The Best Director

Chapter 207: The Youngest! (Vote for Monthly Ticket)

“If an alien spacecraft were to descend from the skies, if a person were transformed into an alien.” On the grand stage of the Kodak Theatre, Ben Affleck, dressed in a black suit, was introducing ‘District 9’. Each year, the presentation of the five Best Picture nominees was interspersed throughout the ceremony. The big screen on stage was aimed at the audience where Wang Yang sat, his expression calm as he watched the proceedings on stage.

Ben Affleck leaned on the podium with both hands and continued, “‘District 9’ tells a cruel and profound sci-fi tale. How humanity treats the others is truly a reflection of how they treat themselves. The beauty of human nature should not only exist within the confines of those close to us.” He paused, looked towards the camera, and said, “Only through trust and love can we find the best solutions and achieve freedom.”

Instantly, the audience erupted with warm applause. Affleck’s introduction naturally alluded to the America-Iran War, but the oppressively intense ‘District 9’, if released at this time, would surely have been a box office disaster regardless of its quality or grandeur. After his words, the big screen on stage and the television broadcast began showing thrilling clips from ‘District 9’.

“Roar roar roar roar—” In the sky, a large number of helicopters and armed fighter jets flew towards the huge spaceship, beneath them the dense and devastated alien ghetto, District 9. The tightly edited explosion scenes, gunfight scenes, and Robert Downey Jr.’s half-transformed, ferocious face… Although there were no scenes of gore, at that moment, many viewers still frowned. Evelyn, sitting on the sofa, shook her head and said, “It’s more oppressive than a war broadcast…” She seemed to have only now realized the terrifying aspects of ‘District 9’.

Downey snarled fiercely, “You damn bug!” The alien Christopher Foersten earnestly said, “Three years, I will come back in three years.” A prawn-like alien sat amidst a pile of garbage, with a toy helicopter slowly rising…

“Clap clap clap—” As the clip ended, thunderous applause broke out in the venue. The guests all clapped vigorously, for ‘District 9’ deserved even greater acclaim based purely on its cinematic achievements and Oscars history.

Seeing the camera sweep over again, Wang Yang curled the corners of his mouth into a toothless smile for the camera and raised his right palm to wave at the audience; meanwhile, Downey confidently mimed the gesture of receiving an award.

The award ceremony continued, and in the live text broadcast studio of Sina, the topic of tonight’s Best Picture race was being discussed. The host Zeng Zihang said, “Some netizens asked, could the war influence ‘The Pianist’ and ‘District 9′ to have a better chance at winning Best Picture?” Wu Shixian answered, “It’s hard to say, as the votes were all mailed out before the 18th, and the jurors’ mindsets might lean towards ‘Chicago’s’ implication of peace.”

“News from netizens, several American newspapers have predicted that ‘Gangs of New York’ will win.” Zeng Zihang looked at the computer screen, whereas Cheng Qingsong countered, “‘Gangs of New York’ wasn’t highly rated in America; they say it’s the worst movie Martin Scorsese has ever made.” Another guest Wang Lei said, “But it wouldn’t be surprising if it won, Scorsese is a senior figure.” Cheng Qingsong added, “Scorsese would prefer to win Best Director.”

Wu Shixian said, “Actually, all five movies have their reasons for winning, but ‘District 9’ is the most at risk, because its sci-fi genre isn’t favored by the Oscars. Twenty years ago, ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ didn’t win Best Picture or Best Director.”

“The winner of Best Original Score is ‘Frida’, which has now secured two awards.” … “The ceremony has moved on to the Best Foreign Language Film!”

With a round of enthusiastic applause, Salma Hayek, dressed in a black cut-out short-sleeved top and a long white skirt, emerged from the passageway. Carrying the award envelope, she came to the microphone at the center of the stage, nodded slightly in greeting, and said with a husky voice, “Thank you. There are different movies from all around the world. The academy honors and recognizes the efforts of our colleagues in other countries, because films in various languages unite the world. Here are the nominees for this year’s Best Foreign Language Film…”

As she spoke, Wang Yang turned his head towards Jessica and whispered into her ear in Chinese, to prevent others from hearing, while looking at the Latin-flavored Salma on stage, he laughed, “Jessica, Mexican mixed race is really something, isn’t she almost 40? Still so beautiful.” Jessica turned her head towards him and responded with a light laugh in broken Chinese, “What, you want to take her out for dinner? Joshua says that older woman-younger man relationships are quite the trend.”

