June 17, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Tom Sherak.  “Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks.”

The Academy’s membership policies would have allowed a maximum of 211 new members in 2011, but as in other recent years, several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them.  Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.

In an unprecedented gesture, the list of new members includes documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April.  Hetherington had been a 2010 nominee for his film “Restrepo,” but died prior to the Academy’s spring meetings to select new members.  The Documentary Branch proposed that Hetherington’s name be included among the year’s invitees.  The governors agreed.

The 2011 invitees are:

Actors
Russell Brand – “Arthur,” “Get Him to the Greek”
Gerard Butler – “The Ugly Truth,” “300″
Vincent Cassel – “Black Swan,” “Eastern Promises”
Robbie Coltrane – “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1,” “Mona Lisa”
Bradley Cooper – “Limitless,” “The Hangover”
John Corbett – “Sex and the City 2,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”
Rosemarie DeWitt – “The Company Men,” “Rachel Getting Married”
Peter Dinklage – “Find Me Guilty,” “The Station Agent”
David Duchovny – “Things We Lost in the Fire,” “The X-Files”
Jesse Eisenberg – “The Social Network,” “The Squid and the Whale”
Jennifer Garner – “Arthur,” “Juno”
John Hawkes – “Winter’s Bone,” “The Perfect Storm”
Thomas Jane – “The Mist,” “The Thin Red Line”
Nastassja Kinski – “An American Rhapsody,” “Tess”
Beyonce Knowles – “Dreamgirls,” “Austin Powers in Goldmember”
Mila Kunis – “Black Swan,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Winter’s Bone,” “The Burning Plain”
Tea Leoni – “Ghost Town,” “Spanglish”
Anthony Mackie – “The Hurt Locker,” “Million Dollar Baby”
Lesley Manville – “Another Year,” “Topsy-Turvy”
Rooney Mara – “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “The Social Network”
Dominic Monaghan – “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”
Connie Nielsen – “Brothers,” “Gladiator”
Ellen Page – “Inception,” “Juno”
Wes Studi – “Avatar,” “The Last of the Mohicans”
Mia Wasikowska – “Jane Eyre,” “The Kids Are All Right”
Jacki Weaver – “Animal Kingdom,” “Cosi”

Animators
Geefwee Boedoe – “Let’s Pollute,” “Monsters, Inc.”
Alessandro Carloni – “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Over the Hedge”
Sylvain Chomet – “The Illusionist,” “The Triplets of Belleville”
Jakob Hjort Jensen – “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Flushed Away”
Biljana Labovic – “The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger,” “Idiots and Angels”
Tomm Moore – “The Secret of Kells,” “Backwards Boy”
Teddy Newton – “Day & Night,” “Ratatouille”
Bob Peterson – “Up,” “Finding Nemo” (also invited to the Writers Branch)
Javier Recio Gracia – “The Lady and the Reaper,” “The Missing Lynx”
Andrew Ruhemann – “The Lost Thing,” “City Paradise”
Kristof Serrand – “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas”
Shaun Tan – “The Lost Thing,” “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”
Simon Wells – “Mars Needs Moms,” “The Prince of Egypt”

Art Directors
Anahid Nazarian – “The Virgin Suicides,” “The Godfather, Part III”
Lauren E. Polizzi – “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

At-Large
George Aguilar
Barry Bernardi
Christopher Dodd
Ted Gagliano
James L. Honore
Dawn Hudson
Beverly Pasterczyk
Randall Poster
Ric Robertson
David Schnuelle
Randy Spendlove
Beverly Joanna Wood

Casting Directors
Nina Gold – “The King’s Speech,” “Jane Eyre”
Jina Jay – “The Reader,” “Layer Cake”
Lora Kennedy – “The Town,” “Syriana”

Cinematographers
Frank Byers – “Illegal Tender,” “Boxing Helena”
Patrick Cady – “Lottery Ticket,” “Broken Bridges”
Danny Cohen – “The King’s Speech,” “Pirate Radio”
Lukas Ettlin – “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Middle Men”
Steven Fierberg – “Love & Other Drugs,” “Secretary”
Barry Markowitz – “Crazy Heart,” “Sling Blade”
Charles Minsky – “Valentine’s Day,” “Pretty Woman”
Lawrence Sher – “The Hangover,” “Garden State”
Eric Steelberg – “Up in the Air,” “(500) Days of Summer”

