America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 805 - 798: Lost All Confidence

Beverly Hills, Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

The 85th Oscar nominee luncheon was being held.

Academy President Tom Sherak and host Natalie Portman stepped onto the stage, facing the background screen, ready to announce this year's nominations.

Martin sat at a table right in front, his smile relaxed and natural, without any pressure.

Next to him, David Finch's face was tense, his palms sweaty; in this final Oscar journey, he obviously wanted a perfect result.

And a nomination was the ticket to winning.

By comparison, as producers, Graham and Louise weren't under as much pressure.

The two were representatives of the investors, and without pressure because the film's box office performance was good enough.

"Escape from Tehran" was still showing in North American theaters, set to continue until the end of the Oscar ceremony, having already surpassed the 200 million US Dollar mark in North American box office last month.

As of now, the cumulative North American box office was 223 million US Dollars, compared to the 60 million US Dollar production cost, the commercial revenue was outstanding.

However, the film didn't do as well overseas, after all, it was a very politically correct American mainstream movie.

"Argo" had already been released in parts of the overseas market, including Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

To date, the overseas box office had still not broken 100 million US Dollars.

Including Martin, the crew all hoped to gain something from the Oscars.

The Oscar still had a strong influence overseas, and securing heavyweight Oscar awards would significantly surge the overseas market's commercial income.

Neighboring Martin's table was the "Lincoln" team led by Spielberg.

Martin glanced at Daniel Day Lewis sitting next to Spielberg. This Academy darling had already won numerous Best Actor awards at the preliminary awards.

An Oscar Best Actor was practically within grasp.

This man's artistic achievements in acting were extremely high, but it was better not to mention his day-to-day life.

As a representative of the Method actors, it was said that during the shooting of "Lincoln," Daniel Day Lewis had fully immersed himself as Lincoln, even signing an Emancipation Proclamation on set…

Behind the "Lincoln" team, in the area occupied by the "Life of Pi" team, Ang Lee and Gil Netter were somewhat nervous.

Although they did many crisis PR stunts and continued to attack their main competitor, "Escape from Tehran," aside from the initial accusations of false content reported against the competition, they were mostly reacting passively, beaten to the point of barely being able to lift their heads.

The two were almost out of confidence.

Ang Lee looked at Martin and David Finch up front and shook his head privately.

Even without any evidence that all the mess "Life of Pi" went through was related to Martin Davis, he was convinced that it was the other party's doing.

Ang Lee had a feeling that this man was even more difficult to deal with than Harvey Weinstein.

On the stage, Tom Sherak and Natalie Portman began announcing the nominations.

"Those nominated for Best Sound Editing are, 'Crisis at Big Sky,' 'Life of Pi,' 'Anna Karenina,' 'Django Unchained,'"…

"Those nominated for Best Visual Effects are, 'Life of Pi,' 'The Avengers,' 'Snow White and the Huntsman,' 'The Hobbit,'"…

"Those nominated for Best Art Direction are, 'Life of Pi,' 'The Hobbit,' 'Lincoln,'"…

After nabbing multiple technical awards nominations, "Life of Pi" then received nominations for Best Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Originally anxious, Ang Lee and Gil Netter unconsciously lifted their heads and puffed out their chests, feeling as though their film was back in the game.

The two exchanged a glance, seeing the same thought in each other's eyes: "The email scandal and subsequent reports about the visual effects spectacle didn't seem to have as big an impact as we anticipated?"

Gil Netter, who had been putting out fires everywhere this period, also had a fire burning inside him that no one could extinguish.

He couldn't help but whisper to Ang Lee, "If we could get the Best Director and Best Picture nominations as planned, after the luncheon is over, you should join me to talk with Martin Davis and David Finch."

This didn't fit Ang Lee's usual style of staying behind the scenes; he frowned slightly, "Is that really a good idea?"

Gil Netter shook his head gently; Ang Lee was a guy who always liked to hide.

Everything he did and his goals were deeply concealed.

Tom Sherak then announced the Best Actor nominations, and Martin Davis was once again nominated for an Oscar Best Actor for "Escape from Tehran."

But Ang Lee and Gil Netter both knew very well that the bastard had just won last year, and the character Tony Mendez didn't entail much of a breakthrough; his chances of winning again were not high.

Then, it got to the most crucial Best Director and Best Picture nomination segment.

First up were the Best Director nominations.

Ang Lee looked up at the big screen, ears perked.

"Those nominated for Best Director are, David Finch, Steven Spielberg, David Russell, Michael Haneke, Behzad Dalgh!"

