The Best Director

Even though it was halftime, the players and coaches from both teams had just come out, the entire Staples Center erupted. This fresh and unexpected segment was more exciting than Mariah Carey’s singing, the magical Yang’s trampoline dunk, and he completed it beautifully in one go, a big windmill! The audience applauded continuously, and many young movie fans stood up, waving their arms and laughing loudly, “Yang!! Try-Again!” This was just too funny!

“Haha!” Wang Yang landed firmly on the mat, raising his arms with a radiant smile on his face. It felt amazing! It wasn’t the camera flashes, nor the cheers from the crowd that excited him, it was the thrill of doing what he wanted, the success of challenging himself!

Just in time, the overhead screen at the arena zoomed in on Jessica standing at the edge of the court. She too had a happy and enchanting smile on her face, hugging his jacket in her arms, clapping vigorously! Noticing the camera, she looked towards its direction and clearly mouthed with a laugh, “So cool!” Others nearby, including Will Smith, also laughed and clapped, each feeling a touch sentimental.

“Wang Yang really knows how to steal the limelight!” a few of the true on-screen male stars sighed. A big windmill dunk? Even with the trampoline, it was so relatable and heroic, so humorous and fun, so MAN! Especially because the magical Yang was not the image of a mindlessly silly and wild lunatic, but rather a talented and whimsical genius, which his fans adored. However, as much as they envied him, they didn’t think it was a good idea. Play on court? Not even reality TV stars would dare.

Whether or not the dunk was that beautiful was one thing, but to fail? Better to sit handsomely on the side and maintain their image…

“Magical Yang’s dunk was spectacular!” On the TNT channel’s screen, a slow-motion replay showed off the highly entertaining trampoline dunk. Wang Yang’s face was tensed in determination as he swung the ball with his right hand, his graceful posture indeed having a bit of that “star quality.” Kenny Smith commented with a laugh, “His control of the bounce from the trampoline was very precise, as if he jumped off the ground himself! Look at this hang time and the firm grip on the ball, his core strength and arm strength are really impressive.”

Barkley chuckled and said, “A big windmill also needs butt power.” Kenny Smith burst into laughter and teased, “Charles, I know you’ve got strong glutes, but have you ever done a big windmill dunk?”

“Hey, get lost!” At the Staples Center, Wang Yang was walking back to the seats at the court’s edge, smiling. But the red-clothed and grey-furred Rocket Bear blocked him, dancing and beckoning as if taunting him, seemingly saying “Dance with me!” or “Come hit me!”? The screens followed the players from both teams listening to their coach’s strategy, Shaquille O’Neal, Yao Ming, Kobe… The second half was about to start, but Rocket Bear seemed determined to keep Wang Yang on the court.

Hehehe! The audience, still paying attention to the center of the court, let out a burst of soft laughter. Was magical Yang going to stay on the court to play the second half? Jessica, unable to contain her amusement, wondered if he would walk around and come back. Definitely not! Knocking down Rocket Bear with a punch? Jaden Smith next to her excitedly brandished his fists, his young voice yelling, “Hit it, hit it!” On the TNT channel, the focus was again on Wang Yang, and Kenny Smith laughed, “Yang’s got a bit of a problem.”

Wang Yang stood still with an unsmiling face, hands on hips staring at Rocket Bear who also stood still. Then suddenly, he moved, bending over to reach between the bear’s legs with one hand and grabbing its neck with the other, and hoisted it up all at once, swiftly heading towards the arena’s tunnel!

“Yang’s picked up Rocket Bear!” Kenny Smith shouted in surprise, as the camera showed Rocket Bear’s legs flailing in a struggle, while Wang Yang ran firmly as if it was weightless. Smith burst into laughter, “Oh my God, he’s carrying Rocket Bear out, taking the problem to be solved privately!” Barkley couldn’t help but join in the laughter.

“Hahahaha!” The Staples Center resounded with laughter and teasing whistles rang loud and clear. Photographers naturally didn’t miss the moment, and the sensually stunning cheerleaders waved their pompoms. The camera cut between the Lakers players like O’Neal laughing helplessly in their seats, the Rockets players such as Francis, Mobley, and Yao Ming talking amongst themselves, the celebrities watching the commotion, the sweet and surprised smiling Jessica; and finally, Wang Yang and Rocket Bear disappearing into the tunnel entrance.

