I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1110: One-Man-Band]

At six in the evening, the awards ceremony officially began.

This year's host was once again Billy Crystal. However, perhaps because the nominated films had so little sparkle, Billy Crystal made a show of climbing onto the stage with a handheld camcorder, claiming he intended to shoot a zero-budget film, while still holding onto the receipt, which he could return once the shoot was done.

This scenario was, of course, a jab at the box office sensation The Blair Witch Project, and it certainly got some laughs.

Unfortunately, the rest of the ceremony turned out to be rather dull. Under the powerful PR machine of the Weinstein brothers, the already controversial film The Horse Whisperer took home several significant awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Eric believed that in the coming days, the media would certainly stir up a wave of discussions questioning the fairness of the Oscars. At the same time, the Academy has come to its senses, and Miramax will definitely not have an easy time in the next few years.

As for Firefly's Elizabeth, the outcome was even more surprising. Though it received several major nominations, ultimately, it left empty-handed.

Eric had initially thought that Cate Blanchett might have a chance to win the Oscar for Best Actress on her first nomination, but he ultimately underestimated the conservatism of the Academy. The Best Actress award finally went to seasoned British star Judi Dench.

...

As soon as the ceremony ended, Eric was intercepted by the director of this awards ceremony, Louis Horvitz, who also introduced him to Laura Spencer, the female host he had seen on the red carpet.

Robert Iger's call also came through from New York. With some matters to handle, Eric sent Nicole off to the Hilton Hotel's Vanity Fair party while he took Robert Iger's call backstage at the awards ceremony. Meanwhile, he glanced at the resume that Louis Horvitz handed him and looked curiously at both Louis and Laura.

Having only mentioned it casually, Louis had promptly handed over this woman's resume. Was he trying to prove that she was over eighteen or something?

Noticing the look in Eric's eyes, Louis Horvitz felt a bit uncomfortable. Even before the ceremony was over, he had received a call from his colleagues at ABC's New York headquarters, stating that the ratings for this year's Oscar broadcast were simply dismal, dropping as low as 37 million, with the average viewership likely not breaking the 40 million mark.

As one of ABC's renowned program producers, Louis had directed the Oscars more than once, but nothing about tonight's event had been expected even by him. In the past decade, the average viewership for the Oscars had never dipped below 40 million.

Everyone understood that the main reason was the disappointing selection of nominated films this year.

However, the big boss had called him in before the awards ceremony to publicly criticize the chaotic red carpet, adding, "I hope the awards ceremony won't be as messy as the red carpet." Now, Louis couldn't say whether the ceremony itself was considered messy in the big boss's eyes, but 37 million in viewership definitely counted as a disaster. This left Louis feeling very anxious, and he urgently called New York, hoping that Robert Iger, who had helped promote him, could back him up.

...

After plopping down on a couch, Eric ignored Louis and Laura standing nearby. He propped his leg up and placed Laura's resume on his knee while talking on the phone with Robert Iger. The staff wrapping things up for the awards ceremony saw the situation and tactfully kept their distance.

Robert Iger's explanation made Eric not sure how to feel. The awful red carpet situation ultimately stemmed from the uninspiring nominated films this year. Because there was little buzz or excitement surrounding the nominated films, advertisers had little motivation, leading to record-low ad prices for the ceremony's auction. Typically about $1.2 million for a 30-second spot, this year it barely surpassed $1 million.

With a huge drop in advertising revenue, the Academy reduced the event's budget, even shortening the usually around 200-meter-long Oscars red carpet to less than 150 meters. The Oscars red carpet had always been among the busiest at any film awards, and now that it was suddenly shortened by a quarter, it was no wonder that the number of attendees remained unchanged.

While Eric was dissatisfied with the Academy's penny-pinching decision to shorten the red carpet, he didn't want to intervene too much. Firefly was already too prominent in Hollywood; picking at such trivial matters with the Academy would only invite discomfort for himself.

Once Robert Iger finished explaining, he brought up Laura Spencer. Only then did Eric open the resume resting on his knee.

Last year, ABC's daytime news program Good Morning America had lost its star anchors, Joan Lunden and Charles Gibson, whose popularity had driven its ratings for years. After their departure, the program suffered significant losses in viewership, even being surpassed by NBC's Today Show, which had been lagging behind for a decade.

