"The story is very clichéd, but Sarah Michelle Gellar’s charm saved it from being unbearably cheesy," comnted a newspaper the day after the premiere of Sweet Ho Alabama.
Honestly, it wasn’t a fair comnt. As a romantic cody, the plot of Sweet Ho Alabama was indeed clichéd. If you just watched the beginning and thought for a few minutes, you would realize that the heroine would eventually ditch the mayor’s son and return to her childhood sweetheart. However, the movie did an excellent job with suspense.
Although everyone knew that the heroine would end up with the male lead eventually, even if they had argued during the first several minutes of the film, by nearly the end, as she was walking down the aisle with the mayor’s son, there seed to be no chance of reconciliation, and the male lead had already signed the divorce papers.
The situation persisted until the lawyer handling the heroine’s divorce showed up at the wedding.
"Hey, lanie, you’re not an easy woman to find."
"What’s the matter, Mr. Harbert? He already signed the divorce papers!"
"Yes, I know, but he signed them, you didn’t!"
Most viewers would be stunned and then burst into laughter at this point, especially with the lawyer’s frustrated tone and Sarah’s surprised and innocent expression, which made for an excellent codic effect. Adrian ntioned at the premiere that he loved this twist, and it was such an unexpected turn that made the movie much more lively. If not for this twist, Adrian wouldn’t have given the role to Sarah.
Of course, Sarah did an excellent job in the movie, mastering the subtleties and the switch between Southern and Northern accents, making the heroine’s psychological transformation very convincing.
Adrian read those reviews in Amanda’s bedroom, neatly dressed and sitting on the bed while scanning the newspapers, as Amanda, wearing pajamas, sat at the head of the bed slowly enjoying the breakfast he had bought.
"Need any hot juice?" Although he was reading, part of his attention was still on Amanda.
"Thank you," Amanda replied, pushing her empty cup towards him.
Adrian picked it up and stepped out, returning quickly. His manner was not overly attentive but also not aloof; it was a perfectly balanced and refreshing attitude. Combined with the tidy state of Amanda’s small but neat bedroom, a subtle, cozy warmth lingered.
Amanda didn’t rush to drink the juice but looked at Adrian for a while before speaking, "You’re indeed a gentle man, Ed. No wonder so many won throw themselves at you."
The events of the previous night were foreseeable, especially with the double entendre of the phrase "no man has ever entered," which had certainly piqued Adrian’s interest. As for the Valentine’s Day rule, oh, no worries there; as long as it was past midnight, like that ti with Miranda Kerr, he had plenty of ti for seduction.
Amanda’s apartnt was in the middle-class district, though not as safe as the upscale areas, it was much better than the slums. The stark contrast between the rich and poor areas is one of the major characteristics of Arican cities, with a natural skew in police resources. Of course, thanks to landing the role of Buffy’s little sister, she could afford to rent an apartnt here, demonstrating Amanda’s independence despite her young age.
Adrian admired such independence; in fact, the more independent the person, the more they needed to prove themselves. Otherwise, Amanda wouldn’t have reacted when she heard the phrase "a bit longer in TV." She had played too many TV roles over the past years and was longing for a breakthrough in films, as TV doesn’t have as much impact as movies.
In Amanda’s tidy little nest, Adrian chatted with her for a long ti until they were completely relaxed and then slowly began foreplay. He tid it perfectly to enter her body at 12:01 AM, thus technically not breaking any rules. Like all the other girls he had been with for the first ti, under his ticulous preparation, Amanda experienced perfect lovemaking, which led to her clinging tightly to Adrian in order to fall asleep. So, he had to wake her up in the morning to prepare breakfast.
"Thank you." Adrian smiled slightly, looking at Amanda with an appreciative gaze, not finding anything inappropriate in her latter remark.
"I do indeed chase beautiful won; it’s in a man’s nature," he continued, "There are no n who don’t wander; so just restrain themselves under various pressures. I respect won differently than typical playboys. If I admire them, I can’t let them be hurt. Just like a beautiful flower should be bathed in the morning dew, held and cherished in one’s hands, not casually discarded."
This remark was quite persuasive, and Amanda was speechless for a few minutes.
"But you still used so tactics to... coerce and seduce ," she provocatively said after a pause.
"Of course, because I want to possess you, not just for one night," Adrian gazed into her eyes, his hand gently caressing her cheek, "You are beautiful, Amanda, a beauty that makes want to own you."
