King of Hollywood-Chapter 607 - 15: And the Award for Best Actress Goes to...

Chapter 607: Chapter 15: And the Award for Best Actress Goes to...

The Holy Grand Hall on Jefferson Avenue, near the University of Southern California in the south-central part of Los Angeles, today once again welcomed countless journalists and flashbulbs. The Oscar ceremony had returned to this most prestigious award hall in Los Angeles, California, and the entire United States, and the scene was even busier than in previous years.

This was not surprising. Since the announcement of the nomination list, a number of news stories involving this year’s Oscars had captivated journalists and the general public alike. First, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences mailed the ballots to its members, they amazingly disappeared in transit, forcing them to resend the ballots and extend the voting deadline to March 23.

Then the San Francisco Chronicle surreptitiously obtained voting information from jurors, attempting to announce the results ahead of time. The Academy was so furious that on March 10, it issued an open letter, accusing the San Francisco Chronicle of violating the privacy of the Film Academy and warning of legal action if they did not cease.

Next, 55 Oscar statuettes disappeared while in transit, leaving the flustered Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences no choice but to contact the manufacturer to make new ones. Thankfully, on the 20th, 52 of the statuettes were recovered. Rumor had it that the transport driver had succumbed to temptation and stolen the statuettes, but then a homeless man discovered them in a trash heap and reported it to the police, for which the Academy rewarded the homeless man with 50,000 US Dollars.

Anyone with a bit of intelligence and a spirit of inquiry, upon careful analysis, would realize that the media outlets of AC Media were the first to publish these theft stories, and the San Francisco Chronicle also belonged to the Hearst Group.

Of course, no one noticed this, and even if someone did, they wouldn’t make a fuss. It was already enough to simply chase these meaningless stories and question the Film Academy about whether this was all just hype—these pieces of news instantly boosted the originally flagging interest in the Oscar ceremony, a frenzy that continued until now.

But the enthusiasm of the journalists was not solely focused there; the myriad of stars at the award ceremony were their prime interest. For a simple example, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who had never appeared together at the same event since their divorce—one with a Best Supporting Actor nomination and the other with a Best Actress nomination—if they could be captured together on the red carpet or in the hall, tomorrow’s newspaper sales could certainly increase by a couple of percentage points.

Although the journalists all knew the likelihood of this happening was slim, as both Cruise and Kidman would undoubtedly stagger their arrival times, who knew what might happen at the time? Plans always fall behind changes, and an accident might just fulfill their desires. It would be even better if they could also get a shot of Miracle Director Adrian.

However, this was impossible. While there was no sign of Cruise or Kidman, Adrian had already appeared before everyone. At that moment, he was chatting with Jim Carrey about something. Speaking of which, this was also a remarkable highlight of this year’s Oscars, with Jim Carrey, known for his over-the-top comedic roles, earning a Best Actor nomination for "Moon Man"!

"This fully proves that the best comedy actors can also do justice to drama," Adrian said, patting Jim Carrey’s shoulder, as countless cameras continued to flash around them.

"How does it feel, Jim, to receive your first Oscar nomination?" Adrian asked with a smile after entering the Holy Grand Hall.

"Um... it’s indescribable," Carrey thought for a moment and gave such a response, then with a grin revealing his signature smile, a mix of excitement and shyness.

"It seems you’re quite confident. Perhaps you can take home the Best Actor Oscar just like you did at the Golden Globes," Adrian teased.

"I am aware of my limitations, Ed," Carrey first shook his head but then immediately perked up, "but at least I’ve tried, and they’ve recognized my efforts. I’m not going to give up just like that."

As he said this, he turned to look at Adrian with a sincere gaze: "I want to thank you, Ed, I really do appreciate it."

"It’s nothing, just as you said, you tried your best, and since that’s the case, you have to accept it," Adrian laughed and patted his shoulder again, watching him leave before heaving a sigh in his heart. That was as far as he could help him.

First, they delayed "The Truman Show" until ’99 for release, and then Universal’s production department sought his opinion for the lead male role in "Man on the Moon," and without hesitation, he recommended Jim Carrey. Leveraging the clout of two films and with a gentle push from behind, Jim Carrey finally secured a Best Actor nomination.

However, that was as far as it could go. The Film Academy’s bias against comedic actors was just like their bias against science fiction directors; even, sci-fi directors could possibly get nominated, but for a comedic actor known for his exaggerated style like Jim Carrey to aspire for a Best Actor nomination or even an award was essentially impossible, no matter how exceptional the performance displayed was.

So in the past life, no matter how hard Jim Carrey tried to act, he could never win the favor of the Film Academy, not even a nomination. Seeing that they got along well, Adrian did him this favor, fulfilling one of his desires. As to whether Jim Carrey would be inspired by this and continue his fruitless pursuit of the Oscars, that was beyond Adrian’s control now.

