The Best Director

Chapter 344: Chapter 344 The Great Harvest

“The winner of the Best Director at the 62nd Golden Globe Awards is…”

On the television screen, the NBC channel displayed six split-screens, with Dustin Hoffman at the center, ready to open the envelope; the five suit-clad nominees were arrayed on either side, awaiting the results calmly or with subtle smiles, 74-year-old Clint Eastwood (2/4, won/nominated), 35-year-old Marc Forster (0/1), 51-year-old Paul Haggis (0/1), 34-year-old Christopher Nolan (0/1), 43-year-old Alexander Payne (0/2).

Who could it be!? As Dustin Hoffman read out the name, everyone in the banquet hall tensed for a moment. The Best Actor/Actress in a Drama had already been presented, with Jim Carrey taking the award as anticipated. He had already won in 1999 for “The Truman Show” and in 2000 for “Man on the Moon,” securing Best Actor in Drama and Musical/Comedy, respectively. With contenders such as Johnny Depp from “Finding Neverland,” none had the buzz that Carrey had, and his win met media predictions.

Winning Best Actor once again, Jim Carrey was naturally overjoyed. The scholarly characteristics of “Mr. Hughes 2” provided him with the best opportunity to break into the Oscars, and even to win an award, fulfilling his pursuit through his portrayal of Howard Hughes after many years in acting! The folks at Flame Movies were also very happy, as Carrey’s success would directly affect the plans for “The Green Hornet.” In the Best Actress category, Hilary Swank took the stage at the Golden Globes for the second time.

“Clint Eastwood, ‘Million Dollar Baby’!”

A wave of ecstatic applause and cheers burst forth, with the out-of-contention directors smiling and clapping too, without any signs of discontent or frustration. The charismatic old Eastwood won his third Golden Globe for Best Director! With a face full of wrinkles, he wore a composed and serene smile, stepping up to the stage with a steady stride. This year’s Miss Golden Globe was none other than his 16-year-old daughter, Kathryn Eastwood. At that moment, the camera panned to her as she clapped and cheered with joy.

“The winner of the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama is…”

Following the Best Director was the evening’s ultimate prize. Watching Al Pacino present the award on the screen, Wang Yang’s heart suddenly surged, and he couldn’t help but widen his eyes and hold his breath. In the future film database, the award for this year had been given to “The Aviator,” which was an adaptation of “Howard Hughes: The Secret Life.” However, due to the appearance of “Mr. Hughes,” Miramax Films did not have this production in their plans, and director Martin Scorsese and others had moved on to another film.

The story of Howard Hughes was very well-liked by the jury, and the classic “Mr. Hughes 2” stood a great chance. The betting companies ranked it with the second-lowest odds among the six nominated films, with “Million Dollar Baby” having the lowest, followed by “Hotel Rwanda” and “Crash.”

Under the watchful eyes of all the guests and audience members at the Hilton Hotel’s Golden Globe Awards ceremony, Al Pacino glanced at the results on the envelope and announced into the microphone, “‘The Aviator: Power, Money, and Madness.’

“YES…YES! YES!!” Wang Yang and Jessica exclaimed ecstatically, “The Aviator!! Nolan couple won it!! Flame Movies got it!!” They sprang up from the sofa, raising their hands high and bouncing around with joy, shrieking excitedly, “Woo-hoo, haha! Wa-ha-ha!”

This is why watching TV at home is much more comfortable and exhilarating than being at the event. On the screen, the Nolan couple hugged each other tightly, celebrating excitedly with Jim Carrey and other crew members amidst thunderous applause and shouts, while the camera swept over guest seats filled with smiling faces.

“YOOOO~~OH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAHS!” In the living room, the two started an impromptu fiery street dance. Jessica with her hands cushioning her head, pressed her back against him, arching her hips and bumping them against his thighs. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, her slender waist writhing like a serpent’s, then swiftly turned around, her head tilted back and hanging down while she tightly clung to his neck. She lifted her left leg, resting it on his waist, rhythmically rotating her head as Wang Yang timely removed her headband and tossed it away, unleashing a head of beautiful, slightly curled brown hair to dance in the air.

His hands roamed wildly across her back, his face moving close to hers as she leaned backwards to the ground; he lifted his head, and she came back alluringly close again. They suddenly stopped, locking eyes, and in less than half a second, both their lips curled into a smile, each feeling the other’s silent challenge: “Come on, you think I’m scared?”

