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My commenters and emailers are pointing out whom AMPAS failed to honor this year. (Please let me know if there are more names.) There’s outrage over missing Patrick McGoohan, so good in Braveheart. Also Eartha Kitt. I think my pals Bernie Brillstein and Guy McElwaine weren’t included. Don LaFontaine, THE voiceover artist on most film promotion, was omitted even though he was also the voice of the Oscars. Not included was George Carlin. And it’s inexplicable why Irv Brecher, one of the movies’ greatest writers and actually nominated for an Oscar (Meet Me in St. Louis) was left off the list. I’m told Irv’s widow was devastated that he wasn’t shown onscreen. After all, he was the only writer to receive sole credit for a Marx Bros movie (At the Circus and Go West.) He also wrote the screenplay for Bye, Bye, Birdie and Dubarry Was A Lady — not to mention directed Ernie Kovacs in his last movie, and Robert Wagner in his first. How could they not have paid tribute to him? Because he starred in a YouTube video that was instrumental to keeping morale high during last year’s writers strike? And, one of my commenters points out, “It’s interesting that they included film critic Manny Farber this year, although in 1999 they refused to include Gene Siskel despite much lobbying from Roger Ebert. I think at the time they said film critics were not part of the Academy, so it wasn’t appropriate to include him. Was this a one-time exception, or will the ‘In Memoriam’ montage include critics from now on?” (Heath Ledger was prominent in last year’s.)
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Ann Savage? Or did I just miss her?
They left out Edie Adams (“The Apartment,” “Under the Yum Yum Tree” and so many others) — a beautiful woman, a terrific comedic actress and performer. She really should have been included — it’s a major oversight that she wasn’t in there.
also, they didn’t include that many below-the-liners and a lot of them passed this year. I think the in memoriam should be for ampas members only.
You would think by now that the Academy would get it. Unfortunately they don’t.
This isn’t rocket science, and one would think this doesn’t have to be said. Obviously it does.
Memo to the Academy – You don’t represent just your members or the “film” industry. You represent HOLLYWOOD. You represent the ENTIRE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. Whether you like it or not, that is fact. You hand out little gold statues for movies; You setup this self induldging, self promoting, self glorifying performance (both the show, and what goes on outside for days before); You invite people from all forms of entertainment. The very least you can do is pay your respect to them.
Patrick McGoohan. Anita Page (You didn’t thank her… are you kidding me, what were you thinking???) George Carlin (There isn’t a Comedic actor or entertainer that hasn’t been infulenced by him) Don LaFontaine?????
If you are going to insist on limiting someone like Peter Gabriel to 65 seconds of his song (which he rightfully said no thanks), then the least you can do is extend a segment to thank those who paved the way for many of us who work in the industry.
Beverly Garland, who was Corman’s leading lady…
Ann Savage, star of the landmark noir film DETOUR in the 1950s, Paramount contract player, and most recently starred as Guy Maddin’s mother in MY WINNIPEG, rated by Time Magazine one of the best ten films of last year.
From the LOUSY way the “tribute screen” was shot, who could even tell
who’s passing was being recognized?? The camera was constantly “in motion,” a really overused “style” these days. In years gone by, the viewers at home were shown a FULL SCREEN, STATIC image of the lately departed with type face that was large enough to actually read!
I guess the Academy was trying to be “edgy” in their presentation, but it ended up simply being UNWATCHABLE. For shame…
You need to be an active member of the academy at their time of death to be in the memorial.
Against my better judgement, I turned the Oscars on for curiosity. I was pretty appalled at how pathetic the whole affair appeared. The magic that Hollywood once could conjure is gone for good. It is over, kaput, finis. The “In Memoriam” segment should have been a very moving part of the ceremony. Instead we were treated to a forgettable musical number with crooked and distant images of the deceased Hollywood icons as a back drop. Then Charlton Heston’s image appeared and the audience went almost silent. That bunch of phony S.O.B.s couldn’t set aside their ideological differences for one damn moment to pay tribute to a Hollywood icon. They are a pathetic and disgusting bunch of narcissistic bores.
It matters not since I have no doubt that Mr. Heston is regarded more highly than that collective gathering.
Perfectly stated my friend. You’re so right on every account.
They also overlooked makeup artist Charlie Schram. He worked on WIZARD OF OZ.
Bettie page ertha kitt and beverly garland oh and harvey coreman every year im upset by the “oscar death reel” omissions whatever Fuck the oscars>
AaronSch:
It wasn’t that the audience went silent for Heston, it was the goddam music that drowned it out!
