Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

Harvey's backers had tangled connections with the Bush family.

The two had once been close partners.

But in politics, there is no such thing as a lasting friendship; today, they may be collaborators, and tomorrow, mortal enemies.

That's how Harvey's backers felt about the Bush family.

Harvey had helped Bush rise to power, but he believed that Bush's return on his investment had been too small, falling short of his expectations.

This caused a lot of friction between them.

Later, Bush proposed a "tariff barrier" policy that was extremely unfriendly to America's international trade and shipping companies. This policy caused American products to lose a significant market share in China, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

At the same time, American shipping companies saw a dramatic decrease in orders.

And Harvey's backers represented the largest maritime shipping corporation in America — Maersk Line.

As is well known in America, every political figure is a spokesperson for one or more interest groups.

Political struggles are often nothing more than battles between these interest groups. This is why American politics is rife with dark tactics—wiretaps, surveillance, seduction, and even assassination, all common tools in political warfare.

If you oppose my political views, you're attacking my profits, and if you attack my profits, I will either throw you out of office or eliminate you!

Even the president is no exception.

(P.S.: Being president in America is a high-risk job. Kennedy was assassinated by a gunman, Nixon had the Watergate scandal, Clinton faced the "zipper scandal." America spares no effort when it comes to dealing with political enemies, and that's just the president. Politicians below them are even more prone to assassination, framing, or entrapment. The most common tactic is seduction, and young women trafficked from Eastern Europe often become the weapon of choice.)

This was also why Harvey insisted on making the film Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2003, paying out of his own pocket to ensure it would be released.

It's unclear if Harvey's future downfall, becoming a target for feminist outrage, had anything to do with these political machinations.

After all, although Bush had already left office by that time, the Bush family still held significant influence in America, while Harvey's backers had already lost their power.

Meanwhile, Martin watched the fat director on stage and wondered whether he should provide some "ammunition" for Fahrenheit 9/11.

After all, during his time as "good buddies" with Bush, Martin had received quite a few explosive pieces of information!

Martin stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"Wow, wow, wow, looks like director Michael Moore is a firm anti-war advocate. Alright, this is America, and you're free to express your views, but the condition is that you have to be rich enough, otherwise you can't afford bail!"

Hahaha...

Host Steve Martin took the stage and told a joke to lighten the mood after Michael Moore's comments.

But it seemed he got carried away.

"Oh, right, the Best Supporting Actress award just went to Chicago? The title of that film reminds me of a joke."

"Back when Hillary Clinton, the First Lady, was about to give a speech in Chicago, the mayor asked a famous local artist to paint a large oil painting titled Hillary Clinton in Chicago as a tribute. The artist reluctantly accepted the task."

"When the painting was finished, the city officials came to inspect it and were shocked. The painting depicted a man and a woman passionately entwined in a luxurious bed, with the White House in the background."

"What is this? Who's the man?!" the official angrily asked.

"Mr. Bill Clinton," the artist replied.

"And the woman?"

"Ms. Monica Lewinsky."

"And where is Hillary?"

"Hillary is in Chicago."

Hahaha...

The laughter in the auditorium reached an unprecedented volume.

Martin laughed heartily as well.

That was the funniest joke he had heard all night!

Steve Martin's joke helped lighten the atmosphere, and soon, the ceremony moved on to the next award: Best Actor.

Yes, at the 75th Academy Awards, the Best Actor and Best Actress awards were placed in the middle, with the Best Actor award presented before Best Actress, which was quite rare.

The presenter for Best Actor was the African-American actress Halle Berry.

She was a beauty who matched Martin's taste—a successful mixed-race product with a body and features that weren't the typical type for African-American women.

Unfortunately, she had suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her then-boyfriend, actor Wesley Snipes, which had left her deaf in one ear. As a result, she often tilted her head slightly when speaking to people.

Martin had been nominated for Best Actor for The Matrix, but he knew he wouldn't win. He didn't bother to do any public relations for himself, because even if he managed to sway the judges, he wouldn't have been able to win the vote.

He wasn't in a rush—there would be plenty of other opportunities, like Brokeback Mountain.

"The nominees for Best Actor are: Adrien Brody for The Pianist, Daniel Day-Lewis for Gangs of New York, Nicolas Cage for Adaptation, Martin Meyers for The Matrix—"

When Martin's name was read, Halle Berry glanced up at him before continuing:

"Jack Nicholson for About Schmidt."

After reading the nominations, Martin glanced over at the Gangs of New York crew.

His good friend Leonardo DiCaprio was sitting right there.

Although he smiled, Martin could see the disappointment in his eyes.

DiCaprio was also one of the co-leads in Gangs of New York, but he hadn't even earned a nomination.

Not just Gangs of New York, but even Catch Me If You Can hadn't received a nomination for Best Actor—though it had been nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

Martin had joked earlier that DiCaprio was covered by a "double insurance" with these two films, but it turned out neither were insured—no nominations at all.

It was clear how little the Academy thought of this guy.

"And the Best Actor tonight is..." Halle Berry quickly opened the envelope and announced, "Adrien Brody for The Pianist."

A tall, thin, melancholic-looking man walked up to the stage to accept the award.

He was known in Hollywood as one of the "rubber men," as he was just as willing to torture his body for a role as Christian Bale, the "Mechanic."

Martin had seen his performance in The Pianist, and it was certainly above Hollywood's standards.

Adrien Brody's acceptance speech wasn't long, and within five minutes, he had walked off the stage with his Oscar.

The ceremony continued.

Next up was the award Martin was most interested in: Best Actress.

Harvey also felt a bit nervous, muttering to himself, "Not going to win, not going to win, not going to win..."