As we inch closer to the pandemic delayed 2021 Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been understandably tight-lipped on just how the show will proceed. Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins have been announced as telecast producers, but that’s about it. No word on whether the show will have a host or not (it has gone without for two straight years), if there will be any sort of audience (unlikely due to state health protocols), or where the telecast will even originate from. Today, there was someone of an answer on the latter.
The Oscars have been held at the Dolby Theater (formerly the Kodak Theater) since 2002. It appears that will be the “home base” or a major location for the telecast this year.
In a statement first reported in Deadline, the Academy noted, “In this unique year that has asked so much of so many, the Academy is determined to present an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate. To create the in-person show our global audience wants to see while adapting to the requirements of the pandemic, the ceremony will broadcast live from multiple locations, including the landmark Dolby Theatre. We look forward to sharing more details soon.”
While vague, the Academy seems to be hinting that they are going in the direction of the MTV VMAs and the Emmys which used multiple locations including an arena (Barclays Center for the VMAs, Staples Center for the Emmys) in August and September of last year. Both ceremonies used sets/stages for musical performances and/or celebrity category presentations. However, almost all of the nominees received their honors virtually. Moreover, the Golden Globes, which airs at the end of this month, is already committed to a multi-city telecast with Tina Fey hosting from the Rainbow Room in New York and Amy Poehler at the traditional Beverly Hilton state in Los Angeles.
Like everyone, The Academy likely hoped the pandemic would be on its last legs when it decided to push the Oscars to April 25. Unfortunately, a winter surge has led to substantially more daily cases in LA county two and a half months out than when the Television Academy agreed to proceed with the Emmys in September. Even a socially distanced audience of guests seems impossible at this point, but will the state and county allow nominees to sit in the audience? Or when their categories are called? There may not be an answer on that possibility for months.
In the meantime, you can expect AMPAS to make sure the new Academy Museum is used as a location in some respect as well as other locations around Los Angeles, especially for potential musical performances. The one silver lining in pushing the Oscars to April is it’s substantially warmer even in LA and that makes outdoor options more plausible.
Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, March 15, 2021.