Terrorist acts halt music biz - Entertainment events cancelled across U.S.

The music industry came to a grinding halt on Sept. 11 following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Among the canceled or postponed events were the second annual Latin Grammy Awards, which were scheduled to be held at the Forum in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. All events surrounding the awards have been postponed, with no new dates set as of Wednesday.

The organizers of the Latin Grammys released a statement:

"Due to the unimaginable events that occurred this morning, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and CBS have canceled tonight's second annual Latin Grammy Awards Show. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and everyone who has been impacted by these horrific events."

Also canceled until further notice was the Fall Conference of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, previously scheduled for three days of events in Bal Harbour, Fla.

Babyface, VH1 Battle of the Bands participants Flickerstick and the Levi's Self Engineered tour featuring the Roots, Me'shell Ndegeocello, Bilal, Pru and Amel Larrieux canceled concerts in New York. Elsewhere in the United States, Madonna, the Black Crowes and the L.A. Philharmonic canceled shows on Tuesday night. House of Blues, the Roxy, the Knitting Factory and the Key Club were among the venues that remained closed for the night.

Clear Channel Entertainment canceled all United States events on Tuesday, "out of respect for the victims." The company, which operates 44 amphitheaters, is the world's largest promoter. Details on refunds or exchanges will be announced at a later date.

In Washington D.C., Alanis Morisette's testimony before the Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel as canceled, as were events at the Kennedy Center. The national headquarters of the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Association of Broadcasters both closed early.

In New York, MTV canceled Tuesday and Wednesday's "Total Request Live" program, replacing Carson Daly's video countdown with news reports by John Norris. Universal Music Group left its offices open, providing food, sleeping bags and blankets, giving employees the option to remain in Manhattan overnight. The Los Angeles-based co-president of Virgin Records said on Tuesday night that the label's New York office would take it "day-by-day" when it came to making decisions.

The West Coast offices of Warner Bros., Interscope, Capitol, Rhino and Hollywood Records closed early on the day of the attacks.

The CMJ Music Marathon and Film Fest, which had been scheduled to take place Sept. 13-16 in New York, have been rescheduled. The new CMJ Music Marathon dates are Wednesday through Saturday, October 10-13 at the Hilton New York.

CMJ Chairman Robert K. Haber released the following message:

"On behalf of the entire CMJ extended family I wish to extend my most profound condolences to the families of the innocent victims of Tuesday's vicious terrorist attacks, and my sincerest prayers for the thousands of injured. Also, to the thousands of NYPD, FDNY, EMS and related government/military/medical personnel and others who selflessly placed themselves in harm's way to protect others, words do no justice to convey our appreciation and gratitude."

Hollywood and television programming were also affected by the terrorism. Shortly after canceling the Latin Grammys, CBS released a second statement, putting off the Prime-Time Emmy Awards which were to be held on Sunday in Los Angeles:

"We are watching this tragedy unfold on television with everyone else today with the deepest sadness. Therefore, out of respect to the victims, their families and our fellow citizens, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the CBS Television Network will postpone the 53rd Prime-Time Emmy Awards. We will announce the new date of our awards show at the appropriate time."

All Emmy-related events have also been called off.

Many networks that do not usually carry news switched to coverage of the attacks. Among the networks were ESPN, VH1, MTV and QVC. Nationally syndicated New York shock-jock Howard Stern focused on the news instead of his usual routines. Radio stations across the country switched from music to news. As of Wednesday morning, stations were slowly re-integrating music into their programming.

Disney and Universal led amusement parks in closing down. Fashion Week, which began on Monday in New York, has been called off. Broadway theaters closed their curtains. In Canada, the Toronto Film Festival was shut down.

David Angell, the Emmy-winning co-creator of Frasier and Cheers, was aboard one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center. CNN legal commentator Barbara Olsen was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.

Along with the rest of the country, the entertainment industry is taking everything one day at a time.