Updated

Updated · Fox News · Nov 8

Michael Douglas Questions Cher's 1988 Oscar Win as Glenn Close Nears Nov. 15 Honor

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Nov 8

Michael Douglas Questions Cher's 1988 Oscar Win as Glenn Close Nears Nov. 15 Honor

Q: Could Glenn Close's upcoming honorary Academy Award finally close the book on one of Hollywood's most debated Oscar snubs?

Probably not completely, but it may reshape the debate from “snub” to “legacy.” Glenn Close’s honorary Academy Award at the Governors Awards on Nov. 15 will give the Academy a formal way to recognize a career that has produced eight competitive Oscar nominations without a win, the most for any living performer in that position. That makes the honor significant: it acknowledges that Close’s body of work, including “Fatal Attraction,” has long been viewed as Oscar-level even when the competitive award did not go her way. Michael Douglas’ recent comments on “The Graham Norton Show” have revived one of the most persistent arguments in Oscar history. He said Close “should have won” Best Actress in 1988 for “Fatal Attraction,” calling it one of the greatest screen performances ever. That view has been widely shared for decades, but it remains an opinion, not an industry correction. Cher’s win for “Moonstruck” was also strongly supported at the time; the film won three Oscars and was a major critical and Academy success. The honorary Oscar does not revise the 1988 result, and it is unlikely to end debate over whether Close or Cher gave the year’s defining performance. What it can do is reduce the sense of injustice around Close’s Oscar record by giving her an Academy statuette and an official career tribute. So the award is more likely to soften the snub narrative than settle it. The 1988 race will still be debated, but Close’s place in film history will look more secure than ever.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 8

Michael Douglas said Glenn Close should have won the 1988 best actress Oscar for “Fatal Attraction,” reviving a nearly 40-year-old awards debate during “The Graham Norton Show.”
Douglas, 82, made the remark while appearing with Close, 79, as the conversation turned to her upcoming honorary Academy Award at the Governors Awards on Nov. 15.
He called Close’s turn in “Fatal Attraction” one of movie history’s greatest performances and pointed to her loss to Cher, who won for “Moonstruck” at the 60th Academy Awards.
Cher’s camp defused the flare-up quickly, with a representative saying the singer “adores Michael Douglas,” softening what could have become a fresh Hollywood feud.