Go Read My Guest Post At Awards Daily!

Sasha Stone and Ryan Adams at Awards Daily were kind enough to let me do a guest post about the Academy’s branch statistics and the official count of the number of voters for this year’s Oscar race.

It’s a great opportunity to help publicize The Academy Members Project, and a really generous act on their part, as their readership is exponentially larger than my own. Sasha is one of the first writers that I started reading when I became interested in the Oscars, and her site reaches a lot of long-time Oscar watchers who may be able to help us with our research.

So please help me send some love back their way by checking out the article and leaving a comment. They love comments!

You can find the guest post HERE.

Thanks everyone!

Academy’s Historic Action To Increase Diversity

Big news out of the Academy to increase diversity today. You can read their full statement on their website, but here are the main points as I understand them:

• Goal of doubling the number of women and diverse members by 2020
• New members will be granted voting status for 10 years.
• Voting status can be renewed for another 10 years if the member has been active during that decade.
• Members can receive Lifetime votings status after three ten-year terms.
• Members can also receive Lifetime voting status if they have been nominated or won an Oscar.
• These same standards will be applied retroactively to current members.
• Those who do not qualify for active status will be moved to emeritus status.
• Emeritus members do not pay dues but enjoy all privileges of membership -- except voting.
• These changes take effect after this year’s Oscars have been completed.
• New members can still be added through the existing process of getting two sponsors.
• Additionally, the academy will begin “an ambitious, global campaign to identify and recruit qualified new members who represent greater diversity.”
• Three new seats are being added to the Board Of Governors. They will be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Board for three-year terms
• New members will also be added to the executive and board committees of the Academy’s branches.

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An Unnoticed Bit Of Brilliance In Cheryl Boone Isaacs’ Latest Statement

We’ve all been applauding Cheryl Boone Isaacs’ most recent statement promising changes to the membership of the Academy. But as someone who spends his days poring over lists of Oscar voters for The Academy Members Project, my eyes were drawn to a particularly brilliant move that she makes in the third paragraph.

After calling for changes to diversify the membership recruitment process, she says:

“This isn’t unprecedented for the Academy. In the ‘60s and ‘70s it was about recruiting younger members to stay vital and relevant. In 2016, the mandate is inclusion in all of its facets: gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.”

At first glance, she’s just giving a history lesson. One that I remember reading about because this “push for younger members” in the ‘60s and ‘70s is how Dustin Hoffman and Jeff Bridges first became Oscar voters (and as I learned recently, Peter Bart as well.)

And then I started to do the math: if these younger members were in their 20’s or 30’s when they got these special invites, how old would they be today? Bridges is 66. Hoffman is 78. Bart is 83. And it stands to reason that all of their “classmates” would be older than 63.

That’s right, 63.

63, that much-publicized, often criticized, median Oscar voter age that gets thrown around twitter. Those older voters that the pundits tell us are responsible for all of Oscar’s “wrong” choices. The ones that are mocked for being out of touch. They were recruited.

And they were recruited, she tells us, precisely to keep the Academy “vital and relevant”.

And in reminding us of this history, she speaks to both sides of the controversy. To today’s youth, she sends a message: These old folks actually did good work. They’re members for a reason. And perhaps she sends a caution as well: Age is coming for you too. It won’t be long before you’ll be the out of touch dinosaurs that you’re criticizing today.

And to the old folks, the longtime members who may bristle at the idea of messing with the academy’s “standards”, she sends a reminder: You were recruited then, just like they are being recruited now. This is how you got here too!

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Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs' Statement On Diversity

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs tweeted a statement on diversity today, which included promises for new recruitment for membership. We here at The Academy Members Project are thrilled at the possibilities this opens up!

Fun Fact: I've actually researched the recruiting of younger members in the 60's & 70's that she refers to here. Some of the new recruits that they were touting at the time included Dustin Hoffman and Jeff Bridges. (Of course, that was Hoffman back when he was The Graduate, not Grandpa Focker, and Bridges from The Last Picture Show, not True Grit)!

Here’s the full statement:

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Which Of This Year’s Oscar Nominees Can Vote For Themselves?

Jennifer Lawrence gets an Oscar vote this year. Alicia Vikander does not.

For the past several years, The Academy Members Project has quietly gone through the list of Oscar nominees and tried to sort them into three groups:

1. Existing Academy Members who can vote for the Oscars (and, if they choose to, themselves!) -- marked VOTING MEMBER!  below
2. Non-Members who can’t -- marked NOT A MEMBER below
3. and a Wish List of people that we’re uncertain about -- marked UNCERTAIN below.