Costume Designers
Odile Dicks-Mireaux – “An Education,” “The Constant Gardener”
Sarah Edwards – “Salt,” “Michael Clayton”
Danny Glicker – “Up in the Air,” “Milk”

Directors
Gregg Araki – “Kaboom,” “Nowhere”
Susanne Bier – “In a Better World,” “After the Wedding”
Neil Burger – “Limitless,” “The Illusionist”
Lisa Cholodenko – “The Kids Are All Right,” “Laurel Canyon” (also invited to the Writers Branch)
Debra Granik – “Winter’s Bone,” “Down to the Bone” (also invited to the Writers Branch)
Tom Hooper – “The King’s Speech,” “The Damned United”
John Cameron Mitchell – “Rabbit Hole,” “Shortbus”
Yojiro Takita – “Departures,” “Himitsu”

Documentary
Jon Alpert – “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province,” “Lock-up: The Prisoners
of Rikers Island”
Amir Bar-Lev – “The Tillman Story,” “Fighter”
Lesley Chilcott – “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” “It Might Get Loud”
Carl Deal – “Capitalism: A Love Story,” “Trouble the Water”
Charles Ferguson – “Inside Job,” “No End in Sight”
Tim Hetherington – “Restrepo” (posthumous)
Sebastian Junger – “Restrepo”
Thomas Lennon – “The Warriors of Qiugang,” “The Blood of Yingzhou District”
Diane Weyermann – “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” “Food, Inc.”
Ruby Yang – “The Blood of Yingzhou District,” “The Warriors of Qiugang”

Executives
William J. Damaschke
Richard M. Fay
Donna Langley
Leslie Moonves
Vanessa L. Morrison
Bill Pohlad
Rich Ross
Jeff Small
Thomas Tull

Film Editors
Tariq Anwar – “The King’s Speech,” “American Beauty”
Naomi Geraghty – “Limitless,” “Reservation Road”
Jon Harris – “127 Hours,” “Layer Cake”
Darren Holmes – “How to Train Your Dragon,” “The Iron Giant”
Pamela Martin – “The Fighter,” “Little Miss Sunshine”
Joel Negron – “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “The Karate Kid”
Terilyn A. Shropshire – “Jumping the Broom,” “Eve’s Bayou”
Angus Wall – “The Social Network,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Andrew Weisblum – “The Black Swan,” “The Wrestler”

Live Action Short Films
Luke Matheny – “God of Love,” “Earano”

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Judy Chin – “Black Swan,” “Requiem for a Dream”
Kathrine Gordon – “3:10 to Yuma,” “Ocean’s Eleven”
Trefor Proud – “W.,” “Topsy-Turvy”
Cindy Jane Williams – “Burlesque,” “Hancock”
Wesley Wofford – “Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son,” “A Beautiful Mind”

Music
Terence Blanchard – “Inside Man,” “Malcolm X”
Fernand Bos – “Crazy Heart,” “Cold Mountain”
Graeme Revell – “Darfur Now,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”

Producers
Iain Canning – “Oranges and Sunshine,” “The King’s Speech”
Cean Chaffin – “The Social Network,” “Fight Club”
Kevin Feige – “Thor,” “Iron Man”
Gary Goetzman – “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Mamma Mia!”
Sisse Graum Jorgensen – “In a Better World,” “After the Wedding”
Jeffrey Levy-Hinte – “The Kids Are All Right,” “Laurel Canyon”
Todd Lieberman – “The Fighter,” “The Proposal”
Robert Lorenz – “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Mystic River”
Celine Rattray – “The Kids Are All Right,” “Grace Is Gone”
Emile Sherman – “The King’s Speech,” “Candy”
Emma Thomas – “Inception,” “The Dark Knight”
Gareth Unwin – “The King’s Speech,” “Exam”

Production Designers
Howard Cummings – “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” “John Grisham’s The Rainmaker”
Therese DePrez – “Black Swan,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”
Guy Hendrix Dyas – “Inception,” “The Brothers Grimm”
Jess Gonchor – “True Grit,” “Capote”
Jane Musky – “Something Borrowed,” “Finding Forrester”
Eve Stewart – “The King’s Speech,” “Topsy-Turvy”

Public Relations
Susan Ciccone
Alissa Grayson
Jeffrey Hall
Jill Ann Jones
Mark Markline
Carmelo Pirrone
Ira Rubenstein
David Schneiderman
Loren Schwartz
Lance Volland

