King of Hollywood
Chapter 492 - 213: Regaining What Was Lost

Chapter 492: Chapter 213: Regaining What Was Lost

When Celine Dion’s angelic rendition of "My Heart Will Go On" came to an end, the hall fell silent for at least ten seconds. Then, thunderous applause erupted, as if it could lift the roof of the building, and everyone cheered for the beautiful singing.

Adrian was among those clapping. He had to admit that Dion had performed the song very well, and her voice was indeed moving, but not irreplaceable. Unfortunately, he currently had no one who could master the song. Dressed in a black, long-sleeved evening gown, Dion was bowing and exiting the stage with grace, especially with the Heart of the Ocean necklace intentionally worn on her chest, shining brightly and adding several touches of nobility to her temperament.

The necklace Dion wore now was different from the one in her previous life. When Cameron was shooting Titanic, he had originally planned to make a random prop. Although there were indeed several renowned sapphire jewelry items on the real Titanic, and the 1940s version of the movie Titanic mentioned them and used them as props several times. Even though Cameron’s design had referenced the Hope Diamond, he obviously couldn’t actually borrow a sapphire necklace for the shoot.

He had planned to use blue cubic zirconia glass and a platinum chain to make a fake that was good enough to pass as real, and it wouldn’t have cost more than $10,000. However, after Adrian found out, he immediately made a grand gesture, personally funding the project and contacting a renowned jeweler in London to pick a 170-carat Ceylon sapphire to craft a real necklace worth $3.5 million for the production crew.

Cameron often complained about Adrian. After the necklace was delivered to the production, every time it was taken out for filming, it was with trepidation, for fear of accidentally damaging or even losing it. And as soon as shooting wrapped, it would be sent back to the safe deposit box at once, not staying outside for a second longer. Even so, the piece Old Rose threw into the ocean was a newly made replica. Despite Cameron’s love for perfection, he still continually grumbled about this choice. The only benefit was that everyone focused much more when shooting scenes with the necklace, speeding up the filming significantly.

The necklace Celine Dion was originally supposed to wear during her Oscar performance was made by a jeweler who saw a business opportunity in Titanic’s popularity. After obtaining authorization, he made a sapphire necklace and asked her to wear it, hoping to capitalize on the "Heart of the Ocean" brand for himself. But now that opportunity was gone because Adrian ensured a detailed contract with that London jeweler, and he registered the "Heart of the Ocean" trademark early. And in promoting Titanic, he had also publicized using a precious gem necklace during filming as a publicity stunt. Now, everyone knew that the movie’s necklace was the real deal, so the Heart of the Ocean could only be the one in his possession.

Back to the matter at hand. It was time to put his female singer and the Heart of the Ocean aside for a while, as the focus now was on breaking the record for Oscar wins.

"To Titanic, ’My Heart Will Go On’!" After all the nominated songs were performed by the singers, the presenter announced the winner with exuberance amid Titanic’s background music, followed by another round of enthusiastic applause in the venue.

Although this was the ninth round of applause for Titanic, it was warmer than the previous ones. Celine Dion’s live performance was undoubtedly a significant contribution, yet it also indicated that "My Heart Will Go On" winning Best Song was expected by everyone.

Next was the Best Adapted Screenplay and without a doubt, L.A. Confidential took the award. As a film that showcased the golden age of Hollywood in a retro style, it certainly appealed to the tastes of the old men at the Film Academy. Plus, it was the 70th birthday of the Oscars. If it wasn’t for the overwhelming impact of Titanic, its perfect blend of theme and special effects, L.A. Confidential would have been the biggest winner of the year.

Adrian couldn’t help thinking malevolently that in ten years, for the 80th birthday of the Oscars, producing a black-and-white silent film portraying the life of Hollywood actors from the ’50s and ’60s with a lead resembling Clark Gable or Patrick Galloway, and a female lead like Vivien Leigh or Grace Kelly, would surely win major awards like Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor and Actress.

As per tradition, after Best Adapted Screenplay came the Best Original Screenplay, and Adrian instantly perked up, focusing all his attention. This was the most crucial step. Up to now, they had won nine Oscars; just winning Best Original Screenplay would seal the deal for breaking the record. But if they didn’t win, they could only hope for Gwyneth’s Best Actress win—which frankly was quite a long shot.

’It’s going to be fine, we’ll definitely win,’ Adrian reassured himself internally. He knew all too well, as he had been preparing for years in advance, just to secure the Original Screenplay award.

However, surprises always emerge in this world. When everyone believed that "Titanic" had a strong chance of capturing the prestigious award, the name that fell from the presenter’s lips was: "Mark Andrews, James L. Brooks, ’As Good as It Gets’!"

