The Best Director

Chapter 421: Chapter 421: Nominating a King

“The nominations for Best Original Score include: Alexandre Desplat for ‘Serenna’; James Newton Howard for ‘King Kong’; Jan Kaczmarek & Hans Jimo for ‘Firefly’; Gustavo Santaolalla for ‘Brokeback Mountain’; and John Williams for ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’.”

“YEAH—” Before Dakota Johnson could finish her announcement on TV, fans of Wang Yang in front of the screen erupted into cheers. ‘Firefly’ had easily snagged two nominations! If the Best Original Song nomination was a surprise, the score was a given—who wouldn’t nominate it? Anyone who didn’t had to have a problem with their ears! The pairing of Kaczmarek and Jimo was simply perfect. The ‘Firefly’ soundtrack CD was acknowledged by audiophiles as a divine disk, with Jimo’s passionate, majestic themes and Kaczmarek’s gentle and serene melodies, it was truly a great enjoyment in life!

Both scoring masters rated this as “the best feeling I’ve had in my scoring career.” The genius Yang had fully stimulated their innate potential and fused them together to deliver an astounding musical shock. This was Kaczmarek’s fourth Golden Globe nomination for Best Score, three of which were for films directed by Wang Yang; and Jimo’s seventh, and according to the media and public, neither Golden Globes nor Oscars had any contenders to match them.

Watching the live broadcast, Hans Jimo couldn’t help but smile broadly. He almost immediately received a congratulatory text from Wang Yang, “Congratulations! Hans, I love your music!” He replied with a grateful “Thank you.” Though he had no other competing awards, he didn’t leave the couch—’Firefly’ was not yet finished, and it was soon Yang’s time.

“The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are Scarlett Johansson for ‘Match Point’; … Rachel Weisz for ‘The Constant Gardener’; Michelle Williams for ‘Brokeback Mountain’.”

“The nominees for Best Supporting Actor are: George Clooney for ‘Serenna’; Will Ferrell for ‘The Producers’; Paul Giamatti for ‘Iron Man’; Bob Hoskins for ‘Mrs. Henderson Presents’, and …”

The pause in Dakota Johnson’s voice made everyone tense up, fans of Yang all had the same thought, “Blue Gloves!” The suave, elegant, crazed, and paranoid Blue Gloves… the miraculous acting contribution, Dakota laughed and said, “Heath Ledger, ‘Firefly’.” The big screen at the event displayed a smiling photo of Ledger.

“Ohhhhhh—” “BANG!” Shouts of excitement and exhilaration filled the spacious living room. Keke blinked her big eyes as her mouth suddenly missed its food. On the fabric sofa, Wang Yang and Jessica smiled and high-fived each other—’Firefly’ had three nominations, Flame Films six! Keke, missing her pacifier, continued to suck the air, about to cry. “Piglet, wait!” Wang Yang, the first to notice, picked up the half-full bottle and teased his wife with a wink, “Spicy girl, is it my turn to feed?” Jessica rolled her eyes but gently handed Keke over to him, “Be careful!”

“Haha! How awesome.” Meanwhile, Ledger’s family was happier than anyone else. Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams smiled at each other, both beaming. Hearing the laughter, Matilda also broke into a baby smile—they were both nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress! The lead actor category was also looking hopeful. Michelle hugged her daughter tightly and said reflectively, “We really should thank the amazing Yang.” Ledger nodded, “That’s what I always say.” He picked up his phone to send a text, “Go, Yang!”

The promising situation had fans of Flame Films thrilled! Recalling the situation a year or two ago, Clair was laughing nonstop. Brad Pitt, who had turned down the role of Blue Gloves, must be kicking himself now, right? And those media that once called Ledger’s decision “foolish” were now rushing to report the good news, more good news.

Dakota Johnson then announced the nominations for Best Foreign Language Film, with two Chinese films, ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ and ‘The Promise’, making the list. Additionally, there was ‘Joyeux Noël’ (France); ‘Paradise Now’ (Palestine); and ‘Tsotsi’ (South Africa). She looked at the list in her hand and continued smilingly, “The following are the nominations for Best Screenplay, Woody Allen for ‘Match Point’; George Clooney & Grant Heslov for ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’; Tony Kushner & Eric Roth for ‘Munich’…”

“Oh my goodness.” Jessica was already on her feet, mouth agape, Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang…! Natalie, Rachel, and others were silently exhilarated, echoing her anticipation, as all of Yang’s fans held their breath, just waiting for the moment to cheer!

