Chapter 698: Chapter 106 Advantages
From mid-September to early October, Aricans had finally begun to erge slowly from their grief. The blow they suffered was unprecedented, and the iconic twin towers of the World Trade Center would be gone forever. Even if new structures were to be built, they would have no relation to the original pair. Such a loss had deeply shaken the confidence of the nation.
Thus, when the governnt declared that the terrorist event was orchestrated by an organization linked to a fellow whose na was associated with a lamp and that organization admitted to it, the fury of the entire United States population was aid at them. The Bush Administration’s approval ratings surged to unimaginable heights, a complete turnaround from when they were newly elected at the beginning of the year, and the decision to deploy troops passed without difficulty.
But it was precisely because of the public’s anger that the entertainnt industry, particularly the film sector, lost a lot over this extended month. Many movies scheduled for the tail end of the sumr season, hoping to make a quick buck, flopped miserably. By the end of September, box office revenues across North Arica were exceptionally sluggish, only picking up slightly after entering October. A full recovery would take more ti, which is why Adrian had scheduled “She’s All That” for release at the end of October.
However, the entertainnt industry did see so noteworthy events, with two standing out. The first was undoubtedly the popularity of “YOU RAISE UP.” After Christina and Britney perford it during the “United States: A Tribute to Heroes” concert, it imdiately beca a radio hit, with request numbers far surpassing other songs commorating 9/11 from that period, even outperforming Michael Jackson’s subsequent release of “What More Can I Give.”
Both artists were already popular idols, and their renditions of the song gave an imdiate boost to their fa. Christina’s performance was particularly praised for her dynamic vocals, overshadowing Britney and winning over many people’s hearts, although the fans of the two inevitably engaged in heated debates online.
anwhile, sothing music fans might not notice, but which industry professionals could not ignore, was Adrian’s na in the songwriter credits alongside two renowned lyricists. It confird many things, such as the rumors about Britney’s many outstanding songs involving him, undoubtedly adding another layer to Adrian’s already impressive reputation.
Yet, this was not the most significant increase in stature. The halo of a patriot was more eye-catching than any other at this ti, also becoming one of the most significant and most focused-on events in the entertainnt circle between September and October. The Miracle Director from Hollywood and Chairman of AC dia, Adrian Cowell, in a personal capacity, donated 100 million US dollars to establish a brand-new foundation to help the families of victims from 9/11!
The foundation’s operations were entirely transparent, and when he spoke of inviting Congress and governnt officials to oversee it, he truly did, assembling a supervisory committee. Every expenditure was detailed and published online for public inquiry, even down to how much toilet paper was used in the restrooms. Compared to the scandal-ridden Red Cross Association and nurous other troubled charities, this foundation grew almost at a flying pace. After scrutiny, the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett announced their donations would also be managed by this foundation, further propelling its growth, and countless citizens added their own contributions.
Of course, although it would take ti for Adrian’s 100 million in charity to be fully accounted for, it was still the largest individual donation by far, and his reputation as both a patriot and a major philanthropist spread worldwide.
“How could you go ahead with such a high-profile act without calling ? You really disappoint , Ed!” Claude waved the newspaper and exclaid “indignantly” in the CEO’s office of AC dia.
“Obviously, a high-profile act like this could only be done by ,” Adrian said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders while lounging on the sofa.
The next second, the two burst out laughing. It was rare for the head of a dia conglorate to appear in the spotlight, partly because they controlled the dia, but also because excessive exposure wasn’t suitable and could easily give opponents an opportunity. To put it bluntly, the dia industry manipulates public opinion, so both Redstone and Murdoch tended to appear less in entertainnt news than in financial dia.
But AC dia was different. Adrian already had the status of a famous director and was always navigating between the public eye and behind the scenes. As long as the journalists focused only on his role as a director, he remained quite magnanimous. And with Claude handling specific operational affairs, even if soone wanted to interfere, they would have to drive a wedge between them first—but was that even possible?
Therefore, their combination actually held more advantage. The more radiant Adrian beca, the more he positively impacted AC dia’s publicity, as long as Claude always kept a low profile. So, the words they were saying now were just in jest.
“You’re right, Ed, this disaster will indeed profoundly change everything,” Claude sighed as he sat back down, furrowing his brows and looking out the window as if he wanted to say sothing, but eventually, he shifted the topic, “You know, there are reports that the Bush Administration is brewing a bill that would allow governnt agencies to search through individuals’ and businesses’ various records at will, probably enacted in the latter half of this month.”
