Stunned Hollywood Tries To Cope
The entertainment world continues to reel in the aftermath of the worst
terrorist action in recorded history.
On Wednesday, studios and TV networks reopened, but
Hollywood still struggled to cope with the traumatic attacks on New York and
Washington, D.C.
Here's a quick rundown of major happenings:
- Movie studios scrambled
to pull terrorist-themed films from the fall release schedule. Warners
scrapped the October 5 release of Arnold
Schwarzenegger's Collateral Damage, shut down the film's Website
and recalled all promotional materials. There is no word on when the film
will be released.
Disney, meanwhile, pulled the plug on the Tim
Allen-led ensemble comedy Big Trouble, which was supposed to
debut September 21. The studio scrapped this weekend's press junket and
pushed back the release of the film until next year. The film climaxes with
a nuclear bomb being smuggled into an airport.
- The major TV networks have delayed
the start of the fall season, pushing it back to focus on news coverage
of the tragedies. Several TV projects with bombing or hijacking themes have
been postponed or scuttled, including Fox's highly hyped 24 and a
special Law & Order miniseries.
- New York remains
a ghost town, with the normally jam-packed street-level sets for MTV's TRL,
ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's The Today Show virtually
empty. Broadway theaters and most movie theaters remained dark.
Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week canceled
its remaining events in Bryant Park. The tents constructed for the fashion
shows are expected to be used for emergency purposes.
- Organizers will not reschedule the Latin Grammys (news
- web
sites), which were originally slated for Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
The Television Academy has not yet announced a make-up date for the
Prime-Time Emmys, which were supposed to be handed out this weekend but have
been indefinitely postponed.
However, the Miss America (news
- web
sites) Pageant will go on as scheduled September 22, organizers say. The
beauty contest has never been canceled in its 80-year history.
- Most major concerts have been canceled for Wednesday,
including shows by Janet
Jackson, Tool, the Black Crowes, Godsmack, Maxwell and Ben Folds. U2
canceled its Friday and Saturday shows, while Madonna (news
- web
sites) says she will go ahead with shows in Los Angeles on Thursday and
Saturday.
- Major League Baseball has canceled all games at least
through Thursday and may push back the start of the World Series by a week.
Several college football games have also been canceled. The National
Football League is still weighing whether to go ahead with this weekend's
contests.
- Disney, Universal and other theme park operators
reopened their amusement parks on Wednesday.
- Electronic Arts has suspended play on its new
interactive online conspiracy game, Majestic, in the wake of
Tuesday's tragedy. The game revolves around a government conspiracy that
leads to the destruction of a software company.