Arts and the Pandemic

The year 2020 has taken a toll on everyone in many ways. In particular, arts and entertainment were greatly affected by COVID-19 and the industry took a huge turn, for both the good and bad. Here is a list of key events that transpired during the pandemic:

January:

  • Billie Eilish wins five Grammy awards
  • 77th Golden Globe Awards

February:

  • Parasite director, Bong Joon Ho, takes home five Academy Awards

March:

  • Broadway shuts down indefinitely
  • Movie businesses come crashing down
  • Live music is put on a break
  • Several shows such as Atlanta and Euphoria are put to a stop
  • James Corden showcases various artists from their homes around the world to perform some songs
  • Tiger King is released on Netflix

April:

  • Saturday Night Live comes back with ZOOM table reads

May:

  • The cast of The Office reunites via ZOOM call

June:

  • Kurt Cobain’s guitar during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged show sells for a record $6 million

July:

  • Parks and Recreation special premieres, supporting the COVID-19 fund
  • Kanye West announces he is running for president
  • Twitter accounts of many famous people are hacked

August:

  • Chadwick Boseman dies of cancer at 43 on Aug. 28th
  • BTS’s releases Dynamite, which becomes the 1st video to be watched more than 100 million times in 24 hours on YouTube

September:

  • Mulan is released on Disney+
  • Several shows start a new season on NBC

October:

  • Eddie Van Halen dies at 65 on Oct. 6
  • Sean Connery, Scottish actor and producer, dies at 90

November

  • Alex Trebek, Canadian-American TV game host (Jeopardy), dies due to cancer at 80

December:

  • Broadway legend, Ann Reinking, dies at 71 on Dec. 12
  • Ratatouille: the Musical streams on TikTok to raise money for the Actors Fund
  • Twenty One Pilots become the title holder of the world’s longest music video for “Level of Concern”

This year was without a doubt a very complicated and harsh year for the entertainment industry. Many plans were ruined and many lives were taken. Yet, through it all, the industry managed to keep the spirit alive by finding clever ways to bring the entertainment to the safety of our own homes.