The Best Director

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: The Newly-Crowned Oscar Best Director! (Votes Please)

The Oscars press center and backstage interview rooms are located in the Renaissance Hotel, which is connected to the Kodak Theatre by several passages. Once an award is presented, the winners come to the interview room in the hotel to face interviews from journalists from all over the world. At this moment, the ceremony has ended, and all winners are in the backstage interview room, along with some nominees and presenters. The room is buzzing with voices, flashing lights, and is very lively.

In front of the backdrop printed with the ABC channel and Oscars logos, winners hold their trophies with bright, happy smiles as photographers busily snap pictures. Meanwhile, another large group of reporters surrounds those who have finished taking photos, bombarding them with various questions to dig for news.

“Mr. Richards, do you think that holding the Oscars celebration at this time is appropriate?” Seven or eight reporters in formal attire surrounded Martin Richards, who had just won the award for Best Picture, asking what had become an almost inevitable question of the evening. Richards wiped his wrinkled face with his left hand and said, “I don’t think there’s a direct connection between the two. I am against war, as any sane person would be; but I also support our troops.”

“Then how do you comment on Michael Moore’s performance when he received his award tonight?” another white male reporter asked, his press pass indicating that he was from The New York Times.

Martin Richards let out a “Oh God,” pressing his forehead and saying, “I think Michael Moore’s film is very good, and his speech was outstanding. But what happened to him tonight? Doing it that way was a bit too rash and he spoke too quickly; he should have prepared better. I believe we all long for peace, and everyone has their own way of pursuing it.”

There was a hint of regret on his aged face as he shook his head, “I don’t quite agree with the way Michael Moore acted tonight, I like Adrien Brody, and Wang Yang, they did well.”

The group of reporters around him immediately chuckled softly. Wang Yang had been a strong anti-war advocate, his speech at the nominee luncheon not any milder than Michael Moore’s, of course, he used well-founded arguments and his words were not as abrasive and aggressive as “fictitious, shameful”; but tonight, his humorous manner of expressing his stance made him more endearing and acceptable.

Upon hearing Richards mention Wang Yang, a black female reporter from Hollywood Reporter asked, “We know Wang Yang’s second movie ‘High School Musical’ started a wave of musicals in 1999, for example, it was the top-selling soundtrack CD of the year in ’99, did this give any confidence to ‘Chicago’?”

“I have heard of ‘High School Musical’, and indeed it provided some market confidence, but there’s no significant relation,” Martin Richards said, lifting the trophy in his hand with a serious expression, ” ‘Chicago’ itself was an excellent stage play, thanks to Bob Fosse…”

Meanwhile, in the distance in front of the backdrop adorned with little Oscar statues, Nicole Kidman, Adrien Brody, and Wang Yang stood together for a group photo. Amidst the clicking sounds, their smiling faces were captured in one photo after another with photographers clamoring, “Wang, stand in the middle!” “Can you put your arm around Nicole’s waist? A bit closer, please!” “Please lift your trophies, thank you!”…

No sooner had the three finished their group photos and walked away from the backdrop than a large crowd of reporters swooped in to surround them with questions, including the obligatory “Why did you come?”

“I had no reservations about the Oscars ceremony,” Adrien Brody replied with his eyebrows hung upside down and said seriously, “To hold such a joyous celebration while the world is filled with sad news and conflicts does indeed present difficulties.” He brushed back a lock of hair from his forehead, looked at the dozen or so reporters, and continued, “But as artists, members of the film industry, and actors, we have put in a lot of effort over the past year and made contributions to the film industry; we have reasons to celebrate.”

The reporters then gestured for Nicole Kidman to answer, “Nicole, what do you think?” “You didn’t finish saying everything on stage, did you?”

“Well, if you can’t sort out these issues yourself, then your mind will be in chaos,” Kidman said earnestly, nodding. Wang Yang and Adrien Brody were both looking at her as she smiled and said, “You should first ask yourself: ‘Should I be here? Is this a bit hasty? Is there something important here?’ I tell myself that it is a bit hasty, fundamentally.”

