Chapter 192: Collateral Damage**

Ah!

Ahhh!

Boom!

A massive wave of heat surged forward, overwhelming everything in its path. The warm and bright orange light began to quietly burn, seeping into the clear blue sky bit by bit. The sky was tinged with a translucent mint color, rendering all words colorless.

The Temple Hall, bathed in the spotlight, erupted with a dazzling glow.

For a moment, it was hard to tell whether the grandeur and magnificence before them were due to the brilliance of the Vanity Fair or the wonders of nature.

Eve blurted out, "Shit."

Edgar couldn't help but glance at Eve.

Eve met Edgar's gaze without flinching, staring straight into his eyes, and cursed again, "Shit."

Her forthright attitude left Edgar speechless. He withdrew his gaze and looked at Anson, only to find Anson leaning against the car window, quietly gazing at the sky, lost in thought. Edgar couldn't help but ask with concern, "Are you nervous?"

Before Anson could respond, Eve downed the whiskey in her hand, "How could I not be nervous? Shit! Didn't they say they'd appear in the second half? What are they doing here in the first half, messing up the flow? Who do they think they are?"

"Ah."

Eve immediately realized, "They're giving the Emmys the cold shoulder, deliberately applying pressure. I wonder if this is Jennifer's idea or David Klein's. Shit! Couldn't they have given their allies a heads-up?"

That was a lot of information.

Let's break it down.

The timing of one's red carpet entrance is crucial. True A-listers like to arrive last, signaling their importance and drawing all eyes to them; but even among A-listers, there's a subtle competition. Not everyone can be the final act, so arriving earlier to dominate the spotlight and capture headlines is also a strategy.

For example, take Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe in *Friends.* She's a big name, but she doesn't hold the upper hand among all the A-listers. If she chose to appear during the peak period in the second half, she might not make the front pages. However, if she arrives in the later part of the first half, the attention on her is entirely different.

No comparison, no harm. Attention and buzz are created this way.

So, the timing of one's entrance and where they enter matters.

Typically, an actor's publicist or agent would gather information and make decisions based on the movements of those who "don't have to answer to anyone," ensuring their actor's entrance is strategically timed. Then, they would communicate with the organizers to make sure everyone's on the same page.

Organizers try to coordinate as much as possible, avoiding situations where rivals, enemies, or exes appear simultaneously, turning the event into a battleground.

After all, at an awards ceremony, harmony is the best outcome.

But occasionally—very occasionally—there are situations where rivals deliberately time their entrances one after the other to outshine each other, and the media is more than happy to applaud such drama.

Eve, being a seasoned veteran, understood these intricacies well. Even though Anson was just a newcomer, she still managed to secure a spot—

In the first half, a bit earlier, with actors appearing before and after him all being women, and none of them sharing his style, type, channel, or age. This ensured that Anson would be the sole focus during those five minutes.

This was the shining moment they needed.

Not the final act, not the second half, not a superstar—none of that mattered. A good publicist could create something out of nothing, crafting an illusion.

Everything was going according to plan.

However!

But!

Unbelievably!

It was unexpected, just like that, it happened—and today, it was the ultimate bombshell in the temple hall—Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston appeared hand in hand.

Forget about everything else. All the buzz from the other guests tonight doesn't compare to the "America's Sweethearts" making their first public appearance after marriage.

No wonder Eve cursed.

So, what's really going on?

From Eve's perspective, there could be many possibilities. The most likely one is a rebellion by the "Friends" cast. Whether David Crane knew about it or not is uncertain, but the six main cast members definitely knew.

In the first episode of Season 6, the "Friends" cast protested against the Emmys by all signing with Courteney Cox's new married name, because they were dissatisfied with how the Emmys categorized the six of them into lead and supporting roles. They all stood together, believing that all six were lead actors, with no supporting roles.

In response, the Emmys made a move. In this year's nomination list, only Jennifer and Lisa were nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Not only was Jennifer, who had always been nominated for Best Actress, pushed into the Supporting Actress category to compete with Lisa, but the other four actors were completely ignored.

The Emmys' authority was not to be challenged.

Now, "Friends" has responded again.

Everyone knows that the ultimate highlight of the Emmy Awards red carpet is Brad and Jennifer. That's the key to skyrocketing ratings. The organizers cleared a spot for the newlyweds after much coordination—

An empty seat awaited.

However, Brad and Jennifer made a surprise move. Not only did they not follow the plan, but they also chose to appear during the quiet first half of the event. The audience, who had been eagerly waiting in front of their TVs for their appearance, was caught off guard. Most of them probably missed this moment entirely, and now one can only imagine how the ratings will collapse in the second half.

Do Brad and Jennifer need to worry about the attention?

No.

No matter when they appear, they'll dominate the front pages of all newspapers and magazines tomorrow. Their presence will always be the focus of attention.

That's the confidence they carry.

So, Jennifer disrupted the Emmys' plans. Forget about the red carpet ratings, it might even affect the ceremony's ratings. When the sponsors and advertisers start complaining, it will be a headache for sure.

The problem is, their move might hurt innocent people.

Like poor Jane Kaczmarek.

What Eve couldn't understand was, if David Crane knew in advance, he should have at least informed Anson. Not only is Anson an ally, but he's also representing the "Friends" crew on the red carpet tonight.

Ha.

Anson chuckled.

Eve glanced at him, "You seem quite happy."

Anson's smile grew brighter, "I was nervous at first. After all, this is my first awards ceremony." From his previous life until now, this was his first time at an awards ceremony, and it was live—

Live broadcasts are something else.

And now, it's the year 2000. There's no such thing as a broadcast delay. It's 100% live, which means any little mistake will be aired directly and will become part of history.

But the scene before him was so overwhelming, it occupied all his thoughts, pushing aside any worries about the live broadcast, the nervousness, and the awards ceremony itself. He became calm instead.

"Now I think, coming here just to see the excitement is actually pretty good," Anson said.

Eve snickered.

Edgar, beside them, looked utterly defeated.

Anson continued, "I think I might have a bit of an idea of what's going on. Brad and Jennifer probably didn't choose this moment randomly. Maybe they were thinking of completing their planned work, and at the same time, if they could give me a hard time, why not."

Third update.