Carl Roberts 
The 93rd Academy Awards Ceremony suffers the curse of the Coronavirus
It seems as though Monday was the day to announce big convention canceling or the movement of the biggest awards show in the entertainment world. Mere hours after Star Wars fans were hit with the news that the franchises’ yearly convention, ‘Celebration‘ that was due to be held in Anaheim, Los Angeles has been canceled until August 2022 comes the news that the Oscars, the jewel in the Hollywood crown has been pushed back from its traditional February date to April 25th in 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak. The reasoning behind the decision is, of course, the global shutdown of cinemas and the pushing back of many films until next year, some of which WOULD have been in contention for the awards. Also, the qualifying date has also been moved back to February 28th, 2021 so more films can get their releases and can qualify for the ceremony.
This isn’t the first time the awards have been moved back. It has actually happened three times before. In 1938, the awards were postponed due to the severe flooding in Los Angeles. 1968 saw the awards moved due to the tragic murder of Dr. Martin Luther King and finally, in 1981, the awards were pushed back due to the assassination attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan. It is also part of history to discover the 1934 ceremony was preceded by a 17-month eligibility window that ran from August 1st, 1932 right through to December 31st, 1933.
No decision has been made yet on whether the ceremony will actually have a live audience inside the auditorium. The organizers are taking the best step they can by waiting to see how the pandemic progresses before confirming any arrangements. It would be sad if the awards were to be held without the famous faces in attendance but the safety of all the nominees must come before all other considerations.
I, for one, applaud the Academy for reaching, in my opinion, the correct decision. I would rather see the ceremony postponed for a few months rather than see it canceled altogether. The Oscars are the highlight of the movie world to me and many other film lovers around the world. It is also correct as it allows many films that should be in contention to be released and screened. Otherwise, we could be looking at ‘Fantasy Island‘ as a Best Picture nominee and no one wants that do they?! Mind you, I wouldn’t mind seeing Best Actress go to Margot Robbie for ‘Birds Of Prey‘ but that is a pipe dream that most certainly WON’T come to pass!
Until Next Time.
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Carl Roberts is a Senior Staff Writer and Books and Literature Correspondent for The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter @CarlRoberts2 where he uses the force frequently!
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Carl Roberts is the News Editor for The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
