King of Hollywood
Chapter 490 - 211 About to Begin

Chapter 490: Chapter 211 About to Begin

"As long as I want, getting a nomination is easy?" After calming down the reporters, Cameron said with a wistful tone.

Adrian smiled without replying; he didn’t need to say much—it was the truth. But from a director’s angle, perhaps he wasn’t quite up to Spielberg, Lucas, or Scorsese, who had operated in Hollywood for over a decade, with richer connections. Yet, if other aspects were included, nobody in Hollywood’s film production could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

These old-timers all had their own film companies. DreamWorks was even subtly replacing the gap left by the merged United Artists to become the eighth big film company in Hollywood, which was comparable to Adrian’s three medium-size film companies. But the issue was that his holdings weren’t limited to film companies—two television networks, to say nothing of Pixar, which was once the ugly duckling of Silicon Valley. Only he had seen its potential, and now it had become a shining jewel that had completely revitalized animation production after Disney, with major film companies now starting to explore opportunities in 3D animation.

Furthermore, Bossworth Film’s revival from decline owed much to Adrian, especially during the first two years when he took over, as most of the box-office hits were from his hand, and he had even established good relationships with other companies. Although it seemed less so now, the reality was that many box-office movies were still intricately linked with him.

What’s more, he himself could produce various critically and commercially successful films—unlike Spielberg and others who hadn’t won an Oscar for Best Director at the age of 25. Or to put it more vividly, it’s a bit like Rupert Murdoch or Summer Redstone, who, on the one hand, managed their groups in perfect order, and on the other hand, could personally direct and produce works that amazed everyone—even though people knew Adrian didn’t speak often within his own group and always declared that the group’s development to its current stage greatly owed to his friend Claude. But after all, he firmly sat in the chairman’s seat, and one might say that the entire AC media’s film and television works were supported by him from the start.

With such a figure uttering the above words, nobody would feel he was arrogant or presumptuous. He had the capital, didn’t he?

"Congratulations, James," a crisp voice rang with inflections and a hint of a British accent.

"Thank you, and to you as well, Gwyneth," Cameron replied with a smile as he shook hands with the beautiful woman who appeared before him. He then looked around, craning his neck to glance behind her.

"What are you looking for?" Gwyneth asked curiously.

"I’m worried that you might suddenly produce a basin full of water from behind and drench me from head to foot," Cameron said earnestly.

Gwyneth immediately covered her mouth, giggling: "I didn’t know you could be so humorous, James."

"So you see, we might have a chance to collaborate in the future," Cameron continued, keeping his serious expression.

"Don’t even think about it, James!" Gwyneth exclaimed immediately, "I will never take back my words."

During the publicity for Titanic, Gwyneth had told the media more than once that she never wanted to work with Cameron again because he was too demanding. Of course, she usually said it smiling, with a teasing and self-deprecating tone, which could be seen as an indirect compliment to his perfectionism. Only someone knew that this was indeed what Gwyneth truly thought.

"You’ll support me, won’t you, Adrian?" She directed her gaze at Adrian and then gave him a slight smile. Her brown transparent silk evening dress was seductively revealing, and her golden hair was pulled straight down one side adding an almost ethereal classical charm that made her allure all the more striking.

"Of course, even if James threatened me with choking me—if he said he’d kill me if I didn’t hand you over—I wouldn’t agree," Adrian shrugged his shoulders.

"That’s just not possible; it’d only be you choking me to keep me from being too harsh on Gwyneth," Cameron huffed lightly, then walked forward. "I think I’ll go on ahead."

"Even if you go in now, the Oscar statuette won’t be handed to you any sooner." Although Adrian called after him to stay, it couldn’t make him linger for another moment. He was quite tactful, after all.

"Look at you—you scare away the most promising Best Director nominee of the evening with your arrival. That’s really... terrifying," Adrian said to Gwyneth with a teasing tone.

"Am I the plague or something?" Gwyneth raised her eyebrows in feigned displeasure.

"Of course not, or they wouldn’t be snapping their shutters so quickly; the flash is nearly blinding me." Adrian glanced at the reporters nearby. At first, there weren’t many, but once Cameron left, all the cameras pointed here. The Miracle Director and one of his Miracle Girls together—what could be more worth capturing? Just let them show a hint of intimacy, and there’s tomorrow’s news.

"Fine, I’ll go in first then," Gwyneth sighed helplessly, knowing that he was reminding her. She looked around and, with a hum that only the two of them could hear, she turned and walked inside.

