The Oscar Season’s Planned Comeback Is Already in Danger Due to Omicron Surge

NATPE Miami has become the latest major in-person entertainment industry event to be shelved due to concerns over the current Covid spike driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant.

A column chronicling events and conversations on the awards circuit.

The in-person Park City, UT component of the Sundance Film Festival will not be occurring for the second year-in-a-row, with the near 40-year old cinema event to remain virtual for its Jan. 20-30 duration. This was always Plan B for Sundance in the face of an unpredictable pandemic.

You thought it was nearing an end, didn’t you? No, the 2022 Oscar season isn’t as long as the pandemic delayed 2021 season, but it sure is close. AMPAS members don’t even begin to vote on the nominations until January 27.

The domestic box office is about to take a single-percentile hit as the province of Ontario, Canada, which includes box office capital Toronto, shutters theaters due to the Omicron post holiday surge.

HBO Max has canceled the January 8 red carpet Los Angeles premiere of James Gunn’s anticipated HBO Max series Peacemaker amid a surge of the Omicron variant. We hear the decision was made before the holidays out of an abundance of caution as Covid cases skyrocketed.

Better safe than sorry! On Tuesday, December 28, Sarah Jessica Parker and the entire SJP Collection boutique staff announced the closure of the New York City flagship as the Omicron variant continues to spread at a jarringly fast rate.

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Sara Bareilles shared an emotional message on Instagram after revealing her Broadway musical “Waitress” would be closing ahead of schedule.

The NHS is in danger of being “overwhelmed” by the surge in Omicron cases, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has warned.

Slamdance Film Festival is going completely virtual in 2022. The start of the festival will be delayed by a week and now run from January 27 till February 6.W Magazine’s Best Performances party was postponed.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterThe National Board of Review has postponed its annual gala, which was scheduled to be held on Jan.

As the Sundance Film Festival anticipates many returning in-person for their 2022 hybrid event, organizers are taking extra safety precautions with the latest headlines of Omicron, one of which is reduced capacities at movie theaters, screening rooms and festival-sponsored events.

Fox will not be ringing in 2022 from Times Square. The network said on Tuesday that it has canceled its planned broadcast from New York City on New Year’s Eve due to the surge of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.Fox will air replacement programming instead.

J. Kim Murphy administratorFox has decided against moving forward with its “New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2022” production in New York due to the ongoing surge of COVID-19 and its Omicron variant.

In 2020, the NBA and the NHL were the most assertive major American sports leagues in their efforts to contain the impact of Covid on their seasons. Both leagues employed “bubbles” that sequestered players and employed aggressive testing regimens to continue their seasons. About a year-and-a-half later, their paths have diverged.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterPresident Joe Biden said Tuesday that his administration is ramping up testing and hospital resources to combat the omicron variant, but promised that the country will not return to lockdowns that were seen in March 2020.Biden also again urged people to get vaccinated and get booster shots, saying it is a “patriotic duty.” He called out media outlets that have spread misinformation about the vaccines in unusually direct terms.“The unvaccinated are responsible for

rising cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant during a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter.The news comes as several shows including Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” and Disney’s “Aladdin” have shuttered performances through Christmas and Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” announced its closing notice yesterday.According to St.

J. Kim Murphy administrator“Jagged Little Pill” has closed on Broadway.