America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 904 Best Director

From before Christmas until after New Year's Day 2017, Martin stayed in Atlanta on vacation, even entrusting Lily to fill out the Oscar ballots sent by the Academy.

At the headquarters of the Cola Cult, Martin handed a box to Robert.

"Is there another Oscar statuette inside?" Robert asked.

Martin said, "I'm borrowing David Fincher's Oscar for Best Director for now. I'll return it after this year's Oscars."

Robert understood: "Don't worry, security here is very strong."

Martin nodded: "Get the ceremony done as soon as possible."

Robert picked up the little golden statuette and went upstairs to carry out his Coca-Cola ritual.

"Let's go." Martin pulled Elena away.

Elena put her hands in her trench coat pockets and asked, "Are you planning to compete for Best Director?"

"We've done a lot of preparation, so we have to give it a try." Stepping outside, Martin opened the passenger door for Elena, then moved to the driver's seat, got in, and said, "No one has ever won both Best Actor and Best Director at the Oscars before. Let's see if we can snatch this special record."

Elena, not quite understanding Oscar-related matters, instead asked, "Where do we go next?"

Martin said, "I have a surprise in mind."

Elena shrugged slightly.

Martin started the car and left Peachtree Street, soon arriving at Atlanta's famous affluent residential area.

Bruce was waiting in front of one of the detached mansions.

Upon seeing Martin's car approach, he waved and opened the electronic gate.

Martin drove straight in, through the tree-shaded front yard, to a British-style villa that Elena had particularly loved when she was young.

This mansion, including the yard, covers an area of ​​over 3 acres and is quite valuable.

Martin got out of the car, waited for Bruce to come over, took the file bag from his hand, and handed it to Elena: "When we lived in Marietta, we dreamed of one day moving into a Victorian mansion like this."

He pointed to the file folder: "Take a look around. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, contact the construction company inside. They can adjust it according to your feedback."

Elena had no intention of ending things with Martin, so she didn't stand on ceremony with him: "The house is nice, I'll take it."

She walked towards the villa: "It's quiet and spacious here, and it's also very private. It's a good place for you to stay when you go back to Atlanta."

Martin pulled her into the villa.

The two looked around and discussed how to adjust the arrangement.

With the New Year holiday over, Los Angeles is bustling again as the annual awards season reaches its most intense phase.

A well-dressed agent and a stylish public relations manager frequent Burbank and Beverly Hills.

Davis Studios, Warner Bros., along with Martin's sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Briony, Cadillac, and Cartier, have invested a total of tens of millions of dollars in public relations and publicity.

This is firmly in first place among all Hollywood award-winning films.

Second on the list is "The Revenant," starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Two wealthy and well-funded individuals, whose films are of absolutely top quality, dominate the awards season with their financial power.

When it comes to winning an Oscar, the more prepared you are, the greater your chances of winning.

Martin's popularity remains consistently high.

In the media, you can see advertorials praising Martin everywhere.

According to feedback from the public relations team, most of the judges had not seen "Joker," and the sample film sent to them was just a formality.

Directors who are busy with work are all very busy people; who has time to watch a movie that has no financial interests involved?

The focus of all media promotion and marketing was to let the judges for Best Director know that Martin Scorsese directed a critically acclaimed film, Joker, and that it was being praised by Hollywood industry peers and film critics.

Martin also returned to Los Angeles from Atlanta and has been frequently appearing at various events.

Campaigning for votes is the job of public relations managers; his job is simply to maintain sufficient exposure.

The most attention-grabbing publicity during awards season comes from a series of preliminary awards.

Therefore, there have been very few Oscar upsets in the last twenty years, because the winners of the preliminary awards are basically the Oscar winners.

Since their inception, the results of various union awards have overlapped with those of the corresponding Oscar awards by more than 95%.

In his bid for an Oscar, Martin Scorsese attended the Golden Globes in mid-January, where "Joker" won Best Director and Best Motion Picture – Drama.

Leonardo DiCaprio easily took home the Best Actor in a Drama award.

