"He truly lives up to being Rupert Murdoch. I thought he would hesitate for a while, but he agreed imdiately." Claude remarked after leaving the club.
"Because he doesn’t have a better choice. As an old fox, he knows very well what’s in his best interest. In terms of decisive action, we indeed fall short compared to old tirs like him who’ve been struggling for decades," Adrian shrugged, "but regardless, we’ve achieved our goal."
The so-called open stratagem, simply put, is knowing there’s a pit ahead and still having to jump in. Adrian and Claude didn’t want News Corporation to make any substantial compensation, and even expressed willingness to help them through this tough period, as long as Murdoch steps down. It seed like it was just to win one round, but that’s not the whole story.
Once Murdoch leaves his current position, even though he can still firmly control the News Corporation board through his sons, it’s impossible for him to wield power as smoothly as before. Moreover, there’s constant conflict within the Murdoch family. Without old Murdoch’s suppression, his children will inevitably have so disputes, and perhaps the ex-wife who cares for her children might secretly join in, dealing with all of these will consu a lot of his energy.
In such a situation, News Corporation’s operation rhythm is bound to slow down, which can lead to issues. The experiences where Adrian and Claude were previously sched against have already shown this. So, News Corporation is bound to adopt more conservative strategies, moving forward with a mindset of seeking no success but avoiding failure for a long ti, which is undoubtedly a good opportunity for other dia corporations, hence Redstone and the others almost said nothing afterward.
Murdoch certainly won’t be reconciled, but the problem is this is already his best choice. Wall Street certainly won’t watch News Corporation gradually decline, the reason they participated in suppressing AC dia and later News Corporation is mainly that they don’t want to see an overly powerful dia conglorate. Just like Adrian’s Hollywood strategy, if a tree towers among the forest, rely erging a few treetops is fine, but too many will inevitably attract a big storm.
Both AC dia and News Corporation have this capability, but News Corporation always belongs to outsiders, while AC dia is too closed, so when there’s a chance to suppress them, Wall Street acted without hesitation. In fact, in another tiline, the News Corporation phone hacking scandal fernted to that extent partly due to these behind-the-scenes influencers.
Anyway, Wall Street may not let News Corporation collapse, but they’re happy to see Murdoch ousted, and Adrian and Claude posed an "if you don’t agree, we’ll boot you out" attitude, so naturally, the lesser of two evils was chosen.
Besides, he’s not completely powerless. Waiting a while to gracefully step down implies giving him ti to pave the way. Additionally, being accustod to working behind the scenes, he might still play unforeseen roles in the future. Adrian and Claude never truly wanted to fight News Corporation to the death, that would only benefit others. Murdoch stepping down gives AC dia ample ti on one hand, and indeed saves face on the other.
Therefore, Murdoch, who had been plotting for a long ti before coming here, carefully weighed the situation and ultimately agreed directly.
"No matter what, we won, more completely than Murdoch," Adrian smiled and added.
"Indeed, won more thoroughly," Claude glanced at him with so complexity.
Alright, predicting the subpri crisis and detecting Madoff’s fraud sche was impressive, and he even sent people to World News initially thinking it was just a casual move... But so what?
"You’re right, Ed," Claude extended his fist, "as long as we’re close, we’re invincible."
Adrian laughed, extended his fist to bump his, "Of course, we’re the best partners, the best brothers."
The two laughed sincerely, walking down the stairs towards the club parking lot.
"By the way, what do you plan to do about that reporter?"
"In two weeks, people will find his car wreckage under the seaside cliff, then various conspiracy theories will pop up one after another, and then — Nordic is a good place for retirent."
"Okay, you’ve got it all planned... So, how about we go for a drink now?"
"Um... sorry, Crow, I have an appointnt in the afternoon."
"Oh, damn, who is it this ti?"
"Ashley Greenie, just like Brooklyn Decker, playing a key role in the soon-to-be-released Twilight film, quite a charming young lady."
"Wait, weren’t you previously with that so-called socialite, uh... Olivia Wilde? Is that the na?"
"It’s Olivia Palermo, though they’re both nad Olivia, they have different surnas. Wasn’t there hype saying Olivia Palermo is the prototype of Blair in Gossip Girl? If so, I surely had to call her over to see. Overall, she’s alright, her aura is sowhat better than Leighton’s, but her figure is slightly lacking, more like a younger version of Julia. Of course, I did date Olivia Wilde too; she’s fiery like a little fox, but alas..."
"Alright, alright, stop telling your romantic exploits."
"Haha."