This year, it occurred to me that it might be useful to have that information compiled in one place.

All our standard disclaimers apply, and we’re always looking for better information on each of these folks - particularly the ones marked Uncertain. But here’s where we think they stand right now. (Note that we’ve done a similar analysis of this year’s Presenters and Performers as well).

• Lenny Abrahamson (Director) Room NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Ale Abreu (Animated Feature) Boy And The World NOT A MEMBER (source).
• David Acord (Sound) Star Wars The Force Awakens UNCERTAIN (source).
• Evgeny Afineevsky (Documentary Feature) Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom UNCERTAIN (source).
• Mark Williams Ardington (Visual Effects) Ex Machina UNCERTAIN (source).
• Serena Armitage (Live Action Short) Stutterer NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Christian Bale (Supporting Actor) The Big Short VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Ahmad Balshe (Song) Fifty Shades Of Grey NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Jenny Beavan (Costume Design) Mad Max Fury Road VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Lon Bender (Sound) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Sara Bennett (Visual Effects) Ex Machina NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Adam Benzine (Documentary Short) Claude Lanzmann Spectres Of The Shoah NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Andrea Berloff (Writer) Straight Outta Compton NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Cate Blanchett (Lead Actress) Carol VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Celia Bobak (Set Decorator) The Martian UNCERTAIN (source).
• Maryann Brandon (Film Editor) Star Wars The Force Awakens VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Konstantin Bronzit (Animated Short) We Can’t Live Without Cosmos VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Mark Burton (Animated Feature) Shaun The Sheep Movie NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Carter Burwell (Score) Carol VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Matt Charman (Writer) Bridge Of Spies NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Benjamin Cleary (Live Action Short) Stutterer NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Ethan Coen (Writer) Bridge Of Spies VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Joel Coen (Writer) Bridge Of Spies VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Josh Cooley (Writer) Inside Out NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Chris Corbould (Visual Effects) Star Wars The Force Awakens VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Hank Corwin (Film Editor) The Big Short VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Bryan Cranston (Lead Actor) Trumbo VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Matt Damon (Lead Actor) The Martian VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• David Darg (Documentary Short) Body Team 12 NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Roger Deakins (Cinematography) Sicario VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Rena DeAngelo (Set Decorator) Bridge Of Spies NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Ronnie del Carmen (Writer) Inside Out VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Paco Delgado (Costume Design) The Danish Girl VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Leonardo DiCaprio (Lead Actor) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Pete Docter (Animated Feature and Writing) Inside Out VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Emma Donoghue (Writer) Room NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Jamie Donoughue (Live Action Short) Shok NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Eric Dupont (Live Action Short) Ave Maria NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Chris Duesterdiek (Sound) The Revenant UNCERTAIN (source).
• Finola Dwyer (Producer) Brooklyn VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Denise Gamze Erguven (Director of an Oscar Nominated Foreign Language Film) Mustang NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Pato Escala (Animated Short) Bear Story NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Michael Fassbender (Lead Actor) Steve Jobs VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Jerry Franck (Documentary Short) Chau Beyond The Lines NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Jack Fisk (Production Design) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Lady Gaga (Song) The Hunting Ground NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Liz Garbus (Documentary Feature) What Happened Miss Simone? VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Dede Gardner (Producer) The Big Short VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Alex Garland (Writer) Ex Machina NOT A MEMBER (source).
• James Gay-Rees (Documentary Feature) Amy NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Colin Gibson (Production Design) Mad Max Fury Road UNCERTAIN (source).
• Drew Goddard (Writer) The Martian NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Steve Golin (Producer) Spotlight and The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Sian Grigg (Makeup And Hair) The Revenant UNCERTAIN (source).
• Nicole Grindle (Animated Short) Sanjay’s Super Team UNCERTAIN (source).
• Ciro Guerra (Director of an Oscar Nominated Foreign Language Film) Embrace Of The Serpent NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Ed Guiney (Producer) Room UNCERTAIN (source).
• Roger Guyett (Visual Effects) Star Wars The Force Awakens VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Tom Hardy (Supporting Actor) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Antony Hegarty (Song) Racing Extinction NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Matthew Heineman (Documentary Feature) Cartel Land NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Bernhard Henrich (Set Decorator) Bridge Of Spies UNCERTAIN (source).
• Jonathan Herman (Writer) Straight Outta Compton NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Martin Hernandez (Sound) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Don Hertzfeldt (Animated Short) World Of Tomorrow VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Dee Hibbert-Jones (Documentary Short) Last Day Of Freedom NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Amy Hobby (Documentary Feature) What Happened Miss Simone? UNCERTAIN (source).
