Lupita Nyong'o's Oscar gown returned by thief via TMZ

LOS ANGELES - The $150,000 Oscar gown worn by actress Lupita Nyong'o that was stolen two days ago was returned on Friday by the thief, who tipped off celebrity news site TMZ.com after finding out that the pearls on the dress were fake.

TMZ said the thief took the Calvin Klein dress from Nyong'o's hotel room on Wednesday after finding the door ajar. The Kenyan actress had worn the dress adorned with 6,000 pearls to Sunday's Academy Awards in one of the most commented looks of the night.



The thief and others removed two pearls from the dress and took them to the Garment District in downtown Los Angeles where they were told they were not real, according to TMZ.

The thief then took the dress back to the London West Hollywood hotel and told TMZ it was in a garment bag inside a trash bag in a bathroom.

TMZ then tipped off the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in West Hollywood, which was investigating the theft. The website shows grainy footage of an unidentified person opening the bag and finding a white dress.

Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Guillermina Saldana said they were "in the process of confirming" the story.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Nyong'o, Pharrell Williams among new Academy members

LOS ANGELES - Kenyan Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, Somalia's Barkhad Abdi, "Happy" songster Pharrell Williams and Irish-German star Michael Fassbender are among 271 actors newly invited to join Hollywood's Oscar-bestowing Academy, organizers said Thursday.

Other non-US invitees include Britain's Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan, as well as Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki and Israeli-born Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad.

Italy's Paolo Sorrentino, whose "The Great Beauty" won this year's foreign-language Oscar, will also join the illustrious Hollywood body, as will Canadian "Dallas Buyers Club" director Jean-Marc Vallee.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invites a new batch of actors, filmmakers and related professionals every year to join the ranks of its 6,000 or so members who vote on the Oscars.

"This year's class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today," said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

"Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy."

Nyong'o won the best supporting actress Oscar in March for her role in harrowing historical drama "12 Years a Slave." Fassbender was also nominated for his role in the film by British director Steve McQueen.

Hawkins was nominated in the same category as Nyong'o for her role in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine," while Coogan was shortlisted this year as writer for true-story based "Philomena."

Williams, whose ubiquitous hit "Happy" took the Internet by storm with copycat dance videos from around the world, was nominated for his work on "Despicable Me 2."

Other nominees included comic Chris Rock, actress June Squibb (Oscar nominee this year for "Nebraska"), "Hunger Games" star Josh Hutcherson and "Veep" TV star Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

The full list of new members is at: www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2014/20140626.html

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com