The Best Director

A few days after the MTV Movie Awards wrapped up, Wang Yang suddenly received news that his master was critically ill. He immediately rushed back to San Francisco to see the old man one last time. The subsequent attendance at the funeral had already been reported by the entertainment media, and his fans also expressed their condolences online, urging him to bear the loss with fortitude. Wang Yang also thanked his fans through his newly hired agent, Paul Emery.

However, Hollywood Dynamics disclosed some details of Wang Yang’s last visit to his master in the hospital: “He was utterly grief-stricken and sobbing, making many promises to his master,” like never going to jail again, having his future children learn Chinese…” One of these was the focus of the article, that he would continue to be a great person, and he assured, “I’ll get lots of Oscars, and I’ll get the first Best Director for you in 2003!”

The article didn’t have a comment or bias, it simply stated the incident. But with this piece of reportage, this issue of Hollywood Dynamics saw an increase in sales and was reprinted by multiple online media outlets. But were these details true or false? Did Wang Yang really say those things? Or were they fabrications out of thin air? Of course, his fans didn’t know, but gossip news has always been a matter of “believe it or not.”

Those who chose to believe weren’t few in number. Best Director at just 23? With no nominations yet? Based on the mysterious R-rated violent film District 9? In normal circumstances, just how arrogant and insane would Wang Yang have to be to make such a wild claim?

Those who hated and despised Wang Yang were quick to mock him: “He shouldn’t have made such foolish promises. He’s made a mockery of his master,” “It’s disgusting; does he think the Oscars are the MTV Movie Awards? Don’t say it if you can’t do it,” “Clearly he was out of his mind with grief at the time; I feel sorry for him.” However, others understood and supported him. These were just comforting words for his dying master. It was already unethical to expose them, let alone gossip!

In the online comments, many fans fought back: “When you know the taste of losing a loved one, you will understand. At such a moment, you would agree to anything, even being an astronaut landing on the moon,” “Firstly, assuming this is true, those who mock Wang Yang about this are idiots. Everyone knows these words aren’t to be taken seriously,” “Although it seems absurd, I feel Yang isn’t without a chance… Maybe…”

A large portion of people scorned this, dismissing it as nothing more than fabrication by an unscrupulous gossip tabloid.

Wang Yang knew this was true. When he held a copy of Hollywood Dynamics in his hands, he was seething with anger and immediately tore the paper to shreds. Although the tabloid had some scruples and didn’t publish anything his master had said, barely mentioning the master at all, was this respect!? They disturbed his master’s peace! But what was going on? How did the tabloid even know about these statements?

In the hospital room at the time, there were only three people: him, his master, and Jessica. None of them could possibly have been the leak to the media. Was there a paparazzo hiding under the bed?

According to Paul Emery’s analysis, indeed, one possibility might have been the presence of paparazzi. They were capable of anything. Alternatively, the paparazzi might have eavesdropped through the wall, but given the language barrier, it’s more likely they placed recording equipment in the hospital room, retrieved it later, and then simply got a translator to go over it.

So, what could have happened was that the news of his rushing back to San Francisco due to his master’s severe illness had already leaked backstage at the Shulan Theater. That wasn’t surprising with so many people and reporters milling about. Some paparazzo must have immediately notified their counterparts in San Francisco, who then quickly found the hospital, disguised themselves as doctors or medical staff, and placed recording equipment.

No matter what, the deed was done. He could completely ignore it and not pursue the matter, as if it didn’t happen. If Hollywood Dynamics doesn’t continue reporting on it, it will soon be history, just a grain of sand in the world of gossip news. Tomorrow there’ll be news about who’s dating whom, which couple might be breaking up, who’s having an affair; who’s calling who a bitch, who’s getting into fights, who’s going wild in nightclubs… No one will remember this piece of news with its very doubtful authenticity.

No!” When Wang Yang heard this option, he immediately interrupted Paul Emery without any hesitation, and coldly stated his position, “I am going to pursue this to the very end.” These paparazzi and tabloids were becoming increasingly outrageous. If it had been about a male-female scandal, he might have let it pass with a laugh; but now, he wanted the paparazzi and the tabloids to issue a public apology and suffer the full severity of the damn law—no one would get away with it!

Paul Emery, sitting across the sofa, nodded and reminded him, “These tabloids aren’t afraid of you pursuing the matter, they’re most afraid you’ll ignore them; the moment you take notice, they’ll take the opportunity to hype it up, boost their own fame, and increase sales… As for paying compensation and issuing apologies, they don’t care about that.”

Wang Yang took a deep breath. His master lying in the hospital bed might leave at any moment, and they were eavesdropping and recording at the side?! He slowly clenched his fists and said in a heavy voice, “If they don’t care about paying up and apologizing, then I’ll make them go to jail.”

OK.” Paul Emery didn’t try to dissuade him further, as this kind of thing was simply a matter of choice and wouldn’t impact one’s reputation. Matters like these, when pursued, could be claimed as defamation, or as a serious infringement of privacy, but considering the possibility of recorded evidence, the latter would naturally be the reason for pursuit. After thinking it over, he suggested, “Yang, it would be best if you don’t talk too much about the Best Director matter.”

