The Best Director

Chapter 505: Chapter 505: He Changed Me

“The following are the nominees for Best Actor in a Drama: Leonardo DiCaprio, ‘Blood Diamond;’ Heath Ledger, ‘The Deceased;’ Peter OToole, ‘Venus;’ Michael Pitt, ‘The Deceased;’ Forest Whitaker, ‘The Last King of Scotland.’ And the Golden Globe goes to…”

The night sky twinkled with stars, and as families across the nation tuned into NBC, the Golden Globes were unfolding live in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. The banquet hall, with not a single empty seat, fell silent. Who would be this year’s Golden Globe Best Actor? Everyone’s eyes were on Reese Witherspoon, who stood at the podium.

The entire nominated cast of ‘The Deceased’ was present, along with the teams from ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’. Wang Yang and Jessica were whispering to each other, their expressions tense with nerves; would Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, with their stoic faces belying rapidly beating hearts, leave empty-handed again after last year’s double nomination? Michael Pitt and Jamie Bochert were equally tense, knowing the significance a win would mean.

Neither Leonardo nor Whitaker would be willing to easily hand over the honor, which was evident from the nervous gestures of their fingers; the most composed of all was Peter OToole, with three Golden Globe wins (3/7) and seven Academy Award nominations (0/7) to his name—the old man was in a league of his own.

The ceremony had now reached its climax, the most eagerly anticipated part. Earlier amid applause and cheers, all the television awards had been handed out, with ‘Ugly Betty’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ being crowned Best Musical/Comedy and Best Drama Series respectively, leaving the heavily nominated Flame Entertainment empty-handed. However, in film, the phrase “Thank you, Flame Films” was heard several times on stage.

‘Cars’ took home the newly added Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature; ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ claimed Best Foreign Language Film; Best Original Score went to Alexandre Desplat for ‘The Painted Veil,’ while ‘Happy Feet’s’ “Song-of-the-Hear” snatched Best Original Song; Best Supporting Actress was awarded to Abigail Breslin for ‘Little Miss Sunshine’; Best Supporting Actor went to Eddie Murphy for ‘Dreamgirls’; ‘Mamma Mia!’ brought another win for Meryl Streep as Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy; Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy was taken by Sacha Baron Cohen for ‘Borat.’

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Best Musical/Comedy Film was won by ‘Dreamgirls,’ leaving ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ to face disappointment; Best Screenplay honors went to ‘The Queen’s’ Peter Morgan, with both ‘The Deceased’ and ‘Babel’ being unexpected omissions, leading to instant widespread dissatisfaction among movie fans and the public; it seemed the HFPA jurors had a preference for ‘The Queen,’ as its leading lady Helen Mirren also took home Best Actress in a Drama, leaving the heavy favorite ‘Notes on a Scandal’ with nothing.

Flame Films had already lifted two trophies, and with only three major awards left, media outlets were racing to report each announcement, as countless viewers following the live stream online awaited updates. This was the moment fans of Yang and Ledger were holding their breath for—the Best Actor award.

“And the Golden Globe goes to…” Reese Witherspoon looked up with a smile after opening the envelope and announced, “Heath Ledger, ‘The Deceased’.”

Wow—roaring applause erupted in the hall as nearly everyone stood and clapped, showing respect. There was no disputing Ledger’s win; last year’s iconic roles of “Ennis” and “blue gloves” could have easily garnered a Golden Globe or an Oscar, yet they had gone unrecognized; this year’s phenomenal “Billy” was beyond question!

As soon as Witherspoon mentioned “Heath,” the table of ‘The Deceased’ burst into a frenzy of cheers and laughter. Ledger himself felt a buzz as his heart suddenly tightened, and his scalp went numb. He stood up abruptly, and the world seemed to change color—he had won! “Haha, congratulations!!” Wang Yang was already laughing with open arms to embrace him. Heath, still not quite able to react, hugged him briefly before he tightly embraced Michelle with a laugh, then hurriedly made his way to the stage.

