American fame and fortune

From before Christmas to after the New Year of 2017, Martin stayed in Atlanta for vacation, and even entrusted Lily to fill out the Oscar ballots distributed by the Academy.

At the headquarters of the Coca-Cola Cult, Martin handed a box to Robert.

"Is there another Oscar statuette in it?" Robert asked.

Martin said, "I'm borrowing David Fincher's Oscar statuette for Best Director for a while. I'll return it after this year's Oscars."

Robert understood: "Don't worry, the security here is very strong."

Martin nodded: "Handle the ceremony as soon as possible."

Robert picked up the statuette and went upstairs to perform his Coca-Cola sacrificial ceremony.

"Let's go." Martin pulled Elena away.

Elena put her hands in her windbreaker pockets and asked, "Are you going to compete for the Best Director?"

"I've made a lot of preparations, so I have to give it a try." When they got outside, Martin opened the passenger door for Elena. He then turned to the driver's seat and said after getting in the car, "No one has ever won both the Best Actor and the Best Director Oscars. I wonder if I can get this special record."

Elena didn't know much about the Oscars, so she asked, "Where are we going next?"

Martin said, "I've prepared a surprise."

Elena shrugged slightly.

Martin started the car, left Peachtree Street, and soon arrived at Atlanta's famous wealthy villa area.

Bruce was waiting in front of one of the single-family mansions.

Seeing Martin's car coming, he waved and opened the electronic gate.

Martin drove directly in, through the front yard shaded by green trees, there was an English-style villa that Elena particularly liked when she was young.

This mansion, including the courtyard, covers an area of ​​more than 3 acres and is worth a lot of money.

Martin got out of the car, waited for Bruce to come over, took the file bag in his hand, and handed it to Elena: "When we lived in Marietta, we imagined that one day we would move into this kind of Victorian-style mansion."

He pointed at the file bag: "Look around, if there is anything you are not satisfied with, contact the construction company inside, they can adjust it according to your opinion."

Elena didn't want to end her relationship with Martin, so she didn't hesitate to say: "The house is nice, I'll take it."

She walked towards the villa: "This place is quiet and spacious, and private, and it's also suitable for you to settle down when you return to Atlanta."

Martin took her into the villa.

The two of them looked around and discussed how to adjust the layout.

With the end of the New Year holiday, Los Angeles has become lively again. The annual awards season drama has reached the most intense time for competition.

Agents in suits and ties and PR managers dressed in fashionable clothes are everywhere in Burbank and Beverly Hills.

Davis Studios, Warner Pictures, and Martin's sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Brioni, Cadillac and Cartier Men's Watches have invested a total of tens of millions of dollars in public relations and publicity expenses.

This is firmly ranked first among all Hollywood award-winning films.

The second place is "The Revenant" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Two wealthy men with money and capital, and the quality of the film is completely OK, relying on their money to win in the award season.

The more prepared you are for the Oscars, the greater the chance of winning.

Martin's popularity has always been high.

In the media, soft articles praising Martin can be seen everywhere.

According to the feedback from the public relations team, most judges have not seen "Joker", and the sample film mailed to them is just to test the situation.

The directors at work are all busy people, who has time to watch such a movie without economic interests involved.

The focus of all media publicity and marketing is to let the judges of the best director know that Martin directed a "Joker" with a great reputation, and Hollywood industry peers and film critics praised it.

Martin also returned to Los Angeles from Atlanta and frequently appeared in various activities.

Canvassing is the job of public relations managers, and all he has to do is to maintain sufficient exposure.

The exposure that can attract the judges' attention most during the award season is a series of outpost awards.

Therefore, there have been very few Oscar upsets in the past 20 years, because the winners of the outpost awards are basically Oscar winners.

Since the birth of the major union awards, the overlap rate with the corresponding Oscar awards is more than 95%.

In order to win the Oscar, Martin participated in the Golden Globe Awards in a high-profile manner in mid-January, and "Joker" successfully won the Best Director and Best Feature Film.

Leonardo easily took away the trophy for Best Actor in a Drama.