Nicole Kidman pursed her lips and lifted her trophy a bit naturally as she continued, “But at the same time, art is also a very important part of our lives, and I am proud to be an actor.” Her demeanor became serious, “We are also well aware of what is happening elsewhere in the world, and we take it all seriously.”

“And you, Yang?” the reporters quickly turned to ask Wang Yang, a dozen pairs of differently colored eyes all looking at him, bombarding him with questions: “You have a strong opposition to the war, why did you come?” “It seems you enjoyed tonight, you were really funny on stage.” “Haha, yes, was that a prepared speech you had?”…

Listening to their questions, Wang Yang held the little golden statue and spread his hands, feigning ignorance, “You know, uh! I heard there were trophies made of gold to be had, so I just came.”

“Hehe!” The reporters burst into light laughter, quickly jotting down notes. Such a response was deemed flippant! Adrien Brody and Nicole Kidman both smiled, but nobody thought the newly-crowned Best Director would end with just that sentence. This was probably just one of Magic Yang’s jokes that hinted at more to come, but was it appropriate to joke about such a serious question?

“First of all, I agree with Adrien and Nicole’s point.” Wang Yang’s tone became more serious as he seemed to ask, “Also, why should the Oscars be held at this time, and why should we participate and even joke about it?” He looked around at the faces of the reporters and continued, “Because film is art, it’s soul food. It brings reflection and insight; but film is also entertainment, bringing laughter and joy.”

He raised his left hand and pointed in a distant direction, continuing, “Yes, right now there is a war going on on Earth, some are dying, families are being shattered… but does that mean you need to give up all laughter and joy? Or should we, amidst the pain, bring as much happy laughter to people as possible, even if it’s just for 4 hours? Life is meant to be full of laughter and cheer. If you don’t love life, then why fight this war?”

Many journalists raised their eyebrows, silently admiring Magic Yang’s eloquence as they took notes. It was hard to argue back. If you’re for the war, then the purpose is to eliminate threats of mass destruction, to protect the safety and livelihood of Americans and others, and to topple Saddam’s regime for the good of the Iraqi people. Ultimately, the end goal of war is a good life, so why give up what we have now? And those who are anti-war, aren’t they seeking peace precisely because they don’t want people to suffer tragedies and don’t want the good life to be destroyed by war?

Wang Yang paused, took a deep breath, and spoke earnestly, “War has taken many lives. We can’t forget them and their families. We send our blessings and support to them; we can’t forget the living and we can’t forget ourselves.”

Under everyone’s gaze, he again raised his finger and said, “I know many people are against the Oscars, but there are also many, many viewers who want to watch the program, including countless overseas viewers. Why did Steve Martin say that to end tonight? I agree with him. It’s a traditional holiday for filmmakers and also our duty to the audience, part of the movie ticket. So, I came, I came for the award, and I wanted to bring laughter to everyone.”

If their hands weren’t already full, the reporters and the newly-crowned actor and actress would have applauded, as the Best Director’s answer was indeed different and thoroughly convincing. They nodded in approval, saying things like, “Oh, well said!” and “You did it!” Nicole Kidman revealed a smile, this guy really had a knack for speaking; Adrien Brody also felt a bit sentimental. He had racked his brains for days preparing his potential acceptance speech, yet Magic Yang seemed to have one ready at all times.

“Forgot to mention, that’s the actors’ job in front of the camera,” Wang Yang suddenly joked, catching the unprepared crowd off guard as they chuckled. He shrugged and added, “But I’m a director, it’s my job to oversee their performance. Buddy, you did well, GOOD KISS!” He said this and playfully punched Adrien Brody on the shoulder, prompting the new Best Actor and everyone else to burst into laughter.

