The Best Director-Chapter 460 - - Time Flies
Chapter 460 -460: Time Flies
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“All you kids looking to try me, you can suck my little dick! I’m motherfucking Portman, drinking til I’m sick! Slit your throat, then pour in the nitric, watching you cry, I laugh while you die. All you dudes, you know I’m talking to you. (We love you Natalie!) I wanna FUCK you too! (P) stands for Portman, (P) stands for your mother’s cunt! I could kill your dogs for fun, so don’t fuck with me! Hahaha…”
By the end of February, on this late Saturday night, Natalie Portman’s wild tirade broke the silent sky. Despite being accustomed to SNL’s parody style, audiences were still a bit shocked to see her cursing, looking ferocious, and beating the crap out of Wang Yang. It was just so intense!
“WHAT!?” On the TV screen, Natalie’s eyes were bulging with impatience and rage. The predominantly young audience was already beside itself with joy, either bursting into laughter or exclaiming in awe: “Wow!” “Haha!” From the moment the teaser made the rounds, expectations soared, and now that it all came to fruition, disappointment was nowhere to be found! While some parents frowned, movie fans and followers howled with excitement, finding it incredibly entertaining! Die-hard fan Clair tsks in admiration, Juno is just Juno! Worth the hype for early pregnancy, terrible gambling, crazy…
Not only did Wang Yang personally film a street scene, but he also made a cameo getting punched and kicked by her, his powerful and valiant image turned into a helpless nerd, highlighting the formidable combat prowess of Eve from “V for Vendetta”.
Although it’s common for Flame Films to feature on “SNL” when promoting new movies, various reasons had prevented Wang Yang from making an appearance on the show before. When NBC learned that he snagged Natalie for the news, they were naturally overjoyed. Magic Yang was a guarantee for ratings! At least he brought in over two million viewers for that Saturday night! It seemed excessive to pin high hopes on a “Joe Nobody”, but that’s exactly what they did.
As it turned out, NBC’s prediction was not off the mark. His popularity was sky-high, and the gimmick of MY+NP was incredible, attracting nearly 8 million viewers, with ratings soaring past 5 points, living up to expectations!
“When can we get Magic Yang to host an episode of SNL?” NBC’s entertainment executives all had a “I have a dream” moment, pondering that even if his performance were terribly, terribly wooden, just standing there like a log, it might still set a new record for viewership.
Of course, it wouldn’t be possible this season or the next; in fact, Wang Yang was just playing around one weekend afternoon. Most of the RAP scenes were filmed in New York, and that was all SNL’s crew’s concern; anyway, he had a great time doing it.
His good deed made Warner Brothers, the producers of “V for Vendetta”, very happy. Flame Films on “SNL” couldn’t get Magic Yang! This R-rated action thriller is set to release in North America on March 17th, and fans have long been looking forward to the bald Natalie.
Natalie was getting ready for her role in “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium”, and when she found out there was a chance for her to join the American version of “Infernal Affairs”, she nearly tore up the contract for “My Blueberry Nights” in her excitement! Of course, she didn’t do that in the end but was filled with regret, as the fourth collaboration seemed so far off. She believed that the American version of “Infernal Affairs” would surely be a cinematic masterpiece. It’s like burning the candle at both ends; she couldn’t have Wang Yang and Wang Jiawei at the same time!
“Tell me earlier ahhhh—!!” Because of this, she angrily scolded Wang Yang. Starting a film out of the blue without even so much as a hint beforehand, while calling themselves ‘good brothers’ was just – “I made the sudden decision, probably on my birthday.” Well, how could she cope with the shocking and super-fast opportunity? Was there even a chance to audition? Who could be more suitable for the psychiatry doctor’s role than her? She’s motherfucking the psychiatrist!
Because she was a supporting actor in “My Blueberry Nights” and the female role in “Infernal Affairs” was also a supporting role, there was a chance for her to shoot both by arranging the schedules. Natalie declared her intentions to join the competition! Wang Yang’s response was that as long as her schedule could accommodate, and her audition could convince him, she was welcome to join the cast.
Natalie’s agent leaked this news, immediately sending a shock through the eagerly preparing actresses. When FF announced that “Iron Man” was expected to start filming in August, it meant Rachel McAdams wouldn’t compete for the female role in the American version of “Infernal Affairs.” No one thought the seemingly unthreatening Portman would come back so fiercely! Even her friends Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson felt immense pressure.
Her advantages were clear as day. Just the title “Harvard Psychology Graduate” alone was enough to intimidate others, not to mention her appearance, acting skills, her rapport, and chemistry with the magical Wang Yang. This woman was truly not to be messed with! Many actresses felt deflated. There was no point in hustling because, in the end, it seemed that bald man always had the last laugh!
