Actresses Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur Noticeably Absent from the Oscars' Memorial Film Highlights

Sunday night, James Taylor picked up his guitar and began performing "In My Life" while the faces of Hollywood stars who've passed away in the last year began to show on the screen as a part of the Oscars annual "In Memorium" tribute. It started off with Patrick Swayze, and moved on to Ron Silver, Natasha Richardson, David Carradine, Dom DeLuise, and included producers, directors and even the film journalist Army Archerd. Noticeably absent, however, where Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur.

Both of the beloved actresses were missing from the tribute, and this did not go unnoticed. In fact, film critic Roger Ebert quickly took to Twitter to point out the gaffe, writing:

"No Farrah in the memorial. They have a lot of 'splaining to do."

While both Fawcett and Arthur were better known for the television roles, both still had notable careers in film. Fawcett starred in movies including "The Cannonball Run" (1981), "Extremities" (1986, nominated for a Golden Globe for best actress in a drama), and "The Apostle" (1997 - Oscar-nominated film). Arthur, on the other hand, starred in "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970 - film was nominated for 3 Oscars), and "Mame" (1974).

While some may argue that the segment was already running too long and that they couldn't have included everyone, there was one very noticable inclusion that has begun to stir resentment - Michael Jackson. Jackson was known primarily for his music, not for acting.

Director John Hughes was also missing from the clips, but a number of actors who have starred in his film were brought on stage to give him tribute.