Oscars 2010: Oscar Producers Apologize, But Defend Fawcett Snub

by Yuliya Talmazan | March 10, 2010 at 01:42 pm

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Fawcett Not Relevant Enough?

Producers of this year's Oscars are defending their snub of Farrah Fawcett during a tribute to people that the movie industry lost in 2009. Fawcett was left out of the In Memoriam segment, which made many viewers uneasy. Oscars producers defended Fawcett's absence from the reel, saying she was not a movie star. They claim Fawcett mostly starred in TV series, and hence was not included in the tribute. The family of the actress said they were saddened over Fawcett's exclusion from the segment. It remains to be seen if Fawcett will be recognized at the Emmy Awarads later this year. Fawcett died of cancer in on June 25 of last year. She was 62.

Interestingly, the In Memoriam did include King of Pop Michael Jackson who passed away at the age of 50 in 2009. Jackson starred in seven movies, two in which were documentaries about his own life. Another TV star Bea Arthur was left out from this year's In Memoriam too.

The producer in charge of the In Memoriam segment noted the Academy was sorry for not including all the people who passed away last year.

"There's nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all," Davis said.

"They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we're sorry for it."