The subpri crisis continues to spread, mortgage companies go bankrupt one after another, financial market chaos abounds, but so industries thrive against the trend, like film and dia. When a financial crisis hits, people always escape to the cinema, using various films to relax and stay away from trouble, even though News Corporation suffers from the hacking scandal, Fox Film still profits well.
So, Adrian continues his own legend, especially after crossing 2007. When the Oscar nomination list was announced in early 2008, it once again made countless people dejected or resentful.
Although he didn’t get many nominations this ti, neither did he get the two most important ones: Best Picture and Best Director, but the Best Actress and... Best Foreign Language Film nomination still drew enough enmity. Yes, at the end of December 2007, after over a year of rest, the Miracle Director or Super Director Adrian Cowell released his new work, a film about Japan’s funeral industry.
The dialogues were mostly in Japanese, with only rare English lines, funded by Japanese capital, coupled with good reception, so the Best Foreign Language Film nomination ca without difficulty. Imdiately, many people beca unsettled again, a Variety magazine contributor even jokingly wrote in his online column: is the Miracle Director planning to win all the Oscar awards once?
Certainly, there’s also Yukie Nakama’s Best Actress, the first ti in nearly thirty years an Asian has been nominated for Best Actress, that’s absolute big news. It’s because of this that the female version of Departures sparked polarized reviews upon simultaneous Japan and North Arica release. Praises claim the Miracle Director precisely grasped the cultural essence of the Yamato race, producing a work even native directors might struggle to create. Criticisms can’t quite say that, since 80% of the scenes fully replicate Japanese daily life, so fire focuses on complaints like "understanding is still superficial" and "awkward forced Arican cultural insertion."
In North Arica though, perhaps because most haven’t seen Japanese rural life, there’s overwhelming praise for the exotic ambiance and distinct cultural life reflections.
However, after the nomination list erged, such voices from Japan suddenly quieted entirely, aligning with North Arica in grand applause. Best Foreign Language Film nomination is one reason, Nakama Yukie’s Best Actress is another. Until now, Yukie is holding a green card—anyway, with Adrian around, she can change nationality anyti—so, despite living in the United States for over a decade, she’s still a Japanese citizen.
So, Yukie, who has nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, instantly beca a role model for Japanese artists, and thus, Japan’s critics quickly unified their opinions. The speed of the change was astonishing, showing just how deep the influence of the United States on Japan is.
Of course, more importantly, their eyes are still fixed on the Oscar awards ceremony. Not only the Japanese, but Aricans, Asians, all are very concerned because... this is a work by the miracle director who has fostered countless Miracle Girls!
Unfortunately, Aricans breathed a sigh of relief, while Asians were disappointed, as the Best Actress award finally went to Helen Mirren, who starred in "The Queen," which was released after a one-year delay. Although it’s not unprecedented for a person of Japanese descent to win Best Actress at the Oscars, that was in the fifties and sixties, and now, unless under very special circumstances, it’s impossible for an Asian to win Best Actress.
Interestingly, even so, there are still mainland netizens complaining, hoping the miracle director could soday direct a film about China.
Additionally, it’s worth ntioning that Kate was nominated for Best Actress again this year, thanks to the movie "Nothing But the Truth," which is another undeniable example of Adrian’s dark humor.
The music aspect was sowhat lacking but still eye-catching. After Adrian’s ticulous planning, Christina broke records by winning six Golden Grammophones at the beginning of the year, attracting significant attention from the music industry. Her album’s sales might not surpass Britney’s super album, but it definitely will leave a significant mark in Grammy history.
Of course, this led Britney, Avril, and Taylor to join forces that night, using all kinds of ans to pressure Adrian. Interestingly, Avril led the charge, Taylor incited from the sidelines, and Britney was marginalized—after the Madoff fraud case was exposed, Adrian managed to put Scott back inside for a few days before letting him out again.
When he initially learned about his work association with Madoff, Adrian was already calculating this. But back then, Madoff was not easy to bring down, and given Taylor had other weaknesses, nothing was done. Now, after indirectly attacking him, coupled with taking advantage of Taylor’s playful psychology to the point she was utterly under his control, he had her firmly in his grasp.
In both film and music, it’s similar in the realm of seduction. After the release of "Twilight," Amanda Pitt and January Jones couldn’t escape either, and soon after, just like in "Desperate Housewives," they had a chaotic night influenced by marijuana without Kristen, Amber, and Dakota.