Joker has maintained a high level of publicity and marketing, which may provoke some people's resistance, but it also makes it easier for the judges to recognize the film.

Martin has used virtually every legitimate means to increase his exposure.

Briony has launched a custom-made suit inspired by the Joker.

Even before the release of "Joker," Coca-Cola bottles featuring the Joker design maintained high sales.

The Cadillac Joker-themed vintage car, modeled after the one featured in the movie, has also sold well.

Cartier also has commemorative watch editions available for sale.

Just before the Oscar nominations were announced, Martin walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame and had his own star engraved on it.

The subsequent Oscar nominations for "Joker" garnered a total of eight nominations, including Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.

This is also the film with the most nominations at the 89th Academy Awards.

In Davis Studio, a group of people gathered in the conference room.

Thomas said, "As we predicted, the nominees for Best Director are Mel Gibson, Denzel Washington, Kenneth Lonergan, and Stephen Frears."

The latter is the director of "Florence Fever".

"The most aggressive PR teams are Mel Gibson and Denzel Washington, both of whose productions have invested millions of dollars," said PR manager Martha Kennett.

The latter two, not to mention the necessary funding for the awards, are several levels below Martin in terms of influence within the academy.

Martin pondered for a moment, then said, "The next phase of voting will begin soon. Let's shift our focus slightly and mobilize our resources to encourage the media to publish more about Mel Gibson's past. Also, we should emphasize last year's 'Moonlight' mix-up."

Everyone understood what it referred to.

Mel Gibson spoke some truths back then, and the squids broke down their defenses. Given the squids' behavior, they wouldn't vote for him just thinking about that incident.

The Moonlight mix-up last year sparked huge controversy and also calmed the unrest surrounding Black people and diversity.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the chances of a Black person winning any of the four major awards this year are zero.

Since late January, entertainment media outlets have been prominently featuring references to Mel Gibson's past actions.

There are far too many "squid" in Hollywood, and even more so in the directing industry.

The related news in the media undoubtedly reminded these people of what Mel Gibson had done.

They are unlikely to vote for Mel Gibson.

As for the first choice in the vote, without having seen the movie, I naturally chose "Joker" and Martin Scorsese, which I often see in the media, hear others mention, and are the most popular.

Joker was already a highly anticipated film, and it was pulled from theaters across North America in mid-February, leaving its North American box office at $5.48 million.

It is still showing overseas and continues to generate box office revenue, with a cumulative global box office of US$12.88 billion.

Joker became the highest-grossing film in North America and worldwide in 2016, and the only film to gross over $5 million in North America.

People magazine released a special cover issue of Joker ahead of the Oscars.

The film lauded Martin Davis's "Joker" as "one of the best Hollywood films ever made in terms of commercial appeal, social realism, and artistic depth!"

On the last weekend of February 2017, the 89th Academy Awards ceremony was held on time at the Dolby Theatre.

This time, the trio of bastards walked the Oscars red carpet together.

The media interviews are always the same every year. Martin declined the interview and called out to Leonardo and Nicholson, leading them straight into the theater.

The three of them were still seated together.

The Joker crew and the Revenant crew were seated in the same area and in the same row.

People around kept coming over to say hello.

At the three major guild awards previously announced, Martin Scorsese won the Directors Guild Award for Best Director, Leonardo DiCaprio won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor, and Joker beat out a host of competitors to win multiple guild awards for Best Picture.

Martin had a very stable mindset, and he did all the work in advance, so he was able to win the award in a fair and square manner at the awards ceremony.

Leonardo wasn't too nervous, after all, he already had an Oscar in hand.

Nicholson looked at Martin: "You bastard, you won your fourth Oscar tonight, tying with Katharine Hepburn. You're still so young, you're going to break records in the future."

Martin quickly stopped him: "Don't say that, we don't know the outcome yet."

Leonardo is a big believer in Martin: "The game isn't over yet, so we absolutely can't celebrate prematurely."

Nicholson simply shut his mouth.