Wang Yang nodded silently, aware of the voices on the internet—mocking, comforting, sympathetic… All thinking he couldn’t do it. Winning the Oscar for Best Director in 2003? It indeed seemed unlikely, and he didn’t entertain many thoughts about it; but he was confident that he could make “District 9” possess the qualifications to enter the competition and the strength to compete, and then it would be up to the judges. Do his best—that’s it!

The next day, “Hollywood Dynamics” received a legal letter; Wang Yang formally filed a lawsuit against them for a serious invasion of privacy, demanding compensation and a public apology; he also sued the unnamed individual who provided the information, demanding compensation, an apology, and jail time. Paul Emery announced this news to the media, saying, “Their behavior is utterly shocking, and it has undoubtedly deeply hurt Yang. He feels very angry and regretful, and he hopes that this matter can come to a proper conclusion.”

Celebrity lawsuits against media paparazzi for infringement of privacy were hardly new, and such cases played out almost every other day, but there were few victories; most were just impulsive claims followed by a quick fade into irrelevance.

This is because the laws of most US states stipulate that as long as it satisfies public interest, the media has the right to reveal and report on the current and past happenings of public figures, and to use their names and photographs without prior authorization. So where Tom Hanks and his family go shopping, which couple dines out at a restaurant, what they’re doing, what they’re talking about… none of that is considered private.

And as long as it’s related to a legal event of public concern, publications can use the names, photographs, and related information of officials, candidates for public office, actors, writers, musicians, and other public figures without authorization; as long as this information is related to their public office or public role, even if an individual’s private life is exposed as a result, no authorization is necessary.

Thus, writing a biography of George Bush or making a biographical film about Bill Gates doesn’t require their consent; the biography can be published, and the movie can be distributed.

California is a stronghold of the entertainment industry, and also where paparazzi are most rampant. Without any wish from the parties involved, they take photos, record audio, videotape… When done overtly, it can be a group of people following closely at the heels. But if that’s all, would they still be called paparazzi? Such tactics wouldn’t yield any sensational scoops. Therefore, they follow covertly, disguise themselves, infiltrate… Their methods become increasingly hi-tech, resembling those of a special agent more and more, and celebrities become more and more frustrated, having to live cautiously.

Now “Hollywood Dynamics” faced this lawsuit from Wang Yang, which was essentially about obtaining and disclosing a few sentences from him through improper means. If the court ruled it as being in the public’s interest, then there would be no punishment. Even if they lost, the apology, which meant nothing, wouldn’t cost anything significant compared to the gained fame and sales that would have already compensated the loss. This is why gossip papers dare to publish any news.

However, if incontrovertible evidence of covert recording could be found, proving the existence of this boundary-crossing illegal act, then someone would face prison time. Therefore, Wang Yang had already contracted an Israeli army expert security company, paying them handsomely to use their expertise in gathering those pieces of evidence and then sending the related individuals to prison.

Hollywood Dynamics” now seems eager for the whole world to know that it’s been sued by the miraculous Yang for invasion of privacy, signaling that its piece of gossip was true and implying that all of its gossip is genuine—so buy it now!

In its latest issue, it hurriedly reported the news itself, revealing more details about that day in the hospital ward, still no mentions of the old man, Wu, as he is not a public figure; it’s still about Wang Yang—the revelation that he even has a nickname “Youngest-Fly”, his plans to marry Jessica and have children in a few years, and the event of “winning Best Director in 2003”.

Fans following this matter now take it as confirmation that it’s true—he had indeed told his mentor that he wanted to win the Oscar for Best Director at the age of 23! Those who despised him continued to mock him; those who supported him carried on showing understanding, but no one said “he will win”.

In front of the study’s desk, Wang Yang looked at the computer screen, his hands tapping on the keyboard, updating his blog that hadn’t been updated in several days, reminiscing about his mentor’s past and his attitude about the incident these past few days: “I don’t want to say too much about their actions; time will deliver a fair result…”

He took a sip of water from his cup, thought for a moment as he looked at the document, and then typed out: “If winning an Oscar could let my mentor live two more years, could make my loved ones happy and joyful, I would hope to win one every year. My mentor has passed, I will miss him forever, and I will strive to fulfill the words I said to him. Winning Best Director Oscar in 2003?” He smiled and typed: “Guys, life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get next.”

When this blog post went live, the next day saw numerous gossip tabloids making follow-up reports, and even big newspapers like the Los Angeles Times started paying attention; everyone noticed his deep feelings for his mentor, his hatred for paparazzi and gossip tabloids, and his response to the “Best Director” comments. He quoted a classic line from “Forrest Gump”, sounding somewhat ready to try, as if saying, “Although you all say I can’t do it, it’s not entirely impossible.”

