UPDATE: Will the actual Oscars ceremony be delayed? The Academy has yet again extended the voting period now to end on Friday January 17. The nominations announcement will now move from Sunday January 19 to Thursday January 23 at 5:30AM PT.
Jeff Sneider is reporting that the delay is due to “low voter turnout” as a result of the L.A. fires. Makes sense. As far as people going through the current California inferno, Oscar voting would be the last thing on their minds at the present moment.
For the time being, the Oscar ceremony is still set for March 2 at the Dolby Theater. If the L.A. fires continue on, and all signs are pointing towards a very bad week with heavy winds, then there will no doubt a postponement.
EARLIER: In case you didn’t notice, it’s been a quiet day over here, much of Hollywood is struggling with the impact of these devastating L.A. fires. Many awards events have been postponed, including AARP, BAFTA, Critics Choice, Cinemateque, and AFI.
Oscar voting and nominations have now also been delayed due to the fires. Not only has the deadline for Oscar nomination voting been extended by two days, but the nominations announcement, originally scheduled for January 17, has now been moved to January 19.
This means that we’re getting the Oscar noms this year on a Sunday. That’s highly unusual, and I don’t remember the last time they ever fell on that day. Oscar noms usually get announced during the week, preferably on a Tuesday or Thursday, but not this year.