The Best Director

Although Wang Yang didn’t don a suit and shirt all year round like Nolan did, except when attending events and ceremonies, he didn’t pay much attention to his attire either, mostly wearing T-shirts with jeans; he’d add a jacket if it was cold and a trench coat if it got even colder. Perhaps because he had seen so many future movie and TV fashions, his casual outfits had also become “trendy,” with many of his casual looks emulated by young people. His street photos were very popular, and fashion magazines even invited him to do photo shoots, making him seem more like a star in front of the camera rather than a director behind it.

It looks great!” Wang Yang, who was sitting in front of the long vanity, nodded and praised, “This dress and you are a Perfect Match; let’s just go with this one!”

Jessica turned and gave him a glare, her tone full of dissatisfaction, “Don’t brush me off! Please, give me some advice; I want feedback!” Wang Yang leaned helplessly against the makeup table and said, “I’m not brushing you off; it really does look great… alright, alright, it makes your figure look even more slender and very beautiful!” But Jessica was still picking on him with her brows arched, not letting him off the hook, “You always say the same things, how it’s good-looking, beautiful, pretty…”

But all of that is true,” Wang Yang also widened his eyes, puzzled, and spread his hands, “What am I supposed to say, ‘Mary, it looks terrible, it makes you look fat?”‘ Jessica instantly turned to the mirror, scrutinizing her reflection and frowning, “Really? Oh my god! It does seem like it, how can this be? I’ve been practicing dancing every day… I have to change it!” Wang Yang quickly tried to stop her, “No, no, no! Baby, that was a question, not a comment! As you know, your figure is perfect!”

Seeing Jessica with a face that said “I’ve decided” moving towards the rack full of dresses, Wang Yang couldn’t help but cover his face. What was with her today? She had never been this nervous or taken it so seriously before, even for the Golden Globe Awards; yet for tonight’s MTV Movie Awards, she had already tried on over a dozen different outfits and even required him to stay and offer opinions—pleased with neither positive nor negative feedback…

He sighed, closing his eyes, and said, “Jessica, why don’t you wait until Roland arrives and ask her? She’s the professional after all.”

“I need your opinion; you’re the fashion trendsetter!” Jessica laughed, shaking her head as she continued to sift through the clothes. After a while, she repeated the question she had asked countless times before, “Yang, how about this dress?” Soon, she asked again, “Should I wear these hoop earrings or the dangling ones?” “Should I wear a hair accessory? How about this one?”…

Just as Wang Yang was about to doze off on the chair, his mobile phone suddenly rang, and he secretly sighed with relief as he had been waiting for some time! As he stood up and walked outside, he pulled out his phone and said, “I’ll take this call.” Jessica naturally nodded allowing him to leave. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was Nancy Reno calling, which puzzled him since she seldom called.

“Hi, Nancy,” Wang Yang answered the phone with a smile, then heard Nancy’s voice trembling with excitement on the other end, “Yang, I received it! I got it! The acceptance letter from the University of Southern California! For the Film and Television Production major!” Wang Yang was a bit slow to respond since he had never heard about Nancy applying to college, and laughed, “So, that means… you’re going to be a Trojan soon!?”

Haha, yes!” Nancy laughed happily and said, “Yes! Damn, I can start in the Autumn! MUMA—” It sounded like she kissed something, then she laughed again, “I’m kissing it; it’s got my name on it, Nancy Reno! It’s real, magic Yang, I’ll be a director!”

Wang Yang also burst into a hearty laugh, understanding her excitement. He remembered how it felt when he received his own acceptance letter from USC; a kiss was nothing—he was so ecstatic he almost ate it along with the envelope! He couldn’t stop bouncing and shouting, “I’m going to be a director, I’m going to be a director! I’m going to make movies, I’m going to make movies!”

Of course, becoming a “director” and “going to college” are not the same thing. Anyone can make an independent film without a diploma; and graduating from college doesn’t guarantee you’ll instantly gain a film producer’s trust and be handed a directing opportunity. However, regardless, it’s a solid first step!

