Each year, we transition in and out of five seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall, and award show season. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has had the strongest effect on award show season. Pandemic or not, the leaves will change, the sun will shine, and the weather will change, but now we are not guaranteed award shows like we have seen them before.
In August of 2020, we had our first pandemic award show, the MTV Video Music Awards. Keke Palmer hosted an empty audience, Lady Gaga performed in a mask, and awards were accepted from the comfort of celebrities’ living rooms.
A few weeks ago, the 78th annual Golden Globes took place after being postponed nearly two months because of Coronavirus. As always, the Beverly Hilton housed the award ceremony hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Pohler. If you watched and noticed that there were audience members, your eyes were not deceived. The socially distanced and masked audience was made up entirely of first responders and essential workers. Fey and Pohler praised their bravery by pointing out their audience of “smoking-hot first responders and essential workers.”
Earlier this year, the NFL decided to give healthcare workers tickets to the Super Bowl. Actions like this are just a small gesture society can do to show thankfulness for the tremendous amount of bravery healthcare workers have had this past year. Hopefully, this continues for future award shows and events.
The 2021 Grammys was originally scheduled for January 31, but on January 5 it was reported that the show would be moved to March 14 due to an increase of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles. It is unclear how the performances will play out, but it is just a testament to how much COVID-19 has impacted so many aspects of our life.
The logistics of an award show do not necessarily comply with the pandemic guidelines, but as time moves forward, different aspects of the show will become closer to normal.
Cover Photo: E! Online