The screenplay of “Firefly” received rave reviews from the film critics; though it seemed to lack profound dialogue, the use of simple, everyday language was so spot-on that it left a shocking and unforgettable impact. At the same time, each character’s personality was vividly depicted, all with their own sense of humor. The story was interlinked superbly, with masterful control over the pace, and the setting of its futuristic world set a new trend. In the media’s prediction lists, “Firefly” couldn’t be sure to beat the Academy-style scripts for the award, but snagging a nomination was a sure thing!

“Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana for ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ and,” Dakota paused, her voice rising slightly with a laugh, “Yang Wang & Joss Whedon, ‘Firefly’!”

“YEAH——” The Yang fans were boiling with excitement once more, the third personal nomination for the magnificent Yang this year, and his second for Best Screenwriter! “She’s a fan of the magnificent Yang, she loves the magnificent Yang! Definitely!” Evelyn pointed at the TV screen, her tone full of certainty, no one could escape her “magnificent Yang fan radar”! Who else isn’t a fan, anyway? Natalie laughed out loud, and Rachel, Nancy, Annie, and others also beamed with joy. Joshua, who had overslept and just got up, exclaimed in surprise, “Wow! How many nominations? How many nominations?”

“The fourth nomination!” Suddenly, Jessica’s scream broke into a crescendo in the living room. She jumped around crazily, rushing to the LCD TV, yelling, “I’m going crazy, I’m going crazy! The fourth one! Yang, your third!” She hugged the TV, kissing it repeatedly, then turned and rushed back, “Roar, mom’s going crazy!”

Wang Yang sat on the sofa with his daughter in his left arm and a bottle in his right hand, feeding her. Watching the little mouth of Keke sucking away, so cute! A tremendous sense of satisfaction surrounded him, and the joy of being nominated was easily overshadowed. He looked up at Jessica to see her truly going mad, thumping her chest and stomping her feet. He quietly covered Keke’s eyes, fearing she might choke if she saw, and then he cautioned, “Be careful, don’t drop those two bottles, Piggie still needs to eat.”

“What!?” Jessica stopped abruptly as if hitting the brakes, exclaiming loudly, “What? You… pay attention to my feelings.” Wang Yang quickly admitted his mistake, “Oh! My bad—my dear, you know how much I love those big bottles! I really, really… OK, I’ll shut up!”

The nomination announcements continued, and next came a somewhat surprising development! Among the six nominees for Best Actor in a Music/Comedy category, aside from Pierce Brosnan in “The Matador,” Johnny Depp in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”… Joseph Gordon Levitt was on the list! Thanks to his unknown amazing performance in “500 Days of Summer,” this 24-year-old man who started as a child actor received his first Golden Globe nomination!

“As expected, I knew it! Working with the magnificent Yang, he would transform!” “Awesome!” “Another must-watch reason!” …

Joseph’s fans were naturally excited and joyful, and Yang’s fans were even more so! This was the first nomination for “500 Days of Summer”! Magnificent Yang, magnificent Yang! Many journalists and film critics were both surprised and moved, while the Yang haters were limp with frustration. Wang Yang, who had been injured and rushed into production of the romance film, also broke out! Does he have any weaknesses? None. This film, which premiered only on the 23rd, increased anticipation! Any other nominations?

On the NBC channel, Dakota Johnson read with a smile, “The nominees for Best Actress in a Music/Comedy category are: Judi Dench, ‘Mrs. Henderson Presents’; Keira Knightley, ‘Pride and Prejudice’; Sarah Jessica Parker, ‘The Stone Family’; Natalie Portman, ‘500 Days of Summer’…” As she spoke, a woman with ear-length short hair appeared on the screen, her face calm, “Reese Witherspoon in ‘Walk the Line’.”

