As fires rage, an already-hurting Hollywood presses pause

The wildfires that have devastated huge swaths of Southern California have also disrupted the industry that makes the region famous: Hollywood. Many well-known performers have reported that the wind-whipped flames destroyed their homes. And just as the annual Hollywood awards season kicked off, the fires prompted red carpet event cancellations, delays in much-anticipated nominations announcements, and temporary halts to film production in the area.

Actor Billy Crystal was one of many stars who reported losing his home, which is in Pacific Palisades. "Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing," he wrote in a statement shared with press.

"We ache for our friends and neighbors who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy. Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away."

Like his character in the show This is Us, actor Milo Ventimiglia's home in Malibu was destroyed by fire. "It's not lost on me, art imitating art," he told CBS, as he visited the rubble that was once the home he shared with his pregnant wife and their dogs.

Others, including Ricki Lake from Hairspray and Cary Elwes from The Princess Bride, have lost homes, too.

The aftermath of the Palisades Fire in a photo taken on Friday.

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Eric Thayer

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Associated Press

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Many are also offering their support: Actress Jamie Lee Curtis announced that she and her husband, actor and director Christopher Guest, and their family pledged $1 million to support wildfire relief efforts. Paramount also announced they'd be donating $1 million to first responders.

Celebrities are just a small portion of those in the area who have been impacted by the blazes. Nearly 30% of the country's film and TV and film workers live in this part of California, according to reports from Otis College of Art and Design. That includes behind-the-scenes writers, editors, camera operators, makeup artists, caterers and more.

Delays and cancellations as awards season kicks off

To steer clear of potential danger – and to avoid seeming tone-deaf to the deadly and destructive fires — star-studded red carpet events were scrapped this week. Amazon MGM Studios cancelled its Los Angeles premiere of their film Unstoppable, the story of wrestler Anthony Robles, starring Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez and Don Cheadle. Sony also cancelled its planned premiere of the film One of Them Days, a comedy set in Los Angeles and starring Keke Palmer and SZA.

Apple TV+ canceled its planned Monday premiere for the highly-anticipated second season of Severance. The streamer said it would be donating "to support the relief efforts on the ground and our thoughts and heartfelt support remain with everyone who has been affected by these tragic fires."

The wildfires arrived just after the Golden Globes kicked off Hollywood awards season, upending a much-anticipated schedule of galas and events for the coming months. The American Film Institute, which planned to host an annual awards luncheon on Friday, postponed that event. The Critics Choice Awards, which were scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 12, were postponed for two weeks.

The Producers Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and the American Society of Cinematographers delayed announcing their nominations for upcoming awards by several days.

Oscars hopefuls will have to wait as well. Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards were originally scheduled to be announced on Friday, Jan. 17. But in an email to members shared with NPR, the organization said that event will be delayed until Jan. 19. "We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California," wrote Academy CEO Bill Kramer. "So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you."

Actress Jean Smart, who won the Golden Globe award for best actress in a TV comedy last weekend, urged upcoming award shows to cancel their telecasts and donate their profits. "With ALL due respect, during Hollywood's season of celebration, I hope any of the networks televising the upcoming awards will seriously consider NOT televising them and donating the revenue they would have garnered to victims of the fires and the firefighters," Smart posted on her Instagram account.

Productions paused as fires rage

Production in Los Angeles had already slowed in recent years. This week, many tapings were paused, and TV production came to a halt.

Late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live! was shuttered temporarily and aired repeat episodes, as did Taylor Tomlinson's After Midnight; a planned reboot of the show Hollywood Squares was pushed by CBS TV from this week to next.

Jean Smart's award-winning series Hacks was supposed to begin shooting its fourth season this week. But in a statement to NPR, NBCUniversal said Hacks was one of the productions temporarily on pause. Production also paused for Loot, Suits LA and Ted.

Robert Pietranton, a representative from Warner Bros., told NPR that it temporarily shuttered its Burbank production lot, where Abbott Elementary, All American, and the brand new medical drama The Pitt, would have been shooting.

Some Hollywood sound stages were threatened when fires broke out in the Hollywood Hills and other regions of Southern California. As of Friday, they had not burned.

Los Angeles' film permitting office, FilmLA, sent out a warning telling producers, "If prior to the fires you obtained permission from FilmLA to film in or near an evacuation zone, expect to have your permit canceled. New applications to film in or near these areas will be denied, until local permit authorities instruct us otherwise."

The wildfires added anxiety to filmmakers, performers, crew members and others in the industry who have already been worried about Hollywood productions leaving Los Angeles. In recent years, Canada and the United Kingdom have lured many productions abroad, and states including Georgia, New York and Illinois have offered generous tax credits to shoot movies and TV shows at their locations and sound studios.

To try to lure productions back to California, Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed more than doubling the state's available tax credits for TV and film productions, to $750 million a year. If passed, California would offer the country's second most generous incentive package for production — after Georgia, which does not put a limit on the amount of tax credits it grants filmmakers.

Fire resources and tips

If you have to evacuate

• Cheat sheet: Your very short guide to getting packed up right now to evacuate
• Cheat sheet: A very short guide for how to leave your house if you need to evacuate
  

If you have more time:

• Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire burning near you

Things to consider:

• Evacuation terms can be confusing. Here’s what they mean and how to sign up for alerts
• This is why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home

Navigating fire conditions

• Cheat sheet: Your very short guide to driving in high winds and fire danger
• High winds and fires mean power outages. Here's how to prep

How to help yourself and others

• Resources for SoCal fire victims, evacuees and first responders
• What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
• If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer
• These are the steps fire victims need to take to make an insurance claim

Understanding how it got this bad

• Yes, wildfires are getting worse. The history that got us to this moment