Chapter 249: Attacking

Chicago is a successful commercial adaptation, a typical Duke Rosenberg-style cinematic feast. In essence, it's no different from popcorn films like Independence Day and The Rock. It's merely a superficial commercial film disguised in the garb of a musical, with scant artistic value. Apart from its dazzling visuals and occasional humor, it has very little worth praising. Ultimately, it's a pseudo-musical that lacks real artistry or traditional musical elements."

— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Before Christmas, the media was flooded with a barrage of articles criticizing Chicago. Film critics led the charge, with comments like Roger Ebert's being far from rare. They used every conceivable term to push the film into the realm of mere commercialism.

As Harvey Weinstein had predicted, the consecutive Oscar victories of two high-grossing films, Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan, inevitably touched a nerve among the Academy's conservative members. In their ingrained mindset, mainstream appeal was synonymous with mediocrity, and films heavily laden with commercial elements were far from their liking, especially given the precedent set by the previous two years.

At this stage, Harvey Weinstein had not yet become the Harvey Weinstein of the future but had already grasped the psychology of the conservative faction dominating the Academy.

This was just one aspect. On the other hand, Harvey Weinstein set his sights on Tom Cruise, prompting comments in the media like "Cruise's acting is as terrible as ever" and "His musical performances are as ridiculous as a duck's quacking." Such remarks began to surface frequently.

A poor actor could directly impact a film's overall performance during awards season. With the other two female leads lacking significant fame and Duke offering little in the way of personal scandals to exploit, was there a better target than Tom Cruise?

In the eyes of the old-timers, Tom Cruise, as a representative of the "pretty boy" actors, had always been synonymous with lackluster acting, relying solely on his looks. Who better to attack than him?

Moreover, there was no shortage of fodder to criticize Tom Cruise.

Perhaps drawing on Duke's experience of blackening Cruise a few years prior, the gossip press once again targeted Cruise's faith during this sensitive period of the awards season. While faith, in this so-called land of freedom, could not officially serve as a reason for criticism, the Oscars prioritize political correctness and proper values. Scientology's ideology was far from aligning with mainstream societal acceptance.

Several tabloids even dragged Nicole Kidman into the fray, claiming there were issues with Cruise's family and that his marriage to Nicole Kidman was a sham. They alleged that Cruise's divorce from his first wife, Mimi Rogers, and subsequent marriage to Nicole Kidman were entirely orchestrated by Scientology. He wasn't an independent Hollywood star but a puppet used by Scientology for propaganda.

The Academy has over 6,000 members, more than half of whom wouldn't even watch the films before voting, sometimes not even a single clip. Winning their favor often requires significant effort, but provoking their dislike takes merely one compelling reason.

Dislike for an actor could easily translate into dislike for a film. Examples of such instances are countless.

Even more exaggerated were the tabloids questioning Tom Cruise's sexual orientation. At this time, even the famously courageous Jodie Foster dared not openly discuss such matters. For actors, homosexuality remained taboo at the Oscars.

In the past, Oscar competition was fierce enough, but smear campaigns were generally kept in check. Everything seemed to change starting with last year's Oscars.

Mel Gibson had gone from an Oscar frontrunner to an unacknowledged loser, demonstrating to many a way to secure awards: take down your competitors.

Harvey Weinstein, ever the Oscar opportunist, naturally excelled at this.

Negative commentary about Chicago was widespread, but Warner Bros. and Duke's studio were not sitting idle. As the opposition launched their attacks, they countered continuously.

Many voters wouldn't watch the films in contention, so even extensive campaigning might be insufficient to sway them. Influencing their votes, however, often required no more than a compelling rumor.

For example, certain media outlets questioned whether The English Patient harbored sympathies toward the Nazis.

The truth didn't matter; what mattered was whether it influenced the voters' choices.

Simultaneously, ghostwritten reports subtly hinted that it was a film about Europeans, that Anthony Minghella was a homosexual, and so on.

In short, while Miramax was busy tarnishing Chicago, Duke's studio and Warner Bros. were targeting The English Patient. Neither side held back in their tactics.

As if on cue, in the days that followed, media outlets supportive of The English Patient began criticizing Duke for making Chicago excessively commercialized, claiming it had lost the essence of a true musical.

