The Best Director

Chapter 443: Chapter 443: Burst into Laughter

“The Golden Globe goes to…”

Under the dazzling night sky, the bustling Hilton Hotel banquet hall fell silent at this moment, with hundreds of millions of viewers around the world waiting for the result. Would the Best Supporting Actor be “Blue Glove,” who had the highest support rate in online voting? Seeing the text on the golden envelope, Natalie cursed in her heart, “SHIT,” thinking she had brought bad luck. She smiled as she read, “George Clooney, ‘Serenna.'”

“Oh—!!” There was a burst of applause and cheering from the banquet hall that wasn’t particularly enthusiastic. Although everyone on camera had congratulatory smiles, it was clear that Clooney’s victory over the other four nominees wasn’t a result with absolute persuasive power. Clooney got up and walked towards the stage, seeming a bit nervous as he exhaled and straightened his clothes, showing not too much joy or excitement. He reached the stage, hugged Brody and Natalie in turn, and received the shiny Golden Globe trophy from her hands.

Watching the Best Supporting Actor trophy fly away, Jessica felt miserable. Now “Firefly” could only manage to breach 5/6 at most. How infuriating! She leaned toward Wang Yang, maintaining an increasingly stiff smile: “It’s nothing, really nothing!” Wang Yang shrugged with a helpless smile, also feeling very disappointed. Heath Ledger’s portrayal was so vivid, so great, creating an unforgettable screen villain, and FF’s promotional work was also spot on, but it still didn’t win the award.

This was really terrible… Compared to the Best Actor in a Drama for “Brokeback Mountain,” Heath Ledger actually cared more about this Best Supporting Actor award because he believed “Blue Glove” was the peak of his performance thus far. “Heath, you were really fantastic,” Michelle Williams said warmly to her disappointed fiancé while others at the table like Ang Lee and Anne Hathaway were clapping and gave him admiring looks.

“Thank you.” Heath Ledger was quite pleased with Ang Lee’s compliment. He remembered how, on the set of “Brokeback Mountain,” Ang Lee was colder than the weather in Alberta, nearly driving him insane.

“Oh, please!” In front of the television and computer, countless Yang fans and “Firefly” fans waved their hands dismissively, some even swearing a few times. What was going on! Did the Hollywood Foreign Press Association jury not like “Firefly”? Would they also fail to win Best Director, Best Picture? Online discussions surged, with Mindy asking, “Why wasn’t it Ledger? Can someone who’s seen ‘Serenna’ tell me, was Clooney really that good?” Isabella threatened, “Disgusting! If it keeps up like this, I’m switching to watch ’24 Hours’!” Cassie questioned, “Are they pulling that arthouse film beats sci-fi film again? Attracting viewership with ‘Firefly’ and repaying us with disappointment?” Andrew said, “Is this a sign that ‘Firefly’ is going to be defeated tonight? No!!”…

“Hahaha! YEAH—” Mizrahi and other Yang detractors were especially pleased at that moment, anticipating “Firefly” leaving empty-handed. “It’s not a big deal.” Clair explained to her fiancé Adam, in fact, Heath Ledger hadn’t won many Best Supporting Actor awards in the various film critic association awards before, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise, but now it seemed unlikely that “Firefly” would sweep the Golden Globes tonight either.

Over on Sina Entertainment’s live text and picture broadcast, the update followed quickly: “George Clooney wins Best Supporting Actor with ‘Serenna,’ ‘Firefly’ is off to a bad start! What a pity for Heath. Clooney is giving his acceptance speech, and he mentioned Heath and the amazing Yang.”

“I thought Heath Ledger would win. It’s still so early, I haven’t had a few drinks yet, and I’m already standing up here alone.” Clooney’s words earned a gentle laugh from the banquet hall as he said, “I don’t know what to do, I’m so afraid.” He scratched his ear and shifted his body, making plenty of nervous little gestures as if he was really quite tense. He cleared his throat and looked down, avoiding looking straight ahead as he said, “I can stand here, of course, because many people did some very outstanding things. First, Stephen Gaghan wrote a script that posed a lot of difficult questions, and I think he deserves to be honored for that.”

Applause for Stephen Gaghan, the director and screenwriter of “Serenna,” broke out in the hall. Clooney went on to thank the production company, before suddenly saying, “If I faint from nervousness, let Wang Yang come to my rescue. I think he can do it; he’s done a lot of good things today, like a secret agent.”

