10 Things We Were Looking Forward To That Coronavirus Took Away
The past few weeks have been a struggle to say the least. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage communities across the globe, everyone’s world has been turned upside down. The entertainment industry seems to be on pause for the moment, with music festivals, concerts, film releases, and TV series either cancelled or rescheduled for a later time. Here are 10 things we were looking forward to over the next few months that the coronavirus took away…at least temporarily.
1. The Met Gala
The Met Gala, which celebrates the opening the Metropolitan Museum’s spring exhibition, has taken place on the first Monday in May without fail since 2005. This year, the red carpet event has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Met Gala is my version of a football fan’s Super Bowl or a movie lover’s Academy Awards. It’s universally hailed as fashion’s biggest night, and tickets cost an upwards of $30,000. The only other times the invite-only fundraising event for the Met’s Costume Institute has seen a cancellation followed President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination and 9/11.
2. Coachella
Although postponed until October, we were all looking forward to the music festival, which was originally scheduled for the weekend of April 10. Coronavirus aside, Coachella is certainly not the most sanitary event, so its cancellation during a public health crisis was, well, a given.
Nonetheless, the thousands of free-spirited music lovers who planned on attending this year’s festival, with a line up including performances by Lana Del Rey and Lil Nas X, are more than disappointed. For those who are bummed about having to wait until fall to break out the flower crowns, a Youtube Originals Documentary (Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert) is available to stream in its place.
3. The Summer Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics have also been postponed until July 23 of next year. With athletes coming in from all around the world to participate in the global sports event, there was no feasible way for the Olympics to host the event sometime in 2020. NBC, the U.S. network which was set to stream the Olympics, paid over $4 billion for broadcasting rights, but said it was prepared for any actions by public health officials.
So sorry, ladies; no Tom Daley in a speedo for you this summer. Until next year.
4. VidCon 2020
Unfortunately for the YouTube fandom, the 11th annual VidCon, which was scheduled for June, has been cancelled. The online video tech conference, which brings in over 20,000 internet fans a year, is considering hosting a fall event in its place, but it certainly won’t amount to the real deal. The good news is that tickets will be refunded.
But I guess that means you’ll have to resort to your fave’s weekly vlogs in the mean time.
5. The Great British Baking Show
While the popular baking competition typically airs in August, filming begins in April. And with the coronavirus sweeping the UK, The Great British Bake Off is holding off its production until the crisis subsides.
Host Matt Lucas was set to debut alongside co-host Noel Fielding after the announcement of host Sandi Toksvig’s departure from the show. Luckily, though, previous episodes of the show are available on Netflix, so you can stream all the Victoria sponges your heart desires as you remain in self-quarantine, frantically baking on your own for the umf-time.
6. New movies in general
Good news for Netflix and Hulu: AMC and Regency Cinema locations across the country have been forced to shut down as long as the coronavirus continues to pose a public health threat, causing many movies to hold off their releases indefinitely. A Quiet Place Part 2, Mulan, and Jurassic World: Dominion are among the delayed, each originally set to premiere between this spring and summer.
In turn, though, streaming services are thriving, and live streams of classics have dominated thousands of computer screens on Friday and Saturday nights spent in. Time to pop some popcorn and put on your favorite PJ pants until this catastrophe passes over!
7. Saturday Night Live
The only thing keeping you up late on the weekend is no longer. Considering New York’s record breaking number of coronavirus cases it was no surprise that the live sketch comedy show hung up its boots for the remainder of its 45th season. Producers announced that it will halt production for now, despite the fact that it was supposed to air another five episodes.
8. RuPaul’s DragCon LA
The world’s biggest celebration of drag culture is sadly cancelled this year. According to the event’s website, this decision came out of the indefinite nature of the pandemic and that it would be easier to refund attendees and reschedule for 2021.
The convention is the baby of RuPaul’s Drag Race and features runway shows, live musical performances, and meet-and-greets for fans of the series made popular by drag queen RuPaul. But this year, Shantay, this convention does not stay.
9. Friends reunion
Although I am NOT one of the millions of people in the cult of the show Friends, I feel really badly for the mega-fans who were excited to see their favorite cast members of the 90s sitcom reunite for a reunion special. The cast was anticipated to get together in March for production, but that date has been pushed back apparently until at least May.
So don’t expect any Rachel Green outfit inspos any time soon.
10. The Cannes Film Festival
Another major night for fashion lovers, The Cannes Film Festival has been postponed until at least the end of June. And its director publicly ruled out pulling a Coachella and hosting an event online, saying that remote streaming would go against its “soul.”
Fashion aside, the event has been running for over seven decades and is a huge night for film; it previews all genres of cinema, including documentaries, and its red carpet has historically been a hot spot for political statements. While it stinks that it was postponed, we’ll at least get those breezy pap photos of celebrities living it up in the South of France later this summer. Hopefully.