Ironically, echoing these criticisms, Chicago easily surpassed $100 million at the North American box office. After its fifth weekend in theaters, just before Christmas, its cumulative box office total reached $111.05 million.

From a box office perspective, Chicago undeniably resembled a purely commercial film.

With Christmas approaching, Duke didn't travel to New York. His mother was coming to Malibu to attend a joint reception hosted by George Lucas and Lucasfilm. This year's Christmas would be spent in Malibu, and unlike previous years, there were two new faces joining them.

One was Catherine Zeta-Jones. Although Duke had been actively planning to end their relationship with Panny Kallis's assistance, Zeta-Jones had shown no inclination to leave. Duke couldn't exactly kick her out on Christmas Eve.

The other was Irene Lauder, who had come to Los Angeles from New York to attend Lucas's party. She wasn't here solely on Lucas's invitation; she was also representing Estée Lauder. Cosmetic and luxury brands have always maintained close ties with Hollywood, as the entertainment industry is a key high-end consumer market for them.

"So, you're sponsoring this year's Oscars?"

While carving the roast turkey, Duke asked Irene, who was seated beside his mother. "Is it finalized?"

"My visit to Los Angeles isn't just for Mr. Lucas's party. I'm also here to handle business."

Irene shrugged elegantly and said, "Actually, everything was finalized today. After the Christmas holidays, I'll represent Estée Lauder in officially signing with the Academy."

Duke handed her a plate of turkey and asked, "Will your products be included in the Oscar gift bags?"

"The turkey tastes great."

Though turkey is typically avoided by dieting women, Irene only had a small bite before setting it aside. She then answered, "Our latest Lauder skincare set."

She flashed Duke a playful smile. "Of course, you won't need it. What was in last year's bags?"

"I didn't look at last year's Oscar gift bags." Duke passed the turkey plate to Zeta-Jones and continued, "I gave mine to Tina as soon as I received it."

The Oscars provide gift bags for nominees and invited guests, filled with sponsored products ranging from cosmetics to men's underwear and hotel vouchers. The contents vary based on an individual's status and nominations, with values ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars.

For someone of Duke's stature, these gift bags were often casually handed off to assistants or acquaintances.

In recent years, rumors about Oscar gift bags have highlighted the extremes of taxation in a nation born out of rebellion against taxes. It's rumored that the IRS has begun targeting these gift bags, intending to tax the recipients.

"Duke..."

At this moment, Leah set down her knife and fork and said, "When I was in New York, the president of Victoria's Secret asked me to invite you to next year's annual show. Also, the shareholder meeting is coming up. If you can't attend, you should appoint a proxy."

"I understand, Mom," Duke replied with a nod.

Given his current status in the film industry, merely sitting in the audience at a Victoria's Secret show could elevate the event's prestige.

"Hey, Duke, you're a Victoria's Secret shareholder?" Irene teased, winking at him. "Plenty of men would envy you for that."

"What's there to envy?"

Irene raised an eyebrow at Duke, conveying with her expression that she knew better.

Sitting silently at the dining table, Catherine Zeta-Jones felt completely out of place. She couldn't join their conversation, and even when she tried, she received only lukewarm responses. Many of their topics were outside her grasp, such as the New York high society Irene and Duke discussed or the investments Leah occasionally mentioned, which had little to do with Hollywood.

The differences in background, status, wealth, and ethnicity all contributed to this gap. Zeta-Jones wasn't a naive girl; she knew that despite the country's claim of being a land of freedom and equality, class divisions were starkly evident.

She and they lived in two entirely different worlds.

For some reason, Zeta-Jones suddenly had an epiphany: when one rises high enough, one inevitably sees things from a broader perspective.

This small dinner party lasted until quite late. Duke arranged for a driver to take Irene back to her hotel.

"Will we see the new members of Star Wars tomorrow?"

As they exited the villa, Irene asked Duke, who had accompanied her outside. Though more mature and astute than before, her love for movies hadn't completely faded. "You mentioned it's the story of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala? Will we see the new actors for these roles?"

"They're reportedly attending."

Duke quickened his pace to open the car door for her. "But you might be disappointed. Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala are still just kids."

.....

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