Ceremony spectators

The first time Hugo participated in such a star-studded award ceremony, although he appeared calm on the surface, deep down in his heart, he couldn't help but sigh continuously: the ceremony he used to watch on television was so splendid behind the scenes. Elites from various industries gathered together, not only the actors with the highest screen exposure, but also the producers and directors who held the fate of a movie in their hands.

What attracted Hugo's attention even more were the backstage workers: screenwriters, cinematographers, editors, composers, lighting technicians, costume designers, special effects artists... These people were the unsung heroes of the film and television industry. When people watch movies or TV shows, they rarely pay special attention to these details. However, it is these countless details that accumulate on the actors and then present the art of cinema through the medium of the screen. Even if someone pays attention to these details, they often don't know who contributed to each detail, which is a great pity.

As an audience member, Hugo had watched hundreds or even thousands of movies over the past decade or so, but he still didn't give enough attention to the backstage workers. He knew the importance of these aspects, just like how without special effects, there wouldn't be classics like "The Lord of the Rings", "Star Wars", or "Avatar". In Hugo's mind, there was always the concept that "a movie equals a team", but unfortunately, he lacked sufficient and effective channels to learn about the behind-the-scenes information. This was also a limitation of being an audience member.

However, in the process of collaborating on the past two films, Hugo gradually gained a deeper understanding of the backstage workers. For example, in "A Few Good Men", he was exposed to music composition for the first time, and in "Scent of a Woman", he became aware of the tip of the iceberg when it came to script adaptation. Although he couldn't fully comprehend it, it was indeed a whole new world.

And today, Hugo had the opportunity to see these miracle makers behind the scenes. It was like seeing a group of otaku finally stepping out of that confined box, making Hugo feel refreshed.

After the award ceremony began, Hugo closely followed the progress of the event like an inquisitive baby. It was as if he wasn't a participant but just another spectator who joined the ceremony from the back of the auditorium. However, what disappointed Hugo was that he didn't know most of the TV actors in the Golden Globe Awards' television category because he hadn't watched most of the American TV shows from the early 1990s. Besides a few limited ones like "Growing Pains" and "Beverly Hills, 90210", he hardly recognized any TV stars, which left Hugo feeling regretful.

"Oh, I know him, Will Smith!" Finally, when Hugo spotted a familiar face in the TV series category, he revealed a joyful expression.

Uma heard Hugo's exclamation and couldn't help but laugh, teasing, "I didn't know you liked this type of comedy."

Will Smith, the future global superstar known as the "King of Summer". Due to his tremendous box office appeal, he had been dominating the Hollywood big screen for over a decade. Almost every one of his films achieved over a hundred million dollars in revenue, earning him the nickname "King of Summer" among fans in China. In the United States, he and Denzel Washington were regarded as the two most beloved African-American actors, with an unrivaled status.

However, before Will Smith made it big on the silver screen, his acting career started on the small screen. The beloved sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" premiered in 1990 and ran for six years. Besides winning Will the title of "Fresh Prince," it laid the foundation for his widespread popularity.

What Hugo saw on the big screen earlier was the competition for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy TV Series, in which Will was nominated. In response to Uma's teasing, Hugo innocently shrugged his shoulders and said, "You always enjoy relaxing TV shows." Although he had never watched "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", it didn't stop Hugo from feeling a pleasant mood after recognizing a familiar face.

Unfortunately, in the end, Will Smith lost to his competitor, John Goodman, from the show "Roseanne". John Goodman was also a classic supporting actor, often appearing in the works of the Coen Brothers. Hugo couldn't recall his representative works, but he vaguely remembered seeing him in many classic masterpieces.

Afterwards, Hugo spotted one of his favorite TV series, "NCIS", which premiered in 2003. The male lead, Mark Harmon, was nominated for Best Actor in a Drama TV Series. The nominated show was called "Reasonable Doubts", which made Hugo deeply feel the generation gap left on him by the passage of time.

In the realm of movies, many old films are repeatedly brought out for nostalgia, but television series are filled with the imprint of their time. For example, "Growing Pains" holds memories for those born in the 1980s, while those born in the 1990s or 2000s may not know about it at all. Similarly, "Friends" primarily appeals to audiences from the 1980s, with some inclusion of the 1990s generation. However, after entering the 21st century, young people may not resonate with it at all. In their minds, "The Big Bang Theory" feels more relatable to their lives.

Hugo finally truly experienced the generation gap today, something he hadn't felt over the past year. It was the early 1990s, a time when he used to play in the mud and pretend to be Superman.

