Each year, part of the Oscar ceremony memorializes movie stars who have died during the past year. This year was no different and the Memorial Montage rolled on. Unfortunately, Farrah Fawcett, who died last summer, was left out. Friends and long time significant other Ryan O’Neal protested to Bruce Davis, the executive director of the film academy who said she was better known as a TV star. He further suggested she should be mentioned at the Emmys.
Hmmmm, how does that explain Michael Jackson’s inclusion in the Oscar Memorial Montage? Shouldn’t he have been memorialized at the Grammys. using this logic, since he was known for his recordings and music videos? Farrah Fawcett’s death was greatly overshadowed by the death of Jackson at the time it happened. In fact, Larry King cancelled her friends’ remembrance of her on the Larry King Show because of Michael Jackson’s untimely death. To my knowledge, this remembrance was never rescheduled.
According to Timesonline:
Facing a barrage of criticism after failing to honour the late Charlie’s Angels star, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences executive director Bruce Davis said that organisers did consider including Fawcett, but decided that she was better known for her “remarkable television work”.
The Academy believed it would be more appropriate for the actress, who died from cancer in June last year, to be honoured at the Emmy Awards, Davis told AP.
The reasoning is unlikely to placate Fawcett’s family, who released a press statement following Sunday’s ceremony, saying that they were “deeply saddened” and “bereft” after watching Patrick Swayze, Natasha Richards, Brittany Murphy and others remembered during a performance by James Taylor.
Hollywood icon Jane Fonda led a raft of critics in expressing their disappointment on the social networking site Twitter: “Where was Farah Fawcett?” Fonda wrote. “She should have been included”.
The influential, veteran US film critic Roger Ebert tweeted: “No Farrah Fawcett in the memorial tribute? Major fail.”
The Academy’s decision to include Michael Jackson while excluding Fawcett has further fuelled the criticism, but Davis said organisers honoured the King of Pop as he had appeared in a popular theatrical film, This Is It, recently.
“Think of all the blogging we would have gotten if we had left him out!” he said.
…Actor Gene Barry, who starred in the original sci-fi classic The War of the Worlds, was also excluded.
Davis said that “an unusual number of extremely distinguished screenwriters” died this year, and the academy tried to honour many of them in the short time allowed.
“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.”
The Oscars, always sticking a fake gold finger into the political winds, have screwed up again. Farrah made 19 movies over a span of 3 decades. It is important to note that Bea Arthor was also dissed by the Oscar. I am glad I didn’t watch. And I never thought I would say this, but good for Jane Fonda!
A movie about Michael Jackson, “starring” him, just made tons of money in theatres. Fawcett and Arthur never sold any movie tickets, and were primarily TV actors. It seems perfectly rational to me.
Sean Penn did mention something about anal or rectal cancer recently…..does that count as praise?
By FAR the best part of the Oscars this year (which mostly sucked big time) was the look on Babs’ puss when she had to give that lady an Oscar and listen to her praise the troops. She looked like she desperately needed to eat a few prunes.
Actually Farrah Fawcett made 19 movies. She also won a golden globe award if I am not mistaken.
I do hear what Rick is saying, but Farrah Fawcett was an icon and should have been remembered. Her role in the “burning bed” was amazing.
Do you know what I remember about her documentary when she was fighting cancer? Laying in a hospital bed in Germany, the rain tap, tap, tapping, on the window, and her quietly saying “I love the sound of rain, I think that is one of the things I will miss the most when I die” pause as she looks into the camera “do you think you can hear rain from heaven, I hope so, I would be so sad to know I will never hear that sound again”
I will tell you, the sound of rain has so much more meaning to me now as I too have always loved the sound of it……………
“The Burning Bed” was very popular and important, but was a TV movie.
@Rick Bentley
agreed
A movie is a movie. Farrah Fawcett pretty much got overshadowed even in death. It would not have hurt the academy. How about that golden globe award?
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I never realized The Burning Bed was a TV movie. Somehow I thought it was in the theaters – although I know I saw it on TV (and apparently it must never have been in the theaters).
A check on imdb.com shows indeed that was a TV movie. However, looking at Farrah Fawcett’s credits – it shows she was in a “theatrical release” movie that got nominated for a Golden Globe award – “Extremities” made in 1986 which she had the lead role in.
Also, even Larry King dissed Farrah Fawcett in death. The planned show with her friends remembering her on Larry King, got scrapped that night in favor of what he deemed to be the more important news regarding Michael Jackson.
TV movie or not, “The Burning Bed” was an eye opener for all of us. Fawcett deserves mention just for that service.
I totally agree with that – she was great in that movie. It shouldn’t really matter that it was a TV movie – and as TV movies go – it was probably one of the better ones!
TV movies are honored at the Emmys, not the Oscars.
She was acclaimed for her work in the Apostle with Robert Duvall as the wife of his character. It is one of my all time fav movies because of Duvall.
I never saw that movie. Robert Duvall is one of the great actors out there though in my opinion.