The CCTV-5 channel also broadcasted these shots, and a good portion of the TV audience, both basketball and movie fans, couldn’t help but marvel. Borrowing a phrase from Director Zhang, magical Yang really knew how to have fun! Energy too much! In the studio, Zhang Weiping delightedly said, “Hehehe, Wang Yang’s gone wild! Yao Ming is laughing, O’Neal’s laughing, Kobe too…” Sun Zhengping chuckled as he read out loud the stats, “Wang Yang is a famous film director, born February 5, 1980, height 185cm, weight…”

“The second half has started, Rockets vs Lakers, with both sides tied at 57:44 at halftime.”

As the buzzer sounded the end of the timeout, ten players walked onto the court one after the other, and the attention of the audience returned to the game. Jessica and others sat down in their seats, with Wang Yang’s spot still empty. It seemed challenging for her to keep from smiling all night long. She watched the game and occasionally glanced at the corridor, always finding a way to be cheerful. Why hadn’t he come back yet? Was he beating up the Rockets mascot? She wondered what he was doing now, barely able to focus on the exciting game.

After a while, with Kobe’s outburst, the Lakers gradually caught up in points. It wasn’t until then that Wang Yang leisurely returned to the arena with two drinks in hand, with no sign of the mascot in sight. The camera, during a pause in play, sneakily turned to him, prompting a round of whistles from the stands, unrelated to the game’s action.

“Hey, Yang!” Jack Nicholson, in a black suit and purple shirt, stood up, his old face beaming as he reached out his palm to Wang Yang walking by. Wang Yang responded with a light tap of his fist, which held the drinks, against Jack’s palm. A few steps later, with her curly blonde hair, Nicole Kidman greeted him with a smile, “Yang, that was a neat dunk!” Wang Yang, expressing his gratitude for everyone’s compliments, soon heard a excited shout from Jaden Smith, “Yang, that was so cool! What kind of kung fu was that? You became strong like a superhero!” Wang Yang winked and said with a smile, “Buddy, you’ll understand when you’re older.”…

Actually, the mascot’s costume was quite heavy, and with its bulky puppet size, it wasn’t easy to carry, almost leading to a failure! Thankfully, it was only almost. Wang Yang returned to his seat, handing a drink to a beaming Jessica. He watched the players move around the court, and amidst the squeaking of shoes on the floor, he asked excitedly and in a low voice, “How was my dunk just now?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Jessica took a sip of her drink, recalling how the whole stadium cheered for him just a moment ago, a vastly different atmosphere from that of a movie theater. She felt sweetly amused as she leaned into him, “You were so cool!” Wang Yang wrapped his arm around her shoulder and chuckled. Jessica suddenly became curious, “By the way, where’s the Rockets mascot?”

“Hahaha!” During a long timeout, the ousted Rockets mascot appeared on the big screen and live broadcast, causing an uproar of laughter from the audience. The normally red-costumed and Santa-hatted mascot was now stark naked except for its grey fur preserving its modesty. It had a large black eye, a result of the beating, and waved its hands running out foolishly and stark naked.

It seemed that tonight’s entertainment at the Staples Center was all dependent on the miraculous Yang. The camera once again focused on Wang Yang, who was hugging Jessica in the seats. He pulled a “WHAT!” tough expression and swiftly threw a punch with his right fist. Jessica, too, put on a stern face and threw a series of mock punches with both hands, and the two of them couldn’t help but laugh again.

“Really knows how to grab the spotlight!” The celebrities couldn’t help but take a learning stance. Despite the miraculous Yang’s usual low profile, he often shines brightly at award ceremonies and nationwide live basketball games, making it impossible not to notice him. For instance, he was probably today’s highlight of all the NBA Christmas Day games’ sidelines festivities, right?

