America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 85. On the Red Carpet

Outside the Kodak Theatre, although no celebrities had arrived yet, the atmosphere was already building.

In addition to the media reporters who were blocked on both sides of the red carpet, the organizing committee also had off-site hosts and deputy hosts.

Unlike the hosts who are responsible for presenting awards on stage at the actual gala, these two positions are mainly responsible for off-stage interviews. After all, how can the ratings be boosted if celebrities simply walk the red carpet without saying a word or making a joke?

It's certainly not appropriate to have excessive entertainment during wartime, but since the ceremony has already been held, it can't be too dull. Not every audience member cares about the war; many just want to see their favorite stars.

The assistant host also has the responsibility of stepping in when the host is temporarily unable to appear, which is like an extra layer of insurance.

As a stretched Ford sedan arrived, the door opened, revealing the cast and crew of "Adaptation," which garnered four nominations at this awards ceremony.

Although the number is not large, they are all prestigious awards.

The awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actor are all well-deserved.

Director Spike Jonze got out of the car first, then opened the door, and Meryl Streep, dressed elegantly, helped him out of the car.

Nicolas Cage and Chris Cooper then got out of the car. All four of them were dressed in black suits and tuxedos, with anti-war brooches in the style of Picasso's dove of peace, which made them look very solemn.

Reporters immediately started snapping photos, and within just a few tens of minutes, the first news story would be circulating online.

It's a pity that the Kodak Theatre has limited seating, making it impossible to invite every actor from every production. Therefore, Tilda Swinton, who played Gabriel in Constantine and the Ancient One in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was not invited, even though she also starred in the film.

After the "Adaptation" crew arrived at the Kodak Theatre, it was as if the water was boiling and dumplings were about to be cooked, with one crew after another and one vehicle after another arriving.

The cast and crew of "The Pianist" arrived, and the film garnered seven nominations, including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Director.

But only three people got out of the car: Adrian Brody, Ronald Harwood, and Pavel Edelman.

This production team is undoubtedly the most controversial, with the key point of contention being director Roman Polanski.

Looking at Roman Polanski's resume, everyone must acknowledge that he is a master of film, but his works do not equate to his character.

In 1978, Roman Polanski was charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, and Polanski admitted to the crime.

But when he learned that he was facing at least 50 years in prison, he decisively fled to France.

This incident caused a huge uproar and brought the film master down from his pedestal, turning him into a shameless scoundrel despised by everyone.

Therefore, he would be unable to attend the Oscars at all; if he dared to set foot in the United States, he would be arrested immediately.

The cast and crew of "The Pianist" were aware of the situation, so they answered questions very cautiously, mostly just smiling and waving to both sides before quickly walking into the theater.

Following closely behind, cast members from films such as "The Hours," "About Schmidt," "Chicago," "Gangs of New York," "Road to Perdition," and "The Lord of the Rings" arrived one after another. In addition, many judges also received invitations, including executives from major film and television companies like Eric.

This year's red carpet was already quite short, and when a bunch of people walked on it, the scene became a bit crowded.

"Hey Toby, look here, Toby!"

"Could you smile?"

Although Spider-Man only received two technical award nominations, its explosive box office success undoubtedly made Tobey Maguire a new generation of top heartthrob.

So when he appeared, the media naturally snapped photos.

After responding to reporters for a while, just as Tobey Maguire felt his smile was getting a little stiff and wanted to change his posture, someone suddenly covered his eyes from behind.

He wasn't flustered at all; this was a common red carpet joke, something organizers and the media loved.

"Guess who I am?"

"James Franco, is that you?"

"No, guess again."

Tobey Maguire suddenly realized that James Franco hadn't been invited, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Elijah Wood, it must be you, I can recognize your voice."

My eyes lit up – it was Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in The Lord of the Rings.

Behind him were Peter Jackson with a big beard, Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, and screenwriter Fran Welsh.

Fran Welsh was also Peter Jackson's wife.

Otherwise, you might think that since "The Lord of the Rings" wasn't nominated for Best Screenplay, why was this lady able to attend? Of course, it's because she has her husband, Big Beard, protecting her.

"Toby, where's Sam Raimi? I don't see him."

"Director Sam said he wants to stay home with his family, so he doesn't plan to attend."

Peter Jackson laughed and said, "I think he's worried about embarrassing himself. After all, he only got nominations for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. He's definitely worried about losing to me."

"And is spending time with family a valid reason? Look at me, Sam could easily bring his wife along."

