Chapter 76

During this period, the Oscar nominations also arrived as scheduled.

Unlike the Golden Globe nominations, which were merely two consolation awards, Chen Tiandu had spent an additional one million dollars on public relations for "The Sixth Sense." Just the distribution of six thousand collector's edition DVDs was enough to set a new record in Oscar PR history, so Chen Tiandu was very much looking forward to the Oscar nominations.

"Why are we watching TV at my place, damn it, Church-Kong, don't put your feet on my sofa; I just bought it last week." Vin Diesel roared at Kong Yiji. His muscular arms were indeed intimidating when he was angry, but none of the people in the room took him seriously.

This group of uninvited guests had come to his house in the middle of the night, emptied his fridge, and taken over the entire sofa. Kong Yiji said matter-of-factly, "Because it's convenient. If we get nominated, we can go out for drinks right away without waiting for anyone."

Like most single men, Vin Diesel's house was a mess. Chen Tiandu suddenly frowned, pulled a sweatshirt out from under the sofa, and said, "Vin, you should get a girlfriend."

"Fu-ck!" Vin Diesel cursed, snatched the sweatshirt, and tossed it into the bathroom.

Behind him, Charlize let out a light laugh, making Vin's face flush. "May you not get a single nomination."

"Thanks for your blessing!" Chen Tiandu said sarcastically, "Do you think you're a Gypsy wizard? Your words are destined not to come true."

Vin Diesel said irritably, "You guessed right. I have the blood of an astrologer; my mother is an astrologer. And this isn't a blessing."

Chen Tiandu frowned, "Dude, you're actually a wizard. That's not very friendly."

Kong Yiji chimed in, "Yeah, it's really not friendly. If we don't get nominated, it's all your fault."

"Haha, I don't mind at all," Vin Diesel said with a cold laugh.

"Hey, guys, can you be quiet? The show is about to start," Kate shouted, and the men in the room immediately shut up. Charlize took a bite of an apple and laughed again.

As the Oscar statuette appeared on ABC with a burst of music, the 71st Academy Awards nominations were announced one by one by Whoopi Goldberg. This black actress, born in a lower-class neighborhood in Manhattan, is known for her roles in "Ghost," "Sister Act," and "The Color Purple." Besides her film career, she has her own late-night talk show and has published a fairy tale. She is one of the few famous and successful black actresses in Hollywood.

She will also be the host of the 71st Academy Awards ceremony to be held at the Los Angeles Music Center on March 21.

As predicted by the media, "Shakespeare in Love" and "Saving Private Ryan" remained the favorites for the Oscars. These war epics and nostalgic films are just what the Oscars like. The former received 13 nominations, just one less than last year's "Titanic," while the latter received 11 nominations, making it the biggest winner of this year's Oscars.

The third place went to the Italian film "Life Is Beautiful," which received 7 Oscar nominations, making it the non-English film with the most nominations in Oscar history.

Chen Tiandu should be honored, as "Saving Private Ryan" was once again nominated for Best Original Screenplay, his first Oscar nomination. However, he was clearly not very focused on the screenplay nomination for "Saving Private Ryan"; he was more concerned about how "The Sixth Sense" performed.

Perhaps the distribution of six thousand DVDs and exquisite gift boxes by Chen Tiandu had an effect, as Haley Joel Osment was mentioned for Best Supporting Actor, and everyone's faces lit up. This might be the youngest Best Supporting Actor nomination in Oscar history. The boy received countless praises, but he was too young. If he could grow up without going astray, his future would be almost limitless.

"Best Supporting Actress nomination, Kate Beckinsale, who played Cole's mother in last year's box office champion 'The Sixth Sense.' With outstanding emotional investment, she successfully portrayed a mother who lacks communication with her child..."

"Wow~!"

A sudden cheer erupted in the room. Kate was already in shock, having been stunned when she heard her name on TV.

"Kate, you're nominated, for the Oscars! Congratulations!" Chen Tiandu kissed her on the cheek.

Vin Diesel was also in a daze, "You actually got nominated, congratulations, Kate."

"What?" Kate was still dazed.

But everyone rushed to hug her.

Charlize, a bit jealous, said reluctantly, "Kate, you have to drink a lot tonight."

This was not the last. Besides the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress nominations, "The Sixth Sense" also received a Best Picture nomination. Jeffrey Katzenberg would compete against "Shakespeare in Love," "Saving Private Ryan," "Life Is Beautiful," and "The Thin Red Line," with little hope of winning.

