Chapter 253

While Wu Yuchen was attending the public relations cocktail party, he naturally received interviews from reporters:

"Wu, what is your take on the matter of Harvey being the 'King of the Oscars'?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "No one can be the King of the Oscars!"

The reporter immediately pressed: "Oh? Wu, do you not recognize Harvey's ability?"

Wu Yuchen said with a smile: "No, I acknowledge Harvey's ability, and I have even more faith in the judgment of the judges!"

He was not about to fall into the trap the reporter had dug for him. If he were to deny Harvey's past track record, he would be denying the judges and the Academy, which would do no good for the vote-canvassing he was currently conducting.

Moreover, to tell the truth, Harvey really did have ability and vision; most of the films that entered the Oscar nominations through his promotion were of decent quality, and he couldn't lie through his teeth about that.

He immediately changed his tone and said: "However, in Hollywood, Harvey is not the only person with ability. I hope the judges can also turn their attention to other capable people, not just Harvey. 'A Beautiful Mind' is a very excellent film, and it deserves to receive more attention!"

The meaning Wu Yuchen expressed was also very clear: I won't speak ill of the Academy, but you all in the Academy need to be mindful of the influence; you can't keep giving all the benefits to Harvey—this year, it should be our turn!

Amidst all this commotion, this year's Oscar awards ceremony arrived.

On March 24, the 74th Academy Awards held its ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

As Wu Yuchen walked down the red carpet, he waved to the cheering crowds on both sides. He could feel that this year's red carpet was a bit quieter compared to the previous two years. It wasn't that the fans didn't want to come, but that this year's Oscar ceremony had entered the highest level of security alert in history.

"The Best Supporting Actress is..."

Harvey let out a cold snort; we'll see once the awards ceremony starts later!

The first award of today's Oscars was the attention-grabbing Best Supporting Actress.

When Wu Yuchen brought the "A Beautiful Mind" crew down from the red carpet and heard a greater commotion behind him—which should have been the biggest cheer on the red carpet today—he turned his head to look, and it wasn't Harvey's "Chicago," but "The Lord of the Rings."

Because of the fear that 9/11 might repeat itself, police and security personnel had inspected and deployed defenses around the surrounding streets two days in advance. Although it hadn't reached the point of having a guard every five steps, dozens of police officers patrolling the perimeter were still very conspicuous. It was said that snipers were lying in ambush at the high points of the surrounding buildings to ensure there were no blind spots in the security.

Therefore, Wu Yuchen wasn't worried that "The Lord of the Rings" would pose any threat to "A Beautiful Mind." They were slated for the 2004 Oscars, and by then, with the momentum of three films, no one would be able to compete with them.

"A Beautiful Mind" was one of the hot favorites for this year's Oscars, and with Wu Yuchen as the big director and Russell Crowe as an A-list star in the crew, they were naturally arranged in the core C-position.

Speaking of Catherine herself, Jennifer wasn't intimidated by her, nor did she feel her acting was inferior. But behind Catherine, not only was there the support of her husband, but there was also Harvey Weinstein standing there. No one would deny the strength of Harvey's Oscar PR; just as the newspapers wrote, for 10 consecutive years, he had sent films into the Best Picture nominations every single year and achieved various results, and many people had already regarded him as the King of the Oscars.

Wu Yuchen wasn't just offering empty comfort; in the past two years, Jennifer had already been nominated for Best Supporting Actress twice in a row for "The Sixth Sense" and "Traffic," and this year was her third time. The losses of the previous two times weren't in vain; they would make many judges harbor a sense of compensation for her in their hearts.

Then Wu Yuchen smiled at her and said: "And the one presenting the award on stage is Benicio; I have a premonition that this will be your lucky day."

The male presenter was the previous Best Supporting Actor, Benicio, who had partnered with Jennifer in last year's "Traffic." Upon hearing this, Jennifer felt much more settled, and then she watched the stage with nervousness and excitement.

As if sensing Jennifer's anxiety, Wu Yuchen reached out and gently patted the back of Jennifer's hand, saying softly: "Jennifer, have confidence in yourself; you are in a dominant position."

Coupled with the security personnel hired by the Oscar organizers, this year's Oscars could truly be described as strictly guarded, for fear that terrorists might really deal a heavy blow to this group of the world's most famous stars.

