it's not Tuesday but it's time for a Top Ten anyway... as this is yesterday's news already! AMPAS used to hide their membership roster like the vote tallies but in the information age, they've opened up. Now we get to see the whole list of new invitees each year. I wonder how they keep they're membership around 6,000 given how many people they invite annual. Maybe enough people reject the offer, stop paying their dues, or pass from this mortal coil each year to balance it out?
You can read the full list of recipients at Indiewire, but as is the Film Experience tradition, we like to pinpoint the newest (potential) members whose future ballots we'd most like to see. So let's have at it.
10 Bono & The Edge (music)They're two separate people but we'd like to imagine them filling out their ballots together inbetween sets. We'd like to also imagine that they'll have better taste than the rest of the often confounding music branch.
09 Bob Murawski (editor)
We love his work on The Hurt Locker and the Spider-Man films and he's a fellow Michigander. Extra points for that. Plus editing happens to be the most fascinating category in terms of how one judges it? How do you know how well an editor is doing if you can't see all the unused footage? And are they really that obsessed with just choosing the movies they love as their nominees or are their individual ballots so very individual that only the absolute common denominators are able to rise up to snag nominations, the common denominators being the pictures people love most, regardless of editing skill (i.e. Best Picture nominees)
08 Laura Rosenthal (casting director)
It's the job I'm personally most jealous of in Hollywood. I assume the casting directors can only nominate in the Best Picture category but in a way, shouldn't they have a say in all four acting categories? Their very business is studying actors and deciding who is best... for the part. Some interesting things on her resume: The Messenger, Chicago, I'm Not There, Far From Heaven and Savage Grace. It's worth noting that this woman was smart enough to give Samantha Morton her first two American gigs (Sweet and Lowdown and Jesus's Son)
07 Janet Patterson (costume designer)
Her filmography is short but damned if her accomplishments aren't tall. Consider: Peter Pan, The Piano, Oscar & Lucinda, Bright Star, Holy Smoke!, The Portrait of a Lady. She should already be an Oscar winner by now but after four nominations, it's nice that they're extending an offer. Strangely, the Academy's costuming branch is so small that last I checked it wasn't even listed among their categories. Are there really more makeup artists in AMPAS than costumers (click here and scroll down to bottom of page). If so, why? But then again, maybe my numbers are out of date.
06 Peter Sarsgaard (actor)
He finally wore down their resistance. That Shattered Glass (2003) snub still stings years later. He works a lot and even if we're starting to want him to truly surprise us again (we fear he's going to become a Ben Kingsley i.e. a great actor who shamelessly phones it in for too many paychecks) we like him. Who will he vote for? Besides Maggie & Jake.
05 Adam Shankman (director)
He's had experience in producing, acting and directing and was a key player in this last Oscar ceremony. We don't mean this in a judgmental way but he strikes us as the type that will vote for his friends. But he seems to have so many of them that won't he have to snub most of them each time he votes? Does having a million friends, mean voting for your friends doesn't really compromise your ballot? Now, Academy members can only nominate in the category of the branch they're invited to join (as well as Best Picture... then they can vote for the winners in most other categories when the final ballots go out). So this means that he'll be able to have his say at who did the best directing job each year. We love Hairspray and we don't begrudge him Academy membership -- he's a serious power player -- but as a director? Wouldn't he be a better fit for the producer's branch?
04 Zoë Saldana (actor)This All American beauty (of Dominican/Puerto Rican descent) was probably invited due to those back-to-back blockbusters (Avatar, Star Trek) but if you stop to consider that she's acted opposite everything from green screens (Avatar and the like) to wood (Britney Spears, Crossroads) and on to A grade thespians like Johnny Depp and Sigourney Weaver she probably knows a thing or two about the acting process in all its iterations. And having recently singled out Tang Wei in Lust, Caution as one of her favorite performances, we know the girl is discerning and willing to look beyond Hollywood for "best". AMPAS could use more of that. We would love to see her nomination ballot in all four acting categories this coming January.