“No.” Wang Yang suddenly smiled with a furrowed brow, glanced at her captivating face, and laughed, “I was just imagining what you’d look like at 40. But why is Salma frowning? Can’t she smile tonight?” Without waiting for further conversation, they started to clap vigorously.

“A Mexican work, ‘The Crime of Father Amaro’, Carlos Carrera.” The sound system played the clinking of swords colliding, and the big screen showed two red Chinese characters, Salma said, “A work of the People’s Republic of China, ‘Hero’, Zhang Yimou.”

The applause from below grew louder, and Wang Yang and Jessica also continued to applaud enthusiastically, along with many of the surrounding guests.

However, Wang Yang wasn’t optimistic about the film winning an award, firstly due to the film itself; he had seen it and felt the cinematography was very beautiful and picturesque, but the plot and other aspects were too complex and the narrative was chaotic. Even he, with his considerable understanding of Chinese culture and history, felt it was a film cobbled together for the Oscars. Its narrative was its fatal weakness, but admittedly, the visuals were quite impressive.

Secondly, its promotion in America was severely lacking. Considering that the Oscars had over 5,600 eligible jurors this year, in order to obtain relative fairness, it was essential for others to know and be familiar with the work. However, ‘Hero’ had not yet been released. Thus, some non-academy members, after seeing the film, wouldn’t even have access to reviews, whether good or bad. Favorable reviews could help them appreciate the movie and create a good impression, which would directly affect the voting outcome.

“A Finnish entry, ‘The Man Without a Past’, Aki Kaurismäki.” Salma continued amid applause. Kaurismäki was not present to protest the war. She read, “A German work, ‘Nowhere in Africa’, Caroline Link. A Dutch work, ‘Zus & Zo’, Paula van der Oest.”

“The winning work is…” She looked down to open the envelope and took out the winning paper, reading without expression, ” ‘Nowhere in Africa’.” Immediately, a thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue, and Wang Yang and Jessica exchanged glances, shrugging slightly as they clapped. Salma seemed displeased as she said, “Congratulations to Caroline Link from the Academy and we will accept the award on her behalf, thank you!” With a smile, she turned and walked backstage.

Once the Best Foreign Language Film result was announced, fans from the countries not selected were somewhat disappointed. In the Sina Broadcasting Room, several guests also discussed the reasons behind ‘Hero’s’ loss. Cheng Qingsong said, “I think it was totally expected, ‘Hero’ had already participated in the Berlin Film Festival and did not win a big prize.” Zeng Zihang said, “It also fell at the Golden Globes.”

Cheng Qingsong commented, “It was shot very vacuously, with a theme that was extremely far-fetched. Peace is something everyone calls for, and although ‘Hero’ claimed this mantle, the film didn’t live up to it.” Wang Lei agreed, “Each aspect taken separately is quite good, but put together, it doesn’t work well; it feels very stiff and uncomfortable to watch.” Zeng Zihang suddenly said, “Another award result has just come out, the Best Sound Award goes to ‘Chicago’.”

“‘Chicago’ has now won four awards, as some media predicted, saying it would herald a complete revival of American musicals. Musicals were once very glorious, but haven’t won an Oscar in recent years.” Just as Zeng Zihang finished speaking, Wu Shixian said, “In fact, a few years ago, ‘High School Musical’ had already revived the genre, and American newspapers discussing this topic cannot overlook it.”

Cheng Qingsong nodded and said, “Right, ‘High School Musical’ caused quite a sensation back then. Its commercial value and impact were something ‘Chicago’ couldn’t match.” Zeng Zihang looked at the screen and said, “A netizen has provided an old English news report stating that back in an interview, Wang Yang had said, ‘I think a new era of musicals is coming, let it start with me.’ The report was quite negative about him, saying his chances were dismal, but now musicals are truly going to make history.”