This turn-based answering was too slow and the questions varied, so after asking two must-ask questions, the reporters split up to interview the three most prominent award-winners. A majority gathered around Wang Yang because he hadn’t come to the interview room after receiving his award and had returned directly to his seat. Naturally, they wanted to thoroughly question the 23-year-old Best Director now that they had the chance, as there was so much news to dig into!

“I’m delighted, not too excited? Probably because my eyes tell me this is the Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, you know it’s too plain around here.” “Yes, I’m the Best Director, but who isn’t?” “The first time standing on the Oscar stage as an award recipient feels so safe because you know you’ll be okay if you faint, what with over three thousand people staring at you.”…

Wang Yang was bombarded with incessant questions like “How do you feel?” and “What are your thoughts?” While reporters kept bursting into laughter, as Magic Yang was determined to bring joy that night. Almost every answer drew hearty laughter, revealing his unique sense of humor. The journalists knew after these Q&As were published, Magic Yang’s long list of classic quotes would grow even longer.

“Yang, where do you plan to put this trophy?” Another blonde Caucasian female journalist from the Los Angeles Times asked a routine question. Earlier, the Best Supporting Actress winner, Catherine Zeta Jones, had said, “I’ll place this little gold man slightly in front of the two little gold men my husband (Michael Douglas) has won.” She added with a smile, “It’s so precious. Do you have a special trophy room for it?”

“In fact, that’s my bedroom,” Wang Yang glanced at the woman’s name tag on her chest, Sophia Baker, and seeing that reporters were anticipating another laugh, he thought of a fun answer. After pausing for a couple of seconds, he said in a deadpan tone, “I’ve already decided. I’m going to rearrange all the awards I’ve received before. I’ll place them on the ceiling, so every day when I open my eyes, I’ll see them.”

“Hahaha—” Despite anticipating a humorous response, the journalists couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably. The inquiring Sophia Baker shook with laughter as she tried to take notes, and the laughter attracted the attention of bystanders, even those far away.

“Oh my goodness!” Wang Yang suddenly exclaimed in surprise, tapping his forehead with the little golden man, and said in astonishment to everyone, “I forgot one thing, Newton discovered gravity!” The reporters burst into laughter again, and Wang Yang frowned and cursed, “Damn it, why did he have to discover that?” The reporters completely lost it laughing: “Ah hahaha—”

Before their laughter had even subsided, Wang Yang added sorrowfully, “Newton killed our chance to fly!” The laughter that had just abated suddenly erupted again, truly drawing the entire interview room’s attention. The journalists were too overwhelmed with laughter to take notes, as Wang Yang then said, “I have a great idea! I’ll sleep on the ceiling, and put the awards on the floor.”

“Oh my, hahaha…” Everyone found they simply couldn’t stop laughing, drawing curious and slightly puzzled smiles from the surrounding celebrities and peers. But they couldn’t help themselves. Wang Yang immediately spread his hands and said, “I need to go ask Toby Maguire how to defeat Newton?” The laughter from the journalists instantly grew wilder: “Hahaha…”

Toby Maguire is the actor who plays Peter Parker, the main character in Spider-Man.

The raucous laughter finally drew the attention of numerous journalists who had been interviewing Martin Richards, Chris Cooper, and others. They all excused themselves with “Sorry, just one moment,” and quickly walked towards the source of the laughter, guessing the situation— the Best Director now was Wang Yang of Juno and The Hangover, not District 9! They couldn’t miss this special news!

The celebrity guests all looked on with curiosity. Was Wang Yang having another talk-show moment? They felt admiration, even a touch of envy. But it wasn’t the superstar Nicole Kidman worrying about it. She looked at the growing crowd of journalists and thought to herself, if even answering a question could get the press laughing and shouting, how could the fans not love it? This must be why Wang Yang, as a director, has such high popularity!