03 Jacques Audiard (director)
This French auteur's last three features Read My Lips, The Beat That My Heart Skipped and A Prophet have all crackled with intelligence, electricity, fine acting and interesting choices. Now being great at something is not the same thing as being great at judging it... but it surely can't hurt. We're always curious about AMPAS's foreign outreach. How many of them say yes to membership and when they do, how international are their ballots compared to, say, Ron Howard's... or Adam Shankman's for that matter?
Audiard directs with his hands.02 Vera Farmiga (actor)
Her breakthrough, critically speaking, came when she won the LAFCA Best Actress prize for Down to the Bone (2004). Incidentally that film was directed by Debra Granik, who's currently helping Jennifer Lawrence break through with Winter's Bone (2010). Will more actresses line up to work with Granik? That'd be a smart move. It took the Academy another five years to notice Farmiga. Given her frequently fine rapport with male co-stars, we're actually more curious about how she'll vote for the male acting categories than her own. We know she loves Michael Fassbender so... points for that. But the real reason she's ranked so high is those crazy eyes. What do they see? We like to theorize that people with crazy eyes are actually crazy. And crazy is way better than same ol' same ol' when it comes to awards balloting.
01 Mo'Nique (Actor)Admit it, she'd top your list too. On account of what the hell would that ballot look like? Her already legendary performance in Precious showed previously hidden depths so maybe she'll be able to see it in others, too? In addition to her being an atypical Oscar winner (they don't usually go for female comics) we're intrigued by whether or not she'll take the process seriously given that when last year's race first began she seemed famously disinterested. Will that initial skepticism make her one of those types that just votes for her friends, or doesn't vote at all or even refuses membership? Or will she just crack herself up like she does onstage while she scribbles down outlandish performances? Or did the Oscar journey, which culminated in that beautiful shout out to Hattie McDaniel's history-making win for Gone With the Wind (1939), convert her to the importance of the legacy of Hollywood's High Holy Night?
*
The rest of the lists if you're curious [source]
Actors:
Tobin Bell (Saw),
Miguel Ferrer (Traffic),
James Gandolfini (In the Loop),
Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air),
Mo’Nique (Precious),
Carey Mulligan (An Education),
Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Mother and Child),
Peter Riegert (Traffic),
Sam Robards (American Beauty),
Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, pictured left),
Adam Sandler (Funny People), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Shaun Toub (Iron Man),
Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds),
George Wyner (A Serious Man)Animators:
Ken Bielenberg (Monsters vs Aliens), Peter de Seve (Ratatouille),
Steve Hickner (The Prince of Egypt),
Angus MacLane (Toy Story 3),
Darragh O’Connell (Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty), Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon), Bob Pauley (Toy Story 3),
Willem Thijssen (A Greek Tragedy)
Art Directors/Set Decorators/Production Designers: Kim Sinclair (Avatar), Dave Warren (Sweeney Todd), Maggie Gray (The Young Victoria), Douglas A. Mowat (The Sixth Sense), Caroline Smith (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), Kirk M. Pertruccelli (The Incredible Hulk), Edward S. Verreaux (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra)
Cinematographers:
Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker),
Christian Berger (The White Ribbon, pictured left), Hagen Bogdanski (The Young Victoria),
Shane Hurlbut (Terminator Salvation), Tom Hurwitz (Valentino The Last Emperor),
Dan Mindel (Star Trek),
Tobias Schliessler (Hancock),
Stephen Windon (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), Robert Yeoman (The Squid and the Whale)
Costume Designers:
Catherine Leterrier (Coco before Chanel)
Directors:
