Outstanding connections? Excellent public relations? Or simply luck? Among the myriad possibilities that the Best Foreign Language Film award represented, there was no one-size-fits-all answer.
But this didn't mean that Lyman was unhappy. At least, he was moving forward towards his ultimate goal, and occasional detours were acceptable.
Lyman quickly suppressed the inappropriate wandering thoughts and calmly walked up to the award stage. He first embraced Catherine Zeta-Jones courteously.
"Congratulations, Director Lyman."
"Should I say thank you?"
Both of them chuckled.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lyman received the weighty Golden Globe trophy from her hands and turned to face the silent audience below. He took a deep breath, settling all the complex emotions within him, and once again embraced the role of a grateful and touched award winner.
"Thank you... and... finally..."
After delivering a relatively routine acceptance speech, Lyman made a bow and then was led backstage by a staff member to be interviewed. His agent, John, had been waiting in the backstage interview area for quite some time.
"Director Lyman, how do you feel now?"
"Do you think you'll win the favor of the Oscar judges since you've already won the Golden Globe?"
"Do you have confidence in your work?"
"Director Lyman..."
Amidst the visual stimulation of multiple flashlights, Lyman could only barely fend off the onslaught of questions, restraining the urge to blink rapidly, while also selecting a few questions to answer.
Fortunately, John was experienced in handling such situations and kept blocking and deflecting for him. He could also quietly remind Lyman how to respond to some tricky questions.
Lyman managed to provide a few safe and non-controversial answers, posing for photographs with the trophy before it was all over.
Finally, the Golden Globe Awards ceremony came to a close amidst a chorus of laughter and applause.
Compared to the Oscars, the Golden Globes were more like a carnival for industry insiders, where everyone had nominations and everyone enjoyed themselves. Whether they won or lost, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed.
Also, unlike the unified parties held by the fame and fortune circles after the Oscars, the Golden Globes didn't have such an event. However, each company would host their own celebration party, and EuropaCorp had the same idea.
George had specifically come over to inform Lyman and his team, and this was also an excellent opportunity for CAA and Paramount, the two allies, to attend and strengthen their relationship. Even though Lyman was already very tired, he didn't refuse George's invitation.
"To be honest, you should come out to events like this more often." For someone like George, a social enthusiast, most of his time was spent either dealing with essential work or expanding his network. He raised his glass to Lyman first and said, "Unless it directly involves you, you hardly attend any parties. Even during your leisure time, you'd rather stay at home and get moldy than go out. This isn't good. Of course, I don't necessarily mean socializing, but after all, life is short, and when it's time to enjoy, you should go out and enjoy."
Lyman burst into laughter, "Yes, George, I will definitely, definitely take your advice seriously."
Tonight, he was the absolute protagonist, and at this celebration-filled party, even though Lyman tried to control his drinking, he was still feeling a bit tipsy. However, the industry insiders who came to interact with him were endless. He had won the Golden Globe, which was a considerable achievement, and coupled with the good box office performance of "The Wrath" and the consecutive successes of his three films with different themes, it was highly convincing.
In the entertainment industry, results were always the best social weapon, and this held true for actors, producers, cinematographers, and all other roles.
Perhaps before this, some people might not have taken you seriously, but as you increasingly show the side of success, many people will change their minds. They will invite you to make films, and their attitudes in approaching you will carry more respect.
Lyman clearly felt it; even Paramount Pictures' CEO, Sherry Lansing, smiled and greeted him, which was unprecedented. In the past, they rarely met, let alone taking the initiative to greet each other. This was the reality.
...
"Cheers."
"Pop..." Another bottle of champagne was opened, and the bubbles gushed out. One by one, glasses were filled, and René and Thomas had smiles on their faces.
After dealing with social interactions, Lyman joined his small group.
"We got the Golden Globe." Thomas showed his excitement from the beginning.
Indeed, it was a pretty good achievement, wasn't it?
René sat on a chair, picked up a glass of champagne, and after they toasted, he said, "Congratulations."
"It's congratulations to us," Lyman said, raising his glass and finishing it in one gulp.
