Chapter 85 85. On the Red Carpet

Outside the Kodak Theater, although no stars had arrived yet, the atmosphere was already heating up.

In addition to the major media reporters who were blocked on both sides of the red carpet, the organizing committee actually also had off-site hosts and deputy hosts.

Unlike the host who is responsible for the actual awards ceremony, these two positions are mainly responsible for off-site interviews. After all, how can the ratings be raised if the stars simply walk the red carpet without saying a word or making a joke? It is indeed not suitable for excessive entertainment during the war, but since the ceremony has been held, it can't be dull. Not every audience cares about the war, and many people just want to see their favorite stars.

The deputy host also has another responsibility, which is to save the day when the host is temporarily unable to appear on stage, which is like a layer of insurance.

As a stretched Ford sedan arrived and its door opened, it was the crew of "Adaptation" that arrived. It received four nominations at this awards ceremony.

Although the number is not large, they are all heavyweight awards.

The Best Adapted Screenplay Award, Best Supporting Actress Award, Best Supporting Actor Award and Best Actor Award, none of them were redundant.

Director Spike Jonze came out first, then opened the car door. Meryl Streep, who was dressed elegantly, held the other person's hand and got out of the car.

Nicolas Cage and Chris Cooper got out of the car shortly afterwards. As agreed, the four of them all wore uniform black suits and tuxedos, and wore anti-war brooches in the shape of Picasso's dove of peace, which looked very solemn.

Reporters started taking pictures frantically, and it only took a few dozen minutes for the first piece of news to circulate on the Internet.

It's a pity that the seats in the Kodak Theatre are limited, and it is impossible to invite every actor from every crew. Therefore, Tilda Swinton, who played Gabriel in "Constantine" and the Ancient One in the Marvel Universe, was not invited, although she also starred in this play.

After the crew of "Adaptation" arrived at the Kodak Theater, it was as if boiling water was ready to make dumplings, with crews and cars arriving one after another.

The crew of "The Pianist" arrived, and it received 7 nominations, including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Director, etc.

But only three people got out of the car, Adrien Brody, Ronald Harwood and Pavel Edelman.

This crew is undoubtedly the most controversial, and the key point of the controversy is director Roman Polanski.

Looking at Roman Polanski's resume, everyone must admit that he is a film master, but his works do not equal his character.

In 1978, Roman Polanski was accused by the Los Angeles prosecutor of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, and Polanski admitted the crime.

But when he knew he would face at least 50 years in prison, he fled to France.

This incident caused a huge uproar in the city and caused this film master to fall from the altar and become a shameless bastard who was despised by everyone.

So he couldn't attend the Oscars at all, and he would be arrested immediately if he dared to set foot in the United States.

The crew of "The Pianist" also knew what was going on, so they answered questions very cautiously. Most of the time they just smiled and waved to both sides, then quickly walked into the theater.

Soon after, crew members of "The Hours", "About Schmidt", "Chicago", "Gangs of New York", "Road to Ruin", "The Lord of the Rings" and other films also arrived one after another. In addition, many judges also received invitations, including heads of major film and television companies like Eric.

The red carpet this year was originally shorter, and when a bunch of people walked up, the scene suddenly became a bit crowded.

"Hey, Toby, look here Toby!"

"Smile a little, please?"

Although "Spider-Man" only received two technical award nominations, its explosive box office undoubtedly made Tobey Maguire the new generation's top star.

So when they saw him appear, the media naturally pressed their shutter buttons.

After responding to the reporter for a while, just when Tobey Maguire felt his smile was a little stiff and wanted to change his posture, someone suddenly covered his eyes from behind.

He was not panicked. This was a common joke on the red carpet. The organizers and the media loved this kind of game.

“Guess who I am?”

"James Franco, is that you?"

"No, guess again."

Tobey Maguire suddenly realized that James Franco was not invited, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Elijah Wood, it must be you, I can recognize your voice."

My eyes lit up, and it was indeed Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings".

Behind him are the bearded Peter Jackson, Viggo Mortensen who plays the emperor Aragorn, and screenwriter Fran Welsh.

At the same time, Fran Walsh is also Peter Jackson's wife.

Otherwise, you would think that "The Lord of the Rings" was not nominated for Best Screenplay, so why was this lady able to attend? Of course, it was because of her husband's big beard.

"Toby, where's Sam Raimi? I don't see that guy."

"Director Sam said he wants to be at home with his family, so he doesn't plan to attend."