Thank you, Yang!” Nancy’s laughter slowed and she genuinely thanked him, “Last year in Park City, I almost gave up and went back to being a good old waitress. But then you came along; you encouraged me to keep at it. Thank you! I learned so much while filming ‘Juno’ with you, I…” She became choked up as she spoke, “I never thought it would happen like this, I’m so happy! Thank you…”

Keep it up, Nancy,” Wang Yang softly encouraged her, then quietly added, “Don’t hang up, let’s talk a bit more! Due to some reasons, I can’t put the phone down right now.” He glanced at Jessica who was still trying on clothes in the room and loudly said to the phone, “What? You’re asking about USC? That’s a long story…” As he spoke, he continued walking downstairs.

The Los Angeles night had fallen, and at Sequoia Theater, a grand event was taking place—the 10th MTV Movie Awards ceremony. Because the winners of these popcorn awards were decided by popular vote, the list of nominees was filled with crowd favorites. Only here could you witness the showdown between “youth idols and Oscar-winning actors and actresses.”

Last year ‘High School Musical’ received five major award nominations, making it the year’s popular favorite; and this year, ‘Juno,’ both an “Oscar- caliber” and youth favorite, was naturally even hotter than ‘High School Musical.’

It was nominated for a total of seven major awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Michael Pitt), Best Actress (Natalie Portman), Best On-Screen Team (Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway), Breakthrough Male Performance (Michael Pitt), Breakthrough Female Performance (Anne Hathaway), and Best Dance Sequence (Natalie Portman), leading the entire list of nominations.

High School Musical 2″ also had a nomination for Best Dance Sequence (Jessica Alba); as for “The Pursuit of Happyness,” the Smith father and son shared three nominations, including Best Actor (Will Smith), Breakthrough Male Performance (Terry Smith), and Best On-Screen Team.

The style of the MTV awards ceremony has always been relaxed and humorous, like a lively party, so the guests who attend usually don’t dress too formally— most wear stylish casual outfits, and suits and evening gowns are not the “big scene” type. There are also some notable, quirky, and bold fashions, etc.

Wang Yang casually donned a black suit jacket, paired with a T-shirt and casual pants, and that was that; Jessica took half a day to dress up, and the final look was also casual, complementing her outfit with a white top and short skirt, a ponytail plus large hoop earrings—simple and pretty.

In front of the photography backdrop, under the flashlights of reporters, Wang Yang first smiled and took countless photos with Jessica; then he posed with Natalie, who wore a black top and casual pants, with her hair draped over her shoulders, followed by Anne Hathaway and others… Once he finished taking photos, he was surrounded by numerous reporters’ microphones and answered their questions with a smile, “Everyone loves awards, haha, I’d be happy to win, of course! But we came here in high spirits to begin with.”

Another blonde female reporter asked with a laugh, “Magical Yang, some say you’ve set a bad precedent. You’ve shown everyone the power of a youth idol and let the organizers know how to attract more young people to pay attention to the MTV Movie Awards. They say that in a few years, this place will completely become a stage for the young. What do you think?”

Looking at these seven or eight reporters, Wang Yang smiled and shrugged, replying, “I don’t know, does this count as setting a ‘bad precedent’? I don’t think so, this might just be the true spirit of the popcorn awards. We already have so many awards decided by ‘professionals,’ while MTV has its unique charm: young, energetic, joyful, decided by the audience…”

Jessica and Natalie both stood not far away, facing each other with faint smiles. Their eyes did not blink and slowly narrowed, with sparks flying in the air. But as guests and media reporters walked around them, neither of them spoke.

Jessie, your look is really nice,” Natalie was the one who broke the silence, her voice tender as she chuckled. Jessica looked carefree as she smiled back, “So is yours.” Seeing that Natalie only smiled and didn’t speak, after a while, she couldn’t help but ask softly, “Why?” Natalie glanced at her, feigning confusion, “Why what?”

Seeing Jessica’s face cool down, Natalie smiled slightly and leaned in close to her ear, lowering her voice seriously, “Because he’s great, and I like him.”

Of course, he’s great… Jessica looked at the exquisite face close to hers, her heart calm and confident as she said, “Natalie, you stand no chance.”

Natalie laughed heartily and wrapped an arm around Jessica’s body affectionately, saying, “Hmm, just a year too late… Sister, if I’d known it’d be like this, I would’ve run off to San Francisco at 13. Back then, I was a ‘sprite fallen to earth,’ and that was my world.”