The five candidates flashed one by one on the big screen. Besides Jennifer and Catherine, the female lead of "Titanic," Kate Winslet, was also nominated. The women couldn't help but tense up, leaning forward, eyes fixed on the stage without blinking.

Jennifer Connelly, sitting next to Wu Yuchen, was quite uneasy in her heart. To be honest, she had originally thought this year was in the bag, but she hadn't expected Catherine Zeta-Jones from "Chicago" to emerge as a contender.

Harvey also saw Wu Yuchen and gave him a fierce smile. Wu Yuchen also chuckled and met his gaze, while extending his index finger to shake it at him, signaling that he wouldn't succeed. Others might fear you, Harvey, but I certainly don't.

But whether it was the organizers deliberately causing trouble, the "A Beautiful Mind" crew was seated right next to the "Chicago" crew, and Wu Yuchen could see Harvey's fat face the moment he turned his head after sitting down.

Because this was only the first installment. If they awarded it a major prize on the first one, then when the third one came to an end, would you award it or not? Regardless of whether you gave it a major award then, it would attract a lot of criticism. The Academy wasn't stupid, so they simply set a tone: no major awards for the first two, and make up for it on the third.

Director Peter Jackson, walking on the red carpet with Gandalf the White, Legolas, Galadriel, and others, was met with constant cheers wherever he went. The explosive popularity of "The Lord of the Rings" film made many people obsessed with them. For example, Legolas's contract salary for the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy totaled 175,000, but now that the film had been released, film distributors were already offering him a salary of 5 million; he had truly become an overnight sensation, with his market value increasing 100-fold!

In fact, "The Lord of the Rings 1" received many nominations this year, and many judges had expressed their appreciation for it. But everyone understood a fact: this year's "The Lord of the Rings 1" could at most win some technical awards; it was impossible for it to receive any major awards.

Benicio took the slip of paper out of the envelope, and after glancing down at it, a brilliant smile immediately appeared on his face, and he announced loudly with a drawn-out tone: "'A Beautiful Mind,' Jennifer... Connelly!"

The whole hall erupted in thunderous applause. The moment Jennifer Connelly heard the result, she couldn't help but cover her mouth, and only reacted when the people around her came to congratulate her. The first thing she did was give Wu Yuchen a cheek-to-cheek hug and whispered in his ear: "Thank you, darling!"

Wu Yuchen also patted her back gently and smiled: "Now go enjoy your glory~"

The camera on the big screen swept across the candidates one by one. Kate Winslet showed a disappointed expression, while Catherine kept smiling, clapping politely. Once the camera moved away from her, her whole face immediately collapsed, and she said to Harvey with an ugly expression: "Harvey, you said I would win this award!"

Originally, it was Harvey who strongly urged her to change from registering for Best Actress to Best Supporting Actress. As a result, she didn't even win Best Supporting Actress now. If she had known this, she might as well have registered for Best Actress; at least the nomination would have sounded better.

Harvey's expression wasn't good either, but he still maintained a strong attitude and said: "Catherine, there are always risks at the Oscars; you still lack some foundation."

It was very clear that Harvey meant this was her first time at the Oscars, and compared to Jennifer's third nomination, she was lagging too far behind. The failure wasn't his fault; it was her own lack of foundation.

Catherine clenched her fists, but she couldn't make a scene on such an occasion. Moreover, even if her husband was a somebody, she didn't have the qualifications to lose her temper at Harvey, so she could only bottle up this anger. To be honest, if it weren't for maintaining her composure, she would have wanted to leave the venue to vent right now! Now she could only pray that the film could win Best Picture, so she could still bask in some of the glory.

At this moment, Harvey couldn't help but look toward the "A Beautiful Mind" crew, just in time to meet Wu Yuchen's gaze. Seeing him smiling at himself, as if mocking him, Harvey couldn't help but snort coldly, turned his head to look away, and thought to himself that this year's Oscars had only just begun!

On stage, Jennifer Connelly was very excited, and her eyes were already red:

"My god! I have fantasized about this scene countless times in my dreams, but now that it has really happened in reality, at this very moment, I can no longer express my feelings in words! It is no exaggeration to say that I now consider myself the happiest person in the world!"