“That Portman is too hot! Like a surprise, I’m her fan now,” “She acts better than she does in any of her movies,” “Now I understand why the magical Wang Yang always casts her as the quirky girl,” “Interesting!”…
The episode of “SNL” caused a stir as soon as it aired. The explosive rap went viral on YouTube, alarming movie fans across the globe. What was Portman’s usual public image, and what is it now? Regardless of where the video was, its view count skyrocketed, and the comments section was a whirlwind of emotions. Many moviegoers understood Wang Yang’s interpretation of his muse and realized why Portman could nail roles in “Juno,” “MIT-21-TEAM,” and “500 Days of Summer” – she had that kind of power.
It wasn’t the first time the duo put on such a show; last time, they made fools of themselves on “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” losing their genius image. This time, it seemed they were saying, “We’re not so well-behaved,” and as their charm increased, so did their fan base.
Of course, compared to his past wild exploits, this cameo was nothing too out of the ordinary for the magical Wang Yang, who had never played the obedient type. Ever since his breakout with “Paranormal Activity,” he had been a headache for so many, with countless “crazy moments” over the years. The most recent was making faces at the Golden Globe Awards, and now, it was probably guest-starring in Natalie’s rap.
Though it was a long-standing late-night satire, Wang Yang, now a father, drew some criticism from television parental groups. They believed Wang Yang wasn’t suitable for “SNL,” and even if he appeared, he shouldn’t be in a rap filled with bleeped words and violence — because his influence from playing heroes was far more detrimental than defeating villains! Didn’t the magical Wang Yang understand the feelings of being a parent? Wasn’t he afraid of setting a bad example for his own child with every other word being FUCK?
This was somewhat of an overreaction; it was just a satirical rap after all. How much could it influence kids and teens? Yet, it demonstrated the terrifying extent of the magical Wang Yang’s influence.
Naturally, Wang Yang had no intention of leading any children astray, but he didn’t see what the big deal was with having a bit of fun on “SNL.” Late-night shows had always been like this, not just for a year or two. He and everyone else had grown up watching them, and children would continue to thrive, finding their own way in life.
“Oh oh, yi ya yi ya, oh ah…”
The afternoon sunlight was warm and bright, and in the tranquil backyard, Danny chased butterflies with lively enthusiasm while the three people on the wicker chairs were full of joy.
“Say daddy, daddy!”, “Mommy, mommy!” Watching the couple’s smiles, Keke blinked her clear, large eyes, babbling in imitation, then suddenly swung her plump little arms and exclaimed, “Ya—” Holding her daughter, Jessica gently corrected her, “It’s MA—MA!” She was confident Keke would first learn to say mama because, after all, “mama” sounds the same in all languages worldwide—it’s MAMA!
This is about phonetics and child psychology, which Wang Yang and Jessica have specifically studied. Infants can initially produce vowels, with the ‘a’ sound accounting for 64% of instances, followed by the plosive sounds ‘p’, ‘b’, ‘t’, ‘d’, and the nasal sounds ‘m’, ‘n’. Gemination is also a major feature of infants’ speech, hence this similarity in languages worldwide. Based on the fact that plosive sounds represent “daddy” and nasal sounds represent “mommy” as a human commonality, in reality, Keke has a 66.6% chance of calling “daddy” first and only a 33.3% chance of calling “mommy”. But indeed, ‘ma’ is the easiest sound for babies to make, relating to crying and feeding, hence both have ample reason to be full of confidence.
“It’s BA—BA!” Wang Yang taught her in Mandarin rather than the English baby talk ‘papa’ or ‘dada’. Of course, if Keke said ‘papa’ or ‘dada’, he would jump for joy all the same, but ‘daddy’ is better! Tapping on Keke’s cheek, Wang Yang laughed and said, “It’s quite obvious she likes me more.”
“Haha! Sorry, Keke likes me more,” Jessica said, curling her lips with amusement. Wang Yang scoffed disdainfully, “Why would you think that?” Jessica glanced around, not about to discuss who took care of their little angel more, since they both loved her just as much. Suddenly, an idea struck her and she laughed proudly, “Because… even if she says BABA first, she’s saying ‘baba’, not you.” She laughed gleefully and shamelessly.
Wang Yang couldn’t help but slap his thigh, having forgotten about that! Wasn’t his chance just 50% now? That’s unfair! Watching Jessica smugly teach, “BA—BA, MA—MA!” he decided to shift his focus, “DA—DA!”
Keke seemed puzzled. She kept turning her head, glancing around, and making “oh, oh” noises.
“Sweetheart, you can call whoever you want first!” Both parents were delighted by their daughter’s endearing behavior, why make the baby struggle, when she loved both of them so much! Such a tender moment was interrupted by the pleasant ringtone of a cell phone. Wang Yang’s phone was ringing and vibrating. He picked it up from the wooden table and walked away while answering, “Hello, what’s up? Oh, is that so? Let me think, I don’t think that’s a very good idea…”
Watching her daughter more fondly than ever, Jessica couldn’t help snuggling up to Keke’s face and peppering it with kisses, chuckling softly, “You like daddy more? Isn’t mommy better? Hmm? My cutie…”
Speaking of “SNL,” Kristen Wiig had already become part of “Wang Yang’s gang.” In both excitement and confusion, she signed a collaboration agreement with Flame Films to script, star in, and produce a comedy movie for FF. During this time, Wiig also recommended her good friend and collaborator Annie Mumolo to Wang Yang, hoping they could team up creatively. Naturally, Wang Yang agreed, and after a pleasant meeting with Annie Mumolo, she signed on for scripting and producing as well.
