The Best Director-Chapter 465 - - Best Picture!

Chapter 465 -465: Best Picture!

“Brokeback Mountain, produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus… Capote, produced by William Vince and Michael Ohoven;” as Jack Nicholson introduced, clips from Capote and the nominees appeared on the screen, and the warm applause continued.

“Firefly, produced by Wang Yang and Joss Whedon.” The Kodak Theatre instantly returned to a boiling state, with thunderous applause and cheering that stirred the blood, making it clear that the space cowboys had the most supporters tonight! Wang Yang had not yet returned to his seat, only to see the Whedon couple smiling broadly, as Jessica and others also clapped and smiled, while the film clip showing a return to Serenity Valley played, with children running towards Mal and the others, and a little girl lifting her head to ask a smiling question.

“Good Night, and Good Luck!” At this point, Nicholson finished speaking and turned to walk towards backstage, which immediately triggered laughter throughout the audience! Only a seasoned veteran like Nicholson would dare to jest while introducing Best Picture, it seemed he was still dissatisfied with not having had the chance to speak more during the award presentation. The old man returned to the front after the mischief and continued, “produced by Grant Heslov,” the enthusiastic applause resumed, with black and white images of Edward working at his desk; “Munich, produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Stephen Spielberg, and Barry Mendel.”

The applause subsided, and the background music on the scene grew serious with a “rumble, rumble, rumble.” Nicholson first glanced at the opened envelope, then lifted his head towards the microphone and slowly said, “The Oscar goes to…”

Tonight’s ultimate prize, the 78th Academy Award for Best Picture! Acknowledged as the most important Oscar, for it is the collective decision of all unions and academy voters, representing a movie’s efforts in direction, acting, music composition, scriptwriting, and more: Best Picture!

At that instant, the thousands of guests in the hall fell silent, and the crew members and supporters of the five nominated films were holding their breath, none assured of victory!

The front-runner Brokeback Mountain faced off with the underdog Capote, with its homosexual theme, it’s important to remember Midnight Cowboy was 36 years ago! The hot favorite Firefly, a sci-fi film with no record of winning in this genre! Therefore, members of Good Night, and Good Luck and Munich are equally anxious and hopeful for a surprise win—the chances for an upset were significant!

“…” From Nicholson’s entrance to now, merely two or three minutes, Ossana and Schamus were already sweating profusely; Whedon’s face was tense with no smile, knowing that if his first produced film won an Oscar, he and his family would be beyond thrilled; Heslov, Clooney, and others had hearts pounding so fast they felt tightness in their chests, having already won Best Original Screenplay, their chances of an upset were far greater than Munich; Spielberg and company were fully engaged, although Munich didn’t have much momentum and had invested less in the awards season, leaving them empty-handed for the night… but wasn’t there still a chance?

Wang Yang, who had hurried back to his seat, stood without sitting, his right hand gripping the Best Director trophy so tightly it practically showed cracks. If possible, he wanted the Best Picture trophy, that which would bring victory, honor, and pride to both the individual and the crew!

This year’s expected winner Crash had already lost last year, now Firefly was the third attempt (0/5) by Flame Film to strike gold with this little statue. District 9, Mr. Hughes 2, Crash, Firefly, Brokeback Mountain—would FF reap its first Oscar for Best Picture?

“The Oscar goes to…” Over 40 million viewers across America watched Nicholson nervously, with conservatives, progressives, gay cowboys, and space cowboys…

The absence of sci-fi winners for Best Picture is one of the most controversial aspects of the Oscars. Of course, controversy ensues without a win, but if Firefly breaks new ground, there will undoubtedly be various new debates, just as in 1999 when Shakespeare in Love, the first comedic film in nearly 30 years to win Best Picture (comedy/drama/romance), stirred doubt and debate about it and its producer Harvey Weinstein that continues to this day.

Two years prior, The Lord of the Rings 3 scored a historic win for fantasy films with Best Director and Best Picture, even sweeping up a record-tying 11 awards! And 34 years after A Clockwork Orange, the first sci-fi film nominated, the perfect opportunity for a historic breakthrough had finally arrived—a global phenomenon grossing 1.8 billion, a profound thematic and intellectual engagement, unparalleled production values, political correctness, sensitive themes for competitors, and overwhelming public popularity and clamor…

Could Firefly make history, create a legend? With Best Director already in hand, could it win Best Picture and tie the record with 11 big awards?