“BANG! Haha——” Again came those two dear voices, shouting and screaming together, and Keke blinked her eyes.

“SHIT! So damn…” Natalie grabbed a cushion nearby and slammed it hard against the sofa, with only thuds and the TV sound in the room. She suddenly exclaimed, “Cool! Are you kidding me!? Yang and Natalie, they’re the perfect pair—she picked up her phone off the coffee table and was about to call Wang Yang, but thinking that his family might be enjoying a tender moment, she decided to text instead, “Hey, Yang, I got a nomination, so happy…”

Before she finished typing the text, the phone suddenly rang, almost giving her a fright!

“`

“Hi, Natalie, congratulations.” As Natalie muttered something and picked up the call, Wang Yang’s voice burst through: “Dude! This is my turf! My turf! San Francisco, my turf!! My daughter Piggy says, ‘Big sister, we hit the trifecta——!'” Then Jessica’s crazed shriek followed: “I’m going nuts! Natalie, my God——” My ears are going deaf! Natalie nearly went dumbfounded, what were they up to? Piggy wasn’t crying at their side? She thought for a moment and in a rough voice disguised her own: “Sorry, Magic Yang?”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Oh, cough, cough! I am, yes… I’m Wang Yang.” Wang Yang was stunned, maintaining his feeding posture; Jessica too was stunned, hunched over screaming into the phone on the coffee table, had she pressed too fast and dialed the wrong number? Who was it? The speakerphone continued: “Hi, congratulations! How have you been lately?” Jessica quickly glanced at the phone screen and suddenly burst into laughter: “Haha, thanks, you’re too much!” Natalie laughed on the other end as well: “Hahaha!” Wang Yang, knocked out in front of his daughter, chuckled wryly a few times: “Hahaha.” Just you wait, just you wait…

For the third time! Natalie Portman and Wang Yang’s collaboration, with “Juno”, “MIT-21-TEAM” and “500 Days of Summer” all earning Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy category nominations at the Golden Globe Awards! This was her fifth Golden Globe nomination (2/5).

“We must watch Summer!” Movie fans were already excited to the point of frenzy, Magic Yang doesn’t understand romance films? Yang’s detractors received a heavy blow! They all knew they had to watch this new film! Media reporters started pondering the headlines for later: “Genius Duo Strikes Again”, “Yang and Natalie’s Return to the Golden Globes”…

Today was destined to be a joyful party for Flame Film, as they reaped another Best Actor in a Drama nomination! Russell Crowe, “Iron Man”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Capote”… Heath Ledger, “Brokeback Mountain”; David Strathairn, “Good Night, and Good Luck”! Ledger was nominated again, securing both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations! Whether the media had been hopeful or doubtful, they were all stunned – what could they do? Think of the upcoming headlines: “Ledger+Wang=Explosion”, “The Era of Heath Ledger Has Arrived”, “Yang’s New Genius Dad Team”…

Finally, Wang Yang made a happy congratulatory call to Heath Ledger, also replying to the earlier text message; then for the Best Actress in a Drama, where Flame Film had no accomplishments, the recent “new poison” Charlize Theron received a nomination for “North Country”, and Wang Yang also sent her a congratulatory text message.

“Up next to be announced is Best Director, the six nominees are.” On the TV screen, Dakota Johnson appeared even more vibrant, she smiled while flipping through the envelope list, seemingly eager to check.

The highly anticipated Best Director nominations were being announced! Jessica sat down quietly on the sofa, one hundred percent sure of her entry! This year’s best movie, 1.8 billion global box office… Her heart still clenched. This situation was widespread across North America, Natalie, Rachel, and fans like Evelyn and Clair, all of Yang’s supporters such as Joshua, Ledger, friends, family, colleagues, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on their respective TV screens, and even Wang Yang holding Keke, looked up.

“George Clooney, ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’,” as Dakota spoke, George Clooney’s handsome, wrinkled face appeared on the top left corner of the big screen, “Peter Jackson, ‘King Kong’,” Jackson’s bearded, chubby face lit up on the right, “Ang Lee, ‘Brokeback Mountain’,” Ang Lee’s pursed lips and smiling round face showed in the second row on the left; “Fernando Meirelles, ‘The Constant Gardener’,” the Brazilian director Meirelles appeared on the right, Dakota could hardly contain her excitement as she announced loudly: “Yang Wang, ‘Firefly’!”

