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Cory Monteith Emmys tribute questioned

Variety's editor Andrew Wallenstein thinks Cory Monteith's limited body of work doesn't deserve a special Emmy tribute.

By KATE STANTON, UPI.com
UPI/Phil McCarten
UPI/Phil McCarten | License Photo

Cory Monteith's sudden death of a drug and alcohol overdose shocked and saddened television fans around the world. In memory of his passing, Emmys organizers have planned a special tribute for the late "Glee" star alongside Hollywood icons like James Gandolfini and Jean Stapleton. As part of the tribute, Monteith's "Glee" co-star Jane Lynch will remember the Canadian actor this Sunday.

But in an opinion piece for Variety, editor-in-chief Andrew Wallenstein wonders whether Monteith deserves an honor more than other late Hollywood notables, like Dallas' Larry Hagman, who spent more years behind the camera than the young star.

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Monteith could have gone on to a tremendous career, but Larry Hagman, for instance, already had a tremendous career, and putting Monteith on a pedestal casts a shadow over the memory of this iconic “Dallas” star," Wallenstein writes.

"The event should be first and foremost about recognizing a body of work," he adds. "In that respect, the Emmys needs to aspire to timelessness, demonstrating its relevancy whether being watched on the night of the telecast or 20 years later.

"The way to ensure it resonates both now and in the future is to stick to the accomplishments of the talent or the production," Wallenstein says, arguing that Monteith showed promise yet unfulfilled. "It’s about what has been achieved -- not what could have been."

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What do you think? Does Monteith deserve the special Emmys tribute?

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