Chapter 91

No matter how biased the Academy judges were, they couldn't ignore the character Xu Can created that stood out from the crowd—the Joker!

With more than a week left until the Oscar ceremony, Hollywood had already started warming up.

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

One moment, *No Country for Old Men* directors, the Coen brothers, claimed that Javier Bardem would defeat Xu Can for Best Supporting Actor and take back the Oscar.

He lost to Xu Can at the Golden Globes, but this time he would definitely win.

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

"Xu Can is an excellent actor, and the Joker character has received unanimous praise; *The Dark Knight* is still surpassing *The Godfather* at the top of the IMDb list..."

"But the judges aren't into him; they would rather give the award to Javier Bardem, deliberately favoring serious film works rather than a superhero in a tight suit."

This leak quickly met with dissatisfaction from North American netizens.

"Isn't *The Dark Knight* serious enough? It’s simply much better than some pretentious dramas!"

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

"The judges are suspected of discrimination; suggest calling the police."

"Tell a joke: Oscar judges."

"Have you seen this movie? Watch it before you talk!"

In short, it would be one thing if the film hadn't been nominated,

but since Xu Can had been nominated, the vast majority of people thought him winning was the will of the people.

The Joker deserved an Oscar!

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

"Chinese actor Xu Can nominated for an Oscar; he is expected to become the first Mainland male actor to win an Oscar!"

"Oscar nominations revealed, Best Supporting Actor competition is fierce; Chinese star expected to lift the golden statue!"

"Xu Can fears being a runner-up; seven reasons why he cannot win."

Domestic media also had mixed opinions about this news, and netizens who didn't understand were left confused.

"Foreign awards, how could they let a Chinese person win?"

"Don't think about it; it’s all black-box operations behind the scenes."

"Xu Can will definitely win; the other competitors aren't strong enough."

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

"Is Xu Can the one who played Spider-Man? Why is he playing Batman?"

"Requesting resources, where can I watch the movie?"

Most domestic netizens hadn't seen *The Dark Knight*, and the Mainland release was indefinitely shelved...

The few netizens who had watched it via pirated resources or genuine discs had already blown Xu Can up to the sky.

"The greatest villain in film history!"

"The Joker is the protagonist of the movie; they should give him the Best Actor award."

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

"Seriously, the domestic entertainment industry should really learn from Xu Can; why doesn't he come back to act?"

"It’s said he offended a big shot and was banned..."

"Absurd, the domestic industry deserves it!"

"It’s said *Spider-Man 2* is coming out; I’ll definitely contribute to the box office then."

Although he wasn't in the East, legends of Xu Can were gradually spreading.

However, mainstream media chose to turn a blind eye, as if this person didn't exist, with only fans who had seen his works spreading the word.

The media and netizens had become disconnected.

"Honey, shall I accompany you to the Oscars this time?"

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

Approaching the Oscar ceremony, Taylor and Stone almost simultaneously invited Xu Can to walk the red carpet.

Fortunately, Xu Can had already thought of a countermeasure.

"The company needs to promote the new film, so this time I’m walking the red carpet with Emma. Honey, I’ll accompany you to the Grammys."

"Alright... but you and Emma really don't have anything going on, right? Looking at the news recently..."

"Little silly, don't look at the tabloids; those photos are just stills from the set. You know, we’re playing a couple."

"I know, it just feels uncomfortable."

Taylor sighed lightly, "I want to act with you too; can you let me play the lead?"

"That day will come; I’ll have a chance to write a script just for you, and we’ll act in it."

Xu Can dotingly stroked her beautiful face, seriously painting a big picture for her.

Taylor had indeed acted in some movies and TV shows, like *Valentine’s Day* and *New Girl*.

These were just cameos or bit parts.

Taylor’s talent was all used for songwriting; her acting was fine for MVs, but she really couldn't carry a movie.

Xu Can could only paint the picture first; whether he could film it later was another matter.

Taylor was quite happy and had already started looking forward to playing a screen couple with Xu Can.

As time reached the end of February, Hollywood’s annual grand event, the Oscar ceremony, kicked off.

The Kodak Theatre was crowded with stars, and all the big names in Hollywood walked the red carpet, posing hard in front of the cameras.

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

"Xu, are you and Emma officially dating?"

"Xu, are you confident about winning the golden statue today?"

"Can you reveal the progress of the new film?"

"When will the *Spider-Man* sequel start filming?"

A group of reporters surrounded Xu Can, and the two had to use all their might to escape.

"It’s hard to imagine we’d have this kind of treatment."

Emma suddenly sighed.

When she and Xu Can first acted in *Spider-Man*, no one recognized her on the street.

Now, if they didn't drive out, they would inevitably be surrounded by fans.

"You’ll be even more famous when you become a Best Actress."

"You always say that; how could I win a golden statue?" Emma was a bit embarrassed.

Because Xu Can was so radiant, she always felt her performance wasn't that good.

"Believe in me."

Xu Can looked at her firmly and took Emma into the Oscar venue.

As the Oscar ceremony began, as per tradition, there was a video montage or a parody, showcasing the films of the past year.

As it turned out, every character in the opening animation was wearing a Joker mask, recreating exciting scenes from different movies.

When host Jon Stewart took the stage, he was still using this gag to open.

"Wow, this opening animation just now, it’s all Joker. Christian Bale, where are you?"

"My God, man, why are you still sitting in the audience instead of changing into the Batman suit?"

"Forget it, you were suppressed by the Joker in the movie; I guess I can't count on you..."

Christian Bale smiled helplessly; despite being the male lead, Hollywood always brought this up.

He was simply the most miserable male lead.

"I have to say, there are really a lot of perverts in this year’s Oscar nominations—perverted killers, perverted villains. No wonder those Hollywood screenwriters went on strike for three months; I really doubt their mental state..."

Before the awards, the host routinely told stand-up jokes on stage, teasing the Hollywood strike that had caused such a stir recently.

"*No Country for Old Men*, *The Dark Knight*, *Sweeney Todd*, *There Will Be Blood*... Oh my god, relatively speaking, *Juno*’s teenage pregnancy seems so fresh and innocent."

At this time, *Juno* lead Elliot Ellen Page was still a cute girl; who knew she would later choose to become a man.

After teasing the Oscar-nominated films, the host finally got to the point.

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

"Let’s see who can lift today’s golden statue!"