[T/N: Two weeks of festival holidays with a lot of extended family. I was unable to spend much time on this translation.
Because I was working only on this novel before, the rest of the novels updates were not up to date. I will be updating them mostly in the next few days.
I have started a new translation work The Wolf of Los Angeles. Please check it out.]
[Chapter 663: A Hot Disaster?]
The consequences of working hard meant that the other person was extremely satisfied, while he himself ended up quite hurt. It seemed like he was also a bit swollen. Cough, cough, it looked like he needed some time to recuperate.
Although the feast was delicious, he really should have held back. William White now felt a bit regretful, or rather, a bit melodramatic and shameless. Seriously, what were a few scrapes in such a situation?
At the entrance of the Los Angeles Music Center, the wealthy mogul struggled to keep his eyes open in the spotlight. Everything before him appeared to be a blinding white.
William White shook his head and forced a smile as he pulled out his crystal glasses. A somewhat fresh-faced young man instantly transformed. Looking again, he was now just an artsy youth.
The audience in front of the television felt glum; here was a guy who could live off his looks but also had overflowing talent. To top it off, he was a wealthy tycoon. How could they be motivated to fight when faced with this?
Nothing could be more tragic than this in the world. Someone better looking than you was also richer. Damn, the three beauties beside this dude were all goddesses.
Oh heavens, please take away this calamity.
Usually, the more significant awards were saved for last. This was to attract viewers' attention while simultaneously extending the program's time. Most importantly, it meant more ad time.
Why hadn't soccer caught on in America? It actually had to do with the format. American football and basketball didn't have much actual game time; there were plenty of pauses and breaks. It was all about the money.
Soccer?
During a halftime break, who would sit in front of the TV waiting? You step away for a shower and come back to find it was already 1-0. And then came the countless near misses.
This sort of thing just didn't sit well with Americans, and advertisers disliked it too. In fact, there had been suggestions to shorten the field by half and play fifteen-minute quarters. One hour of play was enough; any more than that felt wasteful.
Of course, this suggestion had become a joke the world used to mock America.
...
Halfway through the awards ceremony, Jurassic Park had won four awards: Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
If there were no more awards afterward, these results would be considered quite a disaster.
Well, the current results pretty much matched William White's expectations. The Oscars always turned out this way; the more you anticipated, the less they picked what you expected.
These stubborn old-timers played their game this way, even when William White had them pinned down.
Well, the organizers were still quite worried about William White blowing up. Several presenters had been warned not to joke about the tycoon.
In fact, their warnings were somewhat unnecessary. Did they not know how sensitive William White was? If he got riled up again, it would be a long, hard road ahead.
Without White Films and Disney participating in the Oscars, what was the point of even holding the awards? It really lost its significance.
William White could remain calm; he was actually there to garner experience points. As long as the awards that needed to be given were handed out, the others didn't really matter.
Movies like Jurassic Park were typically not favored by the Oscars. Big-budget commercial films were fine as long as there was some historical significance. In other words, the old-timers didn't like overly imaginative projects.
...
He remained unfazed, but Oliver Stone was starting to feel restless. So far, he had only bagged a Best Cinematography trophy.
The subsequent awards seemed to carry more weight, but the difficulty also increased. The box office had bombed; if he left the Oscars empty-handed, Oliver Stone might as well consider making 'action' films in West Hollywood.
This was no joke; the pull of Oscar-winning directors was very substantial. For those opportunists, it was definitely worth a shot.
The biggest advantage was being able to explain it to others. "Hey, bro, I'm just appreciating art, just with a rather unique form of expression."
...
"William, it seems you don't care much about these awards."
"George, I've already made quite a splash today. You know I'm just here to snag trophies. Look at Spielberg, he's very relaxed; he doesn't seem to have too much on his mind regarding Best Director." In the face of Lucas's teasing, William White wasn't too concerned.
"Ha ha, you're calm, but Oliver Stone is in big trouble."
"Ha ha, during this sensitive period, I have to say, I admire his courage." There was a story behind this film, and Lucas certainly understood. In fact, nearly everyone in Hollywood with a similar status knew the gist.
The opportunity was good, and having a topic meant naturally generating buzz. If done well, it could lead to a significant market surge. It was a win-win situation, and many envied his good fortune.
Too bad, however, that misfortune can strike unexpectedly. You really think you can just come in and clash with William White? If he got away unscathed, it wouldn't be right.
Best Picture went to The Silence of the Lambs. When this news was announced, Oliver Stone's face turned completely dark. He had totally lost this round, and if he wanted to claw his way back, he needed to put in some real effort.
"William, have you seen this movie?"
Looking at Lucas's odd expression, William White felt a twinge of annoyance. Yeah, it was pretty annoying. The guy was already running out of energy, and Lucas should just cut it out.
"I have, but I didn't like the storyline. Alright, George, I dislike horror films; I don't even like the one I made myself. However, the most commendable aspects of this movie were its lead actors. Especially Anthony Hopkins; I really enjoyed his performance."
Lucas certainly didn't expect such an answer. To be clear, he had just been joking around.
William White's disdain for horror films was known to Nastassja due to her past experiences. The other two girls, however, didn't know. Seeing Nastassja giggle uncontrollably had them all snorting.
William White was starting to get a headache. If he had to play again today, he might just make a run for it. This was too unbearable.
As more and more awards were handed out, not just the guests present became anxious, but those watching at home felt the same.
Wow, what was The Silence of the Lambs even about? Was it a movie about food?
Hey, the wealthy tycoon seemed to be in a good mood; he even hugged that rising starlet. Could he refrain from hogging the spotlight for a second and leave some for the rest of us?
Honest to God, William White truly had no other intentions. It was just a courteous hug; he had a good sense of boundaries regarding such matters. Especially since this girl had a special orientation. One wrong move, and he could really be facing a lawsuit.
There was actually a lot of nuance here. Specifically, he needed to be a bit stiff. If possible, it was best to avoid any overly direct contact.
Since the tycoon had shown goodwill, it meant that the awards this time aligned with his expectations.
Well, White Films did snag a fair number of awards. If judged by quantity, he was clearly the winner. But, the most important awards for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture all went to The Silence of the Lambs.
Best Director didn't escape either. By now, everybody could see it clearly: the big winner of the day was indeed The Silence of the Lambs.
Holding the one and only trophy, Oliver Stone's heart was filled with bitterness. He had lost -- lost utterly.
*****
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