Chapter 247 Best Actor and Best Actress
Liu Zhou did not walk the red carpet, but took the staff passage.

He doesn't really need this kind of limelight now.

We all know who deserves the credit for the grand hosting of this Academy Awards!

However, Liu Zhou did not take credit for himself. He was indeed the main driving force behind the reform of the Academy Awards, but he also received help from others.

Without the support of Emperor Entertainment Group and Xiang Huaqiang, this would not have been so easy to accomplish.

Moreover, they both made great efforts to attract so many stars to this year's Academy Awards.

So when Liu Zhouyi came to Hong Kong, he specially hosted a banquet for the two of them to express his gratitude.

At the same time, at the dinner table, several people also verbally reached relevant cooperation, including but not limited to artists, production and distribution, etc.

The meal was very enjoyable for all three of them.

In fact, almost all the bosses of film and television companies of some size in Mainland China and Hong Kong attended this year's Academy Awards.

With so many big guys gathered together, it is inevitable that they might reach a cooperation while chatting and laughing, just like when the "Red Cliff" project first appeared.

For example, Wu Kebo often suggested making a film called "Battle of Guandu" and kept talking to Han Shanping about it.

Although Han Shanping remained silent, Liu Zhou knew that he was moved.

In fact, not only Han Shanping was interested, but also the bosses of several companies were interested.

After all, the influence and huge profits of "Red Cliff" are there, who wouldn't be jealous?

Even if the project of "Battle of Guandu" cannot reach the performance of "Red Cliff", but even if it is half of "Red Cliff", it will still be a huge profit!
So many people are eager to try it.

However, Liu Zhou did not wade into that muddy water and made a follow-up film, "The Battle of Guandu". If it is well filmed, then there is nothing to say.

If it is filmed to the level of the original "Red Cliff", it will definitely be criticized even more severely now that there is Zhang Yimou's version of "Red Cliff" as a superior film, and the domestic box office will definitely not be very good.

Moreover, the trend of Chinese martial arts and costume blockbusters that has been blowing overseas is almost over, and when this project is completed, overseas revenue may also drop sharply.

So instead of spending huge amounts of money to make costume blockbusters, it is better to go for science fiction, which is at least more meaningful.

But after all, it was just a proposal, and there were many people present, so the few of them did not discuss it in detail.

As the Academy Awards ceremony was about to begin, everyone stopped talking and stood up to go to the venue.

……

The opening performance of this Academy Awards ceremony was not as fancy as TVB's anniversary performance, it just consisted of singing.

TVB’s anniversary celebration is a magical species!
Andy Lau performed a chest-breaking rock show on the stage, and vomited some blood when he got home...

Wei Zai pulled the car with his teeth...

Principal Tan pulled the motorcycle over...

Zhang Manyu hung on the rope...

In short, the style of TVB’s anniversary celebration is mixed with some Indian style...it is really clean and hygienic!
Of course, their situation is much better now, but not many people watch TVB’s anniversary celebration now.

There were three singers performing at the opening ceremony of this Academy Awards.

The God of Songs Zhang Xueyou, the little king Jay Chou and the big brother of the mainland music scene Liu Huan.

All three of them are among the best singers. For the audience in front of the TV, it is a great surprise to be able to see these three people singing at the same time.

In fact, there are more surprises at this award ceremony. During the intermission, there will be stage performances by Principal Tan and Zhang Guorong.

The two most famous singers in Hong Kong in the 1980s will perform on the same stage.

Since my elder brother Zhang Guorong announced his retirement in 2003, he has settled in Beijing and has been recuperating at home.

Now, four years later, his depression has improved a lot.

When Liu Zhou went to visit him after the Chinese New Year this year, he found that he seemed no different from before.

Liu Zhou tentatively asked him if he had considered making a comeback, but he smiled and refused.

Zhang Guorong feels that his life is very comfortable now. He goes out to travel when he has time and plays mahjong occasionally. He feels much more relaxed and comfortable than before.

Although Zhang Guorong was not planning to make a comeback, he did agree to Liu Zhou's invitation to perform at this year's Academy Awards.

Later, in order to create a gimmick, Liu Zhou pulled Principal Tan over and let the two of them join together.

Perhaps the previous disputes between the two due to fans inevitably affected their relationship with each other.

But now, more than 20 years have passed, and the past is not worth mentioning, not to mention that Zhang Guorong has retired from the entertainment industry.

In fact, Liu Zhou had thought about bringing the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong together, but this matter was not as simple as imagined.

Not only were the record companies behind them unwilling, but even they themselves were not very willing.

In this regard, Liu Zhou had no choice but to give up.