Guests at the venue stared at the stage with bated breath, while TV viewers anxiously watched their screens, which had no divisions, yet everyone knew exactly how the nominees felt at this moment! Suddenly, the audience burst into cheers with “WOOO——,” screaming and shouting with excitement!

“Firefly.” With the sound of “Fire,” the Kodak Theatre was already in a frenzy, and upon hearing “fly,” the atmosphere at the entire ceremony reached its peak for the night, with cheering and applause thundering to the heavens! An unprecedented feat for a science-fiction film! The fourth film in the history of the Oscars to take home 11 awards!

Nicholson stopped reading, spread his fingers in surprise, and raised his eyebrows with a “WOO,” marveling at a sci-fi film winning awards! And… the youngest Best Screenwriter! The youngest Best Director! The youngest Best Editor! The youngest Best Producer! The audience had already plunged into madness, thinking that no matter what the script of the American version of “Infernal Affairs” was like, he should have agreed to act in it; otherwise, he would be an old fool. Who knows what next year’s awards season would be like?

“Wowwww——” Firefly! Firefly! Every member of the “Firefly” crew was ecstatic, standing up and cheering wildly!

The Whedons hugged each other, with the once front-bald fat man in tears; the Downeys hugged each other, with Captain Mal laughing without any hint of his unruly rogue persona; many people holding trophies were laughing and shouting, the Fist family embraced laughing, Shauna Milcovich Hays opened her mouth in exaggerated surprise, Margaret kissed her trophy excitedly, Kiefer Sutherland, Jimo, and others first hugged their wives, then laughed and congratulated each other, “Incredible!” “Wow!! We got it! Unbelievable!” “Yang, Yang!! Wow——!!” “Oh my goodness!”…

For a moment, the “Firefly” seating area was the happiest and most chaotic place in the venue! Heath, seated in the “Brokeback Mountain” area, brushed aside his earlier seriousness and smiled, standing up and clapping with a beaming smile, talking and laughing with Michelle about something.

People like Diana, Schamus, Ang Lee, Hathaway, and others around them were also laughing and clapping in congratulations; although disappointed, they accepted the outcome, unable to be upset with losing to “Firefly,” losing to the amazing Yang. How could they be annoyed with someone who had built up “Brokeback Mountain” from scratch?

“Wowwww!” “Ahhhh——!” “Oh God!” “Ahhhh——” Listening to the exciting battle music of “Firefly” from the television speakers, the crew members who weren’t at the venue were also screaming wildly—Michael Pitt, Ellen Page, Harry George…

Firefly! Upon hearing this word, Wang Yang raised his hands high, lifting the Best Director trophy he held! He laughed out loud with a wide grin, his eyes wide and round, feeling the world within his heart expand boundlessly—He had won it! He had won it!!! This was for everyone, old man Alfredo, and Master… it was dedicated to you!

“Yang——” Suddenly, Jessica was hugging him tightly from the side, the Best Editor trophy on the red seat, her eyes shut with tears, clinging to his broad back, shouting excitedly, “It’s us, Firefly——!!”

Wang Yang quickly turned around to embrace her, lifting her up vigorously, spinning a full circle on the spot. He laughed loudly, “We did it!” Jessica too laughed loudly, “We did it!!” Both of them beamed with radiant smiles, their eyes, locked on one another, filled with joy and love. Despite the hubbub around them, at that moment, it seemed as if there were only the two of them in the entire world. He said with laughter, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Jessica pouted and blew a kiss towards him, “Thank you!”

The live camera captured all this, and when Wang Yang lifted Jessica, the cheers and screams from the whole venue suddenly grew louder! Whether it was love, fondness, or admiration, whether single or not, many women were truly envious of Jessica—So blissful! As Natalie and Rachel clapped and laughed loudly, they, along with many other women, couldn’t help feeling a tinge of unspoken feminine sentimentality. They were fascinated not by the man lifting the trophy, but by the man lifting her.

“Wow!!” Wang Yang’s award-winning euphoria reached a historic high. He handed the Best Director trophy to Jessica, kissed her on the lips, then cheered and headed toward the stage, calling out to Joss Whedon, “Come on! We’re over time!” Joss Whedon followed with a hearty step.

“Hahahaha! I told you so, oh hahaha!!” Keke laughed out loud with a string of clear, ringing laughs, “Heeheeheehee! Woahahahaheehee!…” Little Angel delighted, Dad Wang, Mom Wang, Mark, Kathy, and others all laughed and talked happily, enjoying this joy, this celebration, with Danny also sticking out his large tongue, panting for breath.

