Comments on: Whoopi, Steve, Brad, Where Were You?

By: Francine Fishpaw

Francine Fishpaw — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:18:26 +0000

Steve, Renfro was in 25 movies (some of them major) which is far more movies than Ledger ever did. He just finished a movie with two Oscar winners to be released this year.

It’s not a case of including everybody in the biz who has died in the past year. It’s about the glaring omission of a young actor who was well-known and should have been included instead of agents and execs who nobody outside of the biz would know if they fell over them.

You may think Renfro is a B-list actor but just wait until an actor you admire dies and the Oscar fogies decide for whatever reason that said actor doesn’t deserve a three second mention in a three and a half hour show.

For a lot of people, this was the final straw. I know I won’t be watching the Oscars ever again. It’s become irrelevant.

By: Elrod Stroop

Elrod Stroop — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:01:44 +0000

Cates phoned it in. It was an obvious clip show; they assembled all those montages during the WGA strike to cover their asses, and rather than buckle down with the same old tired writers and actually work hard to do a real show, they went with what they had, and didn’t have the sense or the commitment to talent to recognize Roy Scheider (a two time nominee, FGS!, and the others already mentioned.

Tired old people doing a tired old show. And a director who wants the job so much he keeps cutting to a non-pro whose only qualifications for preferential seating are her celebrity gynecological practice and the fact that her husband’s producing the show, and hires the director.

By: Steve Smith

Steve Smith — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:13:44 +0000

If they were to do a montage of everyone who’s ever been in a movie who also kicked the bucket the past year, the show would last forever, as opposed to merely feeling like it lasted forever. They can’t pay tribute to every B-list actor, and they certainly can’t honor those, like Charles Nelson Reilly, Marcel Marceau, Merv Griffin, who didn’t have an impact on film. It’s tragic that Renfro died young, but more tragic that, unlike Heath Ledger, he didn’t accomplish all that much in his brief life in his chosen trade.

By: Francine Fishpaw

Francine Fishpaw — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:42:00 +0000

While Brad Renfro’s movies may have been small of late (though he did pop up in THE JACKET alongside Kiera Knightley and Adrien Brody), he’d just finished the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation THE INFORMERS alongside Kim Basinger, Billy Bob Thornton, Winona Ryder, Mickey Rourke and Jon Foster so I don’t believe any of this talk about him not being include because he wasn’t a big enough star. He’s been in plenty of well known movies.

The fact that the Oscar people are now backpedaling and trotting out multiple reasons now that the first excuse (not enough time) was obvious bullshit says it all.

I mean, they had plenty of time to show clips of people waking up from bad dreams but they couldn’t give three seconds to Renfro?

I’m apalled.

Someone suggested that perhaps Renfro’s drug habit may have led to him being omitted from the obit montage. Bullshit! If they didn’t include drug users, there wouldn’t be more than a handful of people included in the montage each year. Heath Ledger died of a drug overdose a week after Renfro but was included and do you think Robert Downey Jr. won’t be included when it’s his turn?

AMPAS ought to be ashamed of themselves.

By: milo

milo — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:40:54 +0000

The Whoopi thing is WAY overblown. They showed her in the montage of oscar WINNERS - is it so horrible that they realized that she was covered and didn’t think it necessary to show her in TWO montages? And to make matters worse, some news reports on this get it wrong and make it sound like she wasn’t shown in any of the montages.

Renfro definitely is an oversight, they botched that one. But they did put a range of dates on it (which I don’t ever remember seeing before), they said they’ll show Scheider next year, now they just need to remember do it.

By: Nuno Antunes

Nuno Antunes — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:19:08 +0000

For “Voyeur”

River Phoenix was included in the Obits in 1994 (imagens from “Running on Empty”). Actually, that was the first year they had the “In Memorian”. Introduced by Glenn Cloose.

By: Cyd

Cyd — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:23:22 +0000

At least there were a handful audience close ups on Gil Cates’ wife, Dr. Judith Reichman.

By: shelly

shelly — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:27:44 +0000

There were some goofs in the Grammy montage last year as well.
But Renfro being a victim of “editing” - that’s just as unforgivable as Whoopi being left out. Smells political to me. (not in the presidential sense though. PAUUULEASE.)

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:16:06 +0000

Not only was Brad Renfro hugely talented, he appeared in multiple big-budget Hollywood films. That’s enough for me. He may have gone out a heroin addict and a total mess, but he was still a human being who embodied the talent that keeps this town chugging along.

Yet again, this omission proves that the Academy and the H’wood establishment are totally out-of-touch and tone-deaf — which might explain why these ceremonies suck uncontrollably and tend to make odd and forgettable choices.

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:34:25 +0000

Definitely classless to leave Brad out. I’m glad the Oscars had crap ratings.

By: Garrett

Garrett — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:16:14 +0000

This years telecast seems like it was written by Wikipedia. … Did my grandfather write the script this year?

Waltmink, wait - is Wikipedia your grandfather?

By: manny

manny — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:40:50 +0000

this was a shameful display by Oscar. They can pay all the lip service they want to including the whole Hollywood community, but lets face facts, people watch the Oscars to see Actors first and foremost and directors second. Putting agents in the obit role is an absolute joke if they are going to omit Renfro who despite being in some clunker films never put in a bd performance. That is to say nothing of his starring in several Oscar nominated films. Reward the people who’ve made you money Oscar.
Renfro gave his all to this town and was torn to shreds by it because he couldn’t deal. The least they can do is give him .5 seconds of recognition on the death reel.

By: mla28

mla28 — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:39:40 +0000

“Hold the Kool Aid” - We’re discussing people who are failing miserably at their jobs. Obama is succeeding spectacularly. (I’m not commenting on his politics just the management of his campaign). When Hillary wins another primary (or at least has someone faint during her speech) or when AMPAS can get people to faint at one of their Oscar shows because it was that good (let alone watch the thing) I’ll shut up.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:20:03 +0000

Roy Scheider died on Feb 10th and it listed (for the first time I believe) that it encompassed Feb 1 2007-Jan 31 2008 so he would be in the next one. As far as renfro it was in January so if they could include Johnny Grant and a bunch of agents and executives they could have included him.

By: Brad

Brad — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:05:45 +0000

Brad Renfro died too recently for an obit? I call BS. Heath Ledger died a full week later, yet he was included. I guess the In Memoriam editors had other reasons for excluding him. I think the assertion that they may not have wanted to glorify a drug problem may have been spot on… but then again, didn’t Heath die of an overdose?

Double standard if you ask me.