Los Angeles, West Coast time, two o'clock in the afternoon.
The area near the Kodak Theatre on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles was already packed with people; the annual Oscar event attracted too much attention.
Luxury cars carrying elaborately dressed celebrities arrived one after another, filling nearby parking lots to the point where cars had to be parked in lots on adjacent streets.
The red carpet extended directly to the entrance of the Kodak Theatre, accompanied by cheering fans on both sides, and media reporters from various TV stations continuously pressed the shutters of their cameras.
However, this year's red carpet spectacle was much simpler than in previous years, likely due to the impact of the US-Iraq war, which prevented extensive celebrations. Many security personnel were also vigilant, preventing any disturbances.
How could anti-war protestors possibly miss the Academy Awards Ceremony without taking action?
Charles was, of course, a participant in the lost in translation crew, and his mother, Evelyn, also dressed up and accompanied Charles.
"No wonder celebrities love walking the red carpet; this atmosphere is indeed intoxicating," Charles commented as he walked. Although the red carpet was much shorter than before, it was still there.
The weather in Los Angeles was nice today, and the sun was still very bright, making one feel lazy.
"This is what makes Hollywood so appealing," Evelyn said, holding her bag next to Charles.
"Look, it's Sofia and the others," Evelyn said, seeing a few members of the lost in translation crew chatting not far ahead.
"Let's go!" Charles was quite annoyed about arriving so early, as the Academy Awards Ceremony didn't start until five in the afternoon and would last for about four hours!
After lunch, he wouldn't be able to eat again until nine or ten at night. No wonder those celebrities on TV used to enjoy pizza so much, and would rush out to devour burgers as soon as the Academy Awards Ceremony ended.
They were all starving!
After reuniting with the crew, Charles greeted them and then went directly into the media hall. Reporters and fans on the red carpet wanted to see celebrities, but producers needed to get to know more people; networking was the real business.
At the entrance, he happened to run into Catherine Zeta-Jones, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Chicago. Of course, her husband, Michael Douglas, was accompanying her.
"Charles, long time no see!"
"Catherine, congratulations! The Best Supporting Actress award should definitely be yours!"
The two hugged. Catherine Zeta-Jones's belly was quite large; she was pregnant. The scene from that night flashed through Charles mind, then he shook his head; it had been so long ago.
"The Academy Awards Ceremony hasn't started yet, so no one knows the results," Catherine Zeta-Jones certainly hoped to receive an Oscar.
"However, the achievements you made last year are truly astonishing," Catherine Zeta-Jones had also attended the Golden Globe Awards with her husband previously, where lost in translation had achieved great success.
Charles smiled and said enviously, "Mine was just the success of one movie, but Chicago's influence is much greater. Its North America box office alone exceeded 100 million dollars, and its global box office reached 300 million dollars!"
Miramax's highest box office record!
As Charles spoke, he glanced at Michael Douglas, who was being interviewed by reporters over there. He was a man prone to jealousy.
After all, he was an older husband with a younger wife; Catherine Zeta-Jones was radiant now, while Michael Douglas had a head full of white hair and many wrinkles.
"Miramax has good taste, Charles. Next time you throw a party, you must come!"
Charles nodded, then parted ways with Catherine.
In the media hall, there were even more reporters, feeling a bit crowded, with celebrities and guests everywhere.
Subsequently, Charles met more and more celebrities he had interacted with: Tom Hanks and his wife, Nicole Kidman, a strong contender for oscar best actress winner, and Nicolas Cage, a nominee for Best Actor, among others.
By the time the Academy Awards Ceremony began at five o'clock, a considerable number of anti-war protestors shouting slogans had gathered near the Kodak Theatre.
"This is getting interesting. When the presenters or winners go on stage later, many will shout a slogan advocating peace," Charles sat with his mother, with Scarlett Johansson on his other side.
Evelyn also looked at the peace brooch she was wearing and whispered, "No matter what, even if the celebrities don't care, their Agent teams will remind them."
"Perhaps some will even express their opinions fiercely."
"Hehe, Mother, you're overthinking it. At most, they'll just say 'no war, only peace.' It's common knowledge that Hollywood's bark is worse than its bite at times like these, and many even support the war," Charles continued to mock.
"Bruce Willis and Robbie Williams both support the war."
"Besides, the Oscar committee hates it when celebrities talk about politics. Only those with a certain status dare to talk about it up there; everyone else will be obedient!"
"What about you? You must be anti-war, right? This anti-war alliance brooch was given to me by you," Evelyn spoke again.
"Of course, I'm anti-war. Public anti-war sentiment is very high right now. Which film company dares to say anything publicly?" Charles looked at his mother and continued to remind her,
"Mom, in the future, you should attend more political cocktail parties. It will definitely help our careers later on, like providing campaign funds for congressmen and helping out in the media!"
Perhaps the 2003 Academy Awards was a very uninteresting one. Charles left his seat after Sofia Coppola received the Best Original Screenplay award.
After all, there were many seat-filler volunteers in the Oscar auditorium. It was not uncommon for guests to go to the restroom or the bar for a drink, or even leave. The seat-filler volunteers would then fill in, otherwise, it wouldn't look good if the camera panned over and showed many empty seats.
Where did Charles go after leaving the Kodak Theatre? Charles went to meet representatives from Media Asia Films, who had come from Hong Kong.
They were discussing the purchase of the infernal affairs script. Indeed, several companies had been in contact, including Robert De Niro's production company and Brad Pitt's production company.
However, Charles directly offered 1.5 million dollars, which was currently the highest. After making a few phone calls, the Media Asia Films representatives basically agreed.
They just needed to sign the contract tomorrow. As Charles left the hotel, he was still wondering if the price he offered was a bit too high.
Although Plan B Entertainment had spent 1.75 million dollars to buy the script in his previous life, that money was paid by Warner Bros.! And that was at the end of 2004.
It was only the first half of 2003 now. Charles shook his head and didn't care anymore. 1.5 million it is!