The Best Director - Chapter 437

Chapter 437: Chapter 437: Whose House Does the Flower Fall To?

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Last December 24, the 10th Florida Film Critics Circle Awards (FFCC) announced their winners to honor the best films of 2005. “Brokeback Mountain” swept four major awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography; Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”) and Reese Witherspoon (“Walk the Line”) both walked away with the Best Actor/Actress awards, while the heavily favored “Firefly” came up empty.

On December 30, the 3rd African-American Film Critics Association Awards revealed its winners, with “Brokeback Mountain” and “Firefly” both making the year’s TOP 10 films, with “Brokeback Mountain” at fourth and “Firefly” at seventh. “The Constant Gardener” claimed the top spot as the Best Picture. On January 3, the 40th Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards (KCFCC) announced its results, with Hoffman and Witherspoon once again taking home the Best Actor and Actress awards; “Munich” won Best Picture, Best Director, and Adaptation, while the Best Original Screenplay went to “Good Night, and Good Luck,” leaving the Firefly film defeated in Kansas City.

On January 7, the 40th National Society of Film Critics Awards (NSFCA) results were released, with Best Picture going to No.1 “Capote,” No.2 “A History of Violence,” and No.3 “2046”; Best Director went to No.1 David Cronenberg for “A History of Violence,” No.2 Wang Jiawei for “2046,” and No.3 Bennett Miller for “Capote.” Hoffman and Witherspoon again claimed Best Actor and Actress, with the Firefly film returning empty-handed. On January 8, during the second St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards (SLGFCA), “Brokeback Mountain” staged a comeback, taking Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor; “Firefly” won Best Cinematography/Visual Effects, and “500 Days of Summer” also took home the Best Animated/Musicedy film….…

So far this award season, the frontrunners for Best Actor and Actress have fairly clearly emerged, but the competition for Best Picture and Best Director remains uncertain and complex.

Wang Yang clinched directorial awards at LAFCA, the Golden Satellite, NYFCO, SFFCC, PFCS, TFCA, etc.; Ang Lee garnered prizes at NBR, NYFCC, BSFC, D-FWFC, LVFCS, SEFCA, FFCC, SLGFCA, etc., while Steven Spielberg quietly holds awards from WAFCA, KCFCC, etc., seemingly a dark horse ready to shake things up.

In fact, among the nearly 180 film critics association awards, most are minor, but despite BFCA’s (Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards) brief 11-year history compared to the 31-year-old LAFCA and 71-year-old NYFCC, its “Oscar Prediction Accuracy” has been the highest in recent years. The BFCA has become the world’s most accurate and forward-looking Oscar barometer, ranked alongside the NBR and Golden Globe Awards as one of the three major Oscar precursors.

The other film critics association awards have little bearing on the overall outcome; it’s the BFCA that determines the odds for this year’s Oscars. Ang Lee has already won the NBR; if he were to also take the BFCA, then the direction of the Golden Globe Awards and the Oscars will undoubtedly become clear. Therefore, the media and the fans are all focusing on the upcoming BFCA announcement!

After the joyous New Year holidays had ended, Wang Yang got back on track with work, busy with preparations for new films such as “I Am Legend” and attending award season ceremonies. Of course, no matter what, his angels, big and small, were by his side, not to mention waking up in the middle of the night to take care of the little angel; it was both tiring and joyful.

“Jingle bells, jingle bells…” In the baby room, Wang Yang looked out at the night sky through the window, let out a long yawn, and continued to lull his daughter to sleep, singing with a smile, “Jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh…”

Night gave way to daylight, and the sun slowly moved from sunrise to sunset. On the evening of January 9, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium glittered with stars. Though the BFCA ceremony wasn’t broadcast live, being recorded for later airing by the premium entertainment channel “E!,” it still attracted plenty of big-name nominees and presenters because of its prestige and attention. This included the likes of Wang Yang and his wife, Hoffman, the Ledger couple, Russell Crowe, Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Charlize Theron, Ang Lee, George Clooney, Dakota Fanning, Chloe Moritz… causing the media photographers’ equipment to nearly explode from the frenzy.

