"…This film will be released this May. We'll probably catch it during the summer holidays."
After wrapping up the promotional campaign for Iron Man, Martin entered the venue with Alexandra Daddario.
Before he could find his seat, a familiar face pulled him aside.
Alexandra's eyes lit up—it was none other than James Cameron, one of Hollywood's top-tier directors.
"Martin, everything's ready. We can finally launch Avatar."
To Alexandra's astonishment, this legendary director was speaking with Martin in an eager, expectant tone—completely different from the aloof, arrogant, larger-than-life persona she'd imagined.
What were they talking about?
Avatar? What's that?
Is Cameron about to start filming a new movie?
Then she heard her man reply, "Okay, I've been waiting a long time to hear that. I've already set aside the funding for you. Let's do this—tomorrow, notify Fox. We'll finalize the three-party agreement and get the project rolling."
James Cameron beamed. "I love that plan. I'll call Fox right away."
With a quick nod and a greeting to Alexandra, he left in a hurry.
Because they'd been held up chatting with Cameron, Martin and Alexandra arrived slightly late.
By now, the grand lobby of the Kodak Theatre was buzzing with chatter—nearly every seat had been taken.
No matter how you looked at it, the Oscars were still the most prestigious gathering in the entire North American entertainment industry. People would go to absurd lengths just to score a seat…
Martin found the Juno production team and took his assigned seat.
Immediately, countless eyes turned toward him—most of them curious, if not outright amused.
After all, Martin's childhood sweetheart, Lindsay Lohan, was seated right here… yet Martin had walked in with another woman.
But Martin was still thinking about Avatar, not paying attention to the scene around him.
And even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have cared.
Watching drama unfold? Keep dreaming.
Lindsay Lohan stood up.
Alexandra, slightly nervous, greeted her, feeling like a "concubine meeting the first wife."
Even though her bestie Jessica had reassured her beforehand that Lindsay had a good temperament and there was no need to worry…
Still, now that the moment had arrived, she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
"Hello, Lindsay."
"Haha, so you're Alexandra? Jessica told me about you. You really are as beautiful as she said."
Lindsay gave her a warm hug, much to the disappointment of onlookers hoping for a catfight.
Alexandra relaxed—Jessica had been right. Lindsay really was an open, friendly, and generous girl.
At the turn of the century, Martin had invested early in James Cameron's efforts to develop next-generation 3D film technology.
Avatar 3D wasn't like the post-converted 3D used by Disney's Alice in Wonderland in 2010.
In fact, Alice in Wonderland marked the pinnacle of post-converted 3D technology, which was soon replaced by the newer, native 3D techniques.
Before these new technologies matured, even though there was a noticeable gap between "fake" 3D and real 3D films, many audiences were still willing to pay for the experience.
But after Avatar premiered, post-converted 3D rapidly declined and was eventually phased out.
You could say Avatar set a new benchmark for 3D cinema—using a range of innovations including motion capture, stereoscopic filming, digital intermediate technology, and virtual cinematography.
In fact, some of these techniques—like "motion capture"—had already been partially applied in Iron Man. And motion capture wasn't limited to 3D films.
Avatar also pioneered something called "performance capture," which was even more advanced—it could simultaneously track facial expressions and full-body movements, feeding them in real time into a computer, synchronizing them with CG characters.
What's more, this new 3D tech, especially when paired with IMAX screens, had one major advantage—
To enjoy the full cinematic experience, you had to go to the theater. It wasn't something you could recreate at home with a pair of red-and-blue 3D glasses.
Home theater systems simply couldn't match the immersive quality of 3D cinemas. That made theaters the only viable option for enjoying these films.
And new 3D films—especially IMAX ones—had higher ticket prices, meaning more money coming in from audiences.
In the original timeline, Avatar's box office success owed a lot to this dynamic.
After tasting the profits, cinema chains went all in—converting more and more screens into IMAX auditoriums.
That's just the nature of business: follow the money.
While Martin was lost in thought, the awards ceremony began.
After a brief prelude, a giant silver dome rose on stage, revealing host Jon Stewart—of The Daily Show—who appeared before the audience.
Known for his sharp wit and humorous takes on current events and media figures, Stewart didn't miss a beat.
Naturally, he opened with a roast of Hollywood's recently ended writers' strike.
"Great to see you all. Thank you. Really, thank you."
"You made it. You're here. I can't believe it—you actually showed up!"
"What a thrilling night! After three months of madness, this place was practically tortured to death by the writers' strike."
"But I'm thrilled to announce: it's over. It's done. Tonight… welcome to a long-overdue reconciliation."
"Of course, the strike left some collateral damage—emotional, financial… the saddest of which was the cancellation of the legendary Oscar party. They claimed it was out of respect for the writers."
"You know what would really show respect to the writers?"
"Maybe one day… actually invite a few of them to the Oscar party."
All of the audience laugh.
"They'd be so happy."
"Don't worry—they won't talk to strangers."
…
"Tonight, let's forget our troubles and indulge ourselves as we watch this year's slate of disturbingly violent Oscar-nominated films…"
This was a jab at the unusually brutal nominees, filled with violence and bloodshed—like No Country for Old Men, There will be blood, and Sweeney Todd.
"All I can say is, thank God for the pregnant teenager movie."
A reference to Juno, produced by Meyers Pictures.
Down below, Lindsay Lohan smiled knowingly.
With that round of jabs complete, the Oscars officially celebrated their 80th birthday—the 80th Annual Academy Awards had begun.