Peter Jackson laughed: "I think he was worried about making a fool of himself. After all, he was only nominated for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. He must be worried about losing to me."

"And is spending time with family a reason? Look at me, Sam could have brought his wife along."

What can Tobey Maguire say about this? He can't say anything. Both sides are big directors, and saying the wrong thing may offend people.

Fortunately, Kirsten Dunst, who played Mary Jane in Spider-Man, came over at this time.

With her burgundy hair and carefully applied makeup, she looked much prettier than in the movie.

"What are you talking about, Toby? I see everyone is laughing happily. Hello, Director Jackson. I am so lucky to meet The Lord of the Rings at the Oscars. I love this series."

Kirsten Dunst took the initiative to say hello, and her high emotional intelligence was clearly revealed in just a few words.

Tobey Maguire hurriedly gave her the middle position and whispered in her ear: "Thank you, you saved me."

Kirsten Dunst responded: "Repay you for saving me on the big screen."

On the other side, the host off-site had just finished interviewing Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones from the "Chicago" crew. When he saw the "Lord of the Rings" crew and the "Spider-Man" crew meet, he hurried over.

Although "Chicago" is also very good, its box office is far behind these two. High box office means that it is liked by the audience, and audience likes it means high ratings.

"The ones standing in front of us now are Tobey Maguire and Elijah Wood. Well, I think you must know these people even without introductions."

Everyone immediately raised their lips and smiled.

The host first turned the microphone to Kirsten Dunst.

"Dunster, you look so beautiful today. Whose clothes are these?"

Kirsten immediately advertised for the brand: "It's Yves Saint Laurent's clothes, and the shoes are also designed by Yves Saint Laurent."

"Wow. You are really beautiful. When I see you, I want to own a piece of Saint Laurent. Then let me ask you, what is the most important thing for you tonight?"

Kirsten Dunst looked up at the sky and wanted to say something about the war, but she remembered the instructions of the organizing committee to try not to talk about war and politics, so she quickly gave up the idea.

"I think it was a trip. You know, female stars often wear long skirts, but we can't be careful all the time. If we're not careful, we might fall and make a fool of ourselves. I think this is something all female stars are very concerned about."

Tobey Maguire came over immediately: "If you need me, I can hold up your skirt for you."

Nominated for two technical awards, Spider-Man certainly can’t talk about awards or wars, so it can only talk about some interesting things on the red carpet.

The host turned the microphone to Peter Jackson and asked, "Director Jackson, this time "The Lord of the Rings 2" has been nominated for 6 awards. How many do you think it will win?"

Peter Jackson looked at his wife next to him.

Fran Wales immediately said in an innocent tone: "Don't look at me, say what you want to say, this is the Oscars, not Beverly Hills."

Her mischievous tone seemed to imply that Peter Jackson was a henpecked husband, which immediately caused laughter from those around her.

Peter Jackson scratched his beard and put on a serious expression.

"Well, let me think about it. To be honest, I really want the Best Picture award. This award is very important, but Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Pianist and Chicago are all excellent. They are all too strong."

"Martin Scorsese and Roman Polanski are my predecessors, and Stephen Daldry and Rob Marshall are my juniors."

"I'm caught in the middle, but you know I like being attacked from both sides by women, but forget about men."

Having said that, he could no longer maintain his serious expression and burst into laughter.

Tobey Maguire, Elijah Wood and others were a little surprised that they were so bold to make dirty jokes at this year's Oscars.

But when they think about last year's host Whoopi Goldberg's opening remarks, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the town of sexual lies," they can't help but feel relieved.

If we count back a few years, at the 1999 Oscars, the organizers even made fun of the Clinton and Lewinsky sex scandal. That was really fierce.

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However, such dirty jokes can only be told by the big guys. Newcomers don’t have enough reputation, so it’s best not to make jokes randomly, otherwise they may be criticized.

Moreover, ABC is recording the awards ceremony this year. If they feel it is inappropriate, they can simply cut it out and not broadcast it. There are remedial measures.

Peter Jackson's dirty jokes made the host laugh, but he immediately felt it was inappropriate and was about to change the subject when the bearded man suddenly pointed forward.

"Sorry, a familiar little guy has arrived and I have to go say hello."

After saying that, he ignored the host, strode through the crowd, and put his arm around the other person's shoulders from behind.

On the red carpet, Eric was chatting with Anthony Hopkins when he suddenly felt a sinking sensation on his back. He turned around and saw that it was the fat man Peter Jackson.

He knew that the other person had a funny personality. The two of them had drunk a lot of alcohol in private and did things that men should do.