Jessica suddenly laughed too, hugging Natalie’s shoulder and saying, “No, sister, you still wouldn’t have stood a chance! You would’ve known early, and so would I—I would’ve run back to San Francisco. And sorry, I knew him when I was 8, it was still my world.”

Aha! You win.” Natalie laughed and patted Jessica’s back, not continuing the banter, even though she could have gone on to talk about “winning.” But what would be the point? Breaking the current state of affairs would do her no good —she wasn’t about to fall for that Catholic girl’s ploy.

Their intimate behavior finally caught the attention of the reporters. The gossip in the industry claimed they fell out over Magical Yang, but it seemed that was not the case… Over there, Jessica and Natalie saw a few reporters approaching and tacitly ended their conversation, resuming their faint smiles.

The auditorium of the Eileen Theatre was decked out in flashy and lively decorations, with multi-colored lights flashing intermittently. The entire hall was filled to capacity, with fans in the back and attending guests in the front, including Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson… either nominated or non-nominated celebrities and stars.

Wang Yang and Jessica, Natalie, Michael Pitt, and other “Juno” crew members, as well as Will Smith and family, were all seated together; not far off were Tom Welling, Zachary, and others with their girlfriends.

At this point, the ceremony had entered its final stages, and the earlier awards had been presented. The popcorn trophy for Best Dance Sequence went to Jessica, who during her acceptance speech on stage, excitedly and affectionately shouted, “Yang, I love you!” prompting the entire crowd of fans to scream.

And the results were also announced for Best Fight Scene (Zhang Ziyi, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), Best Action Sequence (the motorcycle chase in “Mission: Impossible 2”), Best Villain (Jim Carrey, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”), Best Comedic Performance (Ben Stiller, “Meet the Parents”), Best Kiss (Julia Stiles, Shawn Patrick Thomas “Save the Last Dance”), and Best Sequel (Mission: Impossible 2).

The Smith father-son duo then received the award for Best On-Screen Team and the super popular “Juno,” out of its seven nominations, had already pocketed the Best Breakthrough Male/Female Actor award. The other two awards it didn’t snag were lost to “one of their own.”

Next came the remaining, most important three awards. Amidst the joyful cheers of the fans, the MTV mascot handed over the Best Male Actor popcorn trophy to Will Smith, who happily walked onstage with Terry to give their thanks. After the screening of a movie trailer and a guest performance, the presenter Kirsten Dunst smilingly announced, “The Best Actress is, Natalie Portman, ‘Juno’!”

Oh! Wow—- ” The movie fans in the audience immediately burst into

frenzied cheers, and Kirsten Dunst, laughing, covered her ears and quickly moved to one side of the stage. In the guest area, Natalie stood up with a smile on her face, while those around her like Wang Yang and Jessica weren’t surprised at all. While the Dolby Theatre belonged to the Oscars where Juno couldn’t beat Erin Brockovich, at the MTV Movie Awards, no one could rival Juno’s popularity.

Amid the laughter and applause of the crowd, Natalie walked onto the stage and took the popcorn trophy. Looking at nearly twenty thousand guests and audience members in the auditorium, she laughed and said, “Thank you, thank you so much! I am most grateful for my fans who supported me.” Before she could finish, the hall filled once again with the screams of fans. She continued with a smile, “Thanks to the MTV organizers, thanks to all the members of the ‘Juno’ crew…”

“And of course, the guy who can’t be missed.” As she said this, she looked down at a spot very close to the stage and saw Wang Yang with a smile on his face, playfully shaking his head. She chuckled and glanced at Jessica beside him, saying, “Yes! Thanks to Wang Yang, um, that handsome guy there, give him a shot please!” The big screen behind her immediately displayed a close-up of Wang Yang, inciting another round of shouts from the fans.

Natalie raised the trophy in her hand and shouted with a laugh, “Yang, I’ve wanted to say this on stage for a long time, you are truly a monster!” Seeing Wang Yang make a silly face from below the stage, she laughed and said, “Thank you! Thank you, everyone, guys, I love you!” After speaking, she and Jessica caught each other’s eye again, and the sparks in the air seemed to explode like fireworks.

