Chapter 72: The Real Winner
Chapter 72: The Real Winner
The awards ceremony continued. This year’s Golden Globes had not yet been affected by Eric, the “butterfly.” Aside from a few extra nominations for the two films related to him, the winners list did not change at all.
As in the original timeline, Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama still produced three winners. Michael Douglas, the presenter in charge of giving out the award, looked at the list inside the envelope and hesitated for more than ten seconds without reading it out. He thought the organizers had made a mistake and placed the nominees list inside the envelope.
Only after Michael received a hint from the organizers’ staff did he relax and read the names aloud. “The winner for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama is Jodie Foster, The Accused.”
A few scattered claps had just sounded from below the stage when Michael quickly sped up and continued, “And Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist, and Shirley MacLaine, Madame Sousatzka.”
Aside from Eric, who had already expected the result, everyone else seemed as if their vocal cords had been seized in an instant. After a brief pause of several seconds, no one knew who started clapping first, but thunderous applause soon echoed throughout the Hilton Hotel’s International Ballroom.
Amid the waves of applause, the three actresses walked onto the stage with hesitant expressions. Only after confirming the list in Michael Douglas’s hand together did they finally relax.
After receiving their trophies, Jodie Foster and Sigourney Weaver consciously gave the first chance to speak to Shirley MacLaine, the oldest among them.
Shirley MacLaine was an evergreen star among Hollywood actresses and was already fifty-five years old. She debuted in the 1950s and reached the peak of her career in the 1960s and 1970s. By now, she had already won Best Actress awards from four major film events: the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the Venice Film Festival, and the Berlin Film Festival. Not winning Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival and completing a grand slam was also one of Shirley MacLaine’s great regrets. For some reason, although Shirley MacLaine had received a string of nominations and awards at other film ceremonies, she had never even received a Cannes Film Festival nomination.
Holding the trophy with a smile, Shirley MacLaine walked to the microphone and skillfully began her acceptance speech. “This really is an unexpected result…”
After Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Picture did not surprise most people. Rain Man unquestionably took the two most important awards in the drama category. This film, which had been supporting its box office through awards and the topic of autism, would certainly experience a rebound in box office next.
Unlike in the previous timeline, the current Rain Man had been in theaters for five weeks and had only taken in a little over forty million dollars during the Christmas-New Year period, the easiest box office window.
In the parallel timeline, although Rain Man’s box office had never been particularly stunning, during its long twenty-five-week release, it only took the weekly box office crown once. The rest of the time, it stayed in a state like sneaking into a village to harvest crops.
But fortunately, during that half-year “harvest,” Rain Man neither ran into a direct collision with a blockbuster nor encountered a box office dark horse. Tom Cruise’s box office appeal, plus the constant small awards it won around the world to create topics, ultimately produced Rain Man’s high box office of 170 million dollars.
Now, this situation definitely would not happen again. Rain Man had been squeezed from the start by the still-powerful Home Alone and Back to 17, causing its box office to decline. Under these circumstances, it was unlikely to get a six-month long release period, not to mention that Eric’s Pretty Woman was still coming next.
In fact, it was not only Rain Man. Among the films released during the holiday period, Twins, The Naked Gun, and Working Girl, which originally should have ranked in the top ten of the 1988 box office chart, all had their box office shrink by a large margin compared with the parallel timeline.
After all, there were only so many moviegoers. During the holiday season in the final two months of 1988, the total box office was around six hundred million dollars. Home Alone and Back to 17 had directly swept away more than two hundred million, over one-third of the total. One could imagine the box office situation of the other films.
After Rain Man director Barry Levinson went onstage to accept the award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, the three-hour Golden Globes live broadcast officially ended. All the stars present breathed a sigh of relief, moved their stiff bodies after sitting for so long, and got up one after another to leave the venue. Of course, they were not going straight home. Next, in the other banquet halls of the Hilton Hotel, there were still a series of parties hosted by major film companies.
Eric was just about to leave with Drew when Penny Marshall came over. “Hey, Eric, Fox has a party in the banquet hall on the third floor. Want to come?”
“Thank you for the invitation, Penny, but I’m afraid I can’t.” Eric shook his head and refused.
Penny Marshall studied Eric’s expression. “Eric, you’re not upset because you didn’t win anything, are you? You’re only eighteen. There will still be plenty of chances. Look at me, didn’t I also go home empty-handed tonight?”
