May, a bright summer day, marked the annual Saturn Awards for American film and television, held at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. NBC televised the entire awards ceremony live.
Unlike the somewhat serious atmosphere of the Oscars, the Saturn Awards have a strong entertainment focus, making them very popular with audiences.
The awards ceremony red carpet kicked off with a spectacular entrance: twelve T-800 Terminators riding motorcycles, eliciting cheers and screams from fans lining the carpet.
Clearly, last year's box office hit, Terminator 2, once again made the T-800 a sensation across America.
Following this, various stars made their appearances. Gilbert walked the red carpet with Cameron Diaz.
Just ahead of them were Gwyneth Paltrow and this "Johnny," a bald man with a real Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson vibe, who looked to be in his thirties—much older than Gwyneth Paltrow.
Gilbert figured Mr. Paltrow was probably regretting now that he'd prevented Gwyneth from developing a relationship with him. Perhaps they would have ended up together.
And Gwyneth Paltrow wouldn't have gone for a thirty-something "old man," causing Mr. Paltrow such worry.
However, it seemed Gwyneth Paltrow was just having some fun with this Johnny; she'd always been quite a playful person.
Last year's consecutive releases of The Shallows and Hook significantly boosted Gwyneth Paltrow's fame.
While she hadn't reached Julia Roberts' level, her popularity among the younger generation was quite good.
So, when attending the Saturn Awards, Gwyneth Paltrow still garnered a good amount of cheers.
When it came to Gilbert and Cameron Diaz, the atmosphere was much quieter. Even reporters seemed reluctant to waste film taking their pictures.
Seeking the Spotlight
"Hey, Director Gilbert..." As he walked the red carpet, Gilbert heard someone call his name.
Following the sound, Gilbert saw three or four young people squeezed against the railing by the red carpet.
Leaving Cameron Diaz to strike some poses in the center of the red carpet, Gilbert first went over to interact with these few fans.
Maintaining fan connections starts with the small details.
Perhaps the shouts from these few fans reminded reporters of Gilbert, who created a box office miracle late last year, and his rumored relationship with the new sweetheart, Gwyneth Paltrow.
Looking at Cameron Diaz, posing gracefully in the center of the red carpet, they thought, This must be Gilbert's new girlfriend. Connecting her with Gwyneth Paltrow would make for some good headlines.
So, the reporters finally decided to pick up their cameras and take some photos. Some reporters even tried to get Cameron Diaz's attention.
"Hey! Look over here, can you strike a sexy pose?"
When it came to posing, Cameron Diaz, a former model, was a professional and quickly met the reporters' demands.
It must be said that in terms of looks, Cameron Diaz certainly surpassed Gwyneth Paltrow.
The reporters had already envisioned their headlines: "Gilbert Finds New Love," "New Girlfriend Stunningly Sexy," "Gwyneth Paltrow Heartbroken"...
Even though Gwyneth Paltrow had publicly stated that she was the one who initiated the breakup, the reporters couldn't care less about those facts.
Gilbert had told Gwyneth Paltrow before that praise or criticism didn't matter; what mattered was getting people to talk about you.
Cameron Diaz was clearly a master of this art. Her several sexy poses not only attracted reporters' cameras but also sparked discussions among fans.
"Hey, man, who's that girl?"
"I don't know, but she looks beautiful!"
"Oh my God, her eyes seem to speak..."
See? That's how the initial buzz and attention came about...
Meanwhile, Gilbert approached his fans and greeted them: "Hey, how are you all doing?"
The fans instinctively took out their notebooks for Gilbert's autograph. Even some critics who didn't know Gilbert personally but had seen or heard of The Shallows joined in the commotion.
While signing autographs for fans, Gilbert answered their questions.
"Director Gilbert, when will your new film be released?" one fan asked.
Gilbert casually replied, "Soon, you should see it around July or August."
"Is it similar to The Shallows?" another fan inquired.
"The genre is similar, but I promise it's a very exciting story."
Hearing Gilbert say this, the fans were reassured and expressed their intention to support the film in theaters.
Gilbert now had some fan support, even if it was a small group. But little by little, who knows, maybe in the future he'll boast of having six billion fans!
The Future and Beyond
After signing autographs and posing for photos with Cameron Diaz for the reporters, it was time to move on.
The next group to arrive was the cast and crew of Alien 3, the highly anticipated sequel to the famous sci-fi thriller series, which was about to hit theaters.
Although Ridley Scott had been replaced by the relatively unknown David Fincher, the original cast and the classic sci-fi sequel still generated much anticipation among fans.
However, when they went to the cinema and watched Alien 3, hopefully they wouldn't be disappointed.
Alien 3 was a typical result of CAA's packaging service. David Fincher also got the directing gig for Alien 3 through CAA's maneuvering.
But that was none of Gilbert's concern. His films never operated under the packaging service policy.
His agent, Sheena Boone, had analyzed the various benefits of the packaging service policy for Gilbert several times, but he had always flat-out refused.
Nevertheless, Sheena Boone's abilities were still very strong. After Final Destination wrapped, she managed to get Matt Damon cast in School Ties, co-starring with Brendan Fraser.
Beyond his role in Final Destination, Matt Damon was steadily moving towards his path as a future superstar.
In his spare time, Matt Damon also sought Gilbert's advice on screenwriting techniques.
He planned to turn an essay he wrote in high school into a script and even asked Gilbert if he was interested in directing it.
Gilbert knew this script was Good Will Hunting, so he maintained keen interest. Even if he didn't direct, he could still invest!
He remembered that this film had achieved considerable box office success, and Gilbert wasn't about to miss an opportunity to make money.
Of course, that was still a long way off. For now, their most important task was to ensure the success of Final Destination.
Public Relations and Personal Life
Although he was just an observer at the Saturn Awards, the media reports afterwards still mentioned Gilbert and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Under Disney's orchestration, the tabloid newspapers began to sensationalize a love triangle involving Gilbert, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cameron Diaz.
Gilbert and Cameron Diaz were very cooperative, openly displaying affection in public. Cameron Diaz became publicly recognized as Gilbert's second girlfriend.
To emphasize the authenticity of their relationship, Cameron Diaz even high-profilely moved into Gilbert's apartment.
Of course, Gilbert had already moved apartments by then, relocating to a high-end, predominantly white community near USC.
He had money now, so he wanted to live a better life.
In addition, Final Destination released posters and stills. Disney was taking it very seriously, with extensive offline advertising.
According to the plan, Gilbert would also bring the cast and crew to promote the film on talk shows on Disney's television channels.
This kind of treatment was something he hadn't received at Universal Pictures.
Of course, if Gilbert had stayed at Universal Pictures, he'd probably be getting this treatment now too.
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