The annual In Memoriam segment at this year’s Academy Awards on Sunday has drawn some fire for its notable omissions of actors who have passed in the past year.
Set to a live performance of the song “Calling All Angels” by Lenny Kravitz, the likes of Angela Lansbury, James Caan, Ray Liotta, Jean-Luc Godard, Irene Cara, Kirstie Alley, Raquel Welch, Nichelle Nichols, Burt Bacharach, Vangelis, and more were included.
However it was the faces that were missing that have drawn attention including the young Charlbi Dean from this year’s Best Picture nominee “Triangle of Sadness,” along with the likes of Anne Heche, Paul Sorvino, Chaim Topol, Tony Sirico, Leslie Jordan, and Tom Sizemore.
Mira Sorvino, Paul’s daughter, slammed the decision in a tweet saying: “It is baffling beyond belief that my beloved father and many other amazing brilliant departed actors were left out. The Oscars forgot about Paul Sorvino, but the rest of us never will!!”
The Oscars hoped to get around the issue with an extended photo gallery on the Academy’s digital magazine, A.frame, as a way to extend the televised list. That list is up at Oscars.org
John Travolta introduced the segment, emotionally choking up at one point with a “Hopelessly Devoted to You” reference about his “Grease” co-star and Australian singer icon Olivia Newton-John who sang that famous song in the movie and who passed this past year at age 73. She was included in the tribute.
Source: USA Today
