Chapter 572

The two walked and chatted, Liu Tianxian translating beside them; occasionally, celebrity artists glanced their way, mostly puzzled by why this man seemed so close to Lao Zha.

Fang Hong naturally laughed it off, fundamentally unwilling to put all his eggs in one basket, so he didn't bring up the matter with him.

Of course they'd still cooperate, but one Conjuring universe was enough; this universe could keep being filmed, keep making money, with no possibility of loss.

The award ceremony was about to begin; stars and celebrities on the red carpet outside began streaming continuously into the Dolby Theatre's interior.

The theater had two main entrances to分流, so there was no queuing or crowding.

Fang Hong and his group parted from Lao Zha, merging with the crowd; the two sides did not sit together, each having their own seats.

After separating from Lao Zha, they became inconspicuous; no one interviewed them on the red carpet—they were still fundamentally outsiders here.

It was perfectly normal; there were too many famous people here.

The Dolby Theatre resembled traditional European Broadway theaters, exuding a classical artistic feel, its overall tone golden and red, luxurious yet substantial.

The theater's overall structure was arched; the audience seats appeared sunken into the walls, as if holes had been drilled into the walls here and there.

The guest seating below was divided into six sections: two horizontal rows in front, two in the middle and back—like slicing a cake vertically and horizontally into six parts.

As people of all races and celebrities flooded in, the internationally renowned stars quickly took their seats.

Seats were assigned; no one could sit randomly—those with names sat in front, those without names sat in back.

Since Fang Hong and the other two held Donna's invitation, they naturally sat with Donna; Shi Zhi Mao was also here.

Their seats were in the second row on the left side of the front section; the front row consisted of prominent Hollywood stars: Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Benny, and others.

There were also judges, all prestigious figures, targets of teasing, like Liu Dehua!

Looking out, the stars glittered brilliantly!

Yu Xian sat with Dakota Johnson, the female lead of Fifty Shades of Grey; the girl wore a red dress and was quite beautiful and captivating.

This year, Fifty Shades of Grey Part Two will be released; it's still being filmed and nearly finished.

Liu Tianxian's cheeks flushed red; she glanced around, seeing herself seated among internationally renowned stars, and felt what? She felt slightly dizzy.

She felt her level, her status, being endlessly elevated; here she was unremarkable, yet still felt superior compared to domestic stars.

Some foreigners were also curiously glancing at them!

Yu Xian, seated in the front row of another section, saw Liu Tianxian looking his way and turned his head to wave at her.

"Who's that?" Dakota Johnson asked beside him.

"She's my former goddess," Yu Xian said.

"What about me?" Dakota Johnson pouted.

"You're my current goddess," Yu Xian said, then kissed her cheek—his lips were sweet, clearly he'd spent plenty of time soothing girls.

I wonder how things are with Guo Biting?

Liu Tianxian looked around and saw Fang Hong chatting with Donna; they were discussing Gravity's marketing.

Probably another sneaky idea—after all, they came to the United States for this very purpose.

Fang Hong was under pressure with this film; if it didn't make two billion in box office, it wouldn't profit—only break even, and that didn't even count marketing and promotional costs or time investment!

Although it had already surpassed one billion, after the seven-day Spring Festival, it was hard to say the box office wouldn't collapse; China's film market simply isn't that large yet, not yet at its peak.

Liu Tianxian looked toward the stage; the lights dimmed, and the previously dark stage was now filled with starlight, arranged in an arch, dazzlingly brilliant.

Then the stage lights brightened, an energetic melody rang out, and the massive curtain rose.

"Welcome to the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Heights; the Oscar Awards ceremony broadcast is now beginning. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome host Neil Patrick Harris."

Amid applause, a handsome white man slowly ascended the stage.

This year's Oscar host was a homosexual who preferred men, disliked women, and had a male husband.

Moreover, he had given birth to twins via surrogacy—two men had given birth to twins; utterly mind-blowing.

No one knew if women were uninteresting or what, but he preferred men; still, it was normal—some people, tired of women, turned to men, finding them more intriguing.

This was unimaginable in China; it could never enter mainstream society, yet here it was commonplace.

Benny, in the front row, was drinking from a bottle—he was the one who played Doctor Strange.

Their award ceremony was more casual, with fewer rigid rules.

Onstage, the host said a few lines, then spontaneously sang a song—lyrics mocking various stars and films.

The stars in the audience burst into "ha-ha" laughter.

On the massive 3D screen behind, clips from classic films appeared; the entire stage felt three-dimensional, as if the host himself were inside the movies.

Just as the host was singing passionately, a fat man shouted, climbed onstage, and performed a stand-up comedy routine.

"What are they singing?" Fang Hong asked Liu Tianxian; the audience's mood was very lively.

"That fat guy is Jack Black, the one who played Gulliver; he criticized every superhero—Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Jedi Knights—saying their sequels and prequels had clichéd scripts, rigid minds, and existed only for money." Liu Tianxian whispered.

"He's right," Fang Hong said.

"Don't get too happy—he also criticized your Fifty Shades of Grey for whip abuse," Liu Tianxian laughed, covering her mouth.