The only person who got a recognizable applause was Paul Newman.
Even Richard Widmark got almost no applause, at least I think he got nothing, it wasn’t possible to actually tell.
This memorial montage was a total disaster, easily the worst ever!
Everyone involved must apologize for their fuckup!
Thosed the Academy did not acknowledge in Memoriam:
Yma Sumac, Robert Prosky who appeared in so many supporting roles – one of which was in Mrs Doubtfire,
Harvey Korman – the comedian sidekick on the Carol Burnette Show – Joey Bishop . Estelle Getty from the Golden Girls – but the greatest disrespect shown was to Charlton Heston a movie Icon a fighter for equal and black rights.
Nikki,
My father, John Daly, was omitted as well. He founded the independent film company, Hemdale, which produced films that won 13 Oscars and earned 21 nominations. He won back to back Best Picture awards for “Platoon” and “The Last Emperor.” He was also an Academy member.
When we heard he was not going to be mentioned in the tribute, we spoke to the Academy and were told that his achievements did not merit him being mentioned. Several of his colleagues in the industry called to complain and were given other reasons for the omission. One was told that the Academy learned too late of his October 2008 passing and to include him would ruin the timing of the video tribute with the accompanying song.
If somebody who is both a member of the Academy as well as an Oscar winner is not worthy of making the cut, then I’m not exactly sure how the Academy makes their determinations.
Obviously whoever makes the choices does so totally on their OWN subjective opinions, are petty, and their small-minded choices don’t have much to do with true MERIT—-and they probably don’t give s spit about being fair or anyone else’s opinions or feelings. There is just no excuse for some of the ommissions!!!
What about Ingmar Bergman? Michaelangelo Antonioni? minor blemishes in film history.
It’s not Queen Latifah’s fault…she was just doing her job and being a pro. Who chose to shoot it that way…to have the people who were to be memorialized on a distant screen in the backround and often at weird angles … made a really bad call. Shameful that many deserving people were omitted. But PATHETIC that many of those who did make the cut to be “honored” were not honored properly. Many could not be made out. From our party: “Was that… Ricardo Mantablan?” “I don’t know… I couldn’t see.” “Who was that?” “I couldn’t tell.”
THE WORST TRIBUTE SECTION I CAN REMEMBER. EVER.
Ok, lots of legitimate gripes here about people shamefully left out of the broadcast. But let’s focus on who was include: Joe Caracciolo, a line producer was included. Nice man, but what on earth was that about?!!!!
Someone at the Academy decided that Joe rated above all the other people mentioned here in this thread. Astounding.
What about Maury Winetrobe, film editor, responsible for editing many major films, including an Academy Award nomination for Funny Girl! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0934883/
What about Rudy Ray Moore? DOLOMITE is forever!
First, you couldn’t even see the screens on tv with the tribute names half the time because the camera was all over the place and not focused on the screen. Second, not having Guy McElwaine on there is basically saying one of the great agent/producer/managers ever, who truly represented the glory days of hollywood, wasn’t part of our industry. That is a shame.Honestly the academy should put out a trade announcement correcting these errors and honor these people. (by the way I bet the publicist who was mentioned in the reel was friends with the producers).
I totally agree about Don La Fontaine too. I mean seriously, you don’t honor the former voice of the Oscars and the voice that sold like a trillon dollars worth of your films at the box office? What’s wrong with these people?
Sadly, they forgot to mention actor Sam Bottoms who has been wonderful as a character actor over the years. Who can forget him as Billy in THE LAST PICTURE SHOW or as Lance, the surfer guy, in APOCALYPSE NOW. Sam sadly died of brain cancer in December. He was a really good guy. Hopefully the Academy can include him next year. GH
WTF? What jackass decided to film the “In Memoriam” segment in a Blair Witch style? Not only was this a horrible segment technically speaking, I found it to be quite disrespectful to those who passed.
Wow, the Academy is beginning to sound more and more like the HFPA every day. When the Oscars become the Globes we are in serious trouble.
As a fan of “The Prisoner” and its influence on pop culture, I’m glad that I’m not the only person who noticed Patrick McGoohan’s omission. And as others pointed out, folks like Eartha Kitt, Bernie Brillstein, Harvey Korman, etc. were also thoroughly worth mentioning and got overlooked. I think somebody fell down on the job somwhere in Oscarville…
I don’t understand the timing excuse for not including Patrick McGoohan. Ricardo Montalban also died in January 2009 (after McGoohan), yet he was included. What gives?