Chapter 419: The Stance

[Chapter 419: The Stance]

Nicole noticed the strange looks around her and, upon hearing Eric's words, quickly let go of her hand, feeling a bit regretful for losing her composure just because she saw a few provocative glances from Elisabeth. It only made things awkward for Eric. After sitting back down, Nicole offered Eric an apologetic glance. Meanwhile, Elisabeth seemed to revel in having the upper hand, defiantly lifting her chin and letting out a proud huff.

Eric gently patted Nicole on the back to comfort her before turning to whisper into Elisabeth's ear, "Hey, don't forget where we are. If you push me to the edge again, I might just make it a bit tough for you. Go ahead, give it a try."

Elisabeth noticed Eric's subtle gesture toward Nicole, and that only made her a little jealous. Feeling a fire ignite within her, she was about to snap back but caught sight of Eric's serious expression and immediately shrank back, muttering something about favoritism, a hint of petulance on her face.

Seeing the once fierce cat now subdued, Eric couldn't resist giving Elisabeth a playful touch on her hand that rested on her thigh.

Elisabeth turned her head in protest, putting on a face that said she wasn't falling for his charms, yet she didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she teasingly scratched his palm with a finger, much like how couples do on dates, her lips curling into an involuntary smile.

In Hollywood, there weren't many secrets, and everyone knew about Eric's shenanigans with a few women.

Initially, onlookers were eager to witness the standoff between the two ladies, expecting Eric to become the laughingstock, yet they watched in awe as he skillfully resolved the standoff without having to change his demeanor one bit. Even Cage, who sat in front of Eric, quietly gave him a thumbs-up.

...

After the brief interlude, the lights in the auditorium began to dim gradually.

Soon, the announcer's voice resonated, "Please welcome the host of the 63rd Academy Awards, Billy Crystal."

Just as the last word left the announcer's lips, an intense orchestral piece filled the auditorium, causing many to instinctively glance toward the cast of The Silence of the Lambs, astonishment etched on their faces. This was the very music that accompanied Professor Hannibal as he was escorted in full restraints to meet with the senators.

The Oscars had never opened with the score of a horror film before, and the filmmakers up for the same award as The Silence of the Lambs couldn't shake the feeling that something ominous was in the air.

Before anyone could mull over its implications, the stage curtain pulled back to reveal two men in white coats wheeling out Billy Crystal, wearing the iconic Hannibal mask. The audience erupted into laughter.

Once Billy was helped off the gurney, he spun his eyes around the room before using the still-playing music as a backdrop to stroll off stage, making his way to Anthony Hopkins, who was seated in an aisle.

Anthony stood up as Billy motioned for the band to stop playing, saying to Anthony, "I prepared a few Oscars for dinner; care to join?"

His teasing remark prompted another round of chuckles from the crowd.

While Anthony might not have had Billy's comedic talent, he managed a simple, "Anytime."

...

Sitting behind Anthony, Eric waited patiently for Billy to return to the stage, his attention shifting once the camera moved away. He leaned over to Elisabeth, saying softly, "The suspense just got a little less intense."

Elisabeth recalled attending last year's Oscars with Julia, where Billy hosted and simply walked up to the stage with no fanfare. This year's antics were likely an intentional effort by the Academy to liven up the atmosphere, reflecting a shift in tone, and Elisabeth, who had extensively researched the Academy for PR reasons in the past months, understood the implications. With excitement, she nodded and said, "I have planned a celebration party; you're coming too, right?"

"Of course, but is that the only party on the agenda?" Eric flashed a mischievous grin, and Elisabeth, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks, murmured, "You rogue, what are you plotting now?"

Eric was about to tease her further but noticed the camera sweeping back in their direction. He quickly straightened up.

...

On stage, Billy had removed his mask, shifting into a serious demeanor as he looked over the audience, announcing, "Wow, here we are again at the Oscars. They pulled me back in."

Laughter filled the air as Billy added, "Everyone seems happy tonight, so let's put it this way: no matter who walks away with the little golden man, Saddam Hussein is finished. I think we can all agree we owe a huge thanks to the American soldiers fighting around the world..."

As soon as he finished, applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

Once the applause died down a bit, Billy quickly added a follow-up, "...except in Panama."

Another wave of laughter rolled over the crowd; just months earlier, the United States had launched an aggressive invasion of Panama to protect its interests at the Canal.

Though brief, that comment underscored Hollywood's trademark mix of political correctness and anti-war sentiment. On one hand, Hollywood staunchly supported U.S. interests, even if the reasons for war weren't above board. On the other hand, it remained a haven for anti-war sentiment, refusing to budge on its stance even after conflict began.

Billy continued poking fun at Madonna, who was slated to perform live at that year's Oscars, before launching into the standard medley of nominated films.

Eric wasn't particularly fond of that segment, though the Academy must have believed that Billy's format allowed for a straightforward introduction to each nominated film, so they kept it as part of every ceremony he hosted.

...

After the opening banter, the ceremony moved to its core segment, which began with the usual Best Supporting Actor award.

No surprise there, Joe Pesci took home the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. After that, a slew of minor awards followed, and Nicole even stepped away from Eric to present the Best Cinematography award.