What could Tobey Maguire say about this? He couldn't say anything. Both sides were big directors, and saying the wrong thing could offend people.

Fortunately, Kirsten Dunst, who played Mary Jane in Spider-Man, walked over at that moment.

Her burgundy hair and meticulously applied makeup made her look much prettier than in the movie.

"What are you talking about, Toby? I see everyone laughing happily. Hello, Director Jackson, it's so lucky to have The Lord of the Rings at the Oscars. I absolutely love this series."

Kirsten Dunst took the initiative to greet him, and her high emotional intelligence was evident in just a few words.

Tobey Maguire quickly gave her the middle seat and whispered in her ear, "Thank you, you saved me."

Kirsten Dunst replied, "To repay the favor of saving me on the big screen."

On the other side, the off-site host had just finished interviewing Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones from the "Chicago" cast. When they saw the "Lord of the Rings" cast and the "Spider-Man" cast meet, they hurried over.

While "Chicago" was also very good, its box office performance was far inferior to these two. High box office revenue indicates popularity with audiences, and audience popularity translates to high viewership ratings.

"Standing before us now are Tobey Maguire and Elijah Wood. Well, I think you all know these guys even without introductions."

Everyone immediately smiled and responded.

The host first pointed the microphone at Kirsten Dunst.

"Dunster, you look beautiful today! Whose clothes are these?"

Kirsten immediately defended the brand, saying, "The clothes and shoes are both designed by Saint Laurent."

"Wow, it's really beautiful. Seeing you makes me want to own a Saint Laurent piece too. Now, let me ask you, what's the thing you care about most tonight?"

Kirsten Dunst looked up at the sky, intending to say something about the war, but remembering the organizing committee's instructions to avoid discussing war and politics, he quickly dismissed the idea.

"I think it was a trip. You know, female celebrities' dresses often have long trains, but we can't be careful all the time. If we're not careful, we can fall and embarrass ourselves. I think this is something that all female celebrities care about."

Tobey Maguire immediately leaned closer: "If you need, I can hold up your skirt for you."

With two technical awards nominated, Spider-Man can't really talk about awards or war, so let's just talk about some fun things on the red carpet.

The host then turned the microphone to Peter Jackson and asked, "Director Jackson, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Kings' has received six nominations this time. How many do you think it will win?"

Peter Jackson glanced at his wife beside him.

Fran Welsh immediately said in an innocent tone, "Don't look at me, say what you want to say. This is the Oscars, not Beverly Hills."

Her playful tone seemed to imply that Peter Jackson was henpecked, which immediately drew chuckles from those around her.

Peter Jackson scratched his beard and put on a serious expression.

"Okay, let me think. To be honest, I really want Best Picture, that award is very prestigious, but Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Pianist, and Chicago are all excellent, they're all too strong."

"Martin Scorsese and Roman Polanski are my predecessors, while Stephen Daldry and Rob Marshall are my juniors."

"I'm caught in the middle, but you know I like being sandwiched between women, but men are a different story."

At this point, his previously serious expression crumbled, and he burst into laughter.

Tobey Maguire, Elijah Wood, and others were somewhat surprised that someone would dare to make such a lewd joke at this year's Oscars.

However, recalling that last year's host, Whoopi Goldberg, opened the show with the line, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this town where sexual lies are made," they couldn't help but feel relieved.

If we go back a few years, at the 1999 Oscars, the organizers even made fun of Clinton and Lewinsky's sex scandal, which was really something else.

However, experienced people should only make these kinds of dirty jokes. Newcomers with insufficient reputation should avoid making such jokes, otherwise they may attract criticism.

Furthermore, this year's awards ceremony was pre-recorded by ABC, so if anyone felt it was inappropriate, they could simply cut it out of the broadcast; there are remedial measures in place.

Peter Jackson's dirty jokes made the host laugh out loud, but he quickly realized it was inappropriate and was about to change the subject when the bearded man suddenly pointed ahead.

"Excuse me, a familiar little guy has arrived, I need to go say hello."

After saying that, he ignored the host, strode through the crowd, and put his arm around the other person's shoulder from behind.

On the red carpet, Eric was chatting with Anthony Hopkins when he suddenly felt a weight on his back. He turned around and saw Peter Jackson, the fat guy.

He knew the other person had a quirky personality, and the two had drunk quite a bit together in private, and done things that men are supposed to do.

For example, when playing games together, anyone with impure thoughts should go stand in the corner and reflect on their actions.

