Chapter 826 - Becoming a Presenter

With Laila and Roy's status, along with the popularity of their film "The Lord of the Rings" this time, they were assigned very good seats, which were also close to the stage.

Janet, on the other hand, was also assigned to this side with the crew and sat beside Laila.

"I wonder how many awards we'll get this time?" She was a little excited. "Do you think we'll sweep Best Director and Best Picture?"

"Unfortunately, no," Laila had already answered this question for many equally excited people, whether they were friends or newcomers to the crew, all interested in that award. Unfortunately, reality was cruel. With just being a trilogy, they shouldn't expect to win that award.

Janet's enthusiasm was doused with a bucket of cold water, and her face fell. "Can't you give me a little hope? I don't see any strong contenders this time! The Golden Globes liked 'Brokeback Mountain,' but I don't think the Oscars will."

Laila looked at her in surprise. Janet's understanding of movies probably began when she entered the film industry, and even if she did understand, it was only at a basic level, not an expert.

Indeed, compared to the darling of the Golden Globes, "Brokeback Mountain," this year's Oscars had a film she liked even more. But how did Mom know? The only explanation might be her uncanny intuition.

They say the simpler a person is, the more likely they are to rely on their sixth sense to judge goodwill or malice.

"You're right, but even without 'Brokeback Mountain,' there will be other dark horses."

"Dark horses?" Roy, hearing her, turned his head. "Are there any films worthy of being called dark horses? I thought 'Brokeback Mountain' was already one."

"You're correct, but did you not notice a film in the nominations that's performing quite strongly?"

After thinking for a moment, Roy thought of a rather inconspicuous film. "Is it 'Crash'?"

"Exactly, that's the one," Laila squinted. "The Golden Globes chose 'Brokeback Mountain' based on the Oscars' taste, but they guessed wrong." What a bunch of comedians, thinking that the Oscars' direction could truly be predicted. How could thousands of judges, who aren't just idling around, be influenced by others on how to vote?

Roy recalled the details of "Crash": "I remember it got two nominations at the Golden Globes, but didn't win any awards. Is it really possible to achieve success at the Oscars?"

"After being in Hollywood for so long, don't you understand the Oscars' temperament? They like the type that involves conflict, contradictions, discrimination... etc. 'Brokeback Mountain' indeed touched on some edges, but its theme is unlikely to garner favor from many judges. It might get some compensation in other categories, but that most important award will be difficult to win."

Roy nodded thoughtfully, and at that moment, the award ceremony officially began.

Taking advantage of this moment, Laila looked around and unsurprisingly spotted Nolan in the distance. She had been engaged in conversation and hadn't greeted him earlier.

Roy noticed her gaze. "Several big-budget films are quite popular this year. Nolan's 'Batman Begins,' despite competing with us, reportedly did well financially, and the collaborating companies are quite satisfied." Whether that satisfaction included bringing Laila in to direct a sequel was uncertain.

Laila nodded. "There's also 'King Kong' and 'Munich,' which pose significant challenges in several technical categories."

The first "Lord of the Rings" didn't need to hope for any major awards. Winning a few technical awards would already be great. So, the real threat to her came from several big-budget films. "Brokeback Mountain" and "Crash" could fight as they pleased; she wasn't getting involved.

The major awards were always saved for last. The ones earlier were awards that audiences didn't care much about but had a significant impact on the film. This time, Laila also accepted the role of presenter, and it was for an interesting award. When the Oscars coordinated with her, they directly presented this, seeming confident that she would accept.

But she did indeed accept because she had no choice.

Amidst applause, Laila slowly walked towards the stage.

Watching her graceful figure, Janet, after being entranced for two seconds, asked Roy strangely, "Did Laila say she was going to be a presenter?"

Roy shook his head in confusion. "I don't think so?"

"Then what's going on?"

They were puzzled, but others were excited, especially the fans waiting for Laila to appear on screen. They screamed excitedly when they saw her take the stage, eagerly informing their friends in various ways that she was about to present an award.

This was the first time! From her first film to now, after so many years, she was serving as a presenter for the first time. How exciting was that! How could their idol be so outstanding? Remember, she's only in her twenties!

"Who knows what award she's presenting next?" Many people asked others watching the ceremony on their instant messaging apps.

Most people had the same question; they also wanted to know what award Laila was going to present. They hadn't been paying attention before. So, as Laila stepped onto the stage and stood behind the podium, within that short time, the backstage monitoring team noticed that their viewership had skyrocketed. It rose so quickly that they momentarily thought there was a problem with the monitoring equipment.

Amidst countless expectations, Laila revealed an elegant smile from behind the podium. "Costumes are extremely important for a movie. Beautiful costumes can add color to a film, while tattered ones can tell the story of the wearer. We have many outstanding designers who shape the flesh-and-blood characters in the film with soul. Let's see which designers will bring us their masterpieces this year at the Oscars."

With her words, the nominees' list appeared on the big screen. And at this moment, everyone finally realized that she was going to present the award for Best Costume Design.

Thinking of this, who knows how many people let out even more powerful screams than before, because they suddenly remembered that among this year's Best Costume Design nominees, there seemed to be someone extraordinary!