VOTING EXTENDED, BUT OSCARS STAY IN PLACE

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has reacted to the Los Angeles wildfires by extending the voting window to 1/17 and pushing back the nominations announcement to 1/23.

The nominees will be revealed in a virtual event, beginning at 5:30am. AMPAS has canceled its nominees luncheon.

There are no plans to reschedule the Oscars themselves; they remain slated for 3/2 at the Dolby Theatre.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said in a statement, “We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community... 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."

The message concluded, “Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry. We also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts. We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.”

AMPAS has made a $750,000 donation to the Motion Picture and Television Fund for victims of the fires.