Adrian’s expression darkened immediately, and he cursed silently, "Damn it." The intended recipient of this award was supposed to be a certain pair of best friends for "Good Will Hunting". Unfortunately, the movie only started filming at the beginning of the year; not only was the scriptwriter replaced, but besides the two professors, Robin Williams and Stellan Skarsgard, the other three major roles were also changed.

The leading actor was played by River’s brother, Joaquin Phoenix, all three brothers being talented performers. Having looked after River for so long, it was only right to give Joaquin a lift. The lead character’s friend was played by Tori Maguire, the future Spider Man, who had already signed the contract for "Spider Man" and would soon begin filming. It was a good opportunity for practice before that. As for the female supporting character, well, that was the lovely Little Nada. Although somewhat petite, she was quite suited to the role of a high-intelligence female character. Of course, after consulting with her parents, certain scenes were removed.

As for the original three actors, that was no longer Adrian’s concern. When he first recommended River for "Saving Private Ryan", he had already considered one issue: he discovered Dennis, rescued River, and gave them opportunities that originally belonged to someone else, naturally squeezing the space for that someone to survive. It was like Adrian plagiarizing countless scripts, altering the fate of the original writers.

In other words, the cake in his hands (the movies Adrian knew would sell well) was only so large. Adding another person to divide the cake inevitably meant someone got a smaller piece. This might mean no one was fully satisfied. But he was not yet able to make the cake bigger, big enough for everyone to be fully satisfied. So, what to do? Kick out the people who could have had a slice but hadn’t gotten one yet, especially those unfamiliar to him, and keep the cake for those he had nurtured and those willing to firmly stand with him!

This sort of thing was too common in his past life, combined with all he had seen in this life, and the goals set from the start, made the task feel easy and guilt-free. Although he occasionally had moments of conscience, like choosing the original director to direct or providing J.K. Rowling with an opportunity, and even establishing numerous charitable foundations, these were all based on the establishment of immense benefits.

So, since River replaced Matt Damon in "Saving Private Ryan", might as well take everything else too. After all, he had never really interacted with Damon and Affleck. As for how they would fare in the future, oh, no need to worry about that. If Kim Basinger could win Best Supporting Actress for "That Time", a film Adrian had no recollection of, who knows if they could make a name for themselves with some other movie? Don’t forget, this is Hollywood.

Therefore, the script for "Good Will Hunting" was written early by Adrian’s direction, and then, as usual, through various channels of expanding influence, making it well-known before choosing the right time for production. The old method, but very effective. Originally, Adrian planned to produce and release it in ’97 as per his memory, but during the planning for the big ship, he keenly realized something.

In other aspects, his reactions were not much different from normal people, at most just a bit faster, but in film production and women, he was unmatched. Although he did not know that the big ship might break records with 15 nominations, he still postponed the film’s production to make way for the big ship, delaying it until the next year.

However, even so, the Best Original Screenplay still didn’t fall into the hands of "Titanic" and was taken by "As Good as It Gets".

Adrian was also familiar with "As Good as It Gets", basically, he watched and analyzed all of the several Best Picture nominees from the same year as the big ship at the Oscars. As expected, Jack Nicholson would receive his second Best Actor Oscar statuette. Adrian had also considered this, although among the actors he knew, none were suitable for the leading role, the film’s box office profits were also quite good.

But in the end, he decided to let it go. There were already too many blockbuster hits associated with him. He still had to leave some out, right? To tell other film companies that Hollywood could still function without him. The people dividing the cake were not like Damon and others. So, Adrian did not even entertain the thought of producing the script in advance, leaving the film to its own devices, but he did not expect such an outcome in the end.

"No need to rush, we still have four nominations," Cameron said beside him, comforting him. Although Adrian’s expression changed only briefly, Cameron noticed, "Maybe the next four awards will be all ours."

"I know," Adrian said with a short laugh.

Four more? Oh right, besides Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress, there was also Best Makeup. He shook his head slightly, remembering "Titanic" had not won this award.

However, things are just so funny and unpredictable. Just at that moment, the presenter’s voice came from the stage: "Tina Enshaoer, Simon Thompson, ’Titanic’!"

Amid the surprise and admiration of the audience, Adrian suddenly looked up, staring at the stage in disbelief. The excited faces of Tina Enshaoer and Simon Thompson now filled the entire screen, and once again the music of the great ship began to play, marking "Titanic’s" tenth Oscar statuette!

What... What was happening?! Adrian was still dazed until a hand heavily patted his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. While he had been stunned, Cameron had already stood up with the team, vigorously applauding and congratulating the two winners—the slap had come from him.

"Thanks, buddy, I suddenly feel a bit dizzy," Adrian whispered his thanks to him.