Wang Yang suddenly lifted his hands and gave her perky behind a series of smacks, Jessica let her left leg down and released her hands, rubbing against him as she spun around. Her laughter rang out clear as her shoulders and arms moved fluidly with street dance motions, she stepped forward and with her right index finger, playfully lifted his chin, pouted her lips, blew a kiss, and winked, making a “z” sound, exuding an irresistibly sexy and spicy charm. Her feet rhythmically bounced back as she raised her hands, pointing at him with her index fingers. Wang Yang slowly crooked his finger at her, his palm suddenly flinging with force, as he danced along in pursuit…

“YES!!” Simultaneously, numerous fans in front of their televisions were also overjoyed. They’d done it! After “Juno” took home the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and “District 9” nabbed Best Director and Best Actor in a Drama, Flame Film secured its first Best Picture in a Drama!

As the ultimate award of the night was revealed, the banquet hall erupted into frenzy amidst a sea of applause. The Nolan couple and the two other producers of “Mr. Hughes 2,” Graham King and Charles Roven, ascended the stage to accept the award. Emma Thomas, overwhelmed with excitement, received the trophy from Al Pacino, clasped it a few times, and then passed it to her husband, Nolan, whose perennial smile transformed into a wide grin, even his neatly parted hair seemed disheveled.

This was the best moment of recognition! Clutching the hefty trophy, Nolan couldn’t help but take a deep breath—fantastic! Looking down at the countless faces in front of the stage, all of them key creatives behind films, renowned figures, and here stood the producers of “The Aviator” on stage! It was them! This sight suddenly brought tears to Emma Thomas’s eyes, she’d always wondered what it felt like for award-winners to get choked up, and now she understood, Christopher too, the explosive sense of achievement!

“Thank you, thank you…” As the applause died down, Emma Thomas struggled to control her emotions, Oh my God! She chuckled a few times before speaking, “First, we would like to thank Howard Hughes, an incredible figure, and thank his legendary story. We also must thank Mr. Charles Higham, author of ‘Howard Hughes: The Secret Life,’ and Mr. Michael Drosnin, who wrote ‘The Aviator: Power, Money, and Madness’…”

“And one more very important person.” After thanking the crew, the organizers, and Flame Film, Emma Thomas turned with a smile to the man beside her, “My husband, Christopher Nolan. It might sound a bit impolite to say, but honestly, his outstanding leadership and extraordinary talent made this film, made us.” Amidst friendly laughter from below followed by warm applause, the camera swept over Jim Carrey, Jonathan Nolan, and on stage, Graham King and Charles Roven also clapped, as Nolan chuckled a “thank you.”

Just when everyone thought she had finished, Emma Thomas continued with genuine sincerity, “Lastly, I really, really need to thank the magical Yang! Without this cool guy’s support, we couldn’t have made these two ‘Mr. Hughes’ films. He gave us the best trust, the best opportunities, the best of everything! We’re very grateful to him…” Clutching the trophy, Nolan also expressed his gratitude, “Sometimes words seem so insufficient, but I have to say…” His emotions stirred, he said, “Thank you, Yang!”

Deafening applause started with Marc Cherry, with Paul Haggis, and quickly swept across the entire banquet hall. Even Natalie, fresh off her win, was enthusiastically clapping, looking around and couldn’t help but smile, funny how his name kept coming up despite the fact he wasn’t there, and wasn’t nominated…

The 62nd Golden Globe Awards drew to a successful close. The outcomes of the 13 film awards largely matched the mainstream media predictions – “Crash,” “Mr. Hughes 2,” “Stealing Heart,” “Million Dollar Baby” all concluded the journey with two trophies each; “Sideways,” “Becoming Julia,” “Soul Men,” “Finding Neverland,” “Eternal Slumber in the Deep Sea” each claimed one, quite evenly dispersed with no sweeps occurring, and undoubtedly all hot contenders for the Oscar nominations to be announced on January 24.

Flame Film harvested four film awards for Best Picture in a Drama, Best Actor in a Drama, Best Screenplay, Best Original Song; plus two television awards for Best Series, Musical or Comedy and Best Actress, becoming the biggest behind-the-scenes winner that night. Naturally, they were to foot the bill for a lively celebration party at the Hilton Hotel to provide material for the media to dig into, and exposure for the stars and celebrities. But Wang Yang and Jessica remained out of sight, leaving the media wanting to interview him sorely disappointed.

“Does this situation mean that Flame has taken over Miramax’s mantle? Tonight, they’re the biggest winners.” “Interestingly, there were three ‘very grateful to the magical Yang’ mentions during the party; this young man brought three dark horses on his own…”…

The day after the Golden Globes, whether it was digital media like Yahoo and America Online or newspaper media such as the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, they all dedicated their entertainment sections to the big event. Also, on this day, the $5 million budget production of “Paranormal Activity 3” began shooting, and of course, the low cost was possible because Flame Film had joined the investment, holding a 30% box office share. In fact, the combined fees for stars like Chloe Moretz, director Kevin Grout, and others didn’t come close to what the reduced-market-price Yang Yang was.