The ceremony continued, with Jennifer Garner in a pink evening dress presenting ‘The Hours’. Diane Lane then took the stage to present the Best Documentary Feature and, after announcing the nominees, she read the result from the envelope with a smile, ” ‘Bowling for Columbine’!” She exclaimed excitedly, “Michael Moore and Michael Donovan!”

Immediately, the venue erupted with screaming cheers and thunderous applause. The rotund Michael Moore stood up, gestured to invite all the nominees to join him on the award stage; many guests around laughed and rose to their feet clapping, then it spread to a great wave, Scorsese, Kidman, Nicholson… Wang Yang, Jessica, Downey and others also stood and applauded, showing their respect for Michael Moore.

It wasn’t just his gesture of inviting the other nominees, but ‘Bowling for Columbine’s’ profound exploration of American gun violence; moreover, Michael Moore was a person who dared to reveal the truth. His previously strong anti-war stance had also won the full accolades of the audience.

“`

“Thank you, thank you so much.” With the audience applauding, people stepped onto the stage to accept the award, Michael Moore handed the little golden man to his wife, adjusted his glasses, and covered his nose. Looking at the more than three thousand people below, he said, “I would like to express our thanks to the academy on behalf of our producer Catherine Glayn and Michael Donovan from Canada for giving us this award! I have invited all the documentary nominees to join me on stage.”

There was a sudden burst of applause and shouting from the audience, interrupting him. Michael Moore cleared his throat and continued, “We do this as a show of unity. They stand here with me because we don’t like things that are made up; we don’t like them, yet we live in a world of falsehoods. We had a fake election result that elected a fake president…”

“Whoa—” The quiet hall suddenly erupted with screams, moderate applause, along with some angry booing and shouts: “Oh NO!” These noises mainly came from the viewers in the upper levels, while the celebrity guests remained silent, not showing their opinions under the sweeping live broadcast cameras, but the big screen on stage was always focused on the increasingly agitated Michael Moore.

He waved his fist, ignoring the booing, and said, “He took us into a war for a fake reason, those forged tapes, those fake orange alerts…”

The camera suddenly pointed at Adrien Brody, nominated for Best Actor for “The Pianist,” who, along with the guests around him, wore a look of silence; it then panned over to Martin Scorsese, still serious-faced, some stars were applauding; and on the other side under the camera, Jessica held tightly to Wang Yang’s left hand, continuously squeezing his palm, passing on her own message: “Don’t! Don’t!”

Wang Yang pursed his lips and arched his brows as the camera just panned over; it lingered for a second then angled to the first row of A-listers, some with their hands clasped or smiling or silent.

“Mr. Bush, we all oppose this war!” The camera returned to Michael Moore, his hands energetically waving as he said, “Mr. Bush, you are a disgrace, we are ashamed of you, ashamed for you!” At that moment, amid the boos, resounding music began to play in the venue, forcing him off the stage, but Moore continued to shout, “When you hear opposition as strong as this, you know it won’t be long before you are out of office, thank you everyone very much!”

Only then did the guests start to applaud, Jessica also released Wang Yang’s hand, exhaling softly; amidst a warm round of applause, Michael Moore bowed and then left the stage with the many nominees.

He received boos naturally because there were still Republicans and pro-war audience members in the venue, and he made the Oscars too politically heavy, revealing the emperor has no clothes, which was broadcast globally. TV broadcasts and newspaper interviews are different matters. Directly insulting a president as fake and disgraceful is not satire or a joke; it goes beyond opposing the war itself, questioning the legitimacy of the election outcome between Bush and Gore, which is why the Republicans were angered.

At the same time, America takes seriously the concept of a wartime president. Before a war begins, it’s okay to question and criticize, but once war has started, everyone is expected to unite regardless. Now, the opinion polls show that the ratio of pro-war to anti-war has become 70% to 30%.

Today, expressing such views only serves to vehemently express oneself and inevitably irritates others. That’s why, even if celebrity guests harbor anti-war sentiments, they do not wish to get involved in this way. The correctness of the war is no longer the theme; life and peace are what can be expressed while also being accepted and appreciated by the media and public.

“Yang, if you win, don’t act like that.” Jessica held his hand again, her eyes earnestly looking at Wang Yang. If he did something like Michael Moore, it would undoubtedly have very serious consequences. He was a promising director, who through his miraculous achievements and humorous, interesting personality, had gradually eroded the prejudices about his skin color. How could he create such trouble for himself over a damned war, maybe even ruin himself?

