The Best Director

Chapter 444: Chapter 444 Reaping Thanks

“Marcia Cross, ‘Desperate Housewives’; Teri Hatcher, ‘Desperate Housewives’; Felicity Huffman, ‘Desperate Housewives’; Eva Longoria, ‘Desperate Housewives’; Mary Louise Parker, ‘Weeds’.”

As Wang Yang’s introduction resonated and the thunderous applause from the audience filled the air, the cameras in turn captured each of the five nominees. The housewives beamed with joy, excited by this overwhelming situation; the ‘Weed’ mom regained her calm smile, knowing that her chance of winning was slim and the feeling of isolation was unpleasant. When it came to the number of drama fans and supporters, needless to say, it was the ‘Housewives’ who held the advantage, having pushed the Golden Globe ceremony to a Monday night.

“The Golden Globe goes to…” In the banquet hall’s small stage, under the watchful eyes of nearly three hundred guests who had just been roaring with laughter, Wang Yang opened the golden envelope and upon seeing the results written inside couldn’t help but let out an “Ah, oh,” before looking up with a smile and announcing, “Mary Louise Parker! ‘Weeds’!” Before his words were even finished, the already exuberant banquet hall erupted in cheers, and the applause and accolades instantly engulfed Louise Parker.

“Whoo hoo—” Including the four ‘Housewives’ and many others, people stood up to pay their respects, with last year’s winner, Teri Hatcher, making a worshipful gesture. Mary Louise Parker, whether overwhelmed with excitement or not, simply smiled and walked slowly towards the stage, occasionally brushing back a tendril of hair from her forehead.

Just as the camera depicted, Wang Yang, all smiles, did not show much disappointment, first because Hatcher had already won last year, and second because Parker truly deserved the honor. It was, however, a disappointment for the four ‘Housewives’ that they could not take the trophy from their young BOSS; not to mention the ‘DH’ and Firefly supporters. If the voices from the TV audiences were gathered in that banquet hall, there would only be booing with various negative emotions—a defeated battle! Firefly only had 12 more chances to win.

“Thank you,” said Louise Parker, clad in a black off-shoulder evening gown as she ascended the stage and gently embraced Wang Yang, hearing his congratulatory words: “Congratulations, this is a well-deserved honor.” Mary, who had been acting for over twenty years and had never quite made it big in movies, had found her spring on the silver screen in recent years. Taking the heavy trophy from Yang’s hands and listening to his sincere congratulations, Mary’s fondness for the young director soared. No wonder he was so popular and had such a way with women; had she been 20 or even 10 years younger, she probably would have fallen for him too.

“Ha ha ha, thank you, that was very funny just now… haha!” Mary Louise Parker stood in front of the microphone, her head spinning with joy that she could only keep laughing: “Oh my God, haha! Thank you, thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Thank you to SHOWTIME and Lionsgate, thank you to Jenji and all the writers for giving me such rich lines, and I know that I work with very good actors every day…”

On the internet, Sina Entertainment’s live blog updated with the news: “Wang Yang presented the award for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy Series, he had a very funny and brilliant speech, unfortunately, the award went to the only outsider, Mary Louise Parker, ‘Weeds’.”

The Chinese fans of Yang who couldn’t see the live video broadcast were getting anxious. What was the award speech? Hope tonight’s CCTV6 broadcast won’t cut it out! Meanwhile, in North America, the fans were excitedly discussing and spreading Yang’s latest talk show outburst, and many had even picked up the remote to change channels, as Nielsen’s instant ratings peaked and then gradually began to decline.

However, it seemed that the organizers had designed the award presentation schedule quite well, aiming to retain the massive audience that Magic Yang had brought!

After Yang and Louise Parker headed down the backstage corridor, Drew Barrymore appeared to introduce ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ followed by last year’s Oscar’s Best Actor, Jamie Foxx, to present Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy, amid applause, he announced the nominees: “She was the first to appear nude on the London opera stage, Judi Dench, ‘Mrs. Henderson Presents’; she was the protagonist penned by Jane Austen, Keira Knightley, ‘Pride and Prejudice’; she was the neurotic guest in her husband’s family, Sarah Jessica Parker, ‘The Stone Family’.”

“She is a unique woman who once turned Magic Yang’s head, Natalie Portman, ‘500 Days of Summer’.” An immediate roar of laughter filled the room; no one expected Foxx to pull that off. The camera caught Natalie laughing heartily, true enough! Hadn’t he been bewitched by some ‘elf’? Jamie Foxx, who gained cheers from the audience for his jab at Yang, couldn’t help but laugh: “Haha! She was the famous country music singer June Carter, Reese Witherspoon, ‘Walk the Line’.”

