Adam Klugman, the son of Jack Klugman who died in December 2012, has expressed his outrage that a special tribute will be made in honor of Cory Monteith and not his father.
The dismayed Klugman is upset that his father will only be remembered in the “In Memoriam” routine which features minor actors and less well known celebrities.
He spoke in an interview about the his feelings on the matter: “They’re celebrating this self-inflicted tragedy instead of celebrating the life of my father, who won three Emmys…. Cory Monteith never won an Emmy.”
Klugman was quick to emphasize the fact that he had nothing against Cory Monteith personally and that he was in fact a big fan of the show, Glee. But, he said:”to compare the contribution he made to the contribution my father made — it doesn’t compare.”
This year is the first time the organizers of the Emmy’s are running the “In Memoriam” section, including tributes to five well known television stars. They include Jack Klugman, James Gandolfini, Gary David Goldberg, Jonathan Winters and Jean Stapleton.
Ken Ehrlich, the executive producer for the Emmy’s said in a statement:
“Every generation of television viewers has its favorites , and when we decided to expand the ‘In Memoriam’ segment to remember certain individuals, we wanted these pieces to be representative as well. To a younger generation, Cory Monteith’s portrayal of Finn Hudson was highly admired, and the producers felt that he should be included along with the four other individuals we have singled out.”
Adam Klugman scoffed at the statement saying the organizers were side-stepping the main issue: “Let’s call this what it is. They’re doing this because they think they’re gonna get a younger generation of viewers to watch.”
What do you think about the omission of Jack Klugman from the Emmy main feature? Do you think it is wrong that Cory Monteith will take the main spot or are you happy the organizers chose him? Share your thoughts in the comments feed below.