King of Hollywood-Chapter 164 - : The Staggering Nomination List

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: The Staggering Nomination List

“So, you just want to secure a role for Jane as a way to apologize?” Adrian asked after frowning for a long while, still skeptical despite his words.

“Of course, I know every time you flash that expression, there has to be a new idea or concept, and more often than not, you’d invite the person who inspired it to take on the role, which is why I keep reminding Jane,” Dennis chuckled, quickly raising his hands to his head and shaking them when he caught Adrian glaring at him, “Anyway, I do owe her, and overseeing her fitness and weight loss was just a joke at the start, so…”

Watching Dennis gesture and explain, Adrian rolled his eyes and covered his forehead with his hand.

According to Dennis, his acquaintance with Jennifer was quite fortuitous. About three months ago, he accidentally rear-ended a car while driving out, and the car’s owner was Jennifer, naturally leading to a dispute. Initially, Dennis was accommodating, but Jennifer happened to be in a bad mood, so the argument quickly escalated into a quarrel.

At that time, Jennifer weighed 200 pounds and was very imposing in the argument—if Dennis hadn’t been a head taller, he might have been overwhelmed by her. Fortunately, the police arrived quickly and recognized Dennis, so they weren’t too hard on him—thankfully, there were no reporters nearby, and the situation, though intense, did not last long, so it didn’t get blown out.

Afterwards, having vented, Jennifer calmed down, and so did Dennis, and they went to a cafe to discuss what to do next. After several exchanges, Dennis and Jennifer became friends, though Dennis himself couldn’t say why. He then joked about knowing some great nutritionists and fitness coaches who could help her shed the stubborn weight. His words touched a nerve, and Jennifer immediately retaliated; after a few rounds, Dennis claimed that with his supervision, it would be hard for Jennifer not to lose weight.

...

For some reason, Jennifer ultimately agreed, and after exchanging addresses and phone numbers, Dennis began to fulfill his promise the next day, leading to the significantly slimmer Jennifer Aniston at the party.

Most of these details were recounted by Dennis, albeit somewhat vaguely on some points, like the negotiations after the crash, and in great detail on others, like how he supervised Jennifer’s physical training. So, some parts were Adrian’s own conjectures, which is why he still felt there were some inconsistencies.

“Okay, you’re just friends,” Adrian rubbed the sides of his head, “So… what about your Noni?”

“She’s still… cooling off,” Dennis said with a helpless look, “Sometimes I really feel like just ending it. I never imagined things would turn out this way, the endless entanglements, hard to decide… It’s tough, Ed.”

“What’s so tough about it?” Adrian raised his hands, “If you feel it’s terrible, just break up. That’s pretty common in Hollywood. Stay together if there’s feeling, split up if there isn’t.”

“But I do have feelings for Noni, Ed, I love her, and I really want to be with her,” Dennis said sincerely, while Adrian just twitched his mouth, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

“Plus, she officially broke up with Depp a few days ago, the media just doesn’t know, so I can’t just leave her,” Dennis sat up straight, looking very composed.

After watching him for a few minutes and making sure he was speaking sincerely, Adrian raised his hands, “Alright, let’s talk next about your filming in the United Kingdom. Neville is quite satisfied with you, but there are some things you need to pay attention to…”

Let him handle it, it’s all his private affair anyway, Adrian finally thought.

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Time imperceptibly moved into February 1993, the world was still slowly progressing along its predetermined trajectory, of course, there were changes, like the newly released 65th Oscar nominations.

Although many had predicted the nominations and some were very close to the actual list, when the list was officially released, it still made many gasp in surprise or stare in disbelief.

“I think, such a nominations list has never existed before, and probably won’t again, Adrian has created a miracle,” one radio host remarked very excitedly while discussing the nominations.

Compared to the host, critics preferred to express their feelings with complaints: “The Film Academy jurors must be confused, otherwise I can’t think of any other reason to give that kid so many nominations.”

Fans, however, didn’t care much, unanimously expressing support for their favorite director.

