Intro for January 9, 2025

Dear Gossips,   

Like many of you, everyone on our team here at LaineyGossip has someone or someones they care about in the Los Angeles area. Many of you who’ve been longtime readers of this site are based there. Hoping you are safe and staying safe. 

The Critics Choice Awards, which were supposed to happen this coming Sunday, have been postponed to later in the month. The Academy yesterday announced that the voting window for Oscar nominations has been extended by two days, to next Tuesday 14 January. The nomination announcement date has therefore also been pushed back by two days, to Sunday 19 January. At least that’s what it’s looking like at the moment. But the weather conditions that are exacerbating the fires is expected to continue through tomorrow so everything can change once again. 

Are awards important right now? Of course not. And that’s what Jean Smart was trying to say in her Instagram post last night. 

I understand her intention and I think all of us can agree that the firefighters and those who’ve lost their homes and businesses should be the priority. But Los Angeles and the entertainment industry are inextricably linked. Hollywood isn’t just a place, it’s an idea that powers an ecosystem. And there are more than just celebrities in the ecosystem, people whose livelihoods depend on Hollywood’s glitzy schedule, from event staff to small businesses that provide everything from catering to florals, drivers and security personnel, seasonal workers who set up the logistics around a venue, more than half of the service industry made up of those who are hoping to scale the ecosystem’s hierarchy. Many of them have lost their homes too and being able to work is now more important than ever. These are just some of the considerations that will have to be confronted eventually. 

Again, though, the urgency right now is fire containment and safety. Here’s how to support the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. The California Fire Foundation provides critical support to surviving families of fallen firefighters, firefighters, and the communities they serve. World Central Kitchen is providing support to first responders and families impacted by wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

Pasadena Humane has been assisting with animal evacuations and working at the shelter to help take in the animals of displaced families. The Canine Rescue Club is finding foster homes for dogs displaced by the fires. 

For more links to organisations that are helping, please click here. 

Attached – Harrison Ford in Pacific Palisades yesterday checking on the neighbourhood and his home. 

Yours in gossip, 

Lainey