Jessica, who had been talking with Jennifer Lopez, also came over, and the reporters naturally made way for her. When she reached Wang Yang’s side, she looked at the crowd with a puzzled smile and asked, “What’s going on?” Wang Yang grabbed her hand, shook his head with a smile, and said, “Nothing much, we were just talking about Isaac Newton and Einstein Lee’s science.”

“Hahaha—” The laughter from the journalists, which had just begun to ebb, burst forth again. Sophia Baker felt her eyes wet with laughter; he had changed Einstein’s “Stein” to “Stan,” which referred to Stan Lee, the comic book creator of Spider-Man, X-Men, and other Marvel superheroes.

Those journalists who had just joined and Jessica, not fully aware of the context, could only smile in confusion, since the remark was funny on its own.

The laughter slowly subsided, but the journalists still wore faces stretched in grins. Hearing Wang Yang laughingly say, “OK, any more questions?” a black-haired Caucasian female journalist from Variety quickly asked with a chuckle, “Yang, when you were accepting the award, you spoke about making another sci-fi movie and then returning to the Oscars stage! It looks like we can expect another groundbreaking sci-fi film from you soon?”

“Without a doubt, I’ll definitely make another sci-fi movie, and I already have some theme ideas,” Wang Yang nodded. This question wasn’t a joke. Reflecting on his recent thoughts, he told the crowd, “But for now, I don’t want to stay on Earth. I want to break free from gravity and roam the universe—you know I’m quite fond of spaceship themes. Um, I don’t know—see how it goes! I’m swamped with work right now.”

More than twenty journalists from different media outlets were earnestly scribbling notes. This was a compelling topic—the first director to win an Oscar for a science fiction film, a beacon of hope for the future of the genre. What would his second sci-fi movie be like? Spaceships, outer space? Star Wars or interstellar adventure? But they knew once a story entered the vastness of space, the scale wouldn’t be as contained as District 9’s. Stunning visuals might be easy, but deeply moving the audience, that’s a much bigger challenge.

How confident are you that you can bring a science fiction film to the Oscars again?” the black-haired journalist pressed on, her tone subtly provoking, “There have been many one-hit wonders, I mean in terms of the sci-fi genre, will you be one?” Everyone’s eyes turned expectantly towards Wang Yang.

“Wow! I don’t know,” Wang Yang curled his lips wryly as he raised his eyebrows, released Jessica’s hand, and waved his index finger in the air at everyone, laughing, “I know what you all are thinking—you want me to say ‘No, I will definitely storm the Oscars!’ right? Making such promises is silly.” The reporters laughed lightly, and he added seriously, “But I’m a fool, so I’ll do my very best, no matter what! To let sci-fi movies storm the Oscars again!”

The reporters immediately let out a collective “Whoa—” in amazement. Wang Yang had thrown down the gauntlet; there was their headline! Sophia Baker and others were eagerly jotting this down. Jessica slightly furrowed her brows, filled with confidence in Wang Yang but wondering, was that a bit rash?

“That was a joke,” Wang Yang said, wiping his forehead. The crowd chuckled lightly—they weren’t going to treat it as a joke. The black-haired journalist laughed, “Yang, those were your own words.” Wang Yang shrugged with a smile. Making a terrible film would be the real failure, open to ridicule, he laughed, “Well, not anymore, now that I’ve said it. We always give our all with every movie. As for the final results, let’s leave that up to the teachers!”

“But rest assured, even though I might not get an Oscar, but…” he looked around at everyone and said very seriously, “I will definitely win the Jessica Award! Thank you!” The surrounding journalists were once again entertained into laughter, and Jessica herself let out a laugh, making a playful “can’t do anything with him” expression.

Wang Yang, raising the little golden man trophy in his hand, laughed, “Best Picture, Best Director… everything!” Amidst the laughter of the journalists, Jessica suddenly remembered his earlier words at an award show, spread her hands with a regretful smile and said, “You won’t be winning Best Actress, though.”

