/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25835602/Switch_DonkeyKongCountryReturnsHD_scrn_19.png "Nintendo omits original Donkey Kong Country Returns team from the remaster’s credits")
Esteemed author Stephen King has called for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to cancel the 97th annual Oscars award ceremony in the wake of the wildfires still devastating Los Angeles.
As reported by Deadline, King said he wasn’t voting in the awards this year and believes they should be cancelled altogether as there’s “no glitz” in Los Angeles amid the fires. At least 27 people have been killed in the fires which began January 7 and continue to burn.
“Not voting in the Oscars this year,” King said in a Bluesky post. “In my honest opinion, they should cancel them. No glitz with Los Angeles on fire.”
The Academy announced on January 13 that it was adapting its 2025 schedule as a result of the fires but there is no word on scrapping it altogether. The Oscars nominee luncheon was cancelled, however.
The voting period was extended to today, January 17, while the nominations announcement will now take place on January 23. The actual 97th Oscars ceremony will take place as planned on March 2.
“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said alongside the schedule shift. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.”
Image Credit: Mathew Tsang / Getty Images
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