“Haha!” The crowd couldn’t help but laugh, especially those who had attended the BFCA awards ceremony a few days earlier. The live camera panned to Wang Yang who smiled and blinked, recalling his speech from that day. Natalie tried hard not to burst into uproarious laughter on stage. Clooney then made another joke that livened up the mood, and the crowd sent him off to the backstage with much more enthusiastic applause and cheering than before: “Whew—”

“Now, we will announce the nominations for the Best Supporting Actress award.” Brody and Natalie continued with the presentation for Best Supporting Actress, “Portraying an alluring object of obsession, Scarlett Johansson, ‘Match Point.'” As Natalie spoke, the camera focused on the charming smiling face of Scarlett; after Shirley MacLaine, “In Her Shoes,” Frances McDormand, “North Country,” Rachel Weisz, “The Constant Gardener,” it was Natalie’s turn to introduce, “Portraying a wife who discovers the secret life of her husband, Michelle Williams, ‘Brokeback Mountain.'”

On the TV screen, Heath Ledger pursed his lips applauding, then smiled wide when he saw the camera; new mother Michelle Williams smiled even more broadly.

“Williams!” The hearts of FF fans and the LGBTQ+ community supporters rose again. Who could it be!? In online support rates and media predictions, Williams and Weisz were neck and neck, which was also reflected in the “points leaderboard” of the film critics’ association awards. Ledger hadn’t won, but Williams should, right?! Joshua clenched his fists tightly. Little Matilda needed a Golden Globe trophy as a toy!!

The room fell silent, and Brody flipped the envelope, smiling as he announced, “And the Golden Globe goes to… Rachel Weisz, ‘The Constant Gardener’.”

“Damn it!” While applause and cheers filled the venue, the anti-gay activists and Wang Yang’s supporters celebrated in front of their televisions, feeling both regret and anger. Joshua, unable to watch, covered his face. What on earth was going on? The Liesges were defeated. Alexis put a cross next to “Best Supporting Actress” on her nomination list. With three movies and three TV series vying for 16 awards (a total of 24 nominations), Flame Entertainment now had only 14 chances left to take the stage.

After the disappointment of losing the first two awards, Wang Yang decided to console himself with fine food, unabashedly enjoying his meal and drinks while Weisz gave her acceptance speech in her British accent. He engaged in conversation with Jessica, Joss Whedon, and others, as he wasn’t a celebrity and didn’t need to care about eating etiquette, but he had to watch his alcohol intake, or he might end up in a “The Hangover” scenario.

The awards ceremony continued. Next, the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film went to Paul Newman for ‘Empire Falls’—Newman was not present at the venue. The award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film was won by Sandra Oh, the Korean-Canadian actress from ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. She stood, holding the trophy, too excited to speak. It took her a moment to gather herself with the encouragement of the audience’s applause before she began her thanks.

“Guys, wait till you see Magic Yang’s performance!” Watching Sandra Oh’s jittery acceptance speech, the North American Asian audience couldn’t help but think, letting Magic Yang show off his eloquence and humor would have been something to see!

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Rachel McAdams from ‘The Family Stone’!” Amidst thunderous applause, Rachel McAdams, wearing a long red evening gown, stepped gracefully toward the center stage microphone. At the edge of the stage, Wang Yang rose to his feet, clapping and shouting, “Woo-hoo!”

I know, I’ll give you a few extra compliments, Magic Yang. Rachel happily approached the microphone, looking at the audience, especially the dark-haired man a few steps away. She smiled and said, “Good evening, everyone. Tonight we will be showing clips from the nominees for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. I’m extremely, extremely honored to introduce the first film in the Drama category.” Natalie, Scarlett, and others immediately felt varying degrees of envy and dissatisfaction with the organizers’ arrangement.

“The story of ‘Firefly’ describes the future where humans live in a new star system, with the Star Alliance having completed its rule over the entire system. On the outskirts of the system, Captain Mal, a former independent soldier, and his crewmates, by sheer chance, join forces with the mysterious River siblings to uncover the Alliance’s secret experiments. Pursued by secret police with blue gloves, they rally the former independent soldiers, sacrificing blood and life to bring the truth about the “Reavers” to light.”

With Rachel’s smooth and crisp voice, the Superman shot swept across the enchanted faces of Wang Yang, Jessica, Robert Downey Jr., Heath Ledger, and many others, while the other guests were also very quiet. Rachel smiled and continued, “Director Wang Yang perfectly navigated the entire story. Through beautiful cinematography and realistic special effects, he led the crew to present a mysterious and awe-inspiring tableau to the world. ‘Firefly’ is now one of the most successful and popular science fiction movies worldwide.”

