Column: The Oscars 'must go forward' — and will, says film academy CEO. He's right
Decimated by fire season, it seems impossible that the Los Angeles area could even begin to think about awards season.
As fires that have killed at least 25 and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses continue to burn, the idea of glitzy red carpets, brimming swag bags and arguments over who should have won best picture feel like they belong to another time, another world.
The heart of the entertainment industry is devastated, literally and emotionally, and the true extent of the damage won’t be known for months. So it’s not surprising that some have called for the upcoming Grammys and Oscars to be canceled.
Is now really the time to contemplate celebrities flaunting borrowed diamonds and haute couture, delivering emotional speeches while clutching coveted statuary?
Yes. Yes it is.
In recent days, many guilds and organizations, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, have postponed nomination announcements and delayed or canceled other January events. The Recording Academy, however, announced that the Grammys will take place, as scheduled, at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 2 — with, as Recording Academy and MusiCares Chief Executive Harvey Mason Jr. and Board of Trustees chair Tammy Hurt wrote in a letter to members, “a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours.”
And despite a recent erroneous report in the British press, the Oscars will be following suit.
"After consultation with ABC, our board, and other key stakeholders in the Los Angeles and film communities, we have made the carefully considered decision to proceed with the 97th Oscars ceremony as planned on March 2nd,” Academy Chief Executive Officer Bill Kramer said in a statement to The Times.
"This year's ceremony will include special moments acknowledging those who fought so bravely against the wildfires. We feel that we must go forward to support our film community and to use our global platform to bring attention to these critical moments in our history."
The academy, he said, will continue to monitor the situation closely.
"The spirit of Los Angeles and our film community has always been one of resilience, and the Oscars represent not just a celebration of film, but the industry's strength and unity in the face of adversity."
For some, the ability of these awards shows to help raise money for the many in need is the best argument for them to take place. But, as Kramer points out, there are other compelling reasons as well.
Whether you like them or not, the Oscars and the Grammys remain important rituals, dependable moments in time around which Los Angeles, the country and indeed the world regularly gather. To celebrate or deride, it doesn’t matter. They are a fixed part of our cultural conversation and calendar year — and as we discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic, the absence of such rituals only adds to the sense of powerlessness and demoralization that accompanies any crisis.
It's difficult to imagine asking those who have lost their homes to put on a tux or shimmy into foundation garments, but never before will a sea of famous faces be seen as such an act of defiance.
Despite dwindling ratings, the Oscars is the most-watched awards show in the world; its trophy remains the ultimate icon of success. Though postponed and rescheduled several times in its 94-year history, the Oscars have never been canceled. Not during war or plague, not after assassination or the 9/11 attacks. To do so now would send a message diametrically opposed to the historic resiliency of both the city and the industry it represents.
We must always celebrate the work that unites and defines us, makes us laugh, cry, think and aspire. Especially in the midst of tragedy.
And that work must continue despite the destruction and grief. The fires are only the latest blow to many already struggling to find work, make the rent, feed the kids. For almost five years, the entertainment industry has been beset, first by the pandemic, then by the writers’ and actors’ strikes and the constriction that followed.
The economy of every awards season, even one muted or modified to reflect national trauma or local devastation, is critical to thousands of people. To those involved in the nominated works, the studios that produce them and the shows themselves — it takes roughly 1,000 people to put on the Oscars, not counting presenters and guests — of course. But also to the hotel workers, florists, restaurants, construction crews, cab drivers, stylists, seamstresses, rental companies, cleaners — the number of people required to mount, oversee and break down these enormous events is incalculable.
Including all the press involved. The crucial fire coverage you have been reading in The Times and other outlets is paid for, in part, by awards season advertising.
It may seem cruel and impossible to expect Los Angeles to pull herself together and start throwing nationally televised parties in a matter of weeks. But I know this city. In the the 30-plus years I’ve lived here, I’ve watched her endure fire, flood, plague, civil unrest and a 6.7 earthquake that flattened houses and broke freeways in half.
Like the steel jacaranda she is, Los Angeles will never surrender. She will weep for what is lost. And then she will dry her eyes, fish out a few glad rags, throw on a little makeup and get a blowout.. She will stand, straight-backed in the rubble, greeting guests and passing out Champagne in broken tea cups with a smile so dazzling that no one will even notice anything's amiss.
So use the Oscar and the Grammy telecasts to raise money and awareness. Suggest that those businesses in the habit of giving A-listers exclusive goodies donate to fire relief instead. Acknowledge and honor all that the industry, the front-line workers and the city have endured with a more sober ceremony — though not too sober, because God knows we could use a laugh. Just don't talk about how they should be canceled altogether. That would make a bad situation only worse.
The show is here, just as it’s always been. And now more than ever, the show must go on.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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