America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 230, 229. What's wrong with being a little arrogant?

With the Best Sound Editing award, Transformers has finally achieved something, at least it didn't end up with a blank score.

There are even more unfortunate examples, such as "The Polar Expedition," which was only nominated for one award, making tonight's awards ceremony a complete waste of time.

As Harvey Weinstein watched the footage of Eric on the big screen, he felt a surge of anger rising within him.

During this period, he became angrier and angrier the more he thought about it, to the point that he was about to explode with anger.

Apart from "Kill Bill" making money, all the Christmas films were box office failures, with losses exceeding $100 million.

Although some losses can be recovered through copyright revenue later, the process is too long and it will take at least five or seven years to achieve.

In particular, "Polar Expedition" suffered huge losses. Even excluding the $1.5 million marketing cost, it still cost at least $1.2 million, even if it was inflated.

Ultimately, it only grossed less than $5000 million worldwide, and had to share the profits with theaters, resulting in a huge loss.

Mickey Mouse was very dissatisfied with this and began to doubt the Weinstein brothers' abilities; in fact, many people suggested replacing them.

Although the brothers are very powerful, controlling Miramax and The Monarch, their strength depends on who they are compared to; they are not even close to the Big Seven.

Once Mickey Mouse makes a decision, all that damn Hollywood emperor stuff will be packing their bags and getting out of here!

The person responsible for all this tragedy was Eric Cooper. Miramax began to decline after MGM rose to prominence.

Harvey Weinstein even resorted to desperate measures, secretly consulting a fortune teller to inquire whether Miramax's luck was being stolen by MGM because both companies started with the letter M.

But no matter how angry they were, there was nothing they could do. With MGM's relisting, that brat's power had multiplied several times over, and he had completely become a new Hollywood giant.

We can't afford to mess with them, we really can't afford to mess with them!

After the Best Sound Editing award, Julia Roberts, the big-mouthed beauty, took the stage to present the Best Sound Award, or more accurately, the Best Recording Award or the Best Mixing Award.

The two awards have very similar names and the nominees are also similar, which can easily confuse laymen, but there are still differences.

An easy-to-understand example is that a sound editor is similar to a composer, responsible for providing the score, while a mixing engineer is similar to a conductor, presenting the score.

The two components, the scale and the weight, are inseparable, cooperating and complementing each other.

These two awards are generally reserved for blockbusters such as science fiction and war films, but if there are outstanding realist films, they are usually given way.

For example, the original Transformers lost to The Bourne Identity, and Avatar lost to The Hurt Locker, all according to this rule.

As expected, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King beat Transformers, The Last Samurai, Seabiscuit, and Pirates of the Caribbean to win the Oscar.

"Eric, look, look! It's an Oscar trophy, a real Oscar statuette!"

Gal Gadot held the Best Sound Editing Oscar with great excitement, stroking it back and forth with both hands, looking at it from left to right like a serious scientist.

"Wow! It feels really heavy, it's not pure gold, is it?"

Eric looked speechless: "What kind of daydream are you having? This little golden statue weighs over 4 kilograms. If it's pure gold, do you want to bankrupt the academy?"

"Moreover, if it were truly pure gold, it would attract a lot of unnecessary trouble, such as thieves and robbers."

"I heard that this thing is made of alloy and just plated with gold. It's not actually worth much money; its main value is its prestige."

Gadot fiddled with it with a hint of envy: "I wonder when I'll get an Oscar. Do you think I have a chance?"

Eric couldn't answer that question. Gadot doesn't work behind the scenes or direct, so the only awards she could compete for were Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress.

But these two awards require exceptional acting skills, and she has a long way to go; it will be very difficult.

The only solution Eric could think of was to make an art film specifically to promote her, but even that was highly dependent on luck.

"Maybe, it will."

"You sound so unconfident. Actually, I'm open to the Golden Globe award, just like the Olsen sisters."

"Uh, the difficulty hasn't decreased much. How about the MTV and Teen Choice Awards?"

