"Welcome to the 55th Primetime Emmy Awards. I'm your host, Ellen DeGeneres."
"I'm your host, Conan O'Brien."
"I'm your host, Martin Short."
"I'm your host, Garry Shandling."
After a song and dance number, the hosts appeared on stage one after another, delivering witty opening remarks, somewhat similar to a group crosstalk in China.
"Eric, how many awards do you think we'll win?" Bar Refaeli whispered.
Eric shook his head slightly, "I don't know. I hope the Academy gives us a few. Otherwise, I'll be too lazy to attend in the future."
"Everyone says the drama category is a competition between six feet under and the west wing. The former has 19 nominations, and the latter has 17. We only have 11 nominations."
"11 nominations are still a lot. the walking dead is only in its first season, while six feet under is in its third, and the west wing is in its fifth. They naturally have an advantage," Frank Darabont explained.
"Director, are you confident about winning an award?"
"What award? Best Director?"
"Mm."
The bald man's brows furrowed. "I don't think there's much hope. the walking dead's subject matter is still more appealing to young people. Given the nature of the Academy's judges, a nomination is already good enough."
"This is still because our show has a huge influence and is indeed the most phenomenal series of the year, but winning an award will probably be very difficult."
※_24_⛬ nodded in agreement. "Those judges must be thinking that the walking dead is only in its first season. Anyway, there will be a second, third, and even tenth season later, so it's not too late to give it an award then. Let's give it to others first."
"Boss, I think you can look forward to Best Screenplay in the drama category. The Academy also needs to maintain balance; it's impossible for them to give us nothing at all."
Frank Darabont said, "Winning Best Screenplay is acceptable. It's also a top-tier award, second only to Best Series."
The 'top-tier' that Darabont referred to is a universal rule for all awards ceremonies.
Just as actors have distinctions, so do awards.
First and foremost, whether it's for film or television, the most important award is Best Picture, which is undisputed.
Best Actor and Best Actress are equally important, belonging to the first-tier awards.
Then comes the distinction between Best Director and Best Screenplay.
If it's the Oscar, Best Director is undoubtedly more significant than Best Screenplay because film is the director's art.
The Emmy Awards, however, are quite the opposite; Best Screenplay is much more important than Best Director because television is a field dominated by screenwriters.
But regardless of the differences between the two, these five awards are all considered top-tier.
Following these are Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and then technical awards such as Best Makeup, Best Costume, Best Props, and Best Voice Acting.
Although the walking dead was not nominated for Best Series, it was nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay, so it depends on the Academy's choice.
"If it were the Saturn Awards, we would sweep everything!" Andrew Lincoln said.
On stage, the first award, Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, was presented and won by Doris Roberts from everybody loves raymond.
Then, Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series was won by ER.
Subsequently, Outstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music Program was ultimately awarded to Cher: The Farewell Tour.
The first few awards had nothing to do with the walking dead, until the fourth technical award was presented.
The presenter was Hugh Jackman, pairing a popular actor with a less-watched award, which is an old tradition to boost ratings.
"Nominated for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special are the walking dead, Band of Brothers, Alias, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and The Laramie Project."
"Let me see who the winner is... hmm..."
Wolf Uncle paused mid-sentence, looked down, and chuckled. When he laughed, others followed suit.
After building suspense, Hugh Jackman loudly announced, "Congratulations to the Zombie Army for winning!"
Clap, clap, clap!
Immediately, enthusiastic applause erupted. The other four production teams were also convinced; although all involved makeup effects, the difficulty was clearly not on the same level.
Zombies require both terrifying facial features and three-dimensional facial structures, as well as mutilated limbs. Each extra had to undergo several hours of makeup, making the makeup team the largest in the walking dead crew.
Eric patted Jack Garber, the representative of the makeup artists, on the shoulder. "Go, get your trophy."
The man excitedly walked onto the stage and accepted the trophy from Wolf Uncle.
"Thank you, Academy, thank you to the judges for giving us this award. This is a recognition of us behind-the-scenes staff. I'm truly delighted to receive this award."