“Nobody surrenders!” “The war is over!” Right after Rachel’s voice faded, the audio and video of ‘Firefly’ began. The highlight reel played on the big screen, showing scenes from the Battle of Serenity Valley, followed by expansive grasslands from The Great Train Robbery, the formidable military might of River, the bustling Barth market, the mist-covered mountains of Miranda, and then the heart-stirring Battle of New Shanxi, “Attack New Shanxi!!” “I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar.” “Hahaha! Mal, we’re here to save you!”…

“Did anyone ask us?” Mal’s face was undeniably amused, “That’s a better world,” as the Blue Hands died serenely. The next second brought the smiling face of young Fanning, “Where do you guys come from?” Plum blossoms fluttering, tops spinning, and suddenly, the screen returned to the “Golden Globe Awards” logo.

“Wow-hoo—” The entire audience erupted once again, almost everyone applauding and shouting loudly, many standing up for the film, whistling their cheers: “Swoosh—.” Natalie, Scarlett, Hathaway, Charlize, and others’ smiling faces made this tribute even more splendid. Even those who didn’t support Wang Yang or were critics had to clap and admit ‘Firefly’ was a masterpiece in film history.

Surrounded by praise from all directions, Joss Whedon, Downey, Ledger, and others felt incredibly happy and fulfilled; Jessica was both excited and blissful, and though the glamorous suits, fine wine, and gourmet food were dazzling, her eyes were fixed on one person. Seeing the live camera focus on him, Wang Yang grinned broadly, his gaze steady and confident. The memories of the past three years since ‘Firefly’ was first proposed to its release flashed by, and he suddenly felt a surge of emotion. He had never realized so profoundly how much he cared about that trophy! If he missed out on Best Picture, Best Director, he would be deeply disappointed because ‘Firefly’ was his and many others’ best performance.

“‘Firefly’ must win! Sweep the Golden Globes, sweep the Oscars!” Countless viewers in front of the TV went wild like Evelyn, shouting out as they had felt spirited and thrilled watching ‘Firefly’ last year. What reason could there be for it to not win the big awards? Wasn’t the experience and insight it brought to the world at least as good as the other four nominated films? Not in the slightest! It was even more, much more… With a global box office of 1.8 billion, it touched the hearts of audiences worldwide. Wasn’t that enough to sway the judges?

“This is ‘Firefly’s night!” Alice raised her arms high, they were watching this edition of the Golden Globes precisely for ‘Firefly’ and the amazing Yang. There was no reason for a disappointing ending!!

However, clearly, the night was still long. After Rachel left the stage, Amy Rosen invited the head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Burke, to take the stage and give thanks. He said, “Thank you, Amy. Over the past few weeks, we members of the association have rewatched the nominated movies, TV series, and TV programs again and again. We found ourselves moved and inspired, even elevated. From our point of view, all of you should win Golden Globes. Some even deserve two or three. We pay tribute to your achievements and wish you and the audience a happy and healthy year, thank you.”

Immediately afterwards, Gina Davis won Best Actress in a Drama Series for her marvelous performance in “The President of the White House,” as the first fictional female president of America. She said, “A little girl told me ‘because of you, I want to be president of America.’ I am… actually, that never happened.” The audience burst into laughter, and she continued in the same joyful vein, “But it could happen, really could happen. In some rural area of Nebraska or somewhere else, a little girl might tug at my skirt and say that. For that alone, it’s all worth it, just for that little girl.”

Hugh Laurie from “House M.D.” beat out Wentworth Miller and others to take home Best Actor in a Drama Series, disappointing fans of Flame Entertainment once again, who are now down to just 13 chances to win; Melanie Griffith and her daughter, Dakota Johnson, who’s serving as Miss Golden Globe, then introduced “Mrs. Henderson Presents”; Next, Queen Latifah awarded the Best Limited Series or TV Movie to “Empire Falls.”

“Ladies and gentlemen—! Welcome the director of ‘Firefly’ & ‘500 Days of Summer’, Wang Yang!”

Before the offstage announcement was even finished, the full banquet hall had already descended into mania, with the entrance of the incredible Yang for the presentation of the Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy Series! Applause, cheers, and laughter merged into an oceanic roar: “Whoosh—whoosh—”, “Yang!!” If this were a party, now it would truly feel like one! Jessica, Natalie, Rachel, and others clapped their hands vigorously while listening to the deafening ovation, and when he stood on stage, he shone with dazzling brilliance.