"That's too second-rate; I want something authoritative."

"It's not that there are no solutions. Can you accept playing a homosexual? Or a transgender person? These marginalized people are a plus, and the academy likes them the most."

"Homosexuality? Is there any other way? I have no experience."

"The Olsen sisters also had no experience, but they developed their talent under my tutelage. This is a shortcut; otherwise, you would need to go to school to study and build a solid foundation."

Gadot looked troubled: "I need to think about it carefully."

"Yes, this is one of the few methods I could think of, and it has been effective."

If Gal Gadot's lesbian side can be brought out, then all of Eric's women will have acted in films and television series with lesbian themes, which would be an unprecedented achievement.

When the night is quiet and everyone is sleeping together, it would be such a wonderful thing to let them comfort each other with their performances.

Eric was envisioning a bright future, and the Lord of the Rings soundtrack played repeatedly on stage. By this point, the film had won nine awards, including Best Makeup, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Every nominee was accepted; with Knights of Middle-earth participating, all other competitors were unfortunately defeated, and Transformers once again lost out on the Best Original Score award.

The voices thanking Peter Jackson and New Line were endless, and the bearded man, who had been a runner-up for two consecutive years, couldn't stop smiling all night.

Currently, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" still has two major awards left: Best Director and Best Picture. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it's almost certain to win them.

If it ultimately wins 11 awards, it will tie the record for the most awards in film history.

The films with the most awards to date are Titanic and Ben-Hur, with the former receiving 14 nominations and winning 11, and the latter receiving 12 nominations and winning 11.

Among them, "Ben-Hur" is still a representative work of MGM, which saved MGM from bankruptcy. Unfortunately, it was sold to Warner Bros.

Damn it! I'll definitely take them all back someday!

Fourteen nominations is already the most for an Oscar. Besides "Ben-Hur", there is also "All About Eve" from 1950. If we go back in time, there would also be "La La Land".

However, apart from "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," no other film has achieved a grand slam. It is the only film to have won every single nomination, a record that is unparalleled and will never be broken in the future.

With the Canadian French-language film "Savage Invasion" winning Best Foreign Language Film, the ultimate battle for the Oscars begins tonight.

Currently, there are four awards remaining: Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Film. Based on popularity, the Best Original Screenplay will be awarded first.

Renowned director Francisco Coppola and his daughter Sofia Coppola walked onto the stage together as award presenters.

Back in the day, Sofia Coppola was heavily criticized for her role in "The Godfather Part III," and later won numerous Razzie Awards, leading many to mock her for relying on her family's connections.

But who would have thought that she is now an incredibly creative and outstanding director, and has the right to stand alongside her father in presenting this award together, which can be seen as a form of recognition from the academy.

"Sofia, I've always hoped you would take over the family business."

A classic line from "The Godfather" by Francis Ford Coppola immediately drew laughter from the audience.

Sovia Coppola responded, "The father's experience is passed down to the next generation, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm not talking about The Godfather, I'm talking about Savage Invasion."

Hahahaha

Sofia Coppola continued, "An Irish family coming to America to start a new life, a thrilling story of human trafficking using hypnosis, a funny journey of a baby sea fish searching for its father, and the romance between two young girls."

The nominees for Best Original Screenplay are: Dennis Arkand for *Savage Invasion*; Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds for *Finding Nemo*; and Eric Cooper and Rey Whannell for *Get Out*.

"The New American Dream" starring Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan, and Kirstin Sheridan; Blues of Adele starring Eric Cooper.

MGM treated him the same way as the Golden Globe Awards; Eric received two nominations, making it another historic day.

The difference is that "Lost in Translation," which was considered to have an excellent script, did not receive this nomination. Although it still had two more nominations for Best Director and Best Picture, it was already over, and it was destined to go home empty-handed on this Oscar night.

On the big screen, footage of each nominee flashed by; some looked calm, some were expectant, some were slightly nervous, some smiled slightly, while Eric remained expressionless.

"Eric, aren't you nervous?" Ashley asked softly.

