America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 88 Rumors and emergencies

"Some birds just can't be caged"

"You don't even want to call me godfather!"

“While you are young, you should write down your memorable experiences and publicize them.

“Never be homesick, never go home.”

"One day we will look back and feel that Saving Private Ryan was a masterpiece we accomplished in this war-torn era."

"I would do anything for you except betray my own people."

“When God closes a door, He opens a window somewhere.”

"free!"

"The world is a more interesting place with you."

At the Kodak Theater, special effect diamonds fell on the big screen, each diamond representing a movie.

On the huge surface of the diamond, vivid movie characters tell their stories.

"The Shawshank Redemption", "Papillon", "Cinema Paradiso", "Saving Private Ryan", "Ben-Hur", "The Sound of Music", "Braveheart", "The Silence of the Lambs"

Finally, the diamonds fell one by one and piled up into a hill, and in the center of the hill was the little golden man symbolizing Oscar.

Then the host takes the stage, and this year the person taking on the role is actor, writer and director Steve Martin.

He has been acting for more than 20 years and is a well-known comedian and an old friend of many people present. When they saw his appearance, many people stood up and applauded, which was a great honor.

The camera panned across the audience, and stars stood up one after another. Eric's seat was arranged in the first row near the aisle.

He didn't know Steve Martin, so he just clapped his hands symbolically, and the camera suddenly slid to him.

I had no choice but to grin in apology, stand up from my seat, and applaud.

Perhaps the organizing committee took his status into consideration, he didn't have a crew, and it was his first time participating, so they gave him a prominent position in the front row, but Eric actually didn't want to sit here.

Because this handsome face will definitely attract the camera to him frequently, which will make him very uncomfortable.

"Shit! Who arranged the seat for me, these guys from the academy!"

After applauding, everyone sat down again.

Steve Martin smiled and said: "Thank you, thank you, thank you all. As everyone knows, I didn't become the host last year because no one wanted me."

There was a chuckle from the audience.

“But this year I’m back on the stage, and I know it’s the result of everyone’s support, except France and Germany, of course!”

As soon as this statement came out, the audience burst into laughter because it was a naked joke on war.

Although the United States claims to have gathered 49 countries to carry out military strikes against Iraq, so far, only the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland have actually participated in the war.

Germany and France, both members of the European Union and often wearing the same pants as the United States, expressed their opposition and publicly condemned it, which can be described as a slap in the face.

"Look at you, producers, directors, writers and actors. If you were trapped here, I would eat you in order!"

There was laughter again in the audience. This was also a joke. The joke was about the power of the crew. Generally speaking, the boss of the producer and the actor are the worst.

At the same time, the footage was also given to producers or directors such as Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Harvey Weinstein, and Ericsson.

"Damn, why are I and Weinstein in the same frame!" Eric complained while clapping his hands.

"Shit! Why do you want me to be in the same frame as that brat from MGM? He doesn't deserve to sit in that position!" Harvey Weinstein also laughed and thought to himself.

Ever since the Coopers took over MGM, it was like they were at odds with Miramax, either rushing schedules or cutting box office.

Once was accidental, twice was accidental, but it happened several times in a row, and the Weinstein brothers naturally felt that they were deliberately targeted.

But the reality is that the Coopers were not specifically targeting him.

Although Eric knew this guy's moral character, he would not make enemies for himself if the other party did not provoke him. After all, Disney was standing behind Miramax.

So I can only say that the Weinstein brothers are unlucky. The schedule is so crowded and I can’t afford to wait. Then everyone can only compete.

What! You said you wanted me to avoid you and go head-to-head with "Lord of the Rings", why the hell didn't you go?

Especially after the schedule of "Transformers" was announced, the tension between the Coopers and the Weinstein brothers has gradually ignited.

On stage, Steve Martin continued to deliver wisecracks.

"This year is the 75th Oscars. Looking back, the first Oscars were held on the street next door, in the Roosevelt Hotel."

"You guys can go out and have a look, just walk down Hollywood Boulevard and go around Whores, sorry, Pretty Woman, and then you can see it, in 1929, all the big stars were there except John Wade. Seth.”

This time, the audience laughed even more happily, and the camera even showed several black celebrities, all of whom clapped their hands with their mouths wide open.

