Officials give update on wildfires, looting
The Motion Picture Academy on Monday said it will further delay announcing the list of Oscar nominees for the 2025 Academy Awards because of the wildfires that continue to spread in Los Angeles.
“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community. The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “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.”
The Academy is extending the voting period for Oscars nominations through Friday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. It will announce Oscars nominations virtually on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 5:30 a.m. Pacific.
This is the second postponement announced for the nominations since the fires broke out last week. The nominations announcement show has initially rescheduled for Jan. 19. Additionally, the Oscars nominees luncheon, scheduled for Monday, February 10, will not take place, according to the Academy.
“We want to be sensitive to the infrastructure and lodging needs of the region in these next few weeks,” it said in part.
To date, fires across the Los Angeles area have killed at least 24 people, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and scorched more than 60 square miles, according to officials. Hollywood celebrities are among those who lost their homes.
The Scientific and Technical Awards, which had been scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18, will be rescheduled for a date that is still to be determined, the Academy added.
The 97th Oscars awards ceremony is still scheduled to take place on Mar. 2, 2025.
The raging wildfires have forced other event postponements, and snarled film and television productions. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Producers Guild of America (PGA) have both delayed nominations announcements for their awards shows.
“Due to ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area, we will be delaying the announcement of Writers Guild Award nominees until further notice,” the WGA said in a statement to CBS News.
“Out of care and concern for those being affected by the fires, we will be holding the announcement of the PGA award nominees until next week,” the PGA said.
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.
