The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 2022 The Final Moment
Anson was nowhere to be found in the audience. Even at the star-studded Oscars, the sharp-eyed audience noticed the situation immediately.

This scene is reminiscent of last year's Grammys, where the band was absent from the first half of the show on August 31st and could not be found in the audience. The answer was later revealed to be that the band had changed their performance at the last minute and spent the entire first half rehearsing, which explained their complete absence.

In the end, the band August 31st delivered a legendary performance of "Don't Be So Serious".

Now, it's Oscars' turn.

A flood of images surged through my mind, and I couldn't help but feel excited—

Wait a minute, shouldn't the Oscars hate the Grammys? So is this reality? As we grow up, we become the very objects we once hated?
Imagine if the Oscars really did evolve into the Grammys?
Oh yeah!
A warm welcome! Let's raise our hands and feet to welcome you! The audience is about to witness a legendary performance stage comparable to "Don't Be So Serious" and "Dawn Breaks". No one can refuse, no one should refuse, and everyone should look forward to it with excitement and reverence, waiting for everything to happen.

Speculation, rising in the air, grew increasingly excited and restless, and that restlessness quietly spread throughout the entire North American continent.

When Anson is present, he is the center of attention; when Anson is not present, he is still the center of attention.

Although the Academy desperately wanted to avoid this scenario, and their last wish was for the awards ceremony to become "Anson's Oscars," the reality was what it was. They tried, they made efforts, and ultimately, the Oscars still revolved around Anson in an invisible vortex.

Perhaps, at least they can be thankful that the live viewership numbers have rebounded again and are slowly climbing, shakily making their way toward the 40 million mark.

Among the many awards at the 77th Academy Awards, Best Original Song was undoubtedly one of the favorites. This award, which is usually not valued, not paid attention to, and even marginalized, has now come under the spotlight and become the center of much discussion because of this year's nominations.

"The Light Across the River (Al-Otro-Lado-Del-Rio)," "Motorcycle Diaries."

"Accidentally-in-Love", "Shrek 2".

"Believe", "Polar Express".

"Looking at Your Path (Vois-Sur-ton-Chemin)," "The Chorus"

"Sunflower", "Spider-Man 2".

Five nominated songs, five classics.

It's worth mentioning that this year's nominees for Best Original Song are quite unique.

"The Motorcycle Diaries" and "The Chorus" are both non-English songs. "The Chorus" is sung by a choir, not by a solo singer.

"Shrek 2" and "The Polar Express" are animated songs, although "The Polar Express" is not a traditional animation, but rather an attempt at motion capture technology.

All these circumstances highlighted the uniqueness of the event, so ABC decided to come up with a novel performance format to deliver a different awards ceremony experience. Just as all the nominees for the technical awards took to the stage to await the announcement of the winners, this year's Oscars were constantly thinking about innovation in program format.

Judging from the actual results, it is commendable.

Beyoncé and Antonio Banderas took to the stage together four times, each time collaborating with a different original artist. They not only showcased the charm of the songs, but also served as a central thread throughout, connecting the nominated songs and making their performances, interspersed across different parts of the awards ceremony, a cohesive whole.

At least from the perspective of creation and artistic expression, the performance segments of the awards ceremony achieved a degree of uniformity.

This is something Chris Rock's opening remarks lacked. Now, only Anson remains.

One performance after another, people speculated about how Anson's performance would unfold and how he would connect with Beyoncé and the others.

As expected, all four nominated songs were performed, leaving only "Sunflower". Anson will undoubtedly be the final performer, which means that when Anson takes the stage, the awards ceremony will be in its final stages, with most awards already given out and only a few major awards remaining. The atmosphere is reaching its climax, preparing for the grand finale of the awards ceremony.

Pressure piles up, layer upon layer.

Anticipation, curiosity, and attention have all surged, seemingly returning to the pre-Grammy state, or more accurately, even more frenzied than before the Grammys.

Previously, the hype surrounding the "deification" of celebrities reached its peak, only to vanish after the Grammys. Even Edgar and Evelyn thought the wave had passed. But it's only now that we realize everything still comes back to the Oscars. Regardless of the numbers, the Oscars remain the most prestigious entertainment event in North America, and the annual celebration must ultimately conclude with the Oscars.

The clamor for "deification" returned silently, and people's attention and expectations for Anson exploded with unparalleled energy at this moment.

Then, after the Best Original Score award was presented, the atmosphere was already built up, and everyone realized that the climax was about to begin.

ABC's live broadcast team discovered that the live viewership had already surged past 40 million, then 45 million, and was on a rampage toward 50 million.

The entire long and noisy night seemed to have been waiting for this moment. The only reason why the East Coast was still awake near midnight was right here. The excitement of millions who had been waiting patiently erupted at this moment, pushing the ratings to a new peak in one fell swoop.

Finally, the moment is almost here. Anson will be performing "Sunflower," which will be his first public performance of the song since the premiere of "Spider-Man 2." After waiting and hoping, and after the hustle and bustle of the Grammys, the wishes of the general public are about to come true.

Volcano, erupting.

Everyone was stunned. Even those who had witnessed it firsthand could not believe what was happening. This was the power of a superstar. The only one with such energy since Michael Jackson. Countless souls remained conscious, waiting for this performance.

As the heatwave intensified and the number of viewers instantly surpassed 50 million, television screens in countless homes went black.

"Oh!"

Sighs. Rage. Frustration. A surging, overwhelming force that made the entire night sky tremble slightly, and the madness of the entire North American continent could be clearly felt.

What happened? Everyone went offline right before the performance was about to start?

ABC's hotline was flooded with millions of complaints in an instant, making the team behind the scenes feel the insane heat of the situation.

A few moments later, people finally realized that this was not a collective blackout, but rather an operation by ABC television, announcing the imminent switch to Anson time.

Involuntarily, I held my breath, widened my eyes, and stared intently at the television screen, wishing I could sink into that little box.

In fact, the Kodak Theatre was no better. Just when expectations were rising, the circuit suddenly shut down. I instinctively held my breath, my whole body stiffened, and I stood still, listening to my heartbeat in the endless darkness, waiting patiently, only to find that my heart was about to explode.

(End of this chapter)