“Incredible Yang!” The viewers in front of the TV were just as excited, the long-awaited moment of the award presentation! Not for the awardee, but for the presenter himself! Dressed in black suits, Wang Yang walked out confidently with a golden envelope in hand, wearing a charming, handsome smile.

“Ah—ah—” Whether the excited type or the rational type, whether any zodiac sign, female fans like Evelyn and Alice screamed and shouted, so young and so handsome! Unbelievable! While others would just say a few words before reading the nominations, he certainly had a lot to say, such was his prerogative! Many viewers were watching the Golden Globes just for this moment, for perhaps the most entertaining speech of the evening was about to begin, unless the incredible Yang would also take the stage as an awardee later on.

Youths and teenagers eagerly picked up their phones to tell their friends: “Quick, watch NBC, Yang’s presenting an award!” “MY is here!” “NBC, MY!” On the Nielsen real-time ratings chart, the audience numbers for the NBC channel skyrocketed to 25 million, 26 million, 27 million…

“Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—” When Wang Yang moved to the microphone and gestured with his hands, the overly enthusiastic greeting from the hall gradually subsided, with those standing up laughing as they took their seats again, mouths agape, ready to enjoy his entertaining stand-up comedy. Surely there will be some, right?

On stage, under the gaze of hundreds in the audience, seasoned Wang Yang felt no trace of nervousness, instead, a marvelous feeling of controlling the mood washed over him. He looked at the crowd, glanced at Jessica and others, and solemnly said to the microphone, “Hello everyone, I’m a desperate housewife.”

“Hahaha!”, “Wahaha—” Laughter erupted suddenly, with nominees like Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria laughing so hard they doubled over; those drinking nearly choked on their drinks, struggling to catch their breaths, cursing the fact that they couldn’t drink water when magical Yang was on. The guests were laughing uproariously in no time, completely taken in by the humor of this charmer. Organizers, NBC executives, and others heaved a sigh of relief. What had they been worried about? Would Yang mess up? Hahaha!

“In fact, I’ve always considered myself a housewife because I do laundry, I mop the floors…” Wang Yang said, pausing suddenly then rolling his eyes, “OK, I am… actually, none of that ever happened.” The guests laughed out loud again, and Wang Yang spread his hands, continuing, “But it could happen! And I really do household chores, the one I do most is Clean-Up… I do it very well.”

The laughter continued, and the live camera cleverly focused on Jessica, who was seen chuckling with her shoulders shaking and a sweet smile revealing her pearly teeth; the camera then panned to Natalie and Scarlett, both of whom had beaming smiles.

“What really made me understand that I can never be a housewife was after the baby was born. You know the whole family went through a lot of changes, and there were things I just couldn’t handle,” said Wang Yang, looking in a direction of the banquet and adjusting his posture with a smile. “Therefore, single moms can also raise their children all by themselves.” The crowd chuckled lightly; his words acknowledged one of the nominees, Mary Louise Parker of “Weeds.” Then Wang Yang added, “I really owe it to those guys living in the wealthy districts.”

“Hahaha!”, “Oh hahaha—”, the audience immediately burst into laughter, their “funny bones” tickled involuntarily, with the retired Robert Downey Jr. shaking his head while laughing, “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me…” Viewers in front of their televisions were also cracking up, Evelyn nearly cried with laughter. The dark comedy “Weeds” tells the story of protagonist Nancy, who, after the unexpected death of her husband, became a secondary drug dealer to support her family and raise her two sons by selling marijuana to her affluent neighbors. Magical Yang was clearly satirizing the marijuana users of Beverly Hills.

As the laughter slowly subsided, Wang Yang raised his hand with a smile and continued joking, “However, those changes did have one advantage. Before, when your wife scolded you, all you could say was, ‘Oh dear, I know I was wrong, forgive me! I won’t dare to do it again, but… what exactly are you scolding me for?'” The guests chuckled softly; he was serious again as he said, “Now you have another option… BABY-IS-HUNGRY!” Then he called out again in the same manner, “BABY-IS-HUNGRY—”

Just as everyone’s mouths were agape with smiles, they saw his eyes widen slightly as he said in a gentle tone, “I-AM-HUNGRY.”

“Hahaha!” The audience burst into laughter once again, many leaning back in their chairs to steady themselves. On the big screen at the event, Jessica laughed so hard that her bangs were nearly in disarray, and Michelle Williams couldn’t help but clap and chuckle as well. Suddenly, Wang Yang on the stage looked furious, and his voice became a bit shrill, “I-AM-ANGRY!” Then, to the guests’ surprise, their roaring “hahas” filled the venue. Wang Yang immediately cupped his fists and proclaimed loudly, “OH, OH! HELLO, I-AM-WANGRY.”