Entering the Holy Grand Hall lobby, a place he had visited countless times, Adrian quickly found his seat, which was with the "Malena" crew, as always, with the female lead sitting beside him.

"I thought you’d be back a bit later," Monica said with a gentle laugh, her well-rounded beauty donning a black lace evening gown, her jet-black hair tied simply behind her head, exuding her usual charming, mature, and sexy allure.

"I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting," Adrian said with affected grandeur.

"It’s probably because you didn’t meet anyone else," Monica immediately snorted, her curved eyes carrying an undeniable twinkle of amusement. Influenced by Kate and the others, she had grown fond of taking the opportunity to tease him, although not frequently.

To that, Adrian just shrugged. Although Julia, Gwyneth, and Blanchett were all attending, he didn’t see a single one of them on the red carpet. It was only when he was about to enter the great hall that he spotted Zetajones from afar, but at that time, he was with Jim Carrey and it didn’t seem right to wait there, so he went straight in.

"It’s a pity that Sophie couldn’t come," Adrian immediately changed the subject.

Seeing his demeanor, Monica laughed and played along with him, "Sophie had to stay home to be with Deva and Juliet, the kids need to have at least one mother around."

"Oh, at least one mother?" Adrian drew out his words.

"What else can I say when it’s already like this?" Monica spread her hands out as she looked at him.

"Alright, let’s change the topic," Adrian laughed heartily and took her hand, forming a "microphone" with his other hand and holding it to her face, "Honorable Miss Monica, you are about to be crowned tonight, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

"We won’t know the results until the award ceremony is almost over, Ed," Monica said, though a faint blush of excitement inevitably rose on her cheeks, and her gaze at Adrian grew even softer.

"Don’t you see the comments from the film critics? As for the opinion of the audience, the box office has already given the best answer, so what’s there to worry about? Besides, I’ve already taken care of a competitor for you," Adrian said with a shrug.

Monica burst into laughter—she knew exactly who he was talking about. Even if certain scenes made her a bit unhappy, the feeling vanished in no time.

"Look, Monica, don’t worry. I put in so much effort just to make sure you could rightfully ascend to the throne of the Oscar’s Best Actress. Trust me," Adrian said as he took her hand and gently patted it.

Harvey Weinstein had spent so much resource and stirred up a big fuss, even involving the Hearst Group. But he had indeed found a fitting remedy, for apart from "American Beauty," the other movies in the running weren’t very significant, so the initial surveys showed much less interest in this year’s Oscars. With this stir-up, attention was suddenly pulled back in—a definite good thing for the Film Academy.

However, if Weinstein still failed after all this, Adrian would certainly not let him off easily.

"I believe," Monica replied with a smile, holding onto Adrian’s hand tightly.

Monica did have some advantages. Although the critics had mixed opinions about the implicit scenes in "Malena"—some praised them as allowing audiences to truly experience the cognac of beauty, while others saw no point in this implied expression—they unanimously praised Monica’s acting. The four classic shots that Adrian meticulously devised were especially acclaimed, receiving over 90% positive feedback.

Moreover, there were a considerable number of Italian-American actors in Hollywood, and last year an Italian actor had won Best Actor, so why couldn’t an Italian actress win Best Actress this year?

Alright, let’s skip this for now; it has been talked about too much. As the awards ceremony was about to begin, Adrian turned his attention towards the stage. Billy Crystal, as always, was good at enlivening the atmosphere. After the prelude, he came up singing and dancing, his lyrics poking fun at most of the celebrities, which earned him a lot of applause and whistles.

Being able to host the Oscars nearly ten times meant Crystal certainly had something special. Even though his style hadn’t changed much—oh, there was one change, his forehead was getting balder—the audience still loved it.

"Everyone likes me, and I like everyone. What a wonderful thing," Crystal said, which sounded quite ordinary. But then he tilted his head and pretended to clean out his ears with an air of boredom, contrasting sharply with his words and prompting hearty laughter. Adrian joined the audience in clapping and cheering.

As usual, the technical categories were presented first—Best Makeup, Best Editing, Best Art Direction, and so on. Due to Adrian’s influence, there were some surprises in certain categories; for example, Best Visual Effects should have gone to "The Matrix," but since it was released a year earlier, the award went to another movie—"Star Wars: Episode - The Phantom Menace."

Despite the fact that many diehard Star Wars fans were dissatisfied with the prequel, even claiming Lucas ruined the series, and the Academy had always been prejudiced against science fiction, the technical category still belonged to "The Phantom Menace" without better and more innovative competitors. It was a consolation for Lucas.