As the music began, the awards ceremony commenced.

…………

In Beverly Hills, Lily is directing the fireworks company staff to place fireworks launchers on the front lawn.

Elizabeth strode out of the villa and called out to her, "The awards ceremony has begun."

Lily turned around, smiled, and said, "No rush, there are still several hours until Martin's award."

Elizabeth waited by the door for a while, and then Lily hurried back.

The two walked into the living room hand in hand, just as the live TV camera turned to Martin.

In a close-up shot, Martin is clapping enthusiastically; Joker has won the first Oscar of the night—Best Editing!

Lily said, "Only the first one?"

"Best Editing is in the bag," Elizabeth said specifically. "If we win Best Screenplay or Best Cinematography next, Best Picture will be a sure thing."

The next award was for Best Cinematography, and Joker won again.

Elizabeth and Lily high-fived in celebration.

They weren't worried at all about whether Martin would get the award he wanted; the Directors Guild Awards, with an overlap rate of nearly 99%, already foreshadowed the outcome.

Conversely, the Best Film award, which can be voted on by all Academy members, may be subject to change.

…………

Malibu, Menez's new home.

Celine Dion stood at the kitchen exit and said to the maid, "Bring over the fruit platter and the wine, nothing too strong, and quickly."

The maid quickly agreed.

Celine Dion returned to the living room and greeted the women brought by Chad, Marcus, Chen Hu, and others.

The servant brought over wine and a fruit platter.

Suddenly, Menez shouted, "Another key award!"

Chad, Marcus, and Chen Hu also stood up and applauded.

Marcus also shouted, "That bastard Bradley won an Oscar! He'll have to treat us tomorrow!"

Chen Hu asked, "Why not today?"

Menez poured drinks for the group, saying, "We're going to Martin's to celebrate after the awards ceremony!"

"Shh—" Chad raised his finger.

Everyone else understood what was going on and stopped talking about it.

The women also turned to look at the television. It turned out that Brad Pitt, the screenwriter of "Joker," had won the Best Screenplay Award!

…………

Elena, who had just moved to a new house in Atlanta, also sat in front of the television.

Hall, wearing a baseball cap, paced back and forth, spinning a baseball in his hand.

Harris protested, "Can't you sit down?"

"My trainer doesn't let me sit for long periods and makes me keep myself moving." Hall, now an MLB superstar, has just recovered from a minor injury.

Hearing the words coming from the live television broadcast, Elena shouted, "You two idiots, shut up! The awards ceremony is about to begin."

Although Hall and Harris had grown up, their sister's authority and domineering presence remained, so the two quickly shut up and turned their attention to the television.

Hall muttered, "Things have changed this year. The Best Director award has been moved before the Best Actor and Actress awards."

Harris, who had spent some time in Hollywood working with Martin, remarked, "Is this the Academy's reform of Hollywood? Just changing the order of the awards..."

Elena's gaze swept over, and the chaotic sounds immediately ceased.

…………

At the Dolby Theatre, award presenter Tom Cruise took to the stage.

Leonardo said in a low voice, "Don't be nervous. You're still young. Even if you were upset, you can always come back next time."

Martin's voice was equally low: "Even if I lose, you still have fewer Oscars than me."

Leonardo's lips twitched, and he didn't want to say anything.

Nicholson shook his head: "Why are you provoking him? You were clearly the worst at the Oscars."

Leonardo vowed that he would never sit next to those two bastards at the next awards ceremony.

Not far away, Denzel Washington still had some hope. He turned his hand over and looked at the dark back of his hand, feeling that he still had some advantage.

Mel Gibson took it all in stride, knowing the squid wouldn't let him win an award.

One day, he will write a script and make a movie to expose the true nature of the squid and slaughter them all.

Tom Cruise introduced the five nominated directors one by one, then looked down at the envelope and said with a smile, "This time there's no mistake, it says Best Director."

He flipped the envelope over, letting the main camera show the caption on it, before taking out the card. He glanced at it and said, "The Best Director award goes to Martin Davis, director of 'Joker'!"

