He had already won an Oscar for Best Director once, but every time he stepped on stage, it still felt like a new experience.
If "Chicago" was the first time he went on stage to accept an award, and Gilbert had been a bit nervous, then this time, as he walked up once again to receive the award, he was calm and composed, exuding the poise of a seasoned general.
In ABC's live broadcast studio, Kenneth Turan had completely gone silent.
Just moments ago, he had delivered a long and elaborate monologue explaining why Gilbert absolutely could not win Best Director. In the end, his words came back to slap him in the face Gilbert had once again lifted the Best Director trophy.
So now Kenneth Turan looked like a clown, and all he could do was shut up entirely.
However, the viewers watching the broadcast weren't going to let him off the hook so easily. They launched a full-on campaign against Kenneth Turan in the live chatroom, and his social media accounts were quickly flooded by Gilbert's fans.
"Clown! What a clownish performance. And you call yourself a professional film critic?"
"My dog could give a better review than you."
"Keep barking, why don't you? You're not even in the same league as Roger Ebert."
Even though fans were venting their rage online, it didn't stop Kenneth Turan from continuing his provocations. He soon predicted that Return of the King would not win Best Picture.
As soon as those words left his mouth, they triggered an even more ferocious backlash.
If trending algorithms existed back then, Kenneth Turan would've already been blasted onto the trending charts by furious netizens.
What no one noticed was that, off-camera and out of the spotlight, there was an uncontrollable smirk at the corner of Kenneth Turan's lips.
He could already imagine the verbal abuse raining down from Gilbert's fans but what they didn't know was how much money he had made from trashing Gilbert.
Just thinking about how he had capitalized on slandering Gilbert for attention and profit made Kenneth Turan feel reinvigorated. Those insults no longer bothered him at all.
While all of this drama played out in the background, Gilbert had already made his way to the stage, where he received the Oscar statuette from Harrison Ford, then held it high above his head.
In that single moment, at least fifty million viewers across the United States witnessed the scene witnessed the moment Gilbert was crowned a legend.
Gilbert didn't imitate James Cameron and shout "I'm the king of the world!"
Once the applause at the awards ceremony subsided, Gilbert lowered the statuette from above his head and began to deliver his acceptance speech.
"Thank you, thank you everyone. Tonight is a wonderful moment. I want to thank the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for recognizing me."
Gilbert's father wasn't present at the ceremony. Watching from home, the old man had a sexy woman in his arms and couldn't help but laugh when he heard that line: "This kid even when giving an acceptance speech, he sounds fake as hell."
The sexy woman was caressing the old man's body, but she couldn't take her eyes off the TV screen where Gilbert was looking radiant and full of vigor.
She couldn't help but think: If only I were with Gilbert instead of this wrinkled old man how great would that be?
But soon the TV cut to shots of Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, and other Hollywood beauties, and she quickly realized she was dreaming an impossible dream.
If that was the case, she might as well please the old man in front of her. Who knew? Maybe she could become Gilbert's stepmother someday!
Unfortunately, even that idea was nothing more than a fantasy.
The old man was purely in it for pleasure the kind who forgets your name once he pulls up his pants.
Compared to his earlier thanks to the Academy, which sounded rather disingenuous, Gilbert's gratitude toward his team members felt much more heartfelt.
The reason was simple: Even though he was the most dazzling, most celebrated person of the night, filmmaking had never been about individual heroism.
Without an outstanding and tightly knit team, even if Gilbert combined forces with Spielberg and James Cameron, he still couldn't have completed a blockbuster film.
Gilbert went on to thank each major member of his team, and finally added:
"Over ten thousand people in front of and behind the camera contributed to the making of this grand epic. Tonight's award belongs to all of you."
Then Gilbert thanked the fans who had supported him all along and listed the tremendous success of the Lord of the Rings series.
Gilbert praised them, saying: "My fans are the most wonderful fans. They've always shown endless patience and tolerance toward my work.
That's why I can't let them down. I hope to keep creating better films to repay their unwavering support."
Lastly, Gilbert expressed his gratitude to the old man: "There's one more person I must thank, and that's my father.
My father was the one who first introduced me to filmmaking. He taught me countless life lessons and always supported me on this path.
He once told me that we must learn to take bold steps, to step forward courageously.
Don't be afraid just because the road ahead is uncertain.
If you never take that first step, you'll never know what surprises might await.
I've always remembered those words. And now, I'm fortunate enough to know what those surprises are.
