The Academy's New President

Kim and John discuss the big news out of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences this week. The organization responsible for putting on the Oscars has elected its first African American President. Cheryl Boone Isaacs is a long time publicist who's worked at a number of studios and was the first African American woman to run a studios' theatrical marketing department when she was at New Line. She's held various positions at the Academy-- she's been a member since 1987-- but her election to president is symbolic and could be monumental not only because she beat out Rob Friedman, an older white male executive for the job. Last year The Los Angeles Times ran an expose of the predominantly white, male, and older demographics among Academy members. The question is if Isaacs can have the actual power of influence to diversify the membership in her one year term given that her other two big responsibilities involve working on the new Academy museum and finding a host for the Oscars-- a job no one wants. In other Academy news, the casting directors have been given their own branch in the organization which begs the question: will they get their own Oscar category some day soon?