"What's there to be nervous about! Is it necessary? This award is 100% mine; it was destined the moment 'Lost in Translation' was eliminated."

"What if something unexpected happens? Finding Nemo is also very good, and the media is very enthusiastic about it."

"Impossible. Getting nominated for an animated film is already the highest praise. There is absolutely no hope of winning. The label of being suitable for all ages puts it at a disadvantage from the start. The Academy's judges don't like it. Even Shrek only got a nomination."

The result confirmed Eric's point of view. Francisco Pola opened the envelope and read aloud without any emotion: "The winner of Best Original Screenplay is Eric Cooper for Blues, Adele."

Splash!

*Clap clap clap*

Instantly, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Even disregarding the advantage of his status, this award was well-deserved and uncontroversial.

Eric tapped Ashley and Mary on the cheek, then hugged the others before walking onto the stage.

"Congratulations, young man, you deserve this trophy."

"Thanks!"

Francis handed the little golden statuette to Eric, and the two shook hands.

"Eric, your script was fantastic. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. Congratulations!"

Sofia Coppola gave Eric a hug and whispered her blessing in his ear.

"Thank you, I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate."

The father and daughter stepped aside, and Eric began his acceptance speech.

"This trophy is very meaningful; it's my first Oscar. I'm grateful to the Academy for this honor."

"Thank you Ashley and Mary for their wonderful performances, Andrea, my assistant director, for her hard work, Neill Blomkamp, ​​my assistant, for her great efforts, and everyone in the crew. Without your hard work, even the best script could not have been brought to the big screen."

"I also want to thank my parents and family. Thank you for your silent support. You deserve credit for this as well."

Generally speaking, after thanking everyone, it's about time to leave the stage.

But after glancing down at the trophy in his hand, Eric suddenly didn't want to be modest anymore. Was it really necessary?

A year ago, he wanted to thank the college for its generosity, but it won't be long before, maybe two or three years, at most five years.

The Oscars would be honored to have him in attendance, so he should be a little arrogant—I have the right to be!

Under the gaze of thousands, Eric raised the Oscar statuette high: "I made history, don't you agree?"

There was a moment of silence, followed by a sudden burst of thunderous applause and shouts.

A handsome, capable, and talented person like him is more likely to be arrogant, which suits his youthful spirit and makes him even more popular, especially among women.

As Sofia stepped off the stage with Coppola and his daughter, her eyes lingered on him: "Eric, I suddenly realize you've become even more handsome. If it weren't for the 11-year age gap and my existing boyfriend, I'd really like to give you a try."

Eric smiled to himself, thinking that 11 years old wasn't that old, and the age difference between him and Nico was even greater. If they really hit it off, it wouldn't be a problem. The key was whether they would hit it off.

After exchanging a few words with her, the two returned to their respective seats.

This time, the Olsen twins didn't win the Oscar, because the Best Actress award was also being presented.

Last year's Best Actor winner, Adrien Brody, walked to the center and first made a small joke: "Don't worry, the Academy has banned me this time; I won't kiss anyone."

"Among this year's nominees, there are two familiar faces and four new faces. They are all very good actresses who have made outstanding contributions."

"The nominees for Best Actress at the Oscars are Diane Keaton for 'Love Is Compromise', Samantha Morton for 'The New American Dream', Charlize Theron for 'Monster', Naomi Watts for '21 Grams', and Ashley Olsen and Mary Olsen for 'Blue Is the Warmest Color'."

On the big screen, clips from five movies began to play in turn, eventually being divided into six equal parts, with each nominee occupying a section.

Diane Keaton, the most senior member, remained calm and composed, but that was merely a facade to conceal her inner excitement.

The other five people's nervousness was written all over their faces; they couldn't hide it.

Adrien Brody picked up the envelope to open it, but then suddenly pulled out a mouth spray from his pocket and sprayed it into his mouth a few times.

Hahahaha

He then cracked a little joke before opening the envelope and announcing, "The winner of Best Actress is..."

(End of this chapter)