"Joker" has maintained high-intensity publicity and marketing. Although it is easy to cause some people to rebel, it is easier to make the judges feel familiar.

Martin has basically used all legitimate means to increase exposure.

Brioni launched a custom suit with the same style as the Joker.

As early as the release of "Joker", Coca-Cola with the same Joker paint has maintained high sales.

Cadillac launched the same Joker classic car in the movie, and the sales are also good.

Cartier also has commemorative watches on sale.

Just before the Oscar nominations were announced, Martin walked onto the Walk of Fame and had his star engraved on it.

In the Oscar nominations that were subsequently announced, Joker received eight nominations in total, including Best Costume Design, Best Sound Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.

This is also the film with the most nominations at the 89th Oscars.

Davis Studio, everyone gathered in the conference room.

Thomas said: "There is no big difference from our predictions. The nominees for Best Director are Mel Gibson, Denzel Washington, Kenneth Lonergan and Stephen Frears."

The latter is the director of "The Queen of Off-Tune".

Public relations manager Marsha Kennett said: "The most active public relations are Mel Gibson and Denzel Washington, whose crews have invested millions of dollars."

Not to mention the funds necessary for winning prizes, the influence of the latter two in the academy is just a few levels behind Martin's.

Martin pondered for a moment and said: "The next phase of voting will begin soon. The focus of publicity will be slightly shifted. We will mobilize the resources in our hands and push the media to publish more about Mel Gibson's incident that year. In addition, we must also focus on mentioning last year. The "Moonlight" Oolong Incident."

Everyone knew what he meant.

Mel Gibson told some truth back then, and the Squids broke their defense. With the way the Squids behaved, as long as they think about it, they will not vote for him.

Last year's "Moonlight" incident caused huge criticism and also quelled the agitation for black people and diversity.

As expected this year, there is zero chance of a black person winning the four major awards.

Since late January, what Mel Gibson did that year has always been mentioned in prominent positions in the entertainment media.

There are too many squids in the Hollywood industry, and there are countless more in the director industry.

Relevant news in the media undoubtedly reminded these people of what Mel Gibson had done.

They basically won't vote for Mel Gibson.

As for the first choice of voting, on the premise that I have never seen the movie, I naturally chose "Joker" and Martin, who are often seen in the media and mentioned by others, and are also the most popular.

"Joker" itself is very popular. The film was withdrawn from major theaters in North America in mid-February, and the North American box office stayed at US$548 million.

It is still being screened overseas and has continued to make box office revenue. The global box office has accumulated 1.288 billion US dollars.

"Joker" became the 2016 box office champion in North America and the world, and is also the only movie with a box office of more than 500 million US dollars in North America.

"People" magazine released a special cover issue of "Joker" on the occasion of the Oscars.

It praised: "Joker, directed and starred by Martin Davis, is one of the best films in Hollywood history that combines commerciality, social reality and artistic depth!"

On the last weekend of February 2017, the 89th Academy Awards ceremony was held on time at the Dolby Theater.

This time the badass trio hit the Oscars red carpet together.

The interviews in the media area are the same every year. Martin did not accept the interview and called Leonardo and Nicholson directly into the theater.

The three people's seats were still arranged together.

The crew of "Joker" and "The Revenant" were also seated in the same row in the same area.

People around me frequently came over to say hello.

At the three major union awards where the results were previously announced, Martin won the Directors Guild Award for Best Director, Leonardo won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor, and "Joker" defeated many competitors and won multiple awards. Guild Awards for Best Film.

Martin's mentality is very stable and he has done all the work ahead. Naturally, he was able to win and accept the award with dignity at the award ceremony.

Leonardo is not too nervous, after all, he has an Oscar statuette in hand.

Nicholson looked at Martin: "You bastard won your fourth Oscar tonight, tied with Katherine Hepburn. You are still so young and you will set records in the future."

Martin quickly stopped him: "Don't say that, we don't know the result yet."

Leonardo is very superstitious about Martin: "The game is not over yet, so you must not celebrate in advance."

Nicholson simply shut his mouth.