Whether intentional or not, the ceremony went on for a full hour without mentioning any of the most anticipated awards for The Silence of the Lambs. Instead, the film that Eric hadn't expected to win anything, Ghost, surprisingly snagged the Best Original Score award.

Time ticked on, with Jodie Foster and Anthony making their way to the stage to present the Best Screenplay award, finally bringing some excitement to the ceremony.

After briefly introducing the nominees, Jodie opened the envelope for the Best Original Screenplay, leaning in toward Anthony to read it.

"The Oscar for Best Original Screenplay goes to..." Anthony glanced at the audience, paused momentarily, then declared, "Ghost."

Applause erupted as Bruce Joel Rubin, seated a bit further back, jumped up excitedly, embraced his date, then dashed over to the Ghost team for another flurry of hugs and handshakes. Eric stood up to shake hands with Bruce through Nicole.

Though they'd had their disagreements over the screenplay back in the day, there were no hard feelings now; both parties had gained enough from the situation.

After the Best Original Screenplay award was handed out, Jodie and Anthony didn't leave the stage but instead introduced the nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. Jodie read out The Silence of the Lambs among the nominees, and the camera panned to a balding, bespectacled middle-aged man below; it was Ted Tally, the film's screenwriter.

Eric smiled as he watched the members of The Silence of the Lambs team greet Ted Tally, initially thinking he had nothing to do with the moment. But after Ted shook hands with Elisabeth, he glanced at Eric, smiling and extending his hand over.

Though it felt a bit abrupt, Eric rose quickly to shake Ted's hand.

"Mr. Williams, thank you, and I hope we might work together again," Ted said quickly, nodding at Eric before heading toward the stage.

Their handshake was perfectly captured by the camera; after Ted departed, the cameraman panned back to Eric, capturing a meaningful close-up.

The awards that followed took on a strange yet lively atmosphere; when Whoopi Goldberg won Best Supporting Actress for Ghost, it seemed entirely normal. However, with each award The Silence of the Lambs received, winners celebrated with the cast and shook hands with Eric. Even Jodie Foster, when she won Best Actress again, smiled broadly as she shook Eric's hand. Those witnessing the scene couldn't shake the feeling of absurdity, as if someone odd had just slipped into the mix.

After Jonathan Demme excitedly walked up to claim Best Director, The Silence of the Lambs -- having already clinched Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay -- secured its spot as the frontrunner for Best Picture with no doubts left.

As Elisabeth watched Jonathan deliver his acceptance speech, thanking everyone profusely, he particularly mentioned Eric's name. Reflecting on the earlier moments, Elisabeth couldn't help but tell Eric, "Uh-oh, looks like everyone might attribute the credit to you. Are you going to accept the Best Picture award, too?"

Eric gently patted Elisabeth's thigh, saying, "Why care about what others think? I know how hard you worked for this film, and you earned this award honestly."

Elisabeth clearly appreciated his words but still pretended to be tough, saying, "What good is that?"

When Barbra Streisand took the stage to announce the Best Picture nominees, despite many present already suspecting the outcome, they couldn't help but turn their gaze toward The Silence of the Lambs team.

Having a woman present the Best Picture award seemed to suggest that the winner was likely to be a woman, or at least that one of the winners would be female. Among the nominees this year, Elisabeth was the only female producer from The Silence of the Lambs team.

"...The nominees for Best Picture are: Awakenings, The Godfather Part III, Reversal of Fortune, The Silence of the Lambs, and Goodfellas. And the Oscar goes to..." Barbra opened the envelope, glanced at The Silence of the Lambs team, and smiled, "The winner is The Silence of the Lambs! Jonathan Demme, Elisabeth Murdoch."

The music accompanied by thunderous applause filled the air, and not only did the team from The Silence of the Lambs stand up, but many around them did too, offering congratulations. After all, the film was remarkable, and there was little controversy in its winning. Plus, with Elisabeth's stature, most attendees stood to show support. While privately, many ribbed her with the "Fox Little Princess" nickname, no one had the gall to feign civility at that moment.

Elisabeth, too, stood up excitedly, her cheeks flushed with emotion. Perhaps due to her exhilaration, she gave Eric an unreserved hug and pecked him on the cheek before embracing others one by one. Then, under the throng of congratulations, she and Jonathan Demme ascended to the stage together.

Jonathan had already delivered his acceptance speech and understood that winning a second golden statuette was merely him covering for Elisabeth, so he said a few brief sentences before handing the microphone over to her.

Taking the microphone, Elisabeth scanned the sea of faces before organizing her thoughts and began, "Wow, this is just astonishing! Being awarded this honor is a tremendous blessing -- it's truly encouraging. First, I want to thank the Academy for recognizing my work with this award. Secondly, I must express my gratitude to everyone in the cast, especially Jonathan, Jodie, Anthony, and every person who contributed to this film. Lastly, I thank my father, mother, sister, and brothers."

At this point, Elisabeth glanced over the audience, her cheeks flushing as she grew a bit cheeky, summoning the courage to say, "Alright, seeing how excited you all are..."

*****

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