“The Best Young Actor is… Freddie Highmore, for ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’!”

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The BFCA awards ceremony was also held in the form of a dinner party, and amid a flurry of laughter, applause, and words of thanks, a number of awards were presented in the lively banquet hall: Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti, Iron Man; Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, Junebug, Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain; Best Song “Hustle & Flow,” The Constant Gardener…Following that, the award for Best Young Actress went to Chloe Moretz, who, with her stunning performance in 500 Days of Summer, managed to unexpectedly defeat competitors such as Dakota Fanning, Emma Watson, Georgie Henley, and others.

Paranormal Activity 3, Firefly, 500 Days, little Chloe was a super popular child star handpicked and promoted by Wang Yang, who was also very kind to her, so there was no doubt she would include this elder brother figure in her thank-you list.

“Thank you, Magical Yang.” Chloe and her brother Tye Duke Moretz went on stage to receive the award, being watched by numerous pairs of eyes from below, and feeling more nervous and scared than happy. After thanking her parents and family, she couldn’t even recall the speech she had prepared, and worse still, she stumbled over her words about Magical Yang! Whether it was the adults’ instructions or her own intentions, Magical Yang was very important to her, so she stammered, “He’s… very funny, very NICE, very cool…”

The Civic Auditorium burst into laughter, and Wang Yang and Jessica also clapped and laughed, amused by Chloe’s comments. Seeing things going south, Tye quickly said a few words of thanks, and the Moretz siblings left the stage to the sound of enthusiastic applause.

The Best Original Soundtrack Award went to Walk the Line; next up, Best Original Score: Hans Jimo, Jan Kaczmarek, Firefly; Best Screenplay: Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain; Best TV Movie: Into the West; Best Family Film: The Chronicles of Narnia; Best Documentary: March of the Penguins; Best Animated Feature: Super Invincible Boss Dog: The Curse of the Rabbithumans; Best Foreign Language Film: Kung Fu Hustle, China/Hong Kong.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Reese Witherspoon were crowned Best Actor and Actress, both almost certainly signalling “must-have Oscars”; then, on the Best Ensemble Cast award, Firefly, which had the highest hopes, lost to Good Night, and Good Luck. Naturally, Jessica was very disappointed; the Golden Globe and Oscar did not have this category, and she had no chance to stand on the stage and excitedly tell the world “Thank you, director”. There was also the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards, the June MTV Movie Awards…

Wang Yang was very aware of her feelings, he silently held her hand, gently rubbing her palm with his thumb; she had been excited about this award for several days and had prepared a witty acceptance speech well in advance, but now her wish had come to nothing.

After The 40-Year-Old Virgin defeated Wedding Crashers, 500 Days of Summer, among others, to win the Best Comedy Film, the evening’s awards ceremony had only two major prizes left to reveal: Best Director and Best Film.

“Hoo hoo!” Amidst waves of applause and cheers, presenter Charlize Theron stepped out from the side of the small stage with the envelope in hand. Dressed in a white, off-the-shoulder gown, she moved gracefully, her smile charming and beautiful. Coming to the center-stage microphone, she said with a laugh, “The next award to be presented is for Best Director. All six nominees have had the best performance over the past year, leading the entire crew in the right direction. They are George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck; Ron Howard, Iron Man; Peter Jackson, King Kong; Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain; Stephen Spielberg, Munich; and…”

With each name she read, the banquet hall erupted in a great round of applause and cheers. As she lastly said with a smile, “Yang Wang, Firefly,” the whole place immediately exploded in thunderous applause, the decibels soaring to a record high for the evening’s nominees, many smiling faces turning toward Wang Yang. Natalie was praying silently, “Yang, Yang!” No one wanted the BFCA to announce a tie for the award, including Charlize Theron, who hoped Magical Yang would win, wishing she could bring luck.

Today, of the six, George Clooney, Ang Lee, Spielberg, and Wang Yang were present. At this moment, their expressions varied, with three reflecting gentle smiles, and only Wang Yang grinning as if he had thought of something funny. The BFCA Director’s Award, an important Oscar bellwether, whose name would it bear?

