The Best Director

Chapter 506: Chapter 506 Dream Comes True

On January 23rd, before dawn, countless viewers had already gotten up and were waiting in front of their televisions, the 79th Academy Awards nomination list was about to be revealed!

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In the Samuel Goldwyn Theater of Beverly Hills, Academy president Sid Ganis and actress Salma Hayek announced the nominations to more than eight hundred journalists from around the world.

Hayek is a representative figure of the Mexican actors currently active in Hollywood, and the reason the Academy chose her for this role is that this year several popular films like “Babel,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Children of Men,” and “Apocalypto” had many strong Mexican nomination contenders; and this year was destined to be one of racial diversity and international prominence, with films including African Americans like “Dreamgirls” and “The Last King of Scotland,” Asians with “The Deceased” (an adaptation of “Infernal Affairs”) and “The Amazing Director,” as well as the “British Brigade” with films like “Borat,” “The Queen,” and “Notes on a Scandal”…

On the television screen, Ganis and Hayek took turns reading the results, as the large screen behind them displayed the photos and names of the nominees along with their voices, after several awards like Best Visual Effects, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, and then came Best Cinematography.

“The nominees for Best Cinematography are, ‘Pan’s Labyrinth,’ Guillermo Navarro; ‘The Black Dahlia,’ Vilmos Zsigmond; ‘The Deceased,’ Harry George; ‘Children of Men,’ Emmanuel Lubezki; ‘The Illusionist,’ Dick Pope.”

“Oh my God—” A trembling scream erupted from the living room, disbelief! Ecstatic joy! Harry George’s chubby cheeks trembled uncontrollably; he had actually received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography, actually, actually… Harry stomped his feet frantically and yelled, “Ah ah ah ah————————”

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How could this be! He had entered the hall of the highest level of film cinematography, what an honor! Damn it! Harry collapsed onto the sofa, gasping for air, tears glistening in his eyes, how could this be! He had been nominated! Once upon a time, he had auditioned for various crews with great zeal; once upon a time, he had given up his disgruntled job at McDonald’s, and then Wang Yang appeared, and then… now, he had done it! The dream had already come true, the dream came true once again.

“Wow—” At the same time, Wang Yang and others were excitedly jumping and shouting as well; Harry’s call wasn’t the clear favorite, as being nominated was a narrow victory, it seemed that “simultaneous shooting” and the short production period of “The Deceased” gave him a significant boost; his works like “The Hangover” and “500 Days of Summer” also provided him with enough qualifications.

Damn it! Yang, Yang, Yang! Having calmed down a bit, Harry picked up his phone to call Wang Yang, his face beaming with a big smile, he really had to share this joy with the director, how great! Now he continued to watch the announcement ceremony!

Best Art Direction, Best Sound Effects, Best Sound Editing… Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Screenplay… Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor…

“The following are the nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Leonardo DiCaprio, ‘Blood Diamond’; Heath Ledger, ‘The Deceased’; Peter O’Toole, ‘Venus’; Michael Pitt, ‘The Deceased’; Forest Whitaker, ‘The Last King of Scotland’.”

“Ooh—” Watching the handsome young man on the screen, Jamie Bochert shouted in excitement, Michael Pitt sat motionless, without a single expression; he had been nominated for an Oscar, he had been nominated for an Oscar, Best Actor, my goodness! His heart was racing, and he suddenly felt the urge to smoke a cigarette.

He loved acting, regardless of any award nominations; he simply relished performing, delving into the inner worlds of different characters, experiencing various lives…”Colin” was his most successful and proudest role, and this Oscar nomination seemed to affirm his life. Even though he had braced himself with the Golden Globes and other precursors, happiness still arrived so unexpectedly! It was like being suddenly punched in the body, just like when he landed his first role, his first lead… the dream had come true.

“I want to be an actor!” “I want to become an outstanding actor, one with lots of scenes and lines. That’s what I’m going to do! That’s my answer!” Michael’s eyes gradually became moist; let whoever wants to laugh, laugh—he wanted to cry!