Adrian sighed softly and looked in the direction she had scanned. Monica, Julia, Blanchett came into view in turn; they also glanced his way, intentionally or not, waiting for him on the red carpet just like Gwyneth, even though some had arrived earlier. Monica, in a black strapless evening gown, complemented by her impeccably styled black hair, added a layer of mystery to her sexiness; Julia was in a golden V-neck evening gown, hair swept up at the back, adding a touch of nobility; Blanchett wore a pink sleeveless gown with little adornments, her medium-short curls framing her face, a smile that was somewhat haughty yet approachable.

Each was outstanding in her own right! Adrian felt a touch of pride internally but also a twinge of regret. Although Kate had made a successful comeback, just one film, "A Time to Kill," was far from enough, and since she wasn’t the lead, she simply stayed home with Lily. Sarah and Liv both expressed disinterest in the Oscars, and they didn’t have any nominations either, so why bother joining the crowd? With Adrian around, the chance for most actresses to walk the Oscar red carpet was trivial to them. Of course, what they really thought in their hearts was their own business.

Natalie still didn’t qualify, and Kirsten wasn’t nominated—she had both ambition and brains. And besides, Adrian had often reminded her, now was the time to stay low-key. However, he couldn’t help but lament that it was a pity; he was still hung up on what happened at last year’s award ceremony. As for Sophie, she was supposed to come, but after complaining on the phone about Adrian’s infrequent trips to France, she threw a little tantrum and decided not to come. Though, her main focus was probably not much different from Sarah and Liv’s.

As for Naomi and Nicole, there was no need to mention one, and as for the other, her current controversy hadn’t completely died down yet. Could she possibly attend with Cruise? And with her mood now, even if she did come, she wouldn’t wait outside on the red carpet like Monica and the others. So, the sole one who slipped through the net was Rachel, and Adrian found another excuse to deal with her.

However, once Gwyneth had left, Adrian did not walk towards any of the three women; instead, he chose...

"Gentlemen, you all seem to be in high spirits," Adrian laughed heartily.

"So are you, Ed," Kevin Spacey responded first. Russell Crowe and River Phoenix also smiled and greeted him. Along with them was... Catherine Zetajones.

She, too, was in a black one-shoulder evening gown, with hair just as impeccably arranged, looking no less sexy than Monica. Though she lacked Monica’s mysterious aura, her naturally seductive charm attracted many men’s gazes. The naturally flowing allure made her quite a catch.

"Mr. Adrian, both ’L.A. Confidential’ and ’Titanic’ have been nominated for Best Picture. Which one do you hope will win?" a reporter called out.

"Any win is an honor. Frankly, instead of thinking about that, let’s just congratulate River, who knows, he might become the youngest Best Actor," Adrian casually deflected the question.

"Mr. Adrian, what are your thoughts on Leonardo not being able to win Best Actor?" Another reporter hurriedly asked, seeing the opportunity.

Leonardo, as remembered, couldn’t secure a Best Actor nomination and just like in his memory, chose to skip the ceremony altogether—full of youthful defiance, right? Perhaps in a few years, when he looks back on his actions now, he’ll surely regret it. River is only four years older than Leonardo and is already the youngest Venice Film Festival Best Actor. By asking this, the reporter’s intention to draw comparisons was clear, and whether it would stir up controversy was not their concern—after all, what is news without conflict?

Adrian was aware of this too, so he simply waved his hand and, along with Kevin and the others, left the reporters’ circle, completely ignoring their persistent questions.

"I’m really sorry for interrupting your interviews," Adrian said apologetically.

"It’s okay, we were just going through the motions. We’ve pretty much answered everything we needed to in this period," Crowe immediately replied.

Adrian smiled, then looked toward River, "How does it feel? Is there any difference between an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and a Venice Best Actor nomination?"

"Not much difference, if anything... the Oscar nomination just gets more attention," River shrugged, showing no significant emotional reaction—fitting his name, like rapids that rush forth when it’s time to surge, but remain undisturbed when it’s time for calm.

"It would be even better if you could win it. The youngest Best Actor at Venice and the Oscars," Adrian said with a hearty laugh, although he knew that it was unlikely. Europe’s three major film festivals may be on the verge of becoming self-admiring with their doors closed, but they are not particularly conservative in this respect, after all, societal conservatism correlates to country size.

So he quickly changed the subject, "It’s a pity, either of you should have been able to secure a Best Supporting Actor nomination."

"It’s all right, I’ve already got a supporting actor Oscar statuette. It’s Russell who truly deserves pity," Kevin said, clapping Crowe on the shoulder, "He perfectly played a rough male cop in the movie, alongside Catherine like Disney’s famous animated picture."

This seriously delivered line instantly amused everyone around, knowing without a doubt that no other animation than "Beauty and the Beast" could have been a better fit.

