On March 21, 1999, it was destined to be a sleepless night, and so many things happened on this night that people simply had no way to sort out their thoughts, and they had to calm down and slowly recall the countless moments that were brilliant and colorful.

Hugo walked quickly into the Sunset Tower Hotel, looked around, and didn't see Charlize's figure, Leonardo stayed not far from the entrance, and when he saw Hugo coming in, he quickly greeted him, and put his elbow on Hugo's waist with a smile, "How is it?" All clear? ”

Hugo's expression was also a little tangled, "Sort of." He made it clear, but he didn't know how the reporters would react.

Leonardo laughed when he saw Hugo's appearance, completely gloating, but he still put his arm on Hugo's shoulder and patted him on the chest, "Don't worry, the reporters are turning over and over those tricks, aren't you already familiar with them?" So, there's nothing to worry about. ”

Hugo let out a long breath, "That's right. "The mood is relaxed.

"Charlize and Sandra, they went over to look for Nicole, a group of women are talking about tonight's dress......" Leonardo rolled his eyes, and his face was full of disgust and rejection of "Thank you for not being sensitive", "Let's go, let's go to find Steven, he came to ask you just now, it seems that something is looking for you." ”

When he saw Steven, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg were all around, and without waiting for Hugo to react, the three of them each gave Hugo a warm hug, which made Hugo confused, "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" You all owe me money? Hugo's poor mouth made all three of them laugh.

However, none of them refuted Hugo's words, but exchanged glances, and finally Steven took the initiative to speak, "Of course we owe you money, and the 60 million funds of 'Beautiful Mind' haven't been handed over to you yet, haven't they?" This made Hugo suddenly realize, nodded with a "of course" expression, Steven continued, "Honestly, I really have to thank you this time, without your reminder, maybe ......" Steven said halfway, but Hugo could vaguely feel what he said, and sure enough, Steven's later words confirmed Hugo's conjecture, "So, what do you think all this is going on?" How do you know this...... Uh......"

"Awards season." David took over Steven's topic, and then saw that Jeffrey was also nodding seriously beside him. Leonardo stood next to him with a calm expression.

Hugo raised an eyebrow and turned back to find the Weinstein brothers in the crowd, who had now returned to normal, with a calm and polite smile on their faces, and chatting happily with the others. However, Gwyneth was nowhere to be seen beside them, and she didn't know where she had gone.

"Why do you think a film like 'Shakespeare in Love' can lead all the works in the nomination stage?" Hugo had been prepared for today's situation, so he didn't panic at all, and said with a smile, "Because the Oscars are an authoritative and professional awards ceremony, they are also the most successful business event in the world......" Hugo finished saying this, Steven wanted to refute Hugo, but Hugo shook his head, "No, you know what I said is right." The reason why the Oscars are so high-profile is because of the good commercial promotion; Similarly, the reason why the Oscar statuette is so important is that the added commercial value is difficult to calculate. If not, why isn't the most famous awards show in the world Berlinale or Venice, and why don't major studios participate in the Sundance Film Festival or the Independent Spirit Awards, or even the Golden Globes...... It's the Oscars. ”

Hugo's words are a bit one-sided, because Oscar's current status is the result of the right time, place and people, and the precipitation of time has pushed Oscar to where he is today. But no one can deny Hugo's words, because they are true.

Oscar is a game, a game from the very beginning, only after "Jaws" the rules of this game began to get complicated; And after "Terminator 2", the evolution of this game has reached a whole new level; After the "Titanic", the rules of the game quietly changed again.

Of course, for filmmakers, the Oscar statuette represents affirmation, just like the Directors Guild Award and the Screenwriters Guild Award, which is the affirmation of authoritative professional opinions. However, businessmen always look at things from a different perspective, don't they? Hugo uncovered all the problems in such a simple sentence.

Why did the awards season come in late 1998 instead of 1997 or 1999? Because the success of "Independence Day" paved the way, and the glory of "Titanic" promoted the advent of the blockbuster era, Wall Street's attention to Hollywood is increasing day by day; Because 1998 was a year when the balance between commercial films and art films was tilted, with the increasing maturity of computer special effects, commercial films are becoming the mainstream of Hollywood step by step; Because only a year ago, the Oscars chose "Titanic" as the best picture, giving it an official affirmation......

