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Oscars invites more women, more people of color to join its ranks. White men still rule.

Michael Fassbender kissing Alicia Vikander

In an effort to increase the diversity of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences membership, accused of being too white, too male, too old, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs has just announced this year's list of nominees which happily has more women more people of color, and more young people. You don't just automatically become a member simply because the Oscar committee nominates you, you must accept.



It takes a long time to overcome a history of inequity:

Prior to this year's invite the Academy membership was 25% female.

This year, females make up 46% of the invitees. Seems like a lot, right? Putting them together, the number of females would increase by a whopping 2%, for just 27% of the membership! 



Formerly, people of color made up 8% of the membership. The nominees are comprised of 41% people of color.
The new total? That's anyone who's not white, meaning Asians, Hispanics, Blacks and any other color that's not lily white. Still a sad 11% people of color.



Here's the list of actors in alphabetical order getting the nod. The link to see the other Hollywood insiders receiving the invite follows the list.

Mahershala Ali
“THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY (PARTS 1 AND 2)”
“THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON”
Anthony Anderson
“THE DEPARTED”
“HUSTLE & FLOW”
Adam Beach
“SUICIDE SQUAD”
“FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS”
Kate Beckinsale
“LOVE & FRIENDSHIP”
“UNDERWORLD”
Chadwick Boseman
“CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR”
“GET ON UP”
John Boyega
“STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS”
“ATTACK THE BLOCK”
Betty Buckley
“WYATT EARP”
“CARRIE”
Rose Byrne
“X-MEN: FIRST CLASS”
“BRIDESMAIDS”
Julie Carmen
“THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR”
“GLORIA”
Enrique Castillo
“DÉJÀ VU”
“BOUND BY HONOR”
Morris Chestnut
“G.I. JANE”
“BOYZ N THE HOOD”
Cliff Curtis
“LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD”
“TRAINING DAY”
Loretta Devine
“CRASH”
“I AM SAM”
Carmen Ejogo
“SELMA”
“SPARKLE”
Idris Elba
“BEASTS OF NO NATION”
“PACIFIC RIM”
America Ferrera
“CESAR CHAVEZ”
“END OF WATCH”
Vivica A. Fox
“KILL BILL”
“INDEPENDENCE DAY”
Andrew Garfield
“99 HOMES”
“THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN”
Greta Gerwig
“FRANCES HA”
“TO ROME WITH LOVE”
Jesse D. Goins
“THE UGLY TRUTH”
“PATRIOT GAMES”
Bruce Greenwood
“FLIGHT”
“STAR TREK”
Carla Gugino
“WATCHMEN”
“NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM”
Luis Guzmán
“PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE”
“CARLITO'S WAY”
Dennis Haysbert
“DEAR WHITE PEOPLE”
“WRECK-IT-RALPH”
Tom Hiddleston
“CRIMSON PEAK”
“MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS”
James Hong
“SAFE”
“MULAN”
Oscar Isaac
“EX MACHINA”
“A MOST VIOLENT YEAR”
O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson *
“RIDE ALONG”
“FRIDAY”
Dakota Johnson
“BLACK MASS”
“FIFTY SHADES OF GREY”
Cherry Jones
“WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT”
“SIGNS”
Michael B. Jordan
“CREED”
“FRUITVALE STATION”
Daniel Dae Kim
“THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT”
“CRASH”
Regina King
“RAY”
“JERRY MAGUIRE”
Brie Larson
WINNER
WATCH SPEECH
“ROOM”
“TRAINWRECK”
Byung-Hun Lee
“TERMINATOR GENISYS”
“G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA”
Nia Long
“KEANU”
“BOYZ N THE HOOD”
Sal Lopez
“THE ASTRONAUT FARMER”
“FULL METAL JACKET”
Ignacio López Tarso
“UNDER THE VOLCANO”
“NAZARIN”
Patti LuPone
“PARKER”
“DRIVING MISS DAISY”
Peter Mackenzie
“TRUMBO”
“42”
Rachel McAdams
“SPOTLIGHT”
“MIDNIGHT IN PARIS”
Eva Mendes
“THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES”
“HITCH”
Tatsuya Nakadai
“RAN”
“KAGEMUSHA”
Adepero Oduye
“THE BIG SHORT”
“12 YEARS A SLAVE”
Marisa Paredes
“THE SKIN I LIVE IN”
“ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER”
Nate Parker
“BEYOND THE LIGHTS”
“RED TAILS”
Harold Perrineau
“ZERO DARK THIRTY”
“28 WEEKS LATER”
Jorge Perugorría
“CHE”
“STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE”
Silvia Pinal
“VINTAGE MODEL”
“THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL”
Freida Pinto
“IMMORTALS”
“SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE”
Michelle Rodriguez
“AVATAR”
“GIRLFIGHT”
Anika Noni Rose
“FOR COLORED GIRLS”
“DREAMGIRLS”
Cecilia Roth
“LUCIA LUCIA”
“ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER”
Mark Rylance
WINNER
WATCH SPEECH
“BRIDGE OF SPIES”
“THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL”
Pepe Serna
“THE BLACK DAHLIA”
“THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ”
Martin Starr
“I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS”
“ADVENTURELAND”
Elizabeth Sung
“MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA”
“THE JOY LUCK CLUB”
Sharmila Tagore
“DHADKAN”
“THE WORLD OF APU”
Tessa Thompson
“CREED”
“DEAR WHITE PEOPLE”
Lorraine Toussaint
“SELMA”
“MIDDLE OF NOWHERE”
Glynn Turman
“SUPER 8”
“MEN OF HONOR”
Gabrielle Union
“TOP FIVE”
“BAD BOYS II”
Jacob Vargas
“THE 33”
“JARHEAD”
Alicia Vikander
WINNER
WATCH SPEECH
“THE DANISH GIRL”
“EX MACHINA”
Emma Watson
“THE BLING RING”
“THE PERKS OF BEINGS A WALLFLOWER”
Damon Wayans, Jr
“BIG HERO 6”
“LET'S BE COPS”
Marlon Wayans
“THE HEAT”
“REQUIEM FOR A DREAM”
Rita Wilson
“IT'S COMPLICATED”
“RUNAWAY BRIDE”
Daphne Zuniga
“STAYING TOGETHER”

