14 DAY TRIAL // Actor Cory Monteith, known mostly for his role on the hit musical series “Glee,” died earlier this year of a drug and alcohol overdose. The news came as a shock to fans, who had high hopes for him as an actor but, as it turns out, he doesn’t deserve to be included in the In Memoriam segment at the Emmys 2013.
The TV Academy has just announced that Monteith will be remembered at the Emmys during the video tribute and, Yahoo! reports, some people are not happy with it.
First of all, he was too young to actually deserve to be included in the montage.
Secondly, he did die of a drug overdose and had a long and much mediated history with addiction, which would mean including him in the tribute is the equivalent of glorifying drug use.
The first point weighs the heaviest in the balance, Variety Editor-in-Chief Andrew Wallenstein believes.
This past year, we have lost countless names, actors who had worked in television for decades and who left us with valuable legacies.
Without discrediting Monteith, as talented as he might have been and as important his contribution to “Glee” was, he still had a long way to go.
“When Monteith’s name is elevated alongside the other four people who are being elevated from the usual In Memoriam reel — actors James Gandolfini, Jean Stapleton and Jonathan Winters and writer-producer Gary David Goldberg — his inclusion risks coming across ill-considered,” Wallenstein says.
“The unspoken, uncomfortable truth of the matter is that while the work he did on ‘Glee’ showed great promise, it was not equal to the incredible careers the other four amassed,” he continues.
Many viewers at home agree. They also cite Cory’s cause of death as one of the reasons he shouldn’t be included in the tribute – unless the TV Academy uses his example to raise awareness on drug addiction and how it doesn’t discriminate when it comes to victims.
Of course, there’s also the third point of view on this: that of the fans, who are already saying no one deserves this honor more.
Cory Monteith was talented and his role on “Glee” helped bring attention to various pressing issues of the day, such as bullying and coming out, they say.
For the time being, the TV Academy is not addressing the controversy in any way.