However, when Ryan O'Neil - and a handful of friends, family and fellow actors - expressed their dismay on the Academy's failure to include Farrah, I sat up and took notice.
In the wake of the uproar that followed, I was quite shocked to learn that Fawcett's name (and image) were not left out of the memorial by accident, but due to the deliberate (thoughtless) actions of the powers-that-be at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.
When cornered on the controversy, a spokesperson for the prestigious organization argued that Ms. Fawcett was more commonly-known as a TV actress - and that for good reason - she was a likely candidate for inclusion at the Annual Emmy Awards instead.
Huh?
What nonesense!
To validate their ludicrous dumba** position, officials noted that Gene Barry didn't make it into Academy Heaven either (on the same grounds).
When a reporter astutely noted that Michael Jackson was included in the tasteful memorial, an official quickly defended the Academy's position, with an even flimsier excuse.
"Michael was in a recent film that was successful," he asserted for the record.
While I don't begrudge Jackson his well-deserved nod, the aforementioned excuse for inclusion (in view of the Fawcett fiasco) is hollow; after all, the Jackson project was pieced together after his death and was a documentary (not a feature film he was hired to act and/or perform in).
Because Ms. Fawcett was one of the most successful actresses in the business in recent years (and a highly respected performer in Hollywood circles who performed in three major areas of the entertainment field such as TV, feature film and the stage ) the Academy should be ashamed for its shocking disrespectful actions.
In my humble opinion, Ms. Fawcett's stature in the "acting profession" entitles her to mention - in any and all memorials - no matter what the specific medium.
Get a grip on reality, and show a little compassion next time, you shameless Academy losers!
Candidate for inclusion in Grammy Memorial?
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