She could accept her own ruin, but not his! Jessica’s eyes were filled with worry, her voice pleading, “Really, don’t do that, for me, for us.” Her face was resolute as she added firmly, “Don’t act like that!”

“`

“Jessica, I couldn’t possibly do that, how could you even think it?” Wang Yang laughed with a snort, and as he gently and undeniably took her warm, soft hands in his, he spoke in Chinese, “I won’t do it. Actually, I don’t like politics. As for this war, there’s nothing left to say; let’s leave right and wrong for the future to decide!” Seeing her smile, he chuckled, “Tonight we’re here to have fun and win awards, and if I get a chance to go on stage, I’ll definitely have you all laughing.”

Reassured, Jessica nodded with a smile, “But you didn’t prepare a speech, did you?” Wang Yang shrugged slightly and sighed with a smile, “Yeah, what else is there to do but thank this person and that person, who needs a script for that? And as for making jokes, aren’t I one of the presenters? I can handle it. Even Steve Martin is no match for me.” Jessica laughed, “That’s obviously true.”

“Hey, what have you guys been talking about all this time?” Robert Downey Jr. asked curiously with a puzzled smile, “It’s so mysterious.” Wang Yang gave him a not-so-friendly look and retorted, “Why should I tell you about the flirting between us lovers?” Jessica laughed and looked towards the stage.

As the awards ceremony continued, the reaction of the thousands of viewers in front of their TVs to Michael Moore’s actions was mixed, with both applause and boos. Evelyn, who was in the former group, shouted upstairs, “Mom, the Best Documentary Short Subject was awarded to ‘Twin-Towers’, Robert David Port and Bill Guttentag!” The voice from upstairs responded, “Honey, I’m not interested in that award! Has Best Actress come up yet?”

The applause continued, and Julia Roberts presented the Best Cinematography award to Conrad L. Hall for ‘Road to Perdition’. Since Hall had passed away two months earlier, his son Conrad W. Hall accepted the award on his father’s behalf. Next was Best Editing, and the festive sounds of ‘Chicago’ (Martin Walsh) filled the venue once again. The atmosphere of the ceremony became more intense as the evening moved on to the most highly anticipated major awards.

“Wow—” Accompanied by enthusiastic cheers and applause, Halle Berry, dressed in a light brown low-cut evening gown, gracefully walked out from the right side of the stage. Holding a white envelope, she approached the microphone at the podium and smiled, “If you’re the most famous among friends, the person winning the Best Actor tonight will be the famous among the famous.” She turned to look at the large screen on the stage. As solemn music played, the screen showed clips of past Best Actor winners.

Marlon Brando… Michael Douglas… Jack Nicholson… Dustin Hoffman… Tom Hanks… Nicolas Cage… Will Smith… Russell Crowe…

As the screen returned to the Oscar logo, thunderous applause broke out. Halle Berry read the list of nominees, “Adrien Brody, ‘The Pianist.'” The screen and the broadcast focused on Adrien Brody with his distinctive frowning brows and his high hooked nose; he grinned and looked towards the camera as the audience members and guests gave him a round of loud cheers and applause. The camera then moved to a smiling Nicolas Cage who seemed to be frowning while clapping, and Halle Berry said, “Nicolas Cage, ‘Adaptation’.”

“Robert Downey Jr., ‘District 9.'” Cheers and applause in the Kodak Theater seemed to set a new decibel record, reflecting the popularity of Downey Jr.’s transformation from a debauched playboy to a charming middle-aged man. On the big screen, Downey Jr. winked playfully. Wang Yang laughed and clapped, turning his head to say, “Robert, if you get the award, don’t give that speech again. I’m telling you, if I win, I won’t do that.”

Downey Jr. clapped and laughed, “Let’s talk after you win!” He looked at Wang Yang, feeling very nervous inside like back in the ‘Chaplin’ days, and said, “It’s been exactly 10 years since the last time, Yang, thanks for bringing me back here.” Wang Yang nodded with a smile, “Keep it up!”