“I hope he won’t laugh like a fool, we are all pretty cool guys,” Wang Yang jokingly said to everyone, instantly making the atmosphere around the banquet table even more joyful. He then silently patted Michael on the shoulder, and Michael smiled and nodded at him: “I’m fine.” Jamie immediately took over the comforting task.

“Wow, wow, hahaha——” The television broadcast a bout of bewildered laughter, and the cheerful supporters of “The Deceased” couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious for Heath; he must be very excited, right? The screen showed Heath holding the Golden Globe and laughing foolishly for quite a while, earning a wave of applause and cheers from the audience. Once it quieted down, he looked at the trophy and finally managed to control his emotions, chuckled, and began to speak: “Unbelievable! Them—I really didn’t expect they would give it to me.”

“Hehe!” A light laughter arose in the banquet hall, with everyone’s smiling faces showing great interest. Was the forthright Heath trying to aim a dig at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association? But Heath didn’t let them down. He said, “But thank you, thank you Flame Films, thank you to Hong Kong’s ‘Infernal Affairs’ for providing such a great story, thank you to everyone from ‘The Deceased’ crew, Michael Pitt, Nicholson… your energy is incredible, wow… also Harry George, and, and thank you, the amazing Yang!”

The live broadcast immediately zoomed in on Wang Yang, and there were several shouts and even a whistle from around him; he smiled broadly. Heath continued sincerely on stage: “He changed me. On his set, I truly felt like an actor. Thank you! Yang, thank you!” Typically, Heath thanked Wang Yang a lot, almost as if he was his savior, and in fact, he had indeed become a domesticated dad.

The applause quickly subsided, and Heath’s face was full of tender smiles, seemingly shy, as he offered his final thanks: “Thank you to my fiancée Michelle… you’ve given me so much, and I owe you so much.” Then, he laughed loudly and added: “And to my daughter Matilda, I love you! I love you so much!”

Amidst thunderous applause, the camera focused on Michelle Williams, who was smiling with pursed lips, her eyes slightly moist. Life was moving towards an evermore beautiful direction. They were planning to get married at the end of February after the Oscars concluded, and after their honeymoon, Heath would join the already started filming of “The Dark Knight” in mid-April to play the Joker. Heath’s mental state was getting better and better. In the last period, he hadn’t needed sleeping pills to sleep, finally freeing himself from the medication she detested the most.

And for all these, he really had to thank that person. It was because of his mediation and help, his representation of authority and correctness, that they did not just argue when facing problems but learned to open their hearts and share their feelings, and together they found solutions to many problems.

“Thank you!” Michelle turned to look at Wang Yang, her face full of sincerity. Wang Yang didn’t say much, just shrugged and smiled a bit: “Don’t mention it.” Jessica punched his shoulder and laughed, “Stop thanking him, he’s just liked to meddle in others’ affairs since he was young, that’s where he gets his joy!” Wang Yang slapped his forehead, “You’ve seen right through me.”

Among the applause, Heath Ledger walked backstage of the ceremony. Next, the much-anticipated Best Director award was announced. The 64-year-old veteran Martin Scorsese finally received his first Golden Globe for “Blood Diamond” (1/6), having continually assaulted the awards in recent years, even changing his style to cater to the taste of the Academy, yet always ending in defeat. Old Martin seemed to have come to terms with it, and this time with “Blood Diamond,” relaxed and carefree, he unexpectedly saw the hope of being crowned the Best Director at the Oscars.

Afterwards, “Babel” triumphed over “The Deceased” and “The Queen” to become the Best Picture in the drama category of this year’s awards, and the 64th Golden Globe Awards gradually came to an end.

“Golden Globes over, ‘The Queen’ emerges as the biggest winner with two awards”—Yahoo Entertainment; “A calm night at the Golden Globes with no surprises”—Associated Press; “US version of ‘Infernal Affairs’ loses at Golden Globes, the amazing Yang still smiles”—Sina…

Just as predicted by various sources in advance, there was no sweep this year, with 14 film awards dispersed among 13 films, among which Flame Films won 3.