Erin Brockovich

Amid the screams of the fans and applause from everyone, Natalie, holding the trophy, returned to the guest seats. The ceremony reached its final award for “Best Picture,” with the five nominees being “X-Men,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Juno,” ”

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Gladiator,” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

On the stage, Kirsten Dunst said to the guest Rob Schneider with a reluctant tone, “Here we are at the final moment, I really don’t want to present this award; then the party would never end.” Rob Schneider, however, was eagerly urging her, “Get on with it! One of the films I acted in is up for the award, and I think it’s going to win tonight.” The audience responded with a burst of subdued laughter. Kirsten, puzzled, asked, “What? You acted in one of them? Which one?”

Yes, I play a really good father in it,” Rob Schneider said earnestly, nodding his head before suddenly becoming gritted his teeth and growled, “Some bastard kid knocked up my daughter! Just wait ’til you see it.” With that, he walked off to the side of the stage, laughing with Kirsten Dunst, while the fans began to scream and holler, knowing they were in for another spoof movie.

Spoof films are a tradition at the MTV Movie Awards, usually targeting the hottest movies of the year, but sometimes also involving TV series and classic films. The spoofs come in many forms: sometimes as audiovisual montages for a comedic effect through editing, other times featuring someone (usually the host or a celebrity guest) replacing the main character for an impersonation, or even replacing other characters to re-enact scenes with the protagonist, etc. This year’s spoof targets included “Cast Away,” ” with Britney Spears and now “Juno.”

Gladiator,” and a cameo short

The film started playing on the big screen, showing Rob Schneider sitting on a couch with Juno’s stepmother beside him, obviously taking over the role of Juno’s father. When he heard the news of Juno’s pregnancy, his face filled with shock and his eyes bulged as he yelled, “What, you’re pregnant!? Who did this!? I’m gonna kill him!”

The frame switched to a close-up of Natalie, who looked nonchalant, shrugged, and said, “Well, uh…” She turned to glance at Anne Hathaway then continued, “Paulie. But actually, it was me…”

I did it.” Suddenly, the screen shifted to a close-up of Wang Yang with an expressionless face, which instantly set off roaring laughter throughout the venue, with fans’ cheers and screams like a plane flying overhead, deafening. The Smith family, Tom Willing, Zachary, Anne Hathaway, Michael Pitt… everyone was laughing so hard they could barely catch their breath.

Natalie had already burst out laughing with a ‘pfft,’ playfully slapping Wang Yang’s arm a few times; Wang Yang looked genuinely surprised as if wondering, “What’s happening?” but seeing himself on screen, he too couldn’t help laughing out loud; Jessica was also grinning from ear to ear. No one would mind this bit of teasing.

It was actually a cameo from “High School Musical 2” featuring Wang Yang, combined with some voice-over taken from who knows which interview, mixed with clips from “Juno,” to create this new narrative. On the screen, Rob Schneider got up angrily and yelled, “So it was you! I’m gonna…” His voice- over interrupted, “Hold on! I’m rich, that kid’s Amazing Yang… Juno, good job!” He dropped his angry expression and said seriously, “I ask you, are you responsible? Will you marry my daughter?”

School Musical 2,

On-screen, Wang Yang still looked cool, casually delivering his line from “High ” “Of course not, you idiot!” Rob Schneider, looking utterly devastated, clutched his chest and bellowed, “I’m gonna kill you!” But then the voice-over added, “But he knows Kung Fu…” The visuals switched to the flying scenes from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” followed by combat scenes from “Gladiator” and the special powers from “X-Men…”

Forget it.” Rob Schneider shuddered, defeatedly slumped back onto the couch, and asked, “So, Juno, what now?” Natalie casually spread her hands and said, “I’ve already got a plan…”

The laughter in Xuelan Theater came in waves, as movie fans and fans kept shouting out loud. Since the spoof movie was only about 3 minutes long, it quickly came to an end, and at a hospital, Juno looked softly at her newborn baby. That’s when Rob Schneider walked out from the side of the stage, holding a doll baby in his hands and sighed, “See? That heartless jerk!”

