America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In a luxurious club in Beverly Hills, the screening of "Infernal Affairs" had just concluded, and the guests moved into the spacious entertainment hall, where the production team had prepared exquisite food and fine wines to make every attendee feel right at home.

Martin mingled among them, striving to leave a lasting impression on his colleagues, critics, and well-known journalists.

The Rita Baker Team, jointly hired by Louise and Kelly, had already dispersed throughout the venue, engaging in more aggressive lobbying efforts.

Not just newcomers like Martin, who had been in the industry for only three years, but even a seasoned director like Scorsese, with forty years under his belt, was doing the same thing.

Public relations, in the eyes of the Academy, were seen as a display of due respect and a demonstration of competitive spirit.

But the predominantly White, elderly men with an average age of 62 could be particularly fussy, easily interpreting too much PR as a shameless grab for awards.

Balancing this effort required a great deal of thought and care.

The screening event was over, and the guests departed with plenty to talk about.

As the sponsor of the event, Coca-Cola had prepared an appropriate small gift for everyone.

The cast and crew relaxed, their faces showing visible signs of fatigue.

Martin felt ten times more exhausted than after Heidi Klum's two-day single party revelry.

The thought of enduring over two more months made Scorsese look utterly dispirited.

Among those present, only Nicholson, with his three Oscars, appeared at ease.

It was as if he was watching a bunch of monkeys playing tricks.

Having three Oscars does give one that level of calm.

Martin glanced at the other two members of the Trio of Scoundrels and invited Scorsese, "Director, there's a special way that can completely relax you and restore your energy to full."

Scorsese said, "Don't mess with that nonsense."

Leonardo understood what he meant, "The three of us don't touch that stuff."

Martin said, "We are absolutely against gambling and drugs!"

Nicholson said, "How could we possibly set you up."

Scorsese agreed, "Let's go."

Martin led the three men from the underground parking lot into an unassuming car, heading straight for the Night Color Club.

The Face Gang had a new member.

As the wheels rolled over the ground, Scorsese's fatigue dissipated, and he was instantly rejuvenated.

"How's that?" Martin asked.

Scorsese gave a thumbs up, praising, "So this is how you guys perk up in a way that's healthy for both mind and body. It works well!"

"Life is meant to be enjoyed," Nicholson said spiritedly, "Like you, working your tail off for your kids and ex-wife."

Martin and Leonardo said nothing, but took the lesson to heart.

However, everyone has their own preferences, and Scorsese, reveling in the fun, was even thinking about trying for a seventh child in a test tube.

...

Under the night sky of the City of Angels, countless secret activities were underway.

In another strip club, seven dancers came out of the VIP room, with three of them having wrinkled, pale toes, as if they had been soaked in water too long.

Quentin pulled out a tissue, wiped his mouth, and said, "Getting things done isn't easy, isn't sabotage your specialty?"

Harvey's plump face trembled with fat, "You're right, even I have to go all out to clinch an Oscar during awards season, with no guarantee of success, but destruction is always easier than construction, especially when Martin Davis's weakness is so clear, and it's an objective factor that can't be eliminated."

Pitt swallowed the toe-flavored saliva and said, "This small thing, it's too easy."

Harvey smiled silently, oozing the aura of a big-shot.

This confidence was built upon many successful campaigns.

In the '98 awards season, the hot favorite was "Saving Private Ryan", but when voting time arrived, Los Angeles was abuzz with negative rumors about the film, and many UK and US World War II veterans stood up through the media to attack its gross inaccuracies, causing the film pushed by Harvey to triumph in the end. Your journey continues on empire

The classic case of Shakespeare beating the soldier was one Oscar would never forget.

Of course, old soldiers didn't have that much interest to spontaneously focus on the Oscars.

In '03, "Chicago" went head-to-head with "The Pianist", the latter directed by Polanski who had a past filled with dark rumors; Harvey barely needed to exert himself to remind people of that history.

Then there was the less successful attempt to attack the subject of "A Beautiful Mind" Nash as anti-Semitic, which, in Hollywood and the wider American entertainment industry, could signal the end of a career, yet the overzealous approach yielded moderate results.

Harvey looked at Brad Pitt, saying, "Did you say you had someone coming over? When will they get here?"

Pitt replied, "They'll be here any minute."

Harvey waved his hand lightly, "If you're going to do it, don't hesitate, just be bold. It's all according to plan, and they're your enemies. It's no big deal."

He laughed heartily, "Just do as we discussed."

Thinking of Jolie and Aniston, thinking of "The Death of a Gunfighter" which Warner Bros. had been pressing down with no confirmed release date, Pitt didn't hesitate and left the private room. He waited a bit in the hall and was joined by Richard, the editor-in-chief of "Empire" magazine.

