Chapter 385

There was no problem for Gwyneth to be nominated for Best Actress for "A Beautiful Mind." Alicia's scenes in the movie were not inferior to Nash's. In his memory, the reason why Jennifer Connelly was nominated for Best Supporting Actress instead of Best Actress was because she or the team behind her was smart. In the 74th Oscars in Adriaan's memory, the competition for Best Actress was extremely fierce.

The most competitive candidates were Halle Berry and Cecil Spessick. The latter was a veteran actress and had been nominated for Best Actress six times. As for the former, her dark skin was enough to explain everything. Not to mention that Spessick had already won Best Actress at the Oscars once. It was easy to guess what the result would be. It was also easy to guess what the result would be if a character who could compete for Best Actress went to compete for Best Supporting Actress. Therefore, this was a very smart and forward-looking move.

Not every team could have such a long-term vision. Halle Berry had won Best Actress mostly because of external factors. Although her performance in "Dance of a Condemned Prisoner" was not bad, it was only good. There was no obvious difference between her performance and that of the other nominees. However, it happened to be released after 9/11. The mainstream society needed to unite everyone. Before that, there was only one black Best Actor. It had become a consensus within the Film School to award one or several trophies to black actors. Therefore, it was rare for black actors to get many nominations. In addition, Denzel Washington was more experienced than Will Smith. His performance in "Training Day" was quite eye-catching, so he successfully reached the top.

In this way, since there was a black Best Actor, it was not a big deal to have a black Best Actress. Some things were like this. It seemed to be accidental, but it was inevitable. Those who could make the right judgment were very lucky.

Now, Adriaan directly cut off this possibility from the source. A long time ago, he had gotten someone to get the novel adaptation rights of "Dance of a Condemned Prisoner" and put it aside. Not only that, but at the same time, he also paid attention to the movies that were likely to be nominated with black actresses as the female leads. He had people tamper with various aspects, such as the reviews and cinemas. He also found a way to prevent Spessick from being nominated for Best Actress with "Indecent Love."

Of course, he did all this not for Gwyneth. When he decided to start filming "Moulin Rouge", this year's Best Actress had already been decided. Otherwise, he would not have asked Harvey Weinstein to start PR so early. As for Gwyneth, oh, baby, I'm sorry, but I have to let you wait a little longer.

The main reason why he was so sure was that Weinstein's methods were indeed very clever. Not to mention anything else, just using the resources of AC Media to let two people argue about whether Nicole could win the Best Actress award in the newspaper was enough to enter the PR textbook. One said that although Nicole's performance in "Moulin Rouge" was good, she was too beautiful, which would affect the judges' judgment. After all, it was well-known that biographies or abnormal characters were more likely to win Oscars, not to mention that she had just won the Best Supporting Actress award last year. The other thought that although Nicole was very beautiful in the movie, it did not affect her acting skills, so it should not affect the judges' judgment. The same was true for the Best Supporting Actress award last year. The Oscars were a fair award.

This was a very good strategy. Although the two sides kept arguing, they both tacitly agreed that Nicole's acting skills were excellent, and she could win the Best Actress Oscar. Not only could it constantly hint to the readers that Nicole was fully qualified to win the Best Actress award, but it also constantly put pressure on the Film School's judges. They should not consider her beauty or last year's Best Supporting Actress award. Instead, they should judge her acting skills based on her acting skills. Otherwise, it would be unfair. It was okay to do some things in private, but it was inevitable that they would be restrained if they called it out.

In particular, it was done before the nomination list was released, which was tantamount to an established fact that the Film School recognized Nicole's acting skills.

Of course, this was only one of Weinstein's methods. This year's preparation time was much more abundant than for "La Belle Legend of Sicily." After Adriaan told him to announce the nomination list, he did not know how many times he had shuttled back and forth between the Film School's judges.

Although it was still not a hundred percent certain, Adriaan believed that luck would be on his side. Just like after "Whale Rider" was released in advance, Caesar Cust Hewitt was still able to get the Best Actress nomination. Adrian had a hand in this as well. Bosworth had invested in "Whale Rider" and it was distributed in North America by Miramax. As for the purpose of doing so, Adrian had no idea.

"I really want to see your face now, dear." After Adriaan hung up the phone, he said to himself meaningfully.

The call was to Natalie, so that she wouldn't be upset about the record being broken. Although Natalie on the other end of the phone didn't sound like she took it to heart, Adriaan still heard a hint of something else. After all, he had spent a lot of time and effort on her. How could such a little emotional fluctuation be hidden?

"You have to understand, Nada, there are some things that I can give to you and others." Putting the phone on the table, Adriaan snorted with a chuckle.

