Capítulo 125: Chapter 125: At the Party
[Chapter 125: At the Party]
After patiently waiting for Geena Davis to excitedly deliver her acceptance speech, Eric finally made his way off the stage with her and returned to his seat.
What followed were three long hours of a lackluster ceremony, where the nomination for Best Score was easily overlooked. Eric merely chuckled along with the not-so-funny jokes from the guests on stage.
As a young man who had just burst onto the Hollywood scene and achieved such great success within six months, Eric found himself the target of various jabs from the presenters. The camera often panned to him, and he faced the odd close-up, leaving him no opportunity to lose his focus. Yet, he didn't find it tedious. In fact, he relished comparing the Oscars then to what he would observe over decades later.
After a few hours, Eric's main takeaway was that the Oscars of that era hadn't fully embraced the extreme art-house direction. Most of the awarded films were more commercial in nature. However, he knew that in over a decade, the Oscars would transform into a platform for politically correct mainstream films and extreme independent projects. Any actor aiming for awards would either portray great leaders or the afflicted.
As two hours passed, most of the major awards had already been presented. After the Best Cinematography award, the moment for the Best Animated Short Film arrived. Everyone was aware that a big-name award was coming up next: Best Actor. With that anticipation, attendees were eager for the Short Film award to be swiftly wrapped up.
Perhaps sensing the audience's impatience, the award presenter Carrie Fisher, who had previously participated in the event, quickly introduced the next award and opened the envelope, revealing, "The Oscar for Best Animated Short Film goes to John Lasseter, Tin Toy."
Amid the applause, Virginia glanced at Eric once more, and upon receiving a reassuring nod from him, she rose and headed to the stage.
The name on the award was unmistakably male, but the recipient stepping up was a stunning woman in a cobalt blue strapless gown, leaving viewers at home questioning, "Who is that?"What a beautiful lady!"Is it really a woman named John? How strange!"
The organizers had clearly planned this moment, shifting the camera directly onto Eric, giving him a dramatic close-up. Eric internally grumbled, left with no choice but to sit stiffly. He stared ahead with a blank expression, pretending not to notice the camera focusing on him.
However, his pretentious disinterest didn't fly under the radar, especially with the surrounding guests eyeing him with smirks once Virginia took the stage, further entangling him in the situation. Viewers at home who followed a little gossip quickly recalled Virginia's identity as the leading lady in a movie that Eric had personally written.
...
In her Manhattan apartment, Jennifer Aniston nestled into her couch, clutching a teddy bear, staring at the television set all night. She hoped to catch another glimpse of her boyfriend, even wishing some presenters would poke fun at him further. But each time she spotted Eric, her attention split, landing on Virginia sitting beside him, causing her teddy bear to take a tumble as she fidgeted.
When she watched Virginia accepting the award, Jennifer couldn't help but mutter, "Bitch," twisting her lips in displeasure as though she was tearing someone else's hair, all while her poor teddy bear shed fur.
"I can't stand this. I'm going back tomorrow," Jennifer vented, losing interest in the upcoming awards. She energetically dashed to her bedroom to pack, reflecting on her father's words about love. If it mattered, she should stay by his side -- no sincere relationship could withstand erosion from distance. If she felt she couldn't hold on, she should step away early to avoid more pain.
"I refuse to give up! Why should I lose him because of some other bitches?" She mumbled under her breath as she zipped through her belongings. Finally, she found the key to Eric's mansion, stuffed it into her bag, and dialed the airline's reservation line.
...
Almost simultaneously, in a hotel in Rome, Italy, Jennifer Connelly caught the same moment on cable TV. After she had declined Eric the other night, she had to return to Europe to shoot some additional footage on her own accord. As her agent suggested, she couldn't afford to sever her ties in Europe, especially since her early work with the renowned Italian director Sergio Leone had gained her recognition in the Italian film industry. Now, that was her only viable network.
Connelly also sensed her agent's growing indifference. Lestor had begun to focus on his other clients, and she was receiving less attention from him. This trip to Rome had even seen him absent.
Every time she recalled her recent decision, layers of regret accumulated. When Eric's rigid close-up appeared on screen, she grabbed her bag and pulled out the notepad with his number.
"Would it even matter to call him now?" she pondered, staring blankly at the contact list, doubts creeping in.
Though far away in Rome, Connelly gleaned from the sporadic news that the roles had all been filled. While the lead actors had been announced, the rest of the cast remained a mystery. She knew she wouldn't be a part of it. Calling Eric wouldn't change anything; she recognized he wasn't a film mogul with endless projects up his sleeve, so her call would bear no fruit.
...
Virginia relished the mere chance to step on that Oscar stage and had no intentions of surprising anyone. She simply accepted the little gold man, read the acceptance speech Eric had prepared for her, and walked off the stage with the presenter.
As expected, the Best Actor award went to Dustin Hoffman for his brilliant performance, followed by two technical awards. When it came to the Best Director announcement, Virginia finally returned to her seat with the little golden statue in hand, her face flushed and radiating that mature allure, causing several surrounding men to cast envious glances at her and secretly admire Eric's luck.
Though it wasn't the time for chatting, Virginia still shot Eric a warm glance, gratitude evident in her expression.
...
With the Best Picture award going to Rain Man as anticipated, the lengthy three-hour ceremony was finally at its end, paving the way for party time. While the extravagant Oscar parties would emerge in a few years, that didn't mean the stars went their separate ways immediately after the Oscars. A myriad of celebration parties awaited, and most guests could easily find somewhere to go if they wished.
Of course, the Ronkel couple, who had not won a single award, wouldn't be participating in a celebratory party. After exiting, they hoped to take their son Stuart to mix and mingle at a few parties, but the little guy had already grown tired from sitting in the award hall for three hours and was now dozing off in their arms. Disappointed, they had no choice but to take him home.
With so many people around, Virginia didn't link arms with Eric. After he finished greeting acquaintances, she leaned in to ask, "Eric, where shall we go next?"
Eric took the little golden statue from Virginia's careful grasp and toyed with it. "What do you think? I just got a few party invitations. We have invites from the crew, plus Warner Bros. and Disney are hosting events. Oh, and Amy mentioned Columbia's throwing a party too."
Virginia contemplated, uncertain. "How about Rain Man...?"
Eric snapped his fingers. "I was thinking the same. The crew's party is at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Beverly Hills. We can go to that and then head home without the long trek like at the Hilton."
After reaching a decision, they found their agent Kepler Hyde and drove over to the Sunset Tower Hotel together.
...
As the big winner of this year's Oscars, Rain Man crew's celebration was undoubtedly the grandest. Eric received a warm welcome from Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, and a bevy of directors and producers upon arrival.
He mingled through the crowd, catching up with familiar and unfamiliar faces, when suddenly, Cruise pulled Eric aside, turning to Virginia, who had latched onto his arm, "Ms. Madsen, I need to speak with Eric privately."
Having clung to Eric this entire time, Virginia's heart twinged with unease. She was the one who had snagged Eric at a party, and she wasn't keen on seeing other women follow suit. Now, with Cruise directly asking for her to leave, she felt frustrated but merely nodded and stepped away.
"Eric, about the project, I've been thinking about it more. What if we shot it this way..." Without a hint of self-consciousness, Cruise dismissed Virginia and dove into his new ideas for the storyline.
Eric listened intently to Cruise's long monologue, waiting patiently for him to finish before summarizing everything into one summary statement: "Add more drama!"
*****
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