The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 2017 Playing Hard to Get
Hahaha, hahaha—

Laughter and applause continued to erupt in a blazing roar, and the Kodak Theatre was reaching a new peak.

Everyone knows that Anson will be in the opening remarks 100%, whether it's Chris Rock or the Academy, they won't miss such a golden opportunity.

Unexpectedly, Chris actually targeted Anson relentlessly, wasn't he worried about fleecing him bald?

The live stream camera focused on Ansen, who spread his hands, looking completely innocent. He had no microphone and was unprepared, so he could only respond with body language.

But clearly, Chris wasn't going to let Anson go. The academy had waited and suffered for so long, how could they allow Anson to escape so easily?

Anson had reason to suspect that Chris's opening remarks were instructed by the Academy. No wonder he disregarded the context and direction, dared not provoke Ben Affleck who was present, challenge Nicole Kidman who was absent, and refused to offend the other guests tonight. Instead, he directly targeted an innocent lamb.

Everything has a reason.

"I love Russell Crowe. I believe he's one of the greatest actors of all time, okay?"

"I believe that Russell Crowe should star in every historical epic, without exception."

"If you're making a movie about the past, then Russell Crowe is your actor!"

Laughter spread out—

Russell Crowe was absent from tonight's awards ceremony, so the live camera focused on... Orlando Bloom and Clive Irving, creating hilarious moments.

Both the former's "Celestial Empire" and the latter's "King Arthur" flopped.

Predictably, Chris is about to launch into a tirade against Russell, but... why? There's absolutely no connection or coherence, except for Russell's absence!

However, Chris wanted to criticize Russell, so he did. Was this meant to share the burden with Anson?

“Even if it’s about something that happened three weeks ago, you need to talk to Russell Crowe.”

"Because Russell would research a story from three weeks ago, he would get a haircut from three weeks ago, he would walk at the same pace as three weeks ago, he would speak in the same tone as three weeks ago, and if you close your eyes and can't help but exclaim in admiration, that's 100% the tone from three weeks ago."

Laughter spread everywhere—

Perhaps this joke has no connection to the previous ones. It was supposed to be a critique of "substitutes," but instead it turns into a full-blown critique of "superstars," making it unclear what direction or context Chris's joke is going, and it doesn't even seem to have anything to do with the movie or tonight's Oscars.

But the comedic effect is still top-notch.

In fact, quite the opposite is true. Russell always has the same hairstyle, tone, and posture in any historical drama, making it impossible to tell the difference. Yet, because of the success of "Gladiator," film companies keep asking Russell to star in historical blockbusters, which is ridiculous.

The Kodak Theatre understood immediately, and one by one, they couldn't help but laugh, creating a noisy atmosphere.

"Can't find a superstar? Wait!"

"You wanted Denzel Washington, but you only found me, Chris Rock? Wait!"

From a full-on attack to merciless self-deprecation, Chris turned the entire Kodak Theater into a sea of ​​laughter and applause with just one sentence.

"Denzel is a top-notch actor, he would never film 'The Fool,' okay?"

Laughter erupted throughout the theater, with one or two people bending over backwards. "The Great Fool" was a movie that evolved from a draft and a joke in Chris's talk show. It was not only sloppy but also frivolous, and was undoubtedly a strong candidate for a bad movie.

"After filming this movie, I think I should return that eighty-dollar check from Cooper Gooding Jr.." Indeed, the best comedy is always self-deprecating humor, the number one magic weapon for livening up the atmosphere.

Although no one understands what the "Four Superstars" are all about, although no one understands why only three "superstars" have appeared so far, although no one understands how these three targets of criticism were chosen, and although no one understands why the criticism of Anson stopped halfway through—

From a stand-up comedy perspective, it's rambling and casual; from an Oscars opening statement perspective, it's like a headless fly.

But Chris managed to win back some ground by making fun of himself.

Chris then didn't steer the conversation back to the Oscars. Perhaps to highlight his uniqueness, or perhaps to differentiate himself from Billy Crystal, Chris didn't focus on Oscar-nominated films, but instead turned his attention to films from the entire year, encompassing all topics in one fell swoop.

Chris's sights were set on the most talked-about films of 2004—

"Fahrenheit 9/11" directly refers to war; "The Passion of the Christ" directly refers to religion.

These sharp and sensitive topics are a thorny problem and a hot potato in Hollywood, and almost no film company is willing to take the risk.

Not only during the filming and production process, but after the film's release, despite its excellent box office performance, it still faced numerous controversies and undoubtedly stood at the center of the storm. Chris continued to dance on the edge of danger, making some sarcastic and critical remarks. However, this was just the beginning.

The focus isn't on the film company and producers; the topics of "war" and "religion" are the real focus. Chris is playing with fire, like a vaudeville performer, bravely deviating from the film's subject matter and digging into a topic that has been a constant source of controversy throughout 2004, offering his own satire.

Cheers. Laughter. Applause. Whistles.

One wave after another, although no one knows exactly how the topic got to this point, it doesn't stop people from responding to the topics that are happening in their lives.

Then, changing the subject, "This year, there's another movie that nobody wants to make."

“...'Warm and radiant within'.”

Upon hearing this, the entire Kodak Theater was stunned: Huh???

Full of question marks, looking completely bewildered.

Chris nodded slightly, looking at the expressions of the audience and nodding repeatedly. "Yes, that's it. Your reactions are exactly the same as mine."

"Why is no one willing to make such a lovely and sparkling movie?"

"Why? Is it because the winter beach in the movie is too cold? Or is it because you're worried that Anson Wood will end up like Jim Carrey, proving his acting skills only to be ignored?"

One second, two seconds—

Quiet as a chicken!

Literally, there was complete silence; no one had expected Chris to drop such a bombshell so casually!
The target wasn't Anson, but the Academy! Using Anson as a pretext, they defended comedian Jim Carrey and launched a scathing critique of the Academy!
In an instant, everyone was stunned.

Just like today's opening, there was no plot or clue; Chris unfolded entirely in a stream-of-consciousness manner, to the point that it was hard to keep up.

Wait a minute, something's not right. Wasn't Chris going to give Anson a piece of his mind? How did he suddenly start praising Anson without warning? The story doesn't make sense. Chris is contradicting himself. Is this really okay? What are they witnessing?
For a moment, my brain couldn't process it at all. I was not only shocked, but also confused and disoriented, to the point that I lost my ability to react.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, some people stood up, applauded, and whistled, breaking the ice with their actions.

Hmm...who is it?
(End of this chapter)