Echoes of Hollywood

In this year's Oscar nominations, "Man of Steel" received five technical nominations, including Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing. As the director and producer of the film, Murphy naturally had the qualification to attend. However, unlike actors such as Chris Evans and Megan Fox, he returned to Los Angeles specifically for this awards ceremony, mainly to promote his new film and remind fans that a new project had already begun shooting.

Although it cannot compare to the Super Bowl in terms of viewership, the Oscars have always been one of the most-watched programs in North America. This is undisputed.

Even in recent years, when Oscar viewership has declined, each ceremony still attracts an average of about 30 million viewers, with peak viewership easily reaching 40 million.

Therefore, it is widely acknowledged within Hollywood that the Oscars, much like Super Bowl halftime commercials, are one of the best platforms for movie promotion.

Both 20th Century Fox and Weinstein Company strongly urged Murphy to attend this awards ceremony, even securing a spot for him as a presenter of a major award.

With Gal Gadot staying in France to continue learning and working with the crew, Murphy appeared on the red carpet alone on the afternoon of February 24th.

Los Angeles, usually sunny, was experiencing a light drizzle, but this did not dampen the stars' enthusiasm for walking the red carpet.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Oscar committee seemed prepared for the rainy weather, erecting white canopies to protect the stars walking the red carpet. For Hollywood, which had just experienced a massive writers' strike, a bit of rain was no big deal.

Thousands of fans crowded the open stands and streets around the Kodak Theatre. The first stars to step onto the red carpet included George Clooney, nominated for Best Actor for "Michael Clayton," and German supermodel Heidi Klum with her singer husband Seal.

Renee Zellweger, in a backless evening gown, sparked fan screams as soon as she appeared; Cate Blanchett, wearing a dazzlingly large necklace, walked slowly up the red carpet; Harrison Ford, Penélope Cruz, and Hilary Swank also stepped onto the red carpet, entering the Kodak Theatre.

The Hollywood writers' strike had raised concerns about whether the 80th Oscars would take place as scheduled. With the strike over, the suspense was gone, and the Oscars benefitted from the crisis, with heightened interest in the live broadcast and record-breaking ad prices for the ceremony.

As the broadcaster, ABC Television achieved over $100 million in Oscar ad revenue for the first time, indicating that the writers' strike had indeed increased interest in this year's ceremony.

At all major awards ceremonies, male stars typically wear the same old black outfits, which are neither new nor eye-catching.

Thus, the responsibility for attracting attention on the red carpet naturally falls on the shoulders of the female stars. Hollywood glittered today with female stars flaunting their sexy and noble looks without reservation. Selling sex appeal was no longer limited to low-cut and backless dresses—off-the-shoulder, slit, sheer, and even retro styles emerged in an endless array.

Just like male stars, black has always been the safe, go-to choice for female stars at award shows. The calm aura of black can be interpreted as mysterious, sexy, or noble, and rarely goes wrong.

However, at this year's Oscars, many female stars seemed to have coordinated a shift to the red camp. Newcomers like Anne Hathaway, last year's Best Actress Helen Mirren, and retro beauty Katherine Heigl, whether veteran actresses or youthful idols, all favored bright red, bringing a fiery passion to the traditionally classic Oscars.

One could gauge their intensity by the relentless flashing of the cameras.

However, even more intense were the nearly ten thousand people gathered on Highland Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, holding banners that read "End Gender Discrimination" and "Equal Pay for Female Actors," occasionally shouting slogans that drowned out the fans' voices by the red carpet.

In recent years, the feminist movement has been gaining momentum, rapidly spreading through Hollywood and the entire film industry. This movement's rise will significantly impact mainstream commercial films.

Murphy vaguely remembered that starting next year, some films entirely centered around female characters would achieve notable commercial success. Even Disney princesses, who used to wait at home for princes to rescue them, would actively engage in self-rescue in new Disney fairy tale movies.

The influence of social trends on Hollywood films has always been evident.

Entering the media area, Murphy cooperatively stopped to pose for photos in front of the cameras. With his high salary and profit-sharing deal for "Inglourious Basterds," he was obligated to cooperate with the film's promotional plans.

