Outside the Kodak Theatre, although no stars had arrived yet, the atmosphere was gradually building up.
In addition to the media reporters blocked on both sides of the red carpet, the organizing committee also had an outside host and a co-host.
Unlike the main host, who was responsible for presenting awards on stage during the actual ceremony, these two positions were primarily responsible for outside interviews. After all, if stars simply walked the red carpet without saying a word or cracking a joke, how could the ratings be boosted?
It was indeed not suitable for excessive entertainment during wartime, but since the ceremony was already being held, it couldn't be completely somber. Not every audience member cared about the war; many just wanted to see their favorite stars.
The co-host also had another duty: to step in if the main host was temporarily unable to appear, acting as a layer of insurance.
As a stretched Ford sedan arrived and its door opened, it was the crew of Adaptation, which had received 4 nominations for this awards ceremony.
Although the number wasn't very high, they were all significant awards.
Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actor—not a single one was superfluous.
Director Spike Jonze led the way down, then opened the car door for a dignified and elegant Meryl Streep, who took his hand as she alighted.
Nicolas Cage and Chris Cooper then also got out of the car. The four, as if by prior agreement, were uniformly dressed in black suits and adorned with anti-war pins. The pins depicted Picasso's dove of peace, looking very solemn.
Reporters immediately began snapping photos. In just a few dozen minutes, the first news would spread online.
It was a pity that the seating inside the Kodak Theatre was limited, making it impossible to invite every actor from every crew. Thus, Tilda Swinton, who played Gabriel in Constantine and the Ancient One in the Marvel Universe, was not invited, even though she also participated in this film.
After the Adaptation crew arrived at the Kodak Theatre, it was as if water had boiled and dumplings were being dropped in—crews and cars arrived one after another.
the pianist crew arrived, having garnered 7 nominations, including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Director.
However, only three people emerged from the car: Adrien Brody, Ronald Harwood, and Pawel Edelman.
This crew was undoubtedly the most controversial, with the key point of contention being director Roman Polanski.
Through Roman Polanski's resume, everyone had to admit he was a film master, but his work did not equal his character.
In 1978, Roman Polanski was accused by Los Angeles prosecutors of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, and Polanski admitted to the crime.
But when he learned he would face at least a 50-year sentence, he decisively fled to France.
This incident caused a huge uproar, causing the film master to fall from grace and become a despicable scoundrel reviled by all.
Therefore, he was unable to attend the Oscar; if he dared to set foot in the United States, he would be immediately arrested.
the pianist crew also knew the situation, so they answered questions very cautiously, mostly just smiling and waving to both sides before quickly entering the theatre.
Following them, members of the crews for the hours, About Schmidt, chicago, Gangs of New York, Road to Perdition, and the lord of the rings, among others, arrived one after another. Many judges also received invitations, as did heads of major film and television companies like Eric.
This year's red carpet was already shorter, and when a crowd of people walked onto it, the scene suddenly became a bit crowded.
"Hey, Toby, look here, Toby!"
"Can you smile?"
Although spider-man only received two technical award nominations, its explosive box office undoubtedly made Tobey Maguire a new generation's top young star.
So when he appeared, the media naturally pressed their shutters.
After responding to reporters for a while, just as Tobey Maguire felt his smile becoming a bit stiff and wanted to change his pose, someone suddenly covered his eyes from behind.
He wasn't alarmed; this was a common red carpet prank, a little game both the organizers and the media enjoyed.
"Guess who I am?"
"James Franco, is that you?"
"No, guess again."
Tobey Maguire suddenly realized that James Franco had not been invited. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Elijah Wood, it must be you, I can hear your voice."
His eyes lit up; indeed, it was Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in the lord of the rings.
Behind him were the bearded Peter Jackson, Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, and screenwriter Fran Walsh.
Also, Fran Walsh was Peter Jackson's wife.
Otherwise, why do you think this lady was able to attend when the lord of the rings wasn't nominated for Best Screenplay? Of course, it was because her husband, the big bearded man, had her covered.
"Toby, where's Sam Raimi? I don't see him."
"Director Sam said he wanted to stay home with his family, so he's not planning to attend."
Peter Jackson laughed heartily: "I think he's worried about making a fool of himself, since he only got nominations for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. He must be worried about losing to me."
"And is accompanying family an excuse? Look at me, Sam could totally bring his wife along."
