Oscars organization adds Marlee Matlin, Jason Reitman to board

LOS ANGELES » Actor Marlee Matlin, director Jason Reitman and producer Jason Blum are joining the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The organization that puts on the Oscars said that they are among the 12 Hollywood professionals who have been elected to the board for the first time. Others joining include cinematographer Dion Beebe, casting director Richard Hicks and marketing and public relations executive Megan Colligan.

Each of the academy’s 17 branches are represented by three governors who help set and guide the strategy for the academy and manage its financial health. Other governors currently serving include Whoopi Goldberg, Ava DuVernay and Rita Wilson. With this election, a majority of the board is female, and 28% of members belong to an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.

George Chauncey wins $500,000 Library of Congress award

NEW YORK » Historian George Chauncey has received a $500,000 lifetime achievement award from the Library of Congress, the John W. Kluge Prize, the first time the honor has gone to a scholar in LGBTQ studies.

The prize is given for achievement in the study of humanity. Chauncey, a professor of American history at Columbia University, is known for such books as “Gay New York” and “Why Marriage? The History Shaping Today’s Debate over Gay Equality.”

“Professor Chauncey’s trailblazing career gave us all better insight into, and understanding of, the LGBTQ+ community and history,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “His work that helped transform our nation’s attitudes and laws, epitomizes the Kluge Center’s mission to support research at the intersection of the humanities and public policy.”