No matter what others thought, Wang Yang had a thoroughly fun time watching and playing this Christmas battle, and Jessica thoroughly enjoyed the joy he brought her. In the end, the game ended 99-87, with the visiting Rockets winning by 12 points, triumphantly heading back to Houston after breaking their two-game losing streak, and Kobe Bryant scoring a game-high 23 points. Yao Ming had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks, while Shaquille O’Neal scored 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

As expected, the unprecedented and highly entertaining Best Director’s trampoline dunk, and carrying the mascot off court to “beat it up,” became the most valuable and spotlighted highlight of the NBA Christmas. Fans were scouring the internet for the video clip, and Wang Yang’s graceful and spectacular windmill slam even made it into NBA’s top ten plays of the day.

“NO.8! This guy, this guy! The Oscar-winning Best Director, Mr. Miraculous! Today, Wang Yang performed a windmill dunk!” In the video, Wang Yang sprinted from mid-court, leapt onto the trampoline and soared, completing the windmill in one fluid motion. The crowd went wow and awed, and the NBA website commentator exclaimed with awe, “Wow! Such extension, power, and beauty! With a trampoline, the miraculous Yang, without a trampoline, Vince Carter. NO.7…”

“The trash-talk escalates once again, with Miraculous Yang claiming he will capture 500 million in global box office.” “Wang Yang jokingly says he aims for a balance of depth and shallowness, undeterred by The Lord of the Rings 3, aiming straight for 500 million!” “Miraculous Yang continues his madness, 400 million is no longer satisfying for The Devil Wears Prada!”…

In the period before and after this Christmas, a stream of news pieces appeared on Yahoo Entertainment and other outlets, as well as print media like the Los Angeles Times, and gossip magazines like OK!: “Yang & Jessica watch the Christmas battle, remaining cheerfully goofy despite the trash-talk,” “Miraculous Yang shows off a stunning dunk, shining brightest on Christmas night,” “Yang & Jessica sweet in public but fighting behind the scenes, The Insider reveals their relationship is on the brink due to The Devil Wears Prada,” “Engagement ring gone? Jessica’s dream of marriage bitterly shattered”…

Heaven knows who the insider is that disclosed “Wang Yang grabbed Jessica by the neck and threatened to kill her,” or maybe there isn’t such a person at all. Gossip magazines only need a new photo of Jessica with a neutral expression and a decent-looking gossip article to be born. Sometimes the tabloid rumors do indeed come from sources such as nannies, bodyguards, assistants, friends; sometimes, they’re purely fictional stories made from a photo, and the recent whirlwind around The Devil Wears Prada has given them plenty of opportunities.

It’s understood that Wang Yang, dissatisfied with how “The Devil Wears Prada” was relentlessly criticized by the film critique world, repeatedly accused Jessica of being a “pretty but useless Barbie doll,” while Jessica retorted that he was an “arrogant and irascible piece of trash.” The two even came to blows, and the wedding that was set to take place next January is likely to be canceled. The Insider said, “Ever since they got engaged, they’ve started to find faults with each other. ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ was just the last straw, and they are now reconsidering whether they should get married at all.”

Believers will believe, skeptics will remain skeptical—the seasoned gossip readers who are used to tabloids know how to discern truth from fiction, waiting for reality to give the answer! Now, the first answer is the pair’s sweet appearance at Staples Center, as affectionate and happy as ever. Considering that previous gossip about their conflicts have gradually been proved false, with no substantial evidence of rumored affairs, no track record of scandals, and Magical Yang’s confident and humorous blog about “The Devil Wears Prada,” it’s almost certain that this is yet another falsehood…

Upon hearing this baseless gossip, the two almost rolled on the floor laughing. However, when it was time to sleep, Wang Yang did try to “confirm the rumors” by pressing Jessica’s neck on the bed, which resulted in Jessica flipping him over and beating him up.

After Christmas on the 25th, a new weekend is about to unfold, which also means that the cinema’s Christmas slot for the second week from the 19th to the 25th has come to a close. The North America weekend box office chart has just been released with a total gross of $306.4 million; among the 113 movies, “The Lord of the Rings 3” took the lead, crazily harvesting $120.1 million in 3,703 theaters, without a doubt the hottest film globally at the moment. However, its dominance crushed other movies, like “Love is Compromise” which earned $20.0729 million for third place, and “Mona Lisa Smile” earning $19.8748 million for fourth place…

But the human legion didn’t harm “The Devil Wears Prada,” this fashionable cruiser, which took in $58.2192 million in seven days. The weekly box office trend only dropped a slight 22%, the North American total box office of two weeks reached $132.8 million — causing envy among many film companies, driving some critics mad; THE FLAME FILM was overjoyed.

