Simon was entangled by Sandra and kissed for a while. After they left the backstage, they came to the aisle on the side of the hall. Simon stopped and confirmed with Sandra again, "Is it really wiped clean?"
Sandra gave Simon an annoyed look and said, "Of course, do you think I really want Jenny to scratch my face?"
Simon always felt that Sandra's eyes held a mischievous glint. He wiped the corner of his mouth again with his hand before walking out of the aisle.
The awards ceremony had unknowingly passed the halfway mark; the Best Original Score award was currently being presented on stage.
As Simon returned to his seat, Janette, with a beaming smile, was about to say something to him when her eyes blinked, and a small hand reached over, pinching his waist without hesitation.
Simon gasped, noticing Sandra's schadenfreude expression on the other side, and sighed in his heart.
The most venomous heart belongs to a woman.
He had been ambushed after all.
After pinching him, Janette, still not appeased, glared at Sandra over Simon before pulling out a tissue and a small mirror from her handbag and tossing them over.
Simon picked up the small mirror and looked at it, revealing a noticeable lipstick mark deliberately left on his chin. Although not large, anyone sitting next to him, like Janette, could easily spot it.
Just as he subtly wiped off the lipstick mark, Sandra casually leaned in again: "Simon, Douglas got the Best Actor award".
On stage, last year's Oscar Best Actress, Marlee Matlin, haltingly read out Michael Douglas's name. The middle-aged actor from a Hollywood film family won the Best Actor award for his role as the insider trading tycoon Gordon Gekko in last year's 'Wall Street'.
Simon actually knew why Sandra would specifically remind him, but he still pretended to be angry and lightly responded, "Hmm?"
Sandra paid no attention to Simon's pretence, as if she had completely forgotten what had just happened, and seriously analysed, "'Wall Street' only had one nomination, Best Actor for Douglas, just like 'Run Lola Run'".
Simon continued to maintain his 'I'm still angry' state, merely nodding slightly: "Hmm".
Seeing Simon's reaction, Sandra glanced around, confirming that none of the live broadcast cameras were pointing their way. She then leaned in closer, pressing her body against his. Simon, realizing Sandra was about to kiss him in public, was startled and quickly raised a hand to stop her, "Stop, or I'll have Jenny sit over here".
Hearing Simon's 'threat,' Sandra finally quieted down.
Simon was actually just saying it; in this situation, he really wouldn't dare to switch seats with Janette.
This was the Academy Awards ceremony, after all.
Considering Janette's wild temper, where she disregards everything when she's upset...
What if they started fighting?
Tsk!
However, noticing Simon and Sandra's 'interaction,' Janette didn't let him off the hook. Her small hand reached over and pinched Simon's waist again, though this time the force was much lighter.
Once both women had quieted down, Simon shifted his attention to the stage, and Sandra's earlier words involuntarily came to mind. Michael Douglas's win for Best Actor, besides his impeccable and brilliant performance in 'Wall Street', also owed much to the deep connections of the Douglas family in Hollywood, which could not be underestimated.
As for 'Run Lola Run', after the nominations were announced, Simon hadn't paid much attention to it. Orion and Warner, disappointed by the nomination results, didn't spend too many public relations resources. Everyone believed that this nomination result was a warning shot from the Oscars to Simon.
Lost in these thoughts for a moment, the awards ceremony was unknowingly drawing to a close.
Whether intentional or not, the Best Film Editing award was even scheduled after Best Director. As Bernardo Bertolucci, who won this year's Best Director Oscar for 'The Last Emperor', left the stage, host Chevy Chase introduced the presenters for Best Film Editing, Kevin Costner and Daryl Hannah, to the stage.
Feeling Janette and Sandra's anticipation, Simon also subtly straightened up in his seat.
On stage, Kevin Costner, wearing black-rimmed glasses, exchanged a few jokes with Daryl Hannah before getting to the point: "They are one of the most creative and indispensable roles in a film crew. When a film finishes shooting, they need to select suitable shots from tens of thousands of feet of film and, through their miraculous hands, combine them into a perfect movie".