There was another round of laughter from the audience, and suddenly he made a puzzled sound, picked up an envelope from the swaddling clothes, opened it and said, “There are words on it! It says ‘The best picture of the 2001 MTV Movie Awards is… wow! My daughter, ‘Juno’!”

Ah ah—” The fans on site erupted in an unprecedented frenzy of shouting, with many people shouting in unison: “Juno, Juno!” “Natalie, Natalie!” “Amazing Yang, Amazing Yang!…”

Amid the applause and congratulations of those around him, Wang Yang smiled and kissed Jessica, then stood up and embraced the members of “Juno,” including Natalie and Michael Pitt, one by one in celebration, before heading towards the stage.

He took over a bucket of popcorn trophy from the mascot, looked at the dense audience below, and familiar smiling faces, Wang Yang glanced back at the big screen behind him and said with a smile, “The movie just now was pretty good, I mean my acting.” A gentle laughter arose from the audience, and he continued with a smile, “Why didn’t I get nominated for Best Breakthrough Male Actor? Or should we create a ‘Best Cameo Award’? For me.”

Hearing the fans’ mad shouts, Wang Yang chuckled, looked in their direction, and gratefully said, “Thank you! Thank you to everyone who likes and supports ‘Juno,’ you are the driving force for filmmakers! Also, I want to thank many people, the MTV Movie Awards organizers, the entire cast and crew of ‘Juno,’ Valerie Faris, David Lawrence… It’s because of them that we have ‘Juno’ today.

After thanking a crowd of people, he said deeply, “I also want to thank my girlfriend Jessica, my family, my kung fu master. No matter when, they have been supporting me, loving me, that’s the most beautiful thing in the world, thank you!” With that, he smiled and raised the trophy, amid a wave of applause and cheers, he walked down the stage.

On the other side, Jessica with a sweet smile clapped her hands hard, looked at Natalie beside her, who gave her a smile back and said, “Go hug him.” Jessica smiled and said, “Of course!” and got up to walk towards Wang Yang who was triumphantly returning.

Eventually, “Juno” won 4 buckets of popcorn; while Fireworks Movie Company took home 7 out of the 13 awards of this MTV Movie Awards, including the most significant best picture, best actor/actress awards, sweeping this year’s MTV Movie Awards!

The award ceremony came to a close in a joyful atmosphere, and the bustling backstage of Xuelan Theater was filled with laughter about today’s ceremony, preparing to go to the hotel for a celebration dinner. At this moment Wang Yang’s phone in his pocket vibrated, he took it out and saw it was his mother calling, so he said a word to Jessica, Natalie, Michael, Hathaway, and others, walked to the side to answer with a happy smile, “Hi, Mom, good news! We got 7 awards, there’s best picture, there’s best…”

Um… oh, oh, what!?” His face suddenly changed, his brows furrowed tightly, and he asked anxiously, “How could this happen? He was still fine last month! Mom, I… I’m coming back right now.” He hung up the phone silently, his face filled with bewilderment, how could this happen, the master was almost 90 years old… but just last month they were still practicing boxing together, how could he suddenly be not okay!

Thinking of this word, his heart suddenly clenched with discomfort, the joy of winning the award was already gone, Old Wu was dying!? That stern, kind old Wu who taught him kung fu, who taught him how to live… was dying? His eyes suddenly reddened, and he choked with sobs, cursing, “Damn, damn…” He turned around and saw everyone looking at him with puzzled and concerned faces.

Guys…” Wang Yang tried to hold back his tears, took a deep breath, and couldn’t get the words out. He grabbed his hair in confusion and said, “I have to go back to San Francisco now, my master, my master… he’s not going to make it.” Before he finished speaking, he took off running outside.

“Oh my god!” Everyone was stunned for a moment, not going to make it? That means… Sensing what was happening, Jessica’s eyes suddenly widened, feeling very worried; she knew the relationship between Yang and his master, but now… She quickly chased after him, calling out, “Yang! Yang…”

Watching the one chasing after the other running out, Natalie frowned tightly, holding back the urge to rush out and sighed deeply.

PS: Wow, good luck to all readers participating in college entrance exams, and may everyone find success like Nancy with their acceptance letters! Also, please don’t mind the timing of the acceptances in the story as they are a bit late.