Huayu: As a child star, I just want to be famous

Chapter 604 The Sea King's Composure!
After Spielberg's involvement was over, there weren't many important events that required Chen Linfeng's involvement anymore, so he relaxed a bit and focused more on overall coordination.

The various teams vying for the Oscars are intensifying their efforts to generate public opinion.

Under normal circumstances, as we approach the end of February, with little time left before the voting deadline, the market typically exhibits a pattern of peaks followed by troughs.

But this year is slightly different, with intense discussions about "racism" and "freedom of speech."

Hollywood is experiencing a growing backlash against mandatory political correctness, or at least it appears to be.

Despite the lack of a public outcry due to the carefully orchestrated public opinion campaign by the Joker team, the controversy continued to spread and intensify within the judging panel.

To some extent, this is a real-world application of the "information cocoon" that Chen Linfeng wrote about in "She".

People who don't care about movies and the Oscars probably don't even know about this.

However, among core film fans and Academy judges, this matter is extremely serious and grave.

The moral high ground established by "12 Years a Slave" through "political correctness" is being eroded at an extremely rapid pace.

It even caused some centrist judges who might have been swayed by its momentum to develop a rebellious attitude, and they were more inclined to return to the art itself to examine the nominated films.

Today, it's difficult to tell whether there are more supporters or more opponents.

After all, the voices of support might be fake haters, while the voices of opposition might be those who genuinely care about the good of "12 Years a Slave".

Meanwhile, the propaganda machine quietly launched its third phase, which was to "face the true quality level of each nominated film."

In this arms display segment, Joker undoubtedly held a huge advantage.

Now you know what it means to be listed in the top 250 classic films of all time before the movie has even finished its run.

Now, they can stand alongside films that are well-known to the judges and be evaluated.

In comparison, "12 Years a Slave" pales in comparison in this aspect.

It's not that the movie itself is really bad.

The Oscars haven't yet degenerated to the point where they only consider political correctness and completely disregard the films themselves.

However, "12 Years a Slave" was only released at the end of last year and has only recently been taken off the screens.

For a film to be considered a classic, it must accumulate the weight of time.

Even with "Joker," after the film leaves theaters, viewers on videotapes and online websites are still an important part of the evaluation system.

Moreover, Joker itself had extremely high box office returns, and in the past six months, the film's influence has been enormous, as has its social impact.

This results in a very wide audience for the film; even ordinary people who don't usually watch movies have likely heard of it.

Moreover, the mere mention of Joker being a work that leans towards the underprivileged naturally evokes a sense of goodwill.

High praise naturally followed.

The judges' side is about the same.

To reiterate, don't overestimate the professionalism of the Oscar voters. They may be competent, but they certainly won't watch all the nominated films.

At this point, it's perfectly normal to refer to public opinion and peer reviews.

In previous years, due to public relations factors, or individual reasons such as identity or feelings, there may have been a bias towards a certain work.

But now, with such a huge controversy surrounding this year's Oscars, all the judges are being extra cautious.

We should exclude external factors such as "personal connections" and "political correctness" as much as possible.

[This also owes much to the encouragement of the college president, Cheryl Isaacs; the moves Chen Linfeng made more than six months ago are proving useful here.]

Of course, that's what they say, but in private, personal relationships still play a significant role.

Otherwise, why would Chen Linfeng have bothered talking to those Hollywood directors?

But ultimately, the 2014 Oscars were one of the few relatively clean ones in recent years.

After all, the final stage comes down to the quality of the film.

In this situation, if we're purely comparing word-of-mouth and reviews, it would be like an adult beating a child if "Joker" were to compete against other movies.

Just as the Oscar debate was unfolding with its back-and-forth maneuvering, Ned Wang Yalun came knocking on his door again.

Actually, when Chen Linfeng was still busy, he had called Sister Mei before, mainly to discuss the schedule.

His words suggested he was quite satisfied with the results of the "initial contact" at the last cocktail party.

In previous phone calls, Sister Mei's reply was always, "Unless there are any unforeseen circumstances, I will definitely be there."

This time, Wang Yalun contacted Sister Mei directly again, his words still very warm, to reconfirm the arrangements for the gathering two days later, and to hint that "several very important friends are looking forward to seeing Mr. Chen."

"Consultant Wang, I'm so sorry!"

Following her established strategy, Anita Mui demonstrated great "sincerity" and "regret".

"Director Chen's schedule has been significantly changed, so he may not be able to attend the gathering."

"Huh?" Wang Yalun panicked instantly. Everything was arranged, how could you stand me up now?
Fortunately, his long experience as a lackey gave him excellent control over his emotions.

"Ms. Mei, what exactly is going on? Didn't we already agree on this beforehand?"