What could Tobey Maguire say to that? He couldn't say anything. Both were big directors, and saying the wrong thing could offend people.
Fortunately, Kirsten Dunst, who played Mary Jane in spider-man, walked over at that moment.
Her burgundy hair and carefully applied makeup made her look much prettier than in the movie.
"What are you talking about, Toby? Everyone looks so happy. Hello, Director Jackson, it's lucky to meet the lord of the rings at the Oscar. I absolutely love this series."
Kirsten Dunst greeted them proactively, her high emotional intelligence evident in just a few words.
Tobey Maguire quickly moved aside for her, whispering in her ear, "Thank you, you saved me."
Kirsten Dunst replied, "Returning the favor for you saving me on the big screen."
On the other side, the outside host had just finished interviewing Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones from the chicago crew. Seeing the lord of the rings crew and the spider-man crew meet, she quickly walked over.
Although chicago was also good, its box office was far inferior to these two. High box office meant audience popularity, and audience popularity meant ratings.
"Now standing before us are Tobey Maguire and Elijah Wood. Actually, I think even without an introduction, you all must know these people."
Everyone's lips curved into smiles, responding with pleasant expressions.
The host first turned the microphone to Kirsten Dunst.
"Dunst, you look absolutely beautiful today. Whose dress is that?"
Kirsten immediately advertised for the brand: "It's a Saint Laurent dress, and the shoes are also Saint Laurent designs."
"Wow, it really is beautiful. Seeing you makes me want to own a Saint Laurent too. So, let me ask again, what are you most concerned about tonight?"
Kirsten Dunst looked up at the sky. She had intended to say something war-related, but remembering the organizing committee's reminder to avoid discussing war and politics as much as possible, she quickly dismissed the idea.
"I think it would be tripping. You know, female stars' gowns often have long trains, but we can't always be careful. One slip and we could fall and embarrass ourselves. I think this is something all female stars are very concerned about."
Tobey Maguire immediately leaned over: "If you need, I can hold your train for you."
With two technical award nominations, spider-man certainly couldn't discuss awards or the war, so they could only talk about interesting red carpet anecdotes.
The host then turned the microphone to Peter Jackson and asked, "Director Jackson, the lord of the rings 2 has received 6 nominations this time. How many do you think it can win?"
Peter Jackson looked at his wife next to him.
Fran Walsh immediately said in an innocent tone, "Don't look at me, say what you want to say. This is the Oscar, not Beverly Hills."
Her playful and mischievous tone seemed to imply that Peter Jackson was henpecked, immediately eliciting light laughter from those around them.
Peter Jackson scratched his big beard, putting on a serious expression.
"Alright, let me think. Honestly, I really want Best Picture. This award carries a lot of weight, but Gangs of New York, the hours, the pianist, and chicago are all excellent, all too strong."
"Martin Scorsese and Roman Polanski are my seniors, while Steven Daldry and Rob Marshall are my juniors."
"I'm caught in the middle, but you know, I like being sandwiched by women front and back, but men, let's just forget about that."
At this point, his previously feigned serious expression could no longer be maintained, and he burst into hearty laughter.
Tobey Maguire, Elijah Wood, and others were somewhat surprised. To make a dirty joke at this year's Oscar—that was incredibly bold.
However, thinking back to last year's host Whoopi Goldberg, whose opening line was, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the little town that manufactures sexual lies," their hearts couldn't help but feel relieved.
If you go back a few more years, at the 1999 Oscar, the organizers even directly made fun of the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal. That was truly bold.
However, such risqué jokes are fine for big shots to tell; newcomers with insufficient prestige should ideally avoid making such jokes, or they risk attracting widespread criticism.
Moreover, this year's awards ceremony was recorded by ABC, so anything deemed inappropriate could be edited out, providing a remedial measure.
Peter Jackson's dirty joke made the host laugh heartily, but she instantly felt it was inappropriate. Just as she was about to change the subject, the big bearded man suddenly pointed forward.
"Excuse me, a familiar little guy has arrived. I need to go say hello."
With that, he disregarded the host, strode through the crowd, and directly embraced the other person's shoulder from behind.
On the red carpet, Eric was chatting with Anthony Hopkins when he suddenly felt a weight on his back. Turning around, he saw it was the big man, Peter Jackson.
He knew the other person had a mischievous personality; the two had drunk a lot together privately and done things men do.
