The Best Director

Chapter 208: Guest Host

“Wang Yang has won Best Director!” As Harrison Ford announced Wang Yang’s name, the news quickly appeared in every online broadcast room. In Chinese networks such as Sina, Sohu, and NetEase, there were already exclamations and cheers—the first Chinese director to win the Oscar for Best Director!

Speaking of the achievements of Chinese people on the Oscar stage, the earliest and the one with the most nominations was the legendary cinematographer James Wong Howe (1899-8-28 to 1976-7-12). He was voted one of the “ten most influential cinematographers in film history” by the members of the International Cinematographers Guild and had received 10 Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography, winning twice (1956, 1964).

Then there was Haing S. Ngor (a Chinese-Cambodian mix, 1940-03-22 to 1996-02-25), who won the Best Supporting Actor award in 1984 for “The Killing Fields”; Su Cong, who won Best Original Score in 1988 for “The Last Emperor”; and the Best Foreign Language Film nominations for Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, with “Farewell My Concubine” in 1993 earning Gu Changwei the Best Cinematography award.

And then there were Ang Lee’s nominations for “The Wedding Banquet” and “Eat Drink Man Woman”, and in 2001, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” swept up including 10 nominations such as Best Director and ultimately won Best Foreign Language Film, Best Art Direction (Tim Yip), Best Cinematography (Peter Pau), and Best Original Score (Tan Dun). That year, Ang Lee received the Directors Guild Award but missed the Oscar, marking the fifth time the Guild and the Oscars did not coincide.

And today is the sixth! The 23-year-old Wang Yang has won Best Director, becoming the first director to win the award for a science fiction film!

He accomplished what Stanley Kubrick (1972, “A Clockwork Orange”), George Lucas (1978, “Star Wars”), and Steven Spielberg (1983, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”) did not manage to do in their time!

“Netizens have gone crazy, continuously typing Wang Yang’s name. We also want to see a photo of him holding the trophy as soon as possible, but the news agencies haven’t sent anything yet,” said Zeng Zihang, a host in the Sina broadcast room, while looking at the comments on the computer screen. He then asked the other three guests, “This year’s Oscars had two surprises, choosing young people for both Best Actor and Director. Why is that?”

“It is somewhat expected. ‘The Pianist’ and ‘District 9’ are this year’s films closest to anti-war and human nature,” Cheng Qingsong noted happily, “These two awards going to Adrien Brody and Wang Yang show that most of the jurors wanted to convey an anti-war sentiment through such choices, and opting for Wang Yang over Roman Polanski is also understandable.”

Wang Lei nodded and said, “The allegation of Polanski’s involvement in the rape of a young girl has always been there. If it’s about art being art and nothing else, then his nomination has shown that, as he didn’t even get a Golden Globe nomination.” Cheng Qingsong added, “The two youngest new records also show that the 75-year-old Oscar is not yet old, or else it would have been Robert Downey Jr. and Roman Polanski.” Zeng Zihang asked, “Director Wu, what do you think?”

“Actually, the Oscars have always favored young directors. If you’re in your thirties and win a Golden Globe, it’s basically the Oscars,” Wu Shixian said, “Wang Yang is very popular in America, and many media fans had placed high hopes on him. He’s considered the next Steven Spielberg.” Cheng Qingsong nodded, “There’s that saying. When ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ came out, there were also those who called him the next Robert Zemeckis.”…

At the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, the audience and guests were laughing heartily at the new Best Director on stage. Loud whistles of encouragement rang through the venue, and the camera swept over to Jessica, who was seen smiling with her teeth showing and her eyes filled with charming tenderness, looking both sweet and sexy.

“But…” As the laughter subsided, Wang Yang, who was not at all flustered with excitement, looked over at the smiling Harrison Ford beside him, raised the Oscar statuette in his hand, and said, “Even though it wasn’t a beauty presenting the award, I am very happy. Everyone knows that having Harrison Ford present this award for a science fiction film to me, it really means a lot!”