Juan Jose Campanella (The Secret in Their Eyes), Lee Daniels (Precious),
Claudia Llosa (The Milk of Sorrow), Lone Scherfig (An Education)
Documentary:
Nancy Baker (Born into Brothels),
Rick Goldsmith (The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers), Davis Guggenheim (It Might Get Loud), Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water),
Cara Mertes (The Betrayal),
Frazer Pennebaker (The War Room),
Julia Reichert (The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant),
Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me)
Film Editors:
Robert Frazen (Synecdoche, New York),
Dana E. Glauberman (Up in the Air), Joe Klotz (Precious),
John Refoua (Avatar)
Live Action Shorts:
Joachim Back (The New Tenants),
Gregg Helvey (Kavi)
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists:
Kris Evans (X-Men The Last Stand),
Jane Galli (3:10 to Yuma),
Mindy Hall (World Trade Center), Joel Harlow (Star Trek), Jenny Shircore (The Young Victoria, pictured left)
Music:
Christophe Beck (The Hangover)
T Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart),
Brian Tyler (Fast & Furious)
Sound:
Frank Eulner (Iron Man 2), Adam Jenkins (I Love You, Man), Tony Lamberti (Inglourious Basterd), Dennis Leonard (The Polar Express),
Tom Myers (Up),
Paul N.J. Ottosson (The Hurt Locker), Resul Pookutty (Slumdog Millionaire), Gary A. Rizzo (How to Train Your Dragon), Michael Silvers (Up), Gwendolyn Yates Whittle (Avatar)
Visual Effects:
Matt Aitken (District 9), Karen Ansel (Angels & Demons),
Richard Baneham ( Avatar), Eric Barba (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Paul Debevec (Avatar), Russell Earl (Star Trek),
Steve Galich (Transformers),
Andrew R. Jones (Avatar), Dan Kaufman (District 9),
Derek Spears (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor),
Steve Sullivan (Avatar),
Michael J. Wassel (Hellboy II: The Golden Army)
Writers:
Neill Blomkamp (District 9), Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker), Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious), Nick Hornby (An Education), Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek),
Tom McCarthy (Up, pictured left. He's also an actor), Roberto Orci (Star Trek), Terri Tatchell (District 9)
At Large, Executives, Producers & Public Relations
Christopher W. Aronson,
Jim Berk
, Philippe Dauman
, Sheila DeLoach
, Donald Peter Granger
, Nathan Kahane
, Andrew Karpen,
Ryan Kavanaugh,
David Kosse
, David Andrew Spitz
, Emma Watts, Stephanie Allain, Gregory Jacobs, Jon Landau, Marc Turtletaub, Glenn Williamson, Dwight Caines, Suzanne M. Cole
, Tommy Gargotta
, Sophie Gluck
, Josh Greenstein
, Pamela Levine
, Wendy Lightbourn,
Michele Robertson,
Tony Sella, Darcy Antonellis and John Lowry
Which ballots do you want to see?
Do you think anyone will reject the offer?
,
Posts
39 comments:
I'd like to see what Audiard, Waltz and Sherfig will vote. But really, everyone!
I look at Saoirse and I think that with that talent and these looks she might have a Julia Roberts-Meryl Streep career. Rom-com and drama queen. (Well, maybe I should just say a Streep career but Meryl started much mater than Julia)
This I will point out about Mo'Nique: she did say that Taraji P. Henson was robbed of her Oscar when Penelope Cruz won. She might be a "friends only" type o' gal.
I want to see Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci's ballots. I feel like they'd talk about them together, argue about them, and as a pair, decide to bring some mainstream stuff to the Oscars. Not a lot, but enough to feel like they're making a difference.
yeah. it's easy to forget how late Streep started (in comparison to other A listers)
Streep's first movie opened when she was 28.
some comparisons (approximate)
K Hepburn was 25
A Hepburn was 22
N Wood was 8
D Kerr was 20
C Blanchett was 25
K Winslet was 19
B Davis was 23
M Monroe was 21
J Lange was 27
S Sarandon was 23
i wonder if Streep was actually the oldest of any enduring A List actress when she got her movie start?
oh wait. that's gotta be Glenn Close whose first movie came out when she was 35.
walter -- right. yeah. I like Taraji a lot but no way was that performance better than Cruz's.
