Chapter 575 - How Can You Recognize Me When I'm Disguised Like This?

The effect of the live talk show was excellent. With the host's influence combined with Laila's aura, that episode of the program attracted at least 18 million viewers. Considering the replays on the internet, the number of viewers was higher.

People were very interested in Laila and the movie. After winning several Oscar nominations for "Moulin Rouge," they wanted to know what differences there would be in the same genre of musical after being directed by Laila.

Some reporters interviewed Baz Luhrmann, the director of "Moulin Rouge," asking for his opinion on "Chicago" and Laila. Luhrmann had received many honors at this year's Oscars and gained favor from several film companies, so he spoke with a hint of arrogance.

"I don't know how Director Moran will shoot it, but I do know one thing: musicals are not something anyone can easily handle. It has profound elements in it. I admire Director Moran for having the courage to take on a musical. I am interested in what she can create," Luhrmann commented.

While this statement might not sound negative, upon closer inspection, it revealed a certain contempt for Laila. When reporters tried to inquire further, Luhrmann was already pulled away by his colleagues and refused to answer any more questions. However, this didn't stop some reporters from interpreting his words with their own "understanding."

As a result, headlines like "Chasing Moulin Rouge? Wishful Thinking!" or "Moulin Rouge Director Claims Moran Needs to Learn More, Courage Alone is Not Enough" appeared in newspapers.

Regardless of whether the director was speaking negatively about Laila or not, they had all interpreted it that way. Journalists and media outlets, who thrive on chaos, loved nothing more than this kind of controversy.

Unfortunately, they waited and waited, but Laila didn't step forward to respond. Reporters trying to intercept her found that she seemed to avoid going to the company, and there was no activity around her mansion in Beverly Hills. It was as if she had left Hollywood.

Finally, a clever reporter directly posted the question on Laila's Facebook account. This time, Laila didn't disappoint them and finally provided an answer, though it left them somewhat unsatisfied.

"Musicals are indeed not something anyone can shoot. I completely agree with Director Luhrmann's words. I also welcome him to watch 'Chicago'." That was Laila's entire response. Yes, just that. If other reporters came forward to ask, she wouldn't answer anymore.

This kind of official response rarely came from Laila's mouth. While she might be smooth in her answers to some questions, often leaving no room for interpretation, she rarely gave such formal and straightforward replies that could leave a rigid impression.

This made journalists, always seeing the news in everything, unable to help but start pondering. What did she mean by that? Did she think her movie wasn't successful, or did she believe it couldn't compare to "Moulin Rouge," so she didn't even have the desire to compete? At least, it seemed that there wasn't a reporter who genuinely believed she was inviting Luhrmann to watch her movie. It couldn't be that simple, right?

Actually, the matter was just that simple! Laila thought, "You look down on my directorial skills, right? Then come and see for yourself."

She couldn't be bothered by the chaotic words of those people. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to promote on Facebook, she gave a brief response. Little did she expect that the journalists would come up with various interpretations, and she had to admire herself for managing to include so many meanings in just one sentence.

December of this year was a busy month. Not only Laila's "Chicago" but also several heavyweight movies had to be released before the end of the year to qualify for next year's Oscars.

This included several films invested by Faaris, such as "Adaptation" released on the 6th, "The Hours" on the 18th, and "Gangs of New York" on the 20th. Combined with "Chicago" released on the 10th, it seemed that these four movies had the potential to sweep next year's Oscar nominations.

Louise had mentioned the formidable opponents to Laila before, believing that those films definitely had the potential to compete with her, especially when it came to awards, it was an unprecedented strength.

This was all thanks to Mr. Cooper's "keen eye." With him overseeing, Faaris was unlikely to suffer losses as miserably as in the past.

Looking at Laila's indifferent appearance, Louise thought she didn't care about those films. What she didn't know was that with Laila having memories of the future, she was the one who knew best what potential those films had.

She simply didn't care.

Even if she were scared out of her wits, those movies wouldn't stop being released. So, what was there to fear? She might as well honestly do what she could do. As for whether they would win awards, she truly didn't care. In any case, she was sure she wouldn't get any awards, no matter how well she did. Whether others got awards or not depended on their luck.

While the cast of "Chicago" was promoting the movie everywhere, Laila stayed in Hollywood to continue working on the special effects for "Iron Man." During this time, she didn't waste any time and even attended the premiere of "Adaptation" on the 6th.

In her previous life, she had studied this movie. Not just this one, she had studied almost all the works that had won important awards at the Oscars.

"Adaptation" was a very interesting movie, telling the story of an orchid thief. However, it wasn't just telling a story; it included some mind-bending plot twists. Just when you thought the movie was like this, it would open another door, revealing a whole new world outside.

If you weren't afraid of getting an emotional injury, watching this movie was actually quite good.

Director Spike Jonze told the whole story well without making the film seem like a mess due to its intricate plot. The choice of actors for the movie was also of high quality. Although Nicolas Cage had made a bunch of bad movies in the future, his acting skills were still quite outstanding. The other main actors, especially Meryl, who had won many awards and was a top actress with excellent acting skills, were admired not only by Faaris but also by Laila.

After the premiere, when she was planning to leave quietly, she unexpectedly got caught by reporters outside.

"How can you still recognize me when I'm in this disguise?" Laila really wanted to ask the reporter who was smiling and holding a microphone, but unfortunately, she didn't have the chance. She had already been overwhelmed by a barrage of questions from the recognized reporter.