Chapter 831

"Ha, it's hooked again." When the swim bladder moved, the old man, who had been sitting by the water without moving, lifted the fishing rod at lightning speed, and a lively bass jumped out of the water along the fishing line.

At the same time, there was a splashing sound next to him. A bass about the same size as the old man was pulled out of the water by another fishing rod, jumping happily in the air.

"Congratulations, Eide, you achieved a zero breakthrough so quickly." Although the gray-haired old man was a little surprised, he immediately laughed.

"I told you, I'm very patient." Adriaan smiled and put away the fishing rod. With the help of his assistant, he took out the fresh bass and put it into the water tank that he carried with him.

"Yes, fishing requires patience, but patience is definitely not the only factor in whether or not you can catch fish," the old man said as he took out his fish and put the bait again. "Let's see how many you can catch today."

Adriaan didn't catch much. He only caught two from beginning to end. Although he was patient, the number of times he fished was very few. Naturally, he couldn't be compared to those old men who lived leisurely every day and had enough time to relax. But it didn't matter. He invited John Campbell to Lake Tahoe today, not to fish.

"The taste is really good. I didn't expect bass to be cooked this way. It's really surprising. Is this … Chinese cuisine?" After releasing some of the caught fish and letting the chef cook the remaining ones, Campbell, who was sitting at a small round table that was neatly cleaned in the open space by the lake and tasted the taste, said with some surprise.

"Yes, the cooking techniques of the Chinese never lose to the Italians and the French. Their imagination in this area has a qualitative leap." Adriaan, who was also tasting, replied. He then made a gesture and asked someone to call the specially hired Chinese chef to meet Campbell. It was a pleasure to do this in the wilderness.

In the West, the status of a chef was not low, especially the head chef, who was often the owner of the restaurant. It was common for customers to ask to meet or even take photos with the chef if they thought the food was good.

"To be able to make such delicious food at such a young age, you really can't be underestimated." After shaking hands with the Chinese chef, who was about 35 years old, Campbell said with emotion. He then looked at Adriaan meaningfully. "This world belongs to young people. It is no longer a stage for old men like us."

"A politician in China once said to young people, 'The world is yours and ours, but in the end, it is yours.'" Adrian smiled faintly. "Generation after generation, it's like a relay race. It's something that can't be changed."

Then, he changed the topic, "But this doesn't mean that the old people will completely retire from the stage. Although the young people are motivated, they also need the experienced old people to help steer the ship at the critical moment. Sometimes, the old ways can often work wonders.

Kanber laughed heartily, seemingly very happy. Then, he put away his smile and tidied himself up a little. Looking at Adrian seriously, he said, "Tell me what you want, Ed."

"It's very simple. It's just a small matter for you, John." At this time, there was no need to be secretive. Adriaan straightforwardly stated his request. "I hope you can help persuade your friends. Maybe they will be willing to support a young and talented girl to get the honor that belongs to her."

"Oh?" Campbell raised his eyebrows and seemed a little surprised. "This is your request, Eide?"

"This is my request." Adriaan smiled and repeated. "Yes, I want more than this. But I already have my own plan and I'm very confident. So, what I'm most uncertain about is this."

"Harvey, this kid, has given me a very difficult problem." Campbell smiled indifferently. "This is not easy, Eide. You have to know that this honor has been monopolized by you for too long. Moreover, the girl you mentioned is too young. You should know that girls who are too young are rarely considered. With these two factors added together, it's even more difficult. "

"The so-called monopoly refers to monopolization, and I can't see who monopolizes this honor." Adriaan smiled slyly. "Moreover, the quality of the movie and the role guarantee the value of the honor."

Then, he changed the topic. "Age is indeed a problem, but it's not impossible to solve. It's even … an opportunity. I know what the academy is thinking and worried about. It's easy for young actors to lose themselves in the applause when they suddenly get the highest honor. It's the same reason why this young man suddenly became famous and even popular. For example, Mary Matelyn, as the youngest Oscar Best Actress, was so amazing at the beginning, but now she's lost in the crowd. Similar things are everywhere. From this point of view, the academy is also doing this as a kind of protection. I hope they can go further and do better. "

Although Campbell nodded without batting an eyelid, Adriaan could see that when he said the last sentence, he squinted his eyes and the corner of his mouth curved up imperceptibly. He was obviously very satisfied with the speech.

