Chapter 203: The Judge Experience
The comment section of the Golden Flame Award’s jury announcement had not a single supportive message; instead, it was overwhelmingly filled with ridicule.
Netizens expressed that since the Golden Flame Awards insisted on fairness and impartiality, it should simply stick to its own path and not complain about the audience refusing to give it any respect.
It was their own play—if they started it, they had to finish it, even if they were crying.
Compared to the Golden Flame Award’s judges, Lu Xu’s position as a jury member for the Contention Awards no longer sparked any controversy. To some extent, Lu Xu was still not part of the mainstream film industry. He did not belong to any particular faction and only maintained good relationships with directors he had worked with.
However, Lu Xu had undoubtedly become an existence that no one could ignore.
After all, the 5.5 billion box office earnings of Observing the Stars at Night had only happened recently.
Fans no longer felt the need to exclaim, “Lu Xu actually…?” To them, any miracle involving Lu Xu was simply par for the course.
…
“If you become a judge next year, things are going to get interesting,” Xu Wen forwarded a message to Lu Xu. “It’s just a rumor for now, but Family and Nation is expected to release during the National Day holiday or early next year.”
If it were released during the National Day period, Family and Nation would undoubtedly compete in next year’s Contention Awards. If Lu Xu were on the jury… things would surely get awkward.
“I wouldn’t do something like that,” Lu Xu raised an eyebrow. “I’ll judge it as it should be judged. I don’t care who directed it or who acted in it.”
This year’s Contention Awards had indeed brought Lu Xu into contact with many familiar faces. For instance, a film starring Shao Yao had been nominated. Unfortunately, the competition for the Best Supporting Actor category was too fierce, and Shao Yao failed to break through.
After serving as a judge and watching so many films, Lu Xu realized how difficult it had been for him to win the Contention Award. With so many films submitted each year and a long list of actors eligible for nominations, simply making it onto the nomination list was already a huge recognition for any actor.
…
As a newcomer among the judges, Lu Xu found the award selection process to be fairly simple. His responsibilities were not heavy, and as Cheng Chi put it, he was still in a learning phase: “You’ll have to get used to it eventually.”
Cheng Chi was not a man of many words. His appearance made him seem unapproachable, but he spoke in a rather amiable manner. During discussions, each judge voiced their own opinions. Lu Xu stood by his ideas when he had strong convictions, but otherwise, he fully respected the perspectives of others.
Since he was the rookie here, he might as well play the role to the fullest.
Lu Xu had previously participated as a judge for the Stellar Awards. Though he had not been involved much in recent years due to not filming television dramas, he still made sure to cast his votes when required. If a production team invited him for a cameo, he would help out whenever he had time.
Ultimately, the awards were decided by the judges, but the voting process was not arbitrary. Among the five judges this year, one was particularly aggressive in lobbying for his preferred winners. To ensure that the work he admired took home a prize, he made a point to speak privately with almost every judge.
Lu Xu was the first person he approached.
Objectively speaking, once the nomination list was announced, it became fairly clear which films and actors had a good chance of winning and which did not. The main debate among the five judges centered on Ugly and Innocent Fate.
Lu Xu leaned more toward Ugly. The nominated actor had used a beautiful face to portray an utterly corrupt soul, and the film’s ending left an especially powerful impact on him. The director had dared to shoot it, and the actor had dared to perform it—every element of the film aligned perfectly with its title, Ugly.
Since the film was titled Ugly, it was destined that the protagonist would not embody pure goodness and beauty.
The lead actress was stunningly beautiful, which often led people to overlook her acting skills. But in Ugly, she threw herself completely into the role, delivering a raw and electrifying performance that left a lasting impression on the audience.
Innocent Fate was also a film centered on a female protagonist. It had received solid acclaim throughout the awards season, and Lu Xu had attended events hosted by the film’s production team. Objectively speaking, the lead actress had performed well, but compared to Ugly, her portrayal lacked that reckless abandon—it was not as uninhibited.