Murphy's professionalism in this regard was impeccable.

As soon as he entered the interview area, a Fox TV reporter and photographer approached him. Murphy had expected this, so he stood in front of a life-sized Oscar statue in the interview area to accept a live video interview from a 20th Century Fox-affiliated media outlet.

"Congratulations, Director Stanton."

The middle-aged reporter, wearing a Fox TV badge, handed the microphone to Murphy. "'Man of Steel' received five Oscar nominations, and its global box office has surpassed $1.1 billion."

"Thank you." Murphy appeared both graceful and humble. "This is the result of the entire team's hard work."

Although this superhero blockbuster had long been pulled from North American theaters, its overseas screenings continued. As the film's box office performance improved, more countries and regions that initially did not intend to import it joined the screening lineup. These markets might be small individually, but their cumulative impact was significant. By the end of January this year, "Man of Steel" had been screened in 110 countries and regions.

This naturally led to continued growth in overseas box office revenue. The latest statistics as of mid-February showed that "Man of Steel" had surpassed $1.1 billion globally, becoming one of the three highest-grossing films of all time, behind only James Cameron's "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

As of yesterday, "Man of Steel" had grossed $1.11255 billion globally, and this wasn't the end. The number continued to rise slowly with more markets screening the film.

Twenty percent of any additional box office revenue belonged to Murphy, so he remained very attentive to the film's post-release performance.

The Fox TV reporter continued, "In the latest Forbes Celebrity Income List, you ranked first. How do you feel about that?"

"I think this is the best reward for someone pursuing the American dream."

In such situations, Murphy knew exactly what to say without even needing a script. "I worked hard and achieved success. I believe that many others who work hard will also succeed."

In Forbes' 2008 Global Celebrity Earnings List, Murphy topped the list with pre-tax earnings of $287 million, thanks to the high salary and huge box office and DVD sales share from "Man of Steel."

2008 was indeed a fruitful year for Murphy. Not only did he become a recognized top-tier director in the industry, but he also topped Forbes' annual celebrity list and entered the top ten of The Hollywood Reporter's Hollywood Power List for the first time, ranking sixth.

Anyone could see that a rising director powerhouse, akin to George Lucas in the 1970s or Steven Spielberg in the 1980s and 1990s, was rapidly emerging.

"I hear your new film is about World War II," the reporter continued. "Why did you choose this topic?"

"I've never made a film about history..." Murphy thought for a moment and said, "This is a great opportunity. I'll tell a completely different World War II story from a unique perspective."

After answering a few routine questions, Murphy finished the interview, left the media area, and entered the Kodak Theatre.

He arrived quite late, and the theater's lobby was bustling and almost full. No matter what, the Oscars are Hollywood's top event. Fans want to watch live, and Hollywood industry professionals vie for tickets...

As Murphy nodded to greet people, he found his seat. His seat wasn't very far forward, among the "Man of Steel" crew. Seeing him approach, everyone stood up and embraced him.

Especially Chris Evans and Megan Fox, who wouldn't have had the chance to attend the Oscars if Murphy hadn't personally chosen them for "Man of Steel."

"Hi, Murphy."

A producer from Warner Bros. nodded and smiled at Murphy. Murphy nodded slightly but didn't say much. Contractually, his collaboration with Warner Bros. had ended.

Warner Bros. did consider inviting Murphy to produce the upcoming DC series films, following Hollywood tradition, but given Murphy's current status in the industry, his compensation was substantial. Warner Bros. wasn't willing to bear that cost, so further collaboration was impossible.

This is pure business. Murphy wouldn't lower his price, or he'd become a laughingstock in the industry.

The awards ceremony soon began.

After a brief prelude, Jon Stewart, host of "The Daily Show," took the stage and opened with a joke about the recently concluded Hollywood writers' strike.

He humorously said, "The past two months have been tough. The bitter writers' strike fractured Hollywood. I'm glad this fight is over."

The Oscars officially celebrated their 80th anniversary as the 80th Academy Awards ceremony kicked off.

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