Chapter 287: Another Year at the Oscars

[Chapter 287: Another Year at the Oscars]

On February 28th, Pacific Time, the 66th Academy Awards ceremony took place at the Los Angeles Music Center, broadcast live worldwide by BC Television. Linton wore the latest Armani suit, a Timex watch, and Jones shoes. He walked the red carpet with Catherine, as they were the lead actors of Speed.

Actually, on the night of February 26th, when he returned to the estate, all the members of his entourage who were attending the Oscars had also come back, including Sophie Marceau and Naomi Watts, who were shooting a film at the time.

On one hand, they came to the estate's party to draw energy from Linton, ensuring they appeared flawless at the Oscars. After all, the Oscars red carpet is among the highest-profile stages in the world for any celebrity, especially for actresses competing to outshine one another.

In the past week, with the help of their agencies, stylists, makeup artists, and sponsors from clothing, jewelry, bags, shoes, watches, cosmetics, and perfume brands, each had perfected their image to show their most glamorous self on the red carpet.

They were lucky -- thanks to the essence of Linton's power, they didn't have to prepare as much as other actresses. Others had to treat walking the Oscars red carpet like a battle, preparing at least half a month in advance, with beauty treatments, diet plans, and custom gowns, strictly following nutritionist advice.

On the day of the Oscars, starting from 10 a.m., they couldn't even eat or drink water. The process was extremely painful, but every star flocked to it eagerly despite that.

But all these hardships, Linton's women avoided. They only needed to party happily with Linton a few times before the Oscars to soak up his energy.

On the other hand, they wanted to secure the chance to walk the red carpet with Linton, since he, too, would walk it this year. Walking the red carpet alone with him would undoubtedly elevate their status and draw more media attention.

Madonna, Sophie Marceau, Cristiana, Monica, Jennifer, Winona, Catherine, Naomi, and Cameron -- the nine women from his entourage attending the Oscars -- all requested to be his date on the red carpet.

Linton was troubled. Each of these nine women was stunning and cherished; choosing one without a solid reason would definitely upset the others.

But not choosing anyone was out of the question. The nine insisted that he pick at least one to walk with; otherwise, it would just let the others have the advantage.

In the end, Linton reminded himself he was the director and star of Speed. At the Oscars, he had to sit with the film crew, and Catherine, as the film's leading lady, was the best choice for his companion.

...

After several years of continuous success, Linton was a big Hollywood star. His red carpet order was quite high, only behind Tom Cruise and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Of course, his popularity was undeniable. The moment he appeared with Catherine on the red carpet, it triggered waves of screaming, cheering, and applause. Cameras on both sides fired their flashlights non-stop.

Linton and his team had analyzed that Speed's chances of winning were basically zero -- they were likely there just for appearances.

However, even without winning, having three nominations greatly boosted the film's subsequent rights and revenue.

According to Robert, since the Oscar nominations were announced, video rentals and sales for Speed had noticeably increased.

So Linton stayed in the right mindset, quietly watching the ceremony and serving as a presenter.

This time, instead of presenting minor awards like Best Foreign Film, he was invited to present one of the four major awards: Best Actor.

[T/N: Best Actor is generally presented by previous year's Best Actress. In this case, it should have been Emma Thompson. In this A/U, you can assume she was not able to present for some reason and Linton was asked to present.]

...

The biggest winner of this Oscars was Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. Under the control of the Hollywood Jewish community, this politically correct film swept the awards, taking 7 prizes including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Editing.

Jurassic Park also did well, winning three awards including Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

Spielberg truly reached his peak moment.

Thus, none of Speed's three nominations won, but Linton wasn't overly bothered.

However, Robert and Catherine, sitting beside him, were tense every time award results were announced and sighed in disappointment whenever they lost, which Linton found amusing.

The Best Actor award went to Tom Hanks for Philadelphia. With several big hits under his belt and this Oscar win, Hanks had truly entered the superstar league.

...

An awkward moment for Linton came when he walked onstage to present the award and passed Sharon Stone, who had been waiting to greet him. Maybe feeling lonely from Linton not responding to her lately, she suddenly embraced him and kissed him openly in front of everyone, secretly slipping him a room key card, causing the audience to erupt in cheers and whistles.

Linton, however, had no time for her lately -- he had nine beautiful women at home, and he was about to travel the day after tomorrow.

Stone's passionate embrace opened a Pandora's box: sitting in the front row, Madonna, Naomi, and Winona, unwilling to be outdone, also got up, blocked Linton, and gave him enthusiastic hugs and kisses.

From the crew's seats to the podium, the few steps took nearly two minutes, as if he was walking his own red carpet.

The crowd went wild with screams, chants, and whistles, shaking the music center's roof.

When Linton handed the trophy to Tom Hanks, Tom joked, "Linton, how about a hug and a kiss from us, too?"

Linton replied with a slightly dismissive tone, "Too bad you're not a beauty -- I only like beautiful women."

This sparked laughter and cheers from the audience.

To make things even more exciting, when Linton returned to his crew's seats, Catherine gave him a big hug and a passionate kiss.

This fully sealed Linton's reputation as a playboy.

Jennifer, Cristiana, Monica, and Sophie sitting in the back row were uncomfortable but had no choice; they couldn't just storm the front row for a dramatic scene.

They could only curse Sharon Stone silently in their hearts.

The backstage monitoring crew and NBC's broadcast team were ecstatic -- this would surely boost ratings.

Linton truly was a walking headline wherever he went, a guaranteed ratings magnet. No doubt, he'd be invited again as a presenter next year.

*****

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