The Motion Picture Academy has cancelled the annual Oscars nominees lunch because of the wildfires situation.
The luncheon was supposed to take place on February 10th. It’s always been billed as one of the most fun activities of Oscar season.
But everything in LA is up in the air as everyone waits to see if strong winds this week will exacerbate the fires in Pacific Palisades.
On top of that, the Oscars have also extended voting ballots for nominations until January 19th. The new date for announcements is January 23.
“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. 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.”