Chapter 355: The Decline of the Oscars

"Everyone should know, Heath Ledger was a very talented actor. His performance in Brokeback Mountain showed us his dedication to acting."

"Heath's departure is a loss for Hollywood!"

Charles Capet responded to the media in Los Angeles when asked about his feelings on the death of Hollywood star Heath Ledger.

The annual Oscar ceremony opened under the watchful eyes of the public.

Capet Pictures' Atonement and Juno lost to There Will Be Blood for Best Picture.

Marion Cotillard won Best Actress for La Vie en Rose, and Ellen Page from Juno was also nominated for Best Actress.

In West Hollywood, the Sunset Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard was often used for the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.

However, this year, due to the economic crisis and the writers' strike, Vanity Fair canceled its Oscars after-party.

Charles Capet hosted a grand celebration at the Sunset Tower Hotel, not just for the Oscars but to celebrate last year's outstanding achievements.

"Looks like a lot of people were suffocating because of the 100-day writers' strike," Charles remarked to his mother, Evelyn, while they chatted. A significant number of big stars attended the Oscars ceremony earlier.

"Tonight's Oscars were a joke; they even messed up the interludes. They didn't give the writers enough preparation time," Evelyn shook her head.

"This year's Oscars ceremony set a new low in ratings. The Academy is preparing for some reforms. The number of Best Picture nominees will increase from 5 to 9!"

"Pff, who cares about the Oscars nowadays if it weren't for the good promotion for overseas box office," Charles muttered disdainfully. As the credibility of the Oscars diminished, increasing the number of Best Picture nominees to ten seemed to lower the standards.

"Capet Pictures won Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film, and some technical awards like Best Makeup and Visual Effects. This year's performance seems mediocre!" Evelyn smiled at her son.

"Mom, you have three Oscars for Best Actress now," Charles replied, "Nicole Kidman joined us after all, and she's still pretty famous!"

"The Golden Compass only made $70 million in North America, but your Juno has already made over a hundred million dollars. With the Oscars buzz, it can continue to screen for a while, hitting 150 million in North America isn't hard," Evelyn remarked with a bit of frustration.

"Nicole isn't going to shake off that 'box office poison' label anytime soon!"

Charles nodded. "Capet Pictures is preparing an inspirational movie based on the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. It's one of those tear-jerker sports inspiration tales. The lead female role is really good, Nicole can play it after she has her baby later this year!"

Charles looked over at the pregnant Nicole Kidman, chatting happily with newly minted Oscar winner Marion Cotillard and also-pregnant Cate Blanchett.

Evelyn nodded. "Not worried, are you?"

"Don't worry, the plot is solid. Have you seen the scripts Nicole has taken in the past few years? They were all garbage!" Charles was confident about The Blind Side, highlighting the significant role of a kind-hearted giant.

"By the way, are you starting to close your positions on Wall Street?" Evelyn asked quietly.

Charles nodded. "Freddie Mac's stock price has fallen to a few dollars per share. It's time to pull out!"

Evelyn patted her son on the shoulder. "Made a big profit this time," she said, "I also shorted some stocks, leveraging about $200 million. Bought at $60, closed at $10!"

"Over 80% return, not too shabby," Charles grinned.

"After taxes and interest, I netted $100 million!" Evelyn exclaimed excitedly.

"And you? How much did you make?"

Charles thought for a moment, "I'm still in the process of unwinding positions, but I've already made $3 billion so far."

Charles shorted when Freddie Mac's stock was at its peak of $70 and closed out at below $5.

And since holding the stocks for over a year, he'd be taxed at a capital gains rate of 20%. Charles leveraged $12 billion.

"Expecting a profit of around $7-8 billion," Charles didn't hide it from his mother.

Evelyn's eyes widened and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "You are truly amazing!"

However, Charles also had a PS1 billion loan in the UK due to the purchase of Arsenal Football Club and U.S. Treasury bonds.

But Charles wasn't worried. Another wave of significant income was expected next year because Charles directed Lily Ying to use the profits to buy the devalued Treasuries.

Shortly after, Charles went to congratulate French actress Marion Cotillard, who just won the Oscar for Best Actress.

"Charles, thank you!" Marion Cotillard said excitedly, giving Charles a passionate hug and whispering in his ear, "How should I thank you?"

"Don't worry. I'll be in Los Angeles for a while," Charles smiled. She was the first actress in history to win an Oscar for a role in a foreign-language film!

La Vie en Rose was a French film, not an English one.

Soon, Charles also met actresses Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Keira Knightley, and Penelope Cruz.

These were some of the many who attended the Oscars ceremony earlier that night, along with members from Juno and Atonement crews.

"Ellen, why aren't you growing any taller?" Charles found it amusing that the 20-year-old Canadian girl, Ellen Page, still looked like a young teen.

With a height of just around 5 feet and a youthful face, Ellen Page always appeared like a 14 or 15-year-old adolescent!

Unlike the many other early-developing girls in North America.

"Mr. Capet, I'm an adult now," Ellen Page replied with a slight smile. "Adults stop growing taller!"

"Really?" Charles patted her on the head, "Do you often skip meals? You look like a middle-schooler!"

Ellen Page shook her head, "Nope, it's just genetics!"

"Well, your performance in Juno was great, and it got you an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Keep aiming for that award," Charles encouraged her. With Juno's successful box office, besides giving red envelopes and bonuses to the crew, they also needed encouragement.

"Yes, I will. I'll work hard!"

*****

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