"This behavior is undoubtedly worthy of recognition, but it's not used for everyone. There are exceptions at all times." He continued, "Moreover, the academy has been trying to make younger people in the past two years. Not long ago, Emma Roberts became a member. Although the media ridiculed her, it's true that she's changing herself step by step. So why not take a bigger step? Moreover, in the past 20 years, the Best Young Actor winner has been around 25 years old. This young girl is not far from that age. She played the role very well, and all the songs were sung by herself. She's smart and self-controlled, and she's a graduate from Harvard University. I can't think of anything inappropriate. "

"You know, for every 0.01 second added to the sprint record, there is a huge price to pay." Campbell was noncommittal.

"But this isn't about breaking the record, is it?" Adriaan immediately continued, "It's right for the academy to want to make younger people, but not only do they want to make it younger, but they also want the public to see it. We've always supported this, but we haven't been able to find the right opportunity to publicize it. This is a win-win situation."

From the term "we" to the phrase "find the right opportunity", his meaning was very clear.

"You don't have to worry too much, John. We all know that there are more than ten branches under the academy. It's impossible to lobby them one by one, so I only have this request. Of course, if you can say a few words about the projects I need, I'll be very grateful. "Adriaan spread his hands and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

Campbell didn't answer. He crossed his hands and kept moving his fingers. After a few minutes of silence, he finally said, "Alright, it seems that I can't refuse, but I have to make one thing clear first."

He revealed a solemn expression. "I'm just speaking on behalf of you. I can't guarantee success or failure."

"Of course!" Adriaan laughed out loud. "As long as you're willing to help, John."

Campbell shook his head and once again complained to Weinstein, "This kid Harvey always gives me a lot of trouble."

"Don't say that, John. Harvey has always done a good job. Look at how much the academy has changed because of him." Adriaan patted him on the shoulder and then changed the topic. "Speaking of which, have you ever fished in the Lewis River in the northwest of Yellowstone Park? I always heard from Godfather that the salmon there are also quite good. "

"Unfortunately, not yet. That part of the river is very special. To protect wild salmon, rainbow trout, and some special fish, it's usually not open to outsiders."

"It's very simple. I happened to know someone when I was producing 'Brokeback Mountain' in Montana. It's not difficult to get a fishing permit there. Maybe you can try."

John Campbell, who was fishing with Adriaan at Lake Tahoe, was not the California state senator. Although he was also supported by AC Media — although he was a Republican — and planned to run for the House of Representatives this year, it was just a coincidence that he had the same name.

Harvey Weinstein was very good at cozying up to people, whether it was public relations or film production. John Campbell was one of them. Although the Film School had changed some of the rules for him, unfortunately, it was not very useful. One reason was Adriaan's support, and the other was Campbell.

The old man was born in the 1930s and was Jewish. Because he grew up in the era of big studios, he entered Hollywood very early. He had many jobs: actor, screenwriter, director, and even agent. He had also held administrative positions in several film companies. He was the kind of person who was not very famous, but he formed the middle class of Hollywood. However, unlike those people, Campbell did not hesitate to choose a new direction after seeing himself clearly and persisted in moving forward. In the 1960s and 1970s, he had expanded a lot of contacts and was quite popular, so he had a good relationship with the school.

From the 1980s to the present, several presidents had been good friends with him. Most of the core members, who were about the same age as him, knew him and were willing to chat with him. Unfortunately, it was hard to imagine how influential such a person would be. In fact, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was involved in the public relations of many awards. If he could help to lobby, then the possibility of winning an award would be very high.

Weinstein had previously done three public relations exchanges with Adriaan, and the last two were successful with Campbell's help. He was considered his student. Otherwise, how could he be so proficient in public relations that the school had to change the rules for him?

Of course, although there were not many people like him, he was definitely not a rare animal. At best, Campbell was better at lobbying and creating opportunities for public relations. In addition, he was quite popular, so he was successful in every endeavor. If he could get anyone he wanted to win an award, Weinstein would have long monopolized the Oscars. Just like this time, if he wanted to get Natalie the Best Actress Award, the two of them together would probably only have a 70% to 80% chance of winning.

Therefore, Adriaan had personally stepped in. The reason why he had always left the public relations matters to his subordinates or Weinstein was to create such a situation. A media mogul with the halo of a miracle director was personally lobbying. One could imagine how strong the feelings of the target of the lobbying would be. There might be some people who took advantage of their seniority, but with Campbell helping to speak up, there was no need to worry too much.

Moreover, there were many things that Adriaan could trade with. Previously, in this situation, Weinstein and the old man Campbell only had a 70% to 80% chance of winning. But if it was Adriaan and Campbell, then it would be close to 100%. At the end of the day, the usefulness of public relations lay not only in connections but also in interests. The probability of success was basically proportional to the amount of money invested. Although Weinstein was willing to spend money, he did not have many things to trade with like Adriaan.

