Echoes of Hollywood

As it was Oscar's 80th birthday, the awards ceremony naturally featured some retrospectives and tributes. Before almost every major award was presented, montage clips of past winners were shown, along with numerous segments featuring famous award recipients, especially Oscar couples.

For example, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones spoke eloquently on stage, with the organizers giving them more than a minute, seemingly showcasing them as a model Hollywood couple.

Among those present, only Murphy knew that in a few years, this couple's relationship would deteriorate, especially due to Michael Douglas's remarks that nearly led to their divorce.

Murphy vaguely remembered one of Hollywood's biggest scandals around 2010, when Michael Douglas, recovering from throat cancer, revealed in an interview that his cancer was caused by HPV contracted through oral sex, and that continuing oral sex could help his condition. This led to public speculation that his actress wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, might have HPV, indirectly causing his cancer.

Michael Douglas's eldest son also seemed to have issues with addiction, didn't he?

Watching the couple on the Oscar stage, Murphy suddenly had a thought—could this be their opportunity?

The incident started with drugs, so perhaps it should end with drugs as well?

Murphy frowned slightly. This matter couldn't be rushed. As he had told Robert Downey Jr., they needed to remain calm and steady.

Next, the Academy's rotating chairman, Frank Pierson, took the stage. Using the large screen, he briefly explained the Oscar judging process. In recent years, there had been increasing accusations of the Oscars becoming a game of money and public relations, and the Academy seemed to want to clear its name through this explanation.

The video also included comments from numerous judges like George Clooney, John Travolta, and Michael Bay. According to them, the Oscars were absolutely fair and transparent.

However, industry insiders knew that beneath the Oscars' glamorous exterior, there was a mix of sex, money, and networking. Outstanding works and roles were just the basic entry requirements.

Brad Bird, one of the interviewees in the video, even humorously demonstrated a scene where he covered his eyes and threw a pen at a list of nominees, perfectly illustrating the well-known voting method of 'voting with one's feet.'

"A secretary prints out the final tally, seals the envelope, and then we take the envelope—it's absolutely confidential," he said amid laughter, signaling the end of this segment and returning the ceremony to its regular proceedings.

Award after award was presented. Despite "Man of Steel" being a sci-fi and superhero film, which the Academy typically undervalued, its critical acclaim and box office success couldn't be ignored in Hollywood.

Unsurprisingly, "Man of Steel" won Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Effects, making it a big winner in the technical categories.

As for performance awards, "Man of Steel" had no chance since none of its actors had died. Winning an Oscar for a pure commercial film was extremely difficult, even as the Academy continued to induct new members. The core group of older members was only getting older and more conservative over time, as past award results had shown.

They could be influenced by public relations and various deals, but only if it aligned with their tastes, or at least came close.

The Oscars' stance was peculiar—they wanted viewership but kept a distance from commercialism, aimed for art but dared not go too far, remaining ambiguous. They called themselves 'academicians,' but who knew what that meant? Perhaps not even they could explain it.

Murphy knew they were just as vulgar, albeit in a more conservative way.

For instance, there had been a long-standing call within the industry to add a Best Stunt Coordinator award, considering this role had become essential in Hollywood films. Yet, the Academy's executive committee consistently refused.

Despite verbally appreciating stunt coordinators' contributions to films, the core members were unwilling to make any changes. Even when the stunt coordinators' union offered to accept the award before the non-televised Oscar ceremony, the Academy still refused to establish the award.

Stunt coordinators played a crucial role in films, contributing uniquely to movie production.

In Murphy's type of film crew, stunt coordinators were always a key presence.

They were responsible for designing various complex and dangerous action scenes in films, including car chases, fights, explosions, underwater work, and high-altitude jumps, which were then executed by stunt actors or professionals.

As the ceremony progressed, it became clear that the stage wasn't particularly lively, and the audience's reactions were somewhat tepid. If not for the cameras, many people might have yawned.

As time went on, the judges who had been young in the '90s were now old, making the 80-year-old Oscars appear more and more outdated each year. The Academy seemed aware of its problems and had specifically brought in Jon Stewart, who had a strong appeal among young people, to host. Yet, this still didn't save the predictably dull awards ceremony.

"The Oscars ceremony is declining year by year. The old judges don't even bother coming up with good ideas. They just want to finish presenting the awards and go home to sleep," Megan Fox complained boredly, and Murphy couldn't disagree.

If the Academy and the Oscars didn't actively reform and save themselves, they would soon drop out of the top five, even the top ten in North American viewership ratings.

What an embarrassing outcome that would be for Hollywood.

After years of evolution and rehearsal, the Oscars had achieved a façade of glitz and glamour. Every star seemed to love peace and humanity, constantly thanking the judges and their parents.

Beneath this procedural surface, both rules and unspoken rules had reached a certain level of unification, leaving insiders with nothing to say. Even if a blockbuster failed to win, the winning art film was also worthy, and vice versa.

But audiences didn't want this. They craved freshness and surprises, wanting their favorite films and actors to win.

However, the Oscars wouldn't change based on audience choice. It wasn't the Teen Choice Awards or the People's Choice Awards.

"Director Stanton," a staff member came over, quietly reminding Murphy, "It's almost time for the Best Art Direction award."

"Thank you." Murphy stood up, buttoned his suit, and followed the staff member through a special passage to the backstage.

He was the presenter for the Best Art Direction award tonight.

Backstage, Murphy received an envelope and a script from the director. He glanced at it, quickly memorizing the lines, and after receiving a few instructions from the director, followed the staff to the front stage entrance.

Like movie scripts, Hollywood presenters' speeches were meticulously prepared by the show organizers. Ad-libbing was a major taboo at the Oscars, and almost all presenters performed their prepared lines in their own style.

Oscar producers often warned newly famous stars eager to stand out that if they didn't stick to the script, they wouldn't be invited to present.

Hearing Jon Stewart's voice up ahead, Murphy walked onto the stage at the right moment. On the big screen behind him appeared classic scenes from "Gone with the Wind." Murphy waved energetically as he walked to the front of the stage, turned slightly, and said, "Gone with the Wind was the first film to win Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction. To become an enduring classic, a film must convey its story through visual concepts and design, brought to life by art directors and cinematographers."

He paused slightly, timed with the background images on stage, "Other films that won these three awards include masterpieces like 'Ben-Hur,' 'Lawrence of Arabia,' 'Schindler's List,' and 'Titanic.'"

These were the meticulously prepared lines, and Murphy made no changes. "This year, four films have been nominated for three or more awards. Let's begin."

His expression turned serious, "The nominees for Best Art Direction are Robert Stromberg for 'American Gangster,' Stephanie McMillan for 'Sweeney Todd,' Eve Stewart for 'There Will Be Blood,' Jess Gonchor for 'The Golden Compass,' and Helena Espola for 'Man of Steel.'"

After announcing the nominees, Murphy opened the envelope, "The winner is Helena Espola for 'Man of Steel.'"

"Man of Steel" received another Oscar, but unfortunately, Helena Espola was setting up a set at the Montague Studios in Paris and couldn't attend the ceremony. Her agent accepted the award on her behalf.

Murphy left the stage, returned to his seat, and the ceremony continued. The Coen brothers became the biggest winners of this Oscars, just as he remembered, taking home Best Director and Best Picture for "No Country for Old Men."

After the ceremony, Murphy didn't go home. For publicity reasons, he went to the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel to attend the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, making a high-profile appearance for the media.

At the party, he even met Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

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