Of course Eric was not upset. The ultimate goal of lobbying for awards was still economic benefit. Just looking at the fact that both Best Picture winners were films currently in theaters made that clear. And in terms of box office, Home Alone was the true biggest winner this year.
“Of course not, Penny. It’s actually because I have to wake up early tomorrow. Pretty Woman’s schedule is very tight, and I have to seize every bit of time.”
Penny helplessly hugged Eric goodbye. “Then I’ll see you later. You’re so young, why work so desperately? I heard you’ve been busy until late every night during this period.”
Eric hugged Penny. “If I don’t work hard while I’m young, should I wait until I’m old?”
“Wow, the way you said that makes you sound like a middle-aged man who has been through all the vicissitudes of life. I really don’t know where all that emotion of yours comes from.”
Eric only smiled and did not respond. After saying goodbye to Tom Hanks and the others one by one, he left the Hilton Hotel with a reluctant Drew.
After starting the car and driving onto the road, Eric glanced at Drew, who sat gloomily in the passenger seat, and smiled. “All right, girl, stop pouting. You didn’t bring spare clothes. If you went to the party and accidentally dirtied the gown, we’d have to pay full price for it.”
Drew wrinkled her little nose and imitated Penny Marshall’s tone as she teased him. “Wow, the way you said that makes you sound like a middle-aged man who haggles over every penny. I really don’t know why you earn so much money.”
“Now that you mention it, I remember something.” Eric frowned slightly and looked up and down at the girl sitting improperly in the passenger seat. “The day before yesterday, I received the bill for the credit card I gave you. I didn’t expect you to be so good at spending money. Looks like tomorrow I need to have Kapoor take you for a drug test. If you disappoint me…”
Drew showed not the slightest worry. Her small body leaned closer, her eyes eager to try. “Eric, what are you going to do? Lock me in the basement, give me no clothes, no food, and use whips, dripping wax, a wooden horse… Wow, I didn’t expect you to be so wicked. I’m not even an adult yet.”
“…”
“All right, all right, I’ll confess. Before Christmas, when you weren’t home, I invited some classmates over for a party and accidentally spent a little too much.”
Eric’s expression eased slightly, but he still asked, “Does one party need that much money?”
“It’s all your fault.” The girl instantly became righteous. “You and Aniston made that beautiful street photo to anger me, so in a moment of impulse, I had the specialty store deliver a case of 1953 Pétrus.”
Pétrus. 1953. And a whole damn case.
He really wanted to use the method the girl had just described to properly punish this wasteful little woman.
Eric unconsciously licked his slightly dry lips. “You… drank it all?”
Drew blinked her beautiful green eyes and gently nodded. “Mm.”
“At least you didn’t… use the money to buy… cocaine, right?” Eric took a deep breath and finally found something “comforting” in the situation. “Good thing. Good thing.”
…
Wilshire Hotel restaurant.
The scene of Edward playing piano in the restaurant took place late at night. After negotiating with the hotel, the crew temporarily replaced the curtains with heavy ones that completely blocked out light. Only after the lighting technician busied himself for some time did they create a late-night lighting setup.
“Actors in position.”
In the wide shot, waiters scattered around the restaurant sat here and there, bored as they organized things, smoked, and chatted quietly.
Edward also did not care whether these people were seriously listening to him play. He bent deeply over the piano, lips pressed slightly together, his whole body exuding a thick sense of fatigue and weariness.
The rapid piano notes hinted at the repression in Edward’s heart.
Eric watched Al’s performance carefully on the monitor. His musical literacy was not high, so he could not really tell the level of Al Pacino’s playing. He only felt that Al’s solo was very smooth, and the emotional release in the shot was also very on point.
He looked at Howard Norton beside him. Howard had been specially called over to guide the filming of this scene. If Al’s playing was unsatisfactory, Howard would personally handle the music in post-production. However, judging by how Howard kept nodding, Al’s piano solo clearly satisfied him.
As time passed, Vivian, dressed in a bathrobe, gently walked behind Edward, and Edward’s piano also entered its ending. A smile appeared on Vivian’s face, and she folded her arms as she quietly listened to Edward play.
“Cut. Very good!” Eric called for a stop, and at the same time, he could not help clapping. Scattered applause also sounded on set.