Hollywood Immortal

[Chapter 365: Dividing the Spoils, Oscar's Gains]

After the court verdict, as expected, The New York Times' stock price began to dip slightly. Since the four senior executives found guilty couldn't produce the hefty fines in cash, the court seized their assets and diligently organized an auction.

Of course, the qualified buyers for the auction were those connected parties who had played a role during the case -- this was essentially the moment to divvy up the spoils, the big payoff. As for the general public wanting to join in, well, they were out of luck. It had nothing to do with them.

The Douglas family, after all, was a century-old established dynasty, well-versed in American charitable fund tax loopholes and benefits. The family's major holdings -- including 28% of The New York Times, 5% of The Wall Street Journal, 4.3% of ABC network, 3.6% of NBC network, and a lavish estate in Long Island, their family stronghold -- were all placed under the Douglas Charity Foundation.

This was precisely why, when Delmont Douglas had his untimely death and the younger Douglas family members feuded over inheritance, these assets were neither split up nor sold but were carefully preserved under the umbrella of the Douglas Charity Foundation.

Since this was a court-ordered auction targeted at a special group, the prices were slashed again and again.

Hillary's representative swept up the 28% stake in The New York Times for $50 million, although the newspaper's market value still hovered around $250 million.

The Department of Justice's Kahn family's representative acquired 5% of The Wall Street Journal for $27 million. Considering the Journal was worth over $900 million, that 5% stake was actually valued at over $45 million.

The FBI Director Lawrence's representative similarly bought 4.3% of ABC at 60% of its market value, and another executive's 3% stake in The New York Times.

The Federal Trade Commission Chair Casio family's representative also bought NBC's 3.6% stake at 60% market value.

Other notable buyers included the director of the FBI's New York office, the chief judge of the New York District Court...

At the end, Hillary's representative also acquired the Long Island estate -- a $50 million luxury property -- for just $10 million.

Thus, the once-glorious Douglas family became history, a fading memory.

On Wall Street, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs had, over the course of more than ten days, slowly unwound their short positions on The New York Times. Their timing had been perfect. Thanks to the ongoing media storm, the stock price never rebounded.

After the auction -- the "divvying up party" -- ended, the heads of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs responsible for the Times case received new orders: it was time to close out their trades.

Soon, they closed out their remaining shorts, then began buying shares at discounted prices, going long on The New York Times stock.

---

Coincidentally, on the night of March 25th -- the very same day the New York District Court held the auction -- the 67th Academy Awards ceremony took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Although Linton Anderson wasn't nominated for any Oscar that year, the Academy invited him once again to serve as a presenter. This time, he was tasked with presenting the Best Actress award.

Four movies produced by Linton Films -- Pulp Fiction, Get Out, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Rock -- all received Oscar nominations.

The leading ladies from Linton's entourage were all dressed to the nines, shining on the red carpet.

Only Nicole Kidman sighed sincerely, noting that compared to the frantic months of dieting and beauty prep in previous years, this year was surprisingly relaxed -- and more importantly, she felt better and more flawless than ever before.

It was worth mentioning that everyone wanted to walk the red carpet with Linton, but that was impossible.

Finally, Linton thought: his playboy reputation was already legendary in Hollywood, and his fans didn't mind. Plus, Madonna was now five months pregnant, and despite crazy media speculation, neither of them denied it. Most people already knew the child was his.

He figured that even though he couldn't marry her, this public display would at least show he was responsible, owning up to the situation.

As he escorted the obviously pregnant Madonna onto the red carpet, the crowd erupted. Reporters rushed to shove microphones toward him.

"Mr. Anderson, are you going public with Madonna?"

"Linton, are you going to marry Madonna?"

"When's the wedding?"

Protecting Madonna from the press onslaught, Linton answered offhandedly, "Madonna and I are very good friends, but marriage isn't in the cards for now. Tonight's about the Oscars -- I'd appreciate it if you focus on congratulating the winners."

---

Unsurprisingly, Forrest Gump won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. Tom Hanks successfully repeated as Best Actor, becoming the night's biggest winner.

Pulp Fiction also did well, scoring Best Original Screenplay, with Quentin Tarantino winning Best Director and Winona Ryder taking home Best Supporting Actress.

The Get Out team saw Sophie Marceau winning Best Actress.

The Rock clinched Best Sound Effects.

After the ceremony, considering Madonna's condition, Linton and the women in his harem skipped the Oscar after-party and headed home early.

---

Their butler, Amy, had prepared a sumptuous dinner. Though they hadn't done much preparation for the Oscars, going hungry beforehand was necessary; by the time they arrived home, everyone was starving.

After a simple meal and taking turns admiring the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress trophies, all eyes turned to Linton with burning anticipation.

When Linton promised to find ways to secure Oscar opportunities for all of them in the future, the room erupted in excitement.

Taking advantage of the moment, Madonna gathered the ladies upstairs to change for the party that was just getting started...

Another sleepless night was sure to follow...

---

The next day, the news of Linton escorting Madonna on the red carpet dominated most media front pages, completely overshadowing even the newly crowned Best Actor and Actress.

Most media outlets speculated about when Linton and Madonna would wed, while many harshly criticized Linton as a total cad, since his statements from the night before didn't align with public expectations.

With Forrest Gump and Get Out being summer blockbusters, only Pulp Fiction, which was still in theatres, stood to benefit from the Oscar bump at the box office.

After expanding screenings for a month, Pulp Fiction's box office hit $115 million. However, daily earnings had plummeted to less than $1.5 million, with theaters reducing its presence to 400 cinemas and 600 screens.

Spurred by the Oscar wins, on March 26th, theaters re-expanded the release to 1,500 cinemas and 2,100 screens.

That day's box office pleasantly surged to $5.8 million.

The film's final box office might reach $135 million.

*****

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