Golden Globes set for Feb 28 as coronavirus delays award season

The Globes are the first major Hollywood awards gala of the year, and are seen as an early bellwether for the all-important Academy Awards.

Next year's Golden Globes will take place on February 28, an unusually late date for the glitzy film and television award show as Hollywood scrambles to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Globes, which are typically held in early January, will now take the weekend previously reserved for the Oscars, which last week were delayed by eight weeks to April 25.
"The HFPA will provide further guidance around eligibility, voting period, and revised nominations announcement timing in the coming weeks," said the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in a statement Monday.
The Globes are the first major Hollywood awards gala of the year, and are seen as an early bellwether for the all-important Academy Awards.
Monday's statement did not specifically mention the pandemic. But coronavirus has wreaked havoc on Hollywood, closing down productions and forcing studios to delay releasing movies while theaters remain closed.
The Oscars' postponement had already triggered a domino effect, as other award shows including the Baftas and the Film Independent Spirit Awards pushed back their own ceremonies.
The delays have been prompted by concerns that a field consisting only of films released in 2020 would not be as broad or competitive as in previous years.

The postponements also increase the chance that next year's award shows can remain live, star-studded ceremonies, rather than shifting to a "virtual" presentations.
The HFPA did not provide details of the planned format for next year's Globes, but said that as usual it will "air live" from the Beverly Hilton hotel in California.
The 78th Golden Globes will be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, after provocative British comic Ricky Gervais returned this year for a record fifth - and reportedly final - stint. The Globes have yet to confirm any changes to the awards' eligibility window.