As the music sounded, the award ceremony began.

…………

In Beverly Hills, Lily was instructing people from the fireworks company to place fireworks launchers on the front lawn.

Elizabeth quickly walked out of the villa door and shouted to her: "The award ceremony has begun."

Lily turned back and said with a smile: "Don't worry, it will still be a few hours until Martin's award."

Elizabeth leaned at the door and waited for a while, and Lily came back quickly.

The two held hands and entered the living room together, just as the live TV camera turned to Martin.

In the close-up, Martin is applauding vigorously, and "Joker" won the first Oscar of the night - Best Editing!

Lily said: "Only the first one."

"The Best Editing Award has been won." Elizabeth said specifically: "If I win the Screenplay Award or the Cinematography Award later, the Best Picture Award will be guaranteed."

The next award was for Best Cinematography, and "Joker" won again.

Elizabeth and Lily high-fived each other.

They are not worried at all about whether Martin can get the award he wants. The Directors Guild Award, which has an overlap rate of nearly 99%, has already predicted the result.

On the contrary, there may be changes in the best film that all Academy members can participate in voting for.

…………

Malibu, Mene's new home.

Celine Dion stood at the exit of the kitchen and said to the servant: "Send the fruit plate and wine over. The wine should not be high, and hurry up."

The servant quickly responded.

Celine Dion returned to the living room and greeted the women brought by Chad, Marcus, Chen Hu and others.

The servant brought wine and fruit plate.

Suddenly, Mene shouted: "Another key award!"

Chad, Marcus and Chen Hu also stood up and applauded.

Marcus also said loudly: "That bastard Bradt won the Oscar, let him treat him tomorrow!"

Chen Hu asked: "Why not today?"

Mene poured wine for several people and said: "Because the award ceremony is over we are going to Martin's place to celebrate!"

"Shh-" Chad raised his finger.

Everyone else understood what was going on and stopped talking about it.

The female family members also turned to look at the TV. It turned out that Bradt, the screenwriter of "Joker", had won the Best Screenplay Award!

…………

In Atlanta, Elena, who had just moved to a new home, also sat in front of the TV.

Hall, wearing a baseball cap, walked back and forth, spinning a baseball in his hand.

Harris was dissatisfied: "Can't you sit down?"

"The trainer didn't let me sit for a long time and asked me to maintain a certain amount of exercise." Hall, now a major MLB star, has just recovered from a minor injury.

Hearing the words coming from the live TV broadcast, Elena shouted: "Shut up, you two idiots! The awards will be awarded soon."

Although Hall and Harris have grown up, their sister's majesty and suppression have always been there. The two quickly stopped talking and looked at the TV.

Hall muttered: "There is a change this time. The best director has been awarded before the best actor and actress."

Harris spent some time with Martin in Hollywood and said: "Is this the Academy's reform of Hollywood? Adjust the order of awards..."

Elena's eyes glanced over, and the messy sounds disappeared immediately.

…………

At the Dolby Theater, award guest Tom Cruise took the stage.

Leonardo said in a low voice: "Don't be nervous, you are still young, you have been left unpopular, you can still be in the next session."

Martin's voice was equally low: "Even if I lose, you will still have fewer statuettes than me."

Leonardo's mouth trembled and he didn't want to speak.

Nicholson shook his head: "What are you doing to provoke him? You are obviously the worst at the Oscars."

Leonardo swore that he would never be next to these two bastards at the next awards ceremony.

Not far away, Denzel Washington was still looking forward to it. He turned over his hand and looked at the dark back of his hand, feeling that he still had an advantage.

Mel Gibson took it all lightly, knowing the Squids wouldn't let him win.

One day, he would write a script and make a movie that would reveal the true nature of the squids and kill them all.

Tom Cruise introduced the five nominated directors one by one, looked down at the envelope, and said with a smile: "There is no mistake this time, it says Best Director."

He turned over the envelope and let the main camera take a look at the line of subtitles on it. Then he took out the card, glanced at it, and said, "The best director is Martin Davis, the director of "Joker"!"

