The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been apologizing to the friends, family and fans of a few different well-known figures in Hollywood that had been omitted from the 2010 Oscars “in memoriam” since the awards show aired last Sunday night. Three of the biggest names that had been left out were Farrah Fawcett, Bea Arthur and Gene Barry, but the one name who continues to be a thorn in the Academy’s side is Farrah Fawcett and those who have been making the biggest ruckus are critic Roger Ebert and Oscar winner Jane Fonda.
The “in memoriam” segment first began in 1993 and since that time, the same man has been responsible for the segment–the Academy’s Bruce Davis. Davis has since released a statement, saying:
“There’s nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all. They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we’re sorry for it.”
Although people continue to be outraged over the decision to leave Farrah Fawcett out of the segment, Davis stands by his decision of omitting her, saying that he ultimately felt her “remarkable television work” would be more appropriately honored during the TV Academy’s Emmys and backed up that line of thinking to include that several notable screenwriters were not included in the tribute, either.
The Academy has also explained why Michael Jackson had been included in the “in memoriam,” which surprised quite a bit of people, even fans of Michael Jackson, saying that while he was better known for his musical accomplishments, Jackson was the subject of a successful feature documentary last year, thus earning his place.
The Academy’s apology about Farrah Fawcett not being included in the “in memoriam” sounds very much more like a non-apology; like hot air being released to the universe to get everyone to stop talking about Bruce Davis’s oversight. And on the topic of Michael Jackson being included–I think his “remarkable musical work” would be more appropriately honored during the Grammys. Oh wait, it was.
Two years ago I couldn’t understand why actor Brad Renfro wasn’t included “In Memoriam”. He died within days of Heath Ledger. During his 25 years of life, he acted in 21 films. He starred with Susan Sarandon in “The Client”, “Sleepers” with Robert Deniro & Kevin Bacon, “Apt Pupil” with Sir Ian McKellen, and “Ghost World” with Scarlett Johansson.
I think that Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur were best known for television, so I can kind of understand the decision not to include them during the Academy Awards. What I don’t understand is how they waste so much time during the show that they can’t include a couple of extra people in the “in memoriam” segment.
I’ll be very upset if they omit Corey Haim next year. They tend to discriminate against the younger actors.