However, the most change came in the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories. Without "The Cider House Rules," a novel adaptation that Adrian had secured early for Kate’s sake and therefore not produced last year, and without "The Sixth Sense," there were two unfamiliar actors on the nomination list. Of course, Cruise’s luck remained lousy, or as always, he was not favored by the Academy, and the Best Supporting Actor went to Paul Scofield. This British veteran actor, after winning Best Actor in the ’60s, once again held up an Oscar statuette.

As for Best Supporting Actress, that honor went to Catherine Keener for "Being John Malkovich." "Girl, Interrupted" was still just a novel, and the one from last year, who had already won her third adult-Oscar for Best Actress, had become the new Porn Queen. Her wild looks, sensual thick lips, outstanding acting ability, and unabashed style kept her highly popular among men.

She truly lived up to being Joey Water’s daughter, excelling in whatever she did. Adrian thought with a touch of malice while he clapped for Catherine Keener. But still, she couldn’t compare to another, one who was rightfully a high achiever from Stanford, though she dropped out halfway through. She first posed for large-scale pictorials for "Attic," then somehow became a "Playboy" playmate and got very chummy with the old man Hugh Hefner. Adrian had met her once at one of Hefner’s pajama parties.

Shaking his head, Adrian brought his thoughts back to the present and continued focusing on tonight’s award ceremony. He had no nominations, only one for Best Original Screenplay for "Malena," but that award was clearly Alan Ball’s to take. Thus, when the Best Foreign Language Film was awarded to the Spanish movie "All About My Mother," he couldn’t help but sigh—if only "Malena" had Italian funding, it could have contended for Best Foreign Language Film, and without a doubt, the award would have been his.

However, this thought only circled in his mind for a moment before he cast it aside, indifferent to its actual presence. After all, the main purpose of this film was to propel Monica onto the throne of Best Actress, so even if he had not received a nomination for Best Director initially, it didn’t matter. Moreover, Adrian had a bigger plan in mind, even though the chances of success with his current status were not very high—if successful...

The awarding continued, and "American Beauty" finally began to shine, sweeping up Best Cinematography and Best Original Screenplay. Alan Ball was ecstatic in his acceptance speech, praising everyone involved and giving a special thanks to Sam Mendes and Adrian. However, Adrian hadn’t heard him. Leaving the Oscars ceremony midway had become his habit, though this time he had stayed away a bit longer.

"If you don’t come back now, the ceremony will be over," Monica complained softly, then sniffed near his face, her expression turning puzzled. While there was a scent of perfume, it wasn’t as strong as it would be after mingling with other women, at most it was the level of embracing and kissing. What had he been doing after he left?

"Alright, my dear, let’s not fuss over these things. The most important moment is about to arrive," Adrian said to a puzzled Monica with a chuckle.

If she had leaned in closer, she would have caught the discrepancy immediately, for this time he was dealing with two people—they had grown accustomed to acting together. The timing he had picked wasn’t the best either, slightly delayed. If he had been held up longer, he might have really missed the award he was most interested in tonight. So, he had only indulged in oral pleasures.

Even so, he had "entertained" himself with them for twenty to thirty minutes in high spirits, and Blanchett and Gwyneth’s tongues had become more dexterous, especially when working together.

Following the acceptance of the Best Score and a few other awards, the essence and climax of this year’s Oscars were about to commence—it’s worth mentioning that because "The Cider House Rules" hadn’t been produced last year, the Best Adapted Screenplay went to Anthony Minghella, allowing the Englishman to add another Oscar statuette to his collection several years after winning Best Director.

"Every time at this moment, I become particularly sentimental because it means the award ceremony is coming to an end. But I’m also incredibly excited because the most thrilling moment is finally upon us," Kristo declared with both hands tightly clenched, fiercely waving at everyone, "Does anyone dare to say they don’t feel the same?"

The audience erupted in laughter.

"Well, now, let’s bring out our presenters," he said, raising his hand vigorously. Roberto Benigni then walked up from backstage, envelope in hand.

"I’m so pleased to be back on this stage..." said a beaming Benigni in a lively voice, not as flamboyant as last year. As he introduced them, the faces of the nominees appeared one after another on the screen beside him.

Nicole Kidman from "American Beauty," Monica Bellucci from "Malena," Julian Moore from "The End of the Affair," Meryl Streep from "Song of the Soul," and Hillary Swank from "Boys Don’t Cry." Although they each appeared calm, underneath, they were surely a torrent of emotions.

"They are all superb actresses, interpreting different roles, but all equally commanding attention," Benigni remarked with emotion, then opened the envelope in his hand, "And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to..." (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please visit qidian.com to vote and support it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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