The reason is that at that time, black people were not allowed to attend the Oscars. This joke was naturally a joke about racism.

After telling a few political jokes and social jokes, Steve Martin also restrained himself somewhat. After all, it was during the war, and he began to make fun of celebrities.

Ben Affleck, Will Smith, Tobey Maguire and more were all joked about.

"Nicole Kidman, she is also here today. I suddenly remembered a rumor about her. It turns out that she has been wearing a prosthetic nose in acting, except for "The Hours"."

The footage was immediately given to the crew of "The Hours". During the filming, Nicole Kidman made a fuss about her nose in order to fit the character prototype as much as possible.

After watching it, many viewers said they could not find her in the movie, which sparked heated discussions at the time.

After being teased, Nicole Kidman covered her mouth with one hand and lowered her head, and waved the other hand to signal not to make fun of me.

Meryl Streep and Julian Moore, who were in the same cast, clapped their hands and laughed.

At this year's Oscars, the most lively cast is probably "The Hours". All three actresses were shortlisted and started fighting among themselves.

Nicole Kidman is competing with Julian Moore for Best Actress, and Julian Moore is competing with Meryl Streep for Best Supporting Actress.

However, the three shortlisted films are all different. Nicole Kidman was shortlisted for "The Hours", Julian Moore was shortlisted for "Far From Heaven", and Meryl Streep was shortlisted for "Adapted Screenplay".

"Nicole, don't lower your head, because you look great."

"Then there is our new head Eric Cooper. He is the director of "Transformers" that countless people are looking forward to, and there is a mystery about him, that is, does he know how to direct?"

The camera showed Eric for the second time, and chuckles echoed around him. He could hear the Peter Jackson guy laughing the loudest.

In this case, it is natural to do something, either to cooperate with some antics, or to decline politely like Nicole Kidman.

But Eric certainly wouldn't give in. He pointed to his eyes at the camera and gave two thumbs up.

The meaning is self-evident, let's wait and see, I will give you a good look.

OH

Seeing Eric make this move, the scene that was just chuckling suddenly became boiling.

No one doesn't like to watch the excitement. The bigger the brand, the more people like to watch it. From the perspective of the stars at the scene, Eric Cooper's statement was very interesting.

If the film is well made, even if it is only at a passing level, it will be enough to silence the media.

But if the filming is not good, I'm sorry, today's incident will include your past remarks, you will be dug up and whipped to death, those media will not care about your identity, they will mock you when they should.

At this moment, many people are laughing in their hearts, such as Harvey Weinstein and Jack Nicholson. The second generation of rich people really take it for granted and regard making movies as a game.

But some people think that young people should be like this, full of vitality and challenges, such as Nicole Kidman, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, and Natalie Portman.

Besides, Eric is so handsome, what’s wrong with being a little arrogant?

If I had his wealth and good looks, I would be more arrogant than him.

On the stage, Steve Martin laughed. He was just teasing, but he didn't expect the other party to take the job.

"Eric Cooper, he took on those media challenges and I'm going to give you a good look and remember this day!"

"The happiest thing in the world is to strive for an ideal!"

Then Steve Martin joked about a series of people, things, organizations, and hot topics such as homosexuality, the Mafia, and Roman Polanski.

Compared with twenty years later, public opinion is indeed relatively relaxed now.

“Okay, I know my jokes suck, so let’s leave it at that and invite Cameron Diaz to present the award for Best Animated Feature.”

With melodious background music, the gorgeous Cameron Diaz walked onto the center stage.

"With the progress of the times, animation technology has become better and better. In the past, parents took their children to watch, but now children take their parents to watch. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, enjoys it."

"I will present the award for Best Animated Feature Film below. The shortlisted films include Chris Wedge of "Ice Age", Chris Sanders and Dean DeBroy of "Lilo and Stitch", "My Little Pony" Rhett" Kelly Asbury, Rhona Cooke, "Spare Island" Ron Clements, "Spirited Away" Hayao Miyazaki."

Cameron Diaz opened the white envelope and announced: "Winner Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away."

The theater burst into applause, but Hayao Miyazaki refused to attend because he opposed the US invasion of Iraq, and the award was accepted on his behalf.

Then Keanu Reeves presented the Best Visual Effects Award, which was won by Gollum from "Lord of the Rings".

