America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 418 The Conflict Between the Face Gang and the Foot Gang

On one side of the red carpet, Martin, holding a pen, quickly signed the poster that was handed to him. Rachel's fan team was well prepared and even took out a Western-style GG poster featuring the cult leader and the saintess, and handed it to Elizabeth for her to sign as well.

This made Elizabeth feel very involved, and her smile was so sweet it touched everyone's hearts.

Security guards came over to urge him on, and Martin reached out his hand. Bruce, who was standing to the side, took out two cans of Coke and handed them to him.

Martin handed Elizabeth a can, opened it, and raised a glass to the area where the Cult of Coca-Cola was gathered.

Elizabeth quickly followed, shouting, "Cola Cult Forever!"

Hundreds of people in red T-shirts simultaneously held up cans of Coca-Cola and chanted in unison, "Cola Cult Forever!"

Their presence was so overwhelming that it stole the show from everyone else.

Martin and Elizabeth drank a little Coke, leaving the rest to Bruce, and then returned hand in hand to the red carpet.

Elizabeth was very excited, her fair cheeks flushed, and she said, "Am I a good saintess?"

Martin gave her a thumbs up: "Very good."

Elizabeth suddenly asked, "How many saintesses does the Cult of Cola have?"

Martin seemed quite frank, casually saying, "Strictly speaking, there are only two."

One is Elena, and the other is Elizabeth.

Elizabeth didn't say anything more and followed Martin into the interview area, where Regis Philbin, who was hosting the red carpet ceremony, immediately came to greet her.

"Is this your girlfriend, Martin?" he asked.

Martin lifted Elizabeth's tightly clasped hands: "It's obvious."

Philbin laughed and said, "You two are a perfect match."

Elizabeth replied, "Thank you."

Philbin then asked Martin, "Are you confident you can take home the Best Actor Oscar today?"

"Of course I want to take it, I'd be willing to age ten years for it." Martin half-jokingly expressed his emphasis on the Oscars, then added with appropriate humility, "Most of the nominees are my seniors, and they are all outstanding actors. It is a great honor for me to be nominated alongside them."

Seeing that it was almost time, Philbin said, "I wish you a speedy Oscar win."

Martin pulled Elizabeth into the Kodak Theatre.

In the distance, he spotted Daniel Day-Lewis and Scott Rudin.

The latter is also an Oscar public relations master, and even the Weinstein brothers' brilliant record at the Oscars before 2003 was partly due to him.

But he eventually broke with the Weinstein brothers and even became the new head of Miramax after the Weinstein brothers were kicked out of Miramax by Disney.

Rudin served as the lead producer for both of this year's two hottest Oscar contenders, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood.

Martin and Elizabeth went straight into the hall and quickly found the location of the "The Reader" crew.

Kate and her husband Sam Mendes have already come in.

Leonardo DiCaprio was sitting in the same row as them.

The latter greeted Elizabeth and then deliberately irritated Martin: "Good evening, runner-up."

Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh. She had carefully studied the people around Martin, and it seemed that apart from Old Brooks, Menezes, and Thomas, the people he was closest to were Leonardo and Nicholson.

Martin retorted without hesitation: "I don't talk to men who run 100 meters in 11 seconds... oh wait, it's 100 meters in 15 seconds now."

Leonardo gave Martin the middle finger: "Keep mocking me, your fate of being a runner-up has only just begun."

Martin nodded: "Unlike you, you've been a runner-up for ten years and still have no end in sight."

Elizabeth, looking exasperated, asked Kate on her right, "Are they always like this?"

"Otherwise, why would we call them the Trio of Bastards?" Kate ignored the two idiots.

Nicholson then approached, arms outstretched, as if he were the king of the world: "The true king of the Oscars has arrived!"

Martin immediately turned his gun on the target: "This guy's gone mad."

Leonardo DiCaprio agreed: "Having won an Oscar makes you crazy."

"Haha... I have three Oscars, and the two of you combined..." Nicholson beckoned with his finger, making a large circle that was almost imprinted on Martin and Leonardo's faces: "The number of Oscars is zero!"

Martin and Leonardo were stunned and speechless for a moment.

This is the Oscars ceremony, where the golden statuettes are king.

Elizabeth, worried that Martin might be discouraged, leaned close and whispered in his ear, "I have faith in you. I believe you'll win an Oscar soon."

Seeing the sweet smile on her face, Martin's spirit, which had been battered by the old bastard, was instantly healed. He couldn't help but gently pat Elizabeth's hand: "I'll definitely get it before Leo."

Just behind that row came four people: Harvey and his wife Georgina, and the Affleck brothers.

Georgina patted Martin's chair, and when he turned around, she greeted Martin, Kate, and the others one by one.

Harvey shook hands with Martin and said, "I didn't expect you to get a Best Actor nomination so quickly."

This means that his most promising method of seducing Martin was not very effective.

