章 298: Chapter 299: Interesting Turns of Events
[Chapter 299: Interesting Turns of Events]
Al Pacino gave Eric a big hug and said, "Eric, thank you."
Eric, gasping a bit from Al's embrace, smiled and replied, "Al, you deserve this. Even without me, I believe with your talent, you would have won that Oscar for Best Actor sooner or later."
After giving Eric a pat on the back, Al didn't say anything more. He shot Eric a grateful glance before heading toward the stage.
Returning to his seat, Eric observed Al Pacino walking toward the stage. As he climbed the stairs, he momentarily stumbled, almost losing his balance. Yet, not a single person in the hall laughed; in fact, the applause grew even louder.
When Al received the golden statue from Jodie Foster and stepped up to the microphone, his eyes sparkled with emotion. His gaze sharpened as he looked out at the audience. After a brief moment, he proclaimed, "I've waited seventeen years for this day..."
Although deeply moved, Al didn't ramble on. A minute later, he walked offstage alongside Jodie Foster.
Next, Michelle Pfeiffer, this year's one of the Best Actress nomination, took the stage. After her speech, she introduced the live performance of the nominated song, Over the Rainbow. A few minutes later, Al returned to the audience, and the final and most prestigious award of the night was about to be announced.
Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson stepped onto the stage together. After a few jokes, they began to introduce the list of films nominated for Best Picture.
Since the nominees had already been thoroughly discussed throughout the lengthy ceremony, this introduction was brief. The five nominated films appeared on the big screen, and Warren Beatty quickly opened the envelope, announcing Driving Miss Daisy as the winner.
After the Best Director nominations had passed without a win, Eric had not held out much hope for the Best Picture nomination. Hearing Driving Miss Daisy called out, he felt more balanced than many others. After all, this film had originally won Best Picture in another life, so its victory didn't disappoint him too much.
This outcome wasn't half bad. Though many films had emerged this year because of Eric's appearance, 1989 still felt like Oscar's off-year.
Scent of a Woman was undoubtedly excellent, but its brilliance primarily rested on Al Pacino's performance. In terms of the film itself, it hadn't captured the public's attention like Oscar winners such as Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, or Titanic. Consequently, no single film swept the major categories at this year's Academy Awards, as the Academy spread the four major awards among multiple films. It was sheer luck that Scent of a Woman secured a Best Actor.
As the last award was announced, the 62nd Academy Awards came to a close. Some celebrated, while others felt disappointment.
...
As Eric exited, he spotted what appeared to be the most disheartened group -- Harvey and Bob Weinstein of Miramax, along with the crew from My Left Foot. Despite receiving five nominations, My Left Foot hadn't won a single award. It seemed they suffered from the overshadowing success of Scent of a Woman. For instance, Daniel Day-Lewis, who was expected to win Best Actor, lost out to Al Pacino. Julia Roberts snagged Best Supporting Actress, while My Left Foot also failed to secure wins for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture, even though those categories were unrelated to Scent of a Woman.
Eric had met the Weinstein brothers when he attempted to acquire Miramax, but their offer hadn't satisfied him, leaving the deal unfulfilled. He shifted his focus to New Line Cinema instead.
Now, over half a year since their last encounter, Harvey and Bob Weinstein approached Eric with slight hesitation, but they remained cordial amidst the crowd from Scent of a Woman. Eric greeted them with a smile and handshake, noticing Daniel Day-Lewis's disgruntled expression as he glanced at Al Pacino's Oscar. He simply smiled in response.
"Mr. Williams, congratulations," Harvey Weinstein said, his demeanor showing no sign of disappointment. He expertly maneuvered past Jonathan Demme, who had been nearby, sporting a complimentary smile. "Mr. Williams, it's a shame we couldn't make that collaboration happen. I think it would be worthwhile to find a time to discuss future possibilities."
Eric raised an eyebrow slightly. With Firefly and New Line now fully merged, he knew that while Scent of a Woman may have gained recognition, it still didn't hold itself against the major studios. Therefore, he was uncertain about how he would fit the Weinstein brothers into any potential acquisition of Miramax.
Moreover, Robert Shea's maneuvering during the Oscars had demonstrated that Firefly's PR capabilities were comparable to, if not exceeding, those of the Weinstein brothers. Since Eric would also contribute insights toward selecting films for Oscar consideration, his enthusiasm for acquiring Miramax had diminished compared to his initial thoughts.
However, given the Weinstein brothers' expertise, although he was less eager to acquire Miramax, he had no intention of passing them off to another studio.
"Well then, let's schedule a time to discuss this," Eric nodded toward Harvey Weinstein. Just as he was about to add more, he noticed another group from a different film approaching. While he didn't recognize most of them, one woman stood out -- Isabelle Adjani.
She seemed to catch Eric's gaze momentarily before quickly looking away, showing no sign of greeting.
Eric brushed it off, turning to search among the My Left Foot group. Daniel Day-Lewis appeared entirely indifferent as Isabelle Adjani passed, suggesting they were not acquainted, let alone in a romance.
What an interesting turn of events, Eric thought as he stretched his fingers.
*****
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