Academy Invites McConaughey; Star Trek Prop Sells; and Dallas Renewed

News from the world of entertainment includes membership in a prestigious organization, the selling of a Star Trek prop, and the renewal of Dallas.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has offered membership to a number of industry artists in various fields. It is only the members of AMPAS who are allowed to vote for the renowned Academy Awards (Oscars) every year. To be a member, a person must have been nominated for an Academy Award or be recommended by a member for some significant contribution to the arts.

The invitations have gone out to performers such as Tom Berenger, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Matthew McConaughey, and Michelle Yeoh. These are only a few of the names asked to joined the Academy, which has members in 15 different categories, including designers, film editors, and producers.

Meanwhile, an original prop that was used in the original Star Trek TV series that starred William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy has sold at an Ohio auction for over $70,000. The item was a Galileo shuttlecraft. Reportedly, the new owner plans to restore the 24-foot-long piece of history and may eventually have it displayed in a museum.

Elsewhere, TNT has renewed the new Dallas nighttime drama for another year. The ratings thus far for the show in which Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy are reviving their Ewing brother characters have been noteworthy and have given the network the highest rated show on basic cable this season.