Fawcett omitted from Oscar memorial

LOS ANGELES, March 8 (UPI) -- Hollywood's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says it wasn't an oversight Farrah Fawcett was left out of the "in memoriam" segment of Sunday's Oscars.

A portion of the awards show is traditionally dedicated to film luminaries who died the previous year.

Although Fawcett died of cancer June 25, 2009, she was not included in the segment alongside Natasha Richardson, Jean Simmons, Patrick Swayze, Brittany Murphy, Karl Malden, Dom DeLuise and Michael Jackson. Also missing from the tribute were Bea Arthur and Ed McMahon, who were primarily television stars, but did appear in some films.

"I would not say that it was an oversight," Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger told E! News. "No matter how carefully and how conscientiously people address who is included, there are people who just simply can't be."

Asked by E! News why Fawcett was skipped, but Jackson, known mainly for his music, was included, Unger replied: "In any given year there will always be some people that other people think should have been included and that there's more justification for one person versus another. ... It is impossible to include everybody."