Ang Lee did not hear his name; he looked through the directors' names and corresponding film titles displayed on the big screen one by one, no mention of his name, nor the title "Life of Pi."

His lifted head gradually dropped, and Ang Lee sighed softly; had his second charge for Best Director ended in failure?

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Then the Best Picture nominations were announced, and "Life of Pi" was absent as well!

Gil Netter's hand under the table clenched the armrest hard.

Although it had received a series of technical award nominations, missing out on the crucial Best Director and Best Picture meant "Life of Pi's" award campaign is an utter failure this year.

Those technical award nominations, even if all the little golden statuettes were won, couldn't compare to a single Best Supporting Actor or Actress honor.

Not to mention the top awards in the four major categories: Best Director and Best Picture.

Ang Lee also felt miserable, in his view, this was the second time he had fallen to Martin Davis.

The last time, "Brokeback Mountain" lost Best Picture.

When the nomination announcement ended, Ang Lee said, "Let's go."

Gil Netter nodded, "There's no need to stay here any longer." He told the people at his table, "Those who got nominated, you should go take a group photo later."

Ang Lee stood up first, glanced at the "Escape from Tehran" crew ahead to the side, and didn't exit through the front door, instead heading toward a back exit—a second door in the banquet hall.

Following behind Ang Lee in silence as they left the hall, Gil Netter didn't speak until they were out, "Millions of dollars in public relations fees."

Ang Lee's expression was also grim.

Both men knew they had to explain themselves to the production company and distributors.

The production company had allocated resources to compete for the Oscars, yet the two people directly responsible had botched it.

They left the hotel without acknowledging the reporters who had surrounded them, got into a car, and told the driver to return to Century City.

Gil Netter said, "Looks like 'Escape from Tehran' will be the biggest winner."

"There's no stopping it now," Ang Lee was well aware of this fact.

Of course, they could continue trying to smear that film, but creating a significant impact in the overwhelming public opinion would require a hefty investment.

The production company would undoubtedly not fund this.

Out of his own pocket? Ang Lee was no fool.

Gil Netter sighed deeply, "After so much effort, to end up with such a result, it feels unbearable."

Ang Lee gave a bitter smile, "I'm not satisfied either, but what else can we do? We can only wait and see if an appropriate opportunity arises, maybe then we can take a shot at Martin Davis or David Fincher."

Gil Netter nodded, "That's the only way."

Ang Lee had been holding back for several years to produce "Life of Pi," but he was particularly patient, knowing he couldn't afford to provoke someone of Martin Davis's caliber without the right opportunity.

For now, he had to swallow this bitter pill.

...

Inside the hotel banquet hall, the "Escape from Tehran" crew was jubilant.

Martin celebrated with hugs from David Fincher, Graham, and Louise, and high-fived Tony Mendez, who had come specially to be a spectator.

These were just to boost morale for the next phase of the awards campaign, it wasn't yet time to pop champagne at mid-game.

"Escape from Tehran" didn't receive many nominations, just five: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture.

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Each nomination was significant, even Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing were heavyweight contenders among the lesser awards.

David Fincher was visibly excited, telling Martin, "If I win the Oscar this time, come to me with any project, it'll all be no problem."

Martin said with a smile, "For now, there's only 'Split'."

At this point, he suddenly thought of Joker, a film genre that also seemed to fit David Fincher's style.

There was no hurry now, conversations could wait until the project script was ready.

With the combined efforts of Martin, The Nolans, and Warner Bros., DC Films had decided at the start of early 2013 to make a standalone "Joker" movie.

The project had already been pushed to the Warner Bros. review committee, and once the green light was given, it would officially enter production and be announced to the public.

As the luncheon drew to a close, everyone who was nominated, including Martin and David Fincher, gathered in the hotel lobby for a group photo of the nominees.

This was an annual routine at the Oscar nominees' luncheon.

Conversely, those who didn't get nominated were left with envy and disappointment.

Martin mentioned that Warren Beatty had talked about the Academy planning to reform the nominees' luncheon. In the future, the nominations list would be announced in advance, and only nominees would attend the luncheon.

This way, the Academy could save on banquet expenses and avoid some awkward situations.

After the group photo was taken, with Martin at the center, he chatted briefly with Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis.

Martin didn't seek acting advice from Lewis, their styles were completely different; Daniel Day-Lewis's intense method acting was not suitable for him.

Instead, Spielberg specifically said to Martin, "Let's collaborate on a suitable opportunity in the future."

In such a setting, of course, Martin responded with courtesy, "Steven, you're the director of my dreams. I grew up watching your movies, 'Jaws,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,' 'Jurassic Park.'"

The two then chatted briefly.

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