America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 1006 - 904 Best Director_2

Chapter 1006: Chapter 904: Best Director_2

Chapter 1006 -904: Best Director_2

This film also held the distinction of garnering the most Oscar nominations for the 89th Academy Awards.

At Davis Studio, everyone gathered together in the conference room.

Thomas said, “It’s not much different from what we had anticipated. The nominees for Best Director include Mel Gibson, Denzel Washington, Kenneth Lonergan, and Stephen Frears.”

The latter was the director of “Florence Foster Jenkins.”

Public Relations Manager Martha Kennett said, “The most aggressive campaigners are Mel Gibson and Denzel Washington, with both of their teams investing millions of dollars.”

The latter two, besides the necessary funds for the awards campaign, had influence within the Academy that was several levels below Martin’s.

After some contemplation, Martin said, “The next phase of voting will start soon. Let’s slightly shift our promotional focus, utilize our resources at hand, and encourage the media to publish more about Mel Gibson’s past controversy. Additionally, we need to emphasize last year’s ‘Moonlight’ mix-up.”

Everyone understood what he meant.

Those “squids” in Hollywood took great offense at the brutal honesty of Mel Gibson, and considering their ways, they wouldn’t likely vote for him once reminded of that incident.

The mix-up with “Moonlight” last year sparked significant controversy and temporarily calmed the unrest over issues of race and diversity.

This year, it was unlikely to be an exception; the chances of African Americans winning one of the top four awards were about zero.

Since late January, entertainment media repeatedly highlighted Mel Gibson’s past actions in prominent spots.

In Hollywood, there were just too many of these “squids,” especially among directors.

The media reminders undoubtedly refreshed people’s memories of what Mel Gibson had done.

They were basically not going to vote for Mel Gibson.

As for the first choice when voting, naturally, under the same condition of not having seen the movies, they gravitated toward the frequently seen and talked-about “Joker” and Martin, the films with the highest buzz.

“Joker” itself was already generating significant buzz. The film was pulled from theaters across North America in mid-February, with its domestic box office frozen at $548 million.

Overseas screenings continued, with box office revenue still trickling in, resulting in a global total of $1.288 billion.

“Joker” became both the North American and global box office champion of 2016, and was the only movie with a domestic gross over $500 million.

“People” magazine, in anticipation of the Oscars ceremony, released a special cover issue dedicated to “Joker.”

It praised, “Martin Davis’s self-directed and acted ‘Joker’ is one of the best movies in Hollywood history that combines commercial appeal, social relevance, and artistic depth!”

On the last weekend of February 2017, the 89th Academy Awards ceremony took place on schedule at the Dolby Theatre.

This time, the Trio of Scoundrels walked the Oscar red carpet together.

The media interviews were the same content every year. Martin didn’t accept interviews and, calling out to Leonardo and Nicholson, proceeded directly into the theater.

Their seats were once again arranged together.

The crews of “Joker” and “The Revenant” also sat in the same area and the same row.

People around them frequently came over to greet them.

At the three major guild awards previously announced, Martin had won the Directors Guild’s Best Director award, Leonardo had won the Screen Actors Guild’s Best Actor, and “Joker” had beaten numerous competitors to claim the title of Best Picture from several guilds.

Martin was relaxed; having done all the work beforehand, he naturally expected to win at the awards ceremony.

Leonardo wasn’t too nervous, possessing an Oscar statuette himself.

Nicholson looked at Martin, “You bastard, if you win tonight, that’s your fourth Oscar, tying with Katharine Hepburn. You’re still so young; you’re going to set records.”

Martin quickly stopped him, “Don’t say that yet, we don’t know the outcome.”

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Leonardo was superstitious about Martin, “The game isn’t over, we absolutely can’t celebrate early.”

Nicholson simply shut his mouth.

As the music began, the awards ceremony started.

…

In Beverly Hills, Lily was directing the staff of a fireworks company to place launchers on the front lawn.

Eliza rushed out of the villa’s front door, shouting at her, “The awards ceremony has started.”

Lily turned her head, smiling, “No rush, it’s still several hours until Martin’s awards.”

Eliza leaned on the doorway, waited for a while, and then Lily quickly came back.

Linking arms, they entered the living room, just as the live TV broadcast switched to Martin.

In the close-up, Martin was there, clapping vigorously; “Joker” had just won its first statuette of the evening—Best Editing!

Lily said, “It’s only the first.”

“Best Editing is in the bag,” Eliza specifically pointed out, “If we get the screenplay or cinematography award next, Best Picture is secured.”

Next came Best Cinematography, and “Joker” triumphed again.

Eliza and Lily gave each other a high-five.

They weren’t worried at all about whether Martin would get the awards he wanted. The alignment with the nearly 99% predictive Directors Guild awards had already foreshadowed the outcome.

Instead, the Best Picture award, which all Academy members could vote for, still carried the possibility of an upset.

…

In Malibu, at Mene’s new home.

Celine Dion stood at the entrance to the kitchen, instructing the servants, “Bring the fruit platter and the wine over, and no strong liquor, make it quick.”

The servants promptly acknowledged.

Celine Dion then returned to the living room, attending to the female guests brought by Chad, Marcus, and Chen Hu.