“Hoo hoo!” The venue immediately erupted into thunderous applause. Celebrity guests like Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves, and others were laughing and ready to stand up to applaud. Martin Scorsese, Rob Marshall, and many other nominees, as well as vast numbers of guests, also stood up in response, and the clapping even became a rumble. There were also loud shouts from the audience: “Wow!” Up on stage, Harrison Ford was also smiling and clapping with his envelope in hand.

This applause was not only for Wang Yang, but also for many, many people in the science fiction film industry, because Harrison Ford was known for his roles as Han Solo in the “Star Wars” series, Rick Deckard in “Blade Runner”, and as Indiana Jones in the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” series directed by Steven Spielberg. Behind him, he represents George Lucas, Ridley Scott, and Spielberg, among others.

His presenting this award felt like a recognition and a passing of the torch, as these masters of science fiction films jointly presented the Best Director award to a young man with a promising future, entrusting the future of the science fiction genre to his hands.

The immense applause in the venue continued for a good while before gradually subsiding. More than half of the allowed 45-second speaking time had passed. Wang Yang looked at everyone still not fully seated and repeated, “Having Harrison Ford present me with the award makes me very, very happy. You may have noticed…” Under everyone’s smiling gaze, he mimicked Steve Martin’s earlier speaking gestures and emphasized, “That’s a clear message!”

“Ah ha ha…” “Ha ha!” “Wow hoo!” The whole venue was once again amused into laughter. Celebrity guests raised their hands and clapped vigorously; there were also cheers and whistling sounds. His remark was an imitation and spoof of Steve Martin, who had earlier spoofed George Bush.

Although it was hilarious and Wang Yang’s typical stand-up style on stage, the organizers were becoming wary. They didn’t want a repeat of the Michael Moore incident, and the staff were ready to play the music to get him off the stage at any moment.

But Wang Yang had no intention of going too far. He deftly brought the mood back down and said with a smile, “The charm of science fiction lies in the imagination and endless possibilities it presents: inviting aliens to visit us, traveling through space, exploring the universe… the possibilities are limitless! So thank you to science fiction films, and I hope that in the near future, I can bring another one here and stand on this stage again.”

There was another round of applause from the audience and some journalists’ eyes lit up. This was a great news topic: Wang Yang was planning to make another sci-fi film to aim for the Oscars!

“Yes, I will make another sci-fi movie,” Wang Yang said, looking at the smiling faces in the audience and holding the trophy like Steve Martin with an open-handed gesture. “I think everyone will support what I make, except, of course, for France and Germany.”

“Ha ha ha!” Laughter erupted in the venue, even louder than when Steve Martin spoke at the beginning of the event. The room was filled with a sense of cheer, and some Republicans rudely booed. Jessica clapped softly with a smile, but she felt as if she was walking on a tightrope—don’t get too worked up, just stay humorous!

The timer light was already on, signaling that his time was up. The funny improv was great for TV ratings, and allowing the Best Director to talk for a few extra minutes wasn’t a big deal. However, people like Gil Gates were genuinely anxious, preferring a safe ending rather than risking letting him continue.

“The light is on, but I haven’t even started thanking people. What’s going on?” Amid the laughter, Wang Yang ignored the timer light and asked in feigned confusion, “It seems like everyone here is wearing a Rolex, with each passing second worth thousands of dollars.” The audience burst into laughter again at his comment and small shoulder shrug, “Although it’s true,” he said. The laughter resonated throughout the hall.

Wang Yang pretended to look at his wristwatch, glanced at it, and said, “It’s not even four hours yet. No wonder my mind still feels so sharp.” The laughter continued unabated; Jack Nicholson, Halle Berry, and others laughed with wide open mouths. Wang Yang then raised his fist solemnly and said, “But we have to protect the tradition of the Oscars ceremony being nine hours long!”

The Kodak Theatre erupted into uncontrollable laughter, refreshing the evening’s record for hilarity. The stars in the first few rows were nearly falling over with laughter. Nicole Kidman, who just spoke about protecting traditions, was ducking away from the cameras with a smile and a “stop joking about me” gesture. Jessica was laughing with her hand over her mouth, leaning back naturally; Donny and others clapped and laughed along.