As was expected and without any suspense, like most Oscar awards, the guild award winner is the corresponding Oscar winner.

Applause erupted, exceptionally enthusiastic.

Martin stood up, hugged Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicholson, and strode toward the stage.

Beverly Hills, Davis Estate.

"We won! We won!"

Lily first hugged Elizabeth in celebration, then rushed out of the villa, shouting towards the lawn, "Fireworks! Now!"

With a series of loud bangs, countless fireworks exploded above Beverly Hills.

Inside the Malibu mansion, Menez had already opened the prepared champagne, pouring a glass for each person, and said, "Congratulations to Martin on his award, and best wishes for a huge success for our new film!"

Chad, Marcus, Chen Hu, and other women, including Celine Dion, raised their glasses in celebration.

In the Atlanta mansion, upon hearing Martin's name, Hall excitedly threw the baseball in his hand, which hit a window and shattered.

Harris said, "Your way of celebrating is really unique."

"This is the last time!" Elena's face was full of happy smiles, ignoring Hall's broken glass.

Hall said, "I'm so happy Martin won the award, I'll have someone come and change it tomorrow."

Harris glanced at the window; the sky was flashing with light. "Fireworks," he said.

Hall and Elena both looked in that direction, and the latter said, "It must have been placed in the direction of the Cola Cult headquarters by Robert and his group."

…………

Meanwhile, inside the Dolby Theatre.

A deafening roar came from the audience seats at the back.

It turned out that countless ordinary viewers spontaneously stood up and applauded.

A surge of people rushed towards the media and guest seats, and even more people stood up.

The entire audience stood up and applauded!

Martin walked onto the stage, took the Oscar from Tom Cruise, and nodded: "Thank you."

Tom Cruise immediately stepped aside.

"Thank you to the Academy, thank you to the judges for their recognition." Martin started with a standard greeting, then quickened his pace: "I'm a new director, and I encountered all sorts of difficulties while making the film. Many people helped me; Nolan and David Fincher were the best teachers, Steve Downton was the best assistant, and Lois, you relieved my worries... I want to thank them, thank every member of the Joker crew, thank my company, agent, and PR team, and thank everyone I've met in my life!"

It was almost time, and he looked at where his two old buddies were: "Jack, I won't thank you, because you always like to put me down. Leo, good luck."

The camera immediately switched to that position.

Martin went backstage but didn't leave. Instead, he stood at the backstage entrance, waiting for the other award results.

Brie Larson walked onto the stage with the envelope to present the Best Actor award.

The Joker production team did not apply for this award.

There were no upsets either. Leonardo DiCaprio, who swept the preliminary awards and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor, won Best Actor for "The Revenant".

Leonardo DiCaprio entered backstage carrying his Oscar statuette and immediately spotted Martin. He rushed over and bumped fists with him.

The two bumped fists, then hugged and congratulated each other.

Martin said, "There's one more award; let's see who wins it."

Leonardo said, "The loser is going to throw the biggest party ever this year."

Martin replied, "No problem."

Clint Eastwood then accepted the Best Picture envelope. Not wanting to embarrass himself at his age, the old man repeatedly asked the director and the PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant to confirm, "Are you sure you didn't get the wrong envelope?"

The accountant repeatedly assured him, "Absolutely not, we've checked three times."

Upon hearing the music and sounds from the stage, the director quickly sent people up on stage.

Clint Eastwood strode onto the stage, and after a series of routine procedures, announced the final award of the night: "Best Picture goes to Joker!"

Leonardo bumped fists with Martin and said, "Congratulations, buddy."

Martin smiled and said, "You can come again next year."

People around him offered their congratulations.

In the guest section, Louise gathered the main cast and crew members and walked onto the stage together to accept the award.

The Best Picture award belongs to the entire production team.

Martin came out from backstage, joined the crew, and together with Louise, received the Oscar from Eastwood.

After winning Best Director, Joker also won Best Picture, making it the biggest winner at this year's Oscars!

(End of this chapter)