Chapter 841: Chapter 247: Best Supporting Actress “I believe when Tolkien completed this novel, he didn’t expect that the adapted movie would be released decades later and sweep globally, igniting a new craze. Honestly, I really, really love The Lord of the Rings trilogy; the stunning scenes make you feel like you’ve truly arrived in Middle Earth. Of course, thanks to Adrian, who is so talented and… so popular with women, I am really very, very jealous.” As Billy Crystal playfully said the last sentence, the audience burst into laughter. Facing the camera that moved over, Adrian could only shrug and then cover his forehead, making a somewhat embarrassed expression. This sort of thing happens at every Oscar ceremony; hosts always find ways to playfully poke fun at some famous people or events to liven up the atmosphere. Given that Adrian was attending the awards as a director and producer, he could only endure such treatment. It seems the photos of him surrounded by Miracle Girls have already gone viral online. Of course, there must be boundaries when joking. If things are said excessively, it might be laughed off at the moment, but surely noted in heart, prompting a desire to get back at it later. Hence, the Film Academy loves inviting Billy Crystal to host; besides being witty and humorous, he’s adept at handling things properly. Even if the teasing is harsh, most people just laugh it off. “He’s spot-on,” Sophie whispered as she leaned over, “Just look at the seating arrangements.” “The organizers arranged it, nothing to do with me,” Adrian quickly put on an innocent face. “Do you think we believe that?” Blanchett chimed in from the other side. As usual, the crew of The Lord of the Rings and La Vie en Rose were seated together. Blanchett and Liv are there, of course; Gwyneth couldn’t attend the awards due to her pregnancy, so Sophie was seated next to him, with Monica seated in front of him. Thus, just like last year, Adrian was surrounded by four women once again. In this situation, plus the scene outside the theater where he was surrounded by them, not teasing him seemed simply unjust. Moreover, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has been winning consistently since the beginning, albeit mostly technical awards like Best Sound and Best Makeup, but basically nominated and won. For instance, now, Best Editing was awarded to The Lord of the Rings, and one of the winners is… Peter Jackson! “Thank you to the Academy, thank you to my family, thank you to friends for their support, thank you to everyone in the crew, and thank you to the New Zealand local government, and thanks to Mr. Adrian Cowell. I love The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I wanted to bring them to the big screen early on, but I didn’t expect Adrian to beat me to it. Of course, I wasn’t happy about it, but I was very curious, especially when he chose New Zealand, my hometown, as the location. So, I found a way to join the crew. As facts have proven, Adrian is the best; you fully showcased the Middle Earth in my heart, everyone’s heart, and made it more perfect! Thank you, thank you for letting me be part of this magical journey, thank you for letting me fulfill my former dream, thank you!” Peter Jackson said emotionally on stage, holding the Oscar statuette. After the speech ended, the room was filled with enthusiastic applause, everyone was applauding, Adrian was no exception, he even stood up to give Jackson a hug when he came down. It’s important to know, Adrian always has many things to manage, so he doesn’t spend much time personally supervising in the studio during post-production, usually leaving it to someone else. Jackson served as an editor for quite a long time during the post-production of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Though some parts didn’t meet his requirements and were ordered to be revised, many were excellently done, so when applying for Best Editing, Jackson’s name was included. Although Best Editing isn’t as prestigious as Best Director, it’s still an Oscar statuette, somewhat of a compensation. I am a good person. Adrian naturally thought to himself this way. It’s not the first time he has said this, truly shamelessly. Of course, a good person doesn’t care about this, he’s busy preparing to do what needs to be done every Oscar awards ceremony. Because of the good reviews of Julie and Julia, Natalie was unquestionably nominated for Best Supporting Actress, which is her third nomination, quite an achievement at her age. Considering this year’s competition isn’t strong, many think she’s likely to win her first Oscar statuette. However, Adrian didn’t ask this to know her opinion. “I… I don’t know…” Natalie said, gasping as he swayed his waist with a rhythm, her face showing a bewildered yet resistant expression, clearly still guessing what he wanted to say in such a situation. “You can guess,” Adrian laughed heartily, “Nicole grabbed Best Supporting Actress before I sent her to the Best Actress throne. You’re so captivating and beloved by me, and Walk the Line is already aiming at next year’s Oscars; you can guess if I’m also going to let you grab Best Supporting Actress first.” Natalie’s body suddenly convulsed, her eyes tightly closed, teeth clenched, her face showing a painful yet joyful expression, while Adrian cheerfully took a deep breath, then swayed even more energetically. What a ridiculous thought — without his support, wouldn’t she need support from others to receive these honors? An Oscar, especially for acting awards, if acting skill could be a deciding factor at 50%, it’s already quite excellent. “Thank God, if I couldn’t find you again, I would have them delay the Best Supporting Actress award.” As Adrian arrived backstage, a responsible assistant greeted him with relief. “Sorry, I left for a little while, and didn’t attend the previous rehearsal, so I’m a bit late, Edmund,” Adrian politely said. “It’s okay, make the preparations quickly, Billy’s jokes should be wrapping up.” Edmund’s assistant said, waving someone off to notify the scheduling, appearing completely