King of Hollywood
Chapter 425 - 147: Ultimately Dividing the Cake

Chapter 425: Chapter 147: Ultimately Dividing the Cake

When he returned to the hall, the song and dance on stage had just ended, and Kristo had resumed showing off his eloquence. The previous award for Best Original Score had been given to "The English Patient." Gabriel Yared’s music was indeed outstanding, while "Saving Private Ryan" focused on sound effects, naturally unable to compete in that respect.

"Where had you been?" Blanchett asked in a hushed voice as she leaned forward, seeing him return to his seat.

"I went to the restroom, of course," Adrian shrugged.

"That long?" Blanchett clearly didn’t believe him, knowing Adrian as she did, she was at least eighty percent sure of her suspicion. So after speaking, she glanced around, trying to spot which woman might also be taking her seat.

"I used the quiet environment afterwards to think about a few things," Adrian explained nonchalantly, which, taken literally, wasn’t wrong.

Blanchett still didn’t believe him, but she didn’t say anything more, just huffed and turned her attention back to the stage. Adrian shrugged once more and looked up as well, although he still sneakily glanced down to the right.

He didn’t see Kirsten’s figure, which made sense because the little fairy had been watching him intently the entire time, leading him to excitedly smear more than just her cheeks, and unfortunately her hair as well. Luckily, the experienced Kirsten managed it well, keeping it off her clothes, which would have been troublesome to clean.

Even so, for the little fairy to tidy up and return to her seat would take some time, and she wouldn’t be back quickly. Moreover, like Julia and Gwyneth, she was just an ordinary guest with no nominations; situated far from the film crew, even if she returned, Adrian might not notice.

How enticing... as he recalled her innocent yet lascivious expression, he sighed deeply in his heart. He suddenly thought of Natalie in New York, wishing she would let him manipulate her in the same way.

Yet, on reflection, they were entirely different people. Kirsten, though audacious and unscrupulous in pursuing what she wanted, also revealed a strong underlying insecurity, making it easy for Adrian to keep her wrapped around his finger. In contrast, Natalie, though proactive because of his subtle seduction, clearly liked to keep control of everything in her hands, so...

Adrian’s brows suddenly furrowed, a feeling that something was amiss resurfaced, but as he reached out to grasp it, it vanished without trace. Was it an illusion? Adrian shook his head, putting these thoughts aside for now, focusing all his attention on the ceremony where the final and most important awards were about to be presented.

The most important awards were naturally for Best Actor and Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture. These four were the most prestigious at every Oscar event, and any film sweeping these categories would certainly be a great honor.

"Frances McDormand, ’Fargo’!" announced Nicholas Cage, as the music for the Cohen Brothers’ "Fargo" started playing. McDormand stood up, face full of excitement and disbelief. On hearing the name, a collective sigh was heard from the cast of "The English Patient," especially Anthony Minghella, who had praised the three leads to Adrian more than once. Now with Sophie and Rachel defeated, he was understandably disappointed.

Rachel seemed unfazed, nodding in appreciation of everyone’s condolences, maintaining an air of composure that complemented her scholarly demeanor. However, since the announcement of the upcoming Best Actress award, Adrian had been paying attention to her, and he successfully caught a fleeting glimpse of disappointment crossing her face.

That was good; some things, once missed, become even more desirable. Adrian thought to himself, smiling as he applauded McDormand’s acceptance speech.

"Such a touching speech, I’d also like to thank my Mom here—Hey, Mom, are you in front of the TV? I really appreciate you," Kristo started with his comic antics again, his speech exaggerated as if holding an Oscar statuette, causing another round of laughter in the venue.

"Well, well, let’s move on to the next award quickly, everyone must have waited for a long time already. I wonder if we can break the curse this time," Kristo said, his tone turning more solemn towards the end.

The audience laughed again, but this time the laughter had a different flavor; they all knew what he was referring to. Although the competition was fierce between "The English Patient" and "Saving Private Ryan," whenever "Jerry Maguire" was also nominated, the awards inevitably went to other films, as proven by Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay.

While these two examples might not prove much, they at least make for a good joke, right? Now with all three movies nominated for Best Actor, guessing whether the curse would continue had become quite an engaging thought.

Adrian looked ahead, noticing Cruise occasionally whispering to those beside him, seeming uneasy—perhaps the two previous examples had gotten to him. Adrian chuckled lightly, remembering how he had exaggerated Cruise’s advantages and his rivals’ disadvantages during the premiere of "Eyes Wide Shut."