When the nomination ceremony concluded, and Wang Yang was selected for Best Director and Best Picture for the second consecutive year, the living room burst into long and enthusiastic applause that went on for some time before stopping. Keke only saw Michael immediately grab his cellphone, and without guessing, she knew he wanted to call Wang Yang. Before he cried, he wanted to say something to the director! Michael felt a surge of emotions, but his phone indicated that the other party was in the middle of another call. He couldn’t help but laugh; surely many people were trying to reach Wang Yang.

“Just wait!” Michael suddenly let out a long sigh, recalling Wang Yang’s encouraging words—if you can transform from Michael Pitt to actor Michael Pitt, you can become anyone!

Yes, anyone! His journey would continue, “Colin” would definitely only be a beginning. Maybe this year he would lose to Heath Ledger or someone else, but he believed that one day he would win an Oscar for Best Actor for Wang Yang, for himself, which would mean he had delivered a great performance. That was the answer to his life.

In the azure sky, the sun rose completely, heralding another beautiful day. Media outlets from around the world reported on the fresh and hot 79th Oscar nomination list: Yahoo, AOL, Sina, Tencent…

The favored “The Deceased” lived up to expectations by being nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Ledger, Pitt), Best Supporting Actor (Wahlberg), Adaptation, Cinematography, and Editing—achieving seven awards with eight nominations, leading this year’s Oscars alongside “Dreamgirls”!

“Little Miss Sunshine” also garnered nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin), Best Actress (Toni Collette), Best Supporting Actress (Abigail Breslin), and Original Screenplay, becoming a dazzling dark horse with five nominations. Additionally, “The Illusionist” entered the competition for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design, “The Prestige” for Best Art Direction, while “Mamma Mia!” didn’t reap anything.

Nevertheless, Flame Films once again had a bountiful harvest! Making it into 12 award categories (50%) with a total of 16 nominations (14%)! It had now garnered Best Picture nominations at the Oscars for three consecutive years, with two films each year, a sign that it had fully matured and become one of the most formidable forces to be reckoned with during awards season.

Other films this year, such as those with eight nominations like “Dreamgirls,” seven nominations like “Babel,” and six nominations like “Pan’s Labyrinth,” all had plentiful harvests; Mexicans with twelve nominations and the British with thirteen nominations stood out; there were also Asians, African Americans, and Latino Americans, making it the most racially diverse lineup in history. It’s worth mentioning that China’s “Curse of the Golden Flower” with Xi Zhongwen was nominated for Best Costume Design.

“Marvelous Director” secured nominations for Best Director, Adaptation, Editing, Original Score, and Sound Effects, a total of five; surprisingly, it missed out on Best Picture and failed to create history in the Best Actor category, becoming one of the biggest controversies of this edition.

“I love Marvelous Yang!!!” But Yang’s detractors would have a long time to be disappointed, while his fans rejoiced. The media, as usual, competed to praise the madness. Marvelous Yang received three nominations and was selected for Best Director at the Oscars for two consecutive years, three times by the age of 27 (2/3), achieving a new glory!

Time flies, and on January 28, this year’s Sundance Film Festival drew to a close. Flame Films had not found hidden gems like “Little Miss Sunshine” or “The Illusionist”, but their film library’s movie count had increased by more than a dozen.

Wang Yang’s family had left Park City a few days ago and headed to San Diego for a trip. Keke saw the three giant pandas she had missed for a year. Perhaps this was her first time seeing the black and white bears; in any case, she immediately fell in love with these good-natured animals, though her interest in lions and tigers was just as intense.

When the calendar turned to February, Wang Yang and his family ended their sweet and joyful wedding anniversary trip. Wang Yang felt re-energized, full of energy, and ready to fully immerse himself in the post-production work of “I Am Legend,” which had already begun its special effects production quite early.

