"The Show Must Go On"

Despite the fire: Oscar nominations go ahead

"The Show Must Go On" and so the Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday.

(Bild: Ashley Landis/AP)

On January 5, devastating fires ravaged the Los Angeles area. At least 28 people died and more than 15,000 buildings were destroyed as a result. However, the entertainment metropolis is sticking to its motto "The Show Must Go On". The Oscar nominations, which were postponed twice due to the fires, are due to take place on Thursday.

Finally, the gala for the 97th Academy Awards will take place as planned on March 2 in Hollywood. And the Grammy show is already taking place on February 2 - with appeals for donations for the victims of the fires, the music award organizers emphasize.

Hollywood has been ailing for some time
Other award shows have also been postponed and now have new dates, but Hollywood is a long way from normality. It will take years to rebuild. Hollywood studios have not burned down, but two major fires have left behind a destroyed infrastructure in residential areas, thousands of industry employees are affected - in a film metropolis with already expensive rents and scarce living space that has not yet recovered from the corona pandemic and the subsequent strike by screenwriters and actors.

Hollywood has long been suffering from the fact that major film productions are moving to other US states or abroad, lured by tax breaks. Last fall, California Governor Gavin Newsom held out the prospect of greater tax relief for Hollywood. However, the industry is now wondering whether these millions will still be available from the state coffers after the costly fires.

(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)

Many donations
Many in the "City of Angels" are currently showing their generosity. The Walt Disney Company alone pledged 15 million dollars in emergency aid for those affected after the outbreak of the fires. Stars are reaching into their own pockets, including Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio and singer Beyoncé.

Donations for the victims are to be collected at the 67th Grammy Gala. The Oscar show should also be used to support the film community and honor the helpers in the fight against the fires, said Academy CEO Bill Kramer according to the "Los Angeles Times".

No cancellation, only postponements
In light of the fires, US bestselling author Stephen King is calling for the planned Oscars ceremony in March to be canceled. He understands that the Oscars are a celebration of life "and the show must go on, blah-blah-blah, and so on and so forth", the 77-year-old wrote on the online platform Bluesky. It all makes sense to a certain extent. "But to me it still feels like Nero playing the violin while Rome burns. Or in this case, like wearing extravagant clothes while L.A. burns."

The Oscars are to take place despite the devastating fires.

(Bild: AFP)

There has never been a cancellation in the long history of the Academy, and only a few show delays. After a flood disaster in Los Angeles, the 1938 ceremony had to be postponed by a week. In 1968, the ceremony took place two days later than originally planned. The reason for this was the funeral of the murdered civil rights activist Martin Luther King.

Due to an assassination attempt on US President Ronald Reagan, the show was postponed by one day in 1981. Reagan survived the attack seriously injured. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 edition was postponed to the end of April on a much smaller scale.