The longest Oscars award ceremony in history was last year’s 74th, at 4 hours and 16 minutes. However, the nine-hour duration was a famous self-deprecating joke from a previous host, and this evening they replayed that footage during the classic moments.

“I don’t know what’s behind here, and everyone seems eager to go in; maybe there’s a surprise,” Wang Yang gestured towards the backstage, chatting amidst unstoppable laughter. “Maybe you’ll see Steve Martin eating the Best Picture trophy back there.”

The deafening laughter almost peaked, and the Kodak Theatre seemed even more joyful than usual. At the beginning of the evening, Steve Martin joked about licking all the trophies backstage. As Wang Yang was ending this stand-up act with a “thank you,” the whole place burst into a wave of applause, cheers, and even whistles from the upper tiers.

The timer light had turned a complete warning red, and the band’s music was about to play. Although the organizers would not really rush him off the stage unless he talked politics—as they’re not so pressed for time—but these were extraordinary circumstances, and he’d already taken nearly three minutes.

“Receiving this award, I have to thank my mom and dad; I love you both so much!” Wang Yang said, lifting the little gold man and looking down at the audience, entering the formal thank-you stage amidst a quiet clapping. He quickly mentioned, “My friends, colleagues at Flame Movies, and everyone from ‘District 9,’ Varese Feste…” After listing many names, he turned to a seat in the front row with a smile and said, “And my darling Jessica, without your continuous encouragement, support, and care, this moment would not exist. I love you.”

The auditorium erupted in applause; many female guests and viewers clapped sincerely. The camera swept over Jessica, who smiled with pursed lips and slightly misty eyes, filled with tangible happiness, murmuring, “I love you.”

“Wait a minute!” Wang Yang raised his hand to hold off the musicians poised to play. He had promised to deliver an anti-war message, and his earlier jokes didn’t count. He said, “In 2001, when we filmed ‘District 9,’ we went to Johannesburg in South Africa. It’s a strange city with a vibrant and beautiful downtown, but just six miles south in Soweto, it’s poor and broken, as if there are two different worlds.”

The camera panned over the stars in the front row, who listened calmly, and the entire audience fell silent. Wang Yang continued, “We are fortunate to live in the world of downtown, but right now, many are enduring suffering, especially with war bringing difficult days to even more people. I hope that one day the two worlds can truly unite and share in peace, freedom, and joy. Anyway, let’s wrap this up! Thank you!”

“Applause erupted throughout the quiet venue, as a wave of stars, guests, audience members, and reporters stood up clapping, with cheers and whistles sounding alongside the desolate score of ‘District 9.’ Wang Yang raised the trophy in his hand and walked down to his seat with Harrison Ford, bypassing the expected backstage interviews and photo ops with the press, as he was the producer of ‘District 9’ and the Best Picture award was about to be presented.”

The youngest Best Director was greeted with standing ovations and frenzied applause; his acceptance speech was humorous and moving, revealing his personal stance and persuading many. His improv act also showcased his oratory skills, as tying together the evening’s jokes in such a humorous way couldn’t have been prepared in advance.”

What impressed the audience privately was that this guy, who had just created a miraculous record with his award, wasn’t even that excited. He controlled the atmosphere of the entire venue with ease, truly a remarkable young man!”

Martin Scorsese smiled at the camera and gave a thumbs up, Jack Nicholson, wearing sunglasses, shouted something; as Wang Yang passed by thanking everyone, Nicole Kidman said with a smile, “If it went on for nine hours, that would be unthinkable.” Nearby, Cameron Diaz and others also laughed and said, “You spoke so well!” “Congratulations!”…”

Organizers like Gil Gates breathed a sigh of relief. Michael Moore, who had gone unnoticed as the Best Documentary Feature winner, could have attracted many complaints and television network liabilities if the Best Director had been similarly controversial. Fortunately, Wang Yang delivered a perfect and timely acceptance speech.”