Set Decorators
Judy Farr – “The King’s Speech,” “Death at a Funeral”
Gene Serdena – “The Fighter,” “House of Sand and Fog”

Sound
Andrew DeCristofaro – “Hall Pass,” “Crazy Heart”
Joe Dorn – “The Wolfman,” “Spider-Man 3″
Marc Fishman – “Bridesmaids,” “Crash”
Lora Hirschberg – “Inception,” “The Dark Knight”
Chris Jargo – “Robin Hood,” “American Gangster”
John Midgley – “The King’s Speech,” “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace”
Ed Novick – “Inception,” “The Dark Knight”
Hammond Peek – “King Kong,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”
Brian Vessa – “Nemesis,” “Lambada”
Mark Weingarten – “The Social Network,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Visual Effects
Tim Alexander – “Rango,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
Rob Bredow – “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “The Polar Express”
Tim Burke – “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1,” “Gladiator”
Peter Chesney – “No Country for Old Men,” “Men in Black”
Paul Franklin – “Inception,” “The Dark Knight”
Kevin Tod Haug – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” “Quantum of Solace”
Florian Kainz – “Mission: Impossible III,” “The Perfect Storm”
Marshall Krasser – “Iron Man 2,” “Titanic”
Sean Phillips – “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Polar Express”
Peter G. Travers – “Watchmen,” “The Matrix Reloaded”
Brian Van’t Hul – “Coraline,” “I, Robot”
Mark H. Weingartner – “Sex and the City 2,” “Inception”

Writers
Stuart Blumberg – “The Kids Are All Right,” “Keeping the Faith”
Lisa Cholodenko – “The Kids Are All Right,” “Laurel Canyon” (also invited to the Directors Branch)
Debra Granik – “Winter’s Bone,” “Down to the Bone” (also invited to the Directors Branch)
Karen McCullah Lutz – “The Ugly Truth,” “Legally Blonde”
Aline Brosh McKenna – “27 Dresses,” “The Devil Wears Prada”
Bob Peterson – “Up,” “Finding Nemo” (also invited to the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch)
David Rabe – “The Firm,” “Casualties of War”
Anne Rosellini – “Winter’s Bone”
David Seidler – “The King’s Speech,” “The King & I”
Scott Silver – “The Fighter,” “8 Mile”
Kirsten Smith – “The Ugly Truth,” “Legally Blonde”
Aaron Sorkin – “The Social Network,” “A Few Good Men”
Daniel Waters – “Batman Returns,” “Heathers”

Additionally, the Academy invited John Coffey, Risa Gertner and Robert C. Rosenthal to Associate membership. Associate members are not represented on the Board and do not have Academy Awards® voting privileges.
Individuals invited to join multiple branches must select one branch upon accepting membership.
New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in September.

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

Hilary Swank arrives for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards¨ at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA February 27, 2011.

The Ghostniks® looks like it’s going to be the next Harry Potter!!!

Brittany Curran on the Red Carpet at The "I Have a Dream Foundation" Event in Hollywood, CA!

Sunday, March 6th, WEST HOLLYWOOD:

Brittany Curran was on the Red Carpet at the “I Have a Dream Foundation” THIRTEENTH ANNUAL GOSPEL BRUNCH, held at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, CA! Brittany’s boss, Michael Wright, Executive Vice President for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies, was also honored with the DREAM KEEPER AWARD!

Brittany joined the “I Have a Dream Foundation” as a mentor to a 9 year old girl, Jessica! Brittany plans to participate in events to raise awareness for underprivileged children and the importance of having an assured opportunity for higher education.

Stars of TNT's "Men of a Certain Age", Scott Bakula and Brittany Curran, pose for a photo at ”I HAVE A DREAM”® FOUNDATION's THIRTEENTH ANNUAL GOSPEL BRUNCH held at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, CA!

Many STARS were in attendance, including Ray Romano, Samuel L. Jackson and a huge entourage from Men Of A Certain Age, TNT, TBS & TCM!

Michael Wright TNT

Executive Vice President & Head of Programming for TNT, TBS, TCM, Michael Wright, gave a touching acceptance speech for his DREAM KEEPER AWARD! Here is an excerpt:

“I want every child to have what I had: an education, and teachers that encourage children to reach outside their own experience. I know how rare that is these days.  No organization better embodies the dual values of education and teaching as well as The “I Have a Dream Foundation.”  Here in Los Angeles, the Foundation has worked for over 22 years to serve nearly 1,000 children in Los Angeles County.  ”I Have a Dream” makes a long-term commitment to provide free year-round programs, services, and individualized case management for 12 consecutive years until high school graduation, as well as providing a comprehensive program that prepares students for higher education.”