“`

That was such a long time ago. Wang Yang laughed a few times, wondering if Helen was watching the Golden Globe Awards. It’s quite amusing. “Hahaha!” Jessica laughed uncontrollably, without a care in the world; Natalie smiled and raised her eyebrows triumphantly. She indeed had reason to laugh; she was the woman of the hour.

“The Golden Globe Award goes to…” Jamie Foxx glanced down at the opened envelope and announced, “Reese Witherspoon, ‘Walk the Line.'”

“Whoa— “The room erupted in cheers and applause, as Witherspoon beamed with joy. That’s how it was! This was a hardly surprising result, as even though ‘500 Days of Summer’ received very high ratings and popularity, it was mainly from a male protagonist’s perspective. Moreover, its later release meant that in the various critics’ straw polls, Natalie Portman couldn’t overcome Reese Witherspoon, who had been highly favored to win Best Actress this year, and tonight’s Golden Globes were no different.

Natalie had seen it coming, with neither surprise nor disappointment, she clapped and congratulated, thinking next time! This year, apart from ‘V for Vendetta’ released in March, she had a shot for the awards season with ‘Goya’s Ghosts’ at the end of the year. She had confirmed her role in the March-start fantasy comedy ‘Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium,’ followed by Wang Jiawei’s new love story and his first English-language film ‘My Blueberry Nights,’ in which she would play a woman addicted to gambling, returning to the poker table after ‘MIT-21-TEAM.’

Starring in a movie by Wang Jiawei was something she had long looked forward to, so as soon as she heard he was making an English-language film, she had her agent seek out a role. Even if she couldn’t play the lead, a supporting role would do. Could ‘My Blueberry Nights’ bring her a Best Supporting Actress nomination? Maybe, but she knew that Wang Jiawei certainly wouldn’t be as amusing as Wang Yang. Natalie looked towards Wang Yang, who winked and gave her an encouraging and consoling look. She nodded; they were both young, the “Best Combination” was bound to stand on stage together one day.

“The Golden Globe goes to… Jim Parsons, ‘The Big Bang Theory’!”

When Flame Entertainment’s “five straight losses” left them with only 11 chances to win, the sixth “scratch” finally didn’t disappoint the supporters. The Flame troops harvested their first Golden Globe Award of the night, Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy! After the Emmys, the genius geek scientist “Sheldon” trumped “Leonard” and several strong contenders from ‘Two and a Half Men,’ ‘The Office,’ and others to win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy.

“YEAH!!” At that moment, countless fans of ‘TBBT’ around the world cheered and applauded for the Sheldon who had brought them so many moments of joy.

“Hooo—” Amidst the roaring applause, Jim Parsons grinned and puckered his mouth. After a joyful hug with Johnny Galecki, Bill Prady, Graham Linehan, and others, he quickly made his way to the stage, hugging Wang Yang on his way past the banquet seats. Parsons, after thanking the crew, Flame Entertainment, his family, and friends on stage, looked down at the shiny trophy and said with a smile, “I especially want to thank Magical Yang.”

Wang Yang was bound to be the person most seen on camera tonight; as the live broadcast once again focused on his smiling face, he’s seen whispering something laughingly to Jessica. After the applause for Wang Yang had died down, Parsons continued his thanks, “He gave me this day, and I’m so glad I didn’t let him down… Magical Yang doesn’t often come to the set, but his guidance and advice to me were so crucial, he made me understand how to believe in and commit to my character. That was a big change, and that made ‘Sheldon’… Thank you, thank you so much!”

“Hey, did you hear that?” While clapping energetically with everyone, Wang Yang teased Jessica. Jessica was actually a bit ANGRY now, and gave him a disgruntled look: “I know I’m not good enough.” Wang Yang gritted his teeth in a hiss, cursing himself a bit for getting carried away and forgetting her delicate feelings.

Seeing Parsons’s admiration and respect for Magical Yang, the gay audience couldn’t help but clap particularly vigorously, proving that Mizrahi’s scolding had no effect on Yang’s esteemed status in the hearts of GAYS and lesbians as a “good brother” or “good sister.” In fact, many were hoping that one day Wang Yang would suddenly come out. This figure had a ranking in the top three on gay magazines, with labels like “cool,” “sexy,” “cute,” “approachable,” making him truly ‘charming’ to all genders.

