The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 2018 Room for Maneuver
Anson Wood!

Like a pine tree, he stood proudly upright, his straight spine reaching for the sky, his chin slightly raised, gazing at Chris on the stage—

Let's give them a round of applause.

In the brief moment of surprise and silence, no one wanted to be the first to stand out; at this moment, going with the flow was the most rational and intelligent thing to do.

The deadlock continued until someone broke it.

But no one expected that it would be... Anson who broke the deadlock?
Is this really good?

So, was Anson standing up for himself, or for Jim Carrey? Or was he applauding Chris's courage to criticize the academy?
but!

Whatever the reason, Anson once again demonstrated his rebellious and proud spirit, bravely breaking the deadlock and taking the lead, which was truly remarkable.

It's hard to predict the impact of this scene. Is there really any possibility of repairing the relationship between Anson and the academy's higher-ups?
However, Anson didn't care at all. He opened his shoulders, relaxed his expression, and stared intently at the stage, offering his applause.

Immediately afterwards, the second person stood up—

Kate Winslet.

Kate even raised her right hand and waved it, letting out a strange cry, "Ooh-hoo!" like a cowboy, clapping her hands excitedly.

Anson looked slightly surprised, turned his head and exchanged a glance with Kate. Kate's smile blossomed, and her eyes were filled with dazzling light.

Then Leonardo and Gisele also stood up.

Leonardo couldn't believe what he was witnessing. He stared at Anson in disbelief. He had always believed that he should play by the rules of Hollywood, that it was the only path to an Oscar; but now, looking at Anson, he was no longer sure.

In fact, at this very moment, every cell in his body was screaming and resisting everything that was happening before his eyes; but deep inside, an uncontrollable excitement and fervor was quietly rising, and he was completely lost in it.

He didn't know the reason; it was just a gut feeling.

Immediately afterwards, he was surrounded by a wave of applause from all directions. Leonardo couldn't believe his eyes, looked around, and opened his mouth slightly.

More and more people stood up, and more and more people began to applaud.

A frenzy ensued.

It's not just about Jim Carrey being a "pretty face"; more accurately, it's about the bias of the Oscars. Black people, comedians, handsome men and beautiful women, horror movies, biographical films, and so on—labels are firmly stuck to the foreheads of the golden statuettes by those old academics at the Academy, ignoring the works, the performances, the real talent, and stubbornly ignoring those legendary filmmakers. Jim Carrey is just one example. Who could have imagined that Jim Carrey had never won an Oscar nomination?

The moment Anson bravely and openly stood up and spoke his mind, the matter broke free from its constraints, acquiring greater meaning and value, and Chris's previously disorganized opening remarks gained a soul—

Just like "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "The Passion of the Christ," and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," these valuable works are completely ignored, or even impossible to film; film companies are always cunning and shrewd, always targeting top stars to fleece them, and the entire film industry is losing its creativity.

Who would have thought that the key factor that helped Chris score the final goal was Anson? The previously rambling, disorganized, and chaotic opening remarks suddenly found their power at this moment, instantly embracing the fervor of the Kodak Theatre?

Even Chris hadn't anticipated this scene. He stared in astonishment at the commotion at the Kodak Theatre. The highlight of the opening remarks for tonight was happening here?

A smile crept onto Chris's lips as he looked at the figure diagonally in front of him.

"As expected, Anson is Anson."

“If it weren’t for Anson, we might not have seen a film like ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.’ I know, I know, not everyone likes this movie, but at least they are trying to make some movies that white people are willing to buy tickets to see.”

"They're making movies with real storylines, real actors, and real performances, instead of just having some hip-hop artists come along and mess around. They're giving them real movie titles."

“Look at their movie, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,’ who came up with that title? I hate it, it’s too poetic, it’s obviously a movie.” “‘Cat and Mouse,’ ‘The Butterfly Effect,’ ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ those are the kinds of movie titles we should have; and look at us, ‘The Barber Shop’…”

Hahaha!
The sarcasm was spot-on; it's still Chris's forte, but this time—

Despite the bursts of laughter throughout the hall, a sense of emptiness and listlessness was palpable.

One second ago, Anson sacrificed himself, risking offending the academy's higher-ups, and fearlessly stepped forward, igniting tonight's heatwave.

The next second, Chris started... babbling again.

It's not that the joke isn't funny; it's still funny. But it's just a joke, completely unrelated to the previous topics and the theme of tonight's opening remarks. It's like a drunken brawl—the punches may still be powerful, but they're utterly silly.

"'Barbershop'—that's not the name of a movie, it's a location!"

"Barbershop. Barbecue. Car wash. Parking lot. They've been making the same movie for forty years. Yes, you know 'Laundry' should be released soon, and 'Cash Exchange' and 'Gas Station' are also waiting in line for their release dates."

Hahaha.

Laughter erupted; clearly, Chris was criticizing those Black movies, a self-deprecating joke that easily drew laughter from the audience.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long; the laughter subsided quickly. It was forgotten as soon as it was over, leaving no lingering impression.

On stage, Chris also felt this emptiness, the hollowness behind the laughter, but after years of being tested on stage, he still managed to stand firm.

"So, Anson, what's the name of your next movie?"

Brush brush.

All eyes were on Anson.

But Anson didn't have a microphone, and Chris obviously didn't expect a response from Anson. He paused for a moment and answered his own question.

"'Spider-Man 3'? Oh, sorry, never mind."

Laughter erupted instantly.

In the live stream, Anson can be seen raising his right hand, opening his palm, scanning his face from top to bottom, then closing his eyes, expressionless, as if wearing a mask.

Viewers at home burst into laughter at the sight, finding it unbelievable that Anson would cooperate so readily.

Moreover, it's so witty.

Unfortunately, Chris steered the conversation back on track, not giving Anson any further room to maneuver. "Very well, we should now move on to the awards ceremony."

"Tonight, we have an unparalleled feast. We have Anson Wood. Oh, and did I tell you? Anson Wood is at the Kodak Theatre!"

clap clap clap!
Applause thundered.

"In addition, we also have Anson Wood, I believe you will like him."

Hahaha!
A joke can be used repeatedly, and sometimes it still works, doubling the laughter. Applause and laughter intertwine, creating a wave of excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our first presenter has won Best Actress for 'Monster's Dance' and her next film is the highly anticipated 'Catwoman 2'. Let's give a round of applause to Halle Berry."

(End of this chapter)