Chapter 156

No matter how biased the academic-school judges may be, they cannot ignore the role Xu Can has shaped—one that stands head and shoulders above the rest—the Joker!

With just over a week until the Oscars ceremony, Hollywood has already begun its warm-up.

These days, entertainment news in the media is almost all about the Oscars.

One moment it's the Coen brothers, directors of No Country for Old Men, declaring that Javier Bardem will defeat Xu Can for Best Supporting Actor and take back the Oscar.

He lost to Xu Can at the Golden Globes, so this time he's sure to win.

The next moment, someone claiming to be an insider from the Oscar organizing committee leaks:

"Xu Can is an excellent actor, and the role of the Joker has also received unanimous praise. The Dark Knight still surpasses The Godfather and ranks first on IMDb…"

"But the judges aren't interested in him. They'd rather hand the award to Javier Bardem—deliberately favoring serious film works over a superhero in a tight suit."

This leak quickly drew the displeasure of North American netizens. 【】

"Isn't The Dark Knight serious enough? It's far better than a lot of pretentious plot-driven films!"

"The Oscars have become a joke, a product of political correctness; the awards lost their fairness long ago."

"The judges are suspected of discrimination—someone should call the police."

"Tell a joke: Oscar judges."

"Have you even seen this film? Watch it before you talk!"

In any case, films that didn't even get nominated—let them be.

Since Xu Can has already been nominated, the vast majority of people believe his win is the will of the public.

The Joker deserves a little golden statuette!

Hollywood was in an uproar, and the news spread through the internet to North America.

"Chinese actor Xu Can receives Oscar nomination—he's expected to become the first mainland Chinese male actor to win an Oscar!"

"Oscar nominations revealed, fierce competition for Best Supporting Actor—Chinese rising star expected to take home the little golden statuette!"

"Xu Can may be a mere attendee—seven reasons why he can't win."

Domestic media were also divided on the news, leaving uninformed netizens completely baffled.

"A foreign award—how could they possibly let a Chinese person win?"

"Don't even think about it, it's all shady dealings behind the scenes."

"Xu Can will take the award for sure, the other competitors just don't have the chops."

"What movie is this? Why haven't I heard of it?"

"Is Xu Can the one who played Spider-Man? How is he in Batman now?"

"Begging for resources, where can I watch the movie?"

Most domestic netizens haven't seen The Dark Knight, and its mainland theatrical release has been indefinitely postponed.. 0

The few who watched it through pirated resources or genuine DVDs have already blown Xu Can's praises to the skies.

"The greatest villain in film history!"

"Joker is the real lead of the movie—he should be given the Best Actor award."

"Who says Chinese actors have no acting skills? Let Xu Can show you what real acting is!"

"Honestly, mainland entertainment should really learn from Xu Can—why doesn't he come back to act in China?"

"Rumor has it he offended some big shot and got blacklisted…"

"Ridiculous—mainland entertainment deserves it!"

"Rumor has it Spider-Man 2 is coming out, I'll definitely contribute to the box office then."

Though he is not in the East, legends of Xu Can have gradually begun to spread there.

However, mainstream media all chose to act as if he didn't exist, as if this person simply wasn't there—only the fans who had seen his work passed the word from mouth to mouth.

The media and the netizens have already become completely divided.

"Darling, let me accompany you to the Oscars this time?"

"Baby, let's walk the red carpet at the Oscars together!"

As the Oscar ceremony approached, both TayTay and Stone sis almost simultaneously invited Xu Can to walk the red carpet together.

Fortunately, Xu Can had long since thought of a plan.

"The company needs to promote a new movie, so this time I'll be walking the red carpet with Emma. Darling, I'll go with you to the Grammys."

"Fine… but you and Emma really don't have anything going on, right? I've been seeing the news lately…"

"Silly, don't read the tabloids. Those photos are all on-set stills. You know we're playing a couple in the film."

"I know, it just doesn't sit right."

TayTay sighed softly, "I want to act in a film with you too—can you let me play the female lead?"

"That day will come. If I get the chance, I'll write a script just for you, and we'll be the only ones in it."

Xu Can tenderly caressed her breathtakingly beautiful face, earnestly painting castles in the air.

TayTay has indeed appeared in some films and TV shows, like Valentine's Day and New Girl.

These were all just cameos or walk-on parts.

TayTay's talent all went into songwriting; her acting is fine for music videos, but she really can't carry a film.

Xu Can could only paint castles in the air for now—shooting it later would be another matter.

TayTay, however, was quite happy and had already begun looking forward to playing an on-screen couple with Xu Can.

……

As time rolled into late February, Hollywood's annual extravaganza—the Oscar ceremony—kicked off.

The Kodak Theatre was packed with stars; all of Hollywood's biggest names paraded down the red carpet, working hard to preen and pose for the cameras.

When Xu Can and Emma Stone made their appearance, the flashes and attention they received were no less than those long-established superstars.

"Xu, may I ask if you and Emma are officially dating?"

"May I ask, Xu, are you confident about taking home the little golden statuette today?"

"Could you reveal the filming progress of the new movie?"

"When does the Spider-Man sequel start filming?"

A swarm of reporters surrounded Xu Can, and the two of them struggled mightily before breaking free.

"It's hard to imagine we get this kind of treatment too."

Emma suddenly sighed with feeling.

Back when she and Xu Can first starred in "Spider-Man," she could walk down the street without anyone recognizing her.

Now, if she didn't go out by car, she'd inevitably be swarmed by fans until not a drop could leak through.

"Once you become Best Actress, you'll be even more famous."

"You always say that — how could I possibly win the little golden statuette?" Emma said, a little embarrassed.

Because Xu Can was so dazzling, she always felt her own performance wasn't that great.

"Trust me."

Xu Can looked at her firmly, took Emma's hand, and walked into the Oscars venue.

……

The Oscar ceremony had just opened, and as usual it began with a video montage — either a clip reel or a parody edit — showcasing the films of the past year.

As it turned out, every character in the opening animation wore a clown mask, recreating highlight moments from different films.

When host Jon Stewart took the stage, he was still using that bit to open.

"Wow, that opening animation just now — all clowns. Christian Bale, where are you?"

"Oh my god, man, why are you still sitting in the audience? Why don't you go change into the Bat-suit?"

"Forget it, you were suppressed by the clown in the movie anyway, so I guess there's no counting on you…"

Christian Bale laughed helplessly — he was clearly the male lead of the film, yet Hollywood always brought this up.

He was practically the most pitiful male lead.

"Have to say, this year's Oscar nominees really have a lot of freaks — freak killers, Biantaifan Sect — no wonder those Hollywood screenwriters went on strike for three months; I seriously doubt their mental state…"

Before the awards began, the host went through the routine of doing a stand-up bit on stage, ribbing the Hollywood strike that had caused such an uproar not long ago.

"'No Country for Old Men,' 'The Dark Knight,' 'Sweeney Todd,' 'There Will Be Blood'… oh my god, by comparison the teenage pregnancy in 'Juno' feels so refreshingly wholesome."

At this point, 'Juno''s lead actress Ellen Page was still a cute girl — who knew she'd later choose to become a man.

After ribbing the Oscar-nominated films for a while, the host finally got down to business.

"Alright, thanks to them for bringing us so many excellent works!"

"Let's see who exactly will be lifting today's little golden statuette!"