King of Hollywood-Chapter 182 - : Return to the Oscars (Part 5)
Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Return to the Oscars (Part 5)
“Choosing the winner for this category was truly a challenge; I believe the judges thought long and hard before coming to a decision.” Judi shook her head as she opened the envelope and then suddenly displayed a look of surprise, which quickly turned into one of acceptance.
“Do you want to know who it is?” She smiled broadly as she swept her gaze over the audience, and after a chorus of booing, she read out the name, “Well then, the winner of the Best Actor is… Al Pacino for ‘Scent of a Woman’!”
The auditorium was silent for two seconds before erupting into thunderous applause, nearly lifting the roof off the music center! Pacino, momentarily stunned, suddenly clenched his fists and swung them down, then burst into hearty laughter.
Adrian’s anxious heart also finally settled back into place. He laughed and gave the armrest beside him a slap before standing up to embrace Pacino, “Congratulations!”
Following Adrian’s lead, others also stood up and joined in a chorus of “congratulations,” congratulating Pacino with embraces.
“Thank you, thank you all,” Pacino said excitedly, hugging people as he made his way through the music and up to the stage.
Upon reaching it, another “congratulations” rang out by his ears. Judi handed the Oscar statuette for Best Actor to Al and also gave him a hug, prompting another round of warm applause in the hall.
Although Pacino had faced many significant challenges before, still his lips quivered at this moment, touching the little golden man, overwhelmed with a myriad of feelings.
“Thank you, thank you everyone,” he raised the Oscar statuette, and the applause gradually subsided, “I’ve imagined many acceptance speeches for myself, but now that I’m actually here, I don’t know what to say. Well, just like everyone else, I must first thank the judges for bestowing this award upon me and for ending my regret. Thank you to my agent, Rick, who has managed everything for me and struggled for every opportunity; it’s hard to imagine what I would be like now without you. Next, I must thank Coppola. ‘The Godfather’ trilogy taught me so much and brought me many honors; thank you.
Besides, there are so many more people to thank – my friends, my colleagues, my lover, my daughter. Thank you all for your unconditional support, allowing me this chance to finally hold this much-coveted trophy. Lastly, I want to thank Adrian. If it weren’t for your repeated invitations to play this role and persuading Rick, I might have missed out on this character and might not be standing here tonight. Thank you so much!”
With that, he raised the Oscar statuette high again, waving it vigorously. Below, Adrian stood up and started clapping loudly. Those who had been prearranged from the same production team also stood up to clap. Then, just like a chain reaction, the rest of the audience followed suit, eventually leading to all the guests standing up, paying homage to the man on stage who, after 8 nominations, had finally received the Best Actor award.
“Oh, what an exciting moment, to witness history with my own eyes feels incredible,” Kristo said sentimentally behind the stage, “Al, you’re the best — of course, the others are great too, but at least for now, Al is the best.”
Considering his rare avoidance of jest and mischief, the audience did not withhold their applause.
“Well now, since the Best Actor has been awarded, and to someone everyone had hoped for, let’s invite the presenter for Best Actress to the stage.” As he spoke, Kristo suddenly winked and put on a knowing expression, “However, today’s guest is quite a character. To prevent any mishaps, we’ve taken quite a few precautions, in hopes nobody gets hurt. Alright, now please welcome Professor Hannibal to present the Best Actress award!”
Although everyone had guessed who the presenter would be, there were still gasps when he appeared; not because he walked on stage, but because he was strapped to a flatbed cart and pushed in by two people, even wearing a mask over his face, with steel pins sealing his mouth — he was dressed exactly as Hannibal Lecter from ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ No wonder Kristo referred to him as Professor Hannibal and not Anthony Hopkins.
“Goodness, this get-up is really stuffy, nowhere near as good as the one from the production; they must have found it last minute,” Hopkins exaggerated after removing his mask upon descending from the flatbed cart, eliciting laughter from the audience.
“I thank the organizers for allowing me the honor of presenting the award for Best Actress. Rest assured, no one will be hurt tonight,” Hopkins continued with humor, keeping the laughter going.
“Now, let’s take a look at the list of nominees,” Hopkins said, and the big screen beside him began to change, “For ‘Indochina,’ Catherine Denaf; ‘The Doctor,’ Susan Sarandon; ‘Howards End,’ Emma Thompson; ‘Love Field,’ Michelle Fayfer; ‘Passion Fish,’ Mary McDonald.”