For example, playing video games together. Those with dirty minds should go face the wall.
"You startled me, Peter. How do you manage to walk with 200 pounds without making a sound?"
"I'm very loud; you can tell by how everyone avoids me. It's just that your attention was drawn to Anthony."
He then looked at the old gentleman and said, "Dr. hannibal, it seems your rhetoric is not only effective on the big screen but also in real life."
Anthony Hopkins smiled faintly. As an old-school British actor, he rarely laughed heartily; when pleased, he merely smiled, always mindful of his demeanor.
"Eric, you two chat. There are too many people here, and I'm already feeling a bit breathless. I need to go inside and find my seat."
Making a small joke, Anthony Hopkins walked along the red carpet into the theatre.
"This year's red carpet is too quiet," Peter Jackson grumbled. "I don't hear any fan screams. It feels like something's missing."
"Indeed," Eric whispered back, "not only are there no audience members, but even the female stars are very mindful of their appearance, dressing much more conservatively."
"Hmph! In my opinion, Hollywood should focus on making movies and stay out of messy affairs. Too much concern for politics will only ruin this place."
"I agree with that, but it can't be helped. Hollywood is a major stronghold for the Democratic Party, and Americans have always been concerned with politics. Isn't it like that in New Zealand?"
"Anyway, before coming to the United States, I never encountered situations where I was forced to speak out. Perhaps it's because New Zealand is a small country."
The two whispered, their conversation, of course, not meant to be captured by the media. This was a much more serious issue than a dirty joke.
Pulling Eric over to the lord of the rings crew, Peter Jackson introduced him to everyone one by one.
"Hmm? Didn't Sir Ian McKellen come?" Eric asked.
"It's the war, so Gandalf doesn't want to attend this year's Oscar," Hugo Weaving replied.
"That's a real shame. I love his White Wizard and Magneto, and I wanted to meet him."
"That's easy. When I have some free time, I'll throw a party, and you can all come over." The big bearded man liked to take charge.
As the group chatted and walked inside, they heard a cheer from behind, and the media seemed to suddenly become enthusiastic.
The surrounding stars couldn't help but look back, only to see Spielberg arrive with the catch me if you can crew.
Tom Hanks and Little Li, who hadn't started squirting water guns yet, followed behind him. There was no doubt who caused the cheers.
Reporters frantically pressed their shutters, and Leonardo DiCaprio, the focus of attention, cooperatively struck various poses.
Years ago, when titanic sparked a global viewing frenzy, Leonardo soared, and the movie completely went to his head.
But unfortunately, the Oscar did not give him a nomination, which made the suddenly popular Little Li furious. He refused to attend the Oscar, stating directly that he didn't care for the Oscar.
So, why the Oscar kept denying him a golden statuette until he finally moved the Academy with his self-abusive The Revenant—everything had a reason.
You ignore me, and I'll make you unable to reach me.
Now, several years after titanic, Little Li clearly realized he had been too arrogant back then.
You see, he now cooperates obediently with the media, smiling genuinely, even though he still hadn't received a nomination this time.
Spielberg walked directly towards Eric, and the two met like old friends, embracing each other.
"Steven, it's been a while. How are things looking?" Eric whispered.
"There's a preliminary result. We'll talk in detail after the awards ceremony."
Peter Jackson looked at the two with some confusion: "I only introduced you once, I didn't expect it to develop to this point. It seems you two have been in frequent contact behind my back."
The reporters also noticed the situation here and turned their cameras towards them.
Many foreign media didn't know who Eric was, but to be able to chat and laugh with these big directors, he was definitely no ordinary person, and he was so handsome! No less than Leonardo.
At this moment, the host appeared opportunely: "Oh, look at you all, you've attracted everyone's attention. How about a group photo?"
It was a good suggestion. Given Spielberg's reputation, Eric pushed him to the center, but Spielberg said young people should stand in the middle.
Peter Jackson's thought was, if Spielberg stood in the middle, wouldn't that mean I'm not as good as him? Although I do seem to be a bit inferior to him, I can't admit it.
So, this Eric guy still had to stand in the middle.
And so, the big bearded man and the old man forcibly sandwiched him in the middle, with Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Viggo Mortensen on either side.
As for the others, they could stand aside; their status wasn't high enough to join.
Amidst many envious gazes, the camera shutters clicked rapidly.