"So, now it's their time to be rewarded", Daryl Hannah continued, "The nominees for Best Film Editing are:"
"Gabriella Cristiani, 'The Last Emperor'".
"Richard Marks, 'Broadcast News'".
"Michael Kahn, 'Empire of the Sun'".
"Peter Berger, 'Fatal Attraction'".
"Simon Westeros, 'Run Lola Run'".
After introducing the nominees, Daryl Hannah, with her platinum blonde hair, slowly tore open the envelope, pulled out the card with the winning result, and glanced at it. Immediately, many people in the audience noticed her obvious expression of surprise. Daryl Hannah even looked up directly towards Simon's direction.
Noticing Daryl Hannah's pause, a curious Kevin Costner also looked at the winning result, his expression equally surprised.
With the male and female presenters reacting this way, plus Daryl Hannah's subtle glance towards Simon's direction, everyone in the audience realized something. After a brief moment of surprise, Kevin Costner and Daryl Hannah exchanged glances, then simultaneously smiled and loudly announced the result: "And the winner is, Simon Westeros, 'Run Lola Run'".
Many guests in the audience, who had assumed that a certain young man was merely there to fill a spot, were quite surprised by this outcome. It wasn't until the applause from around the hall swelled that the core group of people directly below the stage remembered to start clapping.
Amidst the increasingly enthusiastic applause, Simon rose from his seat. Janette and Sandra also stood up, embracing him in turn.
After embracing Janette, Simon turned to Sandra. He had been a little worried that Sandra might seize the opportunity to leave another lipstick mark on his face, but Sandra merely leaned in and whispered a congratulatory message in his ear before releasing her arms.
Walking quickly onto the stage, Simon accepted the Oscar statuette from Kevin Costner, shook hands with both presenters, and then turned to the podium.
Placing the statuette next to the microphone, Simon waited for the applause from the audience to subside, then tilted his head slightly, examining the statuette before him, and said with a smile, "Although it feels a little strange, it really is a surprise".
Even just in terms of film, Simon's reputation as a director, screenwriter, composer, or producer was far greater than that of an editor. Yet, at this moment, he stood on the Oscar stage as an editor.
Hearing Simon's slightly teasing words, accompanied by a chuckle, the applause from the audience resumed.
Simon waited for a moment, then continued, "Thinking about it now, the past year or so still feels like a dream, but fortunately, the outcome isn't bad. Along the way, too many people have helped me. Here, I want to thank Bob, Bryan, and David, who were credited as executive producers for 'Run Lola Run', my agent Jonathan, my girlfriend Janette, my good friend Sandra, and also Kathryn, Ron, Keanu, and so on and so forth. Thank you, everyone".
Unlike major awards such as Best Picture or Best Director, the Oscars stipulate that acceptance speeches for technical awards are limited to half a minute. Although Simon knew that even if he went over time, no one would rush him off the stage, and in fact, ABC, responsible for the live broadcast, might even want him to stay on stage a little longer, Simon did not deliberately drag it out. After a brief speech, he quickly left the stage.
As soon as he arrived backstage, Janette and Sandra, who had already slipped away from their seats, came to greet him together. After embracing Simon again, Pat Kingsley and Neil Bennett appeared before him, each holding a mobile phone.
Pat Kingsley gestured for Simon to follow the staff to engrave the nameplate on the Oscar, saying, "Simon, Mike Medavoy just called. He congratulated you and hoped you could attend Orion's party at the Hilton Hotel. Terry Semel also made a similar call. Jonathan has already left home; he called to ask where you'll be going later, and he'll also come over".
As Pat Kingsley spoke, her mobile phone rang again. As Kingsley walked aside to answer the call, Neil Bennett handed him the phone he was holding and whispered, "Ms. Bigelow is on the line".
Neither Simon nor Janette liked the very clunky mobile phones of this era, so they only equipped Neil Bennett and Ken Dickson, their two bodyguards, with one each. Tonight, Neil Bennett was responsible for driving them both here and had stayed backstage ever since.
Taking the mobile phone from Neil Bennett's hand, Simon softly inquired, "Kathryn?"
