The Greatest Showman #1145 - Amazing 1 Year

No one can win forever, and no one can stay strong forever. The so-called enduring success takes time to build.

Historically, only two actors have been nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor for four consecutive years: Marlon Brando from 1951 to 1954, and Al Pacino from 1972 to 1975.

Interestingly, Brando made history between the ages of 27 and 30, while Pacino wrote his own miracles between 32 and 35.

In other words, both were young talents. With their exceptional skills, they gained early recognition and firmly established themselves in the industry. For Oscar-winning actors, whose average age at the time of their win is 43, Brando and Pacino are the epitome of genius and darlings of the Academy.

However, that was a long time ago. The history of Brando was made half a century ago, and Pacino's glory was written 40 years ago. Now, the Academy is becoming increasingly older and more experienced, making it difficult for a young talent like Renly to replicate such brilliance.

Objectively speaking, after Renly's Oscar nominations for Buried Alive and Crazy in Love, this year is indeed a time to take a breath. If Renly misses the Oscar nomination this year, it would be a natural outcome, nothing to make a fuss about.

But the industry is still full of regrets. Not only has Renly's momentum in recent years been overwhelming, creating miracles almost habitually, but his reputation in the industry is still heating up. It is quite embarrassing that his works' subject matter and style this year have prevented him from advancing further in the awards season.

What's more, the second round of "Renly vs. Harvey" ended prematurely, leaving a bitter aftertaste.

As the awards season began, there was a small detail worth considering.

After the release of Transcendence in North America, a group of actors including Donald Glover, Alexander Skarsgard, Paul Walker, and others went to an art theater chain to watch the film, tweeting their complaints. They harshly criticized the film, claiming that Renly's work was incomprehensible.

Donald's tweet was the most amusing: "Wait for the second viewing after the actor's commentary soundtrack version is released."

Alexander's tweet also carried his unique style: "Oops, Renly ditched us and didn't play with us. Obviously, a work like that is definitely not at my level, this is awful. Damn it."

It wasn't just them. Ryan Gosling, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgard, Jessica Chastain, Scarlett Johansson, and others also tweeted, humorously endorsing detachment, urging audiences to visit art theaters and appreciate this "completely incomprehensible" film.

From the teasing between the lines, it's clear that their friendship with Renly is more than just a PR stunt.

But interestingly, among the many tweets, Jennifer Lawrence was absent.

Of course, there are many plausible explanations. Perhaps Jennifer was busy with award season promotions, and the detachment screenings didn't align with her schedule. Or perhaps she had already watched the film privately and communicated with Renly through email or text—no need to tweet about it.

However, in the context of the awards season, people can't help but speculate.

Could the tension between Harvey and Renly be affecting Jennifer's actions and attitude?

The film The Line of Happiness behind the Dark Clouds is currently being handled by Weinstein Films. It's preparing to push for the Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay awards this year, with a slight advantage in the competition.

Given Harvey's domineering and dictatorial style, it is highly likely that Jennifer is being prevented from making any public comments about Renly, especially ones that could support his Oscar nomination.

Perhaps this is just the media reading too much into things, or baseless speculation.

But it's evident that both the media and industry insiders are eagerly waiting for more drama between Renly and Harvey. The early exit of detachment from the awards race has sparked disappointment.

The media is full of discussions about how disappointing the Transcendence performance was after the screening, how it became Renly's first film that failed to create a miracle, and whether it marks an unwelcome turning point in Renly's career. There are even concerns about Gravity's reception and box office.

But despite these ups and downs, the fact that the media and industry insiders are so invested in Renly's success shows how influential he is in Hollywood.

2012 was indeed a magical year for Renly.

Although detachment performed below expectations, even disappointing, no one could ignore Renly's presence by the end of the year. This year marked Renly's rise to the top of Hollywood.

First, there was the rise of Renly's music career.

Despite repeatedly emphasizing that he is an actor, not a singer, by the end of the year, no one could overlook the success of Don Quixote and Renly's growing footprint in the music industry.

At the Grammy Awards earlier that year, Don Quixote won three awards, marking another dark horse triumph.

His One Person's Concert broke ticket sales records and attendance records at Madison Square Garden in New York. Then Eleven Studio released a DVD of the concert, which became the year's best-selling concert DVD, surpassing icons like Madonna, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars.

The performance on the Today Show, from the viewership numbers to the social media buzz, became one of the year's biggest events, perfectly combining music and charity and generating widespread public interest.

All of this was reflected on year-end sales charts. No one expected Renly Hall's name to appear there.

On the 2012 North American album sales chart, Adele's 21 took the top spot with 4.8 million copies sold. Taylor Swift's Red followed with 3.21 million copies sold, reaffirming her dominance as the most popular new-generation artist. But the real surprise came from Don Quixote. This folk album became one of the biggest dark horses of the year, selling 3.05 million copies, surpassing several major artists.

Given the downturn in the global music market, only four albums in North America sold over 2 million copies that year, with Don Quixote among them.

Now, with sales surpassing 3 million copies, the result is nothing short of extraordinary. It shows the immense influence Renly's album has had on the North American market.

The year-end sales rankings saw 21, Red, Don Quixote, and Bruno Mars' Mars Jukebox taking the top four spots. Twelve albums in total surpassed one million in sales, including major names like Pink Lady (P!nk), Fun, Rihanna, and Imagine Dragons.

One of the biggest trends of the year was the rise of folk music. The success of Don Quixote sparked a folk music revival in North America, with bands like Sons of Monfort, Passengers, and Of Monsters and Men breaking into the top 30 sales rankings.

This shows the massive cultural impact of Don Quixote.

This is an extraordinary phenomenon. While people are mourning the failure of detachment, they also realize that Renly's influence in 2012 is undeniable. It's a year full of contradictions, yet it's fascinating.

The music market's record sales are only part of the story. Renly's influence was felt across various fields, from film to charity, highlighting the social significance his name carries.

In every sense, 2012 was Renly's year of complete rise. The disappointment of detachment seems like a small bump in the road. Even People magazine and Time magazine mentioned Renly in their year-end summaries, marking this as the golden year for Renly Hall.

Clearly, 2012 was the year that belonged to Renly.