“SPACEBALLS”

I love that both of Ryan Gosling's main ladies, Rachel McAdams—it's about time—and Eva Mendez are getting the nod, but someone please tell me that Ryan Gosling himself got the nod another time?

I also love that Alicia Vikander is among the nominees. Please, please let it be that Michael Fassbender is already a member in good standing.

Because Andrew Garfield? Not before Gosling and Fassbender, surely!

Congrats to Patti LuPone, Rita Wilson, Viveca Fox, Betty Buckley and Dennis Haysbert. It must be gratifying after years of working in the biz to be nominated the same year as Dakota Fanning.

Thank God there are some Asian names among the nominees, Daniel Dae Kim, Elizabeth Sung and James Hung. That's a minority population that's been getting very little attention.

Kudos to Chadwick Boseman (the hubs worked on his upcoming Message from the King and I met him at the wrap party) Brie Larson, Idris Elba, Greta Gerwig, Oscar Isaacs, Emma Watson, Tom Hiddleston, Kate Beckinsale, America Ferrera, Rose Byrne, the Wayans Brothers, Michelle Rodriguez and Mark Rylance. No matter what sex, color, age or shape you're in, you're doing amazing work, cementing your place in the biz. You're not a one off, you're not going anywhere. One day you may decide to plonk down the five grand it costs to get your star on Hollywood Blvd. 

Of course you should be extended a membership invite, of course you should have a vote. 

Link to nominees in the remaining categories

What do you think? Will this chill the #OscarsSoWhite debate?