As Hugo continued watching the awards ceremony, feeling amazed, the ceremony gradually entered its later stages. When it was time for the Best Supporting Actor award, Uma couldn't help but hold Hugo's left hand. She realized her hand was sweaty, but Hugo remained calm and unaffected. This made Uma turn her head and look at Hugo.

Hugo sensed Uma's nervousness and instinctively looked at her. Uma opened her lips and mouthed, "Good luck!" It was then that Hugo realized he was also one of the contenders for the award. Sure enough, his name was announced from the speakers, "From "Scent of a Woman", Hugo Lancaster..." followed by ""A Few Good Men" Jack Nicholson." After each name was announced, some soft applause echoed through the venue.

Originally, Hugo was enjoying the awards ceremony, but at this moment, the nervousness returned along with the increasingly tense atmosphere. Hugo's heartbeat began to amplify in his ears, and his throat started to feel dry.

In fact, the fact that Hugo received two nominations this year was already a great affirmation. But when it came to winning, Hugo didn't have a great chance.

On one hand, there was the negative impact of the Razzie Awards. Few people were willing to vote for last year's winner of Worst Actor at the Razzies. It wasn't discrimination, but rather a subconscious rejection. People always remembered: you performed so poorly last year, and being nominated this year is already a big victory. As for winning the award, did you really perform that well? Maybe not. So, this invisible subconsciousness would allow the remaining negative value of the Razzie Awards to come into play.

On the other hand, the competition was fierce. The battle for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor in a Drama Series was particularly intense. Based solely on talent and performance, Hugo wasn't the frontrunner.

In the category of Best Supporting Actor, Gene Hackman from "Unforgiven" and Jack Nicholson from "A Few Good Men" took the lead. David Palmer from "Mr. Saturday Night" and Hugo, both first-time nominees, were considered supporting roles. Al Pacino from "Scent of a Woman", as a member of "Glengarry Glen Ross", was also in the mix, but his main strength did not lie in the supporting actor category. Therefore, it was generally believed that the competition would be between Gene Hackman and Jack Nicholson.

In the Best Actor in a Drama category, Al Pacino from "Scent of a Woman" took the lead, followed closely by Denzel Washington, who won the Berlin Film Festival's Best Actor award for "Malcolm X". Robert Downey Jr. from "Chaplin" and Hugo were both first-time nominees and were destined to be backdrops. Finally, Jack Nicholson from "Hoffa" had a chance for an upset.

The dilemma of splitting votes caused by the double nomination was maximized in the case of the 25-year-old Hugo. Hollywood believes in talent but does not necessarily believe in young talent, especially when it comes to male actors. In 1987, the Oscars awarded the Best Actress statue to 21-year-old Marlee Matlin. Prior to the 2014 Oscars, there were as many as two-digit numbers of actresses under the age of 30 who won the Best Actress title, while in the case of male actors, there was only one: Adrien Brody, who won at the age of 29 in 2003.

For 25-year-old Hugo, receiving dual Golden Globe nominations was already a great affirmation, let alone the fact that both of Hugo's nominated works were not strong enough. He was slightly overshadowed by Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman" and had a tough competition with Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men", but lacked a knockout performance. Therefore, it was very difficult for people to concentrate their votes.

In this situation, Hugo didn't have any expectations of winning at the beginning. However, as the tension in the room increased, his inner sense of anticipation also grew. After all, as long as he was nominated, there was hope of winning. As one of the nominees, even though he knew his chances were slim, it was only natural to hold on to hope. This caused Hugo's dry palms to start getting moist.

Unfortunately, there were no surprises in the results. Gene Hackman won his second Golden Globe for his outstanding performance in "Unforgiven". The last time he won was in 1972 for "The French Connection", when he also received the Best Actor title at the Oscars.

Hugo regretfully missed his first Golden Globe trophy, and the subsequent award for Best Actor in a Drama followed the historical trajectory Hugo remembered. Al Pacino emerged victorious, winning the Golden Globe without any suspense after delivering a perfect performance in "Scent of a Woman", and heading towards his first Oscar for Best Actor.

Although his inner hopes ultimately fell short and disappointment was inevitable, Hugo quickly put on a bright smile and applauded Al Pacino with the most enthusiastic applause. He didn't have high expectations to begin with, so he wouldn't be too disappointed after missing out on the award. Moreover, both of Hugo's losses in the two categories were undoubtedly the result of a competition based on hard strength, so there was no need to be too sad.

Then, even greater good news came. Clint Eastwood won Best Director for "Unforgiven", and "Scent of a Woman" triumphed as the Best Drama, bringing an end to the 50th Golden Globe Awards and contributing another honor to Hugo's strong rise in 1992.