Matthew glanced only once before retracting his gaze. He knew well what he could and couldn't do; his head wasn't filled with water, and he would never choose Kaiser-Cast-Hughes as his target.
As time passed, more people entered the Kodak Theatre. Johnny Depp also arrived with his wife, Vanessa. Matthew stood up to lightly embrace Depp and then greeted Vanessa.
They sat to Matthew's right, with another production team seated to his left.
"How about it?" Matthew didn't beat around the bush with Johnny Depp, asking directly, "What are the chances of winning an award?"
Johnny Depp shrugged slightly, "I'm the least likely to win among the five nominees."
Matthew patted his arm lightly, "It's a pity. If I had a say, I'd definitely give you ten Best Actor Oscars."
"That would be the end of the Oscars," Johnny Depp joked back, "You don't have the deciding vote, can you even vote?"
Matthew shook his head, "No, I'm not a member of the Academy."
As people gradually took their seats, Matthew noticed several familiar figures, like Sophia Coppola, the first American woman recently hyped by the media for receiving a Best Director nomination at the Oscars.
Seeing her, Matthew knew the seats to his left were reserved for the "Lost in Translation" crew.
At that moment, a girl in a red low-cut evening dress came to sit on Matthew's left, glanced at him, and took her seat.
Matthew also glanced at her. The girl couldn't be more than twenty, with curly blonde hair draped over her shoulders. She was voluptuous and sexy, though her height was a slight mismatch to her proportions.
Since their seats were adjacent and they were actors within the same circle, Matthew extended his hand, greeting, "Hello, Miss Johnson."
The blonde gave him another look, her face breaking into a smile as she lightly shook his hand, "Hello, Mr. Horner."
Clearly, she recognized Matthew.
"Just call me Matthew," he said with a bright smile, "Can I call you Scarlett?"
He eagerly said, "I saw 'Arachnid' last year and thought, how can a girl be so beautiful?"
Scarlett Johansson chuckled, her voice slightly husky, "That was a terrible film."
Matthew joined in, "It was precisely your presence that made that movie watchable. Without you, 'Arachnid' would have been ten times worse."
Last year, he had watched the film on videotape out of boredom.
Scarlett Johansson, young but experienced, suddenly said, "You're very good at flattering girls."
"Because a girl like Miss Johnson, no... like you, Scarlett..." Matthew put on a serious face, "shouldn't they be flattered by everyone?"
Hearing this, Scarlett Johansson couldn't help but laugh, "You're very interesting, Matthew Horner."
Matthew then turned his attention away from Johnny Depp, saying, "Just call me Matthew."
Scarlett Johansson looked at him and nodded slightly, "My friends call me Manny."
"Oh..." Matthew was a bit puzzled, "Is that your baptismal name?"
"No," Scarlett Johansson shook her head slightly, "It's the name of a character I played in a film called 'Manny and Lo.' I don't like being called Scar, so they call me Manny, and I've gotten used to it."
Matthew nodded, "So that's the story behind it."
Scarlett Johansson added, "So, some think I'm a strange girl."
"You're great," Matthew pondered, then said, "I think you're very cheerful and talkative."
"You're even more so," Scarlett Johansson hinted.
She looked up at Matthew again. He was obviously a few years older than her and exuded a wild charm.
Although the man initiated the conversation, she didn't dislike him at all and found him quite appealing in both physique and appearance.
Thinking about the plan set by her agent and the PR for "The Island," he seemed like a good target.
Firstly, his appearance met her criteria, imagining the muscles tight under his shirt, she could guess he was a strong man; secondly, there had been a lot of news about him recently, being one of the most media and fan-focused male stars of the last year. Any small news about him would quickly spread across the USA.
"The Island" was her first major commercial production. If it failed, she would have to return to the indie circle and struggle for who knows how many years to make big money.
Scarlett Johansson chatted with Matthew for a while and, using the start of the award ceremony as an excuse, went to the back rows.
In the last row of the guest area, she found her agent. Seeing no one else around, she whispered, "Tonight, I sat next to Matthew Horner. He didn't bring a date, and we had a good chat."
"Matthew Horner?" The agent looked forward, "Good, he's one of the hottest second-tier stars right now. Since 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was released last year, he's been getting a lot of attention."
Scarlett Johansson prepared to return, saying before she left, "Get ready."
Seeing Scarlett Johansson leave, Matthew took out his phone, set to silent mode, and sent a message to Helen Herman. Just as he received a reply from Helen Herman, Scarlett Johansson returned.
The two resumed their conversation, which grew warmer and more engaging, as if regretting not meeting sooner.
"Manny..." Matthew ventured, "Do you have plans after the party?"
Scarlett Johansson touched her nose, where a faint mark from a nose ring was visible, "I'm going to the Vanity Fair dinner."
Matthew responded, "Me too."
Scarlett Johansson smiled, "Let's go together."
"Sure!" Matthew agreed.
The ceremony's music started, and the camera panned over, halting their conversation as they turned their attention to the Oscars stage. Perhaps due to dismal viewership in recent years, this year's ceremony featured even more lavish staging, with a touch of '90s nostalgia.
Billy Crystal returned as host for the Oscars.
The ceremony started strong for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," dominating the early awards. By a third of the way through, it had already claimed four technical awards.
Matthew's crew remained Oscar-less throughout the night.
Typically, blockbusters like "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" managed to snag a few minor technical awards, but luck was against them this year, facing off with the final installment of "The Lord of the Rings." With only four awards left, they had gained nothing.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" was destined to return empty-handed.
Matthew wasn't bothered; his focus wasn't on the Oscars. Throughout the ceremony, aside from the occasional camera sweep, he seized every opportunity to whisper with Scarlett Johansson, pulling out all the stops to make significant progress that night.
The four major awards went as predicted: Sean Penn won Best Actor, Charlize Theron took Best Actress, and Peter Jackson and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" won Best Director and Best Picture, respectively.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" emerged as the night's biggest winner, sweeping all eleven Oscar nominations!
The Oscars ceremony concluded,
but the Oscar night had just begun.
"I'll be waiting for you in the hotel."
At the Kodak Theatre's exit, before getting into his car, Matthew told Scarlett Johansson, "I'll wait for you at the banquet hall entrance. See you in a bit."
Scarlett Johansson nodded with a smile, "See you soon."
She turned and got into a car parked not far behind, her agent waiting in the back seat.
Matthew got into his own car, Helen Herman predictably also inside.
The two luxury cars, separated by several others, drove off Hollywood Boulevard toward Beverly Hills, stopping shortly at a hotel adorned with a red carpet. The Vanity Fair-hosted "Oscar Night" party was just beginning.
"Remember, Matthew!"
Before getting out, Helen Herman cautioned Matthew, "Make sure to take her out to another hotel."
She whispered, "Elena's people and the tabloid journalists Sean invited will be waiting outside."
Matthew nodded, "Don't worry, I know."
He exited the car, greeted by the flashing lights of the media, waving and smiling as he walked across the red carpet into the hotel, then took the elevator to the large banquet hall on the top floor.
Waiting at the banquet hall entrance, the voluptuous Scarlett Johansson soon entered.
"Hi, Scar!" Matthew called out, "This way!"
Scarlett Johansson naturally took Matthew's arm, saying, "Let's greet the hosts, these parties can be a bit boring."
Matthew understood the implication behind her words, thinking to himself when had his charm become so great? He certainly wouldn't refuse, replying, "Sure. By the way, tonight's Best Actress is a friend of mine, I'd like to congratulate her too."
Scarlett Johansson nodded, and they first greeted Tina Brown, the editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, before finding one of the focal points of the evening, Charlize Theron.
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