Academy Welcomes Tyler Perry, Apatow Mafia Among '09 Inductees

Just when you thought the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had made enough seismic changes for June, Sid Ganis and Co. today welcomed 134 new members into the Oscar-voting fold. Among them, find a few clues revealing some new-generation upstarts the Academy might have in mind for its broad new Best Picture class. And, regrettably, not nearly enough women.

I am greatly pleased to see Tyler Perry's name on the list; he's making more movies (and more profit) than almost any of his peers here. Except for maybe Judd Apatow's posse, including inductees Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, Paul Rudd and James Franco, the latter of whom may be the first gay-student-film-making NYU student ever invited to join the exclusive club. This seems to make Funny People an automatic lock for a Picture nod next February, does it not?

Apatow stock player Jane Lynch is in the group too, but she's one of only 27 women this year who would like to thank the Academy. Others include '08 acting nominees Anne Hathaway, Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Melissa Leo and screenwriting nominee Courtney Hunt (Frozen River); Michelle Williams, Amy Ryan and Movieline cover girl Emily Blunt round out the above-the-line ladies' Class of '09.

Congrats to all of this year's selectees and better luck to the rest next year; if America's favorite cross-dressing grandma can do it, then so can you. The full list is below.

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Actors

Casey Affleck

Emily Blunt

Michael Cera

Viola Davis

James Franco

Brendan Gleeson

Anne Hathaway

Taraji P. Henson

Emile Hirsch

Hugh Jackman

Melissa Leo

Jane Lynch

Eddie Marsan

James McAvoy

Seth Rogen

Paul Rudd

Amy Ryan

Michael Shannon

Michelle Williams

Jeffrey Wright

Animators

J.J. Blumenkranz

Konstantin Bronzit

Kendal Cronkhite

Rodolphe Guenoden

Byron Howard

Kunio Kato

Doug Sweetland

Chris Williams

Art Directors

Andrew Ackland-Snow

At-Large

Matthew D. Loeb

Redmond Morris

Casting Directors

John Papsidera

Bernie Telsey

Cinematographers

Russ T. Alsobrook

Anthony Dod Mantle

Henner Hofmann

Claudio Miranda

Rodney Taylor

Mandy Walker

Costume Designers

Deborah Hopper

Louise Mingenbach

Michael O'Connor

Michael Wilkinson

Directors

Rachid Bouchareb

Danny Boyle

David Frankel

Rod Lurie

Thomas McCarthy

Tyler Perry

Henry Selick

Documentary

William Gazecki

Rachel Grady

Rory Kennedy

Scott Hamilton Kennedy

James Marsh

Megan Mylan

Doug Pray

Executives

Daniel D.A. Battsek

Steve Beeks

Graham W. Burke

Joe Drake

Erik Feig

Paul Hanneman

Donald P. Harris

Claudia Lewis

Film Editors

Roger Barton

Hank Corwin

Chris Dickens

Elliot Graham

Kathryn Himoff

Leo Trombetta

Brent White

Pam Wise

Live Action Short Films

Reto Caffi

Jochen Alexander Freydank

F. Carter Pilcher

Makeup and Hairstylists

Howard Berger

Mike Elizalde

Louis Lazzara

Gerald Quist

Music

Jeff Danna

Andrew Dorfman

Peter Gabriel

Clint Mansell

A.R. Rahman

Producers

Mark Ciardi

Christian Colson

Gordon Gray

Broderick Johnson

Cathy Konrad

Andrew Kosove

James Lassiter

Russell Smith

Paula Wagner

Production Designers

Donald Graham Burt

Michael Carlin

Jane Ann Stewart

Kevin Thompson

Public Relations

Michael D. Camp

Marc Cohen

Megan Colligan

James C. Gallagher

David Kaminow

Sal Ladestro

Maria Pekurovskaya

Elizabeth Petit

Set Decorators

Rebecca Alleway

Peter Lando

Barbara Munch-Cameron

Scenic Artists

Robert Topol

Sound

Michael Barry

Derek Casari

Aaron Glascock

Ren Klyce

Peter F. Kurland

Karen Baker Landers

Hamilton Sterling

Deborah Wallach

Kim Waugh

Visual Effects

Christopher Bond

Matthew Butler

Chris Corbould

Rob Engle

Scott Gordon

Hal Hickel

Van Ling

Shane Mahan

Steve Preeg

Tim Webber

Edson Williams

Writers

John August

Dustin Lance Black

Courtney Hunt

Howard A. Rodman

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