Then, there was a knock on the door, and Britney's face popped in.

"Master!" She rushed over with a smile and jumped directly onto Adriaan's body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and acted coquettishly.

"You didn't knock again?" Adriaan raised his eyebrows, then pinched her chin and kissed her seductive lips.

"I missed you, Master." Britney made a face and said coquettishly. Then, she waved the script in her hand excitedly. "I wrote it, Master. I wrote it!"

"Really?" Adriaan was a little surprised. He took the script from her and flipped through it. After reading two lines, he was even more surprised. He turned to look at Britney. She was looking up with her watery eyes wide open, like a puppy that had done something amazing and was waiting for a reward from its master.

"It's an interesting song." Adrian smiled. "It seems that you've learned a lot in the Music Academy."

Britney's smile became even sweeter. She stuck out her chest proudly. "Of course, Master said that I have to work hard. Of course, I have to work hard!"

The song was called "Evertime." Yes, it was the song that Britney wrote and composed in his memory. Of course, because of the different mood, the version that Adriaan was reading now was different from the one in his memory. Britney and Nicole had their own ideas on the lyrics. Although she had studied in the music academy, she didn't have much time for classes. However, the lyrics were really good. It was not as sad as the original version, and it was warm, dependable, and sweet. But someone must have helped her with the composition.

"Good. Keep it up." Adriaan didn't point it out. If they were going to record it, they had to write the name of the composer. Moreover, the song was very good.

"It's for Master." Britney saw his expression and immediately hugged his arm coquettishly.

"Good. Have you given it to Eric? Maybe it can be released as a single in the first half of the year, "Adriaan said with a smile.

Many singers would lose a lot of popularity after studying, but Britney didn't have to worry about that. She lost her popularity mainly because she didn't have enough exposure. With Adriaan behind her, it wasn't a problem at all. In fact, she had attended many events in the past six months since she entered USC. No matter where she went, she always received enthusiastic cheers.

Based on that, she would release a few more singles that could cause a strong reaction, such as' Evertime '. Even a popular singer would face the same problem after a few years, not to mention a singer who was studying in a university. However, it wouldn't be a problem to keep the diehard fans. Besides, Adriaan had more tricks up his sleeve.

Soon, at the end of April, a documentary named Come True would be released. It was about ninety minutes long, and it showed every detail of Britney's global concert last year. "You'll see a more real Little Sweetie," was the slogan.

This move was naturally learned from "This Is It". In his memory, after "This Is It", many singers released their own music documentaries one after another, and they gained quite a lot. Now, 'This Is It' would probably not appear again. Michael Jackson, who got rid of Sony Records, seemed to have recovered a lot. After the new album was overhauled, it would be released in July this year, riding on the popularity of last year's 9/11 memorial. It might cause another wave of popularity.

And 'This Is It' was released under unexpected circumstances. As long as nothing happened to Michael Jackson, there was no possibility of it appearing. In that case, Britney would be the top star of the New Era. Anyway, the investment for the documentary was not much. Madonna's music documentary in 1991 cost less than five million. New Era had more and more colorful publicity techniques. It was not impossible to surpass Madonna in all aspects.

"Great." Britney cheered. "I love you, Master, I love you!"

As she spoke, the little pet's kisses fell on his face like raindrops. But Adriaan made Britney happy, and it was inevitable in other aspects …

※ ※ ※

"Hey, Avril, what are you spacing out for?" The bass player asked after the music stopped.

"What?" Avril, who had been absent-minded, finally came back to her senses. "Oh, sorry, I thought of something."

"You've been like this for a few days. What happened?" The drummer interrupted and asked.

"Don't tell me you're on a date with some lucky guy." Someone teased, and it immediately caused a low burst of laughter.

"All right, guys, stop nagging." Avril forced a smile and put on a carefree look. "I know I haven't been in a good state recently. I'll adjust as soon as possible, so let's call it a day. Anyway, we have plenty of time, and the songs are almost finished. Take your time. Inspiration doesn't come easily."

Even so, she could not help but sigh heavily as she packed up her things and prepared to leave. Avril had been very upset recently, and the cause was the overwhelming news that Laura Krau had made Adriaan based on the image of Kate Beckinsale, and the report that Kate's daughter, Lily, was likely Adriaan's child.

At first, Avril didn't believe it, but when the same thing was repeatedly mentioned in her ears, and the judgment she heard in her daily life was "very likely", even if it was fake, it would still be suspicious. Moreover, the media seemed to have a certain amount of evidence in their hands, and the process of deduction was very credible. So she suddenly realized that although she had dated Adriaan many times, and had been to his luxurious office at AC Media and his mansion on Beverly Hills, she still did not know him well enough.