unconcerned. In fact, even if Adrian suddenly decided not to serve as an awards presenter, he wouldn’t mind. After all, Adrian’s status is well-established, and seeing his satisfied expression, it’s easy to guess what he was up to earlier with just a little thought. This guy is the famous Playboy, so ensuring the awards ceremony runs smoothly is the main concern. “Alright, let’s invite a very influential guest to the stage now. He’s quite hard to get.” With Billy Crystal’s words, Adrian took the envelope handed over by the assistant next to him and walked boldly from backstage to the stage. Thɪs chapter is updated by n0velfire.net Applause rang out immediately. You know, this is the first time Adrian is serving as a presenter at the Oscars. It’s not that the Film Academy meant to slight him; it’s just that he rose to prominence so quickly. Six or seven years ago, although Adrian was famous and the youngest Oscar-winning director, he was still a fresh director and so young. Even though AC Media was developing well, it was still a newly-emerging media company. There were many with qualifications to be presenters, so placing him a bit further down the line wasn’t a big deal. However, no one expected that the further it went, the fewer the opportunities. The nominees for performance awards were either closely associated with him or recommended by him, and he himself was frequently nominated for Best Director, with the films he produced often nominated for Best Picture. Over the years, the Film Academy had already faced some pressure for consistently awarding Best Actress to Miracle Girls. If they also let him be a presenter, awarding Oscar statuettes to those closely tied with him, or even awarding them to his own films, post-ceremony public opinion would surely be lively. Other awards were even less likely. With Adrian’s influence increasing exponentially, letting a media mogul, a famous director, and producer present Best Makeup or Best Marketing? He’s not James Cameron. “Such a pleasant surprise,” Adrian went straight to the point without any pretense. “An outstanding film contains one or several outstanding supporting roles; sometimes the brilliance of the supporting roles surpasses that of the lead…” Because of various concerns, the Film Academy dragged this on until now, but delaying any further didn’t look good. Among the most influential people in Hollywood, Adrian hadn’t served as a presenter at the Oscars. It was too much. So taking advantage of this year’s situation where Gwyneth couldn’t attend the Oscars due to certain reasons and couldn’t serve as a presenter, the organizers adjusted things and finally invited Adrian to present this year’s Best Supporting Actress. Though the nominees still included people closely associated with him… “Now let’s take a look at these five fortunate ladies.” As Adrian spoke, the images on the big screen began to change, presenting the five nominees and their movies with introductions. Patricia Clarson in Pieces of April, Marcia Gay Harden in Mystic River, Shohreh Aghdashloo in House of Sand and Fog, Natalie Portman in Julie and Julia, and… Naomi Watts in Cold Mountain! Yes, besides Natalie, Naomi was also on the list of Best Supporting Actress nominees, and it was for her role in Cold Mountain. After Adrian sought Anthony Minghella to direct and produce The English Patient, the British old man continued collaborating with AC Media’s film companies. The Talented Mr. Ripley was distributed by Miramax, and through Adrian, he invited Gwyneth and Blanchett to join, providing new role-play ideas with him and the two actresses. Adrian’s investment in Cold Mountain and recommendation for Nicole and Naomi to co-star was thus naturally expected. Despite his producer role involving some intervention in the film, previously discussing with Minghella to cut some unnecessary shots and tighten the content, the film’s release still seemed somewhat bleak. Firstly, Minghella, now a recognized film director, naturally disliked others meddling with his work, even if the person discovered him; secondly, Adrian didn’t have the time to supervise Cold Mountain as he did with The English Patient, so despite some changes, it still suffered from slow pace and fragmented plot. While its reviews were decent, the box office was rather dismal. But Adrian didn’t mind. Knowing the likelihood of this situation, he still invested and had Universal distribute it, naturally unconcerned with the loss. Plus, Universal should occasionally invest in some unprofitable films. Past profits have made many envious, so slightly tempering things is appropriate, as long as it’s within control. Anyway, achieving a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Naomi is considered a gain. Combined with her previous nomination for Best Actress in Chicago, her credentials are steadily growing. Even though Adrian persuaded her to decline the invitation for 21 Grams, so she didn’t get the Best Actress nomination that supposedly belonged to her this year, it doesn’t matter. There are plenty of opportunities at his disposal. Unfortunately, lacking Adrian’s support, Nicole also didn’t snag another Best Actress nomination. Naturally, Minghella also missed the Best Director nomination, and Cold Mountain similarly failed to get a Best Picture nomination. The change didn’t stop there; due to Adrian’s arrangement, Natalie certainly couldn’t have a role in Cold Mountain, so when Kirsten and Amanda had a bit of a showdown in bed, Adrian ultimately chose Amanda. Though she was a bit young, playing a widow, she did fairly well. Both Minghella and the critics gave her favorable reviews. As previously mentioned, there are plenty of opportunities with Adrian, and the arrangements are very reasonable. “Wow, an unexpected name.” Upon seeing the name, Adrian exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Marcia Gay Harden!” It’s not Natalie or Naomi, but Marcia Gay Harden from Mystic River. As the music played, the whole hall followed with enthusiastic applause. (To be continued. If you work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)