The literary era since 1979

"Wow."

The curtains were drawn open, letting in the afterglow of the setting sun, and the dim conference room became bright again.

John McTeer and Joe Silver no longer had any objection to Cheng Long being the leading actor in "Die Hard".

"Then for the other roles, should we conduct a small-scale selection first?"

"Of course, especially the villain Hans Grubb, he had to be chosen carefully and not be careless."

Everyone present agreed with what Fangyan said.

Flowers need green leaves to set them off, and only a powerful villain can set off an even more powerful protagonist. A successful and charming villain is undoubtedly the soul of the whole play. The development of the plot, the climax, and the ending must all involve him, such as Hannibal and the Joker.

The final boss of the original version of "Die Hard" was Alan Rickman, who played "Professor Snape" in "Harry Potter".

If there is no actor better than him among the auditioning actors, I will choose Professor Snape to play the role according to the original version.

Afterwards, everyone went to a restaurant near the company and discussed the early preparations for the film while having dinner.

For example, the filming of "Die Hard" is tentatively scheduled to start in early June.

For example, the commercial building required for the filming of "Die Hard" was simply located in the Fox Plaza Building.

This suggestion was put forward by Fangyan. Fox Plaza Building is an asset of Fox, so they could get a relatively favorable rent inside and invest the saved expenses in the explosion scene.

"Fang, now I finally understand why you were appointed as the chief producer!"

There was a hint of admiration in Joe Silvo's tone.

"I can also understand why Ryder chose you as the producer and director."

Fang Yan shook hands with them one by one and said, "I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation in the future and successfully complete the project of Die Hard."

"Happy cooperation!"

John McTeer and Joe Silver answered almost in unison, then said goodbye to Cheng Long, Lin Qingxia and others and left in a car.

Under the night sky, He Guanchang was overwhelmed with emotion and cast a grateful look towards Fang Yan:
"Mr. Fang, the reason why Aaron and Golden Harvest are able to enter Hollywood so smoothly this time is all thanks to you!"

"I really don't know what to say. I'm afraid no matter how many times I say thank you, it won't be enough. Anyway, no matter whether Die Hard is a success or a failure, we owe you a huge favor! From now on, if you can use us in any way, just ask. We will definitely not refuse!"

"Haha, I appreciate Boss He's kindness."

Fang Yan smiled and told him not to worry about the failure of "Die Hard". Whether they believed it or not, he absolutely believed that it would be a success!

He Guanchang patted Cheng Long on the shoulder and said solemnly:

"Ah Long, Qingxia, did you hear what Fang Sheng said? It's up to you now, don't let us down!"

"Godfather, Fang Sheng, don't worry. Even if I risk my life this time, I will make it into the international film industry!"

Cheng Long clenched his fists and vowed that he could probably find excuses for the failures of "The Trench" and "Police Story".

But this time, he had a good script written by Fang Yan himself, big investments from Fox and Golden Harvest brought in by Fang Yan, and Fang Yan as the producer to support him, giving him more freedom to play his roles. If he still failed after all, he might as well not try Hollywood again in his life.

...............

When we got back to the hotel, it was already ten o'clock in the evening.

Lin Qingxia returned to her room, leaned against the door, and reviewed everything that had happened today. It was so confusing and difficult to sort out.

Suddenly, I heard a scream next to my ear. I was startled and opened the door. I saw that Fangyan's bedroom door was open.

"Yo ho!"

Mike danced with excitement, reaching out to listen to the recorded voice message again.

"You look so happy. You're not afraid of disturbing other tenants."

Fang Yan rolled his eyes in annoyance, walked to the door, grabbed the handle and was about to close it when Lin Qingxia suddenly appeared in his sight.

As soon as he saw Lin Qingxia, Mike, who had just been jumping around like a monkey, froze up and gave an awkward but polite smile:

"Good night, no, good evening."

"good evening."

Lin Qingxia replied, and then whispered: "Just now I seemed to hear someone screaming..."

"That's what he shouted." Fang Yan curled his lips, "He was so uneasy."

"Teacher Fang, how can I stay calm? This is the World Science Fiction Convention!"