"I must say, Kevin, your description is spot on," Adrian commented with a laugh, then also patted Crowe’s shoulder, "Don’t worry, Russell, if not this time, then there’s always a next time."

"Yes," Crowe nodded. Knowing Adrian, his first film after meeting him had earned a Best Actor nomination, he’d always been respectful in front of Adrian, how could he not believe.

"But indeed, it’s a bit of a pity. How interesting it would have been if you and Zetajones could have gotten the Best Supporting nominations together, or even won together," Adrian said, smiling at Zetajones who had been silent beside him, "Right, Kate?"

"Definitely, it would have been perfect if River could also win Best Actor," Zetajones said with a slight smile, "But I’m not holding out too much hope for myself."

"Oh?" Adrian raised his eyebrow.

"You taught me, Ed," Zetajones shrugged nonchalantly, keeping her gaze fixed on him, her tone laced with a subtle hint of reproach, "You’ve taught me a lot."

"I’m glad you remember it all, Kate." Adrian smiled and nodded, quickly glancing at the other three men. Indeed, a clever woman, but... would it be of any use?

"There’ll be opportunities for everyone, no need to hurry," he then said, signaling for them to continue inside, "Let’s go in, today is rather important."

They stopped discussing the topic for the rest of the way, and Adrian took the chance to inquire about Dennis’s situation from River. When Adrian’s "Mulholland Drive" was halfway through filming, David Fincher’s "Fight Club" had also officially started shooting, with the three leading roles played by River, Dennis, and Winona.

As mentioned before, Winona, for some reason, accepted the invitation straight away. And, as Adrian had expected, Dennis’s backyard finally thawed; Aniston, upon learning that Dennis would be acting with Winona, rushed to end their cold war, but the minor spats between them continued.

For instance, she couldn’t stop Winona from taking the role in "Fight Club" and tried to persuade Dennis to turn it down, but how could he, when Adrian himself had specified he wanted him for the part? However, the upside was that Aniston’s attention was all on Dennis, easing the atmosphere on the "Friends" set considerably.

Throughout these months, the relationship between the three female leads could only be described as eccentric; they were practically able to immerse themselves in the shooting, but hardly spoke to each other during breaks. According to the crew members present, it seemed like Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox were... somewhat fearful of Jennifer Aniston, and there was also an awkwardness between Lisa and Courteney.

The three male leads, on the other hand, were constantly trying to mediate, albeit with little effect. After all, they didn’t know what had really happened, and when they asked, they were always dismissed with, "You wouldn’t understand." Apart from the four people directly involved, only Adrian was aware of what had happened, but he couldn’t possibly say anything, so he pretended not to know and waited for things to unfold naturally.

After getting back on good terms with Dennis, albeit limitedly, and starting to argue over some minor issues, the relationship between the three female leads eased a lot; although they barely spoke, their smiles had finally returned. Once the dissatisfaction was vented, the tension naturally subsided. When Adrian initially suggested inviting Winona to play in "Fight Club," he did not discount this consideration.

As for Dennis’s subsequent younger girlfriend, Jordana, upon learning that he had reconciled with Aniston and was engaged to her before this, angrily slapped him and left. Hopefully, it wouldn’t affect her future, spiraling down to the same result as those two women—a highly unlikely scenario, given that Jordana’s family background was far superior to the other two’s.

As for Dennis, dizzy from Jordana’s slap, juggling the relationship with his ex on set, and trying to appease his fiancée, he simply gave up on attending this year’s Oscars and stayed home to wholeheartedly accompany Aniston.

"It’s quite... interesting. Jenny often visits the set, and she likes to speak intimately with Dan in front of... everyone. When she’s not there, Dan just sits in a chair with Noni, looking at each other without a word. Generally, Dan looks downcast, while Noni sits with her arms crossed, seemingly resentful, a bit angry, and sad, so much so that David often complains privately that he shouldn’t have agreed to you casting Noni in the supporting role." River said, his mouth twitching as if it took a great effort to stop himself from laughing out loud. Even the most composed of the Phoenix brothers could be turned into this state, so one could imagine how bizarre those two were on set, and deduce how worried Aniston must have been.

River then added, "But during filming, they both performed really well, and David was just speaking off the cuff."

Adrian was unconcerned with these matters. When he had recommended Winona, in addition to the reasons mentioned above, he had also noticed that she was seeking a transformation and her acting had always been quite decent; he wasn’t that frivolous after all. Well, let it be. It was Dennis’s headache to deal with, his loss for not attending. There weren’t many who would witness a miracle in person.

With those thoughts, Adrian entered the venue of this year’s award ceremony—the Temple Grand Theater in Los Angeles. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)