"And I confirmed with you again two days ago, and you said it was fine then."

As he spoke, his voice couldn't help but rise.

"To welcome Mr. Chen, I have also specially invited several important figures..."

"There's really no other way," Sister Mei said, her tone becoming increasingly apologetic.

"He just received a notification that the Academy has invited him to a very important meeting concerning the final competition for the Oscars, which he must attend. The timing of the meeting conflicts with the party you mentioned."

"What is it that has to happen at this time, and why is it absolutely necessary to go?"

Wang Yalun's face darkened; he began to wonder if he had been tricked.

"Is that so? You must have heard about the recent media war surrounding the Oscars, right, Advisor Wang?"

"That's right. It's probably because the public opinion storm has become too big, to the point that the judges are somewhat hesitant."

"This matter has alarmed the academy's higher-ups, which is why we had to convene an emergency meeting to discuss it."

"From what I've received, it seems they're trying to standardize subsequent publicity strategies, requiring and reminding all judges and nominating film producers that the final selection of awards should be based on actual quality."

Listen to what the official judging panel emphasizes: the judging criteria should be based on quality.

That's like taking off your pants to fart—completely unnecessary.

But Wang Yalun, who had been in Emilyken for many years, looked bitter. He really thought that the academy might do such a thing.

This aligns with his consistent understanding.

Sister Mei said earnestly, "I only found out about this this morning, and I was just thinking about how to explain it to you when you called."

"As you know, the Oscars are a very important event for our CEO Chen. If his absence from this meeting leads the Academy and the judges to think that he is arrogant and doesn't respect them, then this will be a serious matter."

"Both powers are mutually detrimental, so the only option is...you agree, right..."

Wang Yalun was speechless for a moment.

Damn, your matter is important, but mine is also crucial.

"Is there really... absolutely no way to salvage this?"

He never considered the possibility of adjusting the time on his side.

Such a grand gathering is held every six months and the date cannot be changed at the last minute.

In particular, it cannot be changed because of Chen Linfeng alone; that would be too much of a commotion, and simply impossible.

Sister Mei said again with deep regret, "Director Chen is very sorry about this, and specifically asked me to convey his sincerest apologies to you and several important friends!"

The matter has clearly been settled; whether you accept the apology or not is up to you.

Sister Mei's tone was earnest, and her reasons were also very plausible.

Despite his reluctance, Wang Yalun could only say, "The Oscars are indeed a top priority, and nobody wants things to turn out this way."

"It's alright, Ms. Mei. Please pass on my best wishes to Director Chen for continued success!"

"I believe that in the near future, we will definitely have the opportunity to share a drink and have an in-depth discussion on topics of common concern."

"Uh-huh."

As the call ended, Chen Linfeng couldn't help but give Sister Mei a thumbs up.

"Sister Mei, you really have the air of a scumbag!" "Go away," Sister Mei said irritably, "What are you talking about? I'm doing all this for you."

"I must say, you've got that style to it now."

During this period, Chen Linfeng was usually present when Wang Yalun called.

He witnessed firsthand how Sister Mei had kept the other man hanging on until now.

The earnestness and sincerity in their words truly broadened his horizons.

He thought that if Sister Mei were even prettier, or even if she were to undergo gender reassignment surgery and become a man, she could definitely become a "pond owner" or "sea king" if she used even 30% of her power.

"Alright, enough joking around." Sister Mei composed herself and said solemnly, "The Oscar voting deadline is just around the corner, and we've managed to stabilize this crucial time difference for now."

She glanced at Chen Linfeng, who was sitting leisurely in the boss's chair, and couldn't help but feel a little alarmed.

In her view, her own boss was truly shrewd and far-sighted.

Since the middle of last year, I have been working to build a closer relationship with the new college president.

This Black female chairperson, who was clearly from the Black Alliance camp, ultimately sided with Joker in this dispute.

Mei Jie was simply following Xiao Feng's instructions step by step and always maintained a good relationship with him.

It's truly unexpected that it's playing such a significant role now.

It should be noted that the Academy convened a meeting with all judges and the producers of the nominated films over the weekend to officially announce the "suppression of political correctness" proposal that Chen Linfeng had previously planned to promote.

The timing is set on the same day as the NED organization's gathering. Do you think there's something fishy going on here?

[As expected of Xiao Feng, he's still as amazing as ever.]

Sister Mei couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Although she had seen this scene many times, she still couldn't help but be surprised every time she encountered it again.

Chen Linfeng hadn't expected that Sister Mei had already begun to influence him.

He initially treated the position of Academy president as a trivial matter, but it wasn't until the end of last year, when he saw the release of "12 Years a Slave," that he suddenly realized he was competing for an Oscar, which might be his biggest rival.

