King of Hollywood
Chapter 327 - Chapter 327 Chapter 54 In Hand

Chapter 327: Chapter 54: In Hand Chapter 327: Chapter 54: In Hand Amid the lively dancing, the 67th Academy Awards ceremony officially began, hosted by renowned talk show host David Letterman. Although Letterman’s style was known for its satire and he often played roles in absurd comedies, he did not bring these to the Oscars stage. Instead, a small joke about the Clinton administration immediately brought the house down with laughter, enlivening the atmosphere.

Smart guy, Adrian thought to himself while applauding. Generally speaking, on such occasions, if you want to liven up the atmosphere, you either tease actors or tease movies, but if handled poorly, it could easily offend. That’s why you wouldn’t joke about Black people or other ethnic groups; if someone felt unsatisfied and continued to complain about racial discrimination, it could cause trouble even if the accusation didn’t hold.

So, political jokes were the most fitting– mocking or even ridiculing the government and the president was common, with many movies depicting governments, bureaucrats, or even the president as villains–excluding Black presidents.

“And the Oscar for Best Makeup goes to, Rick Baker, Vin Neil, Yolanda Tannis, for ‘Ed Wood’!” As the presenter announced, there was a cheer from the crew of “Ed Wood”; Adrian could faintly see Tim Burton congratulating the three makeup artists. As for Depp, although he was not in sight, he should be nearby.

After comforting his own makeup artists for a few seconds, Adrian then looked over to “Little Women,” where Dennis and Winona were deep in whispered conversation, seemingly indifferent to the award or whether they had encountered Depp on the red carpet. Given Dennis’s personality, he would have been polite to Depp had there been no provocation, but Winona surely wouldn’t have wanted to meet Depp, and likely the organizers were aware of this too since the two crews were kept far apart.

Speaking of which, Dennis was really dragging his feet on this. Although Adrian was producing a new movie in the United Kingdom, he still kept an eye on several movies produced by New Line and Miramax. Despite hearing all updates about the “Broken Arrow” crew through others, he deduced that Dennis was still avoiding Jennifer.

He had given him so many hints and even advice, yet he was still like this, bound to be unlucky sooner or later, kid. Adrian shook his head slightly, ruefully, finding Dennis too indecisive. However, earlier on the red carpet, when he briefly mentioned Jennifer, Dennis quickly changed the topic, and Winona’s expression darkened–not just for a moment–there must have been something he didn’t know about.

Thinking this, Adrian shook his head and refocused his attention on the stage. Best Sound Editing was still taken by “Speed,” while Best Visual Effects unexpectedly went to “Twisters.” It surprised Adrian, and it took him a while to understand why; moreover, Lieutenant Dan’s amputated legs in “Forrest Gump,” though stunning, technically weren’t a difficult feat, and it was normal for it not to have won.

Since Best Sound Editing was awarded to “Speed,” Best Sound was unlikely to go to any other film; these were easy picks for action movies. Thus, asking Blanchett not to attend the ceremony was also a blessing; it wouldn’t be worth it if the public or media tagged her the typical action movie’s “female vase.”

Soon, the ceremony was about to reach its first climax–the presentation of the Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards.

“Paul Scofield, ‘Quiz Show’; Martin Landau, ‘Ed Wood’; Gary Sinise, ‘Forrest Gump’; Chazz Palminteri, ‘Bullets Over Broadway’.” As each name was read, their faces displayed on a side screen.

“Alright, I’m sure everyone’s getting a bit impatient,” said Rosie Perez, last year’s winner for Best Supporting Actress, as she opened the envelope, “So, the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor goes to, Martin Landau, ‘Ed Wood’!”

The crew of “Ed Wood” cheered again, Martin Landau was so excited that he repeatedly punched the air and embraced Tim Burton and others, celebrating his victory.

Adrian shrugged his shoulders and then joined Hanks and the others in consoling Gary Sinise. Sinise was actually outstanding, and with a bit more public relations effort, leveraging “Forrest Gump” could have potentially clinched him the award.

Unfortunately, the film company’s PR objectives were mainly focused on Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. Even if there were additional resources, they were allocated to Best Supporting Actress. Sinise’s own PR efforts weren’t sufficient either, which naturally increased his chances of losing. Sinise was well aware of this and responded to everyone’s concern with a smile, but the sense of loss in his eyes was apparent.

After offering a few words of consolation, Adrian fell silent. Sinise’s defeat could be seen as beneficial for “Forrest Gump,” as few films ever managed to snag Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor all at once. These were weighty awards, and unless under exceptional circumstances, they wouldn’t likely be awarded to the same film. If Sinise had indeed won Best Supporting Actor, it could have jeopardized Hanks’s Best Actor and Adrian’s Best Director chances.