For instance, Hanks had been nominated for Best Actor three times in just four years, even successfully defending his title once, and the Film Academy would never award him another Oscar statuette under such circumstances; as for Fiennes, although outstanding, he had only been formally recognized in Hollywood since "Schindler’s List," making his experience relatively limited. Cruise had the pedigree, the acting chops, and his film also aligned well with mainstream values, not to mention the calls for him to finally receive an Oscar statuette were as strong as the opposition, so his chances were quite significant.

These indeed were facts; Cruise certainly had advantages, but his disadvantages were not insignificant. Known almost as a poster boy for good looks, his portrayal of a disabled man in "Born on July 4th" had only slightly mitigated that symbol. Also, as the leading representative of the 80s ’wet-behind-the-ears’ group, the Film Academy had always been unsympathetic toward him, and Cruise’s personal manners in private dealings—as seen through his interactions with Adrian—could impinge on the final results.

Moreover, the Film Academy sometimes had a preference for British actors, and though Fiennes lacked experience, he wasn’t the only British actor nominated.

"Geoffrey Rush, ’Shine!’" As Susan Sarandon announced the name, this somewhat plain-looking actor who excelled at playing diverse characters stood up, politely bowed in the midst of applause, and then walked to the stage.

Over at "The English Patient," there was naturally another wave of mourning; having lost the Best Actress earlier, now the Best Actor too slipped away. Fiennes, however, took it well and even began comforting others. Meanwhile, at "Jerry Maguire," Cruise could hardly mask his awkward expression; Nicole tried to console him, but whatever Cruise said seemed impatient, causing Nicole’s face to take on an unpleasant look as well.

Yet, she sensed something and lifted her head, meeting Adrian’s almost amused gaze. She initially wanted to look away right away, but hesitated and, with a complex look, took a moment longer before turning her head again.

With an almost imperceptible shrug, Adrian then cheerfully looked at Blanchett, "What a pity, not even a single performance award was secured."

"You look as if you are bragging about something?" Blanchett said, puzzled and curious.

Adrian just smiled and spread his hands, saying nothing. In fact, with the resources he had at his disposal for a full-fledged campaign, he was confident he could have secured the Best Actor award for either Cruise or Fiennes. Laverne might still have been out of reach, but with the Weinstein brothers joined in, not just this, but Rachel as Best Actress and either Sophie or Blanchett as Best Supporting Actress could have been possible.

Yet, to truly go for that would not only consume significant resources but might also involve crossing some lines hence even if won, it would generate adverse effects, potentially leading to being shunned for years to come. Why then would Adrian make such extensive efforts for Cruise and Fiennes? As for Rachel and Sophie, as he had mentioned earlier, some things were less cherished when too easily obtained, creating a terrible feeling of losing them due to controllable or uncontrollable factors, and then the desire to possess them grew even stronger, and when that time came...

Alright, finally we have arrived at the last segment, Best Director and Best Film. According to the usual style of the Oscars, either "The English Patient" would sweep all the awards, or "Saving Private Ryan" would. Of course, there might be a surprising split, but the chances were slim; the Film Academy always liked to display its fairness.

However, Adrian’s judgment finally faltered.

"Anthony Minghella, ’The English Patient’!" This was for Best Director.

"’Saving Private Ryan’!" This was for Best Film.

It was indeed a surprising result. The Oscars could also have such an obvious cake-splitting situation. However, looking at it from another angle, it seemed like the necessitated move. Both "The English Patient" and "Saving Private Ryan" had excellent reputations, although "The English Patient" fell a bit short at the box office compared to "Saving Private Ryan," but it received more praise from film critics. "Saving Private Ryan" was extremely popular with the general public, and though the film was rated by the MPAA as highly graphic in violence and gore, many WWII veterans praised Spielberg for perfectly capturing the brutal combat of the landing operation in those twenty minutes.

As a result, the Film Academy found itself in a difficult position. There were previous examples of such dilemmas, such as "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Forrest Gump"—oh, that’s how Adrian remembered it, but now it had changed to "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Silence of the Lambs," with the unchallenged "Forrest Gump" being the deserving king of the 67th Oscars.

In any case, situations like these depended entirely on the strength of public relations and the mood of the judges, whether it was a sweep or an even split, both were entirely possible, so the factor of luck played a significant part. But Adrian still found it strange, why didn’t Spielberg receive Best Director while "The English Patient" won Best Film? He soon learned the answer.

"Getting Best Film is already quite an achievement. I didn’t have high hopes to win it again only two years after getting Best Director," Adrian jokingly expressed his regrets at the subsequent party, but Spielberg didn’t mind too much, and the other two founders of DreamWorks, Katzenberg and Geffen, also agreed.

