There's more than meets the eye to those emails inviting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a "soirée" at the Terrasse UniFrance in Cannes on the evening of May 17. As it turns out, the event is something of a warm-up for an event two days later, at which Academy president John Bailey will…

UPDATED with meeting details: The president of the American Society of Cinematographers and a contingent of Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated DPs met Thursday night with Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Dawn Hudson and president John Bailey over the Academy’s plan to keep four categories out of the Oscar…

It's that time of year again—not just for the Oscars, but for an annual financial report from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which grants them. Based on recent practice, it's likely that Academy members will get a look at their yearly report this month, before the February 24 awards presentation…

The most fascinating part of Tuesday's Oscar nominations announcement will be watching to see whether someone, anyone, pops out of the bunker to say something, anything, about the issues afflicting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of late. In the best of circumstances, Hollywood's film Academy is about…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has hired Christine Simmons chief operating officer, the culmination of a search to find some executive backup for CEO Dawn Hudson. Simmons, currently president and COO of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, will assume her new role in January, reporting to Hudson. Deadline…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has been rapidly expanding the membership rolls, may soon add a new executive position: chief operating officer. Several people familiar with the situation said this week that the academy has quietly had a search firm looking for a COO to back up chief executive…

Despite today’s announcement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that the new category for what had been referred to as “popular” movies was being “postponed” and not presented for this year’s Oscars, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson assures Deadline that the Board of Governors still is committed to the basic…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be establishing a new “code of conduct” for its members in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandals. In an email to members, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson laid out the details and said the board would discuss the issue at December and January meetings. "Like you, the…

In a surprise twist, cinematographer John Bailey became the 36th president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Tuesday night. Bailey, a 74-year-old film veteran with a long record of Academy service, had been quietly talking with insiders about the presidency for some time;  but he largely evaded public…

When the Daytime Emmys next come around, they should save one for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; after all, AMPAS has become one of the best soap operas in town. Infighting. Executive churn. Diversity wars. Legal action. Even an Oscar for the wrong movie. Hollywood’s film academy has seen it all. On…

UPDATED, 5:25 PM: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially has renewed CEO Dawn Hudson’s contract to June 2020. She has been in the post since 2011. Here is the letter that went out to members: Dear Members, As you may know, on Tuesday, March 28, the Board of Governors met for a regularly scheduled…

Here's a modest proposal for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: How about paying president Cheryl Boone Isaacs something? Anything. Even the minimum wage. According to a tax filing that just popped up on the Guidestar monitoring service, Boone Isaacs — who in her day job is a marketing consultant — has…