"I also want to thank Director Darabont and every actor in the crew. They were all excellent and cooperated well with our work."
"And then, I also want to thank the screenwriter and producer, Mr. Eric Cooper. He provided an excellent story and was willing to invest a lot of money, which gave us the space to perform. Thank you very much!"
After delivering his speech, Jack Garber happily returned to his seat, kissed the trophy with gusto, and everyone congratulated him in turn.
The awards continued. After several reality show awards were presented, it was time for the first major award of the evening: Best Actress in a Comedy Series.
The presenter was Robin Williams. There's no need to say much about Robin's works; he was an actor Eric greatly admired, excelling in both comedy and drama.
Unfortunately, fate is cruel, and it did not treat this person, who brought joy to so many, kindly.
He suffered from one of the most terrifying diseases in the world—Lewy body dementia.
This disease not only causes uncontrolled movements but also impairs spatial perception, memory loss, sleep disorders, neurological dysfunction, loss of consciousness, depression, hallucinations, and various other effects.
The most terrifying part is that patients can feel their brains slowly collapsing but are utterly helpless, a truly desperate feeling.
Finally, he chose to hang himself while he still had some consciousness, perishing with the disease.
The subsequent autopsy report showed that Robin Williams's intelligence had regressed to about that of a three-year-old before his death, which is heartbreaking.
"The nominees are all sexy and humorous women: Patricia Heaton from everybody loves raymond, Jennifer Aniston from friends, Jane Kaczmarek from Malcolm in the Middle, Sarah Jessica Parker from sex and the city, and Debra Messing from Will & Grace."
"The winner is Debra Messing from Will & Grace."
Everyone applauded. Eric didn't clap; he naturally hoped friends would win.
However, seeing Rachel's happy smile on the big screen, he figured that winning a movie lead role could somewhat dilute the disappointment of not winning an award here.
Subsequently, Best Animated Program was, as expected, won by The Simpsons, without any controversy.
Seeing The Simpsons win an award, Eric felt that he should also develop MGM's animation business and not always be fixated on movies and TV series.
Before he transmigrated, he loved watching rick and morty and peppa pig. The former had brilliant script ideas, and he, as an adult, even found the latter enjoyable.
In Eric's opinion, peppa pig is one of the few all-ages anime that appeals to everyone, after tom and jerry.
With low production difficulty and high commercial profit, it's a high-quality project that can be put on the agenda.
After a few awards, it was time for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Norman Reedus was nominated.
The presenter, Lucy Liu, opened the envelope and read, "The nominees for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series are Joe Pantoliano from the sopranos, Jeremy Sisto from six feet under, Carlos Bernard from 24, Kenny Johnson from The Shield, and Norman Reedus from the walking dead."
"The winner is Norman Reedus from the walking dead. Let's congratulate him."
Upon hearing his name, Norman Reedus excitedly stood up instantly, embraced everyone, and then walked onto the stage.
"Thank you, thank you very much to the Academy for giving me this award. I've been in the industry for seven years, and this is the first trophy I've ever received. Tonight will be a significant moment in my acting career, and I will always remember it."
"Thank you to everyone in the crew; they are all excellent partners. And also, Mr. Cooper. I heard that I got this role because he personally approved it. Thank you very much!"
The camera immediately focused on Eric, and his sharply defined, handsome face instantly appeared on the big screen.
Many actresses inwardly sighed, 'He's so damn handsome!' Rich, powerful, young, and handsome—what a perfect partner. Who knows which little bitch will get him.
Norman Reedus happily returned to his seat, raised his glass, and chugged it down. "This is truly a wonderful night. Thank you, Mr. Cooper, you created a charming character, which allowed me to win this trophy."
Everyone whispered, only Bar Refaeli seemed a bit uncomfortable, as she was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
However, following the principle of balance, her chances of winning had significantly decreased.
About ten minutes later, reality indeed confirmed her premonition: Best Supporting Actress was won by the sopranos.
On the big screen, Bar Refaeli could only put on the fake smile she had practiced many times in private, applauding to show her acceptance and magnanimity.