But just being nominated was a stroke of luck.

The media had predicted that "Elizabeth" would be nominated, but it was unfortunately left out. This film, starring Cate Blanchett, depicted a dark and dangerous court political struggle, the story of Queen Elizabeth I's power and the choice between political marriage and love. Blanchett's performance captured the feeling of being at the mercy of fate. The other supporting actors also brought their roles to life. It was a film that fit the Oscar's style, yet it was left out. If nothing goes wrong, there will definitely be newspaper criticism tomorrow—this is the Oscars.

The host, Whoopi Goldberg, joked about the upcoming showdown between two DreamWorks giants, Katzenberg and Spielberg, during the Best Picture nominations.

In addition, Chen Tiandu was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for "The Sixth Sense" again, and there was also a Best Director nomination for "The Sixth Sense."

A total of five Oscar nominations, none of them technical, all major awards, ranking fourth in the number of nominations among this year's films.

Once this result was announced, it naturally attracted attention from all sides.

The Oscar-nominated screenwriter for two consecutive hit films was the same person. Whether Chen Tiandu liked it or not, he had become famous in the screenwriting industry.

The most incredible was Chen Tiandu's Best Director nomination for "The Sixth Sense."

Oh, is he the youngest Best Director nominee ever?

Someone quickly checked the database and sighed in relief—it wasn't.

In 1989, the 26-year-old "prodigy director" Steven Spielberg won the Best Picture at the Cannes Film Festival with "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," but at the following year's Oscars, the 27-year-old "prodigy director" only received a Best Original Screenplay nomination. On this day in 1999, a 24-year-old Chinese director, Chen Tiandu, under Spielberg's DreamWorks, was almost replicating his template, but the result was somewhat opposite.

Spielberg was highly regarded at the Golden Globes, while Chen Tiandu was cold-shouldered. But at the Oscars, Chen Tiandu won the Best Director nomination, a complete opposite.

Unfortunately, he was three months older than the youngest Best Director winner, John Singleton, so he couldn't claim the youngest honor.

"Oscar Best Director, wow, don't be too cocky," Kong Yiji shouted.

Vin Diesel also teased, laughing, "My curse didn't come true. Did I not inherit the astrologer's blood?"

"Congratulations, dear." Kate kissed him.

"Thanks."

"Party, no going home until we're drunk~~~" Charlize shouted.

Golden Globes?

Who cares about the Golden Globes now.

The two consolation nominations at the Golden Globes confirmed its failure as an Oscar predictor. Clearly, the Oscars still favor last year's box office champion, even though it's a horror film.

Many people thought Chen Tiandu could finally hold his head high, even though he never expected to win.

No one thought "The Sixth Sense" getting nominated was a surprise, as it was the box office champion, and its success was built on positive word-of-mouth, giving it the strength to be nominated.

The media couldn't help but mention the PR campaign for "The Sixth Sense," where a DVD and a small gift were sent to each of the 6,000 Oscar voters. But such PR was above board, and there was no way to find fault with it. If they didn't like it, they could only grumble, "They sent so many gifts," or complain, "Why didn't I think of that?"

When Chen Tiandu heard the nomination, he was also very excited, but he quickly calmed down.

Although he was now the director and star of a global $600 million box office hit, in Hollywood, his fame was actually not very high. He was at most a lucky newcomer, and he had a long way to go.

And Best Director... hahaha.

This result was both an honor and a sorrow, as Chen Tiandu's opponents were incredibly strong: Steven Spielberg for "Saving Private Ryan," Roberto Benigni for "Life Is Beautiful," John Madden for "Shakespeare in Love," Peter Weir for "The Truman Show," and Terrence Malick for "The Thin Red Line."

There was almost no chance of winning, but it was still worth celebrating.

Even so, for all of Asia, this was a miracle, the first time an Asian had been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars.

The American film awards are not just the Golden Globes and the Oscars; there are all kinds of awards, large and small, that can be overwhelming. Big favorites often can't even keep track of how many awards they've won. First, there are the guilds: the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild, the Actors Guild, the Cinematographers Guild, the Writers Guild... and countless critics' associations in Los Angeles, New York, and elsewhere, as well as the Saturn Awards, the Young Artist Awards, and many others.

"The Sixth Sense" has received many nominations, almost a replica of the Oscars.

Worth noting, Haley Joel Osment won the Breakthrough Performance Award at the American Teen Choice Awards on January 11, and the name of the prodigy spread quickly.

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