Chapter 297: The Oscars (Part 2)

[Chapter 297: The Oscars (Part 2)]

After patiently waiting for the applause to die down, Billy Crystal said, "So, Hollywood is a place filled with dreams. Whether you're under twenty or over eighty, if you have real talent and are willing to work hard, you will definitely get recognition."

Applause erupted once again, and many turned their gaze toward Eric, as there was no doubt that Billy's mention of being 'under twenty' referred to him. The camera switched to Eric as it followed the audience's attention.

Eric clapped calmly, a faint smile gracing his lips as a response. After finishing his segment, Billy Crystal invited another group of presenters before leaving the stage.

After a few irrelevant awards, Hollywood legend Jane Fonda stepped onto the stage. Eric instinctively straightened in his seat because the next two awards were the most important for him that night. Although he directed four films that year, Firefly Films submitted both Pretty Woman and Running Out of Time for Best Director, neither of which garnered a nomination.

Thus, the two Best Screenplay nominations for The Island and Scent of a Woman became the most significant nominations he had at this Oscars.

Born into a family of actors, Jane Fonda stood alongside Morgan Freeman, who appeared to be in his forties. The sleek black gown she wore allowed her to subtly showcase her youthful charm.

"This year has undoubtedly been a bumper crop for Hollywood. Local box office earnings have surpassed $5 billion for the first time, and many more outstanding films emerged than in previous years. And no great film can stand without a good script; the script is the foundation of a movie. Now, let's take a look at the films nominated for the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay," Jane Fonda stated as she slightly turned to indicate the big screen. Then she continued reading, "The nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay are: Driving Miss Daisy, Alfred Uhry; Enemy: A Love Story, Roger L. Simon; Born on the Fourth of July, Oliver Stone and Ron Kovic; My Left Foot, Jim Sheridan and Shane Connaughton; Scent of a Woman, Eric Williams."

The images of the five nominees appeared sequentially on the big screen. Eric blinked, transfixed on the stage. Though he tried to maintain a nonchalant demeanor, the intense atmosphere led him to clench his hands nervously in his lap. While the attention surrounding the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay wasn't as high as the final four big awards, these two awards certainly held more significance than the earlier trivial award for Best Original Song.

After introducing the nominees, Jane Fonda quickly opened the envelope in her hand, leaned close to the microphone, and announced, "The Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay goes to: Driving Miss Daisy."

As the thunderous applause echoed around him, Eric felt his heart skip a beat, filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. Scent of a Woman was the likely winner among the nominees, given the usual Oscar snub for horror films. He had considered submitting either Sleepless in Seattle or Pretty Woman for Best Original Screenplay, believing romantic films had a better shot at winning. However, after much deliberation, Eric chose to submit The Others for Best Original Screenplay and let go of Sleepless in Seattle and Pretty Woman.

Despite the low chances of a romance film winning, he believed The Others was a far superior script compared to traditional horror films, giving it a better shot than those two romance scripts. Although Oscar rules wouldn't prevent him from submitting both romantic films as well, it would diminish their chances of winning by splitting the votes.

However, Eric now realized that no matter how he calculated his odds, he overlooked a crucial fact.

Both the Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay awards were voted on by members of the Writers Guild. Therefore, with nominations for both Scent of a Woman and The Others, the voting members might consider that it would be unfair to let him leave empty-handed after receiving two nominations, at least voting for one of the two films. But Eric was also certain most writers wouldn't vote for both scripts; they would choose either Scent of a Woman or The Others.

This meant that, while Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay were different awards, the votes for these awards were still divided. There was no doubt that if given a choice, the more artistically accomplished Scent of a Woman would receive more votes than The Others. So, if Scent of a Woman didn't win, then The Others would have even less a chance.

Sighing inwardly, Eric shook his head slightly, quickly masking his emotions as he focused on the stage.

After announcing the Best Adapted Screenplay award, Jane Fonda did not leave the stage. Instead, she proceeded to introduce the nominees for Best Original Screenplay. "The nominees for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay are: Dead Poets Society, Tom Schulman; Crimes and Misdemeanors, Woody Allen; Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Steven Soderbergh; The Others, Eric Williams; When Harry Met Sally..., Nora Ephron."

Eric's face appeared again on the main screen. Although many in the audience could easily spot him at his table, quite a few turned to him to gauge his reaction.

Undoubtedly, those people were also aware of his current predicament. Whether anyone was secretly enjoying the spectacle, however, remained unknown.

Eric ignored the irrelevant stares and simply nodded to a few crew members around him, exchanging reassuring glances without letting his disappointment show.

*****

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