It wasn’t only Wang Yang who was back to work, “Bridesmaids” had started shooting, and Jessica made a strong comeback after being away from the film set for more than two years!

Annie Fletcher didn’t see someone who kept NGing, but instead, a mature actress. From “Sweetheart” to “Bridesmaids,” she could clearly see Jessica’s improvement. This time it wasn’t just a simple improvement, Jessica was very comfortable with “Kathy,” not appearing to be acting at all. When she stood in front of the camera, it was the scene; as for movements and angles, she knew how to look her best.

If this were her first film, one could say she was a genius! What Fletcher wasn’t quite aware of was that, after gathering her thoughts from the second baby, Jessica had been supporting her husband and teaching her daughter, all while preparing for this role. “Kathy” was a perfect fit for her! All aspects of the character’s temperament, preferences, and status seemed designed for her. Jessica was undoubtedly someone who enjoyed acting, and “Kathy” made her feel fully engrossed, so she confidently told herself that this was going to be a great performance!

Keke was looked after by Grandmother Wang, allowing Jessica to concentrate on her work with complete peace of mind. Her return would continue until the wrap of “Firefly 2” in September. The latter required her to be away from Los Angeles for a large chunk of time to shoot on location and on set – she had no idea how Keke would handle not seeing her mother all day long. Fortunately, the little angel had been independent and strong from a young age and wasn’t too clingy. She could also play happily with anyone, which alleviated a lot of concerns.

Several days into the shoot of “Bridesmaids,” another reason for the few NG’s was, of course, the quite impressive performances of all the main actors, including Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Annie Darren, and others.

“No, this gown has a better aura!…” At the bridal shop set, the bridesmaids and the bride were trying on wedding dresses and bridesmaid gowns. Jessica and Wiig were arguing endlessly, confronting each other with fierce looks as if about to break into a fight, while the bride Rudolph looked troubled, and Annie and the others were at a loss.

“CUT!” Annie Fletcher called to stop the scene; everyone saw her nod and smile, “Alright, that one’s good. Get ready for the next set of shots.” The main actors were getting ready to change into another set of gowns in the dressing room, with Jessica maintaining her character’s momentum as she walked ahead. Back on the set for nearly two weeks, she quickly got used to the daytime work rhythm again, though she inevitably missed Keke at times. “Jessica.” At that moment, Annie suddenly called out to her and smiled, pointing to the side of the set, “Look who’s here?”

When Jessica turned her head, she saw Keke running towards her, “Mommy!” She immediately opened her arms with surprise and walked over, “Sweetheart!” Who had brought the baby over? Then she saw Wang Yang enter the bridal shop, she picked up Keke and walked towards him, smiling, “Why are you here for a set visit?”

“Hey, guys!” Wang Yang waved and greeted everyone; seeing Jessica’s beaming smile, he was quite pleased with the effect of the surprise and pretended to be confused, “What do you mean? This is my set.” Jessica then remembered he was the producer of “Bridesmaids.” She stuck out her tongue and laughed, “OK.” Keke kept calling, “Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy!” trying to grab her mother’s cheeks to get her attention, and Jessica playfully asked, “What’s up?”

Wang Yang left them and headed towards the crew, greeting, encouraging, and praising them. Seeing the woman with some freckles on her face, he laughed again, “Hey, Annie!”

“Hi, Marvelous Yang, director,” Annie smiled. Every time she saw this man, she felt a particularly pleasant mood. Whether he knew it or not, he had always been inspiring her to move forward, giving her a lot of sunshine-like strength. “I hear you’re doing really well from Annie,” Wang Yang looked towards Fletcher not too far away and shouted, “Annie! How’s this guy doing?” Fletcher raised a thumbs-up and praised, “Very good!” Everyone smiled, Annie Darren, with her kind disposition, had great popularity among the people.

“Thank you. The role suits me very well.” Annie’s smile was somewhat shy because her character was quite neurotic, but she felt it was truly great when she played it, and she treasured it deeply.