When it comes to the commercial appeal of films, The Weinstein Company's films can't even come close to Martin Scorsese's.

Martin smiled and said, "I was lucky."

Harvey then highlighted Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck beside him, saying, "Ben is a director now, and if there's a suitable project, you two could collaborate."

He then turned and spoke to Sam Mendes.

Because of his close friend Matt Damon, Ben Affleck had a very bad impression of Martin Scorsese, and spoke with emotion: "I'm just a small director, I can't afford a big star like you, Martin Scorsese."

The words sounded like a compliment, but as a renowned figure in the world of yin and yang, Martin could easily discern the hidden meaning behind them, and he specifically retorted: "The project is suitable, and the salary meets my requirements, so I can consider it."

Casey Affleck, sporting a large beard, was displeased: "When Ben was getting superstar paychecks, you were probably nowhere to be found."

"Really?" Leonardo was never afraid of trouble, only of trouble that wasn't big enough. "Looks like the three of us aren't quite up to the task."

Seeing that there was going to be some fun, Nicholson wasn't going to miss out. Besides, the leader of the trio of bastards was always bold and aggressive, and he used his seniority to his advantage: "Hey, you little brat from the Foot Gang, who are you?"

Harvey would have a headache dealing with the unambitious Nicholson.

Big Ben quickly said, "We didn't mean anything by it, and we certainly didn't mean any disrespect."

Martin glanced at Cassie: "Don't stir up trouble. The face gang and the foot gang are like well water and river water, they have nothing to do with each other."

Cassie remained silent, her face grim.

Harvey overheard the rest of the conversation, ended his talk with Sam Mendes, turned around, and said, "What face gang and foot gang? We're all friends in the industry."

Georgina glanced over there and shook her head inwardly.

In fact, she disliked several people around Harvey, especially Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

How could Harvey's actions be completely kept from her? Her service brand needs celebrity promotion, so she can only keep it under wraps.

Georgina had heard the rumors that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had been accomplices to her husband.

The three core members of the Face Gang turned around and sat back down in their seats.

Harvey and the Affleck brothers also sat down.

Only Kate and Georgina remained, whispering to each other across their seats.

Harvey glanced at Martin in the front row and didn't bring up the invitation rashly.

At the Oscars, Martin Scorsese has already garnered nominations for both Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor.

Commercially, The Weinstein Company has not been able to compete with Louise Mayer's Pacific Films in recent years.

Wanting to intimidate others, Martin is a member of the trio of bastards, with the ruthless Nicholson standing behind him.

Harvey had a headache; this was a tough situation.

Casey Affleck, standing nearby, looked dejected and muttered, "They look down on us brothers."

Ben was silent for a moment: "We haven't been doing well these past two years."

Casey said, "Your directorial debut, 'Lost Baby,' received rave reviews. You're sure to turn things around once you find the right script and project."

Ben nodded. He had reached a dead end in his acting career and couldn't turn things around for a long time, so he had no choice but to choose the path of directing. Unexpectedly, his first film was a success.

Cassie glanced at Harvey, noticing his attention was elsewhere, and said, "We, along with Matt, have done so much for Harvey; he has to mentor us."

"He's doing it." Big Ben glanced at the three people in front of him and emphasized, "The trio of bastards have no direct conflict of interest with us, so don't mess with them."

Cassie nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. He couldn't afford to offend either Nicholson or Leon Andor.

From the front row, Elizabeth asked, "Do you have a conflict with them?"

Martin roughly stated, "The Face Gang and the Foot Gang have had several clashes."

He then explained the origins of the face and foot.

Elizabeth blinked her beautiful eyes: "I can help you wash your face too."

Before Martin could speak, Leonardo pulled him aside: "The Foot Clan seems to want to challenge us."

Nicholson asked, "Go after them?"

I feel restless if I don't cause trouble for a day.

Martin thought for a moment: "The timing isn't right. They have the Weinstein brothers behind them. Let's not act rashly."

Nicholson added, "That dejected kid isn't any good. You two be careful." He pondered, "Face vs. feet, I need to think of a way."

Elizabeth heard all of this and suddenly realized how colorful Martin's life was.

In another row of seats, Saoirse Ronan, from the "Atonement" cast, took out her phone and sent a text message: "Teacher, look to your left."

Martin took out his vibrating phone, glanced at it, and looked to his left.

Saoirse Ronan waved at him, then sent a text message: "Looks like you guys had a falling out with those jerks in the back row. Should I go take some pictures of them?"

Martin Chong gestured downwards.

Saoirse calmed down and stopped sending text messages.

Elizabeth also saw her; the two had crossed paths on the set of "Benjamin" and couldn't help but remark, "Saoirse actually got a Best Supporting Actress nomination."

Martin gestured to the stage, and Elizabeth said no more.

The music started, the stage lights came on, and the awards ceremony began.

Even Leonardo DiCaprio, the perennial runner-up, has become serious.

Requesting monthly votes at midnight

(End of this chapter)