Therefore, he put more effort into "communicating feelings".

Originally, I was just thinking that at least the chairman shouldn't have a negative effect.

He never expected it to have such a positive effect.

However, since it actually worked, Chen Linfeng was quite pleased with himself.

It's a pity that it's not Xixi by my side now.

How wonderful it would be if your wife looked at you with such admiration!

On NED's side, Wang Yalun still harbored some doubts.

To determine whether his vague unease was real, he quickly used his connections to ask for help inquiring about the situation at the academy.

"Is there really such a thing as a weekend academy?"

"That's right. Judging from its scale and nature, it should be quite important. Anyway, I heard that several of the nominated key film crews will be attending."

"Oh, that's it..."

Wang Yalun felt a little relieved.

After thinking for a moment, he, who was always cautious within the organization, continued to ask, "Who initiated this gathering, and when was the notification given?"

"I heard it was a notice issued by the college's senior management, and they probably started notifying people gradually today."

Actually, Brother Wang, you could tell from the suddenness of the notification that the college probably made a last-minute decision; things had escalated to this point, so they had no choice but to act.

Hearing this, Wang Yalun felt even more at ease.

The decision was made collectively, and also under pressure from public opinion.

It's unlikely that Chen Linfeng was behind this; he doesn't have that kind of power.

It seems I was overthinking it.

Wang Yalun completely let his guard down, while preparing to report the bad news to his superiors with a worried expression: "Chen will be absent."

On the one hand, he was full of ambition and prepared to take further measures to win over Chen Linfeng after the Oscars.

I've already planned out all the benefits I might have to give them.

"It's a shame that we're missing a gathering to showcase our strength. We'll probably have to put in more effort then."

"It's alright. Our motherland is powerful enough that this small benefit is nothing to worry about."

Wang Yalun is full of energy.

Yes, it also gives you that feeling of being emotionally deceived by a scumbag and then having to offer yourself up.

------------

Another day has passed, and the gathering organized by the college has come to an end.

The result was neither surprising nor delightful; just as they had predicted, the college emphasized the principles of this year's session.
Voting for awards must prioritize quality!
Although it's unclear how useful it will be, this is the limit of what Chen Linfeng can do.

He didn't dwell on it too much. He believed that man proposes, God disposes, and he would just have to see if fate would allow him to make progress.

In addition, the college is not entirely idle.

The massive public debate surrounding "12 Years a Slave" recently was clearly orchestrated by the opposing side.

Based on the principle that whoever benefits is the most suspicious, the mastermind behind the scenes is undoubtedly the Joker production team.

But just like back then, it was hard to guess whether "12 Years a Slave" was behind Chen Linfeng's downfall.

The academy and the "12 Years a Slave" production team also had to consider an additional layer of consideration.

Given the involvement of an international celebrity like Chen Linfeng, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Warner Music Group behind him, one can't help but think things through.

You must never wrong someone.

What if it's a third party outside of his two families?

It's not impossible that this could lead to a mutually destructive conflict between the two strongest rivals, with one side benefiting from the other's struggle.

Just like "The Beautiful Country Deception," even though Chen Linfeng, who traveled through time, knew it hadn't won any awards and didn't take it seriously.

Others might see it differently, after all, it's an outstanding work that received 10 nominations.

Moreover, the guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes in "Dallas Buyers Club" is also highly suspicious.

In short, after the meeting, the college's higher-ups privately summoned them.

He kept emphasizing it, it was practically like giving him a personal lecture.

[We absolutely cannot allow any more reports of unfair Oscar coverage to surface.]

Constantly emphasizing that the Oscars are politically correct is only damaging their credibility; it's like throwing the plate around.

If anyone doesn't listen, then there's nothing more to say; the Oscars will no longer consider them friends.

It's not just one company, but if this kind of situation happens again, you'll all be out.

The consequences are quite serious.

Everyone present readily agreed.

Chen Linfeng was somewhat eager to try, since he had already decided that he wouldn't play along with the Oscars after this year's event.

Isn't it fun to drag a few others down with you?

But thinking about it, I decided against it; there was no need to make a deadly enemy.

There are too many people involved, including your own allies, so it's never good to betray your allies.

He said he would reduce his operations in Hollywood, but that doesn't mean he'll give up completely.

In addition, maintaining a good public image is still very important.

His continued success is undoubtedly due in part to his meticulous maintenance of his public image.

"Ms. Cheryl, please rest assured that we have always believed in the importance of harmony and the fundamental principle of keeping promises. From beginning to end, we have been adhering to the spirit advocated by the Oscars and Hollywood!"

Chen Linfeng spoke with righteous indignation!
……

(End of this chapter)