Academy president Sid Ganis vowed Monday that the 80th Annual Academy Awards will take place as scheduled Feb. 24 at the Kodak Theatre, strike or no strike, as he welcomed this year’s Oscar hopefuls to the traditional nominees luncheon. ‘‘There’s no doubt about it. We’re going to do it,’’ he said to an outburst of applause.
Speaking to the 115 nominees who gathered in the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom, Ganis immediately sought to dispel any fears that the writers’ strike, whether or not it’s resolved by showtime, might derail the Oscars the way it shut down the Golden Globes.
‘‘Of course, we really, really hope that the negotiations between the writers and the producers — which we now hear are going very, very well — will have reached a conclusion that everyone is pleased with,’’ Ganis said. ‘‘Mainly so that the industry and the workers of the industry are functioning again but also because it will allow our amazing producer Gil Cates to put on the sort of show we all want to see. But regardless of those circumstances, which are beyond our control, we will be presenting awards as scheduled on the 24th. We’re going to hand out Oscars not because of some showbiz notion that the show must go on — it’s not the show per se that matters. ... The Oscar exists to shine the brightest possible light on you and your work, and it would be such a terrible shame, through no fault of yours and no fault of ours, if the current conditions prevented us from shining that brightest possible light.‘‘
The Hollywood Reporter
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