Of course, that was only by comparison.
The lead actress of Innocent Fate was somewhat of an unsung talent in the Contention Awards. She had been nominated multiple times but had never won. Among this year’s nominees, she was the oldest and had the longest career, having collaborated with nearly every renowned director and actor in the industry. She also had personal connections with several of this year’s judges.
If she failed to win this time, her chances of being nominated in the future would only diminish. The film industry had never been particularly kind to actresses—those who managed to stay relevant were either capable of generating their own projects or had the star power to draw audiences to the box office.
It was a difficult decision.
In the end, Lu Xu cast his vote for Ugly.
For an actor, every nomination was like their last. Landing the lead role in Ugly and earning a nomination had been no easy feat for its actress either.
At least for Lu Xu himself, when he had been nominated in the past, he never wanted to lose because of factors beyond performance.
“Not reconsidering?” Cheng Chi asked, a hint of surprise on his face.
He had assumed that Lu Xu, being the youngest judge, would be the easiest to persuade. But Lu Xu had stood firm in his decision.
Lu Xu nodded.
At this point, Ugly had already secured three votes. The judge who had been lobbying for Innocent Fate looked visibly displeased, but no matter what he thought, the result was set—Ugly had won Best Actress.
“Why not reconsider? Personally, I still prefer Innocent Fate. The ending of Ugly… doesn’t really have any educational value.”
He attempted to argue further, but another judge shut him down with a curt, “We’re not making public service announcements here.”
That put an end to the debate.
Serving as a judge this time, Lu Xu had learned a lot. At the very least, he now had a clear understanding of how the Contention Awards’ judging process worked. He had initially assumed being a judge would be an easy job, but now he realized it was far from simple.
The lobbying from production teams and talent agencies was very real. Throughout the process, Lu Xu received numerous calls, giving him a firsthand look at the “favors” side of the entertainment industry.
At this moment, Lu Xu did not need to ask anyone for favors—but that didn’t mean he never would.
Of course, the lead actress of Innocent Fate knew how to network, but that didn’t mean Ugly’s team didn’t. In the end, the awards still came down to the quality of the films. While behind-the-scenes maneuvering was important, if a film lacked true merit, it was difficult for judges to cast a vote against their conscience.
Beyond that, each judge had their own perspective on acting. Lu Xu viewed performances from an actor’s standpoint, and the differences in interpretation between judges made for an interesting clash of viewpoints.
…
With the Contention Awards nominations finalized and winners essentially decided, the Golden Flame Awards finally released its own nomination list.
The moment he saw the list, Lu Xu fell silent.
It was clear that almost every film that applied for the Golden Flame Awards had also applied for the Contention Awards. However, not every film that entered the Contention Awards had bothered with the Golden Flame Awards.
As a result, this year’s Golden Flame nominations felt… noticeably weak.
In terms of lineup, the Golden Flame Awards was indeed a step down from the Contention Awards.
Lu Xu couldn’t help but ask, “Wasn’t Liu Rennong supposed to have great connections?”
“That’s the audience’s perception—it doesn’t necessarily reflect how everyone in the industry feels,” Xu Wen replied. “You’ve been going against Liu Rennong. Among the directors you know, has anyone tried to talk you out of it?”
“…No.” Lu Xu repeated the word, as if emphasizing the realization.
Only after his manager pointed it out did Lu Xu notice—despite how powerful Liu Rennong was, no one had come to him privately to persuade him to back down.
Everyone had simply stayed quiet.
Thinking it through, Lu Xu understood why. Liu Rennong might have been well-connected in the industry, but that didn’t mean every director and production team agreed with his methods.
At the very least, this year’s Golden Flame Awards had shown that many in the industry were expressing their dissatisfaction with last year’s event—through their actions rather than words.
After all, the Golden Flame Awards wasn’t the only option for film crews.
Lu Xu also had endorsement contracts. While he generally avoided wearing competitor brands at public events, the Contention Awards had its own official sponsors. At the red carpet event, he deliberately showed off a new model from the award’s smartphone sponsor and even posed for a photo in front of another brand’s massive logo.
