In China, the Oscars had ended, but discussions about "Hero" were just beginning.
Insiders in China's entertainment industry expressed comfort regarding "Hero."
Lu Chuan: "Actually, winning or not winning an award doesn't matter much. Awards are related to behind-the-scenes operations, especially commercial awards like the Oscar. Previously, the media might have been too optimistic, believing that 'Hero's' theme of peace resonated with current events, thus placing high hopes on it. But Germany's 'the pianist' was similar."
Zhou Xiaowen: "Winning an award is a stroke of luck, especially for foreign awards; there's a lot of randomness involved. I once served as a judge at a film festival in Spain. Not long after the film started, the judge to my left began to snore faintly, while the selection chairman was snoring loudly. Yet, this Spanish film actually won a major award."
"Of course, the Oscar is definitely much better, as its judges are members of the Academy. But all in all, winning an award for a film is a stroke of luck. It doesn't matter if you win, and there's no need to care too much if you don't."
Wang Xingdong: "Entering the Oscar is like assaulting a mountain peak. Although only one can ultimately plant their flag, reaching the foot of the mountain is already a success."
"There are so many films in the world; for 'Hero' to be nominated for the Oscar is already quite good. Too few Chinese films can go global. I deeply admire Director Zhang for being able to showcase Chinese culture and language to the world through a single film. Regardless of whether he won an award or not, Zhang Yimou is already a hero."
In stark contrast to the industry insiders, the general public was almost uniformly criticizing the film's confusing plot, saying it deserved not to win an award.
Moreover, anyone could see that Zhang Yimou desperately craved the Oscar, and what kind of hero was he if he didn't win?
In 2003, the Chinese public's mindset was far from as enlightened as it would be 20 years later. The 'win-at-all-costs' and 'medal-only' mentalities were still mainstream.
Especially after Lee Ang from the island won an award with "crouching tiger, hidden dragon," everyone had high hopes for Zhang Yimou. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, and the greater the disappointment, the harsher the criticism.
Unlike the uniform criticism in China, Hollywood was much livelier, with entertainment sections almost entirely dominated by the Oscar.
Adrien Brody became king in one battle and passionately kissed Halle Berry.
"the pianist" became the biggest winner, sweeping Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture.
Nicole Kidman finally won Best Actress and delivered an anti-war speech.
Eric Cooper staged a heroic rescue on the red carpet, posing for a Vanity Fair photo with Nicole Kidman, a handsome duo reminiscent of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in their prime.
Reporters even interviewed Tom Cruise, who congratulated his ex-wife on her win and thanked Eric for his actions.
"the lord of the rings" received technical awards and a bunch of nominations. Peter Jackson directly told dirty jokes during an interview.
"chicago" suffered a defeat, taking home four technical awards and one Best Supporting Actress, but missed out on the Best Picture award.
Before the Oscar ceremony, there were only two strong contenders for Best Picture: "chicago" and "the pianist."
And quite abruptly, the long-dormant Polanski sexual assault case was reignited. Numerous media outlets began reporting on his scandals. Even though the victim from that year stated she would not pursue the matter and that art should be separated from character, it was all in vain.
It was self-evident where such smear tactics came from. Everyone in the industry knew it was Harvey Weinstein, because this scene was too similar to the situation "saving private ryan" faced back then.
At the 71st Oscar, "saving private ryan" was a strong favorite to win. Similarly, shortly before the Oscar ceremony, the media exposed numerous scandals, such as veterans criticizing the war scenes as too fake, or the film neglecting the sacrificed soldiers, and so on.
The result was that "shakespeare in love" caused a huge upset, and Gwyneth Paltrow was crowned Best Actress.
This time, however, the tactic failed. The media provided reasons and inside reports.
Firstly, the impact of the Iraq War was significant. The whole world was paying attention to this war, and "the pianist's" anti-war theme ultimately triumphed over "chicago's" behind-the-scenes public relations.
Secondly, "chicago" encountered a blockade. Analysts originally predicted that "chicago's" box office would at least exceed 300 million US dollars, and its screening time would last at least until after the Oscar ceremony.
But the sudden entry of "sharknado" and "saw" caused "chicago's" box office to be cut in half.
The originally scheduled screening time was forced to end more than a month early. Even with Miramax's repeated negotiations with theaters and the Weinstein Brothers personally intervening, it was no use.
Theater chains have to consider profits. When profits are too low, let alone the Weinstein Brothers, even Disney's influence is ineffective.