For example, in the conversation with Campbell, Adriaan hinted that AC Media could further cooperate with the school through him. What kind of cooperation? That would need to be discussed in detail under the banner of younger people. If it was the boss of another media group, the school would probably have some concerns, but Adriaan was different. Everyone knew that in AC Media, he was responsible for the strategic concept, while Claude was responsible for the specific administration. Although he was always stirring up trouble, such as the incident with Brokeback Mountain, he had always appeared in the public eye as a director and producer most of the time. This was destined to make him different from other media moguls.

In other words, this guy who relied on his own works and vision to support the development of AC Media was one of them.

Considering all these aspects, in addition to the fact that Adriaan did not have many requirements, it did not violate the rules even though he had been the one to promote the Best Actress for several years. As long as the old fogies of the school had any hesitation, the well-prepared Adriaan would have a way to turn it to his advantage with the help of Campbell and finally achieve his goal.

Perhaps some people would say that it was not worth spending so much effort just for a Best Actress. Of course not! Although Adriaan said it was just a request, he and Campbell both knew that it was just for show. As long as there was a chance in the middle of the lobbying, he would definitely not mind saying a few more words. It was just a matter of a few seconds. Moreover, Campbell was Jewish, and he had a close relationship with the Jewish community within the school. Taking this opportunity to fully contact them was an important weight in the last step of Adriaan's plan next year.

Things were like this for the time being. The specific situation would be arranged and communicated by professionals. Then it was February, and the quarrel over Brokeback Mountain gradually began to calm down because both sides had expended a lot of energy. Then, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 77th Oscar nominations.

Although conservative groups had semi-publicly stated that they would stop Brokeback Mountain from competing for the Oscars, it was a pity that the film still received seven nominations: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Art Director. In the end, the left in Hollywood had the advantage.

Comparatively speaking, Go Forth was slightly shabby. It only received four nominations: Best Actor and Actress, Best Costume Design, and Best Editing. Of course, this had something to do with Adriaan's arrangements. He did not nominate Go Forth for Best Film or Best Director. With his current reputation, getting two nominations was not a problem at all.

Basically, in terms of the acting awards, he had achieved what he wanted. The Finisk brothers were both nominated for Best Actor, Natalie was nominated for Best Actress, and Kirsten was nominated for Best Supporting Actress after ten years. As for Annie, it was still too early for her to be nominated. Plus, this was a critical moment. He had to wait until she was completely tamed.

However, it was impossible for Kirsten to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar again. She had already won it once. The nominees for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar this year were star-studded. Nicole was nominated for "Kinsey," and Blanchett was nominated for "The Aviator." Although Scorsese hated Adrian, it did not stop him from inviting Blanchett to play the role of Katharine Hepburn in his new film, "The Aviator," which depicted the life of the famous Howard Hughes. Of course, Kate did not have the opportunity to play the role of Ava Gardner.

Although they had both won awards before, and Sophie Oknedo from Hotel Rwanda was negligible, with Richel Vicky from The Eternal Gardener, Kirsten could not even dream of winning. Adriaan had specially prepared this film for Richel in the second half of 2003. He had even specially roped in Ralph Fiennes as the male lead. The two worked together again after The English Patient and created a lot of gimmicks. After a small release in April of this year, the response was quite good. Naturally, Richel was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

She had already been nominated several times before. If she worked a little harder this time, her chances of winning would definitely be higher than Kirsten's.

Of course, the little vixen did not necessarily need Best Supporting Actress. Moreover, there were many people more unlucky than her, such as Peter. The original Brokeback Mountain also had a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Perhaps the academy did not like him, or perhaps he was just unlucky, but Peter did not get a nomination. It was a pity that his performance was better than in the original.

Fortunately, without Best Supporting Actor, there was still Best Art Director. Basically, Brokeback Mountain maintained its eight nominations.

The equally unlucky Memoirs of a Geisha did not get any of the important awards. It only got Best Costume, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, and a few other technical awards. Regarding this, Adriaan also felt that it was a pity. Originally, he had hoped to get Yuji Hui a Best Actress nomination. On one hand, it could be considered a reward for her, and on the other hand, it could squeeze the nomination spots and further create space for Natalie.

Obviously, the Film school did not intend to open up the Oscars even more, although they had nominated Ken Watanabe for Best Supporting Actor last year. However, this did not matter. Not everything could go according to plan. As long as he could achieve his goal in the end, it did not matter if there were some hiccups along the way. As for Yuji Hui, there would definitely be opportunities to make it up to her in the future.

Other than that, there were many interesting things in this year's Oscar nomination list. For example, there was a dark horse, Paul Haggis's Crash!