“Haha…” In no time, there was an even louder explosion of laughter, and the camera panned over the crowd, all nearly falling over in merriment. Natalie couldn’t help but pound the table once, and Rachel wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.

HUNGRY, ANGRY, WANGRY—the viewers in front of the television were also laughing themselves silly; Asian viewers felt an immense sense of pride and joy. See that? This is wit and humor! This is their great hero, the magical Yang!

“But sometimes, a woman’s ‘ANGRY’ is not really anger, but a hint. Gentlemen, remember this!” Wang Yang’s words calmed the roaring laughter a bit as the crowd, barely getting over their previous laughter, awaited the next joke eagerly. He then mimicked his wife, batting his eyes and said in a high-pitched voice, “Dear, what day is it today?” He feigned confusion, “Monday?” and then, in a rage, “I-AM-ANGRY!” Realization dawned on him as he brightened up with amusement, “Oh, of course I know! ANNIVERSARY! I know it.”

“Hahahaha—” Everyone found it impossible not to burst into laughter, amused by the unexpected connection between ANGRY and ANNIVERSARY, especially the married guests who celebrate various anniversaries. Without giving them a moment to catch their breath, Wang Yang continued, “But sometimes, women have their own ways, ‘Not at all! I-AM-SO-ANGRY!'” His eyes darted from side to side, he puffed his cheeks and exhaled, “No, you are not. Now you’re SO-SCARY…” Amidst the uproarious laughter, he leaned into the microphone and added, “JESSCARY.”

“Haha!” “Ahahaha…” The guests released their laughter freely, the camera cleverly focusing on many envious yet amused JESSCARYs; she was past the peak of her laughter and now rested her cheek on her hand, looking blissfully happy while watching the stage. The camera then cut to another JESSCARY, Sarah Jessica Parker, who along with her husband Matthew Broderick, were also in stitches; all other guests caught by the camera were beaming with smiles.

Wang Yang was not yet done with the “RY” sound jokes. Looking at the crowd, he then said earnestly, “By the way, although women can sometimes be like a terrifying wild pig (PECCARY), my archery (ARCHERY) isn’t too bad, I can handle it.”

“Ahaha!!” “Hoo—!” The whole audience erupted into laughter and cheers once more. Hatcher, Eva, Hoffman, and the four nominated Desperate Housewives laughed together, twisting their bodies with merriment when the camera focused on them; Mary Louise Parker from “Weeds” was also caught with an open-mouthed laugh.

“All these things have made me realize, every woman is an ANGELA (angel), everything about them is so ANGELA.” Finally, Wang Yang changed the punchline, drawing out his words, “No matter what, good or bad, it’s all done by ANGELA.”

The audience and viewers picked up on the innuendo. Was he making fun of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt again? But Jennifer Aniston truly became the “desperate housewife.” His next words seemed to confirm it: “And men are all ANGULAR (edgy, awkward, and gaunt). Everything with them is so ANGULAR, whatever the matter, good or bad, it’s all done by ANGULAR.”

“Haha.” The guests could not help laughing out loud. The word BRAD is also a term for nails, which are indeed ANGULAR. It seemed that Brad Pitt’s rejection of the “blue gloves” was not completely inconsequential to the magical Yang, who was a fan of “Friends” and loved Rachel.

“We call every couple ANGULA…” As Wang Yang spoke, he paused and then arched an eyebrow, abruptly saying, “Well, I just used the wrong word! Let’s correct it—every man is GODZILLA, how about that? We call every couple…”

“Hahahaha—” He didn’t need to finish; the audience had already doubled over with laughter, many needing to catch their breath. Viewers at home also collapsed onto their sofas, slowly relaxing after witnessing the magical Yang’s stand-up routine. Even if the rest of the Golden Globe Awards ended in tedium, this night was well worth it, truly befitting the history’s most humorous Best Director!

“Maybe, why are there so many desperate housewives in this world? Because men are either too ANGULAR or too GODZILLA.” Wang Yang’s words sent the laughter soaring again, but he earnestly said, “So housewives, don’t be too nice to them! But don’t be too harsh either; you know, if he dies… you might need to start selling marijuana. You decide! Next, we have the nominees for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy. They are…” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on qidian.com; your support is my greatest motivation.)