So it became a case of inviting one big-name singer each from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland. Although there were fewer gimmicks, the significance seemed even greater.

All three sang their classic songs. Zhang Xueyou sang "Goodbye Kiss", Jay Chou sang "Nocturne", and Liu Huan sang a folk song "Crescent Moon".

The successive appearances of the three people completely ignited the atmosphere on the scene.

"Welcome everyone to the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony. I am today's MC, Pak-cheung Chan!"

Brother La has dyed his hair an exaggerated yellow, but he said proudly:
“I am very happy that I can be the MC for this special Academy Awards.

I think tonight will belong to all Chinese-language filmmakers and Chinese-language films!
Hong Kong films are part of Chinese films, and I am very happy that the best filmmakers from across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong are sitting here today."

"That's right! Today is the biggest day for Chinese-language films!
I believe that as time goes by, our Chinese people's own films will become better and better!

Now we would like to thank the sponsors of this year's Academy Awards, Wahaha, Septwolves, and Sina..."

At this time, another emcee, Zeng Zhiwei, immediately took over after Chen Baixiang finished speaking.

Both of them are very famous hosts in Hong Kong, especially Pak-cheung Chan. He started as a guest host in the 1980s and soon became a mainstay of TVB.

And most importantly, among all the stars in Hong Kong, Brother La is the toughest towards those white dogs.

There are three emcees for this Academy Awards. In addition to these two rough guys, there is also Taiwan’s new No. 1 beauty, Lin Zhilin.

As a model, she has a very tall figure. Coupled with her low-cut evening dress and her sweet voice, Liu Zhou believes that many old perverts will stand up.

Pak-cheung Chan and Eric Tsang both speak Cantonese, while Chi-lin Lam speaks Mandarin.

The reform of the Academy Awards must be done step by step. Liu Zhou does not want to achieve it all at once, as that would be a thankless task and might even lead to a rebellious mentality.

The promotion of culture is inherently subtle and silent.

In silence, strengthening communication is a good way to prevent problems before they happen!

The three hosts put on a talk show-like opening on the stage, and they teased many celebrities in the audience about Lin Zhilin's voice and Zeng Zhiwei's height.

Although Lin Zhilin's performance was a little dull, the other two were both experienced and made the audience laugh, the effect was surprisingly good.

After heating up the atmosphere, Chen Baixiang, who was standing in the center, put away his smile and said passionately:

"The first award to be presented is the Best New Actor Award. Please welcome the award presenters, Ms. Gong Li and Mr. Zhang Yimou..." When they heard the names of the award presenters, everyone in the audience was a little surprised.

Who in the circle doesn’t know the relationship between the two?

I didn’t expect that the organizing committee would arrange for them to present the awards together this time.

So even though the audience were all colleagues, they couldn't help but watch the two people on the stage with interest.

But the two of them were not at all shy.

It's not like they have lost contact with each other forever. They are still filming together now.

“I am very happy to present the Best Newcomer Award with Director Zhang Yimou.”

Gong Li smiled gently and generously, while Lao Mouzi, who had a dark face beside her, pursed his lips and nodded, with no discernible expression.

The two of them exchanged a few brief words and prepared to draw the prize.

In the end, the award was won by Wu Yantao, a young actor in the movie "Father and Son".

Immediately afterwards, the Best New Director award was won by Wu Yanzu, whose movie was called "Four Heavenly Kings".

Giving the award to A-Zu is not a favor, but there are really no outstanding new directors emerging this year, so we can only pick the tallest one from the crowd of short ones.

Then the Best Sound Effects Award was won by "Ghostland" directed by Soi Cheang.

The Best Visual Effects and Best Costume Design awards were both given to "Red Cliff", which was well deserved.

Then the Best Art Direction award was won by "The Banquet", and the Best Action Direction award was given to Zhen Zidan of "Dragon Tiger Gate".

The Outstanding Artistic Contribution Award, also known as Best Cinematography, was jointly won by Lai Yiu-fai and Lau Wai-keung of "City of Pain".

After these awards, the remaining ones are more important.

It's halfway through the halftime break.
As Zhang Guorong and Principal Tan came on stage, the audience, who had been somewhat bored, suddenly became alert.

As veteran superstars, the two have many fans, and even many celebrities in the audience are their fans.

After singing two songs, the award ceremony continued.

However, the first award to be presented was the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was given to Mr. Shao, who has gone through ups and downs in the film industry for half a century.

It can be said that in the history of Chinese-language films, Shao Daheng is definitely the character who has the most space in the film.

So far, he is also the person with the longest experience in Chinese-language films.

