King of Hollywood-Chapter 181 - : Return to the Oscars (Part 4)

Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Return to the Oscars (Part 4)

After Neil Jordan finished his speech on stage, applause rang out once again, much purer than before he went up. Even the three loudest crews from Adrian’s side were clapping in congratulations.

But after applauding, Monica still complained into Adrian’s ear, “I just don’t get it, why did they give him the Best Original Screenplay? Was ‘Pulp Fiction’ worse than ‘The Crying Game’? You know, many people say the structure of ‘Pulp Fiction’ is brilliant. Isn’t that one of the criteria?”

A torrent of sentences burst from her, which made Adrian somewhat surprised.

“You weren’t this talkative before, what got you to open up, Monica?” Adrian said with an interest, his tone teasing as he looked at the glamorous woman beside him.

“Because I’m indignant on your behalf!” Monica snapped back, giving him an irritated glance.

“Okay, okay, thank you, but it doesn’t matter. It’s just a screenwriter’s award,” Adrian chuckled, his hand reaching around to gently squeeze her waist, “It seems you’ve learned a lot lately, being able to distinguish a movie’s structure. Should I congratulate you?”

“I’m not a vase, Ed,” Monica turned her gaze away towards the stage, and after a few seconds, she sighed almost inaudibly, “I don’t want to be just a vase.”

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Adrian shrugged. After pinching her waist a few more times from behind the chair, he softly said while looking at her profile, “You won’t be a vase, Monica, not with me around.”

Then, as Monica turned her head back, he withdrew his hand and, looking at the stage, spoke in a voice loud enough for those around to hear, “No need to dwell on this, let’s just look forward to the next awards.”

Indeed, seniority is important. Although Neil Jordan was Oscar-nominated for the first time, he had been writing for ten years, directed as well, and had achieved no small success at some film festivals. On the other hand, Adrian had only been in the film industry for two years, and despite the astonishing achievements in these short two years, he had not yet reached the point where the judges could overlook everyone else. So, it was understandable that the Best Original Screenplay went to Neil Jordan.

At this point, if anyone couldn’t guess what award was coming next, they were likely to be fools, and a variety of voices began to rise. Pacino, sitting not far from Adrian, was particularly noticeable as he changed poses every few seconds.

“For an actor, there’s nothing more important than Best Actor or Actress; not only is it an affirmation of one’s acting skills but also a great honor. I am delighted that the jury has asked me to present this award, although it’s inevitable that four people will be disappointed, but please don’t be discouraged, you all are fantastic!” Judi Foster said as she held the envelope, eliciting a strong round of applause; indeed, a true intellectual from Yale.

“So, let’s take a look at the nominees,” Judi said, turning her head towards the large screen. “‘Scent of a Woman,’ Al Pacino; ‘Chaplin,’ Robert Downey Jr.; ‘The Crying Game,’ Stephen Rea; ‘Pulp Fiction,’ John Travolta; ‘Unforgivable,’ Clint Eastwood.”

Pacino, though appearing composed in his seat, had his gaze fixed firmly on Judi on the stage, his lips pressed into a line, eyes wide open with an air reminiscent of Colonel Frank. He had already been nominated 6 times, plus the two this time made it 8, and after already losing Best Supporting Actor, it would be truly tragic if he lost Best Actor too.

The other nominees, Robert Downey Jr. and Stephen Rea, were too far away to make out their expressions from the screen, but nearby Clint Eastwood squinted, his brows furrowed toward the center, his unyielding spirit undeniable even in a suit, a true portrayal of the old cowboy.

Of course, there was another factor, had Adrian not been nominated for two Best Adapted Screenplay awards, the Best Original Screenplay would surely have been his, considering ‘Pulp Fiction’ has influenced many future films. Unfortunately, with two strong nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, if he had not been awarded, it would have been criticized, so the judges weighed the options and let him lose on the Best Original Screenplay.

Yes, it’s about balancing, don’t think the Oscars won’t balance things out, they are usually quite skillful, and it’s often not clear if they are really balancing. Of course, tonight it was too obvious, and I believe most people could see it, but the judges didn’t have a better solution.

If they had given both awards to Adrian, how would the outstanding Hollywood scriptwriters with over a decade of experience feel? If they didn’t give him Best Adapted Screenplay, it would seem even more unfair on the basis of the two nominations. So they took the lesser of two evils and simply took away Best Original Screenplay, as such things happen every year at the Oscars. However, there aren’t many in Hollywood who could make them so undecided that they had to bite the bullet and choose.

