Chapter 449: This Year's Awards Season

"Good morning, boss."

"Good morning, Allison. You're here so early, don't tell me there's something else on the schedule today."

"No, there isn't. I officially notified Summit Entertainment last night that our work is done. From today on, there's no need to come to us for anything."

As it should be. After the extravagant premiere, Chen Nuo didn't want to move at all; he just wanted to rest properly at home.

He nodded in satisfaction, adjusted his posture on the lounge chair, and took another bite of the whole-wheat bread on his plate.

The sunlight spilled down.

In December in LA, the morning temperature was only around 10 degrees Celsius. He was wearing a shirt and casual trousers, his bare feet exposed, the sun warming the skin on his feet.

The heated pool in front of him had been filled just yesterday, and the pool had been cleaned thoroughly by the house cleaner. The water was crystal clear, and one could clearly see a slender, fair figure moving rapidly underwater.

Allison Graham continued: "...They have agreed to cover the airfare. I am currently requesting the audience list from that night from ABC. When the time comes, I will provide the list to Summit, and they will be responsible for the contact and payment. We will act as a third party to supervise."

Chen Nuo was even more satisfied, nodding and saying, "Well done."

Allison said, "Actually, the best way would be for us to contact those audience members directly; that is the only way to ensure 100% that every payment is fulfilled. You know, if such a public promise runs into problems later, it can easily have an adverse effect on your public image. So, I still suggest you seriously consider CAA. Their top clients enjoy many privileges; for matters like today's, we wouldn't have to worry at all. Moreover, through their clients, they have built an extremely powerful network of relationships in the United States. During the awards season, they can do far more than you imagine."

Chen Nuo sighed and said, "Have they been contacting you again?"

Allison nodded: "Yes, CAA partner Bryan Lourd called me last night. He saw the news about your handprint ceremony at the Chinese Theatre and said that Summit Entertainment lacks respect for you. His exact words were—'If we were handling this, this would never happen. We wouldn't let Chen appear on the same occasion as Kristen Stewart and that scruffy guy.' To be honest, I agree. If it weren't for... really, I would absolutely never allow this to happen."

Chen Nuo continued to sigh, saying, "If it weren't for me interfering with your work, right? But I'll say it again, you are taking this too seriously. In China, this kind of relationship is called colleagues, and colleagues are all equal."

"But this is America, Chen, and this is Hollywood. This is a vanity fair with strict hierarchies and brutal competition behind the glamour. Who you appear with and who you stand next to under the spotlight conveys a signal to the outside world. They don't care what you think; they only look at the image. Who stands in the middle, who speaks first, who appears last—it all matters. If you appear in the same rank as someone else, then in the eyes of the media, you are a person of the same caliber."

"Alright, alright." Chen Nuo waved his hand and said, "I know. I'll listen to you from now on. Don't use CAA to threaten me again, okay?"

A hint of a smile appeared in Allison Graham's eyes as she said, "That's a promise."

"Yes, it's a promise. By the way, there is some good news. As of today, we have been working together for exactly one year. In view of your excellent work performance, starting next month, your annual salary will increase from the current 1 million dollars to 1.5 million. At the same time, the rest of the bonus agreements remain valid, so if I can get a nomination for the Oscars in January, you will still get the bonus."

Upon hearing this, Allison showed a rare expression of astonishment, then pursed her lips, her tone carrying a rare hint of emotion, "Thank you."

Although Allison never talked about her daughter's situation, Chen Nuo knew that all of this woman's monthly expenses went into that. He smiled and said, "You're welcome, this is all what you deserve."

Allison took a light breath and said, "No, in fact, I messed up. The Golden Globe nomination..."

Chen Nuo said helplessly, "I don't think so. You've already done very well, Allison. This is a sci-fi action film, after all. Do you know when the last time a male lead in an action film was nominated for a Golden Globe? I don't know. But I estimate it was a hundred years ago. Back then, they might have made five movies a year, four of which were action films."

"It wasn't a hundred years ago, it was 2008." Allison was amused by his joke, but immediately said seriously: "Robert Downey Jr. got a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for 'Iron Man'. 'Iron Man' is also a sci-fi action film. As for the reason, I think CAA played a big role behind the scenes. So, Chen, I know you don't like CAA's purely commercial way of operating, but it does have a great advantage in awards PR. What I just said, you can really seriously consider it."