Now the situation was calm! Although his words were not arrogant, they did betray a great deal of confidence. Those who mocked him suddenly seemed to be on an excitement high, eager for the year 2003 to arrive to see how this guy would embarrass himself: “He got carried away by the MTV Movie Awards, please! Magical Yang, you are a joke right now!” ”

get nominated; otherwise, I’m willing to lick his balls!

Watch, I bet he won’t even

Those who supported him grew a bit quieter, of course, there were still many die-hard female fans who continued to support him: “He’s such an optimistic and humorous person, really likable!” “Does anyone know Dr. Brown? Took his time machine to 2003? Yang is right, who knows what the next chocolate will be!”

Perhaps the next piece of chocolate won’t be Best Director.” This was a piece of professional analysis from “Movie Review”, which essentially gathered the media’s views, and it immediately received a lot of support and online shares, as if to set the matter in stone: “Although he is the miraculous Yang, although he’s the most likely person to break the record for winning an Oscar, to hold the Best Director’s little gold man in two years is not absolutely impossible—just a 0.1% chance.”

This reasonable article wasn’t simply being pessimistic about Wang Yang, but rather used him as a way to talk about the current state and history of the Oscars—it was also a kind of indirect criticism of the Oscars.

Beyond the old problems of age and experience, what’s more important is the Oscars’ style of awarding: “Magical Yang’s current directing plan only includes ‘District 9’. If he’s making a run at the Oscars with this film, let’s analyze it. We don’t know what ‘District 9′ will be like, at this moment we can only guess: it’s a mockumentary, R-rated violence… it’s a cult film.”

Creepy cult films have never fit in with the rigid Academy tradition. Young directors play joyously in CULT films, displaying talent, adored by die-hard fans… all is well and good, but if you want to win awards, if you want greater success, then you must return to the mainstream, or at the very least, wear the guise of mainstream cinema.

Some intractable folks will persist, like David Fincher, a leading figure in cult cinema; yet his film, hailed as “the first CULT film” and lavished with endless praise, “Fight Club”, only received a single nomination for Best Sound Editing at last year’s Oscars.

The battle for cult movies at the Oscars, without going too far back, dates from the 1990s. In 1992, the Coen Brothers’ “Barton Fink” harvested the three heaviest awards at the Cannes Film Festival, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor; yet, at the Oscars the same year, it only received nominations for Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, and Best Supporting Actor.

The closest a cult film ever got to the little gold man was in 1995 when another leader, Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” received 7 nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. When the award ceremony drew to a close, it only secured one for Best Original Screenplay. That year, “Forrest Gump” and Robert Zemeckis won Best Picture and Best Director, respectively.

If there hadn’t been “Forrest Gump” or “The Shawshank Redemption”… would “Pulp Fiction” have won? Maybe it would have; or maybe it would have been knocked out by some other mainstream movie that rose to the top, but the fact that it did not win remains.

Every year there are several classic mainstream academy-style movies, and 2003 is likely no exception. “District 9” is not only a violent cult film, but also an out-of-the-mainstream mockumentary. The difficulty in winning an award can be said to have doubled, “It would only be ‘possible’ to get a nomination if it were as excellent as ‘Pulp Fiction’.”

However, more serious and fatal than the problems with cult films is the following issue: “The connection between District 9 and Area 51, the special effects, Wang Yang’s magical T-shirt… lead us to surmise a possibility: ‘District 9’ is a science fiction movie. A fact is that, in 73 years of the Oscars, apart from technical categories, science fiction films have never won Best Picture or Best Director.”

In the 73-year long history, only four science fiction films have received a Best Picture nomination: “Dr. Strangelove” in 1965, “A Clockwork Orange” in 1972, “Star Wars” in 1978, and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” in 1983.

And there have only been three individuals nominated for Best Director for a science fiction film: Stanley Kubrick (three times, for “Dr. Strangelove, Clockwork Orange,” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” in 1968), 34-year-old George Lucas (for “Star Wars”), and Steven Spielberg at 32 and 37 years old (twice, for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in 1978 and “E.T. the Extra- Terrestrial”).

All these films are epoch-making phenomenal works, and those three individuals are iconic figures among directors, idols to countless junior directors. But they all faced a cold shower from the Oscars, “Star Wars” with 11 nominations only won technical categories, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” with 8 nominations also only won technical categories…

Other outstanding science fiction films like “Blade Runner,

Future,” “Terminator 2,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” didn’t even receive nominations for main categories.

Terminator 2

Back to the

Why does the Oscars “hate” science fiction films so much? Perhaps the old folks in the academy can’t answer this question—they have just become accustomed to underestimating/being hostile towards big productions, underestimating special effects, underestimating science fiction films. This has become a tradition over 73 years.

“If ‘District 9’ is a science fiction film, we now know the treatment it will receive, no matter how brilliant or how heart-stopping it is… Anyway, the result is predestined: technical categories.”

Don’t talk about grabbing the Best Picture or Best Director Oscar statuettes. If the 23-year-old Wang Yang gets nominated, becoming the fourth director of such kind, and helps science fiction return to the Oscars after a 20-year hiatus, it would already be a miracle! Perhaps, that’s his ‘Chocolate’.”