“The Best Director goes to…” Charlize Theron opened the envelope in her hand, a flicker of nervousness flashed through her heart, and so did everyone in the audience with their supporters, let alone Jessica who felt as if time had stopped, Natalie held her breath, when Charlize glanced at the envelope, her face instantly burst into an even more enchanting and vivid smile, and she shouted loudly, “YANG WANG! ‘Firefly’.”

“WOO——” The entire banquet hall erupted! Jessica yelled out with a “YEAH,” her face flushed with excitement, just as she shouted, “Yang!! It’s you——!!” Wang Yang had already embraced her, planting a kiss on her cheek. People around them clapped and congratulated, not far away, Natalie stood up, clapping and laughing with joy, “Yang, congratulations!!” Then everyone stood up as if by an unspoken agreement, with Clooney, Ang Lee, and others not sparing their commendatory and congratulatory applause, Yang and ‘Firefly’ absolutely deserved this honor!

“Thank you.” Wang Yang thanked everyone around him with a smile and walked briskly to the stage with a light step. He was in a good mood, of course, for receiving the big prize, but after taking the BFCA earlier, he felt this year’s Oscars were becoming even more complicated. But who cares, now was the time to celebrate! Wang Yang arrived at the center of the stage and gently embraced Charlize Theron, and when she tilted her head and turned her face, he politely air-kissed her cheek. Charlize exclaimed, “Yang, congratulations! ‘Firefly’ was amazing.”

Wang Yang took the crystal trophy from her hands and after thanking her, went to the microphone. Looking at the audience who had settled back down, he lifted the trophy and said with a smile, “Thank you, thank you everyone! I seem to see a golden future.”

“Haha!” A wave of laughter immediately arose in the banquet hall, everyone either laughed heartily or smiled slightly, even young ones like Fanning, Moretz, and Watson also wore beaming smiles. The funniest Best Director was becoming more seriously humorous. Tonight, the awardees had all kept it short on the stage, but the freshly minted Best Director retained his distinct “Magical Yang Style,” barely excited, then turning his gratitude into a hilarious stand-up comedy.

At this point, everyone was immensely interested. Tonight’s ceremony didn’t need to be strictly timed, he could speak for ten minutes and no one would stop him. Then Wang Yang smiled and said, “Three years ago I did not get this award, and this year I’ve got it… What does this mean?”

Wang Yang’s questioning words and expression set the people around the tables laughing, followed by scattered applause. He went on, “I think I understand what it means. In fact, they invited me to present an award, but I firmly said ‘NO!’ How clever, they thought I would boost the viewership, so… thank you to the association for the support!” Amidst the laughter, Wang Yang suddenly glanced around and, seeing only the smiling Charlize Theron, he realized and said, “No live broadcast? OK, then why am I talking nonsense?”

“Hahaha!” Seeing him making a move to leave, a sudden burst of laughter rose from the crowd, followed by applause with acclamation: “Hoo hoo——”

“Sorry, I’m just so nervous, so happy, I’m babbling… Look at my face.” Wang Yang pointed to his cheek, slowly stretching into a smile and told the audience, “You can see how I looked in the delivery room, right? The doctor was angry; she said, ‘What are you laughing about? Have you no humanity?’ I said, ‘Sorry, this is just what I look like when I’m nervous.’” A tremendous bout of laughter followed, Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams laughed and chatted, Jessica looked up and clapped with laughter, soon followed by his chuckle, “And at that time, my baby daughter was about to be born, I was really happy, I love her.”

The crowd immediately responded with a round of congratulatory applause, Natalie couldn’t help but give him a big thumbs up; beside her, Keira Knightley felt admiring and aspirational: when would she have a chance to work with Magical Yang?

“Let’s get this straight, if I faint from nervousness now, who will give me mouth-to-mouth? Jessica Alba?” Wang Yang glanced at his nearby wife at the table, frowned and shook his head: “NO.” Everyone awaited the punchline, what was he about to say? Just then Wang Yang looked to the side and asked, “Charlize Theron? NO.” Charlize and a few people were already laughing out loud when Wang Yang suddenly said in a serious tone, “George Clooney! YES.”

