Oscars nominations in trouble as LA wildfires rage on

The LA fires disrupted the Oscars timeline, causing the the nominations to be delayed for the second time.

According to the Variety, the deadline for voting was first set to end on January 12th, but the Academy extended it to January 14th. However, now the voting will be open until January 17th, as thousands of voters were evacuated from their homes.

The nominations for 97th Oscar Awards will be now announced on January 23rd in a virtual event without in-person media coverage. The annual Oscar nominees’ luncheon initially scheduled for February 10th, has also been cancelled.

“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement.

“The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.”

The statement further explained that, due to raging fire in Los Angeles, it was “necessary to extend our voting period and move the date of our nominations announcement” to provide additional time for members to vote.

The statement continued, “Additionally, as we want to be sensitive to the infrastructure and lodging needs of the region in these next few weeks, it is imperative that we make some changes to our schedule of events, which we believe will have the support of our industry.”

The CEO and President have also expressed their desire to honour the frontline workers who have helped the community during this devastating time.

Despite the delays in the nomination process, the 97th Oscar Awards are still scheduled for Sunday, March 2nd, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.