Several premieres for films including the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, and Unstoppable, starring Jennifer Lopez, were called off as the fires first hit, followed by announcements of delays and cancellations for other key dates in the awards season calendar.
Production also came to a halt on several television programmes.
Image: Paris Hilton is among those who have lost their homes. Pic: AP
Critics Choice Awards
The annual ceremony was due to take place on 12 January, but has been postponed by two weeks, to 26 January, “due to the catastrophic fires”, organisers said in a statement.
Joey Berlin, chief executive of the Critics Choice Association, said: “This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community.
“All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected.”
The rescheduled show will still take place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and will air live on E!.
Image: Demi Moore won a Golden Globe at the weekend – but nominations for the Oscars are now likely to be an understated affair. Pic: AP
BAFTA Tea Party
While the BAFTAs is a UK awards ceremony, organisers hold a networking event in the US ahead of the show each year.
The 2025 party was due to take place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on 11 January, but was called off in the days beforehand.
“The safety of our colleagues, friends and peers in Los Angeles remains our utmost priority and our thoughts are with everyone impacted,” a spokesperson said.
Image: Pic: AMPAS
Oscar nominations
Nominations for the biggest ceremony of awards season were due to be announced on 17 January, with films including The Brutalist, Emilia Perez, Wicked and The Substance set to be in the running.
The academy initially gave a two-day extension to the nominations voting window “to give members more time to cast their ballots”. A week on from the fires breaking out, they confirmed a second postponement, with the nominations announcement now due to take place on 23 January.
It will also be a more low-key affair this year, taking place virtually without “in-person media coverage”. The annual nominees luncheon, a networking event which provides the Oscars “class photo” opportunity, has been cancelled.
Chief executive Bill Kramer said they had made the “imperative” changes to scheduled events to be “sensitive to the infrastructure and lodging needs of the region in these next few weeks”.
The nominations for the awards, which recognise outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio and promotional categories, were due to take place on 9 January and were initially postponed until 13 January.
However, on the 13 January, organisers said the announcement had been pushed back again until further notice.
General filming
FilmLA, an agency which permits shoots in Los Angeles, issued an alert advising that “personnel resources ordinarily available to support film production may not be available during the local state of emergency”.
The LA County Fire Department instructed that all permits used for filming in areas including Altadena, La Crescenta, La Canada Flintridge and parts of Pasadena were withdrawn, the agency said.
“Other permit revocations are possible,” it added.
NBCUniversal said it had suspended filming on TV shows Loot, Ted, Suits: LA, Happy’s Place and Hacks – which was named best television series in the musical or comedy category at the Golden Globes on Sunday, alongside a win for actress Jean Smart.
Image: Simon Cowell at the America’s Got Talent quarter-finals in 2024. Pic: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images/AP
America’s Got Talent
Auditions for Simon Cowell’s US version of the hit talent show were due to take place on 12 January.
In a statement on Instagram, producers announced these would be postponed to a date to be confirmed.
“Your safety is our top priority. We will announce a new audition date soon. Stay safe,” a statement said.
Beyonce announcement
Image: Pic: AP/ Chris Pizzello 2024
Singer Beyonce had promised fans a reveal on 14 January, with specualation the star will be touring or releasing a new album.
However, in a statement she said she was postponing due to the fires.
“I continue to pray for healing and rebuilding for the families suffering from trauma and loss,” she said. “We are so blessed to have brave first responders who continue to work tirelessly to protect the Los Angeles community.”
Love, Meghan
Image: Pic: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP 2024
The screening of a new Netflix show starring the Duchess of Sussex, which sees her inviting friends and famous guests to a California estate, was also postponed.
The eight-part series Love, Meghan, which will see the former actress share cooking, gardening and hosting tips, will now premiere on 4 March instead of 15 January.
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