"You scared me, Peter! How do you manage to walk with 200 pounds without making a sound?"

"I speak very loudly, you can tell by how they all avoid me, it's just that your attention is drawn to Anthony."

He then looked at the old man and said, "Dr. Hannibal, it seems your rhetoric works not only on the big screen, but also in real life."

Anthony Hopkins smiled slightly. As a veteran British actor, he rarely laughed heartily; when he was happy, he would only smile, always mindful of his demeanor.

"Eric, you guys talk. There are too many people here, and I'm starting to feel short of breath. I need to go inside and find my seat."

As a little joke, Anthony Hopkins walked down the red carpet into the theater.

"The red carpet was so quiet this year. I couldn't hear the screams of the fans. It felt like something was missing," Peter Jackson complained.

"Yeah, not only are there no audiences, but even the female celebrities are paying more attention to their appearance, and their clothes are much more conservative," Eric muttered in unison.

"Hmph! In my opinion, Hollywood should just focus on making movies and ignore all this mess. Getting too involved in politics will only ruin this place."

"I agree with that, but there's nothing we can do. Hollywood is a major stronghold for the Democratic Party, and Americans have always been politically conscious. Isn't that the case in New Zealand too?"

"Anyway, I had never encountered a situation where I was forced to speak out before coming to the United States, perhaps because New Zealand is a small country."

The two whispered to each other, their conversation deliberately kept from being captured by the media—a much more serious issue than dirty jokes.

Peter Jackson introduced Eric Clare to the Lord of the Rings crew.

"Hmm? Didn't Mr. Ian McKellen come?" Eric asked.

"It's war, so Gandalf doesn't want to attend this year's Oscars," Hugo Wittson replied.

"That's a real shame. I admire his white-robed wizard and Magneto, and I'd love to get to know them."

"That's easy. I'll throw a party when I have some free time, and you can all come over." The bearded man liked to take on everything.

As they walked inside chatting, they heard a cheer behind them; the media seemed to have suddenly become enthusiastic.

The surrounding celebrities couldn't help but turn around to look, only to see Spielberg arrive with the "Catch Me If You Can" crew.

Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, who hadn't yet started spraying water guns, followed behind him; there was no doubt who had elicited the cheers.

The reporters frantically pressed the shutter, while Leonardo DiCaprio, the focus of their attention, cooperated by striking various poses.

A few years ago, when Titanic sparked a global movie-going frenzy, Leonardo DiCaprio soared to stardom, and the movie made him completely arrogant.

Unfortunately, he was not nominated for an Oscar, which infuriated the wildly popular Leonardo DiCaprio, who refused to attend the Oscars and stated that he did not take the Oscars seriously.

So there's a reason why the Oscars didn't give him an award until he finally won over the Academy with his self-torturing performance in "The Revenant."

You ignore me, I'll make you regret it.

By this time, several years had passed since the Titanic disaster, and Leonardo DiCaprio clearly realized that he had been too arrogant back then.

Look at him now, he's obediently cooperating with the media, smiling as if it were the real deal, even though he still wasn't nominated this time.

Spielberg went straight to Eric, and the two greeted each other like old friends, hugging each other.

"Steven, it's been a while. How's your thinking going?" Eric whispered.

"We have preliminary results. We'll discuss the details after the awards ceremony."

Peter Jackson looked at the two of them with some puzzlement: "I only introduced you two once, I didn't expect it to develop to this point. It seems you've been in contact with each other behind my back."

The reporters noticed the situation and turned their cameras towards it.

Many foreign media outlets didn't know who Eric was, but being able to chat and laugh with these big directors meant he was definitely no ordinary person, not to mention he's so handsome! No less than Leonardo DiCaprio.

At this moment, the host appeared at the opportune moment: "Oh, look at you all, you've attracted everyone's attention. Why don't you take a group photo?"

The suggestion was good, and given Spielberg's reputation, Eric pushed him into the center, but Spielberg argued that the young man should stand in the center.

Peter Jackson's thinking was that if Spielberg stood in the middle, wouldn't that mean I was inferior to him? Although I did seem to be somewhat inferior to him, I couldn't admit it.

So we still need to put Eric in the middle.

So, the bearded man and the old man squeezed him in the middle, with Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Hugo Mortenson on either side.

As for the others, they can just stand aside; if they're not high-profile enough, they can't even come in.

Amidst envious glances, the shutter clicked repeatedly.

(End of this chapter)