But I hope the future still holds many more surprises for me.
Thank you all…"
In front of the TV, the old man felt truly proud even if he couldn't quite remember whether he'd actually said those words or not.
These days, his biggest claim to fame might just be "the father of the renowned director Gilbert."
The once-dominant Hollywood producer had long since faded into the background.
But the old man had no regrets. The greatest achievement of his life wasn't conquering Hollywood or sleeping with Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.
It was raising a cinematic genius like Gilbert, and watching his son restore glory to the Landrani family.
Oh right, word was Naomi Watts was pregnant too. With all the women Gilbert had, the Landrani family surely wouldn't remain just two people for long.
Continuing the family line was no longer an issue. The family legacy was secured.
As for the fans watching on television, many were moved to tears by Gilbert's heartfelt speech.
The twelve years spent watching Gilbert grow had, in a way, mirrored their own growth.
Even though many fans had joined in gradually and halfway through the journey, it didn't stop them from deeply empathizing with him.
Gilbert's friends reacted in a simpler way. Tom Cruise smiled and applauded he was publicly hailed as Gilbert's best buddy, after all.
Leonardo DiCaprio laughed even more joyfully, even though his film Gangs of New York had gone home empty-handed.
Leo and Gilbert had a bond forged through hardship. Back when Madonna Ciccone wouldn't stop pestering Gilbert, it was Leo who stepped in and helped get rid of the trouble.
Among the women present at the scene, Scarlett looked up at Gilbert with adoring eyes. She had always known that her Gilbert was the most amazing man.
His radiant and towering figure had long been etched into her heart.
Anne Hathaway gently clapped her hands. Charlize Theron, holding her Best Actress trophy, was thinking about whether the trophy display at Melon Manor needed to be expanded.
Cameron Diaz smiled, already considering the future operations of Melon Studios she was one of the senior executives, after all.
Jennifer Connelly was quite happy as well. Although she hadn't been with Gilbert for very long, she had gained so much already.
She felt that Gilbert was different from the typical powerful Hollywood figures. While those men's eyes were full of unspeakable desires, Gilbert's eyes always shimmered with light.
At Melon Manor, Naomi Watts watched the live TV broadcast, gently caressing her belly. In her heart, she thought: Child, that's your father. You must work hard in the future and learn from him!
Everyone had different emotions, but at this moment, those who were anti-Gilbert or simply hated him were not in the best mood.
David Ellison was one of them. Watching Gilbert clutch that golden statuette, he was so furious he smashed a set of Chinese porcelain teacups.
What stung the most was when his sister Megan Ellison added salt to the wound: "I thought all those bold claims you made would come true. You said you'd surpass Gilbert's achievements in three years.
Now it looks like you were just talking big."
"Hmph!" David Ellison snorted coldly and said, "You think Gilbert is some random street thug? That he's so easy to surpass? Then what were these last ten-plus years of his effort for?"
Megan Ellison scoffed in disdain, "Just wait. When I graduate, I'm going into the film industry too. You'll see. I'll do better than you. Better than Gilbert."
David Ellison found it laughable. He already knew Hollywood wasn't easy to break into those people weren't exactly rolling out the welcome mat for outsiders like him.
But he had no obligation to warn Megan. Everyone had to pay the price for their own choices.
After delivering his acceptance speech, Gilbert didn't immediately head backstage for interviews, because there was still one final award to be announced Best Picture.
Gilbert had already received the Best Director award earlier, which had broken the record set by Titanic for eleven Oscar wins.
If they could also secure the Best Picture award, The Return of the King would go down in history with a perfect 13-for-13 win, forever remembered in the annals of the Academy Awards.
As it turned out, the Best Picture win came as no surprise. Charles Roven and Kane Wexman jointly lifted the trophy for Best Picture.
After Charles Roven spoke, Kane Wexman delivered a deeply emotional acceptance speech, expressing his gratitude to Gilbert and announcing his retirement.
"I want to thank Gilbert. At the tail end of my producing career, being able to work on the Lord of the Rings series and be forever etched into film history this is something that fills me with overwhelming joy and emotion.
Gilbert and I discussed this many times. He tried to convince me not to retire, said I still had a few more years in me.
But considering my age, I think it's better to spend the time I have left with my family while I'm still healthy."
As he spoke, Kane Wexman turned to Gilbert and said, "We will always love your films, Gilbert. I can't walk the rest of the road with you.
But please, keep going. Stay true to your path toward becoming the king of cinema!"
....
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