David Rubin elected President of AMPAS

Casting director David Rubin has been elected the new President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. It's a prestigious position but not without dozens upon dozens of high-profile headaches. Nobody is ever pleased with the Oscars which we've always taken as a sign of their continued relevance; people wouldn't constantly be complaining about the institution if they didn't care about it! 

This will mark the first time a Casting Director has ever served as AMPAS president. The news of Rubin's election came in the same 24 hours that BAFTA announced that they would be adding a Casting category to their awards which begs the following oft asked question... Is there ever going to be an Oscar category for Achievement in Casting?

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FYC The Next Academy President Will Be...

As you may have heard rumors are afoot about who will replace Cheryl Boone-Isaacs when her term as up as President of AMPAS and Laura Dern's name keeps popping up. Cheryl Boone-Isaacs presided with a mostly clear head over a difficult stretch of Oscar history but she can't run this year (four consecutive terms is the limit, each term is 1 year). Despite the excessive campaigning that goes on at Oscar time for nominations, the Academy doesn't like any active campaigning when it comes to this role.

In other words, don't count on David Lynch showing up with his cow on Los Angeles streets to campaign for Laura Dern as he did when she starred in INLAND EMPIRE (2006). The rumored frontrunners for this prestigious but unpaid position are...

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