The annual Grammy awards have been postponed from their originally planned date, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage in the US.
The elite music event will now go ahead on Sunday, March 14, 2021 (Monday, March 15 in Australia) as per a statement from the Recording Academy, CBS and the show’s producers.
Comedian and late-night host Trevor Noah was set to once again emcee the event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 31, marking the start of Hollywood’s award season.
The joint statement explained that, “The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.”
The show’s organisers had been anticipating a COVID-safe January event, in which only Noah, the presenters and performers would be permitted inside the Staples Center while the audience and nominated artists would appear virtually. It remains to be seen what format the March iteration will be in.
Beyoncé leads the nominations for the 2021 Grammys with nine nods; while Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch and Taylor Swift all earned six. Brittany Howard earned five nominations and Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, DaBaby, Phoebe Bridgers, Justin Bieber, John Beasley and David Frost are all up for three.
The announcement of the Grammy’s delay arrived SAG-AFTRA called for a production hold in Southern California, due to the alarming number of case numbers and hospitalisations.
“Southern California hospitals are facing a crisis the likes of which we have never seen before. Patients are dying in ambulances waiting for treatment because hospital emergency rooms are overwhelmed. This is not a safe environment for in-person production right now,” SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris (yes, from Beverly Hills, 90210!) said in a statement on Monday January 4.
The Golden Globes, which is usually held in January, will now be the first award show of the season, if it goes ahead, on February 28.
The Academy Awards are currently scheduled to take place at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 25, two months later than usual, with no confirmation as yet as to how the show and ceremony will work.
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