Chapter 82

On the other side of the world, Chen Tiandu's family was also watching TV, with CCTV's movie channel broadcasting the Oscars live.

On the screen, the Oscar ceremony was in full swing, the spacious hall was packed, and as the audience erupted in thunderous applause, black-haired host Whoopi Goldberg walked to the center of the stage, saying, "Thank you, thank you all."

The hosts of the various award ceremonies are also a major highlight. The Academy is accustomed to inviting popular talk show hosts, such as Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, and Jon Stewart, or comedic actors like David Niven, Steve Martin, and this year's host, Whoopi Goldberg, to carry the ceremony.

A good host's witty and humorous talk show adds a lot of color to the award ceremony.

Whoopi Goldberg's opening remarks were both awkward and hilarious: "The Oscar is the only man in Hollywood who, at 74, doesn't need Viagra to last three hours."

The Oscar award rules generally start with the technical awards, short films, documentaries, and animated films, followed by the supporting actor, supporting actress, best foreign language film, best actor, lifetime achievement, best actress, and screenplay awards, with the best director and best picture awards as the grand finale.

Chen Tiandu and Kate's seats were in the third row on the left side, with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks sitting in the front row, the seating arrangement also reflecting the current popularity of the stars.

However, no matter where you sit, as long as you are nominated, when your category is announced, you become the center of the world.

Amid thunderous applause, Leonardo DiCaprio, the star of last year, who is still popular this year, walked out from the left side of the stage with a white envelope. This year, Cameron declined the Oscar's invitation to be a presenter, but he was invited, and his appearance indeed drew enthusiastic applause from many people.

After all, the role of Jack is a classic in the hearts of a generation.

Leonardo DiCaprio smiled and said, "It is an honor to present this award. The best supporting actress is an indispensable soul of the film, and because of their outstanding performances, the film's story becomes more engaging... The nominees for best supporting actress are: Judi Dench for 'Shakespeare in Love,' Kate Beckinsale for 'The Sixth Sense'..."

Despite the slim chances, Kate still tensed up when Beckinsale's name was called.

"Kate, it's your turn," Haley, who was restless, called out excitedly, squirming in his seat.

Kate became even more nervous with his commotion and scolded, "Haley, be quiet, don't disturb everyone."

Chen Tiandu patted her hand, signaling her to relax. At this moment, there must be a camera focused on them. Kate took a deep breath to calm herself, feeling terrible. "We agreed to take it calmly, but I'm so nervous, it's embarrassing."

Finally, Leonardo DiCaprio, dressed in a black suit, opened the white envelope, "The winner is... Judi Dench for 'Shakespeare in Love.'"

Hearing it wasn't her name, Kate felt relieved.

"Of course, Judi Dench performed so well and has a lot of experience. It's only right that she won the award. I was being unrealistic," she thought, feeling a large hand grip hers tightly.

Chen Tiandu turned to her seriously, "You didn't perform any worse than the others. You deserve this award. In my heart, that award is yours."

Kate looked at the man beside her with gratitude, "Thank you, I almost cried."

"Hey, no tears now, or even Haley will laugh at you."

"What?"

Haley, hearing his name, turned his head curiously.

"Nothing, just keep watching the show," Kate said, feeling much better after the interruption.

In fact, Judi Dench appeared for only 8 minutes in 'Shakespeare in Love' but won the best supporting actress award for her outstanding performance. She humbly said when holding the Oscar, "I only appeared for 8 minutes, I shouldn't have received so much. I sincerely thank the makeup artists, who spent far more time than my 8 minutes."

This humility earned her even more respect.

The disappointment didn't end there. Not only did Kate lose the best supporting actress award, but the best supporting actor award also went to veteran actor James Coburn. James Coburn, a Hollywood elder with white hair, finally won the best supporting actor award for 'Affliction.' He said, "I've been in the industry for most of my life, and today I finally made it."

Haley didn't need comforting. He was very sensible, facing the camera with a composed expression and clapping for others, as he was specifically instructed to do before the event.

As the youngest nominee at this year's Oscars, he received a lot of attention, and he performed well, at least not embarrassing himself in front of the world audience.

"Phew, two awards lost. Now it's your turn, dear," Kate said, looking at Chen Tiandu.

Chen Tiandu smiled, "You're making me nervous too. We agreed to take it calmly."

"Hey, forget about being calm," Kate pouted, "This is the Oscars, how can you be calm? It might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Chen Tiandu sighed, "Yes, this is the Oscars, just being here is great."

He knew that the original 'The Sixth Sense' was released this year but received five nominations at next year's Oscars without winning any. Now, a year earlier, the box office was better than the original, but there were only four nominations. It also created a record of him being nominated for best original screenplay for two works at the same time. He didn't know how much this would change, so he decided to leave it to fate.

The next person to walk on stage with music was Natalie Portman. The talented young actress, who became famous in 'Leon: The Professional,' has remained popular. This time, she starred in 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace,' which will be released globally in May, playing the former queen of Naboo, Amidala.

Star Wars fans around the world have been eagerly awaiting this film, and it's expected to create another viewing frenzy, boosting Natalie's popularity. Her appearance was met with thunderous applause.

Being invited as a presenter at the Oscars at this time is clearly the result of Fox and Lucas's extensive public relations efforts. Moreover, having young faces present two consecutive awards added a lot of freshness to this year's Oscars.

Natalie, a bit nervous but still smiling brightly, said, "The script is the soul of the film, the foundation of the story. A good film script often leaves the audience with memorable lines and a captivating story. This year's Oscar nominees for best original screenplay are among the best. Let's see which works are nominated..."

A camera directly in front of Chen Tiandu focused on him, making him very uneasy.

"The nominees for the Oscar for best original screenplay are: 'Shakespeare in Love,' 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Life Is Beautiful,' 'The Truman Show,' and 'The Sixth Sense'!"

The screen showed clips from the scripts of the nominated films, and it was clear that two of the scripts had the same character silhouette, which was Chen Tiandu.