Best Supporting Actor went to Chris Cooper for "Adapted Screenplay".

Best editing, best sound, best costume design, and best art direction were all won by "Chicago."

The crew of "Chicago" has also become the busiest crew so far. The public relations effect is obvious, and Harvey Weinstein can't stop laughing.

There were also singing and dancing performances and other entertainment programs interspersed in the middle, but to be honest, Eric found it a bit boring.

Just like my dad said, without your works, why would you go there? My butt hurts after sitting for three or four hours.

Moreover, some useless technical awards cannot attract attention. Everyone is waiting for the weight award later.

Seeing Eric yawn, Nicolas Cage, who was sitting next to him, leaned his head over.

"Kind of boring, huh?"

Eric looked at him in surprise.

"More boring than Windtalkers, right?"

"puff"

The sudden saucy words made Eric laugh out loud, immediately attracting the attention of everyone around him.

The two people hurriedly adjusted their posture, but the photographer was really keen and decisively captured the photo again.

It was time to award the Best Supporting Actress, Matthew McConaughey walked up, and this important award brought everyone's attention back.

As a result, the Best Supporting Actress award once again went to "Chicago"'s Katharine Zeta-Jones, who went on stage to accept the award with her baby bump on her face.

So far, "Chicago" has won five statuettes, making it the biggest winner on the field.

Then Eminem showed his power, and the theme song "Lost Myself" from "8 Mile" won the Oscar for Best Original Song, becoming the first rap song to win an Oscar.

At this moment, the awards show came to the best foreign language film section.

This year's finalists include "The Crime of Padre Amaro" from Mexico, "Heroes" from China, "The Man Without a Past" from Finland, "Zus \u0026 Zo" from the Netherlands, and "What Is Home" from Germany.

The camera swept over, and Eric also looked over. Zhang Yimou was sitting with two unknown people.

As for Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and other actors, none of them were seen. Although the number of seats in each crew was limited, the operation of not including a single actor was really incomprehensible.

As a result, Eric already knew that "Hero" lost the Oscar, and the best foreign language film was awarded to the German film "Home".

Frankly speaking, Eric admires the movie "Hero" very much. The shooting is really good, especially the color scheduling and big scenes, which maintain Zhang Yimou's consistent standards.

But in this era, it has been criticized. It has been criticized for having a thin plot and sparse editing. Eric feels that this is a bit unfair.

In the camera, as the result was announced, Zhang Yimou also applauded. As for what he was thinking in his heart, no one knows.

Then several more technical awards were handed out, and the party reached its climax.

The Best Actor award was won by Adrien Brody, who defeated Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Michael Caine and Nicolas Cage to become the youngest Oscar winner at the age of 29.

Adrien Brody was so excited that he probably didn't expect to win the award. After taking the stage, he hugged the presenter, Halle Berry, the black pearl, and kissed her hard, leaving the latter stunned.

Then he gave an acceptance speech and called for an end to war and world peace as he said in the interview beforehand.

The theater also welcomed cheers and congratulated the youngest actor.

This time Adrian Brody won the award, which was definitely an upset. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that it was affected by the war and took advantage of the right time and place.

After the Best Actor award, the Best Actress award will be presented.

Denzel Washington strode onto the stage, and as he spoke, the big screen began to play the works of the best actresses of all time, many of whom were even sitting below.

Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow

Okay, the last one can be removed.

Oscar nominees for Best Actress include: Salma Hayek (Frida), Diane Lane (Unfaithful), Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven), Renee Zellweger (Chicago) , Nicole Kidman’s “The Hours.”

Five glamorous women each occupy a role on the big screen.

Denzel Washington opened the envelope gently: "The winner is Nicole Kidman, who narrowly missed out by a nose."

Instantly, the theater burst into applause, and everyone around sent hugs and blessings to Nicole Kidman.

Her smile couldn't be suppressed at all, and a few stars were already shining from the corners of her eyes. She stood up and hugged the crew, and then walked through the crowd towards the stage.

But just then, an accident happened.

As Kirsten Dunst said, tripping is the enemy of every female star.

Perhaps because she was too excited, Nicole Kidman walked very fast, and her heel accidentally stepped on the hem of her black skirt. She instantly lost her balance and fell to the ground.