There are no surprises or suspense. Like most Oscar awards, the Guild Award winner is the corresponding Oscar winner.

The applause rang out, especially warmly.

Martin stood up, hugged Leonardo, Nicholson and others one by one, and strode towards the stage.

Davis Estate, Beverly Hills.

"I won! I won—"

Lily first hugged Elizabeth to celebrate, then rushed out of the villa and shouted to the lawn: "Set off fireworks! Set off now!"

With bang bang bang sounds, countless fireworks exploded above Beverly Hills.

In the mansion in Malibu, Mene had already opened the prepared champagne, poured a glass of champagne for each person, and said, "Congratulations to Martin for winning the award, and I wish our new film a hit!"

Chad, Marcus, Chen Hu and others, as well as Celine Dion and other female relatives, toasted together to celebrate.

In the mansion in Atlanta, as soon as he heard Martin's name, Hall excitedly threw the baseball in his hand. The ball hit a window and the glass shattered.

"It's such a special way you celebrate," Harris said.

"Never again!" Elena's face was filled with a happy smile, and she didn't care about Hall breaking the glass.

Hall said: "Martin won the award, I am so happy, I will have someone replace it tomorrow."

Harris glanced at the window and saw bright lights shining in the sky and said, "There are fireworks."

Both Hall and Elena looked over there, and the latter said: "In the direction of the Coke Cult headquarters, Robert and his friends should have put it there."

…………

Meanwhile, inside the Dolby Theater.

From the auditorium at the back, there was a roaring sound.

It turned out that countless ordinary spectators spontaneously stood up and applauded.

A wave of people rushed to the media box and guest box, and more people stood up.

The whole audience stood up and applauded!

Martin walked onto the stage, took the statuette from Tom Cruise, and nodded: "Thank you."

Tom Cruise immediately stepped aside.

"Thank you to the Academy and the judges for their recognition." Martin said a cliché first, and then he spoke faster: "I am a new director. I encountered various difficulties when shooting the movie. Many people helped me. Nolan and David Fincher are the best teachers, Steve Downton is the best assistant, and Louise, you made me worry-free... I want to thank them, thank every member of the "Joker" crew, thank my company, agent and public relations team, and thank everyone I met in my life!"

The time is almost up, and he looked at the position of the two old friends again: "Jack, I won't thank you, because you always like to hit me. Leo, I wish you good luck."

The camera turned immediately.

Martin went backstage, but did not leave. Instead, he stood at the backstage entrance and exit, waiting for other award results.

Brie Larson took the envelope and walked onto the stage to present the Best Actor.

The "Joker" crew did not apply for this award.

There was no upset either. Leonardo, who swept the Sentinel Awards and won the Best Actor Award from the Screen Actors Guild, won the Best Actor Award for "The Revenant".

Leonardo entered the backstage holding the little golden man, and saw Martin at a glance. He hurried over and bumped fists with him.

The two bumped fists first, then hugged each other and congratulated each other.

Martin said: "There is another award, let's see who can win."

Leonardo said: "The loser will call the most grand party this year."

Martin replied: "No problem."

Clint Eastwood took the envelope of the best film at this time. The old man didn't want to go up and embarrass himself at an old age, so he repeatedly confirmed with the director and the accountant of PricewaterhouseCoopers: "Are you sure the envelope is not wrong?"

The accountant repeatedly assured: "Absolutely not, we checked it three times."

Hearing the music and voices at the front desk, the director hurriedly asked someone to go on stage.

Clint Eastwood strode onto the stage, and after a series of routine procedures, he announced the last award of the night: "The best film is "Joker"!"

Leonardo bumped fists with Martin and said: "Man, congratulations."

Martin smiled and said: "You can come again next year."

People around were sending congratulations.

At the guest seats, Louise called the main creative staff of the crew to go on stage to receive the award.

The award for Best Picture belongs to the entire crew.

Martin walked out from the backstage, joined the crew, and took the little golden man from Eastwood with Louise.

After the Best Director, "Joker" won the Best Picture and became the biggest winner of this Oscar!