Arnold Schwarzenegger Blasts Oscars for Major ‘In Memoriam’ Snubs

Sunday night’s Oscars awards may have gone off without a glitch, but Arnold Schwarzenegger was left upset about the “In Memoriam” snubs.

The more than four-minute long segment honoring those lost in the past year had mentioned names like Marvel’s Stan Lee and actor Burt Reynolds, though it had failed to mention several others who had passed away in 2018.

Taking to Twitter following the ceremony, the Terminator actor pointed out just a few names that he thought deserved a mention, including Andy Vajna, who passed away in January, and Oscar-nominated Broadway icon Carol Channing, along with several others.

“Last night was one of the best @TheAcademy Awards shows I’ve seen. Fantastic performances, smooth flow, and almost a perfect show,” Schwarzenegger tweeted. “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.”

“I’m, of course, upset about Andy’s omission,” he continued in a second tweet. “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.”

Set to the music of composer John Williams, known for scoring the Star Wars series, Jaws, and several Jurassic Park and Harry Potter films, and soundtracked by the The Los Angeles Philharmonic, the “In Memoriam” left out a number of notable Hollywood figures.

Despite receiving an honorary Oscar in 1998 for “a body of work marked by grace, elegance, wit and visual innovation,” Singin’ in the Rain director Stanley Donen was among those omitted from the segment alongside Sondra Locke, the Oscar-nominated actress and former partner of Clint Eastwood, Verne Troyer, character actor Dick Miller, and Golden Globe nominee R. Lee Ermey.

The omissions became something of a sore spot for both other Hollywood figures and fans tuning in for the awards show, all of whom quickly took to social media to slam the Academy for the omissions.

“Disappointing to see that #DickMiller was left off the In Memoriam segment of tonite’s Oscars, but he’s in good company with Stanley Donen, Julie Adams and others who have made more of an impact than the unknown publicists and ex-studio execs who seem to dominate these tributes,” director Joe Dante wrote.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “In Memoriam” segment is compiled by an “In Memoriam” committee that puts together 25 to 30 names to be honored. Those chosen are “people who have made significant contributions to the industry and people from a variety of different sectors of the industry.”