Nathaniel, it pains me to say it, but we all know that Glenn Close no longer falls under the category of "enduring A list actress"
I'd like to see Saoirse Ronan's ballot. She seems smart, but she's young so I think it'd be interesting to know how she judges other performances.
alex -- well you know what i'm saying though. BIG actresses.Streep had one of the latest starts ever, didn't she?
I like Taraji a lot but no way was that performance better than Cruz's.
Was Cruz even the best in her category? She’s the exotic international starlet darling with a supporting role in a Woody Allen flick – obvious if any of the other women deserved it they weren’t going to get it.
On a side note – I just re-watched In the Bedroom – Marisa Tomei has one scene. She’s at her job and receives a visit from her dead underage lover’s father – her execution is natural and shockingly layered. Not only did she deserve that second nomination but should be apologized to for the mean spiritedness she suffered behind a win – like Cruz she’s hot and on top of that she’s better than Cruz in her performance.
Hopefully, Glenn Close will return to the movie A-listers with Albert Nobbs, I really wish to see her making an excellent film and perhaps landing an Oscar nomination. She may not have been present on the big screen for some time but there is no doubt she is one of the finest actresses in Hollywood.
Everyone cannot be Meryl Streep so Glenn's absence from movies lately may be due to her age (I mean, actresses at her age still have to be lucky to get challenging and interesting roles), but she is fascinating in Damages and just because it's television I wouldn't downgrade her performance or acting abilities. The quality differences we tend to assume to exist between TV and movies should disappear since the output on TV has been of a much finer quality than many of the A-listers films recently, so the idea that films being superior to TV, hence, actors in film being better professionals than the ones on the small screen should be revised.
Anyway, I would be interested in the "non-American" ballots, and also Adam Shankman's, just to see if the apparent general disapproval of him is gounded:).
vg21 -- i hear this argument about the quality of tv being better than film ALL THE TIME lately but usually the argument is non-comparative and entirely based on the best examples of cable drama series.
I'd have no issue with someone saying that Mad Men is better than many movies. But to say TV does better work than movies just because the best of TV exists is not taking into account that the best of the movies also exists.
i find that people are usually comparing GREAT tv series to Hollywood's lame releases... and it's not really a just or fair comparison. It's just that for whatever reason in this current cycle of entertainment, adults are drawn to quality in television but ignore it in film and just go to the latest blockbusters.
makes no sense to me.
It's not a fair argument and i wonder why people are so willing to search for quality on tv and so willing to be controlled by advertising when they hit the movie theater.
sorry just a pet peeve of mine.
Mad Men and The United States of Tara and all of these really special series are far more comparable to works by auteurs like PT Anderson or Sofia Coppola or whatnot (in that they're chasing a very distinct vision) than they are to general corporate Hollywood releases that are watered down for consumption by all demographics and therefore much more comparable to stuff like CSI and reality television which is meant specifically for the masses so it tends to have less peculiarity.
Actually, I meant that she started late with the rom-coms which is a bit silly since, if you count It's Complicated, it's just one movie so she didn't really "start" anything. And if you count Heartburn (Was it a rom-com? I don't really remember. Well, it was Roberts-like), then it was much earlier but still, later than Roberts.
But thanks for the stats! Now, really, how can we remember that Meryl started late? She looks awfully young in The Deer Hunter! (But not that young in Julia)
Don't get me wrong, I only intended to suggest that TV series that are very popular are more often of high quality than the most popular films. Unfortunately, this does not apply to Damages any more, but what I mean is that it no more defines an actor automatically as less sophisticated or great if they do TV. I know I wasn't specific enough, I'm sorry.
I'm also very happy that there are many "quality movies" out there (available even for us in Europe) and I have the luxury to watch only the ones I'm quite interested in. This is a great thing and I wouldn't be so ingorant to compare the best work on TV to the worst of films. It would not even be fair concerning that I almost never watch a film that supposedly belongs to the "really lame releases" category (you know, there are some advantages of having a later release date than in the U.S. :)). There are times when the sentence "you don't have to taste a lemon to know it's sour" applies, even if on most occasions, I like to decide for myself.