As an avid science fiction fan, Mike's eyes lit up when he thought of the message Bai Ruoxue left them, which mentioned that Jason Epstein, the president of Random House, sent an invitation to this year's World Science Fiction Convention to Fangyan's foundation.

"World Science Fiction Convention?"

Lin Qingxia knew almost nothing about the literary world, and there was a hint of confusion in her clear eyes.

Fangyan explained that it is an event hosted by the World Science Fiction Association, and the list of Hugo Award winners is announced at the annual conference.

Lin Qingxia originally thought that it was to commemorate the great French writer Victor Hugo, but she learned from Mike that it was actually to commemorate the "father of science fiction magazine" Hugo Gernsback, and is known as the "Nobel Prize in Science Fiction Literature" together with the Nebula Award.

Fang Yan said: "The Nebula Award is an award established by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Although the selection scope is not as wide as the Hugo Award, and it is limited to science fiction and fantasy novels published or published in the United States, it is still an important award in the fantasy novel industry, so it can be compared with the Hugo Award. The two are collectively called the 'double awards' in the science fiction literature world..."

"If a novel wins both awards, it means that the novel has undoubtedly entered the hall of classic science fiction literature."

Mike said with excitement on his face.

Lin Qingxia asked: "Does that mean your novel has been selected for the Hugo Award?"

Fang Yan said: "I'm lucky. My previous work Artificial Intelligence was shortlisted for the Hugo Award for Best Novel."

"How can you say it's luck? It's obviously strength!"

Mike shook his head repeatedly: "Your "Artificial Intelligence" was also shortlisted for the Nebula Award last year!"

"It was just nominated, but it still lost to Ender's Game in the end."

Fang Yan was too lazy to come to the Nebula Awards Ceremony in person because he didn't win any awards, so he asked Bai Ruoxue and Mike to do it for him. "Don't say that. The number of votes for Artificial Intelligence is second only to Ender's Game."

Mike didn't think it was shameful to lose to Ender's Game. "To use a Chinese idiom, yell, yell..."

"It's an honor to lose." Lin Qingxia continued.

"Yes, even if we lose, we still have honor!"

Mike said, "And if your book The Ring had not been translated into English and published by Random House, it would have broken the best-selling record of Japan Sinking in Japan and might not have lost to Ender's Game."

This is also the point that the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award are criticized for. Because English science fiction writers have an overwhelming advantage in the world science fiction community, the entries must be translated into English, so that excellent science fiction novels from other countries and regions are easily buried.

For example, "Japan Sinks", the two volumes achieved sales of 385 million copies that year!
For example, if "The Three-Body Problem" had not been translated by Ken Liu and published in the United States, it would not have been eligible for the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award.

"So, will you go to the World Science Fiction Convention this time?"

Lin Qingxia looked at Mike on the left and then at Fangyan on the right.

"Go! You must go!"

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Mike said impatiently that this time the Hugo Awards were held at the New York Hall of Science, which had been closed for seven years. During this period, the New York government allocated funds for expansion and even built a large earth model that was comparable to a landmark. It was only recently reopened to tourists.

The World Science Fiction Convention was chosen to be held at the New York Hall of Science, which is also equivalent to attracting traffic to the Science Hall.

"No wonder you shouted so excitedly just now."

Lin Qingxia suddenly understood.

"It's much more than that."

Fangyan shook his head and laughed. According to the Hugo Award's selection process, five shortlisted works in each of the 15 awards categories would be announced in March or April each year. This list of candidates would then be submitted to the members of the current conference for secret voting to determine the final list of winners.

This year's World Science Fiction Convention is held in New York, USA. Coincidentally, the award ceremony for another major science fiction literary award, the Nebula Award, is also held in New York at the end of April or the beginning of May every year.

The two Nobel Prizes for science fiction literature just happened to coincide with each other. It just so happened that the members of the World Science Fiction Association and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America had a high degree of overlap. So the two organizations discussed it and decided to co-host the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award this year.

The Nebula Awards were presented on the first day, and the Hugo Awards were presented on the second day, adding great glory to the reopened New York Hall of Science!
“This is an unprecedented event.”

