The Dean Scream." (2004)
"Make it work!" - The wildly popular Tim Gunn always encouraged contestants on "Project Runway" to make it happen through this glorious catchphrase. Another favorite? "Carry on!" (2004)
"You're fired!" - Donald Trump's signature line when eliminating wannabe business folks became wildly popular and then became all too tired. (2004)
"George Bush doesn't care about black people." - Kanye West shocked the nation when he went off-script during a live televised Hurricane Katrina fundraiser and ripped into the then- president for how he handled (or didn't) hurricane relief. (2005)
"She's got double D's! You can't cover those suckers up!" - Joe Simpson made everyone feel a little dirty when he commented on daughter Jessica's rack. His omnipresence in the songbird's life always seemed a bit odd but this comment really skeeved us out. (2005)
"Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job." - President Bush praised FEMA director Michael Brown shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit when his agency was the target of criticism for their response in New Orleans. (2005)
"I didn't come here to talk about the past." - St. Louis Cardinals Mark McGuire spoke during the Congressional committee hearings on steroid use in baseball. (2005)
"Here's the problem. You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do. ... Matt, Matt, Matt, you don't even-- you're glib. You don't even know what Ritalin is." - Tom Cruise went off on Matt Lauer on the "Today Show" and we were scared. More crazy to follow. (2005)
"Auf Wiedersehen." - Heidi Klum's signature sign off at the end of reality TV sensation "Project Runway" caught on quickly. That is, of course, after everyone finally figured out what the heck she was saying in the first place. (2005)
“Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it’s tuna, but it says ‘Chicken by the Sea.’” - Jessica Simpson, try as she might, isn't able to shake the air-head image precisely because of quotes like this one. (2006) (2003?)
"I'm the decider, and I decide what is best." - George W. Bush spewed out this gem at about the time we decided we were officially holding our breath every time he spoke from then on. Bush went on to coin many a term, but "decider" was decidedly one of the more memorable. (2006)
"Get your popcorn ready" - Terrell Owens is known for his big talk but the summer he signed with the Dallas Cowboys he went on to catch an NFL-high 13 TDs in his debut with the team. (2006)
"We're not winning, we're not losing." - George W Bush wasn't sure of much three years into the war in Iraq but he was sure of one thing: we're in limbo. The remarks were a stunning reversal from comments made two months earlier that the U.S. was winning. (2006)
Mark Foley: "Do I make you a little horny?" Teen: "A little" Foley: "Cool." - The Republican congressman from Florida sent a series of sexually explicit IMs to congressional pages. Foley, who had fought for tougher laws for online sexual predators, later resigned. (2006)
"This city will be chocolate at the end of the day. ... You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about." - New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin tried to back-track on divisive comments about the city's population but really just made things worse. (2006)
"In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country." - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed Iran was void of gays when he was visiting Columbia University. (2007)
"As always, I rely on the jury system." - O.J. Simpson was found guilty on all 12 charges, including felony kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy. (2007)
"It's Britney, bitch!" - Britney Spears' first words on her comeback album "Blackout" let us know that she was done with all the crazy head-shaving, umbrella-flailing antics and was back for reals. (2007)
"You're a "rude, thoughtless little pig." - Alec Baldwin's leaked angry voicemail to his 11-year-old daughter (2007)
"I don't think they're piling on because I'm a woman. I think they're piling on because I'm winning." - Hillary Rodham Clinton jinxing herself six ways from Sunday in response to the other Democratic presidential nominees ramping up their criticism of her. What a difference a few months makes. (2007)
"Don't tase me, bro!" - University of Florida student Andrew Meyer begged security not to shoot him with a Taser during a John Kerry forum and it has been considered a cultural touchstone ever since. (2007).
"That's some nappy-headed hos." - shock jock Don Imus got himself canned from his radio gig after he called the Rutgers women's basketball team the slur. (2007)
"This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period." - San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's all-time home-run record amid speculation his record was sullied by steroid use. (2007)
"What is the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick." - Sarah Palin, beauty-queen-turned-politician, introduced herself to America with a sharp-tongued speech. It's hard to even recall what the political landscape was before the Palins. (2008)
"I can see Russia from my house!" - Tina Fey is a dead-ringer for the former Republican veep candidate Sarah Palin and proved it on "Saturday Night Live." What a peach. (2008)
"The fundamentals of our economy are strong." - John McCain's ill-worded pep talk to the nation came when the financial system was spiraling down the toilet bowl. It marked a potential turning point in the election. (2008)
"Yes We Can." - President Obama had a genius, trance-inducing slogan chanted by poster-wielding fans that became so wildly popular advertisers piggy-backed off the phrase. (2008)
"I mean, think about it! Rudy Giuliani. There's only three things he mentions in a sentence -- a noun, a verb, and 9/11. There's nothing else! There's nothing else! And I mean this sincerely. He's genuinely not qualified to be president." - Joe Biden makes one of his most memorable quotes and we love him for it. (2008)
"You lie!" - Rep. Joe Wilson shouted at Obama as he spoke to a joint session of Congress. (2009)
"I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised." - Miss California Carrie Prejean did anything but endear herself to gays in America and beyond when she uttered this phrase when asked about same-sex marriage during the 2009 Miss USA pageant. (2009)
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So, what do you think, ONTD? What's your favorite quote of the decade? What's missing?