Such straightforward words didn’t bother Amanda at all; in fact, when Adrian cupped her chin, she shyly looked away.
"Like... Kirsten?" she asked, biting her lip, "Are there many won like that for you?"
"You don’t need to worry about that," Adrian sighed, "I’m sorry, but as you know, ten years ago I could et many simple girls, but now I have to resort to so thods."
He leaned in close to her, his fingers gently tracing her lips, "Perhaps you can change my mind."
This was no lie; since Amanda knew how to manipulate to make him feel less extraordinary in her heart, Adrian could do the sa. He didn’t mind this little trick; having tad won like Zetajones and Nicole to sweetly submit beneath him, Amanda was hardly a challenge.
Amanda fell silent, her chest rising and falling slightly. Adrian smiled faintly and then kissed her lips, to which the girl responded impulsively without thinking. It began with their lips eting, then continued with prolonged sucking, their tongues intertwining. Amanda moved entirely to Adrian’s rhythm until he suddenly stopped and moved away, slightly sobering her up. Yet, she still leaned forward, lingering for more.
"You just tried this yesterday; although I was very careful, we shouldn’t engage in activities that are too intense," Adrian said with a smile, "If you want, I can stay here with you all day. If not, I’ll leave now and co back to see you when you feel better in a few days."
"No need!" Amanda blurted out, instantly realizing she had lost composure, but after swallowing, she added, "You can stay."
"Alright, then I’ll be at your service today." Adrian laughed heartily and then rembered sothing, "Oh, speaking of which, there’s a role for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old that hasn’t been cast yet. Maybe you could try out for it. It’s a major role that requires a lot of acting skill, and it also features two well-known actresses as supports. Do you feel confident that you can show your best side?"
"Of course!" Amanda’s eyes lit up imdiately, accepting without hesitation, "I can definitely do it!"
"White Oleander," that was the film Adrian was talking about. The plot sowhat revolved around a girl who lived happily with her mother until one day her mother beca passionately infatuated with soone and after being spurned, poisoned the man with oleander flowers. The girl witnessed her mother’s arrest, changing her life forever as she had to move from one foster family to another, learning to cope with a harsh world and to step out from the shadows. anwhile, her mother in prison continued to influence her in many ways.
This movie adapted from Janet Fincher’s novel of the sa na had been recomnded by Oprah Winfrey in her book club. In Adrian’s mory, the film didn’t do well at the box office but received surprisingly good reviews. He had originally planned to have Anne Hathaway as the lead, gently transitioning Julia to a new type of role, and letting Kate accumulate more acting experience. Julia’s role, the protagonist’s mother, was an independent woman but with so villainous tendencies. Kate played the role of the second adoptive mother of the protagonist, a very decent woman who was hated by Julia’s character for stealing her daughter’s affections, leading to her being humiliated during a prison visit which ultimately drove her to suicide, leading the daughter to completely turn against her imprisoned mother.
Adrian believed that if Julia and Kate delivered good performances, this segnt of the film would be particularly compelling. However, it was originally scheduled to start filming last month but was still in preparation because...
Despite being a bit younger than Anne, Amanda was no less talented, both in Adrian’s mories and her current performance in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Though she might still seem a bit naive, who wasn’t at so point? Getting the director’s attention and having Julia and Kate take care of her a bit might actually make this version even better. After all, she was tactful and unlike so others, knew how to make decisions; giving her this role was just right.
Since Adrian had spent most of the day at Amanda’s apartnt and then accompanied her out in the evening, he ended up staying at her place again, engaging in another round of passion. Perhaps because she received a firm affirmative from him, coupled with their pleasant interaction, Amanda, during a shared bath, initiated her first oral experience. Adrian intentionally finished on her face at the end, and although Amanda was slightly nettled, she didn’t say much.
Putting that aside, "Sweet Ho Alabama" had grossed $32 million in its opening weekend across 3000 theaters, undoubtedly topping the North Arican box office. Although there was a 30% drop in the second week, it was still the off-season and there weren’t any better romantic codies playing, so securing another $20 million to maintain the top spot was very likely, and breaking $100 million in North Arica seed promising. anwhile, Sarah’s sweet on-screen image gained further recognition among audiences.
However, in late February, the focus was not on "Sweet Ho Alabama" or its star, Sarah Michelle Gellar, nor was it on the month-long scandals involving Laura Croft’s prototype, Kate Beckinsale, her daughter, and dia mogul Adrian Cowell. It was the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ announcent of the 74th Oscar nomination list!
