The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has postponed the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominations due to the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area.

Originally scheduled for Friday, January 17, the nominations will now be revealed on January 19.

Voting for the nearly 10,000 Academy members, which began on January 8, has also been extended by two days, now closing on Tuesday, January 14.

Among the celebrities affected by the fires are former Oscars host Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton, James Woods, and Miles Teller, all of whom have lost their homes.

In a letter sent to members on Wednesday, Academy CEO Bill Kramer offered his condolences, saying, “We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California.

“So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you.”

Wildfires sweeping through communities across Los Angeles County, which began around 5:45 pm on Wednesday, have damaged or destroyed over 2,000 homes, businesses, and other buildings, with at least five confirmed dead.

Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, has revealed in a recent interview that she is been a victim of rape five times in the past.

Speaking with Biola Bayo, on her talk show, Talk to B, she expressed her frustration with rape apologists.

Iyabo Ojo shared her traumatic experiences, emphasising her zero-tolerance stance on rape.

Iyabo Ojo also discussed her complicated family history, including her father’s struggles with addiction, which led to his death at 40.

She revealed that she grew up with her grandmother and didn’t meet her mother until she was seven years old.

“I was raped five times in my life. I discovered we have a lot of rape apologists. I don’t care who the person is; if that person is my son, I am going to come for him unapologetically.

“I have never met Naira Marley before my entire life. The only time I lacked was when I insisted this was the man I was going to get married to because, at that time, my dad and I disowned each other.

“My dad did everything, alcohol and drugs, so it messed him up at a young age. He died at 40.

“I grew up with my grandmother, who is half Delta and half Igbo. I think I was seven before I knew my mother.”

Former President of PMAN and now, Chairman of COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji, has declared that the COSON Week scheduled to take place between May 25 and May 31, 2025 will be truly unforgettable.

Chief Okoroji made the declaration in his address to the just concluded Annual General Meeting of Nigeria’s No 1 copyright collective management organization, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), at which the 2024 royalty distribution of a whopping =N=465.5 million was approved.

These are the very words of the well-known master planner and producer of remarkable events: “one of the many important decisions taken by the COSON Board at its meeting of November 6 was the approval for the hosting of a master-blaster edition of the iconic “COSON WEEK” in May 2025.

The Board also directed that every step should be taken immediately to begin the mobilization of all “mobilizables” to ensure that COSON WEEK 2025 is, in every way, unforgettable”.

Continuing, Chief Tony Okoroji, the creator of the famous Nigerian Music Awards that played host to Presidents, Governors, Ministers, Ambassadors and stars from around the world, said, “COSON Week is the flagship week of our great society, during which we roll out wall-to-wall high-profile events to entertain, to inform, to communicate, to educate and to project an unassailable brand.

COSON week 2025 will bring joy to many. We will deploy the events of COSON Week 2025 to tell Nigerians that despite the difficulties we face, all is not lost. We will use COSON Week 2025 to propagate the importance of creativity and entertainment to the economic and socio-political well-being of Nigeria”.

Chief Okoroji went on to say: “We are now at the planning stage of COSON Week 2025. We intend to mobilize all “mobilizables” as ordered by the Board. As we enter the new year, we will begin to unfold the different events, the venues and their specific attractions. One thing I can assure you is that COSON Week 2025 will be truly unforgettable. Please, fasten your seat belts!”.