The iron door clanged shut, restoring silence to the isolated visitation room. Murphy pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one, and, seeing Ross's hands still shackled, placed it directly into his mouth. He then retrieved a lighter from his pocket and lit Ross's cigarette. A wisp of smoke immediately rose past Ross's face.
Ross took a deep drag, exhaled a mouthful of smoke, and, looking at the cigarettes and lighter on the table in front of him, said, "You've picked up smoking? I remember you never smoked."
"No," Murphy shook his head. "These are from Downey. He collected top-notch cigarettes just for you."
"Not bad," Ross wrinkled his nose. "Just a bit mild."
Murphy stood up, walked over, and tucked the pack of cigarettes into Ross's clothes. "I've made arrangements to send more in over time."
Ross shook his head, "Better not. They'll never reach me."
Considering the likelihood of this happening, Murphy didn't insist and asked, "How are you doing lately?"
"Quite comfortably," Ross stretched lazily, looking very content. "You and Downey got those guys transferred here. I'm the number one here now, no one dares mess with me."
Knowing the rampant gang culture in American prisons, Murphy had spent considerable effort to ensure Ross's former subordinates, scattered in various prisons, were transferred to the state prison, ensuring Ross wouldn't have a hard time. Though Ross had once dominated the place, it had been quite some time ago.
"Stay put for now," Murphy lowered his voice slightly. "I'm working on getting your sentence reduced."
Ross shook his head again, "Don't bother. For a heavy offender like me, even with a reduced sentence, I wouldn't get out until I'm seventy. What's the point then?"
"Remember what you said when we were locked up here together?" Murphy reminded him. "You said you'd be the godfather to my kids."
"Do you even have faith?" Ross teased.
Murphy spread his hands helplessly, "Like you, I'm a believer in Satan."
"Alright, enough jokes," Ross asked seriously, "Even if I were to be your child's godfather, you'd need to get married first. Will you?"
Though he knew Murphy had a steady girlfriend, he still remembered Murphy's past boast about wanting to sleep with all the pretty actresses in Hollywood, a goal he now had the means to achieve.
"I'm engaged," Murphy said calmly.
Ross asked curiously, "To Gal Gadot?"
"Yes," Murphy nodded. "It happened last month. I hadn't had the chance to tell you."
"Congratulations," Ross patted himself down, embarrassed. "I don't have anything to give you as a present."
Murphy leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Not giving a gift isn't an option. I expect you to deliver it personally to my house one day."
"You..." Ross shook his head gently, "Murphy, some things are better left to fate."
Murphy also shook his head, "If everything was left to fate, I'd probably have died in this prison over ten years ago."
Back then, he wasn't as resilient as he is now; it was that year of hardships that forged his tenacity.
Ross might accept things as they come, but Murphy wouldn't. Regardless of what Ross said, Murphy would do what he needed to. He changed the subject.
"Did you get the MP4 I sent in?" he asked.
Before Christmas, Murphy had asked Robert to send a digital copy of "Diego Ross" through connections.
"Yes, I watched it and deleted the copy afterward," Ross gave Murphy a thumbs-up. "It's really well done, over 80% true to life!"
Murphy smiled, "I'm glad you think so."
For such biopics, some artistic license is inevitable. Though "Diego Ross" had a relatively subdued narrative without dramatic twists typical of Hollywood films, some scenes were appropriately exaggerated.
But as Ross said, the film was rooted in his real experiences.
"Two days ago, the new Oscar nominations were announced," Murphy shared the news with Ross. "Our film got ten nominations, including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture."
Ross was immediately interested, "Ten nominations?"
Even though he wasn't particularly familiar with Hollywood, as a native Angeleno, he knew ten Oscar nominations were a big deal.
He thought for a moment and asked, "What are the chances of winning?"
"Getting a technical award is almost certain," Murphy admitted. "But as for the big three—Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture—there's no guarantee."
"Alright," Ross nodded. "This film is my last wish."
As he had told Murphy before, he didn't want to die in obscurity in prison. Even infamy was preferable to anonymity; he wanted the world to know that Diego Ross had walked this earth.
There was a knock at the door, followed by a guard's voice, "Time's up!"
Murphy checked his watch, stood up, and said, "Downey and I are pushing hard for the Oscars. Wait for our good news."
With that, he turned and walked out. Once outside the heavily guarded visitation area, he rejoined his bodyguards and left the state prison.
Over the next few days, Stanton Studios and 20th Century Fox kept "Diego Ross" in the media spotlight. Articles praising the film appeared continuously. Even Roger Ebert from Chicago wrote in his Chicago Sun-Times column that it would be a scandal if the Oscars overlooked Murphy Stanton and his film again.
The media coverage and the controversy with the Catholic Church created a favorable situation for "Diego Ross."
Thus, on the weekend following the Oscar nominations, 20th Century Fox expanded the film's release further, doubling its screen count to nearly 1,600 theaters.
With the Oscar nominations boosting its profile, the film performed better than during its limited release. Over the weekend, it grossed another $19 million, bringing its total North American box office to over $41 million, surpassing its $35 million production cost.
The market response to the Oscars and prior marketing efforts was significant.
20th Century Fox even believed that if the film won two of the top awards—Best Actor, Best Director, or Best Picture—its North American box office could hit $100 million.
While "The Artist" might be more to the Academy's taste, with nearly twenty days until the final voting deadline, anything was possible.
Even though the situation was favorable for "Diego Ross," Murphy didn't relax. Although Academy rules forbade campaigning at this stage, there were no rules against self-promotion.
Apart from 20th Century Fox, CAA and Bill Rossis had devised a series of self-promotion plans for Murphy to win over Academy voters. These included lectures and donations to the American Film Institute (AFI), which had produced numerous notable filmmakers and Academy members, such as David Lynch, Darren Aronofsky, Edward Zwick, Janusz Kaminski, and Carl Franklin.
In terms of notable alumni, AFI surpassed even the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Campaigning wasn't just about lobbying voters or media promotion; it came in many forms.
Murphy found himself in an extremely busy period, constantly hopping from one event to another. He might be recording a show in Los Angeles in the morning and appearing at a promotional event in New York by afternoon, essentially living as a frequent flyer.
He understood that while effort didn't guarantee Oscars for "Diego Ross," not making the effort virtually ensured they wouldn't win.
Meanwhile, online and in Fox-owned media, the Catholic Church remained a hot topic, especially the Catholic who had attacked Murphy at Santa Monica Boulevard. He sporadically surfaced, spouting rhetoric from the Church's perspective, keeping it impossible for Hollywood to ignore the Church.
In this context, many in the industry associated "Diego Ross" with the Church's aggressive stance against Hollywood, generating a subtle but significant goodwill towards the film. This slight goodwill could sway an Academy member's vote.
In the week following the Oscar nominations, "Diego Ross" was gaining momentum, reminiscent of films that had previously swept the awards. It drew significant attention.
Murphy planned to maintain "Diego Ross"'s media buzz until the final voting deadline.
But just as "Diego Ross" was heating up, an unexpected pair of eccentric siblings emerged, stealing much of the spotlight.
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