King of Hollywood-Chapter 178 - : Return to the Oscars (Part 1)

Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Return to the Oscars (Part 1)

“Good afternoon, everyone, I’m Sally Field from NBC, reporting live outside the Los Angeles Music Center. As you can see, the giant Oscar statuette has already been erected outside the center, and although there are no guests on the red carpet just yet, I believe it will be completely occupied within the next few minutes.

But right now, we only have my colleagues here, who are trying their best to secure a good spot, even resorting to unscrupulous means if necessary… Hey, Quincy, that’s my spot! Don’t give me that ‘there’s no name on it’ excuse! See that camera? Your face is being watched by tens of millions of viewers across America. Great, thank you.”

“One and a half hours before the entrance begins, two accountants from PwC have arrived at the scene. As usual, the box containing the winners’ names is handcuffed to their wrists, and I dare say not even the President’s nuclear codes are protected more securely. Honestly, I would love to sneak a peek at who will win right now. Marisa Tomei is quite confident about taking home the Best Supporting Actress—of course, I think so too. But no one is more confident than Al Pacino, although I didn’t get an interview with him earlier, everyone believes he should get a Best Actor.

Oh my God, look who’s here! Hi, Clint, how are you? Yes, it’s me, so glad to see you. How do you feel, being nominated for Best Actor for the first time, the third time, and also for Best Director for the first time, and facing two tough opponents in both categories? What do you think are your chances of winning both awards? Wow, true to the Western tough guy image, you’ve got a strong statement. I wish you the best in making it happen.

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That is our old cowboy, witnessing the rise and fall of Westerns, always standing tall, ready to unleash his enormous energy at any moment. But speaking of that, I just thought of the cowboy’s rivals, not to mention Best Actor as Al has a great advantage; Best Director won’t be easy either. Adrian Cowell is nominated for two films, both of which are outstanding—it’s hard to say if the jury will choose him.

If he were here right now, I would certainly interview him. He’s been called the ‘Miracle Director’ by many, and rightly so, as he’s directly or indirectly linked to several major awards. There aren’t many directors who have achieved what he has.”

“Look, everyone, the ‘Miracle Director’ finally appears on the red carpet. Check the time, I thought he wouldn’t make it to the Oscars. He seems popular, with many colleagues pulling him aside for non-stop questions. Joining him is Monica Bellucci, the leading lady in ‘Pulp Fiction,’ whose stunning dance number captivated many. She’s got an incredible figure; I can’t help but feel envious.

Hi, Mr. Adrian, I’m Sally Field from NBC, so pleased to see you at the Oscar red carpet, may I ask you a few questions? Thank you, how high do you think your chances are of winning Best Director tonight? Not the most candid response, Mr. Cowell. Okay, then which of your movies do you think will win Best Picture? Thanks, do you think you will win all the nominated awards? Yes, I know it’s my third question, but I still hope you can answer. Thank you very much, Mr. Cowell.

Well, the ‘Miracle Director’ seems determined not to reveal any thoughts until the awards have concluded, but that’s okay, we’ll know the answers in just a few hours.”

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More than a year later, stepping into the Los Angeles Music Center again, Adrian felt a sense of change. Last year when he walked the red carpet, although he was the youngest Best Director nominee and many journalists wanted to interview him, and many from the entertainment circle chat with him, it was all child’s play compared to today’s scene. The fervor was not less than that for a big-star’s entrance; it took a good ten minutes to walk the short distance of the red carpet, with reporters practically shoving their microphones into his mouth, like NBC’s Sally Field. Meanwhile, the male and female stars, directors, and producers also greeted him warmly on the red carpet—of course, many were also there for Monica.

“Ed?” Monica, who was holding his arm, noticed his distraction.

“It’s nothing, just reminiscing about last year’s Oscars,” Adrian came back to the present with a smile.

“You’re going to win Best Director,” Monica said with certainty, after looking at him for a few minutes, her face serious, quite a contrast to her usual flirtatious demeanor, but Adrian’s smile grew broader.

“Thank you, let’s go in,” Adrian patted the hand on his arm and, noticing that they were momentarily unobserved, he playfully slapped her shapely behind. Monica was wearing a blue, low-cut, off-the-shoulder, fishtail evening gown, her breasts barely covered by pasties, her bottom clad in a thong, revealing almost the perfect curve—when they walked the red carpet earlier, she had attracted quite a lot of attention and the reporters’ flashing cameras hadn’t stopped—so the feel of her buttocks was quite exceptional.