“I want to be a filmmaker who is both ‘profound & superficial.’ If it were someone else saying this, there might be a chance for ridicule; however, the person saying it is Wang Yang, and in fact, he has already achieved this in his filmography, with works like ‘District 9,’ which is so oppressive that it drives people mad, an unforgettable sci-fi masterpiece that brought sci-fi back to the Oscars after 20 years; and ‘The Hangover,’ a hilarious R-rated comedy that embraces everything gross and crazy, if that isn’t profound & superficial, what is?”

Facing this, Jeffrey Westhoff and other critics from the praise faction, after much thought, could only say, “If you continue to be so obstinate, then you won’t be able to return to being profound, because you have fallen!”

“LOL! Do you think ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ will have a global box office of over $500 million? I think it will.” This statement initially made those who criticize Yang’s faction cheer and see a glimmer of hope for victory; those who support Yang’s faction began to worry and doubt, questioning whether Wang Yang had genuinely gone mad. However, as the box office details became clearer, their attitudes slowly changed. North America’s two-week box office of $132.8 million!

With “The Lord of the Rings 3” being in its first week, all other films’ box office potential would be somewhat suppressed. Yet, the holiday week of December 26th to January 1st, 2004, is the time of the year when box office peaks. So based on forecasts, if “The Devil Wears Prada” only falls by about 20%-25% in its third week, then with an addition of over $45 million, that accounts for $177 million. Following this momentum, its North American box office breaking $200 million is not an issue at all, and it may even climb to $230 million…

Reaching $400 million would require $200 million overseas, while $500 million would need $300 million; so what’s the situation overseas? Critics are crying out once again because it happened!

An explosion! “The Devil Wears Prada” nearly split the market share evenly with “The Lord of the Rings 3” in many places, with 30% and 40%, while other Hollywood movies and local films take up another 30%.

To quote the box office report on BOX website, “This week, ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ expanded to large markets such as the Netherlands, Brazil, Denmark, Greece, Norway, as well as a few smaller Asian markets like India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, etc., continuing to create surprisingly outstanding underdog results.” According to Yahoo’s commentary, “Wang Yang truly deserves the title of a phenomenon director, amidst the film critics’ onslaught, a fashion storm is forming! It may not boost the sales of fashion luxury brands like Prada, but women all over the world are going crazy for ‘The Devil Wears Prada.\'”

This is not to say that ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ doesn’t have male audiences or that men don’t like it; rather, the proportion of female audiences is just too high. Exit surveys from various markets often show that more than 60%, with some places even exceeding 70%. For example, ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ is positioned for young male audiences; yet it became a cool movie favored by men and women of all ages. ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is a film truly for women.

The Netherlands with $5.68 million, New Zealand with $4.65 million, Norway with $3.77 million, Brazil with $4.51 million…

“Paris looks so beautiful in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’! Does anyone know exactly where those streets are?” — French audience member Minnie An; “A memorable movie that taught us a very important lesson, everyone’s life is their own choice, be yourself, don’t go against your own will!” — Spanish audience member Nitya; “Seeing Andy embrace her family and friends at the end, and Miranda’s loneliness at the top, I know Andy made the right decision!” — Taiwanese audience member Ma Huifei; “Love it! Own it! It’s so much fun, I really like Jessica Alba!” — Danish audience member Laura Emily; “This is a fantastic comedy! Brilliant acting, a fun story, and a clear depiction of how fashion operates… I like everything about it!” — Australian audience member Wilani…

“The TDWP”‘s total box office in all overseas markets this week is 79.87 million US dollars, and the two-week total is 128 million, with China, Japan, and several other large markets, as well as a host of smaller ones lined up to release. This global figure of 260 million has astonishingly exceeded “The Hangover”‘s same period total of 251.8 million, the female audience unleashed an unparalleled power! How can one not shout ‘dark horse’?

