Chapter 287: Not At All

March 23rd. The rumbling of artillery fire could not stop the 75th Academy Awards from being held on schedule. However, the "Oscars" against the backdrop of war could be called the most unique awards ceremony in history.

Fences were erected along Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, and armed police stood guard at the venue. Shops near the Kodak Theatre had long been forced to close; the traditional Oscar red carpet was gone, and the star-chasers were nowhere to be seen.

In their place, supporters of the war and anti-war protesters stood in two separate camps at the theatre entrance.

Anti-war protesters held high placards reading "Bush Betrayed America," "Bush is a Danger," and "Oscars Demand Peace," expressing their longing for peace. Those supporting the war in Iraq sang the anthem "America the Beautiful" and held signs reading "God Bless America," though their momentum was much weaker than that of the protesters.

In such tense times, this year's Oscars received the same treatment as last year: layers of security, with snipers stationed at high points nearby.

Although the Oscars cancelled the red carpet segment, the broadcasting station ABC still aimed its cameras at the arriving guests to stream the arrivals. After all, the audience loved watching this—this was traffic!

"Another few Chevrolet EV1s have arrived. Stepping out of the car is the hot favorite for Best Director this year, Wu Yuchen!"

Wu Yuchen stepped out of the car and looked back at the Chevrolet EV1 he had just been riding in. Honestly, he hadn't expected to be riding in a pure electric car at this time; after all, Tesla hadn't even been founded yet.

Upon asking, he learned that General Motors had already built this pure electric car in '96, but it had been discontinued, and GM did not intend to delve deeper into the electric vehicle direction. This made Wu Yuchen sigh—with such a huge technological advantage, they had simply handed the track over to Tesla.

For this Oscar ceremony, to express protest against America's designs on the Iraqi oil market, many stars gave up riding in fuel-powered cars and chose other methods. The pure electric car Wu Yuchen rode in was the most common one.

At the same time, like most people, Wu Yuchen wore a black suit, looking very solemn, with a brooch bearing an anti-war slogan pinned to his chest. The female stars were also dressed mainly in black and elegant styles today; very few were dressed in flashy attire.

"Actually, winning a few awards isn't important. I just hope our Chinese-language films and Chinese culture will have an increasingly greater influence internationally!"

Subsequently, Huang Huang Xiao Ming, in high spirits, walked into the Oscar theatre with his head held high, completely unaware that this show-off remark would trigger a massive war between his fans and others on the internet.

This year's Oscars featured two films, *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas* and *Hero*, which made the domestic audience's enthusiasm unprecedentedly high. However, since there was no copyright for an Oscar broadcast domestically, the Movie Channel "Sixth Princess" specifically set up a "Direct Hit on the Oscars" special reporting team to run to the scene for tracking coverage.

Huang Huang Xiao Ming kept a smile on his face, but in his heart, he was shouting, don't just say "everyone," report his name too!

However, at this moment, the reporter ignored Huang Huang Xiao Ming and enthusiastically interviewed Wu Yuchen:

"Wu Dao, you are already a regular at the Oscars and have won quite a few awards here. May I ask how many awards you think you can win today?"

"Actually, making predictions now doesn't seem very good; I'm afraid of triggering some reverse effect. But since everyone is so concerned, I think there should be five." Wu Yuchen said, holding up one hand.

Wu Yuchen felt that this reporter was a bit silly in her interviewing; asking him, a direct competitor, to evaluate *Hero*?

He simply said: "Didn't I just say it? The two films *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas* and *Hero*."

After Huang Huang Xiao Ming finished speaking, the reporter thanked him as usual: "Okay, Huang Xiao Ming, thank you!"

As they were nearing the entrance, Wu Yuchen heard someone shouting in Mandarin: "Wu Dao! Wu Dao! Over here!"

The female reporter hurriedly responded and rushed to interview Hearing Gong Li and the others. Before long, it was finally Huang Huang Xiao Ming's turn.

At this moment, Huang Huang Xiao Ming, who had been following the group properly, was overjoyed. It didn't matter that he hadn't walked the red carpet; as long as he could show his face in front of all the Chinese people, that was enough!