“Hahaha—” The journalists erupted into laughter again, and Wang Yang and Jessica exchanged smiles, as the nearby celebrities and media reporters glanced over again. As the laughter began to die down, Sophia Baker suddenly burst in with a question, “Yang, do you have any thoughts about making a musical? You know, Chicago just got Best Picture, and lots and lots of movie fans have been looking forward to your second musical for a long time.”

Jessica and the many journalists looked at him, and Wang Yang furrowed his brow, saying with confusion, “I really don’t get it—are you guys wanting me to make a sci-fi movie or a musical?” The crowd laughed once again, and after a moment of thought, Wang Yang said, “To be honest, I’ve always been interested in musical films. The reason is simple: I love to sing and dance, although I’m not very good at singing. But as I always say! It depends on the opportunity. I have a lot of work to do right now.”

“Standalone Romance” needs editing and other post-production work, and it’s going to be released this summer; “The Great Escape” will air during this year’s fall season; there are also several movies I’m supervising, not to mention my next big project, “The Devil in Galliano”… It’s crazy!

Wang Yang looked at the reporters and said seriously, “Don’t expect me to say anything about musicals winning Best Picture again. I’m not a fool.”

“Hehe!” The reporters let out a chorus of light laughter. Actually, having heard the phrase “interest exists” was enough for them. These Q&A sessions were all shared; as for how to dig deeper and report, that’s where they differed. This was also media warfare. When focusing on the next film of the youngest Oscar-winning Best Director, some would emphasize his plans to direct a sci-fi movie, others would highlight his interest in musicals, and of course, some would write about the confirmed direction of “The Devil in Galliano,” while not forgetting the recently wrapped “Standalone Romance.”

“Yang, what are your expectations for ‘Standalone Romance’?” another question came from a white male reporter wearing black-rimmed glasses—he was from the Chicago Sun-Times. He added another question, “Can you predict a box office number?”

“I hope the audience enjoys it and thinks it’s a good movie,” Wang Yang replied with a standard answer, ignoring the question about box office predictions. As long as it’s a good film and with proper marketing and the right release timing, its box office won’t be bad. He didn’t feel like answering more questions, and, glancing at Jessica, who was smiling beside him, he suddenly called out, “Hey, Jessica!”

He took her hand and introduced her to the reporters with importance, “This is my Girlfriend! I’ve been looking for her for a long time, sorry! We have to go home now.” Amid the reporters’ light laughter, the couple walked out arm in arm, breaking through the encirclement.

However, they didn’t actually leave the Renaissance Hotel immediately. Afterwards, Wang Yang took some group photos, greeted the awardees and celebrity guests, including those from “District 9” like Robert Downey Jr., before finally leaving the hotel to go home.

Of course, there were many celebration parties to follow, such as the Oscar night hosted by Vanity Fair at Morton’s Restaurant, but Wang Yang hadn’t planned to attend any of them from the start. As the “key invitee” of the organizers, he returned all the gifts he received; and Jessica, also a key invitee, said with a laugh, “If you’re not going, I won’t either. We’re like twins.”

He never liked making social rounds at parties after a tiring day. What was there? Even more stars who hadn’t been invited to the Oscars, even more reporters…

He would get some compliments and praise, but he didn’t need that validation. Besides, he was hardly lacking in film offers; in the past, he only cared about networking within the industry. But now there’s a war going on somewhere on the planet, even the main Oscars ceremony is being criticized as inappropriate—so what about extravagant celebration parties? He could use this reason not to attend, and it was also true that he didn’t want to go. As for the face of Vanity Fair?

“I don’t care!”

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PS: Wow, I’m begging for votes, a new week! Seeking recommendation votes to surge to the top of the weekly category recommendation list; also, it’s the end of the month, so if you have any monthly tickets, don’t hold on to them, throw them out, thank you! (To be continued, for more chapters, please visit www.qidian.com, support the author, support genuine reading!)