“When Harry Met Sally” co-stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan will reunite at the Oscars to honour Rob Reiner. Sources tell me that details now include Crystal talking about the late filmmaker and actor during the In Memoriam segment. Ryan will be on the stage at the same time along with other stars of Reiner’s films.
Reiner and his wife were found dead in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later reported they died from “multiple sharp force injuries.” Their son, Nick, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder.
Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty on Feb. 23. The 32-year-old appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court and spoke only once, agreeing to a future court date of April 29. He is facing two counts of murder with an enhancement that could carry the death penalty or life without parole if he is convicted.
Following Rob and Michelle’s deaths, a group of the director’s closest friends and collaborators, including Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short and Albert Brooks, released a joint statement.
“Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master story teller,” the statement read. “There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.”
They also wrote, “We were their friends, and we will miss them forever,” before closing with a quote from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” one of Reiner’s favourite films: “’Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’ You have no idea.”
The news of Crystal and Ryan’s appearances at the Academy Awards comes just hours after I confirmed that Barbra Streisand is in talks to sing during In Memoriam in honor of her “The Way We Were” co-star Robert Redford.
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The 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The ceremony will be televised live by ABC and streamed on Hulu.
From Variety US