For this year's Oscar telecast, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will use Los Angeles' Union Station as a venue, after being forced to relocate due to the pandemic.
According to Variety, the Oscar show has been held at the Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak Theatre) every year since 2002. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, that will remain in place on the date of the show, the Oscars 2021 ceremony will be held in two locations in Los Angeles.
Broadcasting live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the Oscars will also be returning downtown. Union Station was built in 1939 and has been featured in hundreds of film and TV productions. It starred in the 1950 noir film 'Union Station,' even though the film was set in Chicago, and also appeared in 'Blade Runner.'
As reported by Variety, the location announcement was made early on Monday morning by Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas as the couple revealed nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards.
Variety has reported that the Oscar show has never been held there before, and in normal times it would not be a suitable location. The facility is a transit hub for the city, connecting Amtrak, the subway, light rail, commuter rail, and various bus lines.
In normal years, the Hollywood/Highland subway station - underneath the Dolby - is shut down for the Oscar show. Union Station is too critical for the transit network to be shut down, so the logistics will be interesting.
Per Variety, the Oscar show was last held downtown in 2001, when it was held at the Shrine Auditorium. The last time it was at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, closer to the city's civic center, was in 1999.
( With inputs from ANI )
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