The place was too chaotic, so the two went to a nearby pub.

Richard settled into a booth and said bluntly, "Big star, you needed to see me?"

The two had often worked together, so Pitt got straight to the point, "Nothing major, just need some press."

Richard asked, "About who?"

Choosing his words carefully, Pitt said, "Have you noticed that most of the media in Los Angeles are singing Martin Davis's praises? They act as if the Best Supporting Actor role he's eyeing is already his."

Richard, who knew more, said, "As far as I am aware, he's only making a bid for the nomination."

Pitt continued, "Considering that 'House of Wax' has just been released, Martin's been in Hollywood for just over two years. A 25-year-old actor already pulling in ten million US dollar salaries, ready to take on the Oscars... When Tom Cruise was at this stage, many veteran actors who had struggled for years were still waiting in line. Who does he think he is?"

"The topic is certainly interesting," Richard understood, realizing that expressing a different opinion amidst all the praise would easily attract attention.

Meanwhile, a reporter from "US Rumors" received a new lead and immediately rushed to work overtime at the newspaper office through the night.

...…

The next morning.

Martin returned from his morning run and was having breakfast.

Thomas's call came through: "Check out US Rumors, there's an article about you."

Martin said a word and Bruce went to the mailbox at the door, brought back many newspapers, and found US Rumors among them.

The newspaper published a story on its second page in a fairly prominent position.

Martin read it thoroughly.

"According to reliable information, famous movie star Martin Davis had once been entangled with local gangs and drug dealers in Atlanta before he made it big, with extremely complex relations and multiple disputes, the specifics of which are confusing. According to his old neighbor in Marietta, Martin once shot and injured someone..."

Martin handed the paper to Bruce: "They sure know a lot about my past."

Bruce read it quickly and said, "These pencil-pushers are damn talented; what they write is all based on facts."

Martin nodded, "Facts, but only parts of them."

Indeed, he had been involved with gangs and drug dealers and had shot someone, but it had been in self-defense.

However, the report made it easy for people to get the impression that he was one of those scoundrels, even implicating him in shootings...

Bruce asked, "Should we send a lawyer's letter?"

Martin shook his head, "It's useless."

Now it was December, and when these kinds of stories appeared at this time of year, it was very obviously targeted.

Bruce speculated, "The work of a competitor?"

"Possibly." Though it was gossip in the tabloids, Martin still took it seriously and took out his phone to call Thomas, "I'm coming to see you."

The two left and drove to Century City, where Martin also called Jessica, asking her to monitor the Internet for any related movements.

Jessica replied, "There's nothing on the Internet for the time being."

Arriving in Century City, Martin had just entered Thomas's office when Thomas handed him the latest issue of "Empire": "It must be a deliberate and planned action."

Martin took it, and the magazine was already opened to the page of the related report.

"In the currently showing 'Infernal Affairs,' Martin Davis's performance has been highly praised, but in front of seasoned actors like Nicholson, he still appears green and naive, which we can understand.

From the premiere of 'House of Wax,' when Martin Davis made his official big-screen debut, it's been only two years since he entered the circle, just a new actor, certainly no match for many veteran actors who have struggled for years..."

Bruce was right next to Martin, also reading.

"It seems to be all facts." He pondered the words carefully and felt something was amiss: "There seems to be another implication between the lines."

Thomas spoke plainly, "This report clearly tells everyone that Martin is a newcomer with shallow experience, only in the industry for just over two years."

Martin continued, "The average age of the Oscar jury members is as high as 62 years old, most have been through years of struggles to attain a certain status. Why was Tom Cruise ousted due to his 'fresh-milk scent' back in the day? It was because he got famous and made lots of money too easily at a young age."

Thomas stated, "Such types of actors are never favorites among the academy's veteran members..."

He pointed out a reality, "The Oscars for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, from the nominations to the awards, have always been dominated by middle-aged and older men."

Martin was aware of this and said, "They pick a key time to spread rumors... no, these aren't rumors, but the objective realities of my past, undoubtedly targeted at me."

These were also his weaknesses that his opponents had grabbed onto and stabbed him with.

Bruce asked, "How big is the impact?"

"US Rumors is manageable, being gossip media," Thomas said. "Empire has a much larger influence, though."

Martin thought for a moment and said, "Let's move up the interview."

He told Bruce, "Touch base with Atlanta and Jody; I remember that Jody went to work at TMZ."

Thomas reminded, "It would be best to find out who is behind this."

Martin, looking at the issue of Empire, was reminded of something, the author of 'Endless' had worked there for many years.