Annie’s effort was plain for all to see, and her acting was becoming more and more mature. Wang Yang hoped that he would have the chance to collaborate with her as a director and lead actress in the future, believing that opportunity would come. With a nod and a smile that was in stark contrast to the audition years ago, he said, “Break a leg.” Then he moved towards Wiig, “Hi! Kristen.”

After greeting everyone, Wang Yang took Keke back to the edge of the set. Officially, they were there just to visit, but in reality, their presence proved to be somewhat distracting. Perhaps because of the divided attention, Jessica’s number of NGs (no goods) escalated rapidly. It wasn’t until they left in the afternoon that her performance gradually improved.

Previously, the results of the Director’s Guild of America awards were announced on February 3. Martin Scorsese, with his overwhelming momentum, beat out Wang Yang and others, holding the trophy with a cheerful smile. On January 28, the Screen Actors Guild Awards shined bright with “The Deceased” successfully taking home the award for Outstanding Cast. Heath Ledger and Helen Mirren were crowned Best Actor and Best Actress respectively; and on February 9, the Writers Guild Award for Best Original/Adapted Screenplay went to “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Deceased”.

As time flew by, the celebratory and joyful Lunar New Year arrived amidst the fireworks in Chinatown. On February 25, the eighth day of the new year, as night fell, the much-anticipated 79th Academy Awards ceremony took place at the Kodak Theatre!

Millions of American viewers watched the ABC channel’s live broadcast, while hundreds of millions of global viewers followed the annual film extravaganza either through re-broadcasts or online.

Under the hosting of Ellen DeGeneres and the presentation from various guests, the awards that held the attention of movie fans and enthusiasts were given out. The heartthrob Wang Yang took to the stage and presented the award for Best Makeup (David Marti, Montse Ribe, “Pan’s Labyrinth”). He didn’t disappoint the eagerly waiting audience; his brilliant speech stole DeGeneres’s limelight and prompted waves of laughter that refreshed the decibels in the venue.

The night of the Oscars largely followed the pattern set by the preceding awards. There were no major upsets in the technical categories, and films like “The Illusionist” and “The Prestige” went home empty-handed. The Best Editing (Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter) and Best Original Score (Trent Reznor) went to “The Incredible Director”; however, the Best Cinematography award was taken by “Pan’s Labyrinth” with Guillermo Navarro, while the American Society of Cinematographers had earlier chosen “Children of Men” by Emmanuel Lubezki.

Regarding this result, the big man Harry George was in good spirits and calm. His journey had just begun, and more importantly, compared to selling burgers at McDonald’s, it was the joy the camera brought him that mattered most.

The German film “The Lives of Others” was crowned Best Foreign Language Film; “Happy Feet” danced away with the Best Animated Feature Oscar; amid the thunderous applause and cheers from the audience, Wang Yang triumphed over contenders like Aaron Sorkin for “The Incredible Director,” hoisting high the trophy for Best Adapted Screenplay; Michael Arndt of “Little Miss Sunshine” later kissed the Best Original Screenplay trophy. Yet, that wasn’t all for the dark horse—the “grandpa,” Alan Arkin, took Best Supporting Actor, while in the Best Supporting Actress category, the favorite “Olive,” young Abigail, was defeated by Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls”.

Prior media analyses suggested that the Academy voters might think awarding a child so early could negatively impact her growth and development, especially since the other nominated performances were also stunning. Thus, the Oscars might make a different choice, and indeed, that’s what happened.

With 61-year-old Helen Mirren winning her first Oscar for Best Actress in “The Queen,” the award ceremony reached its most tense moments: Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture!

“Hoo-hoo—” Amidst the applause and cheers of the thousands of guests, Reese Witherspoon, the previous year’s Best Actress, emerged from one side of the stage with the envelope in hand, her smile sweet as she approached to reveal the results. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)