For example, when playing games together, those who have bad thoughts will consciously go to face the wall.

"You scared me Peter, how do you manage to walk with 200 pounds and not make any noise?"

"My voice is very loud. Just look at how they all avoid me. It's just that your attention is drawn to Anthony."

Then he looked at the old man and said, "Dr. Hannibal, it seems that your rhetoric is not only useful on the big screen, but also in real life."

Anthony Hopkins smiled slightly. As a veteran British actor, he seldom laughed out loud. When he was happy, he just smiled. He always paid attention to his demeanor.

"Eric, you guys go ahead and chat. There are too many people here. I'm already having trouble breathing. I need to go in and find my seat."

After a little joke, Anthony Hopkins walked down the red carpet into the theater.

"This year's red carpet was too quiet. I couldn't hear the screams of fans. It always felt like something was missing," Peter Jackson complained.

"Yeah, not only are there no audiences, but even the female stars are paying attention to their appearance and are dressing a lot more conservatively." Eric also complained in a low voice.

"Hehe! In my opinion, Hollywood should just focus on making movies and not worry about other things. Excessive concern about politics will only ruin this place."

"I agree with this, but there is nothing I can do about it. Hollywood is a big vote bank for the Democratic Party, and Americans have always been concerned about politics. Isn't it the same in New Zealand?"

"Anyway, I had never encountered forced speech before coming to the United States. Maybe it's because New Zealand is a small country."

The two of them were whispering to each other, but of course the content could not be captured by the media. This was a much more serious problem than dirty jokes.

Peter Jackson brought Eric to the "Lord of the Rings" crew and introduced him one by one.

"Huh? Mr. Ian McKellen didn't come?" Eric asked.

"War, that's why Gandalf doesn't want to attend this year's Oscars," Hugo Witson replied.

"That's a shame. I like his White Wizard and Magneto. I want to meet them."

"It's very simple. I'll organize a party in my free time and you guys can come." The bearded man likes to take on big responsibilities.

As a few people walked inside while chatting, they heard cheers behind them. The media seemed to suddenly become enthusiastic.

The stars around couldn't help but look back, and saw Spielberg arriving with the "Catch Me If You Can" crew.

Tom Hanks and Leo, who had not yet started shooting water guns, followed behind him. There was no doubt who caused the cheers.

The reporters pressed the shutter buttons frantically, and Leonardo Dicaprio, the focus of attention, cooperated by posing in various ways.

A few years ago, when "Titanic" triggered a global movie-watching craze, Leonardo soared to fame and the movie made him completely arrogant.

But unfortunately, the Oscars did not nominate him, which made the popular Leo extremely angry. He refused to attend the Oscars and bluntly said that he did not take the Oscars seriously.

So why did the Oscars not give him the little golden man until he finally impressed the Academy with his self-abuse "The Revenant"? There is a reason for everything.

You ignore me, I'm out of your reach.

It had been several years since the Titanic, and Leo obviously realized that he was too arrogant.

You see, now he is cooperating with the media obediently, with a smile on his face that looks genuine, even though he is still not nominated this time.

Spielberg walked straight towards Eric, and the two met like old friends and hugged each other.

"Steven, it's been a while since we last met. How are you thinking about this?" Eric whispered.

"We have preliminary results. We will discuss them in detail after the award ceremony."

Peter Jackson looked at the two of them in confusion. "I just introduced you to each other, but I didn't expect it to develop to this extent. It seems that you keep in touch with each other behind my back."

The reporters also noticed the situation here and turned their cameras over.

Many foreign media didn't know who Eric was, but he was definitely not an ordinary person to be able to chat and laugh with these big directors, not to mention he was so handsome! No worse than Leonardo.

At this time, the host appeared at the right time: "Look at you, you have attracted the attention of the whole audience, why don't you take a group photo."

It was a good suggestion, and given Spielberg's reputation, Eric pushed him to the middle, but Spielberg said the young man should stand in the middle.

Peter Jackson’s idea is that if Spielberg stands in the middle, doesn’t it mean that I am not as good as him? Although I do seem to be a little inferior to him, I cannot admit it.

So we still have to let Eric stand in the middle.

So, the bearded man and the old man sandwiched him in the middle, with Tom Hanks, Leonardo Dicaprio and Hugo Mortensen on his left and right.

As for the others, just stand aside. If you are not famous enough, you cannot come in.

Amidst a large number of envious gazes, the sound of shutter clicks rang out.

(End of this chapter)