Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 465 Who can stand this?
京城时间2009年2月23日上午9:00，美国西部时间2月22日下午17:00，第81届奥斯卡颁奖典礼，在洛杉矶柯达剧院举行。

Prior to this, the red carpet walk for celebrities had already begun at 2:30 p.m. local time.

As is customary, CCTV broadcast this year's Oscars...

CCTV Movie Channel, as the only mainland television organization authorized to broadcast the entire ceremony live, will rebroadcast the awards ceremony at 22:30 Beijing time on February 23.

As with last year, this year's broadcast will be in its original audio with Chinese subtitles.

It's not that CCTV didn't want to broadcast live; CCTV had tried broadcasting without delay before, but the results were not good.

If there is no delay in the broadcast and no translation is provided, it will raise the bar for viewers. So there's no point in pursuing viewership. Without viewership, how can you sell advertising?
With the technology available at that time, it was impossible to add subtitles simultaneously during a non-delayed broadcast, which presented another major challenge.

If simultaneous interpretation is used, the interpreters are not professionals and cannot have a deep understanding of the film industry. This will cause considerable obstacles, including the translation of names and other professional issues.

CCTV also tried delaying the broadcast by an hour to allow enough time for translation and subtitles.

However, there are still problems.

With the rise of the internet in recent years, some portal websites and news websites update the latest news about the Oscars online in real time, and even invite guests to provide on-site commentary and analysis.

In the last two years in particular, media outlets such as Singer Entertainment have been broadcasting the entire awards ceremony live and inviting well-known film critics and professionals to Singer's Chat Room to provide online commentary for netizens.

Compared to traditional media and television, this is a very "people-friendly" program format, which draws more people to the internet. In addition, CCTV's move to extend the broadcast by one hour has actually made many people stop watching the television broadcast.

After all, many office workers can sneakily open the website to "slack off" and read online information and reviews, but I believe most people wouldn't take time off specifically to watch the Oscars broadcast.

This resulted in very poor viewership ratings for CCTV's daytime broadcasts.

Therefore, in order to improve viewership, CCTV had no choice but to delay the broadcast by twelve hours or more, and then rebroadcast it in the evening.

The viewership ratings will definitely be much higher at night than during the day, and there will be more time to do subtitles and translation work.

Singer Entertainment also provided live coverage of this year's Oscars.

Their live stream room, also known as the Groom's Chat Room, differed from the live stream of the Berlin Film Festival a few nights ago. Since the Oscars ceremony was scheduled for 9:00 AM in Beijing, they invited two male guests and one female guest.

The male guests are Zhou Liming and Cheng Long, and the female guests are Hong Huang.

Zhou Liming is a very famous film critic in China and a columnist for Singer Entertainment. He was admitted to Hangzhou University in 78 and later went on to study at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned an MBA.

He was once called China's "Roger Ebert" by the Los Angeles Times, referring to the American film critic known for his iconic "thumbs up" gesture and the first to win the Pulitzer Prize.

There's no need to say more about Jackie Chan.

Xinlang Entertainment wasn't really confident they could get Jackie Chan to come, and they didn't expect him to actually show up. They were just giving it a try, and it wouldn't matter if he refused, as they had already found alternative guests.

Little did anyone know that when Jackie Chan heard that Singer Entertainment was going to talk about this year's Oscars in the live broadcast room, he agreed without hesitation.

This was completely unexpected by Sina Entertainment.

It's worth noting that since Jackie Chan won the Best Actor award at the Berlin International Film Festival last year for his role in "Love in the Seaside City" directed by Cao Yang, he has been hailed as a god in Hong Kong.

Nowadays, you can have both status and fame.

Xinlang Entertainment was truly surprised that Jackie Chan would actually come.

Of course, the groom's entertainment company also knew perfectly well why Jackie Chan came: it was entirely because Cao Yang was at this year's Oscars, and he came because of Cao Yang's reputation.

As for the female guest Hong Huang, she was also very famous, being a well-known writer and media personality of that era. However, she also had another identity: Old Chen's ex-wife.

"The Oscars are still in the red carpet process. Let's first have a few guests share their overall impressions and opinions of the Oscars. Who would like to go first?"

Host Zeng Zixing asked, "Brother Jackie Chan is a Hollywood superstar, so he must be quite familiar with Hollywood and the Oscars. Why don't you go first, Brother Jackie Chan?"

"Okay, let me first share my own thoughts."

Jackie Chan readily agreed and spoke first:

"There are quite a few things to watch at this year's Oscars, but I think the biggest highlight is the competition between 'Joker' and 'Slumdog Millionaire,' and whether the two Jokers can win both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor at the same time."

Putting aside the competition for Best Picture and Best Director, if 'Joker' were to win both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, that would be huge news and a massive publicity stunt.

"Brother Jackie Chan, do you think the Oscars will give both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor to 'Joker' this year?"

I've followed many American media reports before, and some media outlets were pessimistic because they thought the 'Joker' was a comic book character.

Both *Batman* and *Joker* are comic book adaptations, and to date, no comic book adaptation has won such a prestigious award.