• Nick Hornby (Writer) Brooklyn VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Mark Huffam (Producer) The Martian UNCERTAIN (source).
• Henry Hughes (Live Action Short) Day One NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Alejandro G. Inarritu (Director & Producer) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Andrew Jackson (Visual Effects) Mad Max Fury Road NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Duncan Jarman (Makeup And Hair) The Revenant UNCERTAIN (source).
• Chris Jenkins (Sound) Mad Max Fury Road VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Johann Johannsson (Score) Sicario VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Duke Johnson (Animated Feature) Anomalisa NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Asif Kapadia (Documentary Feature) Amy NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Charlie Kaufman (Animated Feature) Anomalisa VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Basil Khalil (Live Action Short) Ave Maria NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Simon Kinberg (Producer) The Martian VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Jeremy Kleiner (Producer) The Big Short VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Drew Kunin (Sound) Bridge Of Spies VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Ed Lachman (Cinematography) Carol VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• David Lang (Song) Youth NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Anders Langlands (Visual Effects) The Martian NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Brie Larson (Lead Actress) Room NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Love Larson (Makeup And Hair) The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Chris Lawrence (Visual Effects) The Martian VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Jennifer Lawrence (Lead Actress) Joy VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Meg LeFauve (Writer) Inside Out NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Jennifer Jason Leigh (Supporting Actress) The Hateful Eight VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Tobias Lindholm (Director of an Oscar Nominated Foreign Language Film) A War NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Emmanuel Lubezki (Cinematography) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Kristie Macosko Krieger (Producer) Bridge Of Spies NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Mark Mangini (Sound) Mad Max Fury Road VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Rooney Mara (Supporting Actress) Carol VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Mary Jo Markey (Film Editor) Star Wars The Force Awakens VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Courtney Marsh (Documentary Short) Chau Beyond The Lines NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Damian Martin (Makeup And Hair) Mad Max Fury Road NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Paul Massey (Sound) The Martian VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Arthur Max (Production Design) The Martian VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Rachel McAdams (Supporting Actress) Spotlight NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Tom McArdle (Film Editor) Spotlight UNCERTAIN (source).
• Rich McBride (Visual Effects) The Revenant UNCERTAIN (source).
• Tom McCarthy (Director & Writer) Spotlight VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Adam McKay (Director & Writer) The Big Short NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Arnon Milchan (Producer) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• George Miller  (Director & Producer) Mad Max Fury Road VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Stephen Mirrione (Film Editor) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Doug Mitchell (Producer) Mad Max Fury Road VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Stephan Moccio (Song) Fifty Shades Of Grey NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Frank A. Montano (Sound) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Bryn Mooser (Documentary Short) Body Team 12 NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Ennio Morricone (Score) The Hateful Eight VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Alan Robert Murray (Sound) Sicario VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Phyllis Nagy (Writer) Carol NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Jimmy Napes (Song) Spectre NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Andy Nelson (Sound) Star Wars The Force Awakens, Bridge Of Spies VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Laszlo Nemes (Director of an Oscar Nominated Foreign Language Film) Son Of Saul NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Thomas Newman (Score) Bridge Of Spies VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Yoshiaki Nishimura (Animated Feature) When Marnie Was There NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Paul Norris (Visual Effects) Ex Machina NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Naji Abu Nowar (Director of an Oscar Nominated Foreign Language Film) Theeb NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Documentary Short) A Girl In The River: The Price Of Forgiveness VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Dan Oliver (Visual Effects) Mad Max Fury Road UNCERTAIN (source).
• Joshua Oppenheimer (Documentary Feature) The Look Of Silence NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Ben Osmo (Sound) Mad Max Fury Road UNCERTAIN (source).
• Gabriel Osorio (Animated Short) Bear Story NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Blye Pagon Faust (Producer) Spotlight NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Robert Pandini (Makeup And Hair) The Revenant UNCERTAIN (source).
• Mary Parent (Producer) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Sanjay Patel (Animated Short) Sanjay’s Super Team UNCERTAIN (source).
• Brad Pitt (Producer) The Big Short VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Marc Platt (Producer) Bridge Of Spies VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Amanda Posey (Producer) Brooklyn NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Sandy Powell (Costume Design) Carol, Cinderella VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Hamish Purdy (Set Decorator) The Revenant NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Jason “DaHeala” Quenneville (Song) Fifty Shades Of Gray NOT A MEMBER (source).