Chen Nuo nodded, understanding in his heart that what she said indeed had some truth to it.

Just yesterday, after he completed the handprint ceremony at the Chinese Theatre, the nominations for this year's Golden Globe Awards were officially announced.

As everyone knows, the Golden Globes have always favored literary themes. In its history, sci-fi films have rarely been able to be shortlisted as "dramas." But this time, "Inception" not only competed as a drama but also grabbed four nominations at once: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Original Score, and Best Screenplay, matching the record of "Avatar" from two years ago and attracting the attention of the global media.

But in the "Best Actor" nomination category, his name was not there.

This not only meant that the more than a month of effort Allison put into the nomination while he was back in China had ultimately fallen short, but it also meant that the 100,000-dollar bonus she should have received had gone down the drain.

More importantly, as a bellwether for the Oscars, the failure to be selected for the Golden Globes almost amounted to a death sentence for his chances at an Oscar Best Actor nomination.

And this was the truly regrettable part.

Truly miserable.

But would it really have been useful if he had switched to CAA? He didn't think so.

At present, the global box office of "Inception" has exceeded 2.4 billion dollars. It has been showing in theaters in the United States and Japan for more than five months, and it is still steadily bringing in several million dollars every week. Yesterday, he just received the November revenue share transferred by Huanxin Film, which was another few million dollars. The December account is also on the way, estimated to be another few million.

To be honest, he is not God's son, and the Golden Globes are not run by CAA. It is indeed justifiable that they didn't give him a nomination.

Just like before, although most media were optimistic about the momentum of "Inception," they had always been skeptical about whether he personally could be shortlisted for an Oscar.

This is not prejudice, but reality.

The only thing that was surprising this time was that the Golden Globes—this relatively open, more commercial, and entertainment-oriented award—also excluded him from the Best Actor list.

It can only be said that the continuous success of him and Nolan over the past two years has indeed moved too many people's cheese.

The key is that they are not the "ten years to sharpen a sword" style like James Cameron, who only comes to sweep the board every many years, but rather they can stir up a market frenzy every two years and eat the cheese that belongs to others.

Chen Nuo even saw people on the internet discussing that if Nolan looks for him to cooperate on the next film, such as filming "Batman 3" or something, and then two years later there is another box office explosion and critical success—where would the faces of the other five major Hollywood studios go? How are they supposed to live?

So, honestly, he is open-minded about it.

It's just the Golden Globes, what if he was nominated?

If you can't win the award, what's the point of a nomination?

Just like Robert Downey Jr.

Just now, he was actually just playing dumb. Of course, he knew Downey was nominated. That was 2008—the year he, Chen Nuo, won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. He was all too familiar with the nomination list for that year; Downey was nominated for "Iron Man," but the Best Actor award ultimately went to Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood." Regardless, when facing a blockbuster, these American judges are first willing to give technical awards, second are Best Supporting Actor/Actress, and if it's really unavoidable, they can grit their teeth and give the film or director award.

But Best Actor/Actress?

Sorry, that's really not even worth dreaming about; it's absolutely impossible, and nominations are extremely, extremely rare.

Putting it that way, since it's obviously impossible to win, what is the meaning of a mere Golden Globe nomination?

As things stand, to be honest, he can fully accept it.

Four years ago, the lonely expression of Christopher Nolan at the Oscar ceremony was still fresh in his memory. Three years ago, his conversation with James Cameron at the Vanity Fair party was something he kept firmly in mind.

In recent years, he has actually been intentionally avoiding James Cameron on various occasions. To put it bluntly, it's because of a guilty conscience. He is afraid that if they meet, he will be asked, "Hey Chen. You swore to avenge 'Avatar' back then, how is the revenge going now?"

He really didn't know how to answer.

But this time—on Twitter last night, he saw someone say that the four nominations for "Inception" were: "A sign that sci-fi films are gradually breaking through the stereotype of 'technical spectacle' and truly entering the vision of mainstream awards."