“`

“Damn it!” Mizrahi wasn’t listed, and his hatred for the Chinese lad was undisguised as he watched Firefly break their award drought to a renewed round of applause backstage. As his under-the-breath curses were joined by a sense of overwhelming helplessness, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Is this guy really that popular? Why does everyone seem to mention him!” Paris Hilton and other detractors felt equally upset; it seemed, award or not, the night belonged to him… Damn it!

After Parsons left the stage, Emma Thompson, a 45-year-old British talent, stepped up to introduce “Pride and Prejudice.” She praised the film and then joked, “To be honest, I wasn’t particularly keen on introducing this film, since I’ve also starred in a Jane Austen adaptation. But they told me, ‘This film is going to be different because everyone is so young.’ I asked them, ‘What do you mean by young?’ Suddenly I remembered my teenage years at 35. They replied, ‘The film’s protagonists are the same age as those in the novel.’ I simply couldn’t bear it after hearing that.”

Her words prompted laughter from the audience. Thompson was the screenwriter and star of the 1995 Ang Lee-directed adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility” when she was already 35; she was an additional screenwriter for “Pride and Prejudice.”

As Thompson spoke the first part of her speech, the screen showed Ang Lee laughing heartily. Even though he led the highly popular team behind “Brokeback Mountain,” he had only appeared on screen twice so far due to lack of audience focus. Not only him, even “big mouth princess” Anne Hathaway, his table companion, hadn’t been featured at all. With nearly three hundred guests spanning young and old stars, Oscars actors, actresses, and Best Directors all crowded together, how could the cameras catch everyone?

Hathaway, neither a nominee nor an award presenter/performer, got her entry through a collective donation of passes by the “Brokeback Mountain” crew, including Ang Lee and all contenders who didn’t bring partners, choosing instead to allocate tickets to crew members. Thus, Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams naturally were among those who donated. Hence, Chinese viewers who were eagerly watching Stephen Chow, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Kaige, and even Russell Crowe found it tough to get any screen time.

Yet, as joyous for Wang Yang’s fans as it was annoying for his critics, when Thompson asked, “What do you mean by young?” the director immediately cut to Wang Yang, eliciting a wave of laughter across the hall. No one knew how many times he had appeared on screen that night, but it was clear he had the most screen time of anyone there.

Next, Jonathan Rhys Meyers won Best Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film for “Elvis,” with presenters Eric Bana and Kate Beckinsale handing over the honor. The pair continued to unveil the Best Actress in the same category, with S. Epatha Merkerson from “Lackawanna Blues” taking the trophy. Perhaps unexpectedly overwhelmed, she tearfully spoke her thanks: “This is insane; I’m 53, and this is my first lead role in a film. I feel like I’m 16, yet my body reminds me that I’m quite old…” drawing cheers and applause from the audience.

With only two major TV categories left—Best Drama Series and Best Musical/Comedy Series—Tim Robbins took the stage to introduce “The Constant Gardener,” followed by Harrison Ford and Virginia Madsen presenting the Best Screenplay!

The five nominated screenplays each dealt with completely different themes, each a stroke of genius. A white-bearded Harrison Ford said, while Madsen promptly introduced, “The nominees for Best Screenplay include ‘Match Point’ by Woody Allen;” the sour-faced old man did not attend these events he usually disliked; ” ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ by George Clooney and Grant Heslov;” in the live broadcast, Clooney jokingly planted a wolf’s kiss on Heslov; ” ‘Munich’ by Tony Kushner & Eric Roth;” the applause continued.

” ‘Brokeback Mountain’ by Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana;” with Ford’s voice, the audience’s cheering suddenly turned thunderous; ” ‘Firefly’ by Wang Yang & Joss Whedon.” Wang Yang was back on screen, this time with Joss Whedon, who turned away from his attempted kiss, much to the chagrin of numerous GAY viewers, while Whedon’s round face was filled with smiles. At this moment, the thunderous applause and cheers broke all limits and soared, “Woohoo—”

Ford, nonchalantly taking out a wine glass and handing it to Madsen, provoked laughter from the audience. With Madsen striking a pose like a wine lady, Ford opened the envelope and announced, “The Golden Globe goes to Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana for ‘Brokeback Mountain.'”

“Hoo-hoo—” Along with the joyous noises from the room, the solemn guitar music from “Brokeback Mountain” played. McMurtry and Ossana, along with Ang Lee and others, joyously stood to congratulate each other. The pair was prudent as they received the trophy on stage, apparently not used to being part of such globally broadcast festivities. Ossana took out a written speech and said, “I’m a writer, so I had to write down what I’m going to say.”

