Due to the wind-whipped fires that have spread across the Los Angeles area in the last 24 hours, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has extended the Oscar nominations voting window by two days and also delayed the announcement of the 97th annual Oscar nominations by two days.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer wrote a letter to all Academy members on Wednesday (Jan. 8).
“We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California,” he began. “So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you.
“Given the fire situation, we want to share some updates regarding an extension to the Oscars nominations voting window…Nominations voting for the 97th Oscars opened this morning at 9 am PT. We will be extending the voting window by two days to give members more time to cast their ballots. Voting will now close on Tuesday, January 14 at 5 pm PT.
“As such, our Oscars Nominations Announcement will move from Friday, January 17 to Sunday, January 19.”
Thank you for your understanding during this complex time. We hope everyone is safe.”
The 97th Oscars, with Conan O’Brien hosting for the first time, will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. The official live red-carpet show will air at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