“Hahaha!” “Ahaha!” The unexpected joke had the whole room bursting into laughter, with even George Clooney’s wrinkled face showing surprise and amusement. Many cheered loudly, “Hoo hoo!!” Everyone knew that Clooney’s claim to fame was the NBC series “Story of Emergency Room,” where he played, of course, an emergency doctor.

“George Clooney is over there,” Wang Yang glanced in a direction in the audience, his smile quickly turning to a complaint: “You all know about my plane accident last year, right? If George Clooney had been on that plane, would I have been unconscious for a week? No, every plane should come with a George Clooney!” Amid continuous laughter from the audience, Wang Yang made hand gestures and continued frowning, “If every news outlet had a George Clooney, ‘Firefly’s’ box office would be 20 billion, ‘Wang Yang critically ill’? No! ‘Wang Yang dead 99%’.”

“Haha!…” The audience found themselves unable to stop laughing. Even the always gently smiling Ang Lee and Spielberg couldn’t help but crack a smile. The previously extremely saddened Jessica and the anxious Natalie were almost choked by their spit. Wang Yang dead 99%? This guy is really…

He was naturally teasing about the biographical film “Good Night, and Good Luck” about legendary journalist and anchor Edward R. Murrow. And George Clooney, whose father was a news anchor and mother a television station employee, had also served as a host. The butt of the joke, Clooney, however, wore a smile on his face, as many in the crowd wished to be teased by Wang Yang—who would get angry? It’s fun and not mean-spirited; to take it as sarcasm would be too petty.

“Leaving 1% is just in the spirit of humanity, it’s actually 99.9%,” Wang Yang shook his head, sighing, “Why is there only one George Clooney, it’s so unfair.” He winked in the direction of Clooney below the stage, laughing, “He’s smiling at me, but everyone, take note, even if Clooney gave me artificial respiration, it doesn’t mean we are gay. We’re not. You know, if we bring in a chubby kid, we would be a live-action ‘Two and a Half Men’.”

“Hahahaha—” The laughter erupted again in the banquet hall, with many losing their composure. Natalie couldn’t help but applaud; this was the knockout punch! Wang Yang suddenly added, “Feels good, doesn’t it, Heath Ledger?” The Ledger couple was immediately enveloped in the audience’s cheers and laughter, with Heath Ledger looking a bit shy.

“Heath Ledger is a very talented actor,” Wang Yang began to offer his sincere thanks, earnestly stating, “That’s one of the reasons ‘Firefly’ was so successful, and why I received this award; we have a group of great actors! Robert Downey Jr., Daniel Wu, Michael Pitt, Ellen Page…” He quickly listed the leading actors, before smiling, “And Jessica Alba, I can’t even think of suitable words to praise your performance, maybe ‘I seemed to have seen a golden future.’ Not a Golden Raspberry, that’s something I’ve seen with another actor, YOUNG-WANG.”

The Civic Auditorium continued to echo with the audience’s soft laughter. Hearing his words, Jessica felt nothing but utter joy and satisfaction. With his praise and acknowledgment, what better recognition could there be?

“And the crew, Joss Whedon, Valerie Faris…” Wang Yang continued with many names, raising his award in hand, “Thank you to every person who put effort into ‘Firefly’; without you, how could I possibly be standing here?”

Warm applause interrupted the speech. Once the clapping subsided, Wang Yang thanked his colleagues at Firefly Films, his fans, and felt a surge of emotion, raising his award high and loudly saying, “Lastly, thank you to my parents, my family, my little and big angels! It’s you who truly made me understand, what a beautiful world is! Thank you!”

“Hoo hoo—” The atmosphere in the banquet hall reached another peak, Jessica’s heartbeat quickened, her eyes moistened with emotion as she continued clapping, gazing at that figure; the surrounding audience also gave a vigorous round of applause, and amidst the thunderous applause, Wang Yang smiled as he stepped down from the stage. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian () to vote for it and give your monthly support, your support is my greatest motivation.)