Adrian knew what he originally wanted to say, but such matters were better understood than spoken out loud. The connection between Wall Street and Congress Hill had been so tight over more than two hundred years of Arica’s founding that it was inseparable, so he continued along with Claude’s topic, “That’s pretty normal. After such an incident, national security will be the governnt’s top priority for a considerable length of ti, maybe for years or even decades. This bill is just the start. Don’t worry about it, Claude. It might greatly affect ordinary people, but for us, it’s just a minor inconvenience.”
“Yes, I know, there are so things…” Claude shook his head, but then said, “However, the Bush Administration, or should I say the Conservative, needs a dia group that’s completely tilted in their direction, guess who they’ll pick.”
“No need to guess,” Adrian laughed heartily, “Murdoch has more than once declared himself a Conservative in public, and after being pressured by us for so long, the Republicans just need to hint, and he’ll surely stick to them imdiately.”
“You’re not worried at all,” Claude raised an eyebrow.
“What’s there to be worried about,” Adrian spread his hands, “this isn’t the United Kingdom, fully leaning toward the Republicans is just another layer of protection for him, and our advantages outpace his by far.”
News Corporation soared in the new century, and Murdoch’s seizing of the opportunity provided by 9/11 to cling to the Bush Administration or, to say, the Republican Party, was no small factor. Conveniently, the Republican Party also needed a dia group that was wholly and thoroughly biased toward them, so the deal was quickly struck. With their support, plus properly executed operational strategies, News Corporation might have suffered losses elsewhere, but Fox News Channel and their film and television endeavors saw significant growth.
But now things were different. AC dia erged from nowhere and held advantages over News Corporation in all aspects. Of course, neither Adrian nor Claude would completely lean towards the Republican Party. Even if Uncle Anderson was a supporter of the Republican Party, every country needed so dia to broadcast neutral or seemingly neutral voices—otherwise, how could they manipulate public opinion?
In his past life, whether Murdoch, Redstone, or Eisner, they were all Jewish. Sony, though inviting Aricans to act as CEOs, remained under Japanese control—Hollywood was essentially divvied up. The Conservatives had no choice, and unlike Murdoch and Redstone, he was an Australian immigrant, an outsider besides being Jewish. So when he extended the olive branch, they chose to take it.
And this was the advantage Adrian spoke of. He and Claude were both born and bred Aricans with no Jewish ancestry to speak of, which in so people’s eyes, made them unequivocally one of their own. The rise and expansion of AC dia were just the opportunities they needed. The reason their dia group could develop so smoothly was not just due to Adrian’s incredible foresight and Claude’s excellent operational thods; this too was a significant factor.
Having lived two lives, Adrian saw this clearer than anyone. Therefore, he was repeatedly grateful for his good fortune. As long as he didn’t foolishly oppose mainstream society, with such advantages, why worry about News Corporation?
The Conservative wing could exploit Murdoch more unscrupulously, driving him to compete against groups like Viacom, Disney, and others, while AC dia stood to the side, reaping benefits from both ends. After all, Murdoch was not only Jewish and an Australian immigrant, but he had also married a Chinese wife from the mainland.
This was a significant issue, even if it was confird that the woman had no relations with mainland officials and had risen entirely through her own abilities, it remained a major concern.
As is well known, in the United States and the West, although Chinese Aricans are hardworking and wealthy, their political status has always been low. It’s foolish to say that Chinese Aricans are not keen on politics; in my previous life, wherever I went in entertainnt venues, there were plenty voicing their opinions on politics. The lively election scenes in Taiwan also illustrated so issues. So why then is the political status of Chinese Aricans still so low in the West?
Before the 1950s, fear of politics and the desire to make money were indeed significant factors, but afterward, they faced a problem: you say you’re loyal to the United States, how can you prove it?
This is why Chinese people cannot, like African Aricans, Latinos, or Arabs, boldly claim their political rights without reservation. Behind them is a country that the United States has always viewed and been wary of. You want to fight for your political rights? First, abandon or even denounce your ancestors.
For instance, if an influential Chinese-Arican figure, who also held status within the Chinese Union, was friendly towards China and seldom attacked it. If one day he strongly opposed certain governnt asures, even going public at large rallies and supporting the governnt’s opponents, it wouldn’t be long before the FBI or CIA would start investigating him, the IRS would be checking his accounts every other day, and the dia wouldn’t rest until they turned his private life upside down. Even if there was no issue, they would fabricate one, and then…
This is not sensationalist talk. Anti-discrimination movents seem to thrive, but under-the-radar discrimination never ceased, especially when national interests were involved.
If Ms. Deng made certain statents that might garner more support for Murdoch in the United States, but as for China… It should be noted that a significant reason Murdoch married her was for the Chinese market.
Of course, Murdoch could have been employing a swing strategy, which proved quite successful in exploiting the honeymoon period between China and the United States, before a certain event. Unfortunately for him, with AC dia now in play, Adrian and Claude would ultimately benefit more from sitting on the fence. Moreover, Adrian held a card that could inflict major losses on News Corporation in soone else’s hands but could shake their foundation in AC dia’s possession.
