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Film, TV and Streaming

271 join motion picture academy

Jason Statham, Michael Fassbender, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lupita Nyong’o and Chris Rock are new members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, it was announced Thursday.

AMPAS released a wide-ranging class of 271 new members which featured breakout stars from 2013 including Barkhad Abdi from “Captain Phillips” and June Squib from “Nebraska.”

Former “The Daily Show” correspondent and “Hangover” star Rob Riggle also is one of the actors inducted. Versatile character actors such as Paul Dano, Ben Foster, Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy and Mads Mikkelsen are part of the new class.

On the music side Pharrell and rocker Eddie Vedder are on the list, along with the husband-wife duo behind “Frozen” – Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Dana Brunetti, who has produced films such as “Captain Phillips” and “The Social Network” and currently is working on “Fifty Shades of Grey,” also will be an academy member in the producer inductees.

“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs in a statement. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the academy.”

There are now 6,146 active members of the academy. Active members in each branch get to vote for nominations in their individual categories and for best picture. All members can vote on all categories for the actual Oscars, post nominations.

Most candidates for membership are sponsored by current members in their respective category – each group then votes on the membership. People are automatically considered for membership if they win or are nominated for an Oscar.

© 2014 USA TODAY. All rights reserved.



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