"That’s normal, I can hardly believe it myself, this is the tenth already," Cameron laughed heartily.

Adrian paused, then also burst into laughter, grabbing onto Cameron’s shoulder and thumping him several times before stopping.

"Are you sure you’ve got the right person, buddy? You should be hugging the person on your left," Cameron grimaced, saying the punches, though not heavy, were definitely not light.

"No, no, no, dear James, it’s definitely you I’m hugging, no mistake," Adrian turned his head to glance at Gwyneth, who was arranging her long dress in preparation to sit down, her cheeks faintly blushing with a playful scolding look.

"You’re just too brilliant, James, nothing less would express my feelings," he laughed and hit Cameron two more times before sitting back down, while Cameron rolled his eyes and reluctantly settled into his seat as well.

Adrian’s lapse was, of course, not because Cameron was brilliant—how could he not be aware of the guy’s excellence?—nor because the great ship was breaking records, but because destiny really is wonderful.

Because, in his memory, the movie that beat "Titanic" for Best Makeup was none other than "Men in Black"! That’s right, the one starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones—a sci-fi movie that was even better than the novels it was based on. With all those quirky and weird aliens, it seemed fitting that they would defeat the great ship for the award.

But once Adrian got involved, not only did he secure Monica a role as the female coroner in the first film, he also accelerated the movie’s release by a year. As a result, Titanic no longer had any competition for the Oscars; just Gloria Stuart’s centenarian appearance was enough to impress, let alone the plethora of other outstanding performances, and so...

Adrian pushed back Good Will Hunting to pave the way for Titanic, only to have As Good as It Gets snatch the Best Original Screenplay award. However, a seemingly innocuous move he made previously helped the ship reclaim its tenth Oscar statuette. Life is indeed like a box of chocolates; even though Adrian knew most of the flavors, there were always some surprises, and isn’t that the beauty of life?

By this time, most of the awards had already been handed out, leaving only the four most significant ones: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture.

"Every time it comes to this point, I get very sentimental. They just won’t give me one, not even a mini one, or maybe they could establish a Best Oscar Host award," Kristo began his woeful lament on stage, his impersonation of a disgruntled woman was so on point that it had everyone bursting into laughter.

"But even if I’m reluctant, I must carry on. Besides, if you think about it, no one has seen as many Oscar statuettes as I have—right, come backstage and see, there’s a whole bunch of them in front of you, oh, what a satisfying feeling that is," Kristo’s banter elicited laughter from the audience once again.

"Alright, let’s get the next presenter up here, the next award is beckoning." He gestured for the presenter to come on stage, and Geoffrey Rush, the previous Oscar’s Best Actor, walked onto the stage amidst applause.

"It’s a great honor to present this award, rest assured, I’m not Little Cuba, and I don’t have to worry about offending anyone. Of course, ladies, please remember, it was not my intention if I didn’t announce your name," Rush said, dead serious, which immediately drew laughs from the audience. The cameraman even gave Little Cuba Gooding a close-up, who was also laughing happily, especially when he saw himself appear on the big screen.

At this moment, Gwyneth straightened her posture, gripping Adrian’s hand even tighter, her breathing growing heavier with excitement, nervousness, and anticipation. Adrian patted the back of her hand reassuringly and gave her an encouraging smile before turning his attention back to the stage.

The big screen was playing clips of the nominated actresses’ movies in succession—Gwyneth in Titanic, Helen Hunt in As Good as It Gets, Julie Christie in Swinging with the Finkels, Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown, and Helena Bonham Carter in Pigeon Wings. Afterwards, headshots of the five nominees appeared on the big screen, Gwyneth in the top left corner, Julie Christie in the top right, Helena Bonham Carter in the bottom left, Judi Dench in the bottom right, and Helen Hunt in the center.

This was an interesting turn of events, as Judi Dench had just worked with Gwyneth on Shakespeare in Love the previous year, and now they were competing against each other for Best Actress. Moreover, Helena Bonham Carter and Helen Hunt both lost roles that were originally theirs, and to the same person no less, due to Adrian’s involvement. However, Helena Bonham Carter had just gained another, in the currently filming Fight Club—the sole female role which should have been hers.

Despite everything, they still appeared at the Oscars and equally earned nominations. The inertia and changes of the world are indeed elusive. Thus, some things need not be dwelled upon, although it begs the question of whether Helena Bonham Carter would still date and get engaged to Tim Burton.

"What a difficult multiple-choice question, but eventually, we have to make a choice. So let’s see who the ultimate winner will be," Rush said as he opened the envelope in his hand.

The venue suddenly fell silent, and the expressions of the five women on the screen also subtly changed, with Gwyneth pursing her lips as the frequency of her chest rising increased significantly.

"And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to..."(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)