On the night of January 21st, Saturday, Wang Yang had another “earning his own money” opportunity. At the Universal Studios sound stage, under the host Jeff Foxworthy and the laughter and gaze of hundreds of audience members, he joined Natalie to record the first episode of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”.

“Who lays the biggest eggs of existing birds?” “I actually thought it was the penguin, until I saw the ostrich.” “If there were such a thing as a phoenix in the world, I think it would be it; but since it seems extinct, it must be the ostrich.” …

Together, they breezed through multiple-choice and open-ended questions… After using up all three opportunities to ask the kids for help, they reached the $300,000 ninth question, just three questions away from winning a million! The big screen on the stage showed this fifth-grade-level question, and Jeff Foxworthy looked at the screen and read out to the two serious-faced high achievers: “Which of the following is not one of the Great Lakes of North America? A. Lake Huron, B. Lake Alberta, C. Lake Michigan, D. Lake Ontario, E. Lake Erie.”

Which one? Standing at two separate podiums, Wang Yang and Natalie exchanged glances, both noticing uncertainty in each other’s eyes. What’s going on! Such simple geographical knowledge… Jeff Foxworthy clapped his hands to bring them back to reality. Amid the audience’s laughter, Wang Yang pondered, “I know that Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are definitely among them, but I’m not so sure about the others.” Natalie nodded, looking intently at the screen: “Lake Ontario is too, I remember.”

“Stop, stop! That’s cheating!” Jeff Foxworthy yelled ineffectively, while the audience watched with interest. The USC and Harvard students were in trouble! But many people weren’t sure about the answer either; they all looked equally clueless.

Both thought it was either Lake Alberta or Lake Erie. They silently wrote their answers on the board to show the audience before discussing why. When people saw that Wang Yang chose Lake Alberta and Natalie Portman chose Lake Erie, they knew one person was doomed! But who?!

“Last year, when I was filming ‘Firefly,’ I went to Alberta, Canada, for location shooting, and they do have many lakes and rivers there, like Lake Beto, which is very picturesque,” Wang Yang said with a shrug, then glanced at a dumbfounded Natalie and admitted, “But I don’t remember hearing about a Lake Alberta; otherwise, I definitely would have remembered.” Foxworthy chuckled at the disaster, provoking another round of laughter from the audience. Natalie frowned and asked, “You’re joking, right?” Wang Yang shook his head: “Not now.”

“Natalie Portman, why did you choose Lake Erie?” Foxworthy turned to her with a pained expression, as Natalie almost fainted, spreading her hands helplessly, frustrated: “I have no idea!” The five Asian, Latino, African-American, and white children sitting behind the classroom desks all laughed together, and the audience was once again amused by the humorous scene, clapping and laughing non-stop. So much fun!

As NBC is currently promoting, “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” is not only an intellectual game show; it’s also a comedy. Just imagine grown-ups wiping their foreheads and stomping with impatience in front of a few children who look on with faces of scornful mockery, and Jeff Foxworthy’s sharp and quirky remarks, highlighting the contestants’ embarrassment – everything was perfectly portrayed in this moment.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…” Wang Yang muttered, turning his head and covering his face with his hand, not wanting to see her. Natalie took a deep breath, more nervous than the week before when she stepped up to the Golden Globe podium, and somewhat bewildered: “Oh my God, my God! I just know ‘Firefly’ did location shooting in Alberta, and I’ve seen a few stills, all with beautiful lakes! But Lake Erie… I’m not sure.” Foxworthy hummed, “A beautiful misunderstanding.” Amidst the audience’s laughter, he added, “But it doesn’t necessarily mean Wang Yang is correct! You might both be wrong!”

After teasing and making fun of both contestants, causing continuous laughter in the studio, the time came to reveal the incorrect answers. Foxworthy and the screen took turns announcing the wrong choices: “Lake Michigan, Lake Huron… Lake Erie!”

“Ah.” Natalie’s mouth agape, she froze completely. If it hadn’t been for the public eye, she would have gone mad and punched the guy next to her! Since Lake Erie is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, this naturally meant she was done for. Falling back to the safety line of $25,000 was not the issue, but stopping at the ninth question…

The audience didn’t rush to know the correct answer; the punishment segment had arrived! The studio was about to flip from unstoppable laughter, an unprecedented spectacle. A Harvard graduate and genius, Natalie Portman, who just a week ago strode the red carpet and proudly held a trophy, had to declare it. Facing the camera, Natalie appeared somewhat abashed – this was worse than death! Cursing Wang Yang from head to toe internally, she suddenly burst into laughter: “I, Natalie Portman, am indeed not as smart as a 5th grader!”