This ca as a sigh of relief for many film studios, although the best film category still had two nominations from AC dia’s own—Adrian’s personally directed "The Lord of the Rings 1" and "Moulin Rouge"—it was far better than last year’s near-monopoly. As for the other three, "In the Bedroom" and "Gosford Park" were independent films, and although "A Beautiful Mind" had investnts from Universal, DreamWorks had a hand in it too. Despite everyone knowing the close relationship between AC dia and DreamWorks, it was after all a completely independent film company.
What really surprised many was the best director nominations, as many had anticipated Adrian would receive two nominations, but when the official list ca out, he only had one for "The Lord of the Rings 1". This left many puzzled—was Adrian not aiming for this year’s best director? It is known that since the inception of the Oscars, no director has won best director for a non-realistic film; the Film Academy had privately expressed their preference for films and directors with realistic significance. From this perspective, "Moulin Rouge" had a much higher chance of winning best director, especially since it had been a long ti since such a well-received musical film appeared, and most of the key voters in the Academy preferred nostalgic pieces.
Moreover, through further inquiries, it was likely Adrian himself had declined to submit "Moulin Rouge" for best director, which added to the intrigue—was he confident in himself or planning to give up on this year’s Oscars? Looking at the director list, Ron Howard, Ridley Scott, and Robert Altman were all strong contenders, especially Robert Altman, who had been nominated for the Oscars several tis before and had won the Pal d’Or, the Golden Lion, and the Golden Bear. Perhaps Adrian wanted to avoid him?
No matter the speculation, people would not know Adrian’s true intentions until years later.
As for the best actor, it wasn’t much of a surprise when Russell Crowe clinched the nomination for a completely opposite portrayal in "Gladiator", leading so to speculate he might beco the second actor after Tom Hanks to win back-to-back. After all, he was also being promoted by the Miracle Director. However, others guessed that it might be a victory for black actors, as it had been a long ti since a black actor was nominated, and this year there were two nominations, with Denzel Washington for "Training Day" and Will Smith for "Ali".
What was baffling was that Dennis Knight, despite his outstanding performance in "I Am Sam", missed a nomination. While the film was diocre and clichéd, hence the low ratings from professional critics, it was agreed that the performances of the three main actors were excellent. For the sa reason, Naomi Watts, who played the female lawyer, got a nomination for best supporting actress, which surely must have been very frustrating for Dennis.
For the best actress nomination, it was undeniably the domain of the Miracle Girls again: Nicole Kidman for "Moulin Rouge", Gwyneth Paltrow for "A Beautiful Mind", Sophie Marceau for "Chocolat", and... Rachel Weisz for "DJ Single’s Diary". Although Rachel had never collaborated with Adrian, her close relationship with him had not gone unnoticed in the industry, not to ntion her films were primarily produced by AC dia.
"Adrian truly understands won best," remarked a newspaper with a hint of sarcasm—it’s known that even Woody Allen, who always revolves his thes around n and won, couldn’t manage to get so many won nominated at once.
Look at these won, Rachel Weisz’s breakout role in "The English Patient" was handpicked by him, as was Sophie Marceau in the sa film, who not only acted but also got a nomination for best supporting actress showing a completely different side from her role in "Braveheart".
As for Gwyneth Paltrow, each of her Oscar nominations in recent years had Adrian’s shadow behind them. For this reason, many speculated she was most likely to win the Oscar statuette this year, provided she could outdo Nicole Kidman. Nicole’s widely rumored divorce from Cruise due to Adrian had beco an open secret in the industry, proving her decision was correct as she won best supporting actress last year, but likewise, winning best actress this year would be more troubleso, even though her role was in a film directed by the Miracle Director himself.
However, the dia did not overlook the fifth nominee for best actress, despite her lacking the dazzling achievents and eye-catching scandals of the other four. She set a record. Kaisar Custer Hughes, a twelve-year-old girl from Western Australia with Maori ancestry, although it was her first film appearance, received an Oscar nomination for best actress with her natural performance in "Whale Rider", becoming the youngest ever nominee in the history of the Oscars!
Just a year after Natalie Portman beca the youngest best actress nominee at 19 with "Winter’s Bone", this young Australian actress broke the record, pushing it to a level that might never be broken again. So, even though everyone knew it was practically impossible for her to win due to her young age, still, countless caras were pointed at her. (To be continued. If you like this work, please co to Qidian to cast your recomndation vote and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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