Every year, the In Memoriam segment at the Academy Awards makes some glaring omissions. But this year, practically every comedian that died was omitted from the segment, despite some even having a good bit of film work.
The biggest reaction on the internet last night was Bob Saget being absent. While he was obviously best known for his TV work, he also popped up in a number of films, most notably Half Baked and The Aristocrats. He also won an Academy sanctioned Student Oscar in 1977. As a director, his most memorable film was arguably Dirty Work, starring Norm MacDonald.
Speaking of MacDonald, he was also absent from the segment. In addition to Dirty Work, he also appeared in Screwed, Billy Madison, Man on the Moon, Grown Ups, and The People vs. Larry Flynt.
Also missing from the segment was Louie Anderson. While he again was best known for his TV work, he had bit parts in Coming To America (and its sequel), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Quick Silver, and a more prominent part in The Wrong Guys.
Trevor Moore was also absent, who starred in the film Miss March, which he co-wrote and directed.
But perhaps the most notable omission for us was Ed Asner. Of everyone on this list, including him seems like an obvious no-freaking-brainer. After all, he was the star of the 2010 Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature, Up. On top of that, he was also in Elf, They Called Me Mr. Tibbs, Gus, JFK, El Dorado, and so many others. How much more does a guy have to do to get in the In Memoriam segment, Oscars??
We've had many conversations over the years about how The Recording Academy repeatedly turns its nose up at comedy (no real category for comedy movies, acting categories, etc.). In addition to the the thankless job that is often handed to the comics charged with hosting shows. Obviously the most glaring recent example is the Will Smith/Chris Rock incident where we witnessed one of comedy's most successful performers of all time get assaulted on live TV by a celebrity with no repercussions. Kevin Hart experienced it when it came to hosting last year. Michelle Wolf was ripped apart from a White House Correspondents Dinner. Getting angry at a comedian making jokes or roasting someone at an awards show is the equivalent of being angry for hiring a plumber who comes to your house and replaces the toilet you hired him to do.
Hollywood has started to take itself too seriously when it comes to awards shows put on to congratulate itself. When one of the most-successful comedians of all time experiences every comedian's heckler nightmare and isn't held accountable, comedians are shown time and time again that they are not valued by the awards industry. Perhaps we should all heed the statement Seth Rogen made a few weeks ago when he pointed out that nobody outside of Hollywood should give a damn about Hollywood awards shows. Don't believe us, just watch the steadily declining ratings year over year.