As the world reported these results, discussions ensued, with movie fans and enthusiasts having a plethora of opinions. There was no doubt that “The Deceased” was qualified to take home any award, but the incredible success of “Firefly” last year and Wang Yang’s age still posed significant obstacles. There were feelings of regret, sympathy, outrage, and also praise. Overall, there wasn’t much controversy, but what did stir up the biggest off-field scandal at this year’s Golden Globes was “Grey’s Anatomy” actor Isaiah Washington once again uttering the homophobic slur “Faggot” in front of reporters – a move that led ABC Television Network to consider firing him from the show.

As for the haul by “The Deceased” and the other two films, Flame Movies was not surprised. It was time to turn their attention to the Oscars coming up on January 23. Following the Golden Globes, Wang Yang and family flew to Park City for a vacation in the snow.

“Welcome, welcome! Mr. Filtmier, Mr. Odenberg, we’re thrilled to have Lionsgate join us at our premiere,”

The 2007 Sundance Film Festival kicked off on January 18 in Park City, a customary ten-day event. The opening film was the R-rated documentary “Chicago 10,” seemingly indicating that the festival’s films weren’t going to be highly commercial. From over 3200 films submitted, the organizers selected 123 to showcase. Among these was a low-budget R-rated horror film, “Dead Eyes Open,” produced by Joshua Alba, directed and written by Jason Todd Ibsen.

Its premiere was scheduled for the 20th at the Park City Racquet Club Theater, the venue where last year’s premiere of “Sleep Science” and the place where Joshua resolved to produce a movie of his own had taken place. That day, its 602 seats were quickly snapped up.

Being the lead producer as well as the boss of Snowflake Films, Joshua naturally took on the responsibility of mingling with various film distributors. Having honed his skills through a year of hard work away from Wang Yang, he had matured a lot and had become a spirited, articulate young man. But it wasn’t just him receiving guests – alongside him were his boyfriend Alexis showing support, the Ibsens, and several lead actors.

Not wanting to overshadow Joshua, Wang Yang and Jessica chose not to attend that day. They came with Keke instead. Having just wrapped up “I Am Legend,” Wang Yang truly wanted to vacation and enjoy some quality time with his family, rejuvenating his tired body and soul. As for film acquisition, that was left to the company’s acquisitions department.

However, Jon Filtmier and Tom Odenberg were certain to attend. Horror films had always been a favorite at Lionsgate, especially when the producer was Joshua Alba! It seemed barely related to the miraculous Yang, but, having followed him for so many years, Joshua had potential. Besides, given Wang Yang’s character, how could he truly let go of control? He must have provided some feedback on “Dead Eyes Open.” Sometimes, just some high-level advice on the tone and pacing can completely turn a film around, assuming, of course, the team has the ability to execute that vision.

The entire theater was enveloped in a terrifying atmosphere as the big screen showed a medical school’s laboratory, where medical students were attending a dissection class. The professor was explaining something when the heroine, Alison, looking at a female corpse on the table in front of her, felt a wave of revulsion. At that moment, a male student forcefully pressed the corpse’s abdomen, causing a sudden gush of fluid from the corpse’s stomach to shoot out onto Alison’s face. Stunned, the male student laughed, “It’s just a joke.” Many classmates either smiled or made light-hearted comments.

“So disgusting!” The audience felt a strong sense of nausea, but this was just the beginning. The morgue, the ever-present but unseen evil spirits, the medical students who died under mysterious circumstances… The chilling atmosphere was constant, with bursts of screams occasionally erupting. By the end of the film, people were so scared they gasped, many taking deep breaths to calm themselves.

