As is tradition, this year’s Academy Awards ceremony took a pause to remember those the movie industry lost over the past year. Also evidently tradition is snubbing major names. This year, notable omissions were Anne Heche, Tom Sizemore and Paul Sorvino. Now, the widow of Paul Sorvino is calling out the Oscars directly, demanding an apology and urging them to fix their mistake.
The omission of Paul Sorvino from the Oscars’ In Memoriam segment has irked fans all over, serving as yet another reminder that the Academy never gives a thorough enough presentation to some. But his widow, Dee Dee, is one of the rare family members who is actually speaking out, issuing a statement blasting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “Paul Sorvino was one of the greatest actors in cinematic history in Hollywood. It is unconscionable that he would be left out of the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars,” she said. “It’s a three-hour show, they can’t give a couple more minutes to get it right? Paul Sorvino gave decades to this industry and was loved by all. Paul was not the only deserving soul left out, and a QR Code is not acceptable,” she said, referring to the accompanying webpage the Academy made to compensate for names that were left out.
Paul Sorvino’s widow went on to insist that action be taken following the Oscars’ In Memoriam snub. “The Academy needs to issue an apology, admit the mistake and do better. Paul Sorvino deserves better, the audience deserves better, is the Academy so jaded they forget people who are loved, who have given their hearts to this industry? Shame on the Academy if this is not corrected. Mistakes are made, this was a big one. Please do something to make it right.” Sorvino passed away in July at the age of 83. Sorvino’s daughter, Mira, posted the following on Twitter:
Leaving out notable Hollywood figures from the In Memoriam is, unfortunately, common. Last year, the Oscars snubbed the likes of Ed Asner and Robert Downey Sr. (The omission of Tom Sizemore and even Robert Blake this year may have more to do with the timing, as both died just this month.) But since Sorvino died in July, there was plenty of time for inclusion, and he would have fit perfectly after Ray Liotta, as they were both in 1990’s Goodfellas.
What do you think of Paul Sorvino being left out of the In Memoriam segment during this year’s Oscars? Does the Academy owe the family of those they left out an apology? Let us know your thoughts.