Liam Neeson was still synchronizing with the script visuals appearing on the big screen, introducing the nominees for Best Original Screenplay. In the Explosive Maniac chatroom, a heated discussion had already begun.
"Duke's first personal award nomination has appeared!" Ryan Saving Private Ryan took the opportunity to post the first comment, "Can he win?"
"He will definitely win!" Allen was confident, "Duke is bound to win his first Oscar!"
The Duke of Destruction didn't agree, "I hope he doesn't win."
"Why?" Many people were confused, including Rose Mountain, who even began to curse.
"Do you think Best Director is more important than Best Original Screenplay?" The Duke of Destruction quickly provided an explanation, which seemed plausible, "The Oscars love to balance things! After the Mel Gibson incident, Duke is the front-runner for Best Director. If the judges don't plan to give him that little golden man, they might offer some consolation in other categories, allowing Duke to say nothing while silencing media criticism! Think about it, hasn't this happened in past Oscars?"
"It seems... it has." Rose Mountain immediately shifted his stance.
Allen was a bit anxious, "Could the judges really balance out Duke's Best Director win?"
"It's possible," The Duke of Destruction continued to comment, "Duke's age is an unchangeable disadvantage; the specific results still depend on the awards ceremony."
On stage, Liam Neeson was already opening the envelope. Catherine Zeta-Jones glanced at Duke, who remained calm, smiling, occasionally whispering a few words to his mother.
Would he win? Duke was also pondering this question. He had seen too many awards divide the cake and play balance before. Although he thought his chances of winning Best Director were slim, there was always some hope. However, if he received a little golden man in advance, the hope would certainly diminish.
After all, who wouldn't want to take home a few heavyweight awards when sitting at the Oscars?
Liam Neeson looked down and read aloud, "Duke Rosenberg. 'Saving Private Ryan'!"
Just as expected!
Duke sighed internally, raising his right hand, lightly shaking his fist.
Applause erupted all around; on his right, Catherine Zeta-Jones was even more excited, turning around to give him a hug. Duke gently patted her back, and after they separated, he turned to embrace his mother.
When he stood up, nearby crew members either hugged him or applauded. "Saving Private Ryan" maintained its perfect record, as if they were about to create unprecedented glory that night.
"Congratulations, Duke!"
As he passed the front row, Tom Hanks extended his right hand. Duke hit his palm with enthusiasm and walked toward the stage.
"We won!"
The chatroom for Explosive Maniacs was filled with excitement, completely disregarding the Duke of Destruction's analysis. "'Saving Private Ryan' won again!"
"That's the sixth little golden man tonight!"
"Congratulations to Duke; he has received his first Oscar! But why isn't it for Best Director?"
Seeing the text on the screen, Allen quickly typed, "Let's see what Duke has to say first."
Rose Mountain chimed in, "He doesn't have much of a sense of humor, does he? What he says will definitely be a bland acceptance speech."
Walking onto the stage, Duke received the little golden man from Liam Neeson. He held it up with his right hand, took out the list and acceptance speech prepared by Pani Kelly.
"Paul Bestan, Chris Jenkinson, Roman Andris, Bain Rossman..."
He earnestly read out more than ten names and then looked up, indicating the list to the camera, "This is the list of fallen soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division and the 2nd Assault Brigade of Pennsylvania. They are the guardians of America! Without their glorious deeds, there would be no script for 'Saving Private Ryan.' I was fortunate to hear their stories and to tell their stories to the world. The reason I am winning tonight is that the road from Normandy to Berlin is filled with our angels!"
Thunderous applause erupted. The crew of "Saving Private Ryan" was the first to stand up. People around them followed suit, standing like a wave spreading outward. Even Mel Gibson and the "Braveheart" crew had to stand up, something that hadn't happened when the award list was announced.
Tonight, the Chandler Hall was the first to have everyone stand!
In the chatroom, Rose Mountain commented, "Duke really lacks a sense of humor, but what he said was so touching that I feel like crying."
"I'm already crying!" wrote Ryan Saving Private Ryan. "May God bless our angels! May God bless 'Saving Private Ryan' to win more awards!"
The emotional effect seemed quite good? Duke took back the list and continued, "Thank you to the judges for choosing me. Thank you to Christensen and Alexandra, who assisted me in completing this script. Thank you to Charles Rowen and Robin Grand; I feel there are no better producers in the world than them. Thank you to everyone in the 'Saving Private Ryan' crew; they have given me tremendous help!"