In an effort to revive Good Morning America's ratings, ABC's management had been revamping the show, and Laura Spencer had just been promoted as one of the network's new national correspondents.

Hearing Robert Iger's explanation, Eric felt relieved.

"National correspondent" sounded prestigious, but in reality, it was quite a demanding position. Unlike news anchors who typically only worked in the studio, ABC's national correspondents needed to not only conduct studio interviews but also often work on-site as field reporters.

After all, this was ABC's morning news from 7 to 9 AM.

Studio interviews were manageable, but for on-location work, reporters often had to travel the day before, meaning they had to rise early to prepare. From this perspective, it was certainly a challenging job.

Moreover, the details in the resume completely rid Eric of any bias against Laura Spencer.

This blonde, who seemed barely in her twenties, was actually already thirty. The resume revealed that she was a scholarship recipient from the University of Pennsylvania and had once been a national-level diver. After graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Pennsylvania, she had worked in media for eight years. Her work history during that time was impressive. She was skilled in various roles, including reporter, producer, camerawoman, and editor. She even received a "one-man band" label, which indicated her high level of expertise.

Assigning Laura Spencer as the Oscars red carpet host was also a way to boost her profile and indirectly raise the visibility of Good Morning America.

...

Eric had always admired women who were both beautiful and hardworking, as those who excelled at both were rare.

After chatting for over ten minutes, Eric ended the call with Robert Iger. He stood up and handed Louis Horvitz the resume before extending his hand to Laura Spencer and saying, "Alright, Laura, I apologize for my earlier bias; you're really impressive."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Williams."

Laura Spencer shook Eric's hand, feeling slightly overwhelmed. She had been apprehensive about losing this job so soon after her promotion, even feeling a bit frustrated with Mr. Eric Williams, the big boss, thinking, "Do beautiful women always have to be seen as just pretty faces?"

However, as Eric reached out his hand to her, her dissatisfaction evaporated. After all, she had never expected the big boss would apologize to her.

"Well, you both carry on," Eric told Laura. After withdrawing his hand, he turned to Louis Horvitz and was about to leave when he noticed Laura Spencer still wearing that beautiful pink wide-shouldered deep-V gown and asked, "Laura, are you heading to the Vanity Fair party? Need a ride?"

Laura Spencer had just relaxed, but hearing Eric's question made her heart race again. She suddenly remembered that her boss was notorious for being a playboy.

The reason she was still in her formal gown was merely that she had been so tense since Louis's earlier remarks that she hadn't even thought about changing clothes or attending any party, not to mention that her position wouldn't afford her an invitation to the Vanity Fair party.

Noticing the change in Laura Spencer's expression, Eric quickly caught on, chuckling, "Then never mind. See you next time."

Just as Eric turned away, he heard Laura Spencer's voice behind him: "No, Mr. Williams, I--I'm willing to go."

With Nicole and the other women already at the Vanity Fair party, Eric wouldn't be able to do anything else even if he had other intentions. He had only mentioned it casually. Now, watching Laura Spencer look as if she were about to make a noble sacrifice, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alright, let's go."

Watching Eric and Laura Spencer walk out of the backstage together, Louis Horvitz rolled up the resume in his hand and tapped it against his palm, shaking his head in envy. "What a beautiful woman."

...

Once outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Eric and Laura Spencer got into the car.

As the driver started the vehicle and left downtown, Eric glanced at the somewhat reserved woman beside him and asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Laura Spencer froze for a moment, her eyes flickering. She shook her head honestly, "No, I don't."

"Oh," Eric nodded, nonchalantly. "If only you did, maybe we could have him join us, and then you wouldn't feel like a nervous little hedgehog right now."

Hearing Eric's direct comment made Laura relax a bit, prompting her to boldly ask, "Mr. Williams, do you have a girlfriend?"

"I do," Eric replied. "They're all at the Vanity Fair party, keeping a close eye on me, so you can rest easy."

Laura Spencer couldn't help but laugh when she heard Eric's words, teasingly picking up on a particular term, "They?"

"Yep," Eric nodded, "they."

*****

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