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The current wildfires are being called the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles. It’s because of the population density in the affected areas, and because three major fires are raging all at once – the Palisades fire, the Eaton fire and the Hurst fire in the San Fernando Valley. More than 4 million people are without power in Southern California. The strong Santa Ana winds are spreading the fire further and further. We hope all of our friends in LA stay safe and that firefighters find a way to put these fires out.
The strength, speed and damage of the fires have already had an immediate effect in Hollywood. Several studios have been affected, with Disney, Universal and Warner Bros shutting down their lots in Burbank and Universal City. LA premieres and screenings for Unstoppable, Better Man, Wolf Man and The Pitt have been canceled. And now the Critics Choice Awards have been postponed as well. The Critics Choice Awards were originally scheduled for this coming Sunday in Santa Monica, with Chelsea Handler hosting. They’ve been pushed to January 26th.
The Critics Choice Awards will go forward on Jan. 26.
The rescheduled event will remain at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, and will broadcast live on E! and around the world. It will also be available on Peacock the next day.
“This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community. All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected,” said CCA CEO Joey Berlin.
This is fine with me and I guess everyone is assuming that the wildfires will be contained in the next week (hopefully). In case you’re keeping track at home, here are the new awards-season/winter dates to keep in mind: Oscar nominations come out on January 17, then the Critics Choice on January 26, with the Grammys scheduled for the following Sunday (February 2). The following weekend, we’ll have the DGA and PGA Awards on February 8th and the Super Bowl on February 9th. BAFTAs on February 16th, SAG Awards on February 23 and Oscars on March 2.
Oh, after I wrote this, AMPAS made some adjustments to their voting schedule. They extended the Oscar voting by several days, given how many Oscar voters live in LA. Now the Oscar noms will be announced on January 19th.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.