“Daniel Day-Lewis, ‘Gangs of New York’. And Jack Nicholson, ‘About Schmidt’. And the winner is…” The TV screen was split into six segments, showing the five smiling yet anxious nominees, with Halle Berry at the bottom right corner tearing open the envelope. Amidst the silence, she looked at the result and smiled, “Adrien Brody, ‘The Pianist’.”

Mad cheers and applause erupted throughout the venue; Adrien Brody was incredulous yet overwhelmed with joy, leaning back in his seat, and his mother beside him excitedly hugged his head and kissed him. Almost all of the audience and celebrity guests stood up, their faces beaming with smiles. Jack Nicholson was happier than when he had won his own awards, and Nicolas Cage, Day-Lewis, and the others all clapped vigorously, sending their congratulations to the new Best Actor!

At the age of 29 years and 11 months (April 14, 1973), he surpassed Richard Dreyfuss’s record from 1978 at the age of 30 (October 29, 1947), becoming the youngest Oscar Best Actor in history!

“Wow!…” Downey Jr. also shouted loudly, naturally feeling the disappointment of not winning, but happy for the others. He looked at Wang Yang beside him, who was still clapping, and said, “One piece of good news and one piece of bad news. The bad news is that I didn’t make it; the good news is that your chances have just increased.” Jessica felt both regret and anticipation, and Wang Yang continued clapping, saying, “Hopefully, being an actor and a director are different things.”

“Mom! Mom! Oh my God! Adrien Brody just won Best Actor!” Evelyn jumped up from the sofa, shouting with excitement, “The youngest! The youngest! The Oscars are so young this year!” The voice upstairs came down with a tone of disappointment, “Baby, he’s an actor, don’t expect so much! But why wasn’t this award given to Robert Downey Jr., what are those judges thinking!?”

“The youngest!” Evelyn was still overwhelmed with excitement. The Pianist is anti-war, but wasn’t District 9 profound too? Now that we have the youngest Best Actor, the Best Director must be the amazing Yang! She roared, “That’s the theme of this year’s Oscars! The youngest, the youth full of hope!”

At that moment, on the TV screen, under the mournful music of The Pianist, amid the deafening applause and cheers of over three thousand audience members, Adrien Brody walked joyfully onto the stage. He made a thankful gesture to the crowd, then quickly strode to the middle of the stage where Halle Berry was, hugging her tightly and passionately kissing her on the lips for a full three seconds, eliciting even louder whoops and laughter from the audience.

The camera panned over the nominees, all of whom wore happy smiles; Adrien looked incredulously pained, with furrowed brows, covering his heart, totally speechless: “Ahem, oh…” As the applause gradually faded, and everyone took their seats again, Adrien pursed his lips, turned to look at Halle Berry with a smile, and said, “The Academy definitely didn’t tell you, but this is part of the reward.”

Laughter erupted from the crowd, and Halle Berry, with a wrinkled brow, wiped her mouth with her right hand; Adrien Brody, full of emotion, uttered “Oh God” a few times, before slowly beginning, “Winning doesn’t feel like slow motion, nor does it feel familiar, I don’t know if you were calling… me? OK! I didn’t write a speech in advance because every time I did, I never won.”

“You know, there’s always a moment of realization in life, but right now my head is in a whirl.” Amidst chuckles, the camera focused on Adrien’s mother below, who was wiping away tears with a laugh, and Adrien Brody continued, “But I do know that I’ve received so much love and encouragement, from my friends, people I admire, and even strangers, which means a lot to me. Competing for this award would be a wonderful, wonderful journey, without the insomnia and sudden panic attacks.”

Amidst light laughter, he held the trophy, gaping for a few seconds, then said, “Thank you, I need to speed up my thanks… the light over there’s already signaling that time’s up.”

The acceptance speech was only allotted 45 seconds, and he had already exceeded that time. He went on to thank his parents, his words becoming increasingly choked up, his eyes turning red. He also thanked The Pianist’s screenwriter Wladyslaw Szpilman, director Roman Polanski, his agent Joanne Kolonna, the film fans, and so on.