“Wow——”, “Ahhh!!”, “Magic Yang——” Cheers erupted throughout North America! At this moment, all NBC channel viewers saw Wang Yang’s photo appear on the bottom left, with the organizers using a new photo from this year, him smiling with slightly parted lips, his eyes lively and spirited, so young and vigorous.

“Steven Spielberg, ‘Munich’.” Spielberg’s aged face with a whitened beard appeared on the lower right corner, wearing small round glasses with a cultured and gentle smile, forming a stark contrast with Wang Yang.

The 25-year-old Magic Yang earned his third Golden Globe nomination for Best Director (1/3)! Just three years on, he boldly stepped into the Golden Globes arena once again with a science fiction film! He hadn’t made the world wait 20 years, nor had he let his fans experience the slightest disappointment!

“`

“Why is he so cool!? Piggy, you’ve got a cool dad.” Natalie murmured in admiration, lost in thought; Rachel clapped joyfully for quite a while, shaking her head and chuckling, “It’s maddening.” Scarlett frowned with a smile and said lightly, “I’m a little envious of Jessica now.” The moment Jessica heard ‘Young,’ she went into a frenzy, as if possessed, losing awareness and dancing around the living room: “Ah ah—roar roar, Piggy, roar roar, mommy has gone crazy!! Five nominations, Best Director! Haha—the best!! So awesome, ah ah…”

“We did it.” Wang Yang bent down to give Keke a kiss on the cheek, which made her crack a baby smile, and he instantly felt so happy he was about to melt! “Jessie!” Wang Yang excitedly called her to watch, finding it unbelievable that just three days ago she had given birth, and now she could probably win a trophy in a 100-meter race? With a loud thud, Jessica suddenly crashed onto the floor: “Uh oh—” Wang Yang exhaled dumbly, well, since June this year, this was her first fall, that’s progress! Anyway, hurdling isn’t her thing.

In the following time, Yang’s fans realized they celebrated too soon, to the point that as they watched one nomination after another, they should have been super thrilled over and over again, but they felt somewhat numb. Who could stop the magical Yang?

“Nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy are: ‘Mrs. Henderson Presents,’ ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ ‘The Squid and the Whale,’ ‘Walk the Line,’ ‘500 Days of Summer’!”

“Nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama are: ‘Firefly!’ ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ ‘The Constant Gardener,’ ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ ‘A History of Violence.'”

The moment the fresh poster of ‘500 Days of Summer’ flashed on the TV screen, the numbed fans of Yang still couldn’t help but shout out loud. Evelyn raised her hands high, “I just knew it!!” Clair grabbed her hair, “I can’t wait to write the review!” Though the whole world always said not to underestimate the magic of Yang, no one truly believed beforehand that ‘500 Days of Summer’ would be such a powerhouse, a wild card? Magical Yang told everyone he never plays wild cards.

If we look back one or two years, even fewer people believed Wang Yang could make a comeback in just three years, with science fiction once again breaking into the Golden Globe Awards! Countless fans in front of their TVs, the creators and lead actors of ‘Firefly,’ friends… everyone went crazy with excitement!

Triumphant victory! ‘Firefly’ with 6 nominations, ‘500 Days of Summer’ with 3 nominations, ‘Brokeback Mountain’ leading with 7 nominations at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards. The media all knew they were in for a busy time, but the big winner Firefly said, “The best is yet to come.”

In the television awards section, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ was nominated for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki); ‘Prison Break’ was nominated for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama (Wentworth Miller); ‘Desperate Housewives’ was nominated for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria).

In the movie awards category, Firefly Films garnered a total of 16 nominations (23.8%)! In television, Firefly Family Entertainment had 9 (15.7%)!

Wang Yang received six nominations for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, nearly sweeping the movie and television categories, but he is still undoubtedly the ‘Nomination King.’

Office building rules? Brain injury? The media all knew they really had their work cut out for them now. (