“Ed,” Monica gave him a reproachful look, then quickly reverted to her previous coquettish manner.

Adrian laughed heartily as he linked arms with her and walked toward the concert hall’s lobby. After planning for over two years and striving for more than a year, the final battle would take place tonight. It was uncertain who would emerge the victor.

However, Adrian was confident that victory would belong to him. He had seen all the work Laverne had done over the past month, particularly the impact she had made in Hollywood’s two most influential media outlets—purchasing 50 pages of advertisements for “Scent of a Woman” and “Howards End” in both United Performance Daily and Hollywood Report!

To put it into perspective, a page of advertising cost about 3,500 US dollars during the Oscar season, so 50 pages amounted to 1.75 million US dollars! Such a grand gesture would have even the larger companies hesitating to match it. Moreover, and most importantly, United Performance Daily and Hollywood Report were always the battlegrounds of competition for the major firms. The fact that Laverne had managed to snatch 50 ad slots was a testament to his formidable abilities.

Of course, this also had to do with Adrian’s full support and the film company’s exceptional performance. Not to mention, just the global box office of “Jurassic Park” alone, which had reached 600 million US dollars, had already brought the company a sizable profit—even after so many had taken their shares. And that’s not even mentioning the numerous film merchandise already in their grip, constantly generating profits for the company.

Alright, this was just one aspect of public relations. There were still many other tactics at play, such as encountering certain jurors at parties and receptions, and then pitching one’s movie to them—a common occurrence. Of course, the skillfulness of the public relations team during these pitches was crucial, as every few years the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would burst out with news about people using unsavory methods to lobby for votes, aiming to underscore their fairness and transparency.

Eventually, the duo reached the lobby of the Los Angeles Music Center. The seating area, with a capacity of thousands, was almost full as people whispered among themselves, eagerly anticipating the start of the awards ceremony. Adrian quickly made his way to where his film crew was seated. As soon as members of the crew, who were in the midst of conversation, saw him arrive, they stopped talking. Pacino was the first to stand, laughing as he gave Adrian an embrace.

“Less than ten minutes before the start, I thought you weren’t going to make it, Ed,” he said, patting Adrian’s shoulder forcefully.

“Sorry, got held up on the way, so I was more than ten minutes late,” Adrian replied with a smile.

Then John Travolta also stood up, hugging him as fiercely, if not more so, than Pacino. After all, it was Adrian who had helped him climb out of his slump and regain his status as a leading star. Even though he knew he was just a guest at this year’s Oscars, being nominated was already a highlight for him.

Next, Samuel Jackson, Bruce Willis, and Anthony Hopkins rose, followed by the rest of the photographers, editors, and even Emma Thompson, who came over to join in the excitement.

“Do you want in on this too?” Adrian, now being moved from hug to hug, asked her with a laugh.

“They’ve all done it, so I can’t fall behind, can I?” Thompson said with a smile, extending her arms. Despite her words, she wasn’t as enthusiastic as the others and simply gave Adrian a gentle hug, pressing her cheek against his.

Such occurrences were normal in itself, but considering Adrian had three films nominated for the Oscars, and all three casts were sitting together, such a grand gesture inevitably caught the attention of the other guests in the hall. However, as soon as they recognized who it was, they displayed understanding looks. Just knowing how much Adrian’s three movies had benefited so many people made it clear he deserved such an enthusiastic welcome, and some even gave him a round of applause. Had it not been for the din of the crowd, perhaps the whole room’s attention would have been drawn to him.

“Thank you,” Adrian said, acknowledging the applauding crowd with a nod after the embraces ended. He then caught sight of Julia, who had just returned from London two days ago and was sitting slightly forward and at a distance.

Julia, dressed in a black spaghetti-strap evening gown with delicate embellishments and her brown hair cascading down in large waves, exuded a ladylike charm combined with sensuality. The previous applause had attracted her attention, and she turned her head to see what was happening, inadvertently locking eyes with Adrian.

Julia’s smile momentarily faltered as she saw Adrian, and it changed even more noticeably once she spotted Monica by his side. She immediately turned her head away, ignoring them.

Adrian chuckled to himself, then sat down with Monica at their designated seats. Monica cast a barely perceptible glance toward Julia’s direction and without a word, took her seat next to Adrian. Just then, the lights in the hall dimmed, the background music, which had been playing softly, suddenly increased in volume, signalling the start of the momentous 65th Oscar Award Ceremony. (To be continued. For more, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters, support the authors, support genuine reading!)