In explaining why Michael Jackson was included in the Academy Awards' In Memoriam segment, executive director Bruce Davis offered this to the Associated Press: "Think of all the blogging we would have gotten if we had left him out!" Think of all the blogging he’ll get now that he uses us as an excuse to include MJ, but not Farrah Fawcett. Doesn’t he imagine that somewhere out in the blogosphere there are Farrah Fawcett fans clicking away at her exclusion?
I’m a fan of admitting your mistakes—if you must—and letting history be history. If, in response to the Farrah faux pas, Davis had said, “Oops!,” or “Sorry! My bad!,” I would have accepted it and said, “That’s Hollywood for you.” I was surprised that Fawcett was not included in the tribute, but amazed that Jackson was. Davis justifies the Farrah decision by reminding us that she was best known for her “remarkable television work,” while including Jackson because This Is It was released posthumously. What, no mention of The Wiz? I realize I’m an ignoramus, but isn’t Jackson best known for his remarkable musical work? Should Davis do his homework, he would find that Fawcett appeared in a number of theatrical releases, a larger number than Jackson has to his credit.
I like the idea of the Academy Awards on television, but I haven’t watched in years. Oscar night’s mystique is nullified by its reality. The glitz and glamour are always surpassed by the boredom and stupidity. The only thing that interests me in the least is the clothing worn by the stars on the red carpet. That I can catch in People and on internet gossip sites (well, I can catch the best and the worst…what else matters?). When I was sophisticated enough to discriminate between flash and content (I guess I was about four), I lost interest in the Academy Awards. In trying to give all audience members what they may want, the annual show generally turns out to be insulting to most of us.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Joanne Huspek
Thank you for your Oscar recap. I'm so glad I missed it.
:-)
2 - Melissa
Stop with the pointing the finger! Michael was amazing and FF fought the good fight.. Now it's wrong that she got left out but they put some of the biggest stars out there.. Not to mention that Michael's This is It was the biggest selling concert movie.
3 - Carefreedo
She should have got included BUT stop blaming Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson had more right than anyone to be in that. He is a legend for god sake. Let the man receive some of the respect he deserves. Not to mention the fact he has just been in the biggest grossing documentary/music film OF ALL TIME and unless im mistaken is up for an oscar next year or that is the talk anyway and rightly so. I mean for goodness sake, that film will go down as one of the most stunning pieces of work in history. Absolute genius.
Yes include her, she deserves it, but on her own merit. Not because Michael Jackson was included.
Both of you R.I.P.
4 - beau
so why the michael hate,he didnt put himself their.michael was a legend while farrah was a B listed actress who people felt sorry for cause of her battle with cancer,this is it movie is still raking money for hollywood through its dvd sales and they are gonna protect their cash cow.
5 - CPS
I located a mistake in this story:
"...isn’t Jackson best known for his remarkable musical work?"
No. The two things for which he will forever be best known are A) a dance move, and B) being thought of, by a large percentage of the population, as a pedophile who got away with being so.
And the premise that Jackson contributed significantly to the motion picture industry... riiiiiight...
It is due to corruptions such as this that I'm one who is no longer a viewer of the Oscars.
6 - Victor Lana
I think the thing Jackson will be most remembered for is Thriller, both the album and long-form video that share the name. The video was ground-breaking for its time, and I've watched it recently and it still seems like a short film and guarantees MJ's legacy, and it's better executed than most of the other music videos around today.
MJ definitely should have been included, but Farah Fawcett should have been as well.
7 - sadfg
Bruce Davis needs to die... slit him open..
8 - El Bicho
So let me get this straight, you are upset about a tribute held on a show you didn't watch? And you care what Bruce Davison thinks? Sounds like too much free time on your hands. Also you probably shouldn't be using "sophistication" so close to discussing your perusal of "People".
The Wiz was shown during the Jackson montage.
And why does your article snub Bea Arthur's snub? Don’t you imagine that somewhere out in the blogosphere there are Bea Arthur fans clicking away at her exclusion?
9 - Sonia
What does Michael Jackson have to do with Farrah Fawcett? I don't remember her on the big screen anyways. As I recall one of MJ's songs 'Will You Be There' was the theme song on Free Willy, which was on the big screen. Michael Jackson was known and loved around the world from all ages, even my nephew who is 5 yrs old, LOVES his music. He doesn't know who Farrah was. I am the same age as MJ and
10 - A Geek Girl
Bea Arthur???
*smacks head on keyboard*
Frgggg
Now I have to start clicking away again.
Don't you think they should have included Jeff Goldblum and Matt Damon as well? I know they were only dead on Twitter, but that doesn't lessen the grief and shock we all felt when they found Matt's body in Palo Verde.
