Hi everyone and thank you for tuning in to the 327th episode of Awards Chatter, the Hollywood Reporters Awards

podcast. I'm the host Scott Feinberg and this is a special episode for a

number of reasons, not least because it's the first one that we have posted

since February 27th, 53 days or almost two

months ago.

That of course is a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated our industry, our country, and indeed the entire world

since we last posted an episode.

And so this one is dedicated to all of those who have been lost, who have lost loved ones, who are currently fighting for their lives and

especially to all the people on the front lines helping to combat the

horrific plague and providing other essential services. Because there is no widespread testing yet, and a vaccine for COVID-19 has not yet been found, this episode marks another first for this podcast.

It's our first episode, over the course of our nearly five years of existence in which my

guest and I were not in the same room when we talked. I always felt that face-to-face

conversations were a key part of what made this

podcast special but that of course was no longer an option until our

wonderful longtime producer Matt Whitehurst figured out a way to record high

quality audio through a video conferencing

program that allowed my guest and I to at least simulate a face-to-face

conversation. And that is the approach that we will continue to take each week

through the close of Emmy nominations

voting on July 1st. Our podcast future beyond that, like the future of much of

entertainment journalism, is uncertain, which is why I want to ask you at the top of this episode rather than at the bottom as usual,

to please take a moment to rate and review this podcast on your podcast app,

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