after Jean Smart posted on Instagram That Hollywood needs to cancel awards shows and figure out how to generate revenue for fire victims instead, former head theater manager Debbie Williams had some choice words for… Hacks The star via Facebook.
“Dear Jean Smart,” began Williams, a veteran of shows like American IdolAnd the Oscars and Grammy Awards. “You are a wonderful actress and I am sure your heart is in the right place…You would like to cancel all award shows and take the proceeds and donate them to Fire Relief….However, there will be no revenue if there is no show, and frankly, the workers who do With the shows…the production workers below the line…really need to work in an industry that’s been struggling. These are regular crew and employees who depend on these jobs to feed their families so be like Jamie Lee Curtis, who just donated a million dollars to this cause…and don’t take the food From the mouths of people who make you look Good in front of the camera.
Williams isn’t the only one talking about all the postponements and cancellations since wildfires swept through both Palisades and Altadena. Hitting the pause button in an attempt to show respect to the victims has ended up affecting everyone from limo drivers and construction workers to hair and makeup workers and caterers — so much so that workers still reeling from the double-whammy effects have begun to speak of loss. until More work.
“You have all the agents and celebrity handlers dealing with all the celebrities, but who takes care of your crew?” said one producer, who did not want to reveal his name for fear of ruining the upcoming gig that is currently still scheduled to take place. “Every time they cancel an event, there are hundreds of people out of work. They lose that money.”
Now IATSE weighs in too.
“Hundreds of our members work on awards ceremonies, and canceling these productions will make it even more difficult for them and their families as they face the challenge of recovering from the fires during an industry contraction,” says Mike Miller of IATSE International. Who holds the position of Director of the Film and Television Production Department.
At least some events have been rescheduled (albeit several times); The 2025 Academy Awards nominations were initially postponed from Friday, January 17, to Sunday, January 19, before being pushed back to Thursday at 5:30 a.m. PT. The voting period has also been extended twice, and as of now, will end on Friday, January 17 at 5pm PT.
The 2025 Critics’ Choice Awards were canceled on January 12 and postponed until January 26, before being postponed. once again To February. The same is true for nominee announcements for the WGAs, PGAs, and SAGs.
But some events have not been rescheduled while others have been canceled outright – such as the BAFTA Tea Party and BAFTA premieres Pete, XO Kitty, Night Agent, One Day of Them, Back to Work, Breakupand The last showgirl. Many events have been cancelled, such as the Spotify shindig ahead of the Grammy Awards on February 2, which is still going ahead even though the ceremony will raise money and honor first responders.
To her credit, Smart has not backed away from criticism. She left her position on IG, which turned into a veritable sounding board for crew members outside of work (although one person, in particular, suggested Smart run for governor of California). Most commentators prefer the telecast approach to awards shows, where celebrities donate some goodies.
“I say go ahead and do the shows, but instead of million-dollar dresses that are always ridiculous anyway, and instead of goody bags full of $1,000 bottles of champagne, and diamond earrings, maybe celebrities would wear simpler clothes and donate that money.” one.