“‘Firefly’ was nominated for 14 Oscar awards and won 11 Oscars including Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Makeup, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Director, and Best Picture.”

While the winners celebrated their joyous occasion, a voiceover at the venue gave a brief rundown of the night’s absolute big winner’s haul. Regrettably, ‘Firefly’ missed out on Best Original Song, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Original Screenplay, tying with ‘Benure,’ ‘Titanic,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings 3’ for the most Oscars in history! To date, all three films that have grossed over 1 billion US Dollars worldwide have achieved this feat.

It did not repeat the “‘Star Wars’ tragedy,” shining after ‘The Lord of the Rings 3′ as a sci-fi film success! Once again, independent film companies were the center of attention!

In the long history of the Oscars, following the end of the era of large production studios, it was the traditional big companies that took turns claiming the throne of Best Picture.

It seemed to start changing when the Ladd Company & Warner Brothers’ ‘Chariots of Fire’ took the prize in 1981 at the 54th Oscars. In 1984 at the 57th Oscars, Orion Pictures, which was a completely independent entity after splitting from United Artists, made a stunning debut with ‘Amadeus’ and subsequently won Best Picture for ‘Platoon’ at the 59th, ‘Dances with Wolves’ at the 63rd, and ‘Silence of the Lambs’ at the 64th. Unfortunately, after acquisitions, peaks, failures, financial crises, being acquired, and declaring bankruptcy, Orion Pictures was out of business by 1999.

In 1996 at the 68th Oscars, Miramax Films announced its emergence as the new leader with ‘The English Patient.’ The Weinstein brothers changed the game of awards season campaigns, and in 1998 at the 70th Oscars, they won again with ‘Shakespeare in Love’ (rights owned), co-financed with Universal.

1999’s 71st Oscars belonged to DreamWorks’ ‘American Beauty.’ Ambitious DW followed up with ‘Gladiator’ (rights owned), co-financed with Universal, grabbing the win for 2000’s 72nd Oscars, participated in the financing of ‘A Beautiful Mind’ with Universal, winning the 2001’s 73rd Oscars; in 2003’s 75th Oscars, Miramax took back the glory with ‘Chicago’; in 2004’s 76th Oscars, New Line Cinema’s ‘The Lord of the Rings 3’ went on a rampage; and tonight, in 2006’s 78th Oscars, Flame Film, ‘Firefly.’

Additionally, there were ‘Braveheart’ and ‘Titanic,’ collaborations between 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and private independent producers. The Orion constellation is long gone; Miramax is in turmoil; The Weinstein Company is still finding its footing; DreamWorks has been acquired; New Line Cinema has been partly owned by Time Warner for a while now, albeit with a gloomy financial outlook; Lionsgate failed to clinch ‘Crash’; after Flame Film became the annual box office champion twice in a row, it once again took up the Oscar flag for Best Picture!

It was undoubtedly the leading independent film company! Today, Flame resembles Orion Pictures in the 1984-1986 period with an abundance of talent, starting acquisitions and business expansions… The difference is Orion borrowed money, Flame doesn’t; Orion’s big projects lost money, Flame’s small projects made money, and their big projects made even more.

But how many years can Flame maintain such huge success at the pinnacle? When will the next Best Picture win be? Aside from some professional film media, no one would ponder these questions. Especially now, in a moment of celebration! FF got its first Oscar for Best Picture!

“Wow-oohh—!!” In front of TVs, countless movie fans have already gone wild, a miraculous victory for Yang! A huge victory for Yang’s fans! Remember how those critics, those who were skeptical about Yang, once predicted his downfall? 1.8 billion global box office, 11 Oscar awards!!! Those people have been silenced!

At the press center and backstage interview rooms connected to the Kodak Theatre, frenzied journalists from across America and around the globe are madly sending out reports: ‘”Firefly” sweeps 11 awards’, ‘”Firefly” makes history’, ‘The best sci-fi film is born, miraculous Yang holds three awards’…

Yang’s and ‘Firefly”s new records were also a hot topic, with some reporters ready with complete information, eager to tell Internet fans what crazy new record happened this time! Aside from a bunch of sci-fi records, there’s for the first time a same person involved in and nominated for producer, director, screenwriter, editor, and original song (5 categories) for Best Picture, even an un-nominated performance; the record champion for Best Picture producer and director being the same person is William Wyler (3/13)…