Just how to craft the script for this comedy movie? Wiig and Mumolo had no idea for the time being, having had no prior experience in this area. What should two 33-year-old women write about? Mumolo wasn’t married; Wiig had married actor Hayes Hargrove last year and was currently enjoying a blissful honeymoon phase.
If they had followed the original trajectory of “Bridesmaids” from 2011, who knows when they would have come up with that idea, or if they ever would have, perhaps having other ideas and following different paths instead. Regardless, Wang Yang was of course prepared to cultivate them fully, just like he did with Jonathan Nolan and Chris Morgan. They would become important collaborative screenwriters for Flame Films in the future, and he told them directly that he wanted a story about bridesmaids, encouraging them to pay close attention to their female friends and their own life experiences and changes.
“Don’t think about whether the story is meaningful or marketable; those things shouldn’t be the reasons that bind you. As long as you think it’s an interesting story, that’s reason enough for us to break any rule.”
With inspiring encouragement, tips, and attention points from Wang Yang, Wiig and Mumolo’s confidence and enthusiasm soared. Many chaotic ideas began to emerge: bridesmaids? Spinsters? Marriage and family? Mumolo looked at Wiig, remembering last year’s wedding, it seemed like she caught on to something!
Wang Yang also told them not to rush because, according to the plan, FF wouldn’t consider producing their project until next year. They should take their time to write a good draft and ask him if they need any clarification.
However, Flame Film has recently launched another big production, a new animation from Blue Sky Studios: “Rio”!
Blue Sky’s ace, Carlos Saldanha, will take up the director’s microphone and is also a member of the writing team. It’s a project he initiated. The story of “Rio” roughly tells of a male Spix’s macaw who, as a youth, was taken by poachers from the tropical jungles of Rio to America, and as an adult, is brought back to Rio to mate with the only other surviving female, sparking a series of thrilling and amusing events that showcase the vibrant and passionate Brazilian culture on the big screen for the audience.
This is precisely the type of animal characters and story pattern that Blue Sky is familiar with. Although the script and character design are not yet complete and there is still a long way to go before production officially begins, Flame & Blue Sky are very confident in the project. “Rio” is bound to be as popular as “Kung Fu Panda.” With a budget of around 100 million US Dollars, it is scheduled to be released in 2009, certainly avoiding clashing with the release of “Ice Age 4.”
At the same time, the work on “Robots” is at a standstill. Although it is scheduled for release in 2010 and seems to be in no hurry, what’s the point in this deadlock? If it drags on, it will end up being released in 2011. However, no one at Flame & Blue Sky is worried because they have Wang Yang supervising. The problem still lies in character design, where the studio’s artists are scratching their heads, unable to get that “YES.” The search has expanded, and no one knows who will be the one to satisfy the demanding Yang.
As time gradually approached the end of the month, they stepped into March.
“I Am Legend” has made significant progress with Michael Tadross’s active lobbying and the support from Warner Brothers. The team successfully persuaded the New York authorities to grant them the rights to block off shooting locations, including several blocks of Fifth Avenue and other bustling places! However, there were numerous conditions regarding the timing and duration of the blockades. If the crew were to violate them, the government would have no choice but to retract those permissions.
Wang Yang and his team had no reason to be so oblivious, as these conditions were expected. No one naively thought they could block off streets for days or weeks at a time; otherwise, how would he shoot the American version of “Infernal Affairs”? Someone once naively thought about blocking off Times Square, but the fact proved… Everyone took Michael Tadross’s words as a humorous joke to ease the atmosphere, and then Tadross laughed it off, not bringing it up again.
The set and prop preparations for “I Am Legend” were also very tense. Production designers, like Jim Sinclair and prop master Drew Petrota, had to dissect every detail of each scene. The entire art team needed to create a post-apocalyptic New York that satisfied the director—with wild grass, garbage, broken cars…
On February 11th, Art Directors Guild Awards, “Firefly” won the Best Art Direction in Fantasy and Period Films; on February 16th, Visual Effects Society Awards, “Firefly” swept the Best Visual Effects in Film; on February 19th, British Academy Film Awards, Best Film: “Brokeback Mountain,” Best Director: Ang Lee, with Hoffman and Witherspoon winning Best Actor and Actress; on February 26th, American Society of Cinematographers, “Firefly” took Best Cinematography; on the same day at the Costume Designers Guild Awards, “Firefly” won Best Costume Design in Fantasy Film; on March 4th, Independent Spirit Awards, Best Film: “Brokeback Mountain,” Best Director: Ang Lee, Hoffman winning both Best Actor awards; also on March 4th, the Golden Raspberry Awards, “Dirty Love” took Worst Film of the Year…
One by one, awards had been distributed, and the most exciting moment of the awards season had arrived! On March 5th, the 78th Academy Awards ceremony took place. (