Of course, that potential obstacle was now gone, so Adrian quickly shifted his focus to the upcoming awards. Across several seats, Kirsten was clenching her fists, completely absorbed and tense as she stared at the stage.

After David Letterman took to the stage and delivered another jibe, last year’s Best Supporting Actor, Tommy Lee Jones, stepped onto the stage. The elderly man, dressed formally with a bow tie, looked far from being near 60.

“As everyone knows, the performances of lead actors can sometimes dictate the fate of a film, but equally important are the supporting actors who brilliantly complement them. Like Martin and the other four nominees before, or now…” Tommy Lee Jones said, turning toward the screen, “Diana West, who portrayed the quintessential glamour of Helen Sinclair in ‘Bullets Over Broadway’; Jennifer Tilly, whose performance in ‘Bullets Over Broadway’ was no less significant than Diana’s; Rosemary Harris, who delivered a perfect and poignant performance in ‘The Poet and His Lover’; Helen Mirren, she was simply the magnificent queen in ‘The Madness of King George’; Kirsten Dunst, who would have thought her petite frame harbored Claudia’s soul from ‘Interview with the Vampire.'”

The screen split into five, showcasing each of the nominees. They sat in their seats, variously excited, dazed, or feigning calm, waiting for Tommy Lee Jones to announce the winner.

“There shouldn’t be any problem,” Adrian straightened up and adjusted his clothes, whispering to himself. If memory served him right, it would be Diana West who took the award, but it had been a stroke of luck since ‘Bullets Over Broadway’ had two nominations for Best Supporting Actress and one for Best Supporting Actor earlier.

For directors and the distriuting film companies, it was a good thing. This increased their visibility. Adrian was walking this path now and doing far better than many. However, for the actors involved, it wasn’t necessarily beneficial because nominating so many from one film either increased the chances of winning or losing significantly.

However, Kirsten had a considerable advantage, one that only Adrian knew about. Due to him, last year’s ‘The Piano Lesson,’ which propelled Holly Hunter to the Best Actress position, had changed the actress playing the daughter’s role, resulting in no nomination, hence giving Kirsten her chance because Rosie Perez picked up something cheap.

The two might seem unlinked, but upon careful reflection, if a 12-year-old girl had won Best Supporting Actress last year, Kirsten wouldn’t have stood a chance this year, perhaps not even securing a nomination.

It was like the same person winning awards back-to-back, which the Film Academy also attempted to avoid by spreading substantial awards among different young actresses as part of their balancing act.

With no one in front now, Kirsten’s chances of grabbing that Oscar statuette were quite high. Best Supporting Actress wasn’t like Best Actress; there were precedents of young girls winning. Plus, it had been 20 years since a teenage girl last won, and the Film Academy would likely consider setting another precedent. Besides, none of the current nominees had a significant edge, making public relations the deciding factor!

“Say it out loud, see if I can win this round.” Adrian, like the five nominees, fixed his gaze unblinkingly on Tommy Lee Jones on the stage.

“The winner is–” the old man elongated his voice as he opened the envelope, giving a sly glance around before finally announcing, “‘Interview with the Vampire,’ Kirsten Dunst!”

As soon as the film title was announced, the more responsive in the audience had already burst into exclamations of amazement. When Kirsten’s name was called, the venue instantly erupted into an uproar, marking the first time in 20 years that a young girl had won Best Supporting Actress.

Kirsten’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared blankly at the stage until her mother hugged her and planted an excited kiss on her cheek, snapping her out of her daze. The young girl stood up excitedly, hurriedly walking toward the stage to the background music of ‘Interview with the Vampire.’ Nervous and excited, she nearly tripped on the stairs, eliciting a wave of good-natured laughter.

After receiving the Oscar statuette for Best Supporting Actress from Tommy Lee Jones’s hands, Kirsten stood behind the microphone where she was supposed to deliver a thank you speech; however, she remained silent for a long time. Her eyes misted, and her chest heaved dramatically as if she might burst into tears at any moment. This scene once again drew laughter, followed by encouraging applause that grew so loud it seemed to lift the ceiling of the auditorium.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” Kirsten finally spoke. She held the trophy with one hand, the other pressed to her heart, her lips pursed, her eyes glistening with tears as she struggled to contain her emotions.

“I should say something, but… I genuinely never expected to actually win this award… Although… Although I always told myself, ‘You’re the best, you can do it,’ but…” The young girl’s voice trembled slightly as if unsure of what to say next, “Thank you, thank you mom, thank you to the producers, thank you to the director, thank you to everyone who helped me, thank you, thank you all!”

