The Oscars ceremony is a grand event, and at the same time, it's a big stage for shows and performances.
No matter how hostile they are in private, once they partner up and step onto this stage, everyone becomes a harmonious companion.
"Andrew, I heard you've started your own animated feature film career?"
Onstage, Amber Heard and Andrew Garfield were reading the lines carefully prepared by the writers. The latter picked up her words and said, "Yes, I've been involved in voicing DreamWorks animated features for the past few years, and I bet that Pixar will win Best Animated Feature."
A burst of laughter erupted from the audience, and the camera timely cut to a close-up of Jeffrey Katzenberg.
"So sorry, Mr. Katzenberg." Amber Heard hugged Andrew Garfield lightly, joking like they were close friends, "We don't know where he came from."
"I'm sure Mr. Katzenberg won't mind," said Andrew Garfield.
"Let's focus on the list of nominees then." Amber Heard turned to the big screen, where highlights of the films nominated for Best Animated Feature were playing.
Through a sky filled with garbage, the camera zoomed in on the ground. WALL-E cut through a pile of trash and found two curious items a videotape and an Oscar statuette!
Holding the Oscar in his left hand and the videotape in his right, WALL-E hesitated for a moment, then chose the videotape and tossed the statuette away like garbage.
Back at home, WALL-E played the tape, which showed a rat cooking soup. Then a dog appeared. This quick, sharp montage introduced the three animated features nominated this year WALL-E, Ratatouille, and Bolt.
The winner was no surprise. Pixar Studio once again took home the Best Animated Feature Oscar with WALL-E.
Though the surrounding market response was lukewarm, this type of highbrow, reflective subject matter is exactly what the Oscars love.
One award after another was handed out. Duke and the crew of The Dark Knight were clearly the biggest runners-up of the night. Even with a slew of technical nominations, they only walked away with the relatively minor Best Sound Editing Oscar.
This year's award favorite, The Departed, also only received two statuettes, far behind its main competitor No Country for Old Men. However, the awards it received were Best Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay. Anyone with even a little understanding of the Oscars could see that Martin Scorsese was already way ahead.
After John Travolta presented the Best Costume Design award, Duke checked the time and got up to leave the auditorium. He walked through a side passage into the backstage area, where the ceremony director was already waiting. After giving him a few instructions and handing him an envelope along with a script full of lines, he stepped back.
Adjusting his black tuxedo slightly, Duke stood by the passage entrance and waited for about five minutes. Then he walked onto the stage.
The Kodak Theatre erupted in warm applause. Duke was here to present the Best Supporting Actor award.
According to tradition, this award is usually presented by the previous year's Best Supporting Actress. So when Duke appeared on stage, many people were momentarily surprised, but then quickly figured it out.
Standing on the stage, Duke didn't say any unnecessary words. After the nominees' clips played on the big screen, he calmly read the lines written long in advance by the organizers.
"An actor's actor—this phrase is used to describe those who constantly push their limits, quietly but persistently explore their art, and hold fast to authenticity. Or to put it simply, in Michael Clayton, Tom Wilkinson made people question what is false and what is real. Fortunately, Tom Wilkinson stayed true to what's real. So tonight, we honor you once again."
After the Michael Clayton clip finished, a painted clown face appeared on the big screen.
"Among the many outstanding film characters of the past year, perhaps the most unforgettable is this one—his face painted like a clown, joyfully sticking his head out of a speeding car, enjoying the evening breeze. He revels in chaos, rages through Gotham's streets, dangerous and unpredictable, bizarre and malicious. Heath Ledger, as the Joker in The Dark Knight, made us anxiously wonder what shocking trick he'd pull next. His bold and dazzling performance, along with the other characters he's portrayed, have all been infused with his unique style. Heath Ledger left us a legacy that is both unique and enduring…"
After finishing the next three paragraphs of lines, Duke didn't hesitate. He opened the envelope and looked up to announce the winner. "The Oscar for Best Supporting Actor goes to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight."