Of course, potentially good movies do disappoint sometimes (e.g. Alice in Wonderland recently), but usually I get what I want and althought there is a certain limit, I'm quite generous when it comes to rating.
James T, you are right, Meryl looks very young in the Deer Hunter. And she is :). Plus, she has managed to make up for the late start quite impressively, hasn't she.
Well, she did look younger than her then real age.
And I have to say that I'm with Mo'Nique. I thought Henson was better. I just loved the conscious pushing away the negative feelings when near her son. And the perf in general.
Nathaniel, just one more thing about TV vs. movies: I only meant to defend Glenn Close's status (not that she needs it). Nowadays your absence from the big screen is not necessarily a career killer and you can have a come-back to movies at any moment because today A-list actors may also work in TV, so it doesn't have to be degrading. Which really boils down to what you said: Glenn is a "BIG" actress, and I'll probably stop now:).
This is such a silly thing. An actor is an actor is an actor either if they do theater,TV or movies . There was a time when the theater actors would look down on the movie stars. Now we do the same with TV. I think it's time to let aside this categories and go for the true gold. Even Streep did TV with Angels in America and nobody looked down on her, au contraire. There's good and bad in all forms of acting. And if actors that are deemed "to old" to play opposite, say, Tom Cruise, who ,is by the way 49. find their niche on TV, I say good for them.
You think Sarsgaard had been phoning it in? Because I probably would have given him nominations for Kinsey, Jarhead, and An Education.
(they don't usually go for female comics)
Do you want a list?
And, Nathaniel, if you really want to star tv/movies comparisions, you gotta rock: no tv show has been half as good as Caché, or In The Movie For Love, or Talk To Her, or No Country For Old Men. The best of movies is still far better than the best of tv.
I love Mo'Nique to death but I feel like she'll vote friends and performances that really aren't as deserving, but say something (i.e. a black actor/actress), but it won't really make a difference because you can't stop the media's influence on who will get nominated/win.
I'm interested in...
1. Zoë Saldana's. Not only is she stunning, she's a great actress, and once I heard her point out Tang Wei's performance, I knew she was a keeper. She knows what she's talking about. Love her. I'm sure her list will be great.
2. Saoirse Ronan's. How was she not already invited? She was already nominated for an Academy Award. Anyway, she's a good actress, seems mature for her age. I think she could put together a nice ballot.
3. Gabourey Sidibe's. I have no idea how she'll vote. Will she vote alongside someone like Mo'Nique/Lee Daniels, will she vote based on star power, will she actually recognize a good performance and vote for it - IDK. I think hers would be interesting.
Gabby Sidibe would probably nominate Gerard Butler because she'd tap that. Oh how I love her.
I like Zoë Saldana, but I wouldn't call her a a great actress , yet. She definitely has acting talent. Nathaniel , I agree about Peter Sarsgaard. I want him to follow the example of his hero Sean Penn- pursue more challenging, edgy, and ground-breaking films. Peter was not only riveting in "The Shattered Glass", but he brought so much sex appeal , strong presence, complexity, and intelligence to that wonderful role of his. I would definitely love to sneak a peek of the Oscar ballots of : Peter S. , Vera Farmiga , & Writer- director Thomas McCarthy's , and Lone Scherfig.
Ryan Reynolds & Anna Kendrick became members too soon. Adam Sandler doesn't deserve to be a member.
It is interesting how , a couple of years ago , Thomas McCarthy became a first time Academy member for the Director Branch- now this year he is first time member of the Writing Branch.
P.S. I'm such a fan of Thomas' natural style of writing & directing. I would love to see him do an intimate indie with Peter Sarsgaard, Anne Hathaway, Vera Farmiga, Paul Rudd, or any other well-regarded subtle actor.
I think the Academy should introduce an integrity test for potential new members.