“Whoo!” Cheers and laughter erupted, resounding loudly. Looking at the smiling faces of the children, Wang Yang fully understood the feeling of shared misfortune; he sighed, “Oh my God…”

“I, Wang Yang, am indeed not as smart as a fifth grader!”

Even though the correct answer to the ninth question was Lake Alberta, Wang Yang had met his match by the tenth question. With Natalie’s laughter and that of the audience and children echoing around him, Wang Yang shouted the punishment slogan. This episode of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” that had the whole audience in stitches would land on NBC on February 16th. If it could explode in viewership, it would undoubtedly be a great promotional boon for “Firefly” and “Star Wars: Episode III”.

The promotional plan for “Firefly” kept advancing on its set course. Parody trailers in the style of “District 9”, “The Hangover”, “MIT-21-TEAM”, and “The Devil Wears Prada” had already been uploaded to YOUTUBE for people’s enjoyment, and this viral marketing scheme was set to launch at the beginning of February.

After the Golden Globe Awards, various guild awards announced their results one by one. When January 24th rolled around, the prestigious 77th Oscars announced their nominations. Natalie Portman secured her second Oscar nomination without surprise, competing for Best Supporting Actress alongside Sophie Okonedo and others, cementing her reputation as a prodigy.

“Mr. Hughes 2” successfully snagged nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Jim Carrey), Best Director (Christopher Nolan), Best Adaptation (Jonathan Nolan), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, and Best Sound Effects, leading the pack with eight major nominations; “Crash” once again demonstrated its dark horse capabilities, earning nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (Paul Haggis), Best Original Screenplay (Paul Haggis, Robert Moresco) Best Supporting Actor (Matt Dillon), Best Editing, and Best Original Song.

Miramax Films’ “Finding Neverland” and Warner Brothers’ “Million Dollar Baby” each garnered seven nominations, ranking second; Flame Movie’s bumper harvest officially became the media’s race-leader of this Oscars.

It’s worth mentioning that the 25th Golden Raspberry Awards, as per tradition, announced their nominations the day before the Oscar nominations were revealed. This year’s biggest “winners” were “Catwoman” and “Alexander the Great”, the former with a total of seven nominations and the latter with six. George Bush, indeed, was nominated for Worst Actor and Worst Screen Combo, while tiny sweetie Britney Spears entered the Worst Supporting Actress race with “Fahrenheit 9/11”.

“Mm, yes, right…” In the spacious and bright living room, Wang Yang was secretly chatting on the phone, pacing back and forth. Jessica, sneaking up from behind, suddenly went “woah” and slapped his shoulder, teasingly speaking with a playful voice, “GOT-YOU~” Wang Yang hastily said to the person on the other side, “I’ve got to hang up!” and ended the call. Jessica squinted her eyes at him, grunting a few times, he had been acting strangely recently, what was he up to? She smiled and asked, “Which beauty are you meeting with?”

“No no no, not at all, not at all! Ha ha, don’t talk nonsense… He he he! Are you suspecting something?” Wang Yang quickly denied, his expression a mix of indifference and seriousness, creating an air that was far from jovial, leaving Jessica no choice but to shrug her shoulders, “That was just a joke.” Hearing this, Wang Yang let out a laugh, nudging her shoulder, “Got it! Ha ha, that was a joke, really funny! Ha ha…”

He walked a few steps then, as if struck by a sudden thought, turned around and said, “Oh right! Sweetheart, I can’t be with you this weekend, I’m sorry. With ‘Paranormal Activity 3’ there, and ‘The Big Bang Theory’…” he said, slapping his forehead in distress, “Oh gosh, I’ve got so many things to handle.”

Really? Weren’t we supposed to have fun at the beach this weekend? Jessica frowned, pretty brows pinching together. She couldn’t do much if it was for work, but January 31st was their wedding anniversary, and they had previously agreed to set sail on the 30th and then welcome the 31st on the open sea. She asked, “What about our trip to the sea?” Wang Yang scratched his head in hesitation, “Should be possible!” However, Jessica seemed to laugh for no reason at all; she didn’t believe him! Even if he were busy, he was seldom like this, especially on such an important day. The script was too bad! Smiling, she wagged her finger, “Wait, wait, is there some kind of surprise? Oh, I shouldn’t have asked…”

“What surprise…” Wang Yang was stunned for a moment, then, seeing her with hands covering her mouth, he loudly laughed and said, “Oh, oh! Yes, there’s a surprise, there’s a surprise! You’ll find out when the time comes.” As he headed outside, he asked nonchalantly, “Have you been wanting any jewelry lately? Diamond ring? Necklace?”

Jessica lifted the corner of her mouth, following him, not addressing his words, her gaze flitting, and murmured with a smile, “This goof, he must be preparing some surprise, Sweet…” (

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