“Congratulations, Yang.” On the grand stage of the auditorium, Nicholson gave a hug to the swiftly approaching Wang Yang and handed him the little gold man in his right hand, Yang thanked him with a smile, “Thank you! Sorry for taking up all your time.” Nicholson’s weathered face revealed a smile, his voice hoarse, “We’ll talk more later, I have some questions about ‘Infernal Affairs.'” After saying that, he walked towards Joss Whedon, hugged him lightly, and then handed over the little gold man in his left hand, “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, thank you.” Whedon accepted the trophy with an emotional surge, his right hand suddenly weighed down as it dropped, realizing for the first time just how heavy the Oscar trophy was. He gripped it tightly, the weighty sensation truly marvelous! This heft was the culmination of his efforts, support, and contributions from many others. Whedon turned around to face the crowd and, wow! It suddenly hit him just how many people were there in the audience! Countless faces, countless eyes – he became excited and nervous all at once and couldn’t help but take a deep breath in secret to calm his nerves. How could Yang handle this so well?

The live broadcast camera swept to others. Spielberg sat with a slight smile on his lips, his thoughts unreadable; Clooney and Heslov were laughing with their teeth showing; the “Brokeback Mountain” crew remained standing to show their congratulations. As Yang started speaking, Schamus, Ang Lee, and others began to take their seats.

“I really regret now that I didn’t make a promise earlier and then fulfill it immediately… That would have made me look very handsome.”

With just a few words, Yang revived the laughter in Kodak Theatre that hadn’t been heard in a while. Guests laughed heartily, several beautiful ladies familiar with MY clapped and whistled, looking handsome indeed!

“Hehe!” Yang knew that the absence of the host on stage was a sign of serious overtime and guessed the timer wouldn’t allow them to speak much longer, so he hurried on. Smiling, he said, “I’ve already thanked everyone just now, I’m proud of you! And this time I need to add a few people who are especially meaningful to me. Thank you, Alfredo, for teaching me what cinema is; thank you to my deceased master who taught me so much…” An indescribable emotion suddenly surged up. He pursed his lips but his face remained calm as he said, “Master, I miss you, thank you!”

“Hoo hoo hoo—” A wave of cheers and applause erupted. Many guests, especially members of Yang’s camp, clapped vigorously. Although he didn’t say much or choke up or shed tears, he was deeply moving. Natalie and Rachel both thought about how great his relationship with his master must have been. Jessica quietly raised her two trophies from either hand, noticed by Yang.

Smiling, Yang nodded and then made a “please” gesture to Whedon, stepping aside from the microphone.

“Oh! I have too many people to thank.” Now controlling the stage, Whedon laughed charmingly, hardly able to express his excitement. He knew his kids were watching, his dad and brothers were watching, his mom was watching. He forgot most of his speech and said naturally, “Thank you to my family, my wife Kai, my boys Aden and Squire, I love you! And to my mother Lee – if you knew her you’d understand what a kind, strong, and beautiful woman she is. I’ve always been proud of her.”

The applause thundered below, family merit the loudest applause! Whedon’s friends knew he was a staunch feminist, influenced by his mother. The broadcast camera swept past and Kai Cole smiled broadly as Whedon continued to thank the Academy, Flame Film, the “Firefly” crew, film and drama fans, good friends, and many others, before giving a special, formal thank you to Yang. “I’m extremely grateful to Yang, working with him is the happiest thing, his talent drives me crazy, his age and hair make me jealous…”

Joss Whedon, after all, is a funny and entertaining person. Once he adjusted to the stage, he started joking around, and this comment naturally led to endless laughter from the audience: “Hahaha—” At that moment, Yang exaggeratedly ran his fingers across his forehead, sending the laughing decibels soaring even higher: “Hahaha—”

But before Whedon could continue speaking, the ceremony hall suddenly blared “Firefly”‘s rousing battle music: “Doo doo doo…” They didn’t bother with a timing light or to signal them off the stage, the evening just ended! Whedon said a simple “Thank you” and stopped, but Yang leaned towards the microphone and loudly said, “Why does it feel like Jack Nicholson read the wrong name? Anyway, I’m not giving this back! Thank you, science fiction movies! Goodnight! I hope you all enjoyed the show!”

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

Despite the swelling battle music, it couldn’t drown out his voice, the laughter below, or the thunderous clapping and cheering: “Hoo hoo—”

On the TV screen, the camera angle from the side of the stage pulled higher and further away. The guests all applauded while Yang waved to the audience before he, along with Whedon, Nicholson, and the staff, headed backstage.

The annual Oscar ceremony officially came to an end, and a new legend was born. (