This was an answer without any suspense. From the moment Duke walked on stage, the winner had essentially already been revealed.
The Kodak Theatre rang with thunderous applause. From where The Dark Knight crew was seated, Heath Ledger's family stood up. Accompanied by his sister, Kate Ledger, Kim and Sally Ledger walked onto the stage.
Duke gave each of the three a light hug, then handed the Oscar statuette to Kim Ledger and stepped aside.
Heath Ledger's three family members each gave a few words.
"In a field filled with such outstanding actors and professionals, I feel honored and humbled to accept this award."
Clearly, someone had helped Kim Ledger prepare, "I'd like to thank the Academy for recognizing Heath Ledger's brilliant performance. Thank you to Warner Bros. and Director Rosenberg. You gave Heath enormous space to develop and portray the mad Joker character. Thank you to Steve Alexander for standing by him for ten years. We love you."
Heath Ledger's mother then stepped up to the microphone. "Heath Ledger had a passionate and generous heart. He brought us excitement and inspiration in our lives. We are deeply moved by this honor awarded to him. Tonight, we celebrate his accomplishments together."
Lastly, his sister Kate Ledger said, "Heath, we all know you created such an extraordinary Joker. We're proud of you and accept this award on behalf of your lovely daughter."
After their acceptance speeches, the orchestra's music turned somber, as if the sadness had spread to every corner of the Kodak Theatre.
Led by staff, Duke returned backstage. He didn't stay long, gave a quick greeting to the Ledger family who were being interviewed, and went back into the theatre.
This was the Oscars. There are many ways to win an award, and this could be considered one of the most unusual.
If he hadn't met God in advance, Heath Ledger would have had a 90% chance of not winning Best Supporting Actor—for a very, very simple reason: not only was the film a major commercial blockbuster, it was also a comic book superhero movie…
Most Oscar voters have a deep-rooted bias against this type of film or character, but while they might nitpick with the living, like the rest of the public, they are extraordinarily forgiving toward the dead.
Duke threw all of this to the back of his mind—it was a page that could be turned.
Not long after, he looked sympathetically toward Leonardo DiCaprio. On stage, Academy darling Daniel Day-Lewis had already raised the Oscar for Best Actor, and Leo would continue down his path as the perennial nominee without a win.
Seemingly aware of it, Leonardo DiCaprio turned his head and returned the same look, as if to tell Duke that his fate tonight wouldn't be much better.
And it really wasn't, because three guests walked up to present the Best Director award George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg!
With three of the Big Four directors on stage, it was pretty obvious who the award would go to.
Tonight's Oscars had two major highlights—one, Heath Ledger's, had already played out. Now only one mystery remained: Martin Scorsese.
Would he continue his journey as the uncrowned king tonight, or achieve a legendary status?
Perhaps the Academy had realized that just one presenter wasn't enough to give an award to Martin Scorsese, so they invited Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola all three.
Back in the day, Martin Scorsese and these three were known as the "Four Young Directors," and later stood together as the four greatest directors of the 1980s. If they now reunited on the stage of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles…
To boost the Oscars' appeal and reverse years of declining ratings, the Academy had clearly gone all out.
Of course, this felt more like a lifetime achievement award.
Last year, while promoting The Departed in Europe, Martin Scorsese was publicly questioned during a press conference—led by France's Le Figaro—about whether the director who had made Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull had truly sold out to Hollywood.
Old Marty firmly replied, "I'm an American director. I'm a Hollywood director!"
He even responded when European media challenged the Oscars themselves, saying, "I've been watching the Oscars on TV since I was a kid. I grew up with them. This thing truly has a kind of magic for me that's hard to describe!"
His words were filled with support for Hollywood, for the Oscars, and for American film. With the status he now held in the film world, the Academy naturally gave him a grand honorary ceremony.
European cinema circles reject Hollywood, but how could North America's film scene be any less exclusionary toward Europe? The North American film market is one of the most closed-off in the world even British dark comedies rarely succeed here.
The three great directors stood before the microphone. An honorary ceremony was about to begin.
....
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