[Editor’s note: First and foremost, our thoughts are with those being effected by the current unprecedented wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area. Many of our team, colleagues, and friends are located within the danger zones. Please be safe, and keep an eye on the fast-moving and unpredictable conditions. Use the Watch Duty app to keep up to date with changes to evacuations. For aid to those who most need it, check The American Red Cross and other organizations.]
Los Angeles and surrounding areas are facing a terrible crisis as multiple devastating wildfires rage. For those who haven’t lived through an event like this, it’s hard to fathom. Sometimes all we can do is try to understand it by the impact on has on people and their lives. In that respect, imagine how bad a situation has to be to delay elements of Hollywood’s biggest time of the year- awards season. When something as big as the Oscar nominations are delayed, that’s when you know this disaster is on another level of awful.
It started with the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) nomination unveiling on Wednesday. What was supposed to be a live event became a press release.
It didn’t take long for other similar events to get delayed. The Critic’s Choice Awards were supposed to take place this Sunday, but they’ve been postponed until January 26th. The Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) was supposed to announce their nominations on January 9th, but that ceremony has been postponed until January 13th. There are a slew of other parties and banquets like the BAFTA Tea Party that are finding themselves shifting dates due to the wildfires as well.
When the biggest name in film awards is changing around their schedule, it’s definitely not a good sign. The nominations were supposed to be announced on Friday, January 17th but they’ve subsequently been pushed to Sunday, January 19th. In conjunction with this, the academy has also extended the voting period for the awards, allowing the Academy members to vote until January 14th. Two days isn’t a lot in some respects, but when it comes to the machine that is the Hollywood award season, it’s nothing to sneeze at.
UPDATE
The Academy has since updated it’s time table for the 2025 season. The Oscars ceremony will go forward as planned on Sunday, March 2nd, 2025, but lots of other changes have happened.
• The Oscar nominations voting window, which began at 9 a.m. PT on Wednesday, Jan. 8, and was to have ended at 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, Jan. 12, and then was extended until 5 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Jan. 14, has now been extended to 5 p.m. PT on Friday, Jan. 17.
• The Oscar nominations announcement, which was originally scheduled for 5:30 a.m. PT on Friday, Jan. 17, and then was extended to an unspecified time on Sunday, Jan. 19, will now take place at 5:30 a.m. PT on Thursday, Jan. 23. They will be televised, as usual, but this year there will not be any press in the audience.
• The Oscar Nominees Luncheon, which was originally scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10, has been canceled. (As in recent years, nominees will still be invited to small dinners, closer to the date of the Oscars ceremony itself, with others who are nominated in their category.)
• The Scientific and Technical Awards, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18, has been postponed. It will be rescheduled at a later date.
UPDATE
As the situation continues to develop in California, or hearts, hopes, prayers, and thoughts go out to all of those who are being affected. Just as awards are a symbol of a person’s work and dedication, the ceremonies are a symbol of joy, fun, and anticipation. We all hope that this devastation ends soon and give us something even grander to celebrate when this current situation passes.