I don't mind whther they have good taste - that's something that's too subjective and difficult to assess - but if they're just going to vote for the nominee with the best red carpet anecdotes then that should be an automaic disqualification from membership.
Idk, I just thought she was great in Avatar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOHPCI_9-eQ
Like, I don't think she got enough recognition for her acting because of the technology, but I honestly think she gave one of the best performances by an actress last year. I think that might be a really unpopular opinion haha.
Even if you don't consider her great, I agree in that she does have potential to be great.
re: TV and movies.
The line started to blur in the latter-half of the decade. The exodus of (Oscar-nominated/winning) film actors to cable aside, for me, the turning point was Kate Winslet's choice to follow-up her Oscar win with an HBO miniseries. But then it might not be so strange... she wants that Emmy!
I know Meryl really doesn't do TV (except for the rare miniseries as well as her fantastic one-episode voice performance on The Simpsons), but I'd love to see her on a series that could give her a good, meaty guest role. I just hope she's smart enough to stay away from L&O: SVU (a show that has managed to ensnare Isabelle Huppert into making a guest appearance).
All the members who voted for Sandra Bullock should be immediately expelled.
Zoe Saldana is Black-Puerto Rican and Dominican aren't races.
I'm American, but that doesn't mean I'm not Black.
Zoe has said many times before that she is a Black woman. Why can't people understand that.
Zoe Words:
When I go to the D.R., the press in Santo Domingo always asks, "¿Qué te consideras, dominicana o americana?" (What do you consider yourself, Dominican or American?) I don't understand it, and it's the same people asking the same question. So I say, time and time again, "Yo soy una mujer negra." ("I am a black woman.") [They go,] "Oh, no, tú eres trigueñita." ("Oh no, you are 'dark skinned'") I'm like, "No! Let's get it straight, yo soy una mujer negra." ("I am a black woman.")
I don't know why people want to say she is everything, but Black. When Zoe considers herself to be a Black woman. WTH.
Anon:
I understand your frustrations, but pointing that out you’re doing nothing but saying “Black people just want to claim Zoe, cuz she is popular.” If people wouldn’t deny her race (i.e. Play the race card to begin with), then none of this would be an issue. It’s obvious that Zoe is Black ( No she isn’t 100% African, but how many Black people are???) so Nat didn’t need to point that out. The only problem that I have is that he pointed out that she was of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. Why?? Zoe is American, If the person was Cameron Diaz, I don’t think he would’ve pointed out that Cameron is of Cuban descent or Leonardo DiCaprio is of German and Italian decent. The person of question is a minority of questionable race so we HAVE to point out where her parents are from. Having said all this, I’m not a huge fan of Zoe’s, her best performance was in Avatar. She’s okay I guess.
All of this talk about Mo’nique voting for her friends (i.e. Black folks). I’m pretty sure there are a lot of Whites who do the same. There are a lot of racists and homophobes who do the same. As someone said before all the people that voted for Sandra Bullock should be expelled. If they don’t vote for their friends than they’ll vote for the person the media tells them to. So big deal.
Jenny Shicore WON the Oscar for "Elizabeth." Why is she just being invited now? Very stingy, Makeup branch. Can't say I'm too happy with some of those acting choices. I didn't know who the hell LaTonya Richardson Jackson was until I looked her up. Zoe Saldona seems like a very too early choice. Adam Sandler? George Wyner? Shaun Toub? Ryan Reynolds? Adam Shankman? Tobin Bell? Ummm, whatever then. Love the mentions for Gabby Sidibe, Mo'Nique (of course), Carey Mulligan, Anna Kendrick, Peter Sarsgaard (guess he did finally wear them down), Saoirse Ronan (should have been included after "Atonement"), Jeremy Renner, Christian Berger, Christoph Waltz, Jacques Audiard, Juan Jose Campanella, Bono and The Edge (very cool), Davis Guggenheim, Neil Blomkamp, Lone Scherfig, Morgan Spurlock, T Bone Burnett, and Nick Hornby (he's just getting in now?). They should have corrected some past oversights like Ellen Page's.