As the night grew deeper, the Golden Globe celebration became quieter. The 2002 awards season had already passed two-thirds, officially entering the final sprint phase.
Two days later, on January 27th, at 9:30 p.m., the Oscar nomination ceremony officially kicked off, announcing the annual Oscar nomination list.
Under the scrutiny of the public, Eli Dominik, accompanied by Academy President Frank Pearson, began announcing the films competing in this year's Oscars.
Undoubtedly, the most watched category was Best Picture, with "Chicago", "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", "The Pianist", "Gangs of New York", and "About Schmidt" being the five films that successfully made it to the final round of competition and launched the final assault for the little golden man.
After the nomination list was announced, many people were shocked, not only the public but also industry insiders who didn't expect this at all.
Two highly anticipated films, "Adaptation" and "Catch Me If You Can", were unexpectedly left out. Some even jokingly remarked that Leonardo DiCaprio was genuinely not loved by those academy old fogies. He had been running for Oscars all these years and was genuinely pitiful.
Indeed, he was quite pitiful, and in the end, he barely avoided being treated differently by uglifying his appearance.
In their place, surprisingly, were "The Pianist", which had recently caused the biggest stir, and the usually low-profile "Chicago".
This not only caused astonishment but also disrupted many people's plans and preparations, changing the chessboard of competitors.
If "Chicago", as the main film promoted by Miramax this year, appeared low-key during the previews and didn't often show up in various award ceremonies, it was a small-scale film with a retro and nostalgic style that struck a chord with the judges. Moreover, at the critical moment, it once again replicated the stunning comeback like "Shakespeare in Love", setting a precedent. Considering that this was Harvey Weinstein's plan, it shouldn't be too surprising. However, "The Pianist" was genuinely unexpected.
No one could believe that the Academy judges would brave such enormous public pressure and insist on putting such a tainted film into the final competition.
In the history of the Oscars, such a thing had never happened before, which was the most astonishing point for everyone.
They perhaps couldn't understand the meaning behind the Academy judges' actions. The most troublesome was undoubtedly the public relations team behind "Adaptation".
Leading the entire season, winning various awards with ease, but unexpectedly collapsing at the last moment in an incredible way, the ending came too suddenly without any sign, and they failed at the last moment.
Thinking carefully about the benefits of bringing "The Pianist" into the competition, no one could figure out what good it would do for the group of Academy judges.
Could Roman Polanski be acquitted and come to the US to receive the award? He might never dare to come to the US in his lifetime. So, what value did this Oscar nomination have for him and the judges?
Clearly, it was a meaningless act, but the Academy judges still did it.
However, what they were thinking wouldn't be of much concern to others. After all, every few years, they could always pull off such surprising results.
Perhaps it was to emphasize their existence, after all, it was only during the Oscar season that people would remember them and have demands for them.
As for the nomination of "3 Idiots" for Best Foreign Language Film, it was somewhat unremarkable.
After all, there had been signs within the industry for a long time, and this kind of competition was never a concern for these film studios. Only the outsiders would care about this award, and for the domestic industry, it was not particularly meaningful.
However, Lyman did need it, and CAA had made enough effort to ensure that the nomination was foolproof.
As the year-end approached, they not only contacted Paramount Pictures to save face, but also reached out to several theater chains to re-enter the market for previews. In mid-January of the following year, they kept spending money to buy box office tickets, boosting the market data for "3 Idiots" and making the judges believe that the film's limited previews were still hot.
The mainstream film critic associations and award declarations also spent substantial amounts of money in public relations, which allowed "3 Idiots" to steadily expand its influence and reputation within the industry. Quietly and unnoticeably, it left enough popularity among Academy members and became a strong competitor in the final round of the competition.
This step-by-step approach without any unexpected factors made its nomination a normal result.
In addition to that, "3 Idiots" also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography, but these two nominations were mostly technical, and they were not the main goals of Lyman's public relations team.
However, being able to win three nominations clearly showed that the film was considered quite good in the minds of those judges.
The biggest favorite for this year's Oscars was undoubtedly "Chicago", which came from behind with 12 nominations, including all major awards except Best Actor. Harvey Weinstein's execution power at the Oscars was formidable.