Chapter 140

Although Christine deliberately avoided Xu Can, she seemed to care deeply about Stone Sister.

In this slightly awkward atmosphere, the three took their seats in the venue and waited for the Golden Globe ceremony to begin.

……

This year's Golden Globes competition was relatively fierce.

The Dark Knight, due to its comic-book origins, struggled to compete for Best Picture or Best Director, earning only nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Score.

Xu Can felt no change in mindset—he didn't care whether he won or lost; he was just here for the spectacle.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to the Golden Globes—no more wasting time, let's get straight to the awards!"

This year's Golden Globes was simple and direct: no host appeared, only presenters took the stage.

"Please welcome our presenter, Jennifer Lopez!"

The first presenter was the famous singer and actress, wife of "Batman" Ben Affleck.

"First up is Best Supporting Actress—nominees are…"

She didn't drag it out, immediately announcing the nominees,

and ultimately awarded the prize to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, portrayed by the Elf Queen, Cate Blanchett.

The Elf Queen delivered her acceptance speech in her signature British accent, exuding remarkable elegance.

Subsequently, various Hollywood celebrities took the stage one by one to present each award.

Best Original Song: Into the Wild, Best Animated Feature: Ratatouille, Best Foreign Language Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,

Best Screenplay: No Country for Old Men,

Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy: Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd;

"Captain Jack" Johnny Depp had been wildly popular these past few years,

his Pirates of the Caribbean series becoming one of Disney's flagship IPs,

and recently serving as Xu Can's main cinematic rival.

In fact, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and At World's End had both been the annual box-office champions in their respective years.

Thanks to the butterfly effect stirred up by Xu Can, their influence had been greatly diminished.

In 2006, Best Picture was Spider-Man; in 2007, it was The Dark Knight—both Xu Can's films.

Disney's CEO was nearly suffering from hypertension, yet Xu Can remained completely oblivious.

Then Leonardo DiCaprio took the stage to present Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, awarding it to Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose.

As the middle-aged Leonardo DiCaprio embraced Marion Cotillard on stage,

Xu Can seemed to see the two gazing at each other from a hotel balcony.

By the way, when will Inception be scheduled?

Considering the timeline, Nolan must have been nurturing this script for a long time!

He had long wanted to make this film, but no one appreciated it—he could only temporarily direct The Prestige and Batman: The Dark Knight.

Only after The Dark Knight became a huge success could he reward himself with Inception.

Rather than let someone else benefit, better to benefit himself—he could talk to him later.

Speaking of which, The Dark Knight, one month after release, remained unstoppable globally, surpassing one billion dollars in box office!

Too bad it lost the Mainland China market—if not, they might have broken Spider-Man's $1.1 billion record.

……【】

Next came some television awards: the 2007 Best Drama Series went to Mad Men, which won three major TV honors.

Among the many nominations, Xu Can did not see any familiar names.

Perhaps the butterfly effect had caused changes, making some originally expected shows disappear.

After all the minor awards were presented, the Golden Globes arrived at its final major film categories!

"Next, please welcome Scarlett Johansson to present our next award: Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture!"

Amid thunderous applause, Black Widow Scarlett Johansson walked onto the stage in a glittering golden evening gown.

At just twenty-four, she was at the most captivating stage of womanhood—between maturity and innocence.

She had recently starred in The Black Dahlia, portraying the detective's fiancée with sensuality and beauty,

and through over a decade of performances in numerous films, Black Widow had already established herself as a top-tier Hollywood actress at a young age.

However, Mainland Chinese audiences knew her better from Iron Man.

With golden hair, Black Widow stood beneath the spotlight, beautiful and radiant, smiling into the audience.

"It's an honor to present this award… wow, all five nominated actors are incredibly talented!"

"In Bruges, Casey Affleck!"

Each time Black Widow named a nominee, the large screen behind her played a clip of his performance.

Casey Affleck, brother of Ben Affleck, possessed considerable acting talent.

But his true peak period would come with Manchester by the Sea.

At this point, he still seemed slightly immature.

"No Country for Old Men, Javier Bardem!"

Before this year's Golden Globes began, Javier Bardem was the favorite to win Best Supporting Actor!

He was also Xu Can's most difficult rival.

In No Country for Old Men, Javier Bardem portrayed a psychotic killer whose performance left viewers who saw the film chilled to the bone.

This killer, alongside John Wick and the Joker, became one of the most unforgettable characters of 2007.

"Hairspray, John Travolta!"

John Travolta was another heavyweight Hollywood actor, equally renowned for portraying Biantaifan Sect villains.

The hitman who does the twist dance in *Pulp Fiction*, the protagonist-turned-villain in *Face/Off*,

In *Hairspray* he also cross-dressed as a lady, his acting nothing short of breathtaking.

"*Michael Clayton*, Tang Mu Wilkinson!"

This man is also a veteran actor who has worked in Hollywood for decades, nominated multiple times for the Academy Awards, and has won numerous honors at ceremonies around the world.

Finally, after going around the circle, Scarlett finally introduced the last nominee.

"This next nominated actor, I believe everyone is familiar with — he has truly risen to fame these past two years."

"I imagine quite a few of you are wondering, just where did this handsome guy from Huaxia pop out from?"

"The East really is too magical — you wouldn't have cast some spell on us, would you?"

Scarlett's little joke drew smiles from the guests on site; the spotlight swung to Xu Can at the same time, giving his handsome face with its distinctly Eastern features a full ten-second extreme close-up.

Taylor Swift, watching in front of the TV, had been painting her toenails; at the sight of this, she forgot what her hands were doing.

So this is the man who bullied her?

How could he look so refined and gentle on TV, yet so full of force in battle that she begged for mercy again and again?

But the next second, the camera cut to Emma Stone beside him,

Stone leaned intimately against him, her whole body practically pressed up against his,

And on his right was the cool, aloof Kirsten,

"What luck with the ladies… damn it."

Tay-Tay watched, grinding her teeth.

"Xu Can from Huaxia — this magical Eastern man has brought us an enormous surprise this year!"

"*The Dark Knight*, playing the Joker!"

At the same time, the screen behind them was playing the film's highlights.

【I believe, whatever doesn't kill you, makes you… 1.1… weirder】

【I'm not a monster, I'm just ahead of the curve】

【I'm an agent of chaos. Know what chaos is? It's absolute fairness!】

【Why so serious? Why-so-serious!!!】

Just a few clips, and the guests on site burst into applause.

The Joker was truly the most eye-catching and most surprising role of 2007!

Xu Can's performance left all of Hollywood in awe!

"Let's reveal who tonight's Best Supporting Actor winner is!"

Scarlett slowly tore open the envelope; the TV camera split into five at the same time, giving each of the five nominees a shot.

Each face wore a different expression, waiting for the result to be revealed.