“Ding, ding, ding—” At that moment, the music to usher off the winner began to play, and Adrien Brody quickly shouted, “Hey! Wait, wait, please wait a bit longer! Stop the music, stop it, it’s a rare opportunity…” Amidst laughter, he apologized, “I’m sorry, I mentioned no more than five people’s names, right? This is so happy! You know, but it’s also a sad evening at the same time.”

“Because accepting this award at such a special moment.” He looked genuinely upset, his voice trembling, “As you know, filming this movie made me deeply understand the evil of war’s dehumanization and the suffering it brings to the people, and the aftereffects of war. And uh…” Silence fell below, and the camera swept over the guest seats, where celebrity guests were silent, and he continued, “Whether you believe in God or Allah, may he bless you, and let’s all pray for a swift, peaceful resolution to our problems.”

Immediately, cheers and applause erupted loudly, along with whistles of acclamation, and everyone stood up clapping; it was the appropriate expression for the mood of the moment.

“Oh thank you, oh haha, my gosh… thank you all.” Adrien Brody lifted the trophy again, finishing with emotion, “I have a military friend who’s gone to Kuwait, Tommy, I hope you and your comrades come back soon. So, God bless you all! I love you! Thank you very much!”

The farewell music started up again, as the audience clapped and took their seats once more, Adrien Brody on stage, with his arm around Halle Berry’s shoulder, walked towards backstage with the crew. At that point, the bespectacled Dustin Hoffman stepped out to the award podium to introduce one of the Best Picture nominees, The Pianist, followed by Barbra Streisand who presented the Best Song (Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile).

“`

Next, Meryl Streep presented Peter O’Toole with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony reminisced about this legendary actor who, despite being nominated for the Oscars seven times, left empty-handed every time, with dazzling performance clips from “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Becket,” “The Lion in Winter,” “Goodbye, Mr. Chips,”… The silver-haired Peter O’Toole accepted the award and said, “It’s an honor, a true honor. I’ve been fascinated by movies since I was a child, and now, as an old man, my passion for cinema is still as strong…”

Then came another prestigious award, the Best Actress presentation.

Just like with the previous Best Actor, the big screen played clips of past Best Actresses—from silent black-and-white films to color talkies, Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn… Meryl Streep… Hilary Swank, Julia Roberts, Halle Berry. Amid the roaring applause, Russell Crowe, who was presenting the award, finished reading the list of nominees, then declared, “The winner is…”

Thunderous cheers erupted from the television, and Evelyn shouted at the top of her lungs, “Mom! Nicole Kidman has won Best Actress! No surprise there!” Mature voices immediately came from upstairs, “I knew it! Turn ugly and you get an Oscar, she put on a fake nose and won.”

In the midst of applause, an emotional Nicole Kidman walked on stage to accept the award, crying with joy and unable to speak. Once she calmed her emotions, she began to thank the director and the writer of “The Hours,” as well as Miramax Films, and then said, “Why come to the Oscars when the world is in turmoil? Because art matters! Because you have to believe in what you do, respect it, and maintain the tradition of the Oscars. But at the same time, the world is troubled. 9/11 caused many families to lose loved ones, and with the outbreak of war, even more families are suffering losses. God bless them.”

“I stand here in front of my mother and my daughter,” she said with a choke in her voice: “To make my mother proud has been my lifelong wish, and now I hope to make my daughter proud as well, thank you!”

After that, the producers made their speeches and paid tribute to the past, and Richard Gere personally introduced “Chicago,” his starring film. Host Steve Martin then came out to make a quip. Hands on the award podium, he said, “When I heard Richard Gere didn’t get nominated for ‘Chicago,’ I said to myself, welcome to the club, Richard Gere.”…

Soon after, in the Sina live text updates, Zeng Zihang reported, “Breaking news, ‘The Pianist’ has won Best Adapted Screenplay. ‘District 9’ has been defeated, and now only has Best Director and Best Picture nominations left. Many netizens have already started posting comments, all hoping Wang Yang will win. But personally, as much as I love him, I would really like to see Martin Scorsese win this award. He’s been nominated several times without a win; I’m not sure if the Oscars will honor its elderly this time.”