- Michael Wright, Executive Vice President & Head of Programming for TNT, TBS, TCM

Host James Franco speaks onstage during the live ABC Television Network broadcast of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards® from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA Sunday, February 27, 2011.

Everybody wants to give James Franco a bad rap for his job as Oscar® Host at the 83rd Academy Awards® Telecast. The media is especially guilty of fanning the flame of blame! EXCUSE ME!!! Has everyone forgotten that James Franco was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Actor in a Leading Role? HELLO!!! EARTH TO MEDIA!!! COME IN MEDIA!!!! An Oscar® Nomination for Best Actor is a HUGE DEAL! They just don’t pass those out in cereal boxes, OKAY?!

MY GOD!!! PAAALEEEESE!!!! I think the guy had a lot on his mind that night, not to mention he is hosting one of the BIGGEST EVENTS on television, watched by MILLIONS of people around the World!! So give the guy a break!

Personally, I thought James Franco did a fine job! His dry wit and reserved composure played extremely well with Anne Hathaway’s bubbly persona. I refuse to jump on the band wagon and “Dis” my man Franco! So there!

I guess that means I’ll never work in this town again. I wish I had a buck for every time I heard that one; I could buy a real fancy blended coffee beverage! Seriously folks!

✩✩✩✩✩

Carrie French (Feb 28, 1986 to Jun 5, 2005)

I have to put this out there. I served with Carrie French at Ft. Bliss, then onto Kirkuk, Iraq. She was killed in Iraq June 5th, 2005 when her convoy vehicle struck by an improvised explosive device. Today is her birthday. She would have been 25 years old today.

You can read more about Carrie French at my Iraq Blog, SurvivalArtist.com.

Click on Britany to Become a Fan!!

Brittany Curran at the SAG Awards!

The Daily Red Carpet’s Favorite Rising Star, Brittany Curran, Makes Some Oscar Pics!

Brittany Curran with her managers. (Pictured left to right: Devon Jackson, Brittany Curran, Brian Medavoy)

Brittany will be watching the Oscars at a Home Oscar Event with her manager Brian Medavoy. Brian Medavoy’s father, Mike Medavoy, is a producer for the Oscar nominated motion picture,  “Black Swan”. Brittany was invited to an exclusive family screening of the film!!!

Brittany Curran's invitation to an exclusive family screening of "Black Swan"!

Brittany!s 2011 Oscar Predictions:

BEST PICTURE:

The King!s Speech… Although emotionally, I want Black Swan or The Fighter to win. My dad and I got to spend some time with Mark Wahlberg and he was so nice and very gracious about the success of the film. Also, I grew up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts which is close to Lowell, where the film takes place.

BEST ACTOR:

Colin Firth

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Christian Bale… I got to meet Christian and his wife at a recent screening at the Arc Light in Hollywood.

BEST ACTRESS:

Natalie Portman

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Melissa Leo

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

Toy Story 3… I cried at the end. The Toy Story films are a big part of my childhood.

ART DIRECTION:

The King!s Speech

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Black Swan

COSTUME DESIGN:

The King!s Speech

DIRECTING:

Tom Hooper… Also, I think Darren Aronofsky should win, or David O. Russell.

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):

Inside Job

FILM EDITING:

The Social Network

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

Biutiful

MAKEUP:

The Wolfman… on the fence with The Way Back.

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE):

How to Train Your Dragon or The Social Network

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG):

If I Rise (127 Hours)

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION):

The Crush

VISUAL EFFECTS:

Inception

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY):

The Social Network

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY):

The King!s Speech… I would also like The Fighter to win

Brittany Curran in wardrobe for TNT's "Men of a Certain Age" (episode: "The Bad Guy")

Brittany Curran was recently nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the Young Artist Awards for her work on TNT’s “Men of a Certain Age” (Specifically the episode: “The bad Guy” ).

Brittany Curran and her TV Dad, Ray Romano from TNT's "Men of a Certain Age"

Check out BrittanyCurran.com and TNT’s “Men of a Certain Age”!