Chapter 287

Charles drove his new Audi R8 to Anne Hathaway's mansion near Long Beach.

"Just a week to the Oscars." Anne Hathaway lay in Charles' arms, smiling.

Anne Hathaway kissed Charles passionately until they were both out of breath and had to separate.

"Many people are saying you're the Howard Hughes of Hollywood, with all those scandals with various actresses," Anne Hathaway said while leaning on Charles' chest, a bit helpless. "Who knows which woman you'll marry in the future?"

Charles smiled and ran his fingers through Anne's short hair, "Did you cut your hair short specifically for a movie?"

Charles wasn't interested in marrying, so he quickly changed the subject.

"In Rachel Getting Married, short hair suited the role better," Anne Hathaway explained.

"Does short hair look good on me?"

"Of course it does. You look great with any hairstyle!"

Charles kissed her on the cheek. It's always right to compliment women like that.

"This year's Oscars, will you attend? It's my first time attending the Oscars," Anne Hathaway, who had earned a nomination for The Devil Wears Prada, asked.

"No, I won't be in Los Angeles then," Charles shook his head, as he made arrangements with Gao Yuanyuan to go on a vacation to Hawaii together by that time.

"Capet Pictures has received several nominations! And The Departed is a strong contender for Best Picture this year," Anne Hathaway pouted. "So many people want to attend the Oscars but don't get the chance. You can go anytime you want."

The Devil Wears Prada had two nominations this year: Meryl Streep for Best Actress and Best Costume Design.

"By the way, aren't you and Emily Blunt presenting the Best Costume Design Award this Oscars?" Charles suddenly asked, recalling that detail.

Anne Hathaway nodded, "Yeah, I even went shopping with Emily a few days ago. Unfortunately, neither of us got nominations.

Emily was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in The Devil Wears Prada but didn't win. Instead, she won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Movie for Gideon's Daughter."

Charles wasn't fully aware but remembered that night on the yacht when Meryl Streep won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and Ridley Scott won Best Director.

"Emily, right? She's not bad," Charles definitely remembered Emily Blunt, having had a close relationship with her.

"That night on the yacht's celebration party, didn't see her, did you?" Charles pondered.

Anne Hathaway reminded him, "She came over while you were fast asleep in the bedroom!"

"Oh, right," Charles recalled. Indeed, he had a wild night with Anne Hathaway in the yacht's bedroom.

Emily Blunt, quite an alluring British actress, Charles thought, should get to know her better if there's a chance.

As Anne Hathaway teased him, Charles made his move, pinning her down and starting another round of conquest.

...

Meanwhile, Capet Pictures' French subsidiary invested in the French musical biopic La Vie en Rose, which premiered in France.

La Vie en Rose opened grandly in 800 cinemas across France, breaking the record for the number of theaters for an artistic film.

French newspapers like Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Liberation gave the film high praise. Marion Cotillard, after last year's The Da Vinci Code, delivered another perfect art film.

"I'm not a sexy goddess. If someone sees me for the first time and is amazed, that won't happen. So, playing an ugly character is no hardship for me. It's great for making movies," Marion Cotillard expressed her excitement in an interview with France 4 TV about playing the iconic French singer Edith Piaf.

La Vie en Rose was primarily targeted at the French and European markets.

Of course, it would be introduced to North America as well, but only after gaining momentum in Europe and through promotions at various film festivals.

Charles, however, wasn't interested in following up. He boarded his Gulfstream G550 to Hawaii to prepare for his vacation with Gao Yuanyuan.

Before leaving, Charles met with Luc Besson in the USA to discuss the new movie Taken.

However, Luc Besson had to first complete Hitman before starting the project in the second half of the year.

Charles didn't mind. EuropaCorp's filming style often mirrored Hollywood's, with shooting locations outside of France.

As Taken would be a Franco-American co-production, Charles was confident given Luc Besson's reputation as the "Steven Spielberg of France."

Simultaneously, another EuropaCorp movie, Taxi 4, premiered alongside La Vie en Rose. As the final installment in the series, it maintained its high-quality action comedy standard.

Luc Besson's skill in making action films was as impressive as his notorious reputation for his love exploits.

The first three Taxi movies starred Marion Cotillard as the lead. However, four years had passed since the last film, and Marion had exited the series.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.