The audience below also offered a round of kind applause. Everyone actually felt it was a matter of course that she won this award; after all, everyone knew she had been nominated three times in a row, and it would be a bit unreasonable if she didn't win.

Jennifer Connelly calmed her emotions slightly and then began her thanks:

"There are many people I want to thank, but first of all, I want to thank the director, Wu Yuchen. It was he who discovered the shining points in me and gave me the opportunity, which allowed me to play such a good role and stand on this stage. He is truly the best director in the world!"

At this time, the big screen also gave Wu Yuchen a shot. He was seen revealing a faint, warm smile, listening to the gratitude on stage. This scene not only fell into the eyes of the viewers watching, but also went deep into the hearts of all the actors present.

The audience might not care about the details, but most of the actors present knew that Jennifer Connelly's three consecutive Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress were all thanks to Wu Yuchen. It should be said that ever since she latched onto Wu Yuchen, her entire career had undergone a major transformation and headed toward brilliance!

"The Sixth Sense," "Traffic," and today's "A Beautiful Mind"—these not only brought her the honor of an Oscar statuette, but also allowed her to gain both critical acclaim and box office success. The first two alone added up to nearly 1 billion US dollars, and with the box office of "A Beautiful Mind" added, who knows how much it would be.

Many actresses cast envious and jealous glances at Jennifer Connelly, wishing they could take her place! At the same time, they all deeply agreed with Jennifer Connelly's words: Wu Yuchen is the best director in the world. Which actress wouldn't like a director who can bring both an Oscar and box office success to the female lead? He is absolutely the best!

As for having to offer oneself, damn it, you've already entered Hollywood, who cares about that!

Amidst the applause, Jennifer Connelly walked off the podium with the statuette. After she sat down, Wu Yuchen smiled at her and said: "Darling, you were beautiful just now; you are the most dazzling woman in the world!"

Jennifer Connelly also had eyes full of affection, her voice charming, and she breathed out fragrance: "Then tonight, you are the king of the world's most dazzling woman!"

Wu Yuchen raised the corners of his mouth, then withdrew his gaze and looked at the podium.

Harvey was also watching the second award being announced, for which "Chicago" also had a nomination. However, this second award made his mood even worse: "Best Film Editing... 'A Beautiful Mind'!"

Losing two awards in a row to "A Beautiful Mind" cast a shadow over Harvey's heart.

The third award, Best Makeup, went to "The Lord of the Rings," and the fourth award, Best Costume Design, went to "Moulin Rouge."

Wu Yuchen also offered applause. "Moulin Rouge" was the beautiful Nicole Kidman's attempt at the Oscars, and it also received many nominations this year. She had just divorced Tom Cruise last year and now had the air of someone throwing herself entirely into her career to prove herself.

"Best Cinematography... 'The Lord of the Rings'."

"Best Art Direction... 'The Lord of the Rings'."

"Best Animated Feature... 'Shrek'."

"Best Sound... 'Black Hawk Down'."

"Best Sound Editing... 'Black Hawk Down'."

"Best Supporting Actor... 'Iris'."

"Best Visual Effects... 'The Lord of the Rings'."

"Best Original Score... 'The Lord of the Rings'."

The "Lord of the Rings" crew had consecutive gains in the first half, keeping Peter Jackson smiling constantly, accepting congratulations and gratitude and applause on stage, his mouth never closing.

But on the other side, Harvey was now filled with low pressure, his whole face stiff and never relaxing. "Chicago" had 13 nominations, but now that 9 nominations had passed, "Chicago" had actually come up empty-handed!

Although most of these awards were technical awards and not very important, in previous years, it would have been impossible for him not to win a single one out of 9 nominations! This also made Harvey vaguely feel that he was being targeted!

Harvey thought of the public opinion that had been exposed during this period, the reports that he, Harvey, had already ruled the Oscars, and the faces of Wu Yuchen, Spielberg, and others flashed through his mind. He couldn't stay calm anymore, and he couldn't help but curse in his heart: a bunch of damn guys, only knowing how to play dirty tricks!

He clenched his fists, then let out a breath. It's okay, these previous ones don't matter; the important awards later will decide who the real big winner of the night is!