The early withdrawal naturally led to a further decrease in influence. The Oscar Academy has over 6,000 judges distributed around the world, and not everyone buys into Harvey Weinstein's methods.
How would judges who couldn't see the film choose? Of course, "the pianist" had the advantage.
In any case, "chicago's" failure added another grievance to the feud between MGM and the Weinstein Brothers.
Beverly Hills, a black car parked by the roadside, Charles and his intern Tony got out of the car.
Both carried filming equipment, their profession self-evident. They were reporters for the Los Angeles Times, specifically here to stake out Nicole Kidman.
As an experienced entertainment reporter, Charles looked left and right, then pointed directly to a spot and said, "Go there. This is a good position; everything that happens at the gate won't escape our eyes."
Tony, the intern, obediently moved the equipment over. Only when he got closer did he realize there was a camera hidden behind a tree.
"Hey, kid! What are you doing? That's my spot!"
Not far away, West, also an entertainment reporter, ran over while eating a burger.
Tony looked back, and Charles immediately walked up to negotiate: "Brother, I'm Charles Vison from the Los Angeles Times. If you're in this line of work, you should have heard my name. Nicole Kidman is my regular client, and this is my fixed spot. You're crossing the line!"
West finished his burger in a few bites and stood defiantly in front of the camera: "Don't give me that. I don't know any Charles Vison. I only know I was here first. If you want it, you should have come earlier."
"Young man, I don't like your tone. It seems you're new and don't understand the rules of this business. But if you want to advance in your career, you'd best heed my advice."
"What! Are you threatening me? Right now, Nicole Kidman's photos are worth over 300 US dollars. If you want them, give me money, or get out of my territory!"
"Kid, do you want to fight?"
"Old man, you're the one looking for trouble. If you try anything, I'll beat you so bad you won't know which way is up!"
The two exchanged insults for a few minutes, their tempers flaring, just waiting for the other to throw the first punch so they could extort a hefty sum.
But journalists are smart people; insulting is fine, but striking first is absolutely not.
Just then, Tony, the intern, pointed at the entrance and shouted, "She's out! She's out!"
The two instantly snapped into action, grabbing their cameras and firing off shots.
"Tony, drive fast, catch her!"
"Okay, but didn't you say Nicole Kidman's car was a Rolls-Royce? Why is it a lamborghini that came out?"
"Never mind that, which of these big stars doesn't have a bunch of luxury cars?"
"You're right."
Seeing Charles chasing the lamborghini into the distance, West, left alone and behind, couldn't help but feel frustrated. He was still too young; this job really couldn't be done alone. Unfortunately, it was too late to chase now.
He sighed, contemplating whether to stay here or stake out another celebrity, when he saw a Rolls-Royce drive out of the gate.
West froze for a moment, then looked in the direction the lamborghini had left. His mood suddenly became ecstatic.
"Hahahahaha, I'm going to be rich, I'm going to be rich! This news is worth at least 2,000 US dollars."
He spun the steering wheel and floored the accelerator. West quickly followed the Rolls-Royce.
After that night's chat with Spielberg, things were basically settled.
Subsequently, the relevant departments of MGM and DreamWorks began to interface, drafting the specific details of the contract, which then went through the legal department for review to ensure no traps unfavorable to either party would arise.
Time came to Thursday morning. Eric received a call from Spielberg. The three heads of DreamWorks would come to MGM together in the morning to complete the final step of the process.
At 9:30 AM, a Buick minivan parked in front of the MGM Building.
Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen stepped out of the car.
Their roles at DreamWorks were different. For example, Spielberg was best at live-action films.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, having served as an executive director at Disney, specialized in animated films and was hailed as an animation prodigy, having spearheaded the production of famous works like "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Aladdin."
David Geffen, on the other hand, specialized in music. The Eagles, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Guns N' Roses, and other famous bands or musicians owe their rapid rise largely to him.
In 2003, DreamWorks' full English name was DreamWorks SKG, where S stood for Spielberg, K for Katzenberg, and G for Geffen.
Seeing the three, the receptionists and Volvo, who had been waiting in front of the building, came out to greet them and escorted them into the conference room.
To show respect, The Coopers both attended today's signing ceremony. With the arrival of the three titans, both parties met and shook hands.
Just like a state visit, everything had been settled privately; the signing was merely a formality.