After a slight pause, Duke looked toward his mother, "In my life, there is a very important person; without her, I wouldn't be standing here. I want to thank my mom; she is the greatest mother in the world! Mom, I love you!"
"Thank you!"
Turning around, Duke, guided by the staff, walked backstage, down a long corridor to a spacious backstage area. According to the awards ceremony tradition, winners are photographed in front of the Oscar statue backstage before receiving interviews from cooperating media outlets.
These interviews usually involve saying thank-yous to the Academy and expressing excitement and happiness. Duke handled this effortlessly, and since he hadn't received the heaviest awards yet, he said a few simple words and left backstage, taking another corridor back to the side entrance of the Chandler Hall, re-entering the awards ceremony.
"Congratulations, Duke."
The speaker was Catherine Zeta-Jones. When the camera turned to her, her face was filled with warmth and happiness, as if she were the one winning the award.
"Thank you!" Duke exchanged a glance with her and lightly nodded, "Did I miss anything?"
"Emma Thompson took home Best Adapted Screenplay, and Mira Sorvino won Best Supporting Actress." Zeta-Jones leaned closer and whispered, "Best Original Song went to 'Pocahontas.'"
As the awards ceremony progressed, there had been almost no surprises. According to Oscar tradition, upsets typically occur in the last few heavyweight categories.
While Duke and Zeta-Jones were chatting, the "Saving Private Ryan" crew erupted into cheers again as a crucial award—Best Editing—was claimed by Mike Dawson.
Immediately following, another equally important award—Best Cinematography—went to John Schwartzman!
Applause thundered from "Saving Private Ryan," with everyone excited. Anyone who had studied the Oscar awards knew the importance of these two technical awards!
In most cases, a Best Picture winner might not receive Best Actor, Best Actress, or Best Supporting Actor/Actress awards and could even miss out on Best Director, but one of either Best Editing or Best Cinematography is essential. Industry insiders also understood the impact of these two roles on a film, which could even directly determine a film's success or failure, just like the director.
Now, with "Saving Private Ryan" winning both of these awards, its chances of winning Best Picture could be considered infinitely high. If, under these circumstances, another film were to upset the odds, it would mean that all members of the Academy collectively lost their minds.
However, from the subsequent awards, it seemed the Academy had no intention of doing so.
"Tonight's Best Actress is Susan Sarandon for 'Dead Man Walking'!"
The award presented by Tom Hanks completely matched most media predictions, and in the following Best Actor category, Hanks became the disappointed one.
As Duke remembered, Nicholas Cage, who could always be brought over from the other side regardless of how bad a movie was, won the most significant acting award of his life for "Leaving Las Vegas."
This was also expected, as Tom Hanks had won Best Actor twice in a row. Although Captain Miller was outstanding, he hadn't reached the level where the Academy felt compelled to award him Best Actor. Moreover, if he didn't have a more outstanding role afterward, he would be a frequent nominee but would find it very difficult to win.
"Saving Private Ryan" had its perfect record broken here, losing its first nomination of the night, and it was a heavyweight award.
Considering the previous situation, Duke also had a guess; the Academy throwing so many technical awards at "Saving Private Ryan" was not necessarily a good sign. It could very well be balancing out, meaning they would inevitably lose a few heavyweight awards.
Based on the situation this year, Best Picture was the least likely award to be lost...
"Why do I feel it's dangerous?" Allen quickly commented in the chatroom, "Best Director will be announced soon, but 'Saving Private Ryan's' undefeated record has been broken; I have a bad feeling about this!"
The Duke of Destruction quickly replied, "The Best Original Screenplay that Duke won has reduced the chances of getting Best Director."
"The Academy can't be that black-hearted, can they?" Rose Mountain typed with a tone of indignation, "Is there any film or director better than 'Saving Private Ryan' this year?"
"The film isn't the only factor in winning!" The Duke of Destruction seemed to have some understanding of the Oscars. "Too many things can influence the winners, like critics not liking Duke or Duke's age."
In Chandler Hall, after a few jokes from Ubi Gordon, last year's Best Director Robert Zemeckis,best director of last year, walked onto the stage with an envelope.