In this way, it is much more important to him than a nomination. At least he doesn't have to hide from people anymore. And if he could actually win the award in the end... perhaps it should be James Cameron hiding from him, feeling that he shouldn't have charged him millions of dollars in camera rental fees.

"Alright, Allison, you and I both know that a Golden Globe nomination isn't actually important; I don't lack that. Hmm, what do you think about the Oscars on the 15th of next month? Do I still have hope for that?" Chen Nuo said.

What are the Golden Globes? Just a fickle bitch. There is no need to care; as long as one has money and power, she will naturally fall into one's palm.

But if he misses an Oscar nomination, it would truly make him unhappy. The Oscars are different from a bitch who can be had with money; it's more like a virtuous woman, requiring patience, requiring late-night heart-to-hearts, requiring tolerance after being rejected again and again... cough, seems like I've said too much.

In short, in Chen Nuo's heart, an Oscar nomination is much more meaningful than a Golden Globe nomination.

Until the very last moment, he really wasn't willing to give up.

Hearing his question, Allison's expression relaxed a bit, revealing a hint of a sarcastic smile, and she said: "Originally our chances weren't high, but now..."

"Look at these."

Allison took a few newspapers out of her bag and said: "I bought these on my way here this morning. Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, hehe, the reports inside about the Golden Globes are wonderful. I really want to see the faces of those assholes at the Foreign Press Association when they see these reports, motherfucker, that must be even more wonderful than the newspapers... They were really wrong, dead wrong! Your performance in 'Inception' once made every critic rave, and they actually dared to!"

Chen Nuo felt his face flush a little.

Allison sneered: "But perhaps this will be the stepping stone for our Oscar admission ticket."

Chen Nuo took the newspaper from Allison's hand, but before he could look at it, he heard a "splash" from the pool, and a woman suddenly emerged from the water.

Having swum a lap, she surfaced just then and saw Allison at the villa entrance. Gulinazha's expression suddenly became a bit flustered. She gave an "ah," swam a few strokes to the edge of the pool, and ran over in a panic, "I, I'm sorry, Chen Zong, I didn't notice the time, I'll go change my clothes right now."

Chen Nuo said: "It's fine, you go back to your swimming, today is a day off, really no need... forget it, forget it, you go."

"Okay. Hi, Allison."

Gulinazha greeted her and immediately ran inside.

Chen Nuo looked at the girl's slender back and just wanted to say that everything has a reason.

People can look good not because of anything else, but because of a disciplined lifestyle. Just like this person, now every morning from 7 to 8, whether in a hotel or here, it's basically an unshakable hour of morning swimming. Over time, how could her figure not be good?

Looking at someone else... hehe.

Thinking of this, Chen Nuo remembered something that made him indecisive this morning. He casually placed the newspaper on the coffee table and asked: "Allison, I received a message from China last night..."

The matter wasn't complicated, and he explained it in a few words, finally asking: "That's how it is, do you think I should go?"

Allison thought for a moment and said: "If this gala is really like China's Super Bowl, capable of consolidating and strengthening your popularity and status in China, then I don't think you should refuse. However, going to participate in such an activity, singing and entertaining the masses on it, is definitely not a good thing for your image."

"So, what is your opinion?"

"You can go as an audience member."

Chen Nuo was a bit speechless.

He understood Allison's idea. In this Canadian's imagination, the Spring Festival Gala should be just like the Super Bowl, in a stadium, with singing and dancing programs in the middle. He, as an audience member, in a box or somewhere, just needs to be scanned by the live cameras from time to time.

But in reality?

Chen Nuo felt that when the time came, he might end up being a stooge for Liu Qian in the audience.

So, forget it.

He picked up the Los Angeles Times on the coffee table again and started reading...

But at first glance, what he saw was not the Golden Globes, but a photo of him lying on the ground with his right cheek buried in the cement.

Allison and he hadn't even discussed this matter at all today. As a result, it suddenly appeared in front of him, which was like a heavy blow.

The front-page headline of the "Los Angeles Times," with a bold, black-letter title covering the photo, wrote sarcastically:

"Chinese Theatre is about to become a holy land for twihards!"

PS:

There's been something going on at home these past two days, I need to take care of someone, so there's less, please forgive me.

(End of chapter)