• J. Ralph (Song) Racing Extinction VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Charlotte Rampling (Lead Actress) 45 Years VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Charles Randolph (Writer) The Big Short NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Eddie Redmayne (Lead Actor) The Danish Girl VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Keith Redmon (Producer) The Revenant NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Robert Richardson (Cinematography) The Hateful Eight VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Jonas Rivera (Animated Feature) Inside Out VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Nicole Rocklin (Producer) Spotlight NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Saoirse Ronan (LEAD Actress) Brooklyn VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Gregg Rudloff (Sound) Mad Max Fury Road VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Mark Ruffalo (Supporting Actor) Spotlight VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Mac Ruth (Sound) The Martian UNCERTAIN (source).
• Gary Rydstrom (Sound) Bridge Of Spies VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Mark Rylance (Supporting Actor) Spotlight UNCERTAIN (source).
• S. Leigh Savidge (Writer) Straight Outta Compton UNCERTAIN (source).
• Neal Scanlan (Visual Effects) Star Wars The Force Awakens UNCERTAIN (source).
• Chris Scarabosio (Sound) Star Wars The Force Awakens UNCERTAIN (source).
• Michael Schaefer (Producer) The Martian NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Ridley Scott (Producer) The Martian VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• John Seale (Cinematography) Mad Max Fury Road VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Matthew Shumway (Visual Effects) The Revenant NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Josh Singer (Writer) Spotlight NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Margaret Sixel (Film Editor) Mad Max Fury Road UNCERTAIN (source).
• Jason Smith (Visual Effects) The Revenant NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Sam Smith (Song) Spectre NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Signe Byrge Sorensen (Documentary Feature) The Look Of Silence NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Steven Spielberg (Producer) Bridge Of Spies VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Sylvester Stallone (Supporting Actor) Creed VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Richard Stammers (Visual Effects) The Martian VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Michael Standish (Set Decorator) The Danish Girl NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Richard Starzak (Animated Feature) Shaun The Sheep Movie UNCERTAIN (source).
• Eve Stewart (Production Design) The Danish Girl VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Adam Stockhausen (Production Design) Bridge Of Spies VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Michael Sugar (Producer) Spotlight UNCERTAIN (source).
• Imogen Sutton (Animated Short) Prologue UNCERTAIN (source).
• Nomi Talisman (Documentary Short) Last Day Of Freedom NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Oliver Tarney (Sound) The Martian VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Jon Taylor (Sound) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Mark Taylor (Sound) The Martian VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Abel Tesfaye (Song) Fifty Shades Of Grey NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Randy Thom (Sound) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Lisa Thompson (Set Decorator) Mad Max Fury Road UNCERTAIN (source).
• Den Tolmor (Documentary Feature) Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Rosa Tran (Animated Feature) Anomalisa NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Patrick Tubach (Visual Effects) Star Wars The Force Awakens VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Lesley Vanderwalt (Makeup And Hair) Mad Max Fury Road UNCERTAIN (source).
• Alicia Vikander (Supporting Actress) The Danish Girl NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Eva von Bahr (Makeup And Hair) The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared UNCERTAIN (source).
• Patrick Vollrath (Live Action Short) Everything Will Be Okay: Alles Wird Gut NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Cameron Waldbauer (Visual Effects) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Elka Wardega (Makeup And Hair) Mad Max Fury Road UNCERTAIN (source).
• Steve Warner (Visual Effects) The Martian UNCERTAIN (source).
• Diane Warren (Song) The Hunting Ground VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Alan Wenkus (Writer) Straight Outta Compton NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Jacqueline West (Costume Design) The Revenant VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• David White (Sound) Mad Max Fury Road NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Andrew Whitehurst (Visual Effects) Ex Machina NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Justin Wilkes (Documentary Feature) What Happened Miss Simone? NOT A MEMBER (source).
• Andy Williams (Visual Effects) Mad Max Fury Road UNCERTAIN (source).
• John Williams (Score) Star Wars The Force Awakens VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Richard Williams (Animated Short) Prologue VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Stuart Wilson (Sound) Star Wars The Force Awakens VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Kate Winslet (Supporting Actress) Steve Jobs VOTING MEMBER! (source).
• Matthew Wood (Sound) Star Wars The Force Awakens UNCERTAIN (source).
• Tom Wood (Visual Effects) Mad Max Fury Road UNCERTAIN (source).
• Tom Yellin (Documentary Feature) Cartel Land UNCERTAIN (source).
• Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Animated Feature) When Marnie Was There UNCERTAIN (source).

For more information about who is -- and is not -- a member of the academy, check out The Academy Members Project: The largest public list of Oscar Voters you’ll find on the web.

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