"Hello, audience friends. We are currently at the venue of this year's Oscars and have invited Wu Dao Yuchen, as well as Hearing Gong Li, Chen Baoguo, and everyone else..."

The reporter calculated that *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas* and *The Hours* had a total of 16 nominations; winning five would be one-third, which seemed pretty good. Then she asked: "Then do you think *Hero* will have a good performance?"

Because there was no red carpet segment, Wu Yuchen simply brought the two crews of *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas* and *The Hours* in together.

Actually, the reporter was mainly asking about *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas*, but since Wu Yuchen had said so, she immediately replied: "Yes."

"Huang Xiao Ming, do you mean your dream has come true now?"

Wu Yuchen glanced over there, then smiled and beckoned Hearing Gong Li, Chen Baoguo, Huang Huang Xiao Ming, and others to walk over together; this had been arranged with him in advance.

Huang Huang Xiao Ming, following local customs, blurted out in English: "Not at all!"

"Halfway there! I have to thank Wu Dao Yuchen for giving me this opportunity, which allowed me to learn a lot!

I feel that in the future, I must work even harder and make more progress! I strive to leave something of my own at the Oscars in the future!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and asked back: "Are you saying adding both films together?"

Huang Huang Xiao Ming, with a humble expression, faced the camera: "I feel very excited! After all, I am an actor by trade. Being able to step onto the Oscars, the highest stage of world cinema, and seeing so many top actors I used to see in textbooks standing right in front of me, communicating and interacting with them, feels like a dream!"

The female reporter was stunned for a moment. So you meant that the two Chinese films combined would win five awards?

Wu Yuchen smiled again, then took the initiative to say:

For this Oscar ceremony, the organizers also thoughtfully arranged the two crews of *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas* and *The Hours* together, as they were both Wu Dao Yuchen's.

After everyone was seated, the Oscar ceremony soon began.

The first presenter to take the stage was also an American sweetheart, Cameron Diaz, to present the first award of the night, Best Animated Feature. However, what was somewhat awkward was that no one came up to accept this first award. Because the director of the winning film *Spirited Away*, Hayao Miyazaki, refused to attend the Oscars to express his protest against America launching the war.

But this was just a small interlude. Miyazaki had great influence in the animation circle, but in Hollywood, he could only be considered half-transparent, and both on and off stage, everyone directly threw this interlude to the back of their minds.

The second guest to take the stage was Keanu Reeves, and this award made the *Hero* crew sit up straight. Old Mouzi also perked up, because they were also nominated for Best Visual Effects. However, a moment later, they were met with a disappointing result:

"The winner is... *The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers*!"

The visual effects of *Hero* were top-notch in China; the scene of ten thousand arrows being fired could also be shown off globally, but in today's Hollywood, there was indeed still a significant gap compared to *The Lord of the Rings* series.

The third to take the stage was Jennifer Connelly, whom Wu Yuchen knew all too well. As the winner of last year's Best Supporting Actress, she presented this year's Best Supporting Actor. A black evening gown wrapped around her mature and moving body, giving people a feeling of cold beauty and taboo at the same time.

Wu Yuchen smiled and sighed off-stage: Hollywood actresses really wouldn't miss any opportunity to show themselves off!

For the fourth award, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but glance at the *Hero* crew, because this counted as his first head-on confrontation with *Hero* today. Both *The Hours* and *Hero* were nominated for Best Costume Design.

Unlike Wu Yuchen's relaxed mindset, the *Hero* crew started to get nervous again. After all, this was the Oscars; any award was a gain for them!

"The winner is... *Hero*, Emi Wada!"

At this, the entire *Hero* crew couldn't help but stand up and cheer. Old Mouzi also hugged Emi Wada from the crew to congratulate her.

That's right, the costume designer for *Hero* was Japanese. This old lady had actually won an Oscar once in 1985 for *Ran*. She was a top costume designer in Japan and had participated in the costume design of many Chinese films since the 90s, such as *Hero*, *House of Flying Daggers*, *Reign of Assassins*, *The Bride with White Hair*, and *The Soong Sisters*, etc.

