The clash between Dunn and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association shot straight to the top of entertainment news across the U.S.
Natalie was getting the full A-list treatment—plastered across every major entertainment headline.
Kirk Douglas, keeping a close eye on it all, found Dunn's antics hilarious. "Using a stunt like this to boost that little girl's fame? This kid's tricks are pretty out there."
No question about it—win or lose against the Golden Globes, Natalie Portman was a household name now!
Who won Best Actress at this year's Globes?
Most people couldn't tell you.
But Natalie Portman? Anyone with even a passing interest in entertainment knew her name.
She used to be "Queen Amidala" or "Dunn Walker's girlfriend." Now, thanks to Juno and this Golden Globes drama, she'd become a star everyone recognized!
Building a celebrity wasn't always about movies—hype and headlines worked just as well!
To an old-school guy like Kirk Douglas, though, this approach was too flashy, too opportunistic. He sneered at it.
Just moments ago, he'd been on the phone with the Foreign Press, promising them Natalie Portman wouldn't snag an Oscar Best Actress nomination this year.
He'd said it with total confidence.
But deep down? He didn't care one bit.
To him, the bigger and longer this fight between Dunn and the Globes got, the better.
What if Natalie did get an Oscar nod?
He'd already talked to the Academy's top brass—this year's Oscars were locked into a politically correct theme. Best Actress, Best Actor—those were going to people of color, no question.
If Natalie didn't get nominated, the whole controversy would fizzle out. But if she did? It'd drag Dunn and the Globes even deeper into the mess.
She wouldn't win anyway!
Let them slug it out endlessly—perfect!
In Kirk's eyes, the Hollywood Foreign Press had long lost the ambition they'd had decades ago. Now they were just parasites, leeching off Hollywood's flesh.
Every year, the Golden Globes raked in at least $100 million for the Foreign Press!
Where'd that money go?
Back in the day, their members were elite entertainment journalists from around the world, every article a major influence.
Now?
Over a third were full-time staff, their only job running the Globes to make cash—turning a sacred film celebration into a money machine!
The other two-thirds still wrote for papers and magazines, but averaged just four or five articles a year—mostly for tiny, irrelevant outlets. They'd lost all their clout.
If the Foreign Press still had the media firepower of its early days, would Dunn dare challenge them?
Those 90-plus member journalists could've drowned him in ink and outrage with a few strokes of their pens.
But now? They'd shed their old literary shine.
From that angle, Kirk actually backed Dunn's exposé on the Globes' shady dealings.
As a Hollywood veteran, he'd love to see the Golden Globes get cleaner, fairer.
…
On the Natalie Oscar nomination front, Kirk was playing it soft on purpose.
For one, he wanted Dunn's battle with the Globes to drag on, escalate, wear him down. For another, he genuinely hoped this mess would shame the Globes into cleaning up their act.
Dunn might be sharp, but he couldn't outfox this old-timer, who'd already turned both him and the Globes into pawns in his game.
Meanwhile, Dunn was burning the candle at both ends, pulling every string he could to get Natalie that Oscar nod.
Francis Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, George Lucas, Tom Rothman, Ron Meyer, Tom Hanks, Tim Burton, Alan Horn…
Pretty much every industry heavyweight he had a connection with got a call.
"Dunn, you don't need to go this hard. They… they can't do much."
Bill Mechanic sat beside him in the car as they headed to Legendary Pictures' headquarters.
There, Michael Ovitz had gathered CAA's top brass to meet Dunn and hash out a plan for Natalie's Oscar nomination.
Dunn's spirits were low. "If there's even a sliver of a chance, I can't let it slip!"
Bill shook his head. "It's a long shot. Oscar nominations aren't voted on by the judges—they come from internal review panels within the Academy. It's all behind closed doors."
Dunn gritted his teeth. "No matter what, Natalie's getting that nomination! We can't miss any possible help. Even if it's an internal pick, we'll find a way to push from the outside! I refuse to believe all these people together can't outmuscle one Kirk Douglas!"
Bill's voice dropped. "If everyone you called actually spoke up for you, sure, they'd outweigh Kirk. But will they at crunch time? Word'll get back to him eventually. In Hollywood, no one wants to cross him—not even Spielberg."
"Ugh!"
Dunn let out a long, heavy sigh.
The Oscar nomination process was definitely rigged somehow.
In his past life, James Franco directed and starred in The Disaster Artist—great reviews, killer performance, a real Best Actor contender!
He'd won Best Actor at the Golden Globes, no surprise there.
But then the "Me Too" movement exploded, and Franco got caught up in a sexual assault scandal.
Days later, his name was nowhere on the Oscar nomination list.
A Golden Globe Best Actor missing an Oscar nod? Brutal.
At least Dunn was playing the righteous hero this time—taking on the Globes for the sake of Hollywood filmmakers, demanding fairness and transparency. On the surface, it was politically correct as hell.
Half an hour later, they pulled up at Legendary Pictures.
Whoa!
The place was packed!
Besides Dunn's old pal, CAA president Bryan Lourd, the rest of CAA's heavy hitters were there too—
Lee Guber!
Kevin Huvane!
Rick Nicita!
Jack Rapke!
These were the power players running CAA—Hollywood's top-tier agents!
And of course, CAA's ex-founder and big boss, Michael Ovitz!
Seeing this, Dunn couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
He took a deep breath, straightened his collar, stood tall, and gave a deep bow. "Thank you, everyone! Whether Natalie gets that Oscar nod or not, I'll never forget what CAA's done for us in this fight!"
CAA's entire leadership showing up wasn't just for show.
This was all-in!
Between Dunn and the Golden Globes, they'd picked Dunn!
Think about it—CAA had hundreds of clients. Aside from a few A-listers, most relied on the Globes to boost their profiles.
For Natalie alone, CAA was risking the interests of hundreds of their artists. That's a massive gamble.
Their clients' success was their core business!
This time, CAA was betting everything on Dunn.
Bryan Lourd stepped forward, helping Dunn up with a mix of exasperation and amusement. "Dunn, what's with the drama? Natalie's one of ours! Honestly, we should be thanking you—if you hadn't pushed for it back then, she wouldn't have switched her contract from WMA to CAA."
CAA's current board chair, Lee Guber, stood too, his tone dead serious. "We all know how this started. Someone's behind it… whatever, forget him. We're in this together now—no matter what, we're getting Natalie on that Oscar Best Actress shortlist!"