America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In the morning, after driving out from Louise's home, Martin prepared to go to Century City, as Thomas had just returned from Atlanta yesterday with some fresh news from the film crew.

They had planned to enjoy a weekend together, but Louise's parents had a last-minute emergency, and she had to rush over, so Martin headed out too.

Sherman Oaks isn't too far from Beverly, and the drive over was quick.

Passing by Rodeo Avenue, he noticed a new luxury store had opened, its facade adorned entirely with glass, boasting the iconic bitten apple logo above its entrance.

Suddenly, Martin remembered that Apple Inc.'s new smartphone had been released at the end of June.

He parked the car, entered the store, and after inquiring, he impulsively bought 20 new smartphones to give away.

Over the past few years, Martin had been steadily acquiring Apple shares, so for a long-term shareholder like him, even if Apple's stock price fluctuated, he was in a no-lose situation.

The era of smartphones would soon arrive.

Upon reaching Century City, Martin parked his car, took two of the Apple smartphones, and entered WMA, heading straight upstairs to look for Thomas.

As usual, all the agents he encountered greeted him proactively, all with smiles on their faces.

So many good people around.

Martin went upstairs and placed one of the smartphones on Natasha's desk, saying, "This is for you."

Natasha's face lit up with surprise, and after examining it, she said, "Thank you, Martin, this gift is amazing!"

"Don't mention it," Martin replied as he entered Thomas's office.

As soon as Thomas saw Martin, he said, "Perfect timing. I have something about Bale I need to discuss with you, saves me a call."

Martin handed another smartphone to Thomas, "Apple's latest phone."

"Thanks," Thomas said as he put it away, then got down to business, "I've settled things with Bale's side."

Martin sat on the sofa and asked, "What's the situation over there?"

"Nolan and Charles Roven put pressure on Bale's side," Thomas summed up, "After several back and forths with Bale's agent Parker, they finally agreed to a settlement of one million US dollars in damages for emotional distress."

Martin didn't bother involving the agency and said, "Wait for the money to be transferred, and then take ten percent."

With a smile, Thomas replied, "No problem."

This extra income alone had earned him over a hundred thousand dollars in the past two years.

Thomas continued, "Hiby is filing for divorce, Bale was sent back to England for recovery. His condition has slightly stabilized, but the mention of you and Joker seems to drive him mad. I suspect if he were to see you..."

He shrugged his shoulders.

Understanding the implications, Martin knew Bale couldn't be subjected to such triggers and asked, "What about the promotions and marketing?"

Thomas said, "I asked Director Nolan privately, and he suggested that it's currently not appropriate for you to be in the same event as Bale. Next year, when the intensive promotional activities begin, he will arrange an appropriate time and place for you guys to meet."

Martin got the message, Director Nolan would certainly not miss the opportunity to use Bale for promotion and hype.

He would do the same, with a heavy investment of 180 million US dollars looming over head, the consequences of failure being severe.

Thomas lowered his voice, "Nolan also asked me to convey that he will discuss other matters with you personally."

Martin knew it was about that specific plan and nodded, "Let's not abandon the preparations we've made on our side."

"I know," responded Thomas, agreeing before he brought up the Cartier watch endorsement. As a top-tier luxury brand, there were no shortage of Hollywood stars interested in endorsement deals.

Thomas had already forwarded Martin's profile to Cartier's executives and was in talks with them.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The final decision was up to Cartier.

Thomas went on to discuss another matter, "'The Reader' has set its release date, starting with limited screenings in November, initially at only one theatre for the first two weeks."

Martin said, "I spoke with Kate over the phone; the film will be operated as an awards contender."

Their conversation then shifted towards the promotion and distribution of 'The Reader'.

The goal of this film was very clear—targeting the awards season, with its box office success greatly influenced by the season's award outcomes.

'The Reader' would commence with limited screenings in November, and to control public opinion, it would initially be released in only one Los Angeles theatre for the first two weeks.

The smaller the audience a movie has, the easier it is to control its reputation.

'The Reader's awards season strategy wasn't focused on Best Picture or Best Director but prioritized Best Actress and secondarily, Best Actor.

Martin too yearned for another Oscar nomination; whether to boost his profile or aid in ultimate awards success, every bit helped.

Not staying long at WMA, Martin took his leave and went home.

On the weekend, with no need to go to the studio, he simply moved a rattan chair outside, brewed some tea, and settled under the parasol by the poolside, taking out the script for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and diligently studying it.

Martin also occasionally recalled films he had seen before, for cross-reference.

Next week, he was to participate in a costume screen test with the film crew.

Strictly speaking, the role of Benjamin Button posed greater challenges in makeup and special effects than in the complexity of character, which was not as pronounced as the male lead in 'The Reader'.

Martin read through the character script and checked the time; it was almost noon, and Old Cloth still hadn't returned.

It seemed last night had not been easy.

He thought about it, Old Cloth not only had to play the lead role, direct and handle the camera, but he also had to double as the screenwriter, light technician, costume designer, producer, and equipment technician. Maybe he had been too busy?

Right, he probably had to add publicity producer to his roles, responsible for operating that movie.