The audience showed their understanding with applause as she read in an even voice, “I sincerely thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for your favorable reviews of ‘Brokeback Mountain’ and for bestowing upon us this honor. Thanks to the immensely talented original author, Annie Proulx, thanks to our beloved master, Ang Lee, thanks to James and David, thanks to the incredibly indescribable Wang Yang, thanks to Flame Entertainment. Thanks to my good friend Michael Costner… Thanks to our unbelievable cast—Heath, Jack, Anne, Michelle, and everyone else—I love you, you’re like my family, my children. Thanks to everyone who worked hard for the film, thank you! Thanks to my brilliant partner Larry McMurtry and finally, thanks to my family, friends, and my daughter Sara, I am truly grateful to you all.”

Although she was reading from a script, her sincerity won a round of applause and cheers from the audience: “Hu hu!” “Wow—”

Next it was McMurtry’s turn to give thanks. The 69-year-old famous novelist and playwright wasn’t as nervous, standing with his hands behind his back, he said, “My partner’s thank-you speech was perfect, so I basically don’t need to thank anyone else, just my lawyers Robert and Gregg.” Laughter filled the room, and the old man continued, “Thanks to my grandchildren for the inspiration, but I especially want to thank my typewriter. My typewriter is a Hermes 3000 model, the best in Europe. And ladies and gentlemen, do you believe it? I’ve used this typewriter for over 30 years, and it has kept me away from computers.”

“Haha!” Laughter erupted in the banquet hall, and Wang Yang feigned surprise as he loudly asked, “Isn’t this an advertisement? It’s not an advertisement, is it?” Natalie pursed her lips in response, “I don’t think it is, unless you also use a typewriter.” Wang Yang exclaimed, “Yes, I do! Brother 325 typewriter, so the Hermes 3000 model is better?” Jessica looked at him amused, unable to resist exposing his charade: “It’s a joke!” Wang Yang had a sudden realization, “Oh! It’s a joke, thanks for the reminder, haha!” Jessica, Natalie, and others couldn’t help but smile, and Jessica took his wine glass away. He couldn’t drink anymore.

In fact, Wang Yang’s mind was very clear, truly clear, not the kind of clear that a drunk claims when they say “I’m not drunk.” He was just in high spirits. For all the hard-working comrades at Flame, it was bound to be a wonderful night.

Despite “Firefly’s” loss, fans could still take solace in the fact that Flame had captured its second major award of the evening! The tension rose once more as Josh Duhamel and Jill Hennessy came on to present the award for Best Series, Musical or Comedy. Last year’s winner was “Desperate Housewives,” and this year, it faced stiff competition from “Weeds” and the much-hyped but lacking in-depth “The Big Bang Theory.” Who would be the winner?

“And the Golden Globe goes to…” Watching Hennessy open the envelope on screen, the audience tensed up; die-hard fans like Evelyn repeated “TBBT” under their breath, Rachel stared at the stage murmuring the name, “The Big Bang Theory!” Natalie remained expressionless; Jessica held her breath, there were so many reasons for scientists to win—changing human life, landing on the moon, inventing the universe, inventing time… until they heard Hennessy read, “Desperate Housewives!” Jessica’s head dropped immediately, “Now I’m a desperate housewife.”

“Ah!” Fans of “TBBT” like Evelyn and Clair were naturally disappointed. What on earth were those foreign judges thinking! Although Flame took home its third major award, Rachel couldn’t help but shake her head slightly while clapping.

“Hu hu—” Regardless of the attendees’ emotions, the banquet hall was filled with cheers and excitement, the cast of “Desperate Housewives” congratulated each other with joy.

Ignoring the voiceover saying “The creator and executive producer Marc Cherry of ‘Desperate Housewives’ is coming up to accept the award,” Cherry motioned for including all four housewives and all present creators and actors from “DH” to join him on stage. As they passed by Wang Yang, Cherry excitedly pulled him along to join them. Wang Yang hugged him in congratulations, then waved his hand with a laugh, “No way, I’m with ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ congratulations to you!”

“Thank you, thank you!” The small stage bustled with people. After the usual thanks to the association, Flame Entertainment, and the cast and crew, Cherry looked toward the young face in front of him and said sincerely, “He wasn’t here last year, and I’ve always wanted to thank him face to face like this. Thank you, Amazing Yang, thank you!”

“Hu hu hu—” Everyone on and off the stage applauded, the housewives, including Hatcher and Eva, had radiant, charming smiles. Wang Yang, once again in the spotlight, smiled and nodded, the portly Marc Cherry laughed, “Hehe! I’m not funny, but really, thank you. You’ve given us energy. Finally, thank you everyone!” (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qi Dian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)