For *Hero*, even if it was just a technical award, as long as they had a gain at this Oscar, they hadn't come in vain!

And Wu Yuchen also smiled and applauded, sending his heartfelt blessings from off-stage. It was just a small award; he didn't care about it.

After a few more awards, it came to the "competing against oneself" segment again, but this time it was Wu Yuchen's *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas* and *The Hours*, both of which were nominated for Best Original Score.

"The winner is... *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas*, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Zhao Jiping!"

Wu Yuchen revealed a smile, stood up, and gave hugs to the two winners in the crew: "Mr. Sakamoto, Teacher Zhao, congratulations!"

At the same time, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but think that the first awards won by both *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas* and *Hero* actually involved Japanese people; this was truly a coincidence.

But to be honest, Ryuichi Sakamoto winning this time was indeed deserved; the score he composed for the film really added a lot to it.

"I am very honored to receive this award, and I am also very grateful to Wu Dao Yuchen for giving me this opportunity to participate in the production of this excellent film, *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas*. The anti-war thought it expresses, I think, is exactly what the world needs right now. I hope everyone, including my Japanese compatriots, can look at this film with an inclusive mindset, reflect on past history, and examine their own behavior. Thank you!"

Wu Yuchen listened to Ryuichi Sakamoto's speech and couldn't help but applaud. Look at this person's awareness! This is what a Japanese friend should be!

After a few more awards, Sean Connery took the stage to present the Best Supporting Actress award, which many people were paying attention to. Wu Yuchen's two crews held three nominations for this award. Hearing Gong Li and Meryl were both focused on the stage.

Actually, in the *Hero* crew not far away, everyone was also quite concerned, especially Old Mouzi. After all, the person among the nominees was Hearing Gong Li! Although he and Hearing Gong Li didn't end up together, he always had Hearing Gong Li on his mind, and even now, he still remembered that he owed her a "Queen" role!

This was a promise they made when they were together years ago while climbing the Great Wall. Now, seeing that Hearing Gong Li had a chance to win an Oscar, Old Mouzi naturally hoped she could get her wish!

At this time, Sean Connery had not yet been exposed for scandals like domestic violence and still maintained the image of an old gentleman. After reading the names of several candidates, he smiled and said: "These few are really very capable, and none of them should be underestimated. I wonder who the award will fall to~"

Meryl was calm and composed; she had won both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, and this time she had a double nomination, so she had a great advantage. Hearing Gong Li was not weak at all; after all, she was "Empress Gong." Regardless of whether she could win the award, she had never been weaker than others in terms of aura.

"The winner is... Hearing Gong Li, *The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas*!"

Clapping erupted all around, and the people around Hearing Gong Li immediately congratulated her. Wu Yuchen hugged Hearing Gong Li: "Sister Li, congratulations! You are the first actor from our China to win an Oscar acting award!"

Hearing Gong Li also revealed a brilliant smile: "Thank you! Thank you, Wu Dao!"

Hearing Gong Li knew that she was able to win this time not just because of her performance. In fact, when it came to the performance itself, those who could get nominated were not bad; Meryl being able to get a double nomination showed how strong she was. And behind this, to put it bluntly, a big reason was public relations!

Wu Yuchen also calmly accepted Hearing Gong Li's thanks; he deserved it. This time, he had ultimately favored Hearing Gong Li, letting the people from Disney help exert more effort on this award. With two teams doing PR together, Hearing Gong Li was finally able to defeat Meryl, who had a double nomination, in one fell swoop.

After all, everyone was Chinese. This time was not just for Hearing Gong Li; who knew when the next opportunity for a Chinese actor to get an Oscar nomination would come!

On the other side, Old Mouzi was also clapping hard, watching his former lover step onto the Oscar stage, which was the focus of everyone's attention, amidst applause and cheers. His heart was filled with mixed feelings; while happy for Hearing Gong Li, he also felt regret. It was a pity that the one who sent her up there wasn't him!

After Old Mouzi sighed secretly in his heart, he still restrained his thoughts and sent his blessings! ===== CHAPTER 288 =====