“He’s versed in all genres, and he films them so exceptionally well that it’s only right he receives so many Oscar nominations,” they passionately declared in interviews, even though “Howards End” had made many fans feel deceived by Adrian at the time of its release, yet a lot of devoted fans still remained.

This situation arose because if counted separately, Adrian alone received six nominations at this year’s Oscars, and none were joint nominations! “Pulp Fiction” earned him nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing, while “Scent of a Woman” and “Howards End” secured nominations for two adapted screenplays, accounting for four nominations. More importantly, and most envy-inducing, “Howards End” and “Pulp Fiction” earned him two Best Director nominations!

Yes, two. According to the 65th Academy Awards nomination list announced by the Film Academy, the nominees for Best Director included Clint Eastwood for “Unforgivable,” Neil Jordan for “The Crying Game,” Greg Elvis for “I don’t know who he is,” and Adrian Cowell for “Howards End” and “Pulp Fiction!”

No wonder some saw it as a miracle. Though there have been three directors in the history of the Oscars who have received more than one Best Director nomination for different films in the same year, those were very early days, the latest being the 11th edition back in 1939. As the Oscars matured and the judging system became more rigorous, such scenarios had never occurred again, which is why Adrian’s nominations drew so much attention.

This was just one major aspect; getting nominated for both Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay, with dual nominations for the latter, etc., were reasons enough for envy. Apart from these, there were several other major award nominations directly related to him. Although Monica didn’t receive a nomination for Best Supporting Actress, Samuel Jackson and John Travolta did receive nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor respectively!

Thus, along with the inevitable nominations for Pacino and Thompson for Best Actor and Actress for “Scent of a Woman” and “Howards End’s” Best Director nominations, Adrian not only received six personal nominations but also was directly related to six other nominations. Honestly, if the Oscars hadn’t always appeared fairly just—at least ostensibly—and had such significant influence, maybe some would start calling it a conspiracy.

Indeed, some tabloid reporters subtly hinted at this, but few agreed. Nevertheless, this list sparked considerable debate and diverse opinions emerged, almost as heated as the controversies surrounding “Howards End” at the end of last year.

“If they knew you had also submitted ‘Scent of a Woman’ for Best Director, I wonder how they’d feel,” Adrian casually asked Laverne while flipping through the newspapers.

“It wouldn’t get any more intense unless you were nominated for Best Director for three movies,” Laverne shrugged.

“That’s impossible,” Adrian laughed heartily, “Having nominations for Best Director for three movies has only happened twice in the Oscars, getting two nominations now is already an incredible achievement.”

“You’ve done exceptionally well, Laverne, no one could have done better,” he generously praised.

“That’s because the movies were of assured quality,” Laverne shook his head, “Without that, even the best PR would be futile. You truly stand out, Adrian, no director has ever done like you. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact you only shoot your own screenplays, Warner and the others would have long come waving scripts wanting to collaborate.”

“In fact, someone has already approached Roger, just that there aren’t many scripts,” Adrian shrugged, “Besides, someone tried acquiring Bossworth Film Company from Claude, God knows what they’re thinking.”

“It’s because taking initiative is better than doing nothing,” Laverne said with a smile, aware of part of Adrian’s and his close friends’ ambitious plans.

“I wouldn’t mind collaborating with big companies to turn their scripts into movies,” Adrian suddenly said, “As long as the story moves me.”

This was also a way to establish good relations with major companies. Besides, they always had some excellent movie scripts he hadn’t yet recalled, collaborating once or twice wasn’t a bad idea, and…

“You should tell this to Roger, not me,” Laverne half-joked, pausing before seriously adding, “Adrian, maybe you should consider competing for Best Director.”

“Do you really think so?” Adrian raised an eyebrow.

Initially, his plan was to have Pacino and Thompson ascend to the Best Actor and Actress throne, and just having a Best Director nomination would add to his credentials. But Adrian hadn’t anticipated that Laverne would secure him a Best Director nomination last year and make him the youngest ever nominee for Best Director, and then this year, he received two Best Director nominations for two movies. His credentials were admittedly modest, but the Film Academy’s gracious double nomination might just sway them to consider granting him Best Director.

(To be continued, for further details please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters, support the author, support authentic reading!)