"I don't know if Jim Carrey can win Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker in Batman, but I think Jim Carrey will definitely win Best Actor for his role as the Joker."

Jackie Chan said without hesitation, "Because this is Director Cao's movie, I trust Director Cao."

Zeng Zixing smiled; he knew this would happen.

However, as a host, one can have personal opinions and biases, especially since Director Cao is a renowned director in China, such biases can be made more "open."

However, while it's important to show favoritism, it's still necessary to listen to other people's opinions.

"What does Liming think?"

Zeng Zixing asked Zhou Liming.

"I also think highly of Jim Carrey's performance. However, from the perspective of the Oscars, I don't think they would give both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor to 'Joker,' especially since this is a comic book adaptation."

Zeng Zixing's eyes lit up; this was exactly the kind of perspective he wanted.

"Does Li Ming mean he thinks Heath Ledger is a better chance of winning Best Supporting Actor?"

Zhou Liming hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Jim Carrey's acting skills under Director Cao's guidance are impeccable. I even think his portrayal of the Joker is more nuanced than Heath Ledger's."

However, Heath Ledger has passed away, and as a posthumous work, this is the biggest plus. As most authoritative media outlets have said, Heath Ledger has already secured the Best Supporting Actor award this year.

The Oscars are very principled; they won't, and can't, give both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor to 'The Joker.'

"Since the Oscars have principles and standards, why don't they give the Best Actor award to Jim Carrey, whose acting is better and more memorable? Just because 'Joker' is a comic book character and the movie is a comic book adaptation?"

Hong Huang chimed in from the side.

"The Oscars not giving Jim Carrey the Best Actor award is simply upholding principles," Zhou Liming explained.

"What principles are you adhering to?" Hong Huang continued to press.

Zhou Liming thought for a moment and said, "It's unfair to other movies and actors for a 'Joker' character to win two of the most important awards, not to mention that comic book adaptations themselves lack real-world relevance."

Hong Huang laughed and continued, "So, the principle of the Oscars isn't about the actors' acting skills, but about fairness? Then why doesn't the Oscars give every nominated actor a trophy? Wouldn't that be fairer?"

As the host, Zeng Zixing was initially just watching the spectacle unfold. The "battle" between the two guests was actually a good thing and beneficial to the program.

However, this is contingent on being controllable and on the two sides being evenly matched.

It was obvious that Zhou Liming was being driven back by Hong and Huang, and the logic in his words had been exposed.

Zeng Zixing quickly interjected, "Relatively speaking, the Oscars are still quite fair. They have thousands of judges around the world who participate in the voting, and each of them is an excellent filmmaker or related professional."

Hong Huang smiled again, but said nothing.

Zhou Liming looked up as if he wanted to say something, but after opening his mouth, he ultimately didn't say anything.

The chat room fell silent for a moment.

Zeng Zixing quickly changed the subject, asking Hong Huang, "What is Professor Hong Huang most interested in this year's Oscars?"

Hong Huang said with a smile, "What I'm most interested in is how many awards Cao Yang's 'Joker' will win this year."

After saying this, she smiled and said meaningfully:

“I remember a few days ago, after Director Cao Yang won the Berlin Golden Bear and achieved the Grand Slam of three awards, a very famous director in China said: Awards are a collision of the opportunities of the times and personal talent. The Grand Slam is a double gift of personal talent and the opportunities of the times, and it is a continuation of the golden age of Chinese-language films.”

He even said that winning the Grand Slam means the winner has joined the ranks of world-class directors, but we need to be wary of the disconnect between the awards and local audiences. I don't know how our world-renowned director could say such things, talking about the gifts of the times and the continuation of the golden age of Chinese-language cinema. Why didn't he receive those gifts? Does he consider himself part of a 'golden age'?

Oh, right, he received the gift, that golden leaf, which made him a world-renowned director. But how can he be so sure he's part of the 'Golden Age'? Director Cao Yang's style is completely different from his, okay?

With such different styles, what can be continued?
Besides, Director Cao Yang has long been among the world's top directors, okay? He already had awards and box office success, and most importantly, he's good at promoting people. Even before he won the three major awards, he was already one of the world's top directors..."

"cough!"

Zeng Zixing was momentarily careless and didn't expect that Sister Hong would start criticizing him so quickly.

The key point is, this is the Oscars broadcast studio. If you're going on a rampage here mocking a certain famous director surnamed Chen, our small broadcast studio can't handle it!
"Thank you, Professor Hong Huang. Professor Hong Huang's views are truly...unique. So, Brother Jackie Chan, what are you most interested in regarding this year's Oscars?"

Zeng Zixing's head was buzzing. What was going on? How did things turn out like this?
If he hadn't reacted quickly and tried to control the situation, who knows what kind of things that Sister Hong would have said.

"I share the same view as Sister Hong. What I'm most interested in is seeing how many awards Director Cao can win this year."

Cheng Long said with a smile.

After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "Joker is a great movie. Its artistic merit and box office success prove that Cao Yang is not out of touch with either the local audience or the world audience."

Zeng Zixing's head buzzed again.