Now, with only 240 million left until the 500 million mark, it’s feared that in another week it’ll drop to 100 million, breaking through the magical Wang Yang’s first counter-attack claim of 400 million! So is the 500 million in question?

“YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” This represents the excited mood of Clair, Evelyn, Mamie Gummer, Emily Blunt, Margaret Goodspeed, and all the fans of Wang Yang’s film, once again proving Wang Yang never talks big!

“…”, “FUCK!”, “WHY!?” This represents the speechless mood of Jeffrey Westhoff, Alan Dale, Roger Ebert, and others in the general public or well-known critics, as well as those who want to see Wang Yang fail, impotence, frustration, anger, confusion… What exactly is the reason! Could they really be wrong? No! They couldn’t be wrong! It’s just that something unknown went wrong, but one thing is for sure, Wang Yang’s spiritual energy is dwindling, and his days of getting nothing are not far…

But they really hope and desire that Wang Yang would suddenly burst into laughter, “LOL! Do you think ‘TDWP’ will have a global box office of 600 million? I think it will.” But the biggest problem is, what if it really reaches 600 million? They now dare not underestimate this movie, feeling even “I think it will make 1 billion” is a bit unsafe; secondly, Wang Yang has already said he will no longer respond, and with the saying “deep & trivial” he has ended the conversation, making it impossible for them to come up with a reason to hit back.

So, for a time, the savvy Roger Ebert and the rest knew it was tough and retreated, refraining from making any more statements related to the incident, quickly dissociating themselves from it, I wasn’t wrong, just too lazy to continue; yet called-out Jeffrey Westhoff and Alan Dale are very reluctant to let it end like this.

So who won and who lost this highly pitched and slowly subsiding war of words?

Watching fanatics have their own public opinion; Alicia F sarcastically wrote on her blog: “The movie critics have made laughable moves! They are always superior, telling us what is good and what is bad, believing they set the standard, never wrong! All I want to say is LOL! Some facts are right there in front of us, I would give a thumbs-up if they admitted their mistake; but they just walk away gracelessly, continuing to badmouth others, it’s just like the mean girls at school. Wang Yang, beat them like the Rocket Bear!”

Anthony L commented, “I’m not a fan of Wang Yang, in fact, I kind of hate him, I don’t like his arrogance! But to be fair, Wang Yang won, maybe you don’t agree with ‘TDWP’, don’t understand why it’s making such impressive box office performance, but he just did it.” Jennifer R left a message on Westhoff’s increasingly popular blog: “I believe ‘Firefly’ will make you swallow back the crap you spewed! So you better shut it soon!”

Being named isn’t all bad, the rapid rise in fame, the increase in sales of “The Northwest Herald” and the higher accompanying earnings, these are all the motivation for Jeffrey Westhoff to continue to hound Wang Yang. He dares not mention “TDWP” anymore to avoid adding to the mockery, and being immediately branded as “wrong”; but singing the distant “Firefly” hasn’t reached an urgent state: “I really admire Wang Yang’s courage, he wants to produce a copycat show in the worst state to battle the true sci-fi ‘Star Wars: Episode III’.”

Hence the messages from Jennifer and others, Georgia C has full confidence in Wang Yang: “Whether it’s ‘TDWP’ or ‘Firefly’, they will teach some people a lesson, in Wang Yang’s realm, there are no corporate building rules, only Wang Yang’s laws.”

“In this war of words, whose statement do you support?” asked the poll prompt on Yahoo Entertainment, out of the 26,361 voters, 48% expressed their support for Wang Yang; 16% supported the critics; 29% are waiting for the box office results, and 7% of passersby gave an ‘I don’t care’ vote.

Over 400 million? Over 500 million? Whether “TDWP” fulfills what Wang Yang said will only be known in a month or two, and the final global box office tally may take half a year; The performance of “Firefly” still in preparation will only be revealed in 2005, and fans know they have a wait ahead.

The critics want Wang Yang to keep talking big, best if arrogantly up to 100 billion… but he just doesn’t have time to deal with them. (.)