THE CATCH-UP
20
TINSELTOWN VS
CORONAVIRUS
HOW
celebs are
coping with
COVID-19.
S
OUNDING like something from
a blockbuster movie itself, the
spread of the deadly contagious
disease, COVID-19, has the whole
world locked in fear, with everybody
hoping for the best outcome.
As the coronavirus disease sweeps the
globe, celebrities, just like the rest of
us, are having to take drastic action to
accommodate official advice to halt the
spread.
Hollywood saw the Bond movie No Time To
Di, become the first coronavirus casualty
due to the release date being bumped
from the April 10 to November 12, while
film festivals such as SXSW have been
cancelled and Coachella is to be postponed
until October.
With news that major music stars Madonna,
Mariah Carey, Stormzy and Avril Lavigne
are all cancelling their tours, many
other artists are following suit, and the
entertainment world is having to adapt to
a new – temporary – way of life.
So how is the A-list surviving the global
health crisis facing us all? And how is the
entertainment landscape going to be
altered in 2020?
Here we take a look at how Hollywood,
the entertainment industry and celebrities
themselves are coping with the outbreak of
COVID-19.A-List Advice
SOCIAL media has given the A-list a platform
to share their COVID-19 worries and has
spawned a new type of trend: the masked
selfie!
Looking more like a comic book villain than
a Marvel hero, Gwyneth Paltrow shared
a pic via Instagram of her flight to Paris
with the caption, “En route to Paris.
Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid?
Pandemic? Propaganda? Paltrow’s just going
to go ahead and sleep with this thing on
the plane. I’ve already been in this movie.
Stay safe. Don’t shake hands. Wash hands
frequently.”
Fellow flyers Kate Hudson, Diplo, Bella Hadid
and Selena Gomez have also shared images
of themselves travelling in masks.
Already obsessed with cleanliness on flights,
49-year-old supermodel Naomi Campbell,
posted a picture complete with pink latex
gloves, reminding fans to ‘be safe’ and‘don’t forget your gloves’ in one her latest
Instagram posts.
Justin Bieber used his social media standing
to pledge support for the victims of the
COVID-19 outbreak in China, donating a sum
of money to the Beijing Chunmiao Charity
Foundation.
“Watching the news I couldn’t imagine
how scary it would be if a new disease was
effecting my wife and my family and friends,”
he posted. “China, we stand with you as
a collective humanity and have made a
donation to support. Whether it be this or
the fires of Australia we all need to be there
for each other.”
And John Legend has questioned the
purpose of the entertainment industry in
general on Twitter, saying, “Now that folks
are cancelling non-essential travel and
events, [you] start to realise how much
we schedule that’s non-essential. Of
course, what we do is critical to human
joy, inspiration etc., but our entire
entertainment industry is full of individuallynon-essential events.”
Other A-listers voicing their COVID-19
concerns so far include Katy Perry, Kim
KardashianandArnoldSchwarzenegger.
Gwyneth PaltrowFarewell
Festivals
[ MAJOR US festival SXSW (South by
Southwest) has been cancelled for the first
time in its 34-year history. A statement
said, “‘The show must go on’ is in our DNA,
and this is the first time in 34 years that the
March event will not take place. We are
committed to do our part to help protect
our staff, attendees and fellow Austinites.
We are exploring options to reschedule the
event and are working to provide a virtual
SXSW online experience as soon as possible
for 2020 participants.”
[ HOLLYWOOD’S favourite festival,
Coachella, has to be postponed from its
April 10 date to October 9 as California
works hard to contain the virus. The lineup
for this year includes Travis Scott, Frank
Ocean, Rage Against the Machine, Carly
Rae Jepsen, Thom Yorke and Charli XCX
among others.
[ THE TED (Technology, Entertainment and
Design) conference 2020, which was due
to take place in Vancouver, Canada in
April, will now be held either virtually or
postponed until July. TED curator Chris
Anderson said, “We are not cancelling. Wehavetwocompellingoptionsforhowto
outwitthisvirus.”
[OTHERfestivalsonholdincludeThe
PragueInternationalFilmFestival,Seattle’s
EmeraldCityComicCon,GameDevelopers
Conference,TheLondonBookFairand
TomorrowlandMusicFestival.
CoachellaTomorrowlandPICS: MAGAZINE FEATURES / INSTAGRAM