The reality was simple; for DreamWorks, winning Best Director to enhance Spielberg’s personal honor was far less practical than winning Best Film to boost the company’s reputation; hence, most of their efforts were focused on Best Film. While Miramax was responsible for distributing "The English Patient" and also handled the PR, Adrian did not demand the Weinstein brothers to go all out, but they still put in a lot of effort, so Minghella smoothly won Best Director.

Regardless, it was all in the past now; the 69th Oscars had officially ended, and Vanity Fair’s Oscar Night party went smoothly, so it was time to celebrate.

But Adrian wasn’t very happy. He was definitely going to attend Vanity Fair’s party, but Sophie had slipped away before the award ceremony ended, Rachel had come and gone quickly, as did Kirsten; her mother wouldn’t allow her to stay too long, not to mention Scarlett. Even Julia didn’t stay long, and after a few interactions with Adrian, she left too.

"You’ll always have someone to accompany you, won’t you?" said Julia in a simple outfit looking very fresh, "I still have to go back and take care of Emma."

After saying that, she turned around and left gracefully, but her words hid deeper meanings. Honestly, if it had been another time, Adrian would have definitely chased after her, taking her for a ride while the night was still young, but making such a decision wasn’t easy in the current environment. Julia understood that as well; sometimes saying certain things might create possibilities, but saying nothing would leave no chance at all.

The party was lively; apart from the multitude of celebrities, many influential figures who hadn’t attended the award ceremony also showed up, and the permitted journalists were not stingy with their film rolls, though such opportunities were rare. Vanity Fair was an entertainment magazine, after all, and it was essential to fully satisfy their own.

No matter how noisy and busy a party was, it eventually had to end, and people gradually left the venue. Adrian was no exception, but he left with his arms around others.

"It’s a pity you didn’t win an award. At least to me, you’re no worse than that French lady." Standing by the bar, Gwyneth picked up a piece of cake with a plastic fork and indulged in the final bite, having changed into a new outfit. Her grey sheath dress perfectly hugged her curves while thick bangs covered her forehead, and a long ponytail at the back gave her a fresh and elegantly innocent look.

"I have to remind you that the French lady didn’t win Best Supporting Actress either. The winner was Baron Bacall." Blanchett, leaning on the other side of the bar with a half glass of red wine, remarked. She had also changed her outfit, now wearing a long-sleeve t-shirt, tight pants, and her favorite boots, which equally accentuated her splendid figure, while her soft, medium-length hair fell gracefully, giving her a regal, charming presence.

The two women, both similar in temperament and appearance, often appeared together in public, leading some to affectionately call them "twin flowers." It must be admitted, the nickname quite suited them, but now this twin flower belonged solely to one person.

"Are you still hung up on the awards ceremony earlier?" Adrian walked over at this moment, extending his hands to wrap around the waists of the two women.

Blanchett instinctively struggled slightly, while Gwyneth, also out of habit, leaned closer into Adrian’s embrace. The two women stared intently at each other. Only the bar’s orange lamps were lit, casting a soft glow that added an extra touch of mood to the already intimate atmosphere.

"It’s me who’s hung up. Kate got a nomination for Best Supporting Actress, yet I got nothing," Gwyneth complained in a coquettish tone, poking him in the chest with her finger.

"Don’t worry, James’s blockbuster is already finished, and it won’t be long before it’s released. By this time next year, you’ll be fretting over not getting Best Actress—that’s something you could learn from Kate, Gwyneth," Adrian said with a light chuckle.

"Wow, even though I know you’ve always had confidence in that tyrant, I still can’t help but be surprised," Gwyneth exclaimed with an exaggerated expression, glancing at Blanchett with a smug look in her eyes.

"Are you so sure Gwyneth can’t win?" Blanchett asked with a smile, raising her eyebrows.

"Of course, we all know Hollywood values experience. If Gwyneth had been nominated several times before, or had been acting in movies for over a decade, then the Film Academy would definitely consider her, but for now, it’s unfortunately not the case," Adrian shrugged his shoulders.

"That’s really a shame. Looks like it’s just the nomination for Best Actress then," Gwyneth sighed with some regret. Still, she continued to thrust her chest toward Blanchett, clearly not wearing a bra, her silhouette showing undeniable star qualities.

"Oh, Gwyneth, I’m already so envious. At least that’s a Best Actress nomination," Blanchett said, though she was talking to Gwyneth, her eyes kept glancing towards Adrian.

"Don’t worry, Kate," Adrian laughed, "You’ll win it the year after next, and with this year’s nomination, your chances are also very high."

He then looked towards Gwyneth, who was about to speak: "You too."

Both women looked at him, puzzled, eager to hear his explanation, but Adrian just laughed again, "I have an idea. Why don’t you take this opportunity to compete?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to vote and subscribe. Your support is my greatest motivation.)