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Oscars Host Conan O’Brien, Still Displaced by Wildfires, Says the Show Is Being Planned Sensitively

Conan O'Brien attends the premiere of "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Library Theatre in Park City, Utah. (AP)
Conan O'Brien attends the premiere of "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Library Theatre in Park City, Utah. (AP)
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Oscars Host Conan O’Brien, Still Displaced by Wildfires, Says the Show Is Being Planned Sensitively

Conan O'Brien attends the premiere of "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Library Theatre in Park City, Utah. (AP)
Conan O'Brien attends the premiere of "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Library Theatre in Park City, Utah. (AP)

Oscars host Conan O'Brien says he's still unable to live in his home due to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and that the show's organizers “want to be sensitive to what's happened” to residents.

“Everybody I know has been affected,” O'Brien told The Associated Press Friday. “I’m out of my house. Fortunately, my house, ... the fire got very close but my house survived. But we won’t be back in there for a long time. And I’m the lucky one. I mean, I know so many people who lost their homes and I’m just, was ridiculously lucky. So we want to make sure that that show reflects what’s happening and that we put a light on the right people in the right way.”

Thousands of Angelenos had their homes destroyed in wildfires that tore through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods this month. Many of those whose homes survived cannot yet return due to smoke or other damage.

O'Brien was tapped last year to host the 97th Academy Awards, which will be held March 2 in Los Angeles. The fires twice postponed the academy's nominations announcement, which was held Thursday; “Emilia Pérez” emerged as the leading nominee.

The fires have upended Hollywood's awards season and effectively turned it into a pledge drive. Some have questioned whether the Oscars should be canceled but its organizers say they will transform the show in a way that “unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.”

“We want to be sensitive to the moment and we want to be sensitive to what’s happened,” O'Brien said Friday. “It is top of our minds and we are talking about it a lot.”

“The Oscars is still I think it’s five weeks away. And we want to make sure that we process all of that and that we put on the best show for March 2. Not the best show that we thought of tonight. Not the best show for March 3, the best show for March 2 that reflects what people are feeling in that moment.”

O'Brien, the former “Tonight Show” host, spoke at the premiere of his latest film, “If I had Legs I'd Kick You,” which also stars Rose Byrne.

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Louvre Opens First Fashion Exhibition after Shock Memo about Decay

A Giambattista Valli dress from the haute couture 2018-2019 collection displayed at 'Louvre Couture'. Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
A Giambattista Valli dress from the haute couture 2018-2019 collection displayed at 'Louvre Couture'. Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
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Louvre Opens First Fashion Exhibition after Shock Memo about Decay

A Giambattista Valli dress from the haute couture 2018-2019 collection displayed at 'Louvre Couture'. Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
A Giambattista Valli dress from the haute couture 2018-2019 collection displayed at 'Louvre Couture'. Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP

The Louvre in Paris opened its first-ever fashion exhibition on Friday, seeking to draw new, younger audiences amid national concern about conditions inside the landmark art destination.

The show, called "Louvre Couture", welcomed its first visitors a day after a shock memo from the museum's director about water leaks, building problems and overcrowding made headlines internationally, said AFP.

The exhibition features around a hundred items of clothing by 45 top designers, placed alongside objects from the Louvre's vast collection of decorative artworks, from chests of drawers to armor.

In one instance, a Dolce & Gabbana wool dress printed with a mosaic and embroidered with crystals, stones, and sequins echoes the patterns of an 11th-century Italian mosaic from Torcello, near Venice.

Louvre director Laurence des Cars said the show demonstrated "a subtle and precise dialogue between creations from the 1960s to today and the collections of the decorative arts department, highlighting the deep connection between art and designers".

The world's most-visited museum is hoping to emulate the success of fashion exhibitions hosted by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and London's Victoria and Albert in recent years.

A major 2017 retrospective about Christian Dior at the Museum of Decorative Arts, which occupies a wing of the Louvre Palace, led to huge queues and drew a string of A-listers.

'Not good enough'
The Paris landmark has become a national subject of concern after the revelation Thursday of a confidential memo written by des Cars to Culture Minister Rachida Dati warning about the "proliferation of damage in museum spaces."

Des Cars wrote that the museum suffered from leaks and extreme temperatures, and was a "physical ordeal" for some visitors because of a lack of relaxation areas.

"Food options and restroom facilities are insufficient in volume, falling well below international standards," she added.

In a sign of the importance of a building that is a "source of French pride", President Emmanuel Macron announced a visit to the national monument next Tuesday.

"It would be wrong to remain deaf and blind to the risks affecting the museum today," an aide told reporters.

The head of state is expected to inspect the galleries personally, having hosted a state dinner there in July for other world leaders on the eve of the Paris Olympics.

The Louvre received 96 million euros ($101 million) in public subsidies in 2024. It is hoping for an extra 100 million to cover renovations, a source close the institution told AFP on condition of anonymity.

It welcomed 8.7 million people last year -- around twice the number it was designed for.

Asked about conditions inside on Thursday, Culture Minister Dati said she wanted to increase prices for non-European visitors to help increase funding.

"The visiting and working conditions are not good enough for... the biggest museum in the world," she told reporters. "We need to be innovative, including with financing."

The Louvre is set to host a fundraising gala during Paris Women's Fashion Week in March when around 30 tables have been offered for sale, with more than one million euros raised already.

"Louvre Couture" runs until July 21.