Lionsgate wanted to buy it! As the end credits rolled on screen, Filtmier was already entertaining the thought. As he clapped, he pondered – despite “Dead Eyes Open” having its amateur aspects, many parts of it were hair-raising. Some were due to its unique kind of disgusting gore, but more for its atmospheric build and support. Plus, it had a distinct storyline and subject matter, making it a good commercial horror flick, an excellent CULT film!

“The Dark Knight” ended its first screening amid warm applause. Hearing the applause, the praise, and the earlier screams, Joshua felt his blood boiling with excitement. Wang Yang was right, making the audience laugh and scream… this magic was too much fun! He found his calling in life!

“Wow! I’ve found it—,” Joshua looked up and spread his arms, imitating Wang Yang as he hugged the entire cinema. However, “Ouch!” a cry of pain came from his side, Alexis had been hit by his elbow and was clutching her cheek, “What are you doing?” Joshua quickly reached out to soothe her, astonished, “Uh, sorry. I was just… nothing, just stretching.”

“Joshua, ‘The Dark Knight’ is pretty good. I was really scared just now.” After the premiere, backstage at the theatre, Jon Phil Timothy’s enthusiastic words excited Joshua, who laughed and said, “Thanks! Look at us today; we didn’t screw up at all. So, is Lionsgate interested?”

Phil Timothy chuckled inwardly, always the eagerness of a newbie showing through, but of course, Lionsgate wouldn’t swindle him. The fair price of business would suffice for negotiation, considering they couldn’t afford to upset him with Wang Yang watching. Phil Timothy said seriously, “We should find somewhere to talk in detail.” @@novelbin@@

He knew that Flame Film wouldn’t distribute it because FF’s current distribution characteristics didn’t allow the brand to act rashly. If they distributed some new movies that were not top-notch, leading to fan disappointment, then its box-office drawing power would diminish; but FM, which often did small distributions, might not necessarily do so. Flame had not invested in shares, which clearly showed that Wang Yang and Joshua didn’t want to get too involved this time. Yet there were other distributors eyeing the situation, and Lionsgate couldn’t be careless.

“Of course.” Joshua nodded agreeably. Lionsgate was the perfect distributor for “The Dark Knight,” not only because of their extensive operational experience but also because of their brand image and fan base, which completely matched “The Dark Knight.”

Sundance had been open for a few days, and this year Flame Film didn’t make any major moves or tendencies, just purchasing distribution rights to some films to expand their library. After all, these 123 films were meticulously selected; even if they didn’t have the potential to be box-office hits, there were still many good finds. Some films were competitively sought after by other companies—Flame sometimes withdrew timely or competed to the end. For some films, there was no competition; movie producers were convinced by the leading independent distributor FF, compared to the previous year, it was relatively uneventful.

The negotiations didn’t take long, and another deal was locked down in Park City. Turning down several companies like Weinstein and Focus, Joshua finally chose Lionsgate. When he signed the contract with a $3 million buyout fee plus 20% of the North American box office as a bonus, Joshua was so elated he almost fainted. Achievement! This was achievement!

He could start planning a romantic proposal to Alexis; he could coolly pat his parents on the shoulders, saying, “Don’t worry about me anymore, your son has grown up.” He had enough funds to continue making the next indie film; he wouldn’t let Wang Yang and Jessica down, earning their thumbs-up; he could buy lots and lots of toys for Keke. Hahaha—Joshua was merrily contemplating when he suddenly remembered Wang Yang’s rule of “not buying too many toys for her.” He shook his head: “Doesn’t matter!,” “Before giving toys, seek her parents’ guidance”…

“Ya ya, yi ya—” On the vast snowy plains of the Deer Valley Ski Resort, the fully-equipped Keke in purple and pink skied down the slope without poles, moving ahead quickly but unsteadily, leaving behind a trail of clear, crisp laughter.

Using ski poles for support, Wang Yang and Jessica followed at a leisurely pace, calling out with laughter, “HEY, Sweetheart!” “Don’t ski so fast! Be careful not to fall!”…(