"That fat guy I remember was in Sex Tape, not exactly a good thing either," Fang Hong retorted.

That movie was a pile of trash; how dare he criticize others?

"Oh come on, he was just improvising, joking around," Liu Tianxian hit him. After the performance, like a stand-up comedy, the audience erupted in prolonged applause and cheers—nearly nine minutes of noise—before the awards officially began.

First up was the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; J. K. Simmons won—he was the bald actor from Whiplash.

"This kind of bundled marketing raises copyright issues," Donna said, discussing marketing.

Fang Hong's idea was to bundle Gravity with A Space Odyssey, that extremely classic space sci-fi masterpiece and milestone work.

Millions of viewers worldwide had seen it, and it was rated one of the greatest films ever.

To break through, Gravity needed bundling—to make more people aware, to generate anticipation, to attract many space enthusiasts.

Chinese films had no choice; to break through, they had to use extreme measures.

"That movie's decades old—is getting the rights really that hard?" Fang Hong said.

A Space Odyssey was filmed in 1968, nearly fifty years ago; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is no longer what it was.

Today's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is half-dead; it hadn't been acquired by Amazon yet, but was bought by Amazon in 2021 for over eight billion dollars.

"It's not hard, but if you do it this way, your film will automatically seem inferior to A Space Odyssey, and people won't just say you're imitating—they'll feel your anticipation is lacking," Donna said.

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Getting authorization from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer isn't a problem, but tying your promotion to that film makes people feel Gravity isn't as sophisticated as A Space Odyssey.

"You can knock it—say Gravity is a masterpiece that surpasses A Space Odyssey, the greatest space sci-fi film ever," Fang Hong bluffed.

Donna looked at him skeptically, wanting to say, How can you be so shameless? Can your film really surpass A Space Odyssey?

The greatest? You're blowing way too hard!

But this approach really can generate anticipation, since A Space Odyssey has such immense influence.

Anyway, you've got no psychological burden—this is about making money!

"What else do you have planned?" Donna let him speak freely.

"Not yet. First, arrange an interview for us—let our lead actress show her face," Fang Hong said.

"Sure, we'll arrange it after the Oscars," Donna agreed; it was only natural.

The lead actress of Gravity has come—she can't possibly avoid appearing.

Moreover, Liu Tianxian's appearance at the Oscars this time is part of a follow-up promotion, different from the domestic campaign.

They linked "Gravity" and "Oscars!" together, without promoting Liu Tianxian.

As the two chatted, the award ceremony onstage continued; the host's remarks occasionally drew loud laughter from the audience, and Dakota Johnson even came onstage to present the Best Music award.

"She's kind of good-looking," Liu Tianxian knew this was Yu Xian's woman.

Fang Hong stayed silent and didn't respond; since Yu Xian didn't introduce her, it meant he had no intention of settling down with this woman—probably just playing around.

After the Best Makeup and Hairstyling award was given, came the fourth award—the Best Foreign Language Film award.

The nominees were: Ida from Poland, Big Hero 6 from China, Tangerines from Estonia, Timbuktu from Mauritania, and Wild Tales from Argentina.

Big Hero 6 was the only animated film nominated.

The presenters were Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor—the latter was a Black man who played the villain in Venom.

Hearing the award was about to be announced, Shi Zhi Mao sat up straight, eyes fixed on the stage; Liu Tianxian also grew slightly tense.

Only Fang Hong remained calm, because he didn't understand a word being said, and Liu Tianxian hadn't translated for him.

After the two presenters spoke about "cinema having no borders," clips from each nominated film appeared on the big screen.

Fang Hong saw them and asked: "Is this the Best Foreign Language Film award?"

"Mm-hmm."

Liu Tianxian gave a slight nod, her eyes fixed on the stage, her heart also anticipating.

She hoped Big Hero 6 would win.

The two presenters opened the envelope, glanced at the winner's name, and announced: "Big Hero 6!"

"Whoa!"

The venue erupted in loud applause and cheers; everyone turned their gaze to one direction, where lights shone.

The lights shone directly on Fang Hong, Liu Tianxian, and Shi Zhi Mao—Liu Tianxian sat in the middle, so they had to light her too.

Liu Tianxian was overjoyed and immediately hugged Fang Hong; the cameras were focused on them, and this moment was broadcast live worldwide, giving them all a moment in the spotlight.

Donna shook Fang Hong's hand to congratulate him.

Yu Xian clapped loudly, turning his body to look over.

Fang Hong looked at Shi Zhi Mao and signaled her to go up and accept the award; Shi Zhi Mao shook her head: "The plot was your creation, the characters were your design—you should go up and accept it."

"Such a rare chance—won't you go up and say a few words?" Fang Hong smiled.

"I have plenty of opportunities; I don't need this one. You need it more than I do," Shi Zhi Mao said truthfully—this film had been nominated at award ceremonies across many countries.

Domestically too—so she didn't lack stages to shine; the box office was a hit, and many people remembered her.

But the Principal only gets this one chance, and it's specifically for promoting Gravity—this opportunity should go to him.

After all, it was the Principal's original creation; she was merely the executor.

"Go up!" Liu Tianxian patted Fang Hong's shoulder.

(End of Chapter)