In just half an hour, as the names of the few fell one by one, the black and white document became legally effective, and MGM and DreamWorks Animation officially formed a strategic partnership.
The two parties signed a contract to produce five animated feature films, with 10% of the investment share reserved for DreamWorks in each film.
If DreamWorks did not participate in the investment, then MGM would fully fund it, and DreamWorks would only serve as the production entity.
This partnership did not mean DreamWorks was selling its animation department to MGM, but rather that it would prioritize MGM's projects. Other work could still be taken on, but on the condition that it did not affect MGM's projects.
"Jeffrey, regarding the 'frozen' project, character design is basically complete, but the script and scene design still need some time. You can proceed with pre-production, and MGM will provide a complete script then, making it easier for DreamWorks to get started."
Katzenberg nodded slightly, then proposed, "Steven has already discussed this film with me. It's adapted from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale 'The Snow Queen,' to be produced in full 3D. This is not a problem; DreamWorks is capable of handling it."
"However, I also have a suggestion: I hope DreamWorks can participate in the scriptwriting process. I don't mean anything else, but after all, we will also be investing 10%. We all hope to make the first project a success."
Katzenberg spoke rather subtly, but Eric understood what he was worried about.
He said with a smile, "Jeffrey, you don't have to be like this. I prefer direct talk so we can communicate better."
"I understand what you mean. You're worried that MGM will be like Disney, unable to shake off old habits and models, right?"
"Yes, among MGM's animated films over the years, only 'pink panther' has been relatively outstanding, but it also imitated the style of 'tom and jerry' and 'Droopy.'"
"However, I can tell you very clearly that this is no longer Kirk Kerkorian's era. Young people will use young thinking to tell an old story well. 'frozen' will only follow the trend, not go against it."
Why did Eric say this? Because Disney's operations in the animation field in recent years had provided the entire industry with a living negative example.
Since the rise of DreamWorks and Pixar, especially after the birth of "Toy Story," the first 3D animated feature film, the entire industry had undergone a major reshuffle, officially moving from the 2D era into the 3D era.
But what did Disney do?
That's right, it went against the tide, not only still refusing to use 3D but also stating that animated characters made with computer effects were pathetic.
At the same time, Disney still used the old storytelling methods from decades ago, but the audience was no longer the same audience from back then.
The new generation of audiences simply didn't buy into the prince and princess, everyday family drama. Using a few new memes or popular phrases doesn't make something trendy.
As a result, "Cinderella 2" flopped terribly, and "Treasure Planet" also flopped terribly. Disney was like an old person, trying hard to learn young people's new memes.
He thought he was fashionable, but young people found it incongruous. If you don't flop, who will?
DreamWorks was naturally worried that MGM also couldn't change its mindset, which would mean dragging itself down when the film was released.
The two sides talked until noon, then had lunch in MGM's cafeteria. If it weren't for seeing both the big and small bosses present, people would definitely rush up to Spielberg for autographs and photos.
"Steven, try this. You'll love this dish," Eric said, pointing to the sweet and sour pork.
Ever since he transmigrated, he had specifically sent someone to Chinatown to hire a chef in his 50s, with a high salary of 20,000 US dollars, to specialize in Chinese cuisine.
And not the American version of Chinese food. Having grown accustomed to the taste from across the ocean, he really couldn't bring himself to love the American version.
When the master chef first arrived, MGM employees, seeing their boss enjoying the food, naturally wanted to try it. However, being used to the American version, they were unaccustomed to authentic Chinese cuisine.
But as time went on, a few months later, the master chef became increasingly popular, successfully converting everyone's palates.
Now, his output was two or even three times what it was when he first arrived, but the high salary of 20,000 US dollars still made the middle-aged man beam with joy.
After lunch, The Coopers saw the three DreamWorks titans out.
As soon as they stepped out of the gate and took a few steps, a large number of reporters instantly rushed out from corners, flower beds, behind trees, and next to trash cans, surrounding the group.
Just when everyone thought the reporters would inquire about the collaboration between MGM and DreamWorks, taking the opportunity to promote "frozen"...
These paparazzi had already shoved their microphones into Eric's face, almost stuffing them into his mouth.
"Mr. Cooper, are you dating Nicole Kidman?"
My colleague's wife was diagnosed with cancer, and he's on leave, so I'm the only one in the office now, much busier than before. However, I will still update normally. Generally, one update on weekdays, two on weekends, and extra updates as circumstances dictate.