No Zoom for intimate 2021 Oscars, producers say

The Oscars ceremony in April will be an intimate, in-person gathering, held without Zoom and limited to nominees, presenters and their guests, the producers said on Thursday.

Freddie Joyner has more.

The producers of the 2021 Oscars - set for Sunday, April 25th - have announced that the ceremony this year will be an intimate, in-person affair... and will be held without Zoom.

The Academy will hand out its coveted gold statues in two locations… the Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and the traditional home of the Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Everyone will be tested, and there will be a health safety team on site throughout the evening.

In a note to more than 200 nominees, the producers of the show said in part (quote): "We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts." Nominees and their guests will gather at a courtyard in the Union rail station, while other show elements will be held live inside the Dolby Theatre some 8 miles away.

Normally, hundreds of the world's top movie stars would gather in the 3,400-seat theater for a live show preceded by a red carpet packed with photographers and camera crews.

Other award shows in recent months have replaced their usual gatherings with a mix of live elements, pre-recorded appearances and virtual components.

Meanwhile, television audiences have slumped for award shows this year - both the Golden Globes and the Grammys attracted its smallest numbers in decades.