Maybe there was a reason for that and maybe that whoever produced the segment was asleep at the wheel? (or perhaps didn’t start working on the segment until after the writers’ strike and was therefore indeed, rushed?)
Vulture reminded us that the Oscars made three omissions of dead actors and filmmakers last night, some glaring and some less so. The exclusion of Roy Scheider would be inexcusable, but he did just pass away recently, so we figured this could be the reason why. Brad Rendro however died back in mid January, before Heath Ledger. Evidently dying of an accidental pill overdose at the top of your game is fine. Dying from a miserable heroin overdose after your career has tanked is apparently not ok.
Also looked over was Norman Mailer, who sure,was a well-known as a pugnacious author of chaunvinistic books, but Mailer was also an accomplished journalist and (s0metimes experimental) filmmaker.
Maybe Sid Ganis and company need to cut less montages and concentrate a little deeper on their dead-guy acting tributes, thank you very much. But apparently 98 movie types died in the last calendar year and the Academy reportedly told TMZ: “It is simply not possible to include everyone in that segment.”
Translation: Fuck you, scumbag druggie.
Real nice, guys.