[…That’s some serious strategy.]
[LMAO, so everyone else is boycotting, and they expect Lu Xu to carry the whole thing?]
[The sponsors must be over the moon! Lu Xu even posted a new selfie on Weibo, and the reposts blew up instantly.]
[Ever since Lu Xu started getting nominated, the Contention Awards’ popularity has skyrocketed. The organizers know what they’re doing—Lu Xu winning two awards put Contention Awards topics on trending nonstop. And this year, with Observing the Stars at Night becoming a massive hit, the hashtag #Contention Awards Choice# stayed at the top of the trending list all night. Absolutely stellar reputation.]
Since Lu Xu rarely posted new selfies—sometimes going an entire year without uploading a single one—this set of photos taken with the sponsor’s phone became his first in nearly two years. The phone was already well-known for its excellent camera quality, and with Lu Xu’s close-up selfies going viral on Weibo, the phone’s search volume skyrocketed.
Lu Xu hadn’t put much effort into preparing his red carpet look. After all, he wasn’t a nominee, just one of the judges. However… he had an undeniable ability to trend. From the moment he stepped onto the red carpet, his name remained on the trending list.
Of course, during the awards ceremony itself, Lu Xu kept a low profile. The cameras occasionally panned to him but never lingered.
There was little controversy surrounding this year’s Best Actor award, and the Best Supporting Actor category was just as clear-cut. However, when it came to Best Actress, the debate over whether the award should go to Ugly or Innocent Fate had been ongoing since the start of awards season.
Industry predictions generally favored the latter.
Still, if the Contention Awards chose the former, it wouldn’t be all that surprising.
After all, Lu Xu had already won two Best Actor trophies. From that perspective, the Contention Awards was not entirely conservative in its choices.
“And the winner is—Ugly!”
The lead actress of Ugly looked utterly stunned. Meanwhile, the lead actress of Innocent Fate still maintained a smile, though it couldn’t fully hide her disappointment.
Despite Innocent Fate being the industry favorite and despite the numerous reasons she should have won, she still didn’t.
[This just proves how different the Golden Flame and Contention Awards are in what they stand for.]
[After last year’s Golden Flame controversy, the Contention Awards is now widely recognized as the most prestigious of the big three. It may not be perfect, but its choices are convincing to the audience.]
[Congratulations to Ugly! All the nominees were fantastic, and I would’ve been happy no matter who won. But Ugly was the stronger performance in my eyes. The Contention Awards had many choices to make—but in the end, it chose to honor the art of acting itself.]
[Bravo, bravo, bravo!!]
At the press conference following the Contention Awards ceremony, reporters eagerly bombarded Lu Xu with questions about his experience as a judge. Before he could answer, Cheng Chi stepped in to block them. “This is Lu Xu’s first time here. If you scare him off now, what if he never dares to come back?”
Lu Xu responded with a few standard remarks about fairness and impartiality—nothing out of the ordinary. Traditional media reported his words in a formal manner, while marketing accounts, on the other hand, took creative liberties. They immediately linked Lu Xu’s comments to last year’s Golden Flame Awards, claiming that he was “allegedly throwing shade” at them.
Lu Xu: “…”
Forget it. They could write whatever they wanted.
As time went on, the tension between him and the Golden Flame Awards didn’t fade in the slightest—if anything, it only deepened.
Unless he stopped making movies altogether and never participated in the selection process for the other two major awards, these discussions would never go away.
And besides—right after the Contention Awards, the Golden Flame Awards were set to take place.
This year, the number of films submitted for the Golden Flame Awards was noticeably lower than in previous years. Naturally, the buzz surrounding the event wasn’t as strong. While they had secured sponsorships, the overall excitement was clearly lacking.
“This year they can still manage, but what about next year?”
Before the awards ceremony even began, a certain marketing account stirred up controversy by publishing an article titled The Fall of the Golden Flame Awards.