Could it be true? Avril had asked herself this question more than once, but every time, she would not get an answer. Just like how she had asked Adriaan not to have any contact with other women if he wanted to date her, she subconsciously did not believe it. After all, he was a famous playboy.

It was not that she had not thought of asking Adriaan face to face. She believed that he would not hide anything from her, but every time the words came to her mouth, she could not bring herself to say it. Then, under Adriaan's gentle care and the sweet playfulness between lovers, she could not bring herself to say it. Perhaps he was worried that she would not be able to accept the truth? Avril did not know.

Damn it, I can't do this! Otherwise, I will go crazy! Avril thought as she packed her things and handed them to her assistant.

"Rhett, remember to send this to Eric. Adriaan is going to discuss this with him later." After leaving the room, Avril suddenly heard this sentence.

Looking towards the direction of the voice, she saw an employee that she often saw hurriedly walking to the other side of the corridor. This action made her raise her eyebrows. What did they just say? Eric is going to discuss something with Eide? So, Eide is at the recording company?

After hesitating for a few seconds, Avril then asked her assistant to go to the parking lot first. In the next few days, she would be busy with the new song, and Adriaan also had to prepare for the Oscars. It was very likely that they would not see each other for a few days. After all, they had not even celebrated Valentine's Day, so she felt that it was necessary for her to go and talk to Adriaan. Although he did not have an office here, he had a dedicated lounge, and under normal circumstances, he would definitely be there.

After passing through a few corridors, Avril soon saw the dedicated lounge. There was no one in the corridor outside, and the door was ajar. She did not think too much and walked over. Just as she was about to reach out and knock on the door, the scene that she saw through the crack of the door made her body extremely stiff.

On the sofa inside, Britney, wearing a pair of small boots, tight-fitting pants, and a narrow long-sleeved dress, was riding on Adriaan's lap. Her hands were around Adriaan's neck, and she was talking to him intimately, giving him kisses from time to time. Adriaan was also smiling and chatting with her, his hands pinching her chin, waist, and perky butt from time to time. It was both similar and different from when he was with her.

Avril's head buzzed, and her limbs went cold. She had heard a lot of rumors in the company. Several popular singers, such as Britney Spears, Christina Aquilina, and Jessica Simpson, were very intimate with Adriaan, especially Britney and Christina. It could be said that Adriaan had singlehandedly discovered and made them famous. Many people said that they had slept with him, but she stubbornly refused to believe it. She did not expect to see this scene here today.

Calm down, I have to calm down. No matter what is going on, I have to calm down! Avril kept telling herself in her head, but the feeling of being deceived made the fire in her heart burn incessantly. Moreover, the words kept coming from inside.

"Very interesting lyrics and music. It seems that you have learned a lot in the music academy."

"This song was written for the master."

"It can be released as a single."

Bastard! How can you do this! Bastard! Avril clenched her teeth tightly. For a few minutes, she really wanted to rush in and slap the man. The image of her leaning on him under the sun, playing the guitar while discussing music suddenly shattered in her mind. He did not only give her his gentleness. She was just fooling herself by not believing him.

However, she wanted to turn around and leave the place. She did not want to see the disgusting image, but she could not move her legs no matter how hard she tried. Until there was a creak. She had leaned too close and accidentally knocked on the half-closed door. The man and woman in the room looked over in shock.

Avril could finally move her legs. She did not want to see the expression on Adriaan's face when he saw her. She immediately turned around and walked away quickly. She went to the parking lot and sat in her car. Her voice suddenly became a little hoarse. "Drive, go back!"

Perhaps because of her gloomy expression, the assistant did not say anything. He only drove carefully, silently sending her back to the apartment.

Bang. After the door slammed behind her, the girl, who had been holding back her tears, leaned against the door in disappointment. Tears finally rolled out uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?" A voice suddenly sounded, startling her. She looked over with teary eyes. Avril could not believe her eyes. She did not know when Adriaan had appeared in the room.

"You know, I have the key." Adriaan saw her confusion and explained. "My car is also faster than yours."

He took a breath and walked over carefully. "Avril, I know …"

"Go away! You bastard! You liar! "Avril interrupted him fiercely and pushed him away." Get out! Get out! "

"Calm down, Avril. Calm down first, okay?" Adriaan staggered from her push, but he did not get angry. Instead, he raised his hands and kept speaking in a gentle tone.

"Get out! I don't want to see you! " Tears kept falling from her face. The negative emotions that had accumulated over the past few days finally exploded. She raised her hands and gave him two middle fingers. She was almost in front of him. "F * ck you! Fuck you！！”