Curtain Doesn’t Rise on This Day

Southern California’s entertainment industry, concerned Tuesday about becoming a potential terrorist target after the attacks in New York and Washington, closed studio lots, suspended film and TV production, darkened movie theaters and shut theme parks.

Tens of thousands of industry employees in Southern California were sent home. Companies said they were uncertain when they would resume operations, although several indicated they would reopen today if government and law enforcement authorities say it is safe.

“It’s staggering. It should not be business as usual,” Universal Studios Inc. President Ron Meyer said.

Virtually all major entertainment-related events were postponed, while shooting on TV programs and films from “Ally McBeal” to “Men in Black II” was suspended.

Postponed were Tuesday night’s Latin Grammys at the Inglewood Forum, a sold-out Madonna concert at Staples Center, and the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona. The prime-time Emmy Awards scheduled for Sunday also will be rescheduled.

At Universal Studios, about 5,500 Southern California employees were sent home as the company closed sound stages and shut its CityWalk retail complex.

Universal closed its theme park for the first time since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, but said the park would reopen today. Universal also closed its office tower in Universal City and shuttered its two theme parks in Orlando, Fla., about 2 1/2 hours after opening.

In Anaheim, Walt Disney Co. closed Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks. Disney also closed Walt Disney World in Orlando, which previously closed in 1999 for Hurricane Floyd.

“We’re doing this as a precautionary measure,” Disney spokeswoman Christine Castro said. The company said its parks would reopen today.

Elsewhere, Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia and Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park also closed.

Disney’s ABC employees, many of whom relocated within the last two years from New York to Burbank, were desperately trying to reach friends and relatives.

“I used to work in that building. One of my very best friends has an office there,” said ABC spokeswoman Zenia Mucha. “There a sense of helplessness. It’s a terrible feeling.”

Elsewhere, News Corp. closed its 20th Century Fox lot and its offices in the Fox tower in Century City, sending 3,500 employees home.

So did Burbank-based Warner Bros., home to about 6,000 employees. Other companies, including Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, New Line Cinema and Sony Pictures, also closed.

Theater chains, including Edwards, United Artists and AMC, shut scores of theaters nationwide. Also closing were Hollywood’s major talent agencies such as Creative Artists Agency and International Creative Management, as well as unions such as the Screen Actors Guild.

The news cast a shadow over a prestigious Merrill Lynch Media and Entertainment Conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Pasadena, where industry executives are scheduled to speak to about 400 investors.

“Nothing we say here today makes any difference,” said disheartened Charter Communications Chief Executive Jerry Kent shortly before giving his presentation.

About a dozen people checked out of the hotel after hearing the news, with some planning to drive back to New York because flights were grounded.

“We’re just trying to get back to our families as quickly as possible,” said Oren Cohen, a Merrill Lynch employee driving a van.

“We don’t know what we’re going to do about [Wednesday],” said Merrill analyst Jessica Reif Cohen. She told the audience of 300 to 400 investors, “Better to be here and be distracted than to be watching the [TV] monitors outside.”

On local TV stations, regular programming was postponed for the day. Fox canceled its prime-time lineup, including the premiere of the unscripted show “Love Cruise.” The network’s local affiliate, KTTV Channel 11, was broadcasting coverage from Fox News Network and from local crews.

Local news stations deployed crews all over the city, from Los Angeles International Airport to Los Angeles Police Department headquarters, and their local reports interrupted the national feeds.

“We’re letting the story evolve, and we have all hands on deck,” said KTLA Channel 5 General Manager John Reardon. “We’re playing it by ear. This is the worst thing imaginable.”

Times staff writers Claudia Eller, Richard Verrier, Corie Brown, Meg James, Sallie Hofmeister and Greg Braxton contributed to this report.