After the camera cut away, she lowered her head and silently mouthed "fuck."
Not angry? How could she not be angry?
This was her first award, and it was gone just like that.
She could only grab pastries and a drink to gorge herself and mend her wounded heart.
Subsequently, the walking dead also won Outstanding Visual Effects and Outstanding Sound Mixing, but unfortunately lost out on Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series, and Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series, among other awards.
Equally disappointing to Eric was that friends lost Best Actor in a Comedy Series, with Matthew Perry, who played Chandler, missing out on the award.
In the end, friends only won one award: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, which went to Christina Applegate for playing Rachel's sister, Amy.
Others might round up their meal to a whole number, but you've erased the whole number and left only the zero!
At this point, the walking dead had only two nominations left: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.
Under the gaze of the entire audience, Nicole, who had just won an Oscar Winner this year, walked out from backstage, wearing a floral qipao and the concentric knot necklace, looking absolutely beautiful.
Seeing her appear, Eric was somewhat surprised. She hadn't told him she would attend the gala. How strange.
Walking to the center of the stage, Nicole smiled as she surveyed the audience, playfully winking at Eric.
"Screenwriters are the soul of a television series. They create excellent stories and bring to life vibrant and distinctive characters."
"I have always believed that screenwriters are the cornerstone of our industry. Without the dedication of screenwriters, there would be no flourishing Hollywood as we know it today."
"The nominees tonight are all dream-makers I admire. Some have been nominated multiple times."
On the big screen, photos of Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter of the west wing, and Alan Ball, screenwriter of six feet under, immediately appeared.
"And some are nominated for the first time."
This time, the photo of Joel Surnow, screenwriter of 24, appeared on the big screen.
"Some are late bloomers, finding their stride in middle age."
The big screen showed Chuck Lorre, screenwriter of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
"And some are young and full of spirit."
As Nicole finished speaking, Eric appeared on the big screen. The Academy had chosen a shot of him hunched over writing, but it was actually a staged photo by him.
This pose, coupled with the yellow desk lamp light and scattered manuscripts on the floor, was exquisitely composed and quite evocative.
It gave the impression that this young man was not only handsome but also diligent and talented.
"Oh My!"
Nicole tore open the envelope and instinctively gasped.
The people seated below were all astute; for an Oscar Winner to be surprised, it must mean an extraordinary result.
So, among the five, who would be the most impactful winner?
Many immediately connected the dots, and numerous gazes turned to Eric.
Nicole took a deep breath, as if she herself had won an award: "The winner for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is Eric Cooper for the walking dead!"
OH!
In an instant, the entire hall gasped in astonishment. Those who had some acquaintance, like Wolf Uncle and Pitt, applauded and cheered loudly.
Many others were simply shocked. As the camera panned, many faces showed expressions of disbelief, as if they had witnessed the most incredible event.
The reason many people felt shocked was that Eric was only 23 years old this year, a mere 23 years old.
What does this age represent?
Considering all the influential major awards in the current world film industry, including global and regional ones.
Including Oscar, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, the three major European awards, Tokyo, Golden Horse, Golden Rooster, etc.—all the countable ones.
The youngest screenwriter ever nominated was John Singleton, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Boyz n the Hood. He was 24 years old that year.
Excluding obscure awards, 24 years old was already the recorded limit.
And Eric pushed that age back another year, and he won, rather than just being nominated, which increased the difficulty by several dimensions.
At this moment, everyone disregarded the boss's aura and demeanor, excitedly embracing Eric in the middle, almost tossing him into the air.
On the big screen, it was clearly visible that even Eric himself had wide eyes, visibly surprised.
"Alright, boys, let Eric go up and accept his award. Nicole is waiting."
Darabont pushed through the crowd, clearing a path for Eric.
He composed himself, looked at the beautiful woman on stage with a radiant smile, and the golden trophy in her hand, then strode confidently towards her.
"Mmm."
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, before his back foot even touched the ground, a fragrant breeze enveloped him.
Immediately, in front of thousands of celebrities in the hall and over twenty million viewers at home, the two kissed.