However, others, such as Nicole Kidman, Adrian Brody, Edward Norton and Natalie Portman, believed that young people should be bold and purposeful. Besides, Eric was very attractive, and a little arrogance didn't hurt him."If I had his money and looks, I'd be even more brazen," someone in the audience thought.
On stage, Steve Martin was laughing loudly. He was merely joking, not expecting Eric to take the challenge so seriously.
"Eric Cooper has accepted the press's challenge. Mark this day!"
"The happiest endeavor in the world is striving for perfection!"
Steve continued to crack jokes about homosexuals, the mafia, Roman Polanski, and other current topics. Unlike twenty years later, society was much more tolerant of such humor at that time.
"Well, I think my jokes have bored everyone. Let's wrap this up. Please welcome Cameron Diaz, who will announce the winner for Best Animated Feature."
To soft music, the dazzling Cameron Diaz took the stage.
"With the advancement of technology, animation keeps getting better and better. Parents used to take their kids to cartoons, but now kids take their parents. Regardless of age, everyone enjoys this art form."
"And now, I announce the nominees for Best Animated Feature. This year, the nominees are: Ice Age by Chris Wedge, Lilo & Stitch by Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron by Kelly Asbury, Lorna Cook, Treasure Planet by Ron Clements, and Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki."
Cameron Diaz opened the white envelope and announced, "The winner is Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki."
The hall erupted in applause, but Miyazaki, in protest against the U.S. invasion of Iraq, refused to attend the ceremony, and the award was accepted by representatives.
Then Keanu Reeves announced the winner for Best Visual Effects, which went to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
The award for Best Supporting Actor went to Chris Cooper for his role in Adaptation.
Chicago won awards for Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, and Best Art Direction.
The Chicago crew was the busiest on stage, and Harvey Weinstein was laughing heartily, enjoying the success.
Between the award presentations, the audience was entertained by musical and dance performances, but Eric was bored. As his father used to say, "If your film isn't at the ceremony, there's no point in being there. Three to four hours in a chair, and your butt goes numb."
Moreover, the technical awards interested few; everyone was waiting for the major categories.
Noticing Eric yawning, Nicolas Cage, sitting next to him, leaned over and said:
"Getting a bit dull, huh?"
Eric looked at him, surprised.
"Even duller than Windtalkers, right?"
"Pfft!"
The unexpected joke made Eric laugh, drawing attention from those around them.
They quickly resumed serious expressions, but the quick camera operators managed to capture the moment.
At that moment, the ceremony for Best Supporting Actress began, and Matthew McConaughey took the stage. This significant award brought the audience's attention back to the event.
The winner once again was Catherine Zeta-Jones for her role in Chicago. She walked onto the stage with a noticeably rounded belly.
With this win, Chicago had already garnered five Oscars, becoming the night's biggest triumph.
Then came Eminem's moment of triumph: the song Lose Yourself from the film 8 Mile won the Oscar for Best Original Song, becoming the first rap track in history to receive such an honor.
Next up was the award for Best Foreign Language Film.
This year's nominees were: El Crimen del Padre Amaro from Mexico, Hero from China, The Man Without a Past from Finland, Zus & Zo from the Netherlands, and Nowhere in Africa from Germany.
The camera panned across the audience, and Eric saw Zhang Yimou sitting with two people he didn't recognize.
Neither Jet Li, Tony Leung, nor Maggie Cheung were present. While seating was limited, not inviting a single actor from the film seemed odd.
Eric already knew that Hero would not win the Oscar, and that the Best Foreign Language Film would go to Nowhere in Africa from Germany.
To be honest, he held Hero in high regard. It was a truly well-made film with excellent color work and large-scale scenes, which matched Zhang Yimou's high standards.
However, the film was criticized for a weak plot and poor editing. Eric found this unfair.
On screen, Zhang Yimou applauded when the winner was announced, but what he felt inside remained a mystery.
Several more technical awards were handed out, and the ceremony reached its climax.
The award for Best Actor went to Adrien Brody, beating heavyweights like Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Michael Caine, and Nicolas Cage. At 29, he became the youngest actor to ever win the Oscar in this category.
Adrien Brody was ecstatic, likely not expecting to win. Taking the stage, he enthusiastically hugged and kissed the Black Pearl, Halle Berry, who was presenting the award, leaving her momentarily flustered.
He then gave his acceptance speech, calling for an end to the war and for peace in the world, as he had promised in his previous interviews.
The hall erupted in applause, celebrating the youngest recipient of this prestigious award.
Adrien Brody's victory was unexpected for many. Clearly, his success was partly due to the political situation, which gave him an additional advantage.
After the Best Actor award, it was time to announce the winner for Best Actress.
Denzel Washington confidently took the stage. During his speech, the big screen displayed clips of the best female performances in Oscar history. Many of these outstanding actresses were present in the audience.
Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow... Okay, the last one can be left out.
The nominees for Best Actress were: Salma Hayek for Frida, Diane Lane for Unfaithful, Julianne Moore for Far from Heaven, Renée Zellweger for Chicago, and Nicole Kidman for The Hours.
The screen showed the five stunning women, each in their corner.
Denzel Washington carefully opened the envelope and announced, "The winner is Nicole Kidman with her outstanding nose."
The hall erupted in applause, and everyone around began to hug and congratulate Nicole Kidman.
Her smile was uncontrollable, tears glistened in her eyes. She stood up, hugged her team members, and headed toward the stage.
And then the unexpected happened.
As Kirsten Dunst once said, tripping is an actress's worst enemy.
Perhaps from excessive excitement, Nicole Kidman walked too quickly and accidentally stepped on the hem of her black dress. In that moment, she lost her balance and began to fall.
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