You know the old saying in Hollywood - the show must go on, because word on the street is that The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed that the 2025 Oscars ceremony will go ahead as planned, despite the devastating wildfires currently ravaging Los Angeles .
via: Daily Mail
It had been claimed a secret 'contingency strategy' was in place for the March 2 awards ceremony to be called off , per the U.S. Sun, over fears the glitzy ceremony could be seen as 'tone deaf' after thousands lost their homes and 25 died.
Official Academy Award committees, led by A-listers including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, and Emma Stone were said to be monitoring the wildfires situation daily.
However, film academy sources have hit back at the 'false' claims via THR, and 'categorically deny' that any advisory committee exists.
The body assessing how the Academy should proceed is the organization’s 55-person board of governors and not actors named by the publication - with the consensus being the ceremony's date will not be moving.
The board includes four people who lost their homes in the fires.
They have decided to push back the Oscar nominees announcement and extend the nominations voting window.
The Oscar Nominees Luncheon has been canceled while the Scientific and Technical Awards have been postponed.
It was revealed the 'prevailing sentiment within the Academy’s leadership' is 'that the show should go on - in a dignified manner that would help to raise funds for and celebrate fire relief efforts.'
An insider had told the US Sun that there was a growing concern that proceeding with the glitzy Oscars 2025 bash could be seen as tone-deaf given the recent destruction.
'The board’s main concern at this time is to not look like they are celebrating while many Los Angelenos are dealing with heartbreak and unimaginable loss,' an insider told the publication.
'And certainly, even if the fires went out in the next week, the reality is that the city is still hurting and will be dealing with that pain for months,' the insider added.
'So the hierarchy decided that the focus will be support and fundraising when the right opportunities present themselves.'
The insider added that 'the very thought of having a waiter, a poorly paid innocent who has lost their home, serving delicate Wagyu burgers and sliced cucumber sandwiches to multi-millionaire movie stars doesn’t exactly sit right.'
There are 17 separate branches of the Oscars' committees who realize 'that in a worst case situation, the fires could continue for weeks, prompting disastrous and cataclysmic issues for LA and Hollywood, where the awards are staged.'
The source added that the situation is being monitored with 'some well-known faces consulted' and that 'everything is so up in the air that anything could happen.'
Even if the awards ceremony proceeds, the extravagant $171,000 goody bags will be eliminated, as they have been deemed in 'bad taste' by board members.
These lavish gifts included a three-night stay in the Swiss Alps, beauty treatments, exquisite jewelry, and a $1,220 barbecue grill.
On Monday, it was revealed that the nominations for the 2025 Oscars have been 'further delayed'. The voting period has been extended to January 17 - after previously being postponed to January 14.
The announcement of the nominations will now take place on January 23.
A letter from the Academy, per The Hollywood Reporter, read: 'We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California.'
'So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you.'
'Given the fire situation, we want to share some updates regarding an extension to the Oscars nominations voting window as well as updated information on Oscars Shortlist Screenings, Oscars Bake-Offs, and the Academy Museum.'
Voting for the 2025 Oscar nominations, 'opened this morning at 9am PT. We will be extending the voting window by two days to give members more time to cast their ballots. Voting will now close on Tuesday, January 14 at 5pm PT.'
'As such, our Oscars Nominations Announcement will move from Friday, January 17 to Sunday, January 19. More information on the announcement will follow soon...'
Many social media users have shared their thoughts on the event, and suggested that the ceremony itself be changed to a telethon fundraiser to help raise money for the victims of the fires that began last week.
The first Oscars ceremony was held in 1929. The Oscars have never been completely canceled, only delayed.
The ceremony was last delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. At the time the show was postponed for two months, from February to April.
The show has been moved a few times throughout history, including after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, and due to historic flooding in Los Angeles in 1938.
Four members of the Academy's board of governors as well as the former CEO additionally lost their houses in the fires, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Some of Hollywood's biggest names have seen their beloved homes razed in the devastating wildfires that have swept through Los Angeles this week.
Anthony Hopkins, Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, Anna Faris, Adam Brody and wife Leighton Meester are just a few of the many stars whose stunning mansions have been reduced to ash and rubble.
Upwards of 200,000 residents have been subject to evacuation orders and thousands are still trapped in shelters, unable to return home as authorities begin the arduous task of searching the ash and debris for human remains.
The sheer scale of the devastation is unprecedented, with prime real estate stretching from Malibu to the Palisades and down to Santa Monica wiped off the map.
The death toll is likely to rise, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday. At least two dozen people have been reported missing, he said.
The Palisades fire remains just 17 per cent contained, having burned through 23,713 acres. So far, eight bodies have been found in the wreckage.
The Eaton fire, which has wiped out large swathes of Pasadena and Altadena, has burned through less land than the Palisades fire, but the human cost is far greater.
Already, 16 bodies have been found in the carnage. Some 7,000 structures are estimated to be gone, but the process of examining what remains is slow going.
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