Billy Crystal and Barbra Streisand lead an expanded Oscars in memoriam | EUROtoday

Billy Crystal remembered his greatest good friend Rob Reiner in an prolonged and emotional in memoriam on the Oscars on Sunday, with Barbra Streisand honoring her good friend and co-star Robert Redford by singing a snippet from their movie “The Way We Were.”

Crystal opened the section that was longer than normal due to the variety of Hollywood heavyweights who died during the last 12 months.

Crystal first met Reiner in 1975 when he guested on “All in the Family.”

“And it went so well, Rob said, ‘It was so much fun playing your best friend, why don’t we keep it going?’” Crystal said. “And it was a thrill seeing him evolve from a great comic actor to a master storyteller.”

Crystal recounted such Reiner movies as “The Princess Bride, ”When Harry Met Sally, “A Few Good Men,” “Say Anything,” and “This is Spinal Tap.” The section ended with over a dozen stars from these movies — together with Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Fred Savage, Demi Moore, John Cusack and Ione Skye — standing collectively on stage.

Reiner, an actor-director, and his spouse, photographer Michelle Singer, each of their 70s, had been discovered stabbed to dying of their Los Angeles house in final December. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged within the deaths of his dad and mom and has pleaded not responsible.

At 83, Streisand has largely retired from touring and dwell performances because of her well-known stage fright.

For Redford’s reminiscence, she made an exception.

“He was a brilliant, subtle actor,” she stated. “We had a wonderful time playing off each other because we never knew what the other was going to do or say.”

Streisand described Redford as “thoughtful and bold,” saying, “I called him an intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail.”

She highlighted his history of defending press freedom, protecting the environment and encouraging new voices in film through his founding of the Sundance Institute in Utah.

“Bob had real backbone on and off the screen,” she said.

Redford died in September at age 89. He won a best director Oscar for “Ordinary People.” He and Streisand made one movie together, “The Way We Were,” in 1973.

“I miss him now more than ever, even though he loved teasing me,” she said. “He called me Babs. I’d say, ‘Bob, do I look like a Babs?’”

They were chatting on the phone and as they prepared to hang up, Redford told her, “Babs, I love you dearly, and I always will,” she said.

Streisand said, “The last note I ever wrote to Bob, I ended it with I love you, too. I signed it, Babs.”

The Oscar orchestra swelled as a photo of Redford filled the giant screen.

Standing behind a podium, with her own conductor in the aisle, Streisand picked up a mic and sang, “So it’s the laughter we will remember whenever we remember the way we were.” She received a standing ovation.

Among others included during the in memoriam were Robert Duvall and Catherine O’Hara.

Rachel McAdams paid tribute to women who died, singling out Diane Keaton.

“Believe me when I say there is an actress of my generation who was not inspired by and enthralled with her absolute singularity,” she said.

McAdams recited a Girl Scout song and poem Keaton used to say on film sets:

“Make new buddies, however preserve the outdated.

One is silver, the opposite is gold.

A circle is spherical, it has no finish.

That’s how lengthy, I might be your good friend.”

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For extra protection of the Oscars, go to https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards.