No-shows/Omitted Women
People who might have been there but were not included Whoopi Goldberg, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, Eartha Kitt, RuPaul, Vanessa L. Williams and Beyoncé. Franklin's absence was probably the most surprising to many followed by Goldberg's. Winfrey's The Color Purple co-star Goldberg was the only African American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award more than once, and the first African American actress to win one since Hattie McDaniel. The absence of Houston was not a surprise to many, because of her drug battle around that time. Hill was both the first woman to receive 10 Grammy nominations in one year and first to win 5 in one night. Williams was the first African American Miss America. It has been said that Winfrey mentioned Franklin and Beyoncé's absences were due to scheduling conflicts.
Read more about this topic: Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball
Famous quotes containing the words omitted and/or women:
“We are educated in the grossest ignorance, and no art omitted to stifle our natural reason; if some few get above their nurses’ instructions, our knowledge must rest concealed and be as useless to the world as gold in the mine.”
—Mary Wortley, Lady Montagu (1689–1762)
“It is certainly not new or startling to find that women feel the desire to take care of their children. What is new is the number of women who are startled by such feelings.”
—Elaine Heffner (20th century)