11 - Miss Bob Etier
#10 Geek Girl,
LOLOAOA! I didn't know about Bea Arthur being excluded either! I guess I wouldn't have included her in this essay, anyway, since it's about Bruce Davis. Not that anyone noticed! :-) --Bob E.
12 - Sophie
I LOVE MJ!!! and glad he was included but it was way too ridiculous that they did not include farrah or bea.
13 - El Bicho
Sonia, go to IMDb, enter "Farah Fawcett", then come back and admit your mistake
14 - SWB
There were 29 others recognized. Coulda dropped one of them to make room for Farrah. Michael Jackson earned every tribute there is to give in the performing arts. He is the last one that should be left out.
15 - David
Don't forget that Michael was nominated for an Oscar for the song Ben... By the way, I think Farah should have been included!
16 - Jordan Richardson
He is the last one that should be left out.
Exactly. They should have left out that one guy. Fuck that guy.
17 - Laura KG
Not for nothing, but the Oscars should be ashamed of themselves.As an MJ fan, I was glad to see him included. He was pretty much the most famous person on the planet PLUS This Is It and The Wiz.I was also shocked beyond belief to see Farah left out. I just don't get what MJ being included has to do w/ the Farah snub? The whole memorial piece went by so quickly that it wouldn't have killed them to add 3 or 4 more people to the tribute. Perhaps they should have cut that whole scene w/Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in bed together.Maybe then there would have been enough time to do the right thing and include these other great stars.
18 - Jordan Richardson
I'm sure there's some sort of profound conspiracy behind the omission that goes right to the top of Oscardom.
You all should go figure it out and come back to me with what you find out.
I'll wait here...
19 - El Bicho
"Not for nothing, but the Oscars should be ashamed of themselves."
Yes, an infomercial for show business should hang their collective head in shame over the fact they overlooked Farah.
btw, every commentor who pointed out the Farah snub and not the Bea Arthur snub should be ashamed of themselves.
20 - saralee
Michael Jackson appeared in several movies. Moreover, many, if not most, of his musical videos actually were short movies. He definitely deserved the tribute by the Academy Awards.
That being said, Farrah Fawcett also should have been included in the "In Memorium" segment.
21 - Michelle
Michael used film unlike anyone befor him. he was a master short film maker and deserves a special Academy Award for his use of the medium of film combined with music. The music film video is we know it now, is thanks to him. Look at The Wiz, Thriller, Moonwalker, captain EO, Liberian Girl, Earth Song etc. 3D movie was incorporated in the ill fated concert series. Perhaps a special Academy can be awarded to Michael next year. MJ made short movie after short movie, a prolific film maker extraordinaire.
22 - Jordan Richardson
Yeah. If only Michael Jackson could be given some sort of award that demonstrates his genius in the medium of music and film.
If only...
23 - sc341
I am getting sick and tired of all the negative comments about Michael Jackson all over the internet because he was in the "In Memorium" segment and Farrah was omitted. First of all the Academy is acting in an extremely unprofessional manner blaming him for her being excluded. Please...they easily could have spared 5 seconds of time to add her in there. They knew that this could cause a controversy. He should have been there, his song "Ben" was actually nominated for an Academy Award and it actually did win a Golden Globe Award. He was also in "The Wiz" and his performance was praised by critics. He also was in two other movies. Another song he wrote and sang "Will You Be There" was in the movie soundtrack "Free Willy". He also was in a Francis Ford Coppola/George Lucas Film currently playing in Disneyland, "Captain EO". Other directors that worked with him are: John Landis, "Thriller", Martin Scorsese, "Bad", Spike Lee, "They Don't Care About Us" and other notable directors on his short films/music videos. He always used top talent when he made his videos.
24 - sc341
Farrah should have been in the Tribute but really the movie she was most known for was "Saturday Night Fever" where her poster was shown to be hanging in John Travolta's bedroom. I think she only had a cameo in "Logan's Run" which wasn't nominated for any Academy Awards.
25 - Swa
As you mentioned it was a shame that Farrah Fawcette wasn't included in the "In Memorium" section of the Oscars. However to call out Michael Jackson on the same grounds as the reasoning offered up by the Oscars organisers.
As has been pointed out Michael Jackson appeared in several films in both leads and cameos (The Wiz and Men In Black II being prime examples). His recording of Ben was nominated for a Best Song Oscar in 1973 where Jackson performed. At the film about his rehearsals "This Is It" was also one of last years highest grossing films and is now officially the highest grossing documentary. To malign Michael Jackson's belonging in the Oscar community because it wasn't his major field, not only discredits his contributions but also strangely backs up the Oscar committees decision not to include Ms Fawcett as her major field was TV.
In my opinion both should have been included for their contributions.