Sunday's host-free Academy Awards appeared, by most accounts, to be a resounding success: ratings rose from last year (to 29.6 million viewers in the US alone); and it was a record year for Oscar winners that weren't both white and male.
But, actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger pointed out there was one slight issue – the many prominent and hard-working industry stalwarts that were missed out from the 'In Memoriam' tribute.
While Marvel man Stan Lee, actor Burt Reynolds and director Bernardo Bertolucci were all included in the honours, Schwarzenegger pointed out that there were people who had died in the past year that were missed off the list:
Last night was one of the best @TheAcademy Awards shows I’ve seen. Fantastic performances, smooth flow, and almost a perfect show. The only failure was leaving film icons like Andy Vajna, Carol Channing, R. Lee Emery, Dick Miller and others out of the In Memoriam tribute.
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) February 25, 2019
I’m, of course, upset about Andy’s omission. He was a groundbreaking producer who showed that independent filmmakers could make blockbusters like Rambo, Tombstone, Total Recall, Terminator 2, & the list goes on. His movies created many thousands of jobs in Hollywood over decades.
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) February 25, 2019
The Terminator actor pointed out that his often-collaborator Andy Vajna (who produced Evita, Nixon, and many of the Rambo, Die Hard and Terminator films) wasn't honoured, and that Oscar-nominated Broadway icon Carol Channing of Hello Dolly! fame also didn't get a mention.
Schwarzenegger brought to light two other key omissions: R. Lee Ermey, who famously placed Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, and character actor Dick Miller, who appeared in more than 100 films, including The Terminator and Gremlins.
Other faces missing from Sunday's tribute included John Mahoney, who played the Crane father in Frasier; Austin Powers actor Verne Troyer, who died in April last year; Oscar nominee Sondra Locke (known for The Heart is a Lonely Hunter); and Emmy nominee Reg E. Cathey of The Wire and House of Cards fame.