However, due to his old age, he did not come in person to receive the award this time. Instead, his wife Fang Yihua received it on his behalf.

Next was the Best Supporting Actress award, which was finally won by Zhou Gongzi for her outstanding performance in "Night Banquet".

After winning the Best Actress award at the last Academy Awards, Ms. Zhou won the Best Supporting Actress award again this time.

The Best Supporting Actor award was won by the young actor Wu Yantao in "Father and Son". At such a young age, he won two awards.

As the awards ceremony progressed, only four major awards remained: Best Director, Best Film, Best Actress, and Best Actor.

At this time, the atmosphere on the scene seemed to be a little tense.

"The next award to be presented is one of the most important awards of this Academy Awards, the Best Actress. Please welcome the award presenters Mr. Liang Jiahui and Mr. Hou Hsiao-hsien..." said Pak-cheung Chan loudly.

"You're welcome!" Zeng Zhiwei and Lin Zhilin both echoed!
Liang Jiahui was the Best Actor winner of the last Academy Awards, and Hou Hsiao-hsien is a judge on this year's jury and is also a well-known director in the industry.

Both of them were grown men, so they didn't chat for long. They simply praised each other's business and were ready to announce the results.

"The actresses nominated for Best Actress are--" said Hou Hsiao-hsien.

"Please look at the big screen!" Liang Jiahui turned slightly to reveal the screen behind him.

Then the big screen lit up with introductions and played highlights of the nominated actors in the movies.

"The actress who won the Best Actress award at the 26th Academy Awards is--" Liang Jiahui held the envelope, leaving enough suspense.

The photographer on site understood the show's effects and kept scanning the camera lens over each nominated actress. Their figures also appeared separately on the big screen, and everyone looked at them with a bit of anticipation and nervousness.

"Fan Bingbing!!! Congratulations to Fan Bingbing!" Liang Jiahui announced loudly.

At this time, only Fan Bingbing's shot was left on the big screen. Her face was flushed, her eyes were wide open, and she looked incredible.

It was not until Andy Lau and Ng Yen Choo from the "Disciples" crew stood up and applauded that Fan Bingbing reacted. She shook hands or hugged several of them and other people in the crew, then slowly walked onto the stage, holding up her skirt.

At this time, there was warm applause from the audience, and everyone recognized that Fan Bingbing won the Best Actress award this time.

His performance in "The Disciples" is indeed remarkable.

Liu Zhou couldn't help but curl up his lips as he watched Fan Bingbing standing in the center of the stage, choking up as she spoke her acceptance speech.

Liu Zhou was very clear about her desire for Best Actress, and also knew how hard she had worked to win the Best Actress trophy.

She is not a talented contestant. She is not as smart as Zhou Gongzi, nor is she as lucky as Zhang Ziyi, who can work with big directors as soon as she debuts.

So far, the role of Jinsuo is still the most profound impression she left on the public.

This made her always give people the impression that she was inferior to Boss Zhao.

I believe that with the blessing of this Academy Award for Best Actress, she can completely get rid of everyone's past impression of her.

Next came the Best Actor awards, with each of the five nominees delivering outstanding performances.

Historically, the Best Actor winner of this Academy Award was Liu Qingyun from "I Want to Be Famous", but this time the competition has joined the likes of Fu Dalong from the mainland's "Tengu" and Zhang Zhen from Taiwan's "Wu Qingyuan", so the result is still unknown.

Especially Fu Dalong, who starred in "Tengu", his performance in the movie was really outstanding.

If Liu Zhou were allowed to vote, he would definitely vote for Fu Dalong.

But this is the Academy Awards, and Liu Zhou can't guarantee whether other factors will be taken into consideration in the final vote.

Although Liu Zhou promoted the reform of the Academy Awards, he did not interfere in the selection and voting of the awards.

Before the guests announced the awards, Liu Zhou had no idea who won.

However, even if Fu Dalong did not win the award this time, it would be normal, after all, the performances of the other people were also not bad.

And even if it is later discovered that the voting for Best Actor was influenced by other factors, Liu Zhou will not pursue the matter.

The reform of the Academy Awards this time is already significant enough, and Liu Zhou does not necessarily have to give the Best Actor award to a non-Hong Kong actor to prove the success of the reform.

Such a good tone has been set this time. After a few more sessions, the prejudice against factions in the Academy Awards will gradually weaken or even disappear.

The guests presenting the Best Actor award were last year's Best Actress Zhou Gongzi and Keanu Reeves.

It is certain that according to tomorrow's media reports, Mr. Zhou will also be one of the winners.

"The winner of the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actor is..."

"Congratulations to Fu Dalong from Tengu!"

(End of this chapter)