Hugh Jackman invited to join Academy

Hugh Jackman, who hosted the Oscars ceremony, has been invited into the Academy along with a host of other celebrity film makers. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday issued the invitations to 134 members of the film community, including Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo and Michael Shannon. Although the Academy had 166 slots to fill this year, it stopped short of making as many invitations. Michael Cera, James Franco, Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd were also invited. The screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for Milk, and composers Peter Gabriel and A.R. Rahman were also invited to join. Other invitees included Brit director Danny Boyle, producer Paula Wagner and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. A ceremony to welcome the new members will be held at the Academy's Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills. Academy President Sid Ganis said: "These filmmakers have, over the course of their careers, captured the imagination of audiences around the world. "It's this kind of talent and creativity that make up the Academy and I welcome each of them to our ranks."