From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

The Grammy effect spread like wildfire across the North American continent.

The Oscar effect, however, was calm and uneventful, quickly returning to silence.

Logically, the Oscar ceremony, being more recent, should have had the upper hand in terms of discussion and buzz. The Grammy Awards, after all, had taken place a full month prior, and its heat should have dissipated long ago.

However, reality proved otherwise.

News of the "Midsummer Midnight" special deluxe edition album and the "Another Light" digital single dominated the public's attention, holding their own even against the Oscar ceremony on its single day.

Moreover, after the Oscars concluded, the Thirty-First of August Band firmly occupied the headlines of major media outlets. Compared to the predictable triumph of "The Lord of the Rings 3," Anson and the band's seemingly unstoppable momentum was the real spectacle.

The Academy's top executives were frustrated.

The more the Academy tried to dismiss Anson's existence and assert its own authority, the more it became entangled in Anson's superstar whirlwind, highlighting their own awkward position—

Even if the media didn't intentionally create an "Anson VS Academy" confrontation, the tension permeating the Hollywood air gradually tightened.

No one could ignore Anson's existence, not even the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

So, what to do?

The Academy's top executives felt a lump in their throats.

In truth, these old foxes were all cunning. They knew that Anson had no real animosity towards the Academy. There was no feud to the death between them. As long as the Academy beckoned and made a gesture, Anson would be overjoyed and rush over like a golden retriever to curry favor.

Once he was in the game, what could Anson do?

Even Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks had to play by the Academy's PR games and rules. Anson would naturally be no exception.

At that point, the Academy executives could effortlessly reverse the situation and regain control—

Desire is the key. Having desires means having weaknesses, and having weaknesses means being controllable.

Moreover, the Academy had no reason to reject a focal point of attention like Anson.

Back when Woody Allen repeatedly refused the Academy's overtures, it wasn't until the year before last, for the sake of his beloved New York, that the bookish director stepped onto the Oscar stage for the first time in his career. The Academy still opened its arms and warmly welcomed Woody Allen's arrival.

As long as there's buzz, as long as there's a focal point, the Oscars won't refuse.

The reason is simple: profit.

The awards ceremony needs ratings, advertising sponsors, and traffic. After more than a decade of commercial development, the Oscars are no longer so simple.

In other words, a collaboration between the Oscars and Anson should be a win-win situation.

However, the Academy refused—

They couldn't swallow their pride.

Anson isn't Woody Allen, after all.

Although the Oscars need Anson, but… really? Does Anson truly possess that level of appeal?

The Academy's stubborn old fogeys turned a blind eye, staring at the elephant in the room while still stubbornly searching for "where's the elephant."

In fact, from another perspective, it could also be understood as the Academy needing an excuse, a step-down. They couldn't possibly lick Anson's boots, could they?

The group of old white men, whose average age exceeded sixty, steadfastly refused such an embarrassing thing, preferring to starve rather than accept charity.

Anyway, there's a whole year until next year's Oscars. They could afford to wait and see:

Who knows? Maybe Anson will flop twice or even three times this year. He might rise quickly, but he might also fall just as fast, and in the blink of an eye, he might roll down to the eighteenth tier, disappearing from Hollywood's sight?

Conveniently, the opportunity is right in front of them, right?

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

If one "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" isn't enough, there's also the highly anticipated "Spider-Man 2" in the summer blockbuster season.

However, in the eyes of the Academy executives: It's okay, it's okay, doesn't "Spider-Man 2" have Anson? If Anson is really a superstar, punching Leonardo DiCaprio, kicking Johnny Depp, and completely surpassing Tom Cruise and Will Smith, wouldn't it be natural for him to write another box office success?

"Anson, you can do it, we believe in you!"

Moreover, if "Spider-Man 2" can't surpass the glory of its predecessor, that's okay too. After all, not all sequel films can write miracles. Not every film can surpass the box office of the first film in the series like "Aliens" and "Terminator 2," right?

Don't be sad, don't be discouraged, you can always believe in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," can't you?

Perhaps some people will say that "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, and the box office of this eccentric screenwriter's works has never broken the $20 million mark. Expecting this film to write a box office success, isn't that unrealistic?

Academy executives: Hehe, it's as if I care.

Indeed, the North American box office of Charlie Kaufman's screenplays has never exceeded $20 million, but this time "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is different. It stars two "superstars," Anson Wood and Kate Winslet. Shouldn't the final box office results easily write a success?

Academy executives: Look, we are all civilized people, we all want to present the facts and reason, we will not be unreasonable. Expecting "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" to easily break $300 million in North America like "Spider-Man" is the behavior of barbarians. How could the Academy be so rude?

But at least, 50 million to 100 million US dollars should not be a problem, right?

After all, that's Anson, superstar Anson! This is just a basic requirement, right?

Have the media forgotten?

Before "The Butterfly Effect" was released, people were generally not optimistic about the film igniting the box office. The mainstream view in Hollywood was that Anson needed to continue to accumulate for a period of time. The real explosion would still depend on "Spider-Man 2," or at the earliest, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"—

Now, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is here, and the soaring expectations are natural, right?

For a time, the entire Hollywood was filled with such a subtle atmosphere—

On the surface, it looks like praise, but in essence, it is still condescending contempt and provocation, erecting problems and benchmarks, requiring Anson to constantly complete them, and only in this way will they reluctantly give recognition.

In fact, it's not just the Academy executives, but a similar atmosphere permeates the film companies as well.

Sony Columbia is the first to bear the brunt, with an attitude of joy and expectation. However, the smiles hidden behind the applause and whistles have a schadenfreude of watching a good show.

Everything comes just right. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" appears at the right time and in the right place, standing under the spotlight, becoming everyone's…

punching bag.