America: Child stars start with The Shining

Charles, of course, did not choose to go into the venue immediately. He and Judy lingered on the red carpet for a while, giving the reporters plenty of opportunities to snap photos.

He has grown quite a bit taller this year. Although he is still shorter than Judy, the two of them standing side by side do not look out of place at all. On the contrary, they look exceptionally photogenic.

The combination of handsome men and beautiful women has always been the favorite target of entertainment reporters who love gossip. What's more, there were rumors about them not long ago, and yet they dared to show up together in public today.

There are certainly many aspects that can be hyped up.

Of course, there were more than just the two of them on the red carpet at this moment...

Since Spielberg arrived at the same time as them, he stood between the two, and the three of them naturally became the most eye-catching group on the red carpet that night.

Spielberg glanced at the large group of reporters surrounding them, his gaze settling on the constantly flashing camera lenses, and chuckled, teasingly remarking:

"Wow, when I was invited to the Oscars for Jaws, there weren't this many reporters taking pictures of me. Charles, you're more famous than me now."

He was just joking, of course, and didn't really care about those things.

Moreover, the recent scandals involving Ciel can actually serve as free publicity for "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial".

Charles forced a smile. He could only squint slightly, otherwise the constant flashes of light from the cameras were simply too dazzling.

His decision to attend the event with Judy tonight was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather something he had arranged with her beforehand, with the aim of creating a sensation among the reporters and gaining sufficient exposure.

Otherwise, he could never have done it so easily by himself alone.

The three of them lingered outside for a while. Spielberg raised an eyebrow and said:

"Alright, kids, we should probably go in now, or those old fogies inside will probably think we're planning to hold the Oscars right at the entrance."

After saying that, he stepped into the room first, followed by Charles and Judy.

The Oscars are a place that places great emphasis on status and prestige, a trait that has persisted almost since its inception.

After all, it was originally called the Academy Awards, established by AMPAS, until the name "Oscar" gradually overshadowed its original name.

It, along with the Grammy Awards for popular music, the Emmy Awards for television, and the Tony Awards for stage plays, are considered the four major entertainment awards in the United States (EGOT).

Although a later aspiring Oscar winner claimed that no one wanted to watch opera and ballet anymore.

But the truth is quite the opposite. Stage plays have always been on par with popular culture, and the upper class and respectable middle-class families in America have always had a great passion for this art form.

In the United States, it would be similar to the status of traditional culture like Peking Opera.

Charles and Judy walked into the venue together, and the noise outside was immediately shut out. In its place, the hall was filled with soft and golden lights.

At this moment, the awards ceremony had not yet officially begun. The stage lights were somewhat dim, rows of red seats stretched out in front of the audience, and towering stands were raised one layer at a time overhead. Several huge crystal chandeliers hung down from above, illuminating the entire interior of the Dolby Theatre.

Judy didn't immediately let go of his arm.

Charles hesitated for a moment, then whispered:

"About what happened today... Ouch, why are you pinching me?"

Judy gently pinched his arm, her gaze remaining calmly fixed ahead, and whispered:

"Be careful, the reporters are still nearby. There's no need to tell me these things now."

She paused, then added:

"Besides, this kind of scandal is nothing in Hollywood. Everyone is already used to it. Moreover, I'm going to Yale soon, so it won't have any impact on me."

Charles was taken aback. Tonight, he was supposed to be using Judy's popularity, but when he brought it up that day, she agreed without any hesitation. Even now, she was comforting him instead.

He didn't say anything, he just kept walking forward.

The two of them, their arms linked together, unconsciously pressed even closer together.

"Wow, are you two deciding to go public?"

Suddenly, a slightly mocking voice came from the side.

Robert had a smile on his face that suggested he was enjoying the show. He had previously acted in "Taxi Driver" and was acquainted with Charles, so seeing this, he couldn't help but make a joke.

Charles immediately responded:

"Shut your mouth, Robert, or I'll spill the beans about what you did at the club to the reporters."

Judy stood to the side, watching Charles's appearance, and simply smiled slightly.

The two then parted ways here; their seats were not next to each other, and Ciel still had to find the location of the "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" crew.

The earlier seats at the Oscars are usually reserved for nominees and cast members who are closely associated with the awards that night. Guests like Charles, who are just invited to attend, will naturally not have seats at the front.

He looked around and soon saw Spielberg sitting in his seat, next to the crew of The Shining. He was talking quietly with Kubrick.

Charles didn't go over to disturb them. He found a seat nearby and sat down.

"Hey, Ciel, why did you come in arm in arm with a girl?"

He was just about to take a short break before the ceremony began when a childish voice suddenly rang in his ears, startling him so much that he almost jumped.

Jennifer was sitting next to him, frowning and staring at him with her cheeks puffed out.

"What?"

Charles decided to play dumb for now. If he had known Jennifer was sitting here, he would have changed his seat.

Unexpectedly, she witnessed the entire scene that had just unfolded.

Jennifer pressed on, asking:

Is the rumor about you and Jodie Foster true?

Charles can guarantee that he wasn't this nervous when he was facing the reporters earlier.

He sighed helplessly and said:

"Jennifer, why do you pay attention to this stuff every day? It's just gossip from reporters, uh... this kind of thing happens all the time in Hollywood!"

Jennifer gave him a disapproving look, clearly not satisfied with the answer.

"I clearly saw it just now, you two were holding hands very tightly."

Xia Dun suddenly felt a headache coming on. Why did this guy care so much about this kind of thing?

"Ahem, that's because there were reporters all outside just now, so we had to put on a good show. Alright, let's not focus on these unimportant things anymore, the awards ceremony is about to begin."

He forcefully interrupted her continued questioning, and Jennifer pouted, leaning back in her seat.

Just then, the lights slowly dimmed.

The orchestra on stage was ready, and the 52nd Academy Awards ceremony was finally about to begin.