The Southern California wildfires began right after the Golden Globes, and they completely changed the awards season. Obviously, the awards season is deeply unimportant in the face of one of the biggest natural disasters in decades. People have died, and California communities are reeling. But it’s fine to talk about the industry, because LA is an industry town and these awards shows affect people’s jobs and livelihoods. So, some updates on the awards season.
The Critics Choice Awards were one of the first events to be delayed because of the fires. They were originally supposed to happen last Sunday, the 12th. They were moved to January 26, and now they’ve been pushed back again, to February. They actually don’t have a date in mind, so it’s just February TBA.
The Grammys are still scheduled for February 2nd, but they’re changing the show so that they can honor firefighters and first responders, and I think that part of the show will end up acting as some kind of fundraiser for fire relief. Grammy weekend is usually full of parties sponsored by the labels, and most of those parties are now canceled. No parties from Warner, Sony or Universal, but Clive Davis’s annual MusiCares party is still scheduled.
As for the Oscars, they are still scheduled for March 2. There have been a lot of rumors about the Board of Governors meeting and weighing a delay for the show, but as of yet, the show will go on as planned, perhaps with some tweaks here and there. The Sun apparently ran an exclusive about the Oscars being canceled outright, but the Hollywood Reporter clapped back on that report:
Amid the chaos of the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, some in the media are spreading baseless lies suggesting that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is seriously considering cancelling the 97th Oscars ceremony, which is scheduled to take place in Hollywood on Sunday, March 2.
The U.K. tabloid newspaper The Sun posted a story to its website on Tuesday evening, which was picked up by the Drudge Report and went viral, that it advertised as “Exclusive” and headlined: “OSCARS THREAT Oscars 2025 on verge of being cancelled as bosses secretly plot major changes to ceremony after LA wildfires.” The piece went on to claim that “A secret ‘contingency strategy’ is in place for the March 3rd Awards to be called off” — getting the date wrong — and elaborated, “The Oscars awards ceremony is on the verge of being cancelled for the first time in its 96-year history… Official Academy Award committees are monitoring the situation daily, led by stars including Tom Hanks, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep and Steven Spielberg.”
The Hollywood Reporter has spoken with senior figures at the Academy, as well as individuals close to some of the aforementioned A-listers, and can categorically report that no such plan is being contemplated and no such advisory committee exists.
The only body currently weighing how the Academy should proceed is the organization’s 55-person board of governors, which currently includes none of the individuals listed by The Sun, and the most recent determination of which — announced on Monday — is that the date of the Oscars ceremony, now 47 days away, will not be shifting.
The board — which includes four individuals who lost their homes in the fires — did, however, extend the Oscar nominations voting window; push back the announcement of the Oscar nominations; cancel this year’s Oscar Nominees Luncheon; and postpone the Scientific and Technical Awards.
Any change to the Oscars ceremony itself would require significant consultation between the Academy and its longtime broadcasting partner ABC. And it is currently the prevailing sentiment within the Academy’s leadership that the show should go on — in a dignified manner that would help to raise funds for and celebrate fire relief efforts. The Oscars ceremony, for which about 1,000 locals are typically employed, has never been “canceled” — even in the darkest days of COVID, it was slightly postponed and then held in a pared-down manner — and again, there is currently no internal movement to cancel the edition slated for March 2.
As someone who enjoys awards seasons but thinks there are too many awards shows these days, I’m fine with some of the smaller awards season stuff getting canceled or delayed, but I hope the Oscars proceed as planned. I even feel sorry for the Oscar nominees because this year’s nominees won’t get the luncheon, which is supposed to be one of the nicest and friendliest events of the season. And yeah, canceling the Oscars is not something that’s on the table. If anything, it would be a delay, but I don’t think they’re even going to do that.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
I am so torn on the awards this season. On one hand they are so frivolous and mean really nothing. In the bigger picture of life.
But it keeps a lot of people employed. Working on events. Now many have lost their homes and worldly possessions. I am sure a lot of below the line workers need the jobs for income.
And the unity it creates to have artists come together to celebrate their art. Could be cathartic after what CA has and continues to go through.
And I am getting furious with these videos of people being caught trying to start more fires. This has to stop.
My thoughts are similar to yours, Flamingo.
Ultimately, if they use the broadcasts and parties to fundraise and employ service/security/production/etc workers then I think they should go forward as soon as they think the time is “right”.
I’m so sorry for everyone who has lost anyone or anything in the fires.
“But it keeps a lot of people employed. Working on events. Now many have lost their homes and worldly possessions. I am sure a lot of below the line workers need the jobs for income.”
This. Make-up artists, dressers, musicians, camera people, all the pampering that’s being done before. And all the catering before and after that is already being cancelled.
It’s mostly people who depend on awards season for a big part of their income.
As @SAS below says, maybe do away with those frivolously expensive gift bags and have the companies/advertisers donate money in return for a mention, e.g. in the press.
I get why they can’t cancel it but it would be nice to see a bit less excess (maybe no $20 000 gift bags?). Love the idea of a built-in fundraiser.
Auctioning off those gift bags would bring in quite a bit of disaster relief money .
Yes, just make it into a fundraiser. I heard on the radio this morning that a bunch of music artists are putting together a benefit concert for the fire victims. Make it like that somehow.
The destruction and devastation is terrible but this is is not a national problem. And aside from the political wrangling of the governor, it’s not even a state problem. Were it not for the celebrities affected, this news cycle would’ve ended some time ago. Yes, awards shows are trivial and frivolous but they are a business generating millions in revenue. And in the case of rhe Oscars, the ripple effect is international with films and filmmakers from all over the world gaining recognition.
This is the first time in decades where nominees aren’t the usual suspects of Meryl Streep, Leo, Spielberg, Scorsese and I’m interested to see who wins.
That’s gross to me. I hope they make some serious changes at the events and not just some moment of silence acknowledgement,