With that, she stepped back, bowed to the audience, and then walked off the stage amid enthusiastic applause. As she passed by the ‘Forrest Gump’ crew, she gave Adrian a grateful smile; she had clearly seen him leading the applause when she was too nervous and excited to speak.

Adrian promptly returned the gesture with a thumbs-up, unafraid of what others might think; those in the know were aware that it was he who recommended Kirsten for the role of Claudia.

Very good. Watching the young girl return to her seat to accept congratulations, Adrian thought to himself, feeling a long sigh of relief. This award was just as important for him as it was for Kirsten. Over the past two years, he had, through memory, pushed names like Pacino to the top of the Oscar winners, but this was primarily a re-creation of “history.”

Put simply, where his memory showed who had won an award, he tried to involve himself, ensuring the award emerged from his hands. Although he had employed numerous public relations maneuvers, his progress was mostly dependent on the roadmap provided by his memory.

If he merely wanted to be a director or producer looked up to by others, this path would be fine to continue down for another decade or so, then declare retirement when there were no more materials to ‘borrow.’ As long as he was involved in enough classic films, that would be enough for him to leave his mark in film history–or rather, in Hollywood’s history.

But let’s not forget, what Adrian truly desired was to control Hollywood! He longed for the day when Hollywood would make changes that aligned with his wishes based solely on his hint. This might sound insane, but if he played by the rules of the game, it wasn’t impossible, and his first step was ensuring he had the power to make some changes, just like now.

Kirsten’s portrayal of Claudia had only garnered some insignificant awards in his memory, not even an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. But now, due to Adrian’s interference, the award had genuinely fallen into her hands–a very good start.

Of course, this was just the beginning. To reach his goal, there was still a long way to go, but this was a very cost-effective way to prove its feasibility while gaining further control over the little fairy.

After the minor climax, two song and dance routines were performed, and several less significant awards were given out, with “The Madness of King George” taking the award for Best Art Direction while “Forrest Gump,” “Interview with the Vampire,” and “Little Women” unexpectedly all failed. The same was true for Best Original Score, which was taken by Disney’s pinnacle work in 2D animation, “Lion King.”

It was truly depressing, and everyone from the three crews was wondering about it, but Adrian didn’t think so. In the competition for Best Art Direction, a film with a longer historical perspective stood a better chance of winning, and among the nominated films, “The Madness of King George,” which talks about King George III, had the most historical depth, plus it was about the British Royal Family, so the award was naturally theirs for the taking.

As for Best Original Score, one had to admit that “The Lion King” was indeed outstanding, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been called the pinnacle of 2D animation — and indeed it was Disney’s last moment of glory in 2D animation. Especially the majestic score filled with rich African vibes at the beginning of the movie was truly stirring; it’s important to note that they had grabbed as many as three nominations for Best Song! So losing to them in the score category was not unjust.

Next followed another minor climax, and though the awards to be presented were not as weighty as Best Supporting Actor and Actress, they still attracted much attention.

“When we want to make a movie, what is the first thing we need? Money? Actors? Or…” David Letterman playfully teased on stage, “a script?”

As he said this, he looked around, then suddenly clapped his hands with an annoyed expression: “Come on, folks, can’t you answer such a simple question? Of course, it’s the script. Do you ever select your actors without even looking at the script?”

This feigned exasperation immediately erupted the hall into laughter.

“Alright then, let us have Ms. Judi Davis present the award for Best Adapted Screenplay,” Letterman announced.

Dressed in a black strapless evening gown and sporting medium-short hair, Judi Davis walked onto the stage, while Adrian immediately sat up straight in his seat and then chuckled as something came to mind.

As for the reason for his laughter, just listen to the list of nominees from Judi Davis: “…Paul Attanasio successfully adapted that decades-long shocking scandal into a remarkable movie script, and Adrian Cowell, along with the original author Winston Gluum, modified the novel into what we see today.”

Regardless of politeness or other considerations, when submitting for Best Adapted Screenplay, Adrian had included Winston Gluum, even though he had been dismissed midway due to disagreements but had still lent a helping hand.

The old man was indeed stubborn; although he was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, he refused to attend the award ceremony, because the portrayal in the movie wasn’t what he intended and he clearly begrudged Adrian’s relentless initial handling.

Not wanting the honor, it was hard to understand what he was thinking. Adrian watched himself on screen, appearing serious while thinking this to himself. Perhaps, he never believed that “Forrest Gump’s” movie script would actually win Best Adapted Screenplay. What a pity.

At that moment, Judi Davis had already announced the winner’s name: “‘Forrest Gump,’ Adrian Cowell, Winston Gluum.” (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to NovelFire.net to cast your recommendation and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)

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