Martin suddenly realized that Hollywood's most versatile person was right beside him.

"I can't do without Bruce," Martin picked up his tea cup and leisurely took a sip, "Just like the West can't be without Jerusalem."

After finishing the script, he picked up the original novel to continue reading.

The better prepared he was, the smoother it would go later.

As noon approached, Martin was pondering where to scrounge up lunch when the house door automatically opened, and Bruce drove in.

He waved to Martin, "I've brought you lunch."

Martin put down the novel, went over to the garage, took the packed pizza and barbecue from Bruce, and sniffed, "Smells good."

Bruce, looking fatigued, got out of the car and yawned, "It's all your favorite flavors."

Martin, holding the lunch, headed to the poolside, went back to wash his hands, and then brought tableware and beer; Bruce had already tidied up the books and was sitting across from him in a chair.

He grabbed a slice of pizza and started eating voraciously, "I'm starving."

Martin handed him a can of beer, "Too much exertion?"

Bruce swallowed his food, "Nearly killed me, no wonder Jenna says playing the male lead in Sacred Valley films is the toughest."

While eating, Martin said, "Now that you've experienced it firsthand, you might consider a career in Sacred Valley."

Bruce popped the tab on his beer can, took a big gulp, and said, "Acting and directing at the same time, and being ready to go at a moment's notice; it's damn hard. This sort of job isn't as good as it seems, not enjoyable at all, but rather a form of torture. I suspect those male actors are all on drugs."

Martin pointed next door, "Next time you see Jenna, you might want to ask her properly; she is, after all, the best actress and best director."

Bruce clinked his can against Martin's, "No, I won't touch it again. This is the first time, and it's also the last."

Martin said, "I hope so, because I think you can't get away from Kim..."

The two finished lunch and drank the beer dry, after which Bruce cleaned up and disposed of the trash.

Martin remembered the new smartphone he had bought, "There's the latest Apple smartphone in your car, which needs to be given to a few people, take one for yourself."

Bruce went over to open the car door, only taking one out for the moment, unwrapped it, looked at the big screen, and said, "Looks nice."

Martin picked up his own phone and gave it a shake, "The revolutionary new product in Steve Jobs' mouth, the revolutionary among phones."

He remembered rumors about the kidney phone, "Maybe it's the fighter jet among phones as well."

Then he realized something was off, that seemed to be an advertising slogan for another brand of phone from across the Pacific.

Bruce had seen the related news and ads and said, "A smartphone that can surf the internet smoothly, I read on the promotional soft articles that it'll even offer network storage services in the future, letting you store personal files in network drives provided by Apple Inc."

This reminded Martin of the Hollywood blindfold scandal and the stuff Old Cloth had filmed yesterday, so he specifically warned, "Just store ordinary stuff in there, don't keep sensitive things, they're easy for hackers to steal. Those shameless hackers will extort you with it, wait for you to pay up, and then expose you."

"I'm definitely not storing any nude photos there," as Bruce suddenly remembered the video he had filmed last night, he asked, "Would the video I filmed for Kim be stolen if I put it in there?"

Martin said, "This service isn't even out yet and you're already thinking about your tape being leaked? Old Cloth, I see through you; you've got an exhibitionism kink, you're psychologically troubled!"

Bruce retorted, "The one with psychological issues is you, didn't you see the media reports? 'Martin Davis' performance as Joker led to psychological and mental issues, and he is about to become a psychiatric patient.'

Martin shrugged, "Alright, I'm crazy then."

Bruce stopped the nonsense with Martin, instead seeking advice, "You always have a way with dealing with the media and public opinion. How can we operate the video I filmed last night to maximize its influence? We can't have Kim riding on Paris's popularity again."

"Do you know why I was discussing hackers and videos with you just now?" Martin didn't wait for Bruce's answer and went straight on, "I was reminding you."

Bruce thought hard about what Martin had just said and asked, "Do you mean to let the hackers steal the video on purpose?"

Martin said, "I bet the hackers aren't that idle, they wouldn't bother stealing your guys' videos."

Bruce scratched his head, "So what exactly should we do? Come on, give me some inspiration, seeing as I brought you lunch."

Martin got serious, dispensing with the jokes, "Continuing from what we just talked about, what if your video with Kim was stolen by a hacker, and the hacker contacted Kim to extort her, what should she do?"

Bruce said, "The whole point for Kim is that she wants the video to be exposed."

"That's too passive," Martin said. "Actually, there is a way not only to escape from being extorted but also to turn a passive situation into an active one."

Bruce urged, "Stop beating around the bush, tell me."

Martin said, "To beat the extortionist to it, expose the stolen photos or videos first. Of course, don't just send it out; you have to call the police, issue a press release, let everyone know what happened to you and how helpless you felt, that you had no choice but to expose these…"

With an epiphany from the preceding hints, Bruce quickly caught on to the rest, pondering, "The public wouldn't blame, but rather sympathize with Kim, and if Kim cried at a press conference, the majority of the media and public opinion would side with her."

Martin asked, "And Kim doesn't mind the video being leaked."