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There will be no “virtual” Oscars.
“The Oscars in-person telecast will take place,” said Academy and ABC representative Variety exclusively.
This year, the Academy of Arts and Movement Sciences has postponed its annual release for two months to April 25, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources inside the Oscars say that by postponing the awards ceremony, the Academy was hoping theaters would be open again in the spring, allowing more films to participate in the annual celebration of the best films of the year.
But even though theaters remain closed, hosting the Oscars later in the spring, organizers are now focused on making sure the event continues as it always has. This may still raise questions about the exact number of people allowed inside the 3,400-seat Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, where the ceremony traditionally takes place.
“The Academy recently took a Dolby tour to see all of the multiple options,” says a pricing publicist familiar with the situation.
It is not known what security protocols will be introduced for the ceremony. A representative for the Dolby Theater declined to comment.
Since the March lockdown, the COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the film industry, with theaters closed and production halted. In response, the Academy extended the eligibility deadline from December 31 to February 28, 2021, in addition to allowing films that premiered on streaming platforms to be submitted.
The Emmys in September was a hybrid event that featured in-person elements with host Jimmy Kimmel and most of the nominees watching the show from their homes via Zoom.
It is not known how many applicants will be able to attend or will agree to participate in person. In acting races, many seasoned actors are on the older side, including Anthony Hopkins, 82; Ellen Burstyn, 88; Sophia Loren, 86; Meryl Streep, 71; David Strathairn, 72; and Yuh-Jung Youn, 73.
Four televised ceremonies lead to the Oscars: Golden Globes (February 28), Critics Choice (March 7), SAG (March 14) and BAFTA (April 11).
The Globes, which are hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, said in a July 27 press release that their show will be broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills and hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The HFPA declined to comment for this story.
The SAG Awards, which are awarded by more than 165,000 SAG-AFTRA members, are usually held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, which has a capacity of 6,300 seats. The crucial Oscar precursor hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a virtual show. “For our show, we’re looking at a variety of options,” says a SAG Awards spokesperson. “Our submission period has just ended, but the numbers are comparable to previous years, and we look forward to strong competition this awards season. We are delighted to honor this year’s outstanding performances in film and television in March. And like our colleagues at other awards ceremonies, we are working to create an entertaining and safe show for all of our nominees.
The Critics Choice Awards, which has always been one of the first television awards shows, are open to many different options. “We know the show is happening,” says Joey Berlin, CEO and President of the Critics Choice Association. “Taye Diggs will be on stage. There are three possibilities. It’s the Emmys, it’s like the Critics Choice Awards last year, or it’s a hybrid. It seems unlikely that on March 7 most of our nominees and eventual winners will be happy to gather somewhere. The ceremony last year brought together nearly 2,000 people at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Berlin confirms that the place is suspended, but they are also holding others. Critics Choice holds its first Super Awards practically in January.
There have been more than 13 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, with more than 269,000 deaths. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, LA County is the leading county in the United States for cases (over 400,000) and deaths (over 7,600). The rise in COVID-19 cases has triggered a mandatory three-week “Safer at Home” order for Los Angeles County that will last until December 20.
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