TV viewers had listened to the entire speech. Fans of his work became even more enchanted, like Evelyn, who laughed and shouted repeatedly. Many viewers who had previously vowed to boycott and hated him felt their resolve soften. Wang Yang didn’t seem so bad after all, and people began to calmly reconsider their opinion of him, waiting to see the outcome of his war prediction. He had said the war would last a month, yet in just three days, the allies had advanced hundreds of kilometers towards Baghdad.”

“Haha, he can make people laugh at any time…” Natalie, still breathless with laughter on the sofa, admired Wang Yang on the TV screen moving towards Jessica, propped her chin and sighed. She couldn’t help but envy their early acquaintance and support. Amidst thunderous applause, Kirk Douglas and his son Michael Douglas, both dressed in black suits and bow ties, took the stage, and Natalie immediately shouted, “Oh please, let me see their kiss before you switch the camera!”

Wang Yang returned to his seat holding the Oscar with a smile, while Jessica’s eyes were filled with pride. She opened her arms and hugged him tightly, leaning in for a kiss; Wang Yang kissed her soft lips, then let her go to take a seat, greeting Robert Downey Jr. with a “Hey” and a pat on the shoulder. Like the Golden Globe trophy, Wang Yang passed the Oscar statuette to Jessica, laughing, “Thank you, beautiful. Now I’m presenting this award to you, hold on to it!”

“Oh my, I’m the Best Director!” Jessica gripped the trophy firmly, surveyed it with a beaming smile, and emphasized, “This is a definite signal.” Wang Yang chuckled with a shrug, “Yes, your sci-fi movie deserves good shooting.” The thunderous applause slowly subdued, as they saw Kirk and Michael Douglas ready to present the Best Picture on stage, both smiling and looking towards the platform.

“Thank you, thank you!” As everyone took their seats again, the white-haired Kirk Douglas (1916-12-09) patting his son’s shoulder, boasted with slurred speech, “He is my son, Michael!” Glaring with his eyes wide open and two fingers extended, he added, “Twice an award winner! But I’m still very young.” Michael Douglas (1944-9-25) stood up straight, looking resigned under his father’s lecture.

Laughter and applause filled the air below, as the younger Douglas had won Best Picture as a producer for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1976, and Best Actor for “Wall Street” in 1987; whereas the senior Douglas had been nominated for Best Actor three times.

“You know, the 75th anniversary… to be 75 once again? Oh BOY!” Kirk Douglas wasn’t thrilled, but amidst the laughter and his son’s smiling face, he proclaimed, “Tonight, we’re here to create tomorrow’s headlines.” As Michael started to open the envelope, Kirk earnestly reminded him, “Be brief when you speak!” The audience burst into laughter and applause again, especially at Michael’s begrudging demeanor, which was quite amusing.

“Ahem, my father here, in the film industry.” Michael Douglas solemnly put his hands together, turned towards the audience, and introduced, “He’s about to reveal the final award of this annual film fest, and the name is right in this envelope.” He handed the envelope to his father, saying, “The nominees for Best Picture are…”

The big screen on stage changed to show the nominees and clips from the nominated films, “‘Chicago,’ Martin Richards.” Richards appeared calm as the auditorium burst into resounding applause, “‘District 9,’ Wang Yang and Stephen Cauley.” After a pause, the applause exploded again, with Wang Yang smiling at the camera on the screen, “‘Gangs of New York,’ Alberto Grimaldi and Harvey Weinstein… ‘The Pianist,’ Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, and Alain Sarde.”

Amid the continuous loud applause, Michael Douglas read out the last nominee, “‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Peter Jackson.”

After the presentation, the TV camera returned to the comedic father-son duo on stage. Kirk Douglas clumsily tore open the envelope, while Michael gestured with his hands, reminding him, “Uh, you need to say the winner is…” Kirk Douglas scoffed, countering his son, “The victor is!” Laughter erupted among the audience and guests; “the victor” was the original phrase used at the Oscars, but later the Academy felt it was too narrow a term, as it’s not fair to simply pit excellent films against each other—hence the change to “the winner.”