Just like before, as each name was called out, the big screen revealed her portrait, followed by a snippet of some past movie she had acted in played amidst the applause. After this repeated five times for all five candidates, Hopkins leisurely opened the envelope in his hand.
After congratulating Pacino as he returned to his seat, Adrian had already shifted his attention back to the stage, now craning his neck with his fists clenched and trembling slightly. Pacino had won due to his considerable advantage, whereas Thompson wasn’t so lucky. Her performance in the movie wasn’t enough to leave the other nominees in the dust, so this was the real test of Laverne’s public relations skills.
He had to win! Adrian thought to himself determinedly. The success or failure of the plan hinged on this moment.
“And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to,” Hopkins glanced at the name and cracked a slight smile, “Congratulations to her, we worked very well together, Emma Thompson!”
When he said “we worked very well together,” those quick on the uptake had already gasped in realization, and when her name was announced, the hall burst into amazed applause. Sitting in her seat, Thompson seemed stunned for a moment, then incredulously cupped her cheeks, whispering something before celebrating with hugs and applause from those around her.
Good! Adrian pumped his fists vigorously, took a long breath not bothering to hide his relief, and his face lit up with an excited smile. He moved forward to give Thompson a warm hug before letting her go to the stage.
“Emma was splendid, wasn’t she?” Monica said with a sour tone.
“What are you trying to say, Monica?” Adrian chuckled as he returned to his seat, glanced around, and stealthily caressed her thigh. “Considering this inexplicable comment of yours, I’m going to properly punish you tonight, from front to back, from top to bottom, making sure not to miss a single spot.”
“I’m game whenever you are,” Monica retorted with an indifferent yet seductive glance. The slight twinge of jealousy she felt was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and she didn’t really care about it. She knew that as long as she clung to the man beside her, everything that was to be hers would eventually come.
“Thank you, thank you, everyone.” At this point, Emma Thompson, having received the Best Actress award and after exchanging a cheek-to-cheek greeting with Hopkins, approached the microphone, “Honestly, I didn’t expect to receive this award tonight. It’s an immense honor, one that I will remember for the rest of my life! Ever since I was very young, I’ve dreamt of being an outstanding actress, and today I can finally tell that little girl: you’ve done it!
Thank you to the jury for your affirmation, which gives me even more confidence to perform; thank you to my parents, my husband, for their unwavering support; thank you to my teachers, my agent, for their immense help; and finally, thank you, Adrian, if not for your persistent persuasion, I might have missed out on this role. Thank you very much!”
Thunderous applause rang out for perhaps the umpteenth time at the music center, and although it fell slightly short of the fervor for Pacino’s Best Actor win, it was more than enough.
Adrian, clapping and smiling, watched Thompson on stage, kissing the trophy affectionately, feeling a wave of relief, especially considering her closing remarks echoed those of Pacino’s, deepening the smile on his face. Very good, all his hard work for them had not been in vain. Now it was time for the final two awards.
It was now approaching the final moments of the Oscars, with only two awards left to present, and they were the most significant: Best Director and Best Picture.
“Here we are at the most important moment, and I always feel so sad because after it’s over, I’m out of a job, guys, being unemployed is no fun,” Kristo began his humorous interlude again, with a languid tone that made people want to sock him one, hence the chorus of boos.
“Hey, guys, can’t you be a little patient?” Kristo put on a wounded expression, “Do you have any idea how hard it is to host a grand event like this? Do you know how thrilling it is to stand here? Can’t you just let me reminisce for a few minutes?”
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The booing quickly turned into laughter, then into enthusiastic applause.
“Alright, let’s move on to the next exciting segment. In this nomination, we have a director who started as an actor and is still going strong, a screenwriter and director who have made equal strides in middle age, and a young director who is fiercely popular and developing in multiple directions. It’s a fierce competition, want to know who will come out on top? Please welcome our award presenter, Oliver Stone, to the stage,” Kristo said, making way with a gesture.
Then, as the music began to play, Stone, with a square face, thick black eyebrows, and slightly thinning but neatly combed hair, walked to the podium. Although everyone clapped to welcome him, the atmosphere in the hall became noticeably tense. (To be continued, if you want to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available to support the author and for legitimate reading!)