“Anyway, there’s no need to pay them too much attention; just keep a close eye on them,” Adrian shrugged his shoulders, “The ratings for ’24’ are quite good.”
The “24” he referred to was naturally that well-known anti-terrorism TV series. Last year, he had Universal snap up the TV series before Fox could, at a ti when no one knew such significant events would take place this year, so Fox did not compete with Universal for it. After purchasing it, the series wasn’t broadcast imdiately but was only aired in mid-October soon after 9/11—after the people had experienced pain and healing.
While the film industry suffered huge losses due to 9/11, the impact on television series was minimal due to the ubiquitous presence of TVs in hos. Coupled with fitting the public’s desire to eradicate terrorists and the innovative concept of depicting an hour’s events in each episode, the series made a compact and novel storyline. As soon as it was broadcast, it gained tens of millions in viewership rates, causing many TV industry professionals to sigh internally. ABC had yet another strong new series.
Of course, Kiefer Sutherland was still the lead, because Adrian had moved early. Julia hadn’t gotten engaged to him, let alone caused a runaway bride fiasco, but the actresses playing his wife and daughter had changed. In light of the fact that the Pacific region had called to offer condolences and express full support for the United States’ anti-terrorism efforts as soon as they heard the news of 9/11, the China and United States honeymoon period was descending once again, so Bao Xiaoqiang’s wife was now Asian, and his daughter was of mixed heritage.
As a result, Kelly Hu, still the leading lady in “Alias,” took on the role of his wife, while the role of his daughter, though the original was now Adrian’s private flight attendant, was still being played by Canadian-born Kristin Kreuk from Vancouver. She should have rocketed to teen idol status in “Smallville,” which Warner was about to launch, but now, because of Adrian, she had co to the set of “24.”
Pure, cute yet lively, and with so impressive bedroom skills, Adrian rely flicked his finger when he returned to London for the sumr break and prepared for 9/11, and she willingly stripped and lay down on the bed. The young lass was particularly enthusiastic, giving Adrian quite the thrill and incidentally so better ideas.
Okay, bringing the topic back, this isn’t the United Kingdom, where Murdoch’s News Corporation doesn’t hold a monopoly on dia, nor is it China, with less governntal interference, so ultimately we still look to strength. And with a freak like Adrian at AC dia, how could Fox possibly surpass it, especially considering AC dia’s vast resources. In fact, the reason why CNN eventually couldn’t compete with Fox News was partly because Warner didn’t have a big enough TV network.
“This is my view, Claude,” Adrian concluded in the end, “And besides, I have a lot of non-movie and TV production ideas I haven’t yet brought to fruition.”
“Really?” Claude raised an eyebrow, “You know what I think, Ed? Every ti you say that, I feel like I’m about to see a lot of profit coming my way.”
“You’re not wrong, Claude, only not right now,” Adrian said, and burst into laughter with his buddy.
The future planning discussion ended there for the mont; Adrian always decided the general direction and Claude was responsible for implentation. Adrian kept an eye on the company through Ivanka, and Claude would first reach out to him for any issues. Thus, Adrian returned to “The Matrix” crew and filming resud.
Actually, although the production had been paused due to 9/11, it was already back at work in early October. However, Adrian had been busy with his charity work, so the efficiency was never high. But with the charity fund now on the right track, as long as they maintained complete transparency, there wouldn’t be any major issues. Adrian’s reputation as a major philanthropist and patriot had already echoed throughout the United States and the world, so of course, it was necessary to speed up the production.
You see, due to 9/11, many things had been postponed. Avril’s birthday had been incredibly quiet, as no one had parties then, so in the end, it was rely Stuart’s family plus Adrian and a few of Avril’s friends having a casual chat at Stuart’s house, joking around and praying for the victims.
Although Adrian planned lots around 9/11, he had forgotten about these production backup plans, but that was normal; even he couldn’t be omnipotent. A delay is a delay, after all, and things were still under his control, right? Thus, rather than dwell on this, it was better to deal with current troubles. After finishing the action scenes, the drama was next, and the eting between Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, and the Frenchman was a highlight of the drama in the second film.
“This really is the most flattered I’ve been in my life, to actually act opposite the great Adrian Cowell!” Reeves exclaid in an overly dramatic tone, his facial expression nothing like the stoic one on cara.
Despite the urge to kill him with a look, Adrian just glared at him, took a glance at the giggling Monica and Sophie, eventually sighed, and after briefing the assistant director, he walked to the make-up room resigned to his fate. (To be continued. If you like this work, welco to vote and support on qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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