Anyway, as long as it’s not losing to ‘Unforgivable,’ and this way, the chances for the Best Director with a double nomination are even better, Adrian thought. Although outwardly he wasn’t too concerned, inwardly he had already unconsciously seen Clint Eastwood’s ‘Unforgivable’ as the biggest competitor at this year’s Oscars.

Unfortunately, before he could enjoy the thought for long, the next presenter on stage announced ‘Unforgivable’ had won Best Editing.

Adrian’s frown deepened briefly before smoothing out, and then he clapped in seemingly generous applause. However, although it was only for a few seconds, Monica noticed the change in his expression and immediately gripped his hand again.

“It’s good that there’s only one nomination left, or else you would have swollen my hand,” Adrian joked, but that too earned him an eye roll from Monica.

“If losing the screenplay can still be explained, the editing should have never lost to any other film,” she said indignantly, and her demeanor immediately prompted nods from those around them.

“Indeed, ‘Unforgivable’ is a good film, but the editing is surely much worse compared to ‘Pulp Fiction,’ right? Isn’t ‘Pulp Fiction’ most praised for its structure?” an assistant remarked.

“That’s not surprising, the Oscars sometimes like to disagree with the majority,” Travolta quipped.

“I can predict that someone will criticize this decision tomorrow,” Willis joined in.

Then, more and more people joined the discussion. If it were not for the fact that Pacino, Hopkins, and the others were too far away, they might have joined in too. Adrian quickly intervened to stop them, “Alright, guys, I’ve already got an Oscar statuette, and there’s an even more important nomination coming up. If I can get that, it doesn’t matter if they take Best Editing.”

Everyone had simply been expressing their indignation on behalf of Adrian, but since he had addressed it and was correct, the weight of Best Director was, after all, much heavier than that of Best Editing. So, they stopped their conversations and returned their attention to the stage.

Adrian then glanced over at Monica again. The frown of unfairness still lingered between the brows of the seductive woman. He chuckled to himself then said softly, “You see, Monica, life’s not fair everywhere, so there’s no need to get too worked up.”

A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Monica’s eyes, but she quickly regained composure and smiled, “I believe.”

Adrian didn’t say anything more. Although this time it was clearly a bit performative—Monica still had room to improve her acting—it didn’t really matter, did it? The more she was like this, the less likely she was to leave him.

Speaking of which, losing Best Editing was indeed unfair. Just as that assistant had mentioned earlier, what was most acclaimed in “Pulp Fiction” was its structure, and that was evident in the editing. If losing Best Original Screenplay could be considered barely acceptable, then Best Editing… was it because he was one of the nominees?

Experience was indeed important. Adrian hummed to himself. However, this should get him one step closer to Best Director, after all, there were two nominations at stake.

Although he thought this, he still felt a sense of unease. Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Original Screenplay were different after all, and his lack of experience remained a big problem.

Shaking his head slightly, Adrian focused his attention back on the stage, where a song-and-dance performance was going on. In the end, the most important thing was the two awards. Everything else wouldn’t be a problem as long as he secured those two.

“What a beautiful voice that moved me deeply, I almost wanted to go up on stage for a duet,” Kristo began to put on an act on stage, repeatedly getting a laugh from the audience.

“Unfortunately, now is not the time, because the most important moment of tonight is about to come. Want to know what it is?” His expression turned serious, and after holding it for two or three seconds, he suddenly chuckled, “I’m not going to tell you.”

Immediately, boos filled the room.

“Alright, alright, can’t you guys guess for yourselves?” Kristo rolled his eyes and with a flick of his wrist, slipped backstage, and a few seconds later, last year’s Best Actress, Judi Foster, was holding the envelope and walking to the front, her white women’s suit making her look distinguished and commanding.

Travolta was the most carefree, completely unconcerned. For him, having a nomination was already good enough. Winning would just be like hitting the jackpot.

Amid these vibes, Adrian also became slightly nervous. Although he knew that Pacino had a significant advantage, and he believed that he had brought out the essence of ‘Scent of a Woman,’ he could not be entirely at ease until the results were announced. Would everything go as usual? Would it? (To be continued, for more, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)