Oscars Rule Brad Pitt Not Valid Producer on "The Tree of Life"

[So an executive committee has determined that four of the five individuals credited as the producers of best picture nominee, The Tree of Life, (directed by Terrence Malick) are valid and are thus eligible to receive the nomination that producers get in the best picture category.  The one left out is Brad Pitt, who is not completely left out.  He is one of the nominated producers of Moneyball.  Pitt was also ruled not a valid producer back in 2007 for The Departed, which went on to win as best picture of 2006.  In that case, I think he actually was not a valid producer.  Anyway, the Oscar press release about this matter:]

Producer Credits Determined for 2011 Best Picture Nominee

Beverly Hills, CA (January 27, 2012) – Producer credits for 84th Academy Awards® Best Picture nominee "The Tree of Life" have been determined by the Producers Branch Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The official nominees for the film are Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill.

Academy rules allow for no more than three producers to be nominated and to potentially receive Oscar® statuettes. The executive committee called a meeting to determine if "The Tree of Life" represented a "rare and extraordinary circumstance," as described by the rules, and if any additional producer would be eligible. The committee determined that Green, Pohlad, Gardner and Hill functioned as genuine producers of the film and would be cited in the nomination.

Producers for the eight other motion pictures nominated in the Best Picture category – "The Artist," "The Descendants," "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," "The Help," "Hugo," "Midnight in Paris," "Moneyball" and "War Horse" – were announced on January 24 and remain unchanged.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.