“If it’s about honoring the elderly with awards, then the Oscars would lose its credibility. It should just be called the Oscar consolation prize,” Cheng Qingsong disagreed strongly. He added, “Gangs of New York was poorly made, and I don’t think it’s good for Martin to win an award with it. Personally, I naturally hope Wang Yang will win, but logically, Roman Polanski has a better chance.” Wang Lei said, “If it’s about honoring the elderly, it’s more likely they will give Martin a Lifetime Achievement Award in a few years.” Wu Shixian said, “I guess ‘Chicago’ will get Best Director…”

“Mom!! ‘Talk to Her’ has won Best Original Screenplay,” Evelyn exclaimed from the couch, clutching a pillow and taking a deep breath, “Up next is Best Director!”

Simultaneously, others in front of the TV who were cheering for the miraculous Yang also became tense. Natalie blinked her eyes, uttering meaningless sounds, “Whoa, whoa…” and so did Rachel, Joshua, Michael Pitt, and so many more…

Amidst the lively trumpet music of the Kodak Theater, as the shell screen on the big stage slowly rose to the accompaniment of thunderous applause and high-pitched “hoos,” a smiling Harrison Ford, dressed in a black suit and gray tie and holding an envelope, slowly walked to the microphone at the front of the stage and said in a deep voice, “From the very beginning, when people have made films with art and technology, the person at the helm has been the director. The nominees for Best Director at the 75th Oscars are…”

As the gentle and leisurely music played, on the big screen of the stage and the television screens watched by billions around the world, the introduction for “Chicago, Rob Marshall” showed a happy image of Rob Marshall on set wearing director’s headphones; a moderate applause followed, and then came the announcement, “District 9, Wang Yang.” The applause suddenly became much louder, and on the screen, Wang Yang, dressed in a windbreaker and jeans, was holding a white megaphone, laughing as he pretended to throw it at others.

“Hoo hoo!” Donnie raised his hands high and clapped frantically, looking at the applauding Julianne Moore and others around him, and laughed, saying, “He wants to smash me!”

“`

Wang Yang watched the stage screen, feeling some tension but not much excitement. With box office success and a Golden Globe, he could say he was already quite satisfied. Of course, if he could win the Oscar, it would undoubtedly be a delightful event. Thinking of his family, friends, and his late master, he laughed to himself and said, “Robert, if you’d nagged me one more time back then, I would have not just thrown something at you, but also punched you.”

“Yang, you’re really cool.” Jessica’s face lit up with a charming smile, feeling proud, happy, and blessed… She kept applauding until her palms hurt, silently praying in her heart, God bless!

“Gangs of New York,” Martin Scorsese.” The screen showed Scorsese crouching down, marking something on the floor; “The Hours,” Stephen Daldry.” Daldry with glasses was speaking to someone beside him, wiping his chin and then adjusting his glasses; “The Pianist,” Roman Polanski.” Polanski holding a director’s viewfinder looked through it, turning his head to discuss something with others.

The enthusiastic applause gradually ceased, and Harrison Ford, while opening the envelope, said, “And the Oscar goes to…” The screen was split into six sections, with Rob Marshall in the top left corner expressionless and calm, Wang Yang in the middle smiling, Martin Scorsese in the top right corner looking down with an uneasy demeanor, Stephen Daldry tightly clasping his hands at his chest, and Roman Polanski, who wasn’t present, represented by just a still image.

The silence was so profound that the sound of a mosquito could be heard. Jessica held her breath, her heart pounding so hard it was almost stopping; Downey too looked serious, pursing his lips… On the television, Natalie was staring wide-eyed at the middle upper part of the screen…

“…” Harrison Ford pulled out the paper, glanced at it, raised his head, and announced the winning name: “Wang Yang, ‘District 9’.”

“Wowoooo—” The entire Kodak Theatre instantly erupted into madness, the cheering and applause breaking the decibel record for the night, completely drowning out a few whistles from the handful of Republican audience members; Rob Marshall and Stephen Daldry were both laughing and clapping, Martin Scorsese couldn’t help but lean back, barely concealing his disappointment, but soon he too smiled and joined the applause, offering it to the miraculous Baby Wang Yang!

The youngest Oscar-winning Best Director in history! The miraculous Yang at 23 years and just over a month old (1980-2-5), completely surpassed the previous record-holder, Norman Taurog, who won for ‘Skippy’ in 1931 at the age of 32 (1899-2-23). Now the record was advanced by 9 years! He rewrote 72 years of history, setting a nearly unbreakable record!