Brother, you didn't let him off the hook either!

If I had known this would happen, I would have taken sick leave and not come to host the event.

What is this!

However, deep down, Zeng Zixing, a fan of Cao Yang, actually felt a little bit of satisfaction!

Yes, he was a little annoyed when he saw that famous director's interview a few days ago.

I didn't expect I wasn't the only one who was unhappy!

But as a host, wouldn't today's incident be considered a live broadcast mishap? I wonder if I'll be suspended and have to reflect on my actions.

Sigh, brothers and sisters, you're having a good time talking, but you're just messing with me!

Cao Yang was unaware of the "accident" that had occurred in the entertainment livestream room where he had a fairly good relationship with his partner. He was watching Tina Fey, the award presenter, walk onto the stage, because the award for Best Adapted Screenplay was about to be presented.

According to predictions from authoritative media, the best adapted screenplay will definitely come from either "Joker" or "Slumdog Millionaire".

This year's Oscars awards were presented in a different order than last year. To attract viewers, the Best Supporting Actress award was presented first, followed by the Best Original Screenplay award.

Following closely behind Best Original Screenplay was Best Adapted Screenplay.

This year's Oscars have really changed; the Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay awards were given out one after the other.

Furthermore, this year's presenter was indeed unexpected, as it was Tina Fey who was to present the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

This person is not only a very famous actor, but also a very talented screenwriter.

Last year, she won the 60th Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for 30 Rock Season 2, and the 65th Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series.

Two Best Actress awards and one Best Screenplay award—she should be considered a talented woman.

However, this year's Oscars were indeed unexpected, as they invited a big-name TV star to be a presenter.

"Oscar, I'm here. You didn't expect it, did you? I didn't expect it either."

Tina Fey started her performance with a joke, then said, "But don't forget, I'm also a screenwriter, not only for 30 Rock, but also for Mean Girls."

Okay, all I wanted to say was to let you know that, as a screenwriter, it was an honor for me to present the Best Adapted Screenplay award tonight.

Let's take a look at the five nominated films:
Eric Los's *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*;
John Patrick Senley, *Doubt*;
Simon Bill Foy's *Slumdog Millionaire*;
David Hale's *The Reader*;
And Cao Yang's "Joker," which just won the triple crown of gold medals.

After five movies appeared on the big screen, Tina Fey continued:

"Although at the beginning of the Oscars, the chairman and the host paid tribute to and congratulated director Cao Yang on winning the triple crown of gold medals, and the whole audience responded with applause and cheers, I still want to say..."

At this point, Tina Fey looked down at Cao Yang in the audience and said, "Dear Director Cao Yang, I am a good screenwriter, a good actress, and a good woman... Oh, never mind the last one, I'm already married."

"Ha ha……"

Even though the audience knew Tina Fey was joking, they still applauded and cheered.

"Really, Director Cao Yang, I also have a heart that yearns for art. I'm not just good at comedy films. I hope you'll think of me when you have the chance."

Okay, that was just a little personal matter of mine, you all understand, right? After all, it's not easy for me to come all the way to the Oscars... Now let's get down to business.

The winner of the 81st Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is…

Tina Fey opened the envelope and glanced at it.

"Wow, Cao Yang, 'The Joker,' congratulations!"

After saying that, he took the lead in applauding.

"Hua Hua Hua..."

The guests applauded.

Groom's Entertainment Live Stream Room.

"Haha, congratulations Director Cao on winning Best Adapted Screenplay."

The host, Zeng Zixing, spoke first.

"Director Cao Yang is a polymath. He writes all the screenplays for his films, which is remarkable in the film and television industry. Congratulations to Cao Yang. It is very significant that 'Joker' was able to beat 'Slumdog Millionaire' to win this award."

Hong Huang followed up with his words.

"Both Joker and Slumdog Millionaire won Best Adapted Screenplay, which is not an upset, but well-deserved. Congratulations to director Cao Yang."

Zhou Liming said while clapping.

Jackie Chan clapped with a smile and then said, "If I remember correctly, this is Director Cao's third Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, right?"

Zeng Zixing chimed in, "That's right. District 9 was the first, Inception was the second, and Joker was the third."

"What a remarkable achievement! Some people are complacent with just an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, but Director Cao Yang not only has Best Picture and Best Director, but now he has his third Best Adapted Screenplay."

Hong Huang also said with a smile.

Although everyone knows who Hong and Huang are talking about, they have been clamoring about qualifying for the Olympics every year for the past few years.

However, the only films from mainland China that have received Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film are Zhang Yimou's "Hero," "Raise the Red Lantern," and "Ju Dou," as well as Chen Kaige's "Farewell My Concubine."

However, none of them were able to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Therefore, what Hong and Huang said was not only a slap in the face to Lao Chen, but also a slap in the face to most filmmakers.

Only Hong Kong and Huang dared to say such a thing.

Zeng Zixing's scalp tingled at that moment.

Should!
Live it!

Now you know how powerful Sister Hong is, right?
Haha ...

Zeng Zixing had already given up entirely.

"Let's congratulate Director Cao once again."

He managed to speak.

(End of this chapter)