The Academy missed the mark big time the year they overlooked such a surprising phenomenal performance by Dianna Ross in Lady Sings The Blues. Ross needs a special award for probably the best performance in the history of the movies. It doesn't and hasn't ever got better that Dianna's Billie Holiday!One of the biggest mistakes that the Oscars made in 1975 was not giving Dianna Ross the Oscar for Lady Sings The Blue. She truly gave the best performance ever witnessed on the big screen, not to downplay Liza for The Caberet , but Dianna was the winner and that performance could win the Oscar for any year because it was the ultimate performance. I think the Academy should have given two first place Oscars that year. How could they have bypassed her, how could they not have celebrated that performance for the sheer living breathing believability. She became Billie Holiday m she encapsulated her character with every limb, tone, breath, movement, interaction. The sad thing about her not being recognized for her greatness is she didn 't go on and do many movies. The world lost an unbelievable talent that night. Had she won she might have been more motivated to repeat that success. It is never too late to recognize her for that role with more fanfare , a special Oscar saying they are giving it a little late , but it doesn't get better than what Dianna did with that role. We should start a petition and submit it to the Academy. E mail me if anyone wants to help in this effort or has some ideas that Dianna can be recognized and held with more light on that performance of greatness.