Photos: BauerGriffinOnline.com
The loss of recently deceased actor Brad Renfro was made even more apparent by his omission from what I affectionately like to refer to as the Oscar dead people montage. Now, I'm not sure exactly what criteria they use to determine who gets included or not, so I can't really sit here and point any fingers, but it did seem a tad strange that Brad's untimely passing went without so much as a brief flash of his name and face up on the screen.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences released a statement, explaining why Brad had not been included, saying, "There are too many people to include everyone. We tried to represent all the branches of the Academy." That sounds so depressing because it essentially means there were just too many dead people this year.
stolidog says:
you know, renfro's death was tragic and all, but, didn't Merv Griffin die last year as well? And while that was no doubt expected, wasn't he like a hollywood titan? What would Ryan Gaycrest have been without him? Now I'm curious to see how many were negelected while so many "executives" were honored. (or did i just miss the griffin tribute montage?)
jdough says:
ummm,this dude was not particularly memorable, except for getting a tattoo of "f*&k all y'all" a few days before he overdosed on heroin. class act. the people who were part of the montage had dedicated their lives to the movie business, and/or were accomplished, talented artists.this guy qualifies as neither.
CousinTone says:
The montage was dated, so his picture will be included next year. The first screen gave the dates, I believe it was January 31 2007 through February 1, 2008, so he just missed by a few days. Look for him next year.
the wza says:
omg, Roy Scheider anyone?
gix says:
He didn't miss the dates. He died Jan. 15th, a week before Heath. So if Heath was in there, he should have been, too. At least they blipped him up for the Golden Globes.
I guess the Academy just didn't deem him important enough.
Jinxy McDeath says:
That was the longest dead people montage in... forever. Maybe all the later dead people are being saved for the next Oscar Telecast. I mean, it would have been really odd not to mention Heath, but the later ones will probably get their shout out next Feb.
TonjaLasagna says:
They should have included Brad Renfro because for all his faults, he was a very talented actor. Shame on the Academy!
citizen_cris says:
they included f'en AGENTS in the oscar dead people montage and yet they didn't have enough room for brad renfro?! i thought that was a huge slap in the face...why don't they just admit that they forgot him...because when you're thanking agents and key grips and sound mixers and whatever the hell else they had on there and then forget renfro you have to come up with an excuse as lame as that.
cris says:
it could be that roy scheider's death was too late to be added to the clip show, it was feb. 10 right? it was probably too late, i would HOPE that they would include it next year.
Zekers says:
Merv Griffin...that's a very good point, Stolidog. I wonder who is actually in charge of putting the montage together...obviously that job should be posted.
CLLR says:
So I guess Roy Schieder (Chief Brody in "Jaws") wasn't a big enough star to include in the montage either? But the guy who did some lights on some movie at some time was? Way to go Oscar producers. I can't imagine why the ratings were the worst ever this year.
CLLR says:
Retraction: They may have shown the Chief in the beginning tossing chum off the boat. Mea culpa.
CLLR says:
Retraction: They may have shown the Chief in the earlier portion, tossing chum off the boat. Mea culpa.
Tread says:
I don't remember a mention of the passing of Jonathan Brandis at the 2003 Oscars either.
dctopman says:
Others not included in the list were such notables as Robert Goulet, Merv Griffin, Marcel Marceau, Tom Poston, and Charles Nelson Reilly. They died during the timeframe specified - February 1, 2007 and January 31, 2008. They were all arguably more famous than Brad Renfro. I would have liked for all of them, including Brad, to have been included, but maybe it was just a space and time issue?
Steve says:
DC, the folks you cite -- Robert Goulet, Merv Griffin, Marcel Marceau, Tom Poston, and Charles Nelson Reilly -- for the most part were not movie actors. They were known more for TV or stage. Renfro was a movie actor, in feature films.
Personally, I think they ought to show fewer agents, exectives and the like, and show the actors. Those are the folks who resonate with the audience. (Didn't the "dead people montage," as someone above called it, consist almost exclusively of actors in earlier years?)
Drummer says:
Roy Schneider, Robert Goulet, Merv Griffin, ... All passed away last year. If they didn't make it to the list, it's a shame. Each made a lot more impact on the screen (big or small) than this OD'd kid. Who the heck is Brad Renfro (besides dead) anyway?
scudder says:
Please, it's not complicated. Like any club, you have to be a member. This kid wasn't a member, never having been nominated...That said, I must admit, I've never even heard of him.