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As a result of its latest round of elections, the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the body that directs the Oscars’ strategic vision, is now made up of 31 women and 23 men, the academy announced on Monday. It is the first time that the board has a female majority in the academy’s 94-year history. Actor Rita Wilson, documentary editor and producer Jean Tsien and composer Lesley Barber are among the women newly elected to the board of governors. The number of people of color has also reached new record levels through...

Film director Roman Polanski is suing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, demanding reinstatement to the storied organization after he was expelled last May. The suit, filed in the state of California, says AMPAS did not follow proper protocol in dismissing him nearly a year ago. The Academy did so “in accordance with the organization’s Standards of Conduct,” they said at the time, adding their leadership expected members to “uphold the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity.” Polanski’s suit says the Academy’s expulsion decision “is not supported by findings, and the Academy’s findings are not supported by...

Just days after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to expel Roman Polanski from its ranks, the director's attorney sent a letter to the organization Tuesday morning, arguing the move was unlawful and threatening to take legal action if Polanski is not granted a hearing. In his letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, Polanski's attorney, Harland Braun, said the academy had failed to follow both its own rules and California law in denying the Oscar-winning director a chance to present his own case. "We are not here contesting the merits of the expulsion...

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to expel actor Bill Cosby and director Roman Polanksi from its membership ranks. The move comes a week after Cosby was convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault brought against him by Andrea Constand, and after disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was first expelled from the organization last year. Polanski has been on the lam for 40 years, ever since fleeing the country while awaiting sentencing for statutory rape in 1978. The decision to remove Cosby and Polanski from the membership was made Tuesday,...

When Hollywood’s most prestigious organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) — the group of nearly 7,000 actors, directors and other industry types who dole out the Oscars — expelled Harvey Weinstein on Oct. 14, audiences applauded. But by acting so swiftly, a mere nine days after the New York Times first reported allegations of sexual assault against the movie producer, the outfit now finds itself facing a dilemma. Put simply: What to do with the rest of them? “Harvey opened the floodgates,” said one male Academy member. “Now the Academy’s drowning in a tide of s—t....

A top-level team from the Hollywood movie industry traveled to Iran on a non-government mission, for a weekend of cultural and creative exchange meetings, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday. "I can confirm that a group of Academy members ... are currently in Iran" on a "completely private initiative for educational and creative exchange and with no political agenda," AMPAS director of communications Leslie Unger told AFP. She confirmed Iranian media reports saying the delegation included AMPAS president Sid Ganis, former president Frank Pierson, actress Annette Bening and producer William Horberg. "The Academy group did receive...

Hollywood figures from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences arrive in Iran to hold filmmaking and movie marketing seminars. "I can confirm that a group of Academy members ... are currently in Iran" on a "completely private initiative for educational and creative exchange and with no political agenda," Academy communications director Leslie Unger told AFP on Friday. According to Unger, the top-level Hollywood delegation includes AMPAS president Sid Ganis, American screenwriter and film director Frank Pierson, actress Annette Bening and producer William Horberg. "The Academy group did receive visas and is currently in Tehran," she confirmed. The Hollywood...

The Lies of Michael Moore in ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' Written by Doc Farmer Wednesday, June 30, 2004 A half-truth is the worst kind of lie. I’ve been getting a lot of guff from some of the lib/dem/soc/commie participants on the ChronWatch Forum for daring to comment on the movie, '''Fahrenheit 9/11,''' without seeing it. My view was that if you could smell a large pile of manure, you didn’t have to jump into it to experience it. However, that did little to satisfy them. '''Coward!''' they cried. Moreover, I didn’t want to spend my hard-earned money to fatten up an already...

A Pre-Oscars Perk Gets Erased A ban on the distribution of free tapes and DVDs to academy members is meant to deter piracy but sparks a Hollywood outcry. By John Horn and Lorenza Muñoz Times Staff Writers October 1 2003 One of Hollywood's greatest freebies — the bonanza of DVDs and videocassettes that clogs showbiz mailboxes every awards season — met an abrupt end Tuesday after the major studios agreed to halt their largess in the name of fighting movie piracy. The self-imposed ban on "for your consideration" copies of current releases carries with it the promise of big changes...

A couple of folks pointed out to me that some of the terminology in the original article might be cannon fodder for media communists who want to smear this site the same way they keep smearing Heston. I've reworked the article, but I'll only post the link so nobody with an agenda can blame the site for it. To summarize, I was saying that I had fallen for the media portrayal of Heston without having all the facts, and that the more I learn about him (primarily from this site) the more I feel he merits admiration and respect. Plus,...

January 17, 2003FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Dawn Newell - (310) 247-3000 dnewell@oscars.org Bleacher Seat Applications for 75th Academy Awards® Now Available Passes Will be Selected by LotteryBeverly Hills, CA – Oscar® fans once again will have the opportunity to gain access to bleacher seats to watch the Academy Awards red carpet arrivals, but this year it will be by luck of the draw.For the second year applications will be required and the selection process will be done through a random drawing, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.Fans interested in tickets for the 300-plus bleacher seats at the...