Sunday, July 12, 2009

Welcome to the Academy

I am always interested in seeing who gets invited to become a new member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences because

(1) These are the individuals that get to vote at the Oscars
(2) There are the individuals who are deemed the best in their field and are invited to the club, affirmed that they'll stick around for awhile.

In total, in 2009 the Academy invited 134 New Members in various fields, 20 of those were actors and actresses...

* Casey Affleck * Michael Cera * Viola Davis *James Franco * Brendan Gleeson * Anne Hathaway * Taraji P. Henson * Emile Hirsch * Hugh Jackman * Melissa Leo * Jane Lynch * Eddie Marsan * James McAvoy * Seth Rogen * Paul Rudd * Amy Ryan * Michael Shannon * Michelle Williams * Jeffrey Wright.

A few thoughts:

  • I am susprised that Michelle Williams wasn't already in the Academy after her 2006 Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain

  • Jane Lynch? Really out of 20 actors/actresses you want to add...Jane Lynch???

  • At least now James McAvoy can at least vote for himself. When will McAvoy get his first nod?

  • Congrats to Michael Cera --- I think this might be as close as you get to a nomination, but it must be nice to be embraced.

  • It's interesting that Jackman hosed the awards show without already being a member of the Academy. Now this year he get's to vote!

Additional additions to the Academy I found interesting/notable:

  • 7 New Directors including: Tyler Perry (Madea Films, Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), Thomas McCarthy (Station Agent, Visitor)

  • 5 New Members of the Music Branch including: Peter Gabriel

  • 4 Writers including: John August (I'm surprised he wasn't already a member of the Academy, his work is somewhat limited, but I would think his creativity in writing for Go, Corpse Bride, and Big Fish might have made him a member of this club earlier)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not everyone who gets invited joins up, which is why some of those people weren't members before. Actors make up the greatest % of Academy members, which is why there are more awards for actors than any other category.

Anonymous said...

Why not Jane Lynch? She's got a long career- Academy membership isn't based on being a one-hit wonder, but a sustained body of work in film.