nate and anon... the only reason i pointed that out (her lineage) is because every time i mention her someone freaks out in the comments about the way i describe her and explains to me that her parents are dominican and puerto rican respectively. So I preemptively just pointed it out as well as called her an all american beauty.
in no way is that racist, nor did i claim that puerto rican was "a race". I've also pointed out the lineage for other (white) actors in the past because i think that's a fun thing to know about actors -- where their families hail from. I love reading about and sharing that stuff. as well as knowing where people were born.
fun facts.
i'm not sure why we always have to go through this conversation.
i think Zoe is beautiful and a good actress and i'm happy she was invited.
that's all.
DORIAN yeah, i don't really get their reasoning as to when they invite people. Like, don't get me wrong i L-O-V-E Gabby Sidibe but it's weird to me to invite her after her first film and to shun Michelle Williams who has been doing excellent work for some time now and has forged a strong career against expectations
it makes no sense to me. When i was younger i was under the faulty assumption that you were automatically invited if you were nominated but that isn't the case.
"Zoe Saldona seems like a very too early choice."
Um...wuht. Zoe has been acting for a while now, she's a good actress, and just starred in one of the biggest films in history, and you think her being invited is too early, but you are happy about Gabby, whose first acting gig ever was Precious...?
Mmkay.
The only restrictions I would have on becoming a member for the Academy is that you had to be nominated at least twice in a particular category. That would leave off some of my favorite actors and directors but those would be my rules.
Inviting people who simply "hot" at the moment is the reason why Sandra Bullock and other unworthy nominees have won.
In fact I would cap off the membership at 2,000, so unless someone were to die or resign there would be several years with no new members. Doing so would make being a member an even greater privilege than it already is.
One was nominated for an Oscar Philip, the other wasn't. Zoe Saldona hasn't proven herself enough for Academy membership. Gabourey Sidibe has. Mmkay me all the hell you want to, but that's my opinion as it stands.
Except, JayJ, inducting after two noms would keep it as a sect of 150-250 people deciding who the nominees are. (I say instead: Every nominee will have their contributions to cinema exhumed and a decision will be made whether to induct them or not. That would get us to your cap easily. So '08 race:
Frank Langella: Maybe (spotty career)
Mickey Rourke: Definitely (5 great films, a few good ones and many more that show he has great taste in directors.)
Brad Pitt: Definitely (Only The Favor is a poor choice of director)
Richard Jenkins (maybe, career is middling up until 2001)
Sean Penn: Already Inducted)
Actress 2001 for further pointedness:
Nicole Kidman (no. Good Taste in Directors, but hasn't appeared in the requisite "3 Great Films" yet.
Judi Dench (no. Great Actress without great films to her credit)
Sissy Spacek (yes. On the back of JFK, Badlands and Carrie
Renee Zellweger (no. Doesn't have the great films yet.
Halle Berry (no.)
volvagia -- whoa. you're strict.
I am strict, blunt, whatever you want to call it. And, as far as filmography is concerned, Brad Pitt has one of the best when stacked against similarly good looking performers (Ranked: Montgomery Clift (more bad films than the runner-up, but also rose during a less consistent time), Brad Pitt, Errol Flynn and, finally, Ryan O'Neal.)
And for Kidman: Any nomination after Birth and she would definitely be in on To Die For, Moulin Rouge! and that film. (I love those weird little items.)
It's way too early for Zoe Saldana (same with Ryan Reynolds). Peter Sarsgaard at least has quite a list of accolades, even without an Oscar nod. If it's just the Avatar thing, you might as well have invited Sam Worthington since he actually has won Australia's biggest acting prize and seems to be picking more serious roles (whether he'll be good at them remains to be seen).
But seriously just because you had one successful year doesn't mean you should get an Academy invite. Ellen Page still hasn't gotten in yet and Saiorse Ronan and Michelle Williams had to wait two years after their nominations.
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