Mike said that there are not only Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and Arthur Clarke, the three world science fiction giants, but also living fossils like Frederick Boll and Brian Oldie, who are known as "one of the seven giants of science fiction history."

Lin Qingxia blinked. Although there were not many people she knew, she was still shocked.

Fang Yan said: "How about it, do you want to go with us?"

"Can I?"

Although Lin Qingxia was not interested in science fiction, she couldn't help but be moved by the olive branch he extended to her.

"Of course, if you want."

Fang Yan originally planned to call Bai Ruoxue, but she was busy making money for herself at the moment.

"That's right, we have an invitation!"

Mike nodded repeatedly. "But if you want to attend the World Science Fiction Convention in the future, it would be best if you could become a member. It doesn't cost much. You only need to pay thirty or forty dollars a year in membership fees to become a member of the World Science Fiction Association. Not only can you qualify to attend the World Science Fiction Convention, but you can also vote for this year's nomination stage, final voting, and next year's award nominations."

Dialect with a smile on his face, and precisely because it is limited to member voting, the Hugo Awards usually receive a very large number of votes. Compared with the Nebula Awards, which are mainly based on the votes of the jury judges, they can better represent the voices and preferences of the world's loyal science fiction fans.

"I will definitely think about it carefully."

Lin Qingxia smiled and happily agreed to accompany them to the World Science Fiction Convention.

…………

The New York Hall of Science is located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York, USA.

At this moment, science fiction fans, science fiction association members, science fiction writers, and major magazines and publishing companies from all over the world have come to the empty square in front of the Science Museum one after another. The newly built huge earth model stands in the center of the square.

Fang Yan was wearing a pure black suit, while Lin Qingxia was wearing a short-sleeved white lace dress, the black and white set off each other.

Mike seemed like an unnecessary light cannon, but he didn't care. He kept scanning the crowd:
"Teacher Fang, it's such a pity. I just heard that Clark is sick and I'm afraid he won't be able to come here from England."

"And Frank, the author of Dune, passed away at the beginning of the year, otherwise he would definitely attend such an event."

"........."

"Oh, isn't that Orson Card?"

Hearing the name, Lin Qingxia looked at the author of "Ender's Game" curiously, and then stole a glance at Fangyan's expression.

His expression did not change. Not only did he not have any hostility, but he seemed a little nonchalant. After all, he did not hold out much hope for "Artificial Intelligence" to win this year's Hugo Award. As long as it was nominated for the Best Novel, it would be enough. It would not only increase his own fame and that of "Artificial Intelligence", but also boost the sales of the novel and promote the movie Kubrick was currently making.

Of course, what Fangyan cares more about is the right to host the World Science Fiction Convention.

If Science Fiction World wants to host the World Science Fiction Convention in China in the future, it must understand the application process for the conference.

Just as he was lost in thought, an old man with gray hair and a snow-white beard, led by Jason Epstein, came towards him. Mike was startled, his eyes widened, and he said in surprise and joy, "It's... It's Asimov!"

Lin Qingxia cast a scrutinizing look at him. Was he Isaac Asimov, the man who proposed the "Three Laws of Robotics"?
“Nice to meet you guys!”

Isaac Asimov's face was filled with enthusiasm as he took the initiative to greet them, "Especially you, Fang."

Fang Yan extended his hand. "I have heard of your name for a long time. It is my honor to finally meet you here today."

"me too."

Isaac Asimov took his hand and shook it.

Jason Epstein added: "Asimov has always hoped to meet science fiction writers from China and read Chinese science fiction literature. This time his wish has finally come true." He then smiled and said that Isaac Asimov liked "Artificial Intelligence" very much.

Isaac Asimov said: "In this book, I saw that you perfectly applied the 'Three Laws of Robotics'. On this basis, you even derived the ethical issues of 'robots becoming humans' and the hypothesis that 'robots have awakened consciousness and emotions'..."

"You're too kind. My Artificial Intelligence is just a poor imitation of your robot series."

Fangyan modestly said that "I, Robot" and the three laws of robotics are the origin of the creation of "Artificial Intelligence". (End of this chapter)