Behind the first year of the awards season is the inevitability of historical development.

What makes the Weinstein brothers outstanding is their tongues and PR skills; But what they are better at is their ability to assess the situation and grasp the context of historical development.

Steven, David, and Jeffrey were all lost in thought, and the three bigwigs obviously knew what earth-shattering news was behind Hugo's words. Especially in this just-ended awards season, if there is no reminder from Hugo, maybe the ending of tonight's Oscars will be completely different - hidden behind the victory of "Saving Private Ryan", but it is the menacing "Shakespeare love history", and it is definitely no accident that thirteen nominations lead the nomination stage.

Leonardo was not at all interested in these things at the corporate level and the industrial level at this time, he was almost asleep standing next to him, if Hugo hadn't stayed here, he would have found an excuse to sneak away. Leonardo snoined at Hugo and seemed to say, "Let's go over and have a ...... at the bar"

Hugo didn't really intend to continue the discussion, because his understanding of these issues was very limited, and the repetition was just the development of those historical contexts, and if he really wanted to tell a reason, he would be like squeezing toothpaste, and he couldn't squeeze out anything for half a day, and maybe the three old foxes would see the mistake.

Hugo gave Leonardo a look, opened his mouth to find an excuse to leave, and then saw David's eyes that seemed to be smiling, "Hugo, you are really a very interesting person." This sentence suddenly added a touch of embarrassment to Hugo's smile, "If you are not interested in things like company management, but you can always get to the point, and you have an amazing understanding of the development of the industry...... But if you know all about these things, many times you are like a layman, completely blank. ”

Hugo chuckled in his heart, but David was so keen that he saw through his true colors at once—and he would only talk on paper. Just as Hugo was thinking about how to respond to David's words, Leonardo, who was standing next to him, said with a smile, "So, he just looks like a stupid person, but he is actually very smart, does that mean?" ”

If you are wise and foolish, it is probably such an adjective.

Jeffrey nodded slightly, "That's why so many people are planted in front of Hugo, aren't they?" I'm glad that we're not enemies. ”

Hugo's cheeks were hot when he said this, but he still forced his composure and teased, "You discuss my IQ like this in person, are you sure I understand?" This made several people chuckle, "But David is right, I actually just know a little bit about it, and every time I say something, the result of those brainstorms is your own credit, and it has nothing to do with me." You can see that you need a little space to think about the awards season, so if Leo and I can't talk, let's go find a glass of champagne first. ”

Steven and the three did not force Hugo to stay, they all knew that Hugo was really not good at these things, and teased Hugo a few more words, and let him and Leonardo leave. Seeing Hugo's departing back, Jeffrey sighed, "Actually, he is the real smart man." ”

David chuckled, "So he's reached heights that no one else can reach." At least, he is purer than we are, and not as greedy as we are. "True wisdom is actually knowing contentment, when to be ambitious, when to stop in moderation, which is precisely a subject that a person cannot solve in his life.

"Oops, I forgot to talk to Hugo about the 'Beautiful Life'." Steven smashed his mouth in frustration, apparently having forgotten about the events of awards season.

David didn't seem to be in a hurry at all, "Don't worry, Hugo knows better than us." Have you read his finished script? That's really ......" David raised an eyebrow, trying to find the right word, and after taking a sip of champagne, he sighed, "Genius." ”

Steven didn't speak, just nodded his chin slightly, and then heard Jeffrey's voice next to him, "Glad again, he's a member of DreamWorks......" The smile on the corner of Steven's mouth was slightly outlined.

Hugo naturally didn't know what the DreamWorks triumvirate was talking about behind his back, he and Leonardo had not gone far, and then he saw Gwyneth with a gloomy face standing in the corner, her eyes full of resentment made people shudder, looking like a ghost in a horror movie, making a thin layer of goosebumps float behind his back. However, before Hugo could react in any way to Gwyneth, a figure stood in front of Hugo, revealing a bright smile, "Hey, Hugo! ”

It's Heath Ledger.