“Yang, it’s you, it’s you!” Amidst the deafening applause, Jessica screamed uncontrollably with excitement, “Ah—Oh God, Oh God!…” The disbelief and joy were written all over her face; Yang had won the Oscar for Best Director!

When he heard Harrison Ford say his name, Wang Yang opened his mouth, raised his eyebrows in a smile. What? Won an award? Without having time to think further, he felt overwhelmed by the surrounding and expanding frenzy of applause and congratulations. He let out a sigh of relief, life really is like a box of chocolates! He naturally embraced Jessica next to him, kissing her on the lips.

The big screen camera had already focused on them, and their passionate kiss made the cheers in the theater even louder.

“Miraculous Yang—Miraculous Yang—” From the upper level of the auditorium, a young girl shouted ecstatically, but amid the thundering applause, it was equally hard to hear clearly, and the piercing whistle stood out more clearly.

After kissing Jessica for a couple of seconds, Wang Yang released her, then stood up and embraced Robert Downey Jr., and other contenders from “District 9,” including Richard Kidd. He then smiled and walked towards the stage, passing lines of celebrities who were standing up on both sides. The camera swept over them, showing Jack Nicholson, Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, and others all smiling and clapping, and from off-screen came the calls: “Hey, Yang, congratulations!”

Although Roman Polanski missed out, within the frame, the newly crowned Best Actor Adrien Brody laughed out loud, clapping his hands, with his mother beside him also looking very happy. Tonight, the Oscars had produced two new youngest records! The camera then pointed at Martin Scorsese, who seemed to have gotten over his disappointment. He was standing and clapping too, smiling and talking to the person next to him.

“Thank you, thank you,” Wang Yang thanked everyone as he walked onto the stage. He wasn’t as emotionally incoherent as the other winners that evening; instead, he wore a pleased smile. As he reached the microphone in the center of the stage, he embraced Harrison Ford, who congratulated him with a laugh: “Young man, congratulations, you’ve created a miracle.” Wang Yang nodded and smiled, “Thank you, I really like your Indiana Jones, it’s so cool.”

In the midst of their conversation, he took the Oscar statuette from Ford’s hands. It was quite heavy, and he gripped it firmly, lifting it slightly as he turned to face the audience of more than 3,300 attendees, saying with a laugh, “Thank you, thank you, everyone.”

The applause in the venue gradually stopped, and people took their seats again, all smiling as they looked at the wondrous Yang on the stage. It was well-known that he often had a way with words, especially at award ceremonies like this where he was quite humorous. Whether he had rehearsed or not was unknown, but he spoke as if chatting about household nothings. So everyone was now very interested. At 23, he had won the Best Director at the Oscars, and at such a special moment, as a staunch anti-war advocate, what would he say?

“No offense meant,” Wang Yang suddenly turned his head to glance at Harrison Ford standing not far to the side, and then looked out at the audience, somewhat puzzled and displeased, “Why isn’t a beauty presenting this award to me?”

Before his words even ended, the Kodak Theatre burst into a frenzy of laughter, “Hahaha…” Everyone was laughing so hard they were doubled over. The camera cooperated nicely, sweeping past Halle Berry, who was laughing with her teeth showing; then it moved to Adrien Brody, who was laughing heartily while leaning on his mother beside him.

“Screenwriter, director, actor, that’s all I know,” Wang Yang slowly recited, looking towards the brilliantly smiling Jessica, he nodded with a smile, “So as you all saw, I just found one for myself down there.”

“Hahaha!” The laughter, not yet settled, erupted once more; and at home, his family, friends, and fans in front of the television couldn’t contain their joy. Evelyn, too, was laughing heartily, and as if just remembering something, she held back her laughter, exclaiming joyfully, “Mom!! The amazing Yang won Best Director!!”

A mature female voice immediately came from upstairs, “Darling, your scream just now already told me the result! Tonight’s Oscars are truly crazy!”

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PS: Wow, a 11,000-word update today, it’s the end of the month—does anyone have monthly tickets? Throw a few to make wow happy, we’re about to fall out of the top 50, thank you! ^0^