“…” Kirk Douglas pulled out the paper, squinting down at it, and suddenly tore it in half in impatience. Amidst laughter from the audience, he handed his son one half, then they pieced the paper back together and announced in unison with a laugh, “‘Chicago’—”

“Ah ah ah—” The atmosphere in the Kodak Theatre instantly boiled over, the audience screaming at the top of their lungs, nearly everyone in attendance standing up to applaud. This was the deserved treatment for any movie that won an award, while the joyful accompaniment of “Chicago” played by saxophones and other instruments was already echoing through the venue: “Da da da, da da da da da…”

The guests from “Chicago” were beside themselves with joy, hugging one another—an elderly Martin Richards touched his forehead and stood up, already enveloped in embraces. He hugged the director Rob Marshall, Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta Jones, Renée Zellweger…

“Clap clap—” The personnel from other nominated films that did not win also clapped with smiles, the same was true for the “District 9” section. Wang Yang, Jessica, Downey, and others all stood up and clapped their hands. Naturally, they were a bit disappointed by the loss, but they hadn’t held too many expectations, because the anti-war “The Pianist” was the best candidate, while “Chicago” could represent peace. Moreover, sci-fi and cult films had never won Best Picture before, so Best Director was already a big breakthrough.

Jessica, while clapping, looked towards Martin Richards, who was excitedly making his way to the stage and couldn’t help but remark with a bit of sentiment, “Wow, a musical has won Best Picture again.” She glanced at Wang Yang next to her, who was also applauding, and couldn’t help but remember the phone call that invited her to audition, when he had said, “It’s time, musicals will be fully revived!” Thinking that she was actually the first female lead in this wave of revival made her laugh and say, “Amazing!”

“Tonight’s awards are really chaotic!” Little Robert Downey Jr. commented with a laugh. This year’s Oscars saw many new records: the youngest Best Actor and Director, Meryl Streep with 13 acting nominations surpassing Audrey Hepburn’s 12, a sci-fi film for the first time in 20 years coming back to Oscars and astonishingly snatching the Director’s award; after 1968’s “Oliver!” another musical had won Best Picture…

“Oh God, oh my God!” In front of the microphone on stage, Martin Richards was so thrilled that he was at a loss for words, while director Rob Marshall also joined him on stage, currently celebrating with embraces from the Douglas father and son. As the applause gradually subsided, Martin Richards received the Oscar statuette and said, “It’s been a long day! My parents would know about my achievements today, God! It all started with the songs from Bob Fosse, as well as Kander and Ebb…”

Then, amidst his disjointed speech, he thanked the “Chicago” creative team and the main cast, some friends who supported him, and lastly, holding the trophy in one hand and its base in the other, he said emotionally, “And the dear Mary Lee and my late partner Robert Fryer…” Bending over, he bowed and said, “I bless you all! I bless everyone! Thank you!”

The entire venue immediately erupted into a round of enthusiastic applause as Martin Richards, Rob Marshall, and the Douglas father and son left the stage together. The screen cut to the microphone stand on the right side of the stage, where host Steve Martin clapped a few times. Amidst the unceasing applause, with his hands on the podium, he said, “Well, we’re finally halfway through the award ceremony!”

The applause below was suddenly drowned out by the audience’s laughter, the camera quickly panning to Wang Yang who had earlier said it would be “9 hours”, only to see him grinning. Steve Martin raised both hands, still wearing a look of modest seriousness, and said, “Tonight I need to thank a lot of people, especially Wang Yang! Why thank him? Because it doesn’t really matter.”

“Hahaha—” The laughter in the theater abruptly became louder, this was Steve Martin’s way of getting “revenge!” The broadcast camera returned to Wang Yang, who raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes in a “I don’t care” comedic expression, and the laughter did not diminish but grew even louder: “Ahahaha—” The audience and guests were thoroughly amused by the host and the cameo host.

“And all the young people watching overseas, we are thinking of you! We hope you like the show, this celebration is dedicated to you!” Steve Martin pointed at the camera, repeating a few sentences, and finally raised his hands high, laughing, “Goodnight!”

As thunderous applause filled the room, the venue once again played the joyful music of “Chicago”: “Da da da, da da da da…”

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PS: It’s the end of the month, 7000 words today. Wah, still brazenly begging for votes! Thank you, everyone, aaaah!!