LA fires delay Oscar nominations for second time to January 23

The Oscars nominations were delayed for a second time as wildfires raged across Los Angeles, said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The nominations announcement of the 97th Oscar Awards was originally scheduled for January 17. It was later postponed to January 19 in the wake of the raging wildfires in the Southern California region. It has now been delayed further.

On Monday, chief executive Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang confirmed nominations for the 97th Oscars will be rescheduled until January 23 in a virtual event “without in-person media coverage”, PA Media reported.

The Academy previously offered a two-day extension to the voting window “to give members more time to cast their ballots”, pushing back the nominations announcement until January 19 as thousands were evacuated from their homes.

“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” a joint statement said. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship. 

“Due to the still-active fires in the Los Angeles area, we feel it is necessary to extend our voting period and move the date of our nominations announcement to allow additional time for our members.” 

Mr Kramer and Ms Yang also confirmed they have made “imperative” changes to scheduled events, including cancelling the annual nominees luncheon, to be “sensitive to the infrastructure and lodging needs of the region in these next few weeks”. 

The Oscars ceremony remains scheduled for Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. 

“Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry,” the joint statement added. 

“We also look forward to honouring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognising those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts. 

“We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.” The fires have thrown Hollywood’s awards season into disarray, with the Critics Choice Awards and Producers Guild Awards nominations among the events postponed. 

Meanwhile the screening of a new Netflix series starring the Duchess of Sussex, which sees her inviting friends and famous guests to a California estate, was also postponed amid the fires. 

The eight-part series Love, Meghan, which will see the former actress share cooking, gardening and hosting tips, will now premiere on March 4 instead of January 15. 

The duchess said in a statement to Tudum, the official companion site to Netflix: “I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California.” 

She and her husband, the Duke of Sussex, hugged residents and spoke to emergency crews at a meal distribution site for people affected by the fires on Friday. It is believed the couple have donated clothing, children’s items and other essential supplies for people affected by the fires. 

Meanwhile, president and chief executive of the J Paul Getty Trust Katherine Fleming told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she is “confident” its art collections will be protected amid the fires. 

There were fears that winds could fan the flames towards the Getty Centre, which is located in the Brentwood area and houses world-famous works including Vincent Van Gogh’s Irises. 

“You can’t see smoke on the horizon, whereas over the past two days there were very visible large plumes of smoke to our north and to our west. But we know that the winds are coming back, and, along with it, the fire may come back as well,” Ms Fleming said. 

A statement issued by Ms Fleming last week confirmed that the Getty Centre’s sister facility, the Getty Villa museum in Malibu, was “safe and intact” but that trees and vegetation on the property had been burnt. 

The sweeping fires in California have killed 24 people, ravaged communities, and sent thousands frantically fleeing their properties, including areas dotted with celebrity homes. 

Actors Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal, Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg are among the Hollywood stars who have lost their homes. 

US reality star Paris Hilton launched an emergency fund to support families who have been displaced, kickstarting it with a personal donation of 100,000 US dollars (£82,000) after she watched her Malibu home “burn to the ground on live TV”. 

The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, talk show host Ricki Lake, and songwriter Diane Warren have also lost properties, with reports that Sir Anthony Hopkins’ home burned to the ground in the Pacific Palisades fire. 

US actress Jennifer Garner was among the stars volunteering, providing food relief for evacuees and the emergency services, working alongside World Central Kitchen founder chef Jose Andres at one of the charity’s pop-up locations around California. 

Rory Sykes, a British-born former child star who was blind and had cerebral palsy, also “died needlessly” in the Los Angeles wildfires, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes. She told Australian TV channel Network 10 he died of carbon monoxide poisoning.