"Mm", came the quick response from the other end. After a pause, she added, "I just saw you win on TV, so I wanted to congratulate you".
"Thank you", Simon said with a slight smile, "How have you been lately?"
"You know, preparing for the movie, and also helping you and Jenny oversee the house renovations. Very busy".
Kathryn's tone carried a hint of weariness. She was a woman of routine, accustomed to early nights and early mornings. It was now approaching midnight in New York, and if she hadn't been waiting for the result of Simon's sole nomination, she would surely have been asleep long ago.
Simon listened to the woman's voice at this moment and said, "How about you come back to Los Angeles tomorrow?"
"No", Kathryn immediately refused, her voice tinged with a hint of panic. After a moment, she added, "In the future, I... anyway, you absolutely must not try to mess around like that night again".
Simon immediately nodded: "Mm, I promise".
"You little rascal", Kathryn murmured softly, clearly not believing him, then said, "You must be very busy over there, right? I'll hang up now, goodbye".
"Good night, get some sleep".
Simon hung up the phone, handed it back to Neil, and took the statuette with the engraved nameplate from the staff member. Then, surrounded by the crowd, he headed to the media area.
After the media interviews, the awards ceremony at the front officially concluded, with 'The Last Emperor' winning the Best Picture award without suspense.
Although it was already early morning on the East Coast, it was still nine o'clock at night on the West Coast, the beginning of many people's nightlife.
In the 1980s, the Vanity Fair parties hadn't yet emerged. After the awards ceremony, everyone would usually move on to the after-parties specially hosted by various film companies. Since they had already made arrangements beforehand, Simon and his group headed to the Warner-hosted party at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Beverly Hills.
More than twenty minutes later, as Simon had just gotten out of the car in the Sunset Tower Hotel's parking lot, Jonathan Friedman came to greet him.
After another enthusiastic round of congratulations, Jonathan greeted Janette and the others, then whispered to Simon, "What a coincidence, Simon, Steve Ross is also here tonight. He just said he hoped to chat with you".
Steve Ross is the chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Simon has always been very interested in this Warner boss with a mafia background.
Steve Ross made his fortune in New York in his early years by operating funeral homes and parking lots. Anyone who pays a little attention to certain information basically knows that industries such as parking, funeral services, construction, and waste disposal in large metropolises like New York are usually infiltrated by underground forces.
In 'Once Upon a Time in America', Noodles and his friends ran a funeral home, which is absolutely not a coincidence or a deliberate allusion; it's simply how reality is. Because the IRS finds it difficult to accurately assess how much money a funeral home can make from a single funeral, you can say ten thousand dollars, or a million dollars, and it's fine. As for where the extra nine hundred ninety thousand dollars came from, as long as you pay your taxes honestly, everyone understands without needing to say it. The same logic applies to parking lots.
Speaking of which, certain operational aspects of filmmaking are actually even more potent.
Simon and his entourage entered the grand ballroom of the Sunset Tower Hotel, where they were greeted by Terry Semel, CEO of Warner Bros. Pictures. Beside Semel was Mel Gibson, who had also attended the awards ceremony.
"Simon, congratulations", Semel said warmly to him after congratulating Simon again, "Mr. Ross just stepped away for a moment but will be back soon. He's very eager to chat with you. Also, this is Mel, you two should formally meet."
Simon extended his hand to Mel Gibson and said, "Hello, Mr. Gibson."
"Simon, just call me Mel," Mel Gibson shook Simon's hand, then lightly shook Janette's hand, who was linked with Simon's arm, and complimented, "You look truly beautiful tonight, Miss Johnston".
"Thank you, Mel. You can call me Jenny, and I really love 'Mad Max'".
"Oh, then you can chat with George later; he's here too. We're currently planning to shoot the fourth sequel".
Simon felt the natural familiarity that Janette and Mel Gibson displayed during their conversation, and it wasn't surprising. The reason was simple: both Janette and Gibson were from Australia.
The Australian contingent in Hollywood has always been a very close-knit group. In the original timeline, Mel Gibson's career later plummeted due to scandals involving domestic violence, alcoholism, and racism, but now, he is absolutely the leader of the Australian contingent.