Initially, he wanted to have a similar event with the girls from "Gossip Girl," but first, Amber and Teresa hadn’t reached that stage, and second, Jamie was still slightly too young—not that he couldn’t make a move, as Britney was devoured by him around this age. Mainly he’d need to guard against Old Spears doing sothing stupid. He was too short-sighted, and Jamie wasn’t as long-term influenced as Britney, so he had to wait a little longer.
However, it doesn’t matter; there were gains elsewhere. After "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" was released in 2007, "Half-Blood Prince" quickly began scheduling, and naturally, Lavender Brown’s casting began. With Adrian’s direct interference once again, Rosie Jones from Surrey County, England, won the role. No surprises, he personally checked her out in bed, particularly those breasts comparable to Keeley’s.
So, as the Harry Potter series movies approach their conclusion, "the schoolgirls falling into the hands of the Death Eaters" is likely about to also be scheduled.
Moreover, Adrian’s range of conquests doesn’t stop there. On August 15, 2008, when Arican gymnast Nastia Liukin won the Won’s All-Around with elegant and alluring moves at the National Sports Stadium, only her coaches knew she didn’t stay in the Olympic Village on the nights leading up to the competition but rather under the body of a certain man in a room on the top floor of the Pangu Plaza Hotel.
Apparently, the idea that sex can help female gymnasts perform better is not entirely false. Of course, it must be moderate, as it was her mistake in the won’s team event a few days later that turned what should have been a silver dal for the US team into a bronze.
Despite having already tasted the charm of gymnasts with Khorkina, and despite her enduring flexibility that allowed for plenty of difficult moves, her age was slightly advanced. So Adrian wanted to try sothing younger. Particularly at the end of sumr in 2007, after making Nina Dobrev obediently strip during "The Vampire Diaries," even a relatively amateur gymnast had her allure, so he straightforwardly captured the well-known US gymnast, Nastia Liukin.
For her Russian immigrant family, being able to hold onto such a big shot is splendid.
Moreover, the famous so-called number one beauty of Silicon Valley, Google’s Vice President, Marissa Mayer, was also ensnared by him—though Adrian had tried to flirt with Marissa before, she wasn’t very receptive. Yet, unfortunately, when he got serious, she quickly lost her senses.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting that the desperate Jennifer Lawrence signed with DP after her 18th birthday, becoming one of the adult actresses, and her debut quickly hit the screens.
What can I say, her acting is indeed impressive, making Adrian regret letting her beco an adult actress after watching it. But the idea was gone in a flash; once pushed, why pull her back up? Moreover, they had already pulled Stoya up, so they had to push soone down for balance, not to ntion "The Hunger Gas" was already decided for Kristen.
Besides, Jennifer Lawrence is not particularly beautiful, and there are plenty prettier than her, so why insist? If indeed regrettable, let her make a few more adult films with the Porn Queen, Monica Cruz, and Mila Kunis, and crown her as the heir to the Porn Queen title.
He is the kind of person who always gets what he wants, does what he desires, and creates miracles as if nothing is beyond his reach. He represents Hollywood; perhaps he can’t dominate it at will, just like the US President often represents interest groups, but his influence is undeniable. He is more like... the King of Hollywood!
---------
The car door opened, and the flashlights along both sides of the red carpet started flashing rapidly. Even as softly exclaid sighs ca from the crowd, the speed of shutter clicks never slowed down.
Wearing a well-cut suit, with distinct angular features, a slight stubble, and a subtly expressive smile, he appeared both sincere and approachable, as if he could beco a friend at any mont, yet carrying a high-and-almighty air of mystery.
Won liked him because he could make them happy with just a few words; n liked him because he was adept at counseling them; actors liked him because he represented opportunities; producers liked him because his movies always sold well; journalists liked him because they could always find big stories about him; the Film Academy liked him because he constantly discovered high-quality films catering to Arican society’s tastes; Wall Street liked him because he always found more valuable investnt projects; the left liked him because his works always aligned with their tastes; the right liked him because his wealth and background naturally aligned him with their side.
Won disliked him because he always wanted to get them into bed; n disliked him because he was skilled at stealing won and always succeeded; actors disliked him, especially male actors, because they were at a disadvantage compared to actresses; producers disliked him because all the blockbuster films were in his hands; journalists disliked him because his high and ever-shifting standards ant those who crossed the line t dire fates; the Film Academy disliked him because he had taken too many Oscars; Wall Street disliked him because he kept his possessions tightly guarded, preventing them from capitalizing; the left disliked him because his wealth and background naturally placed him on the opposing side; the right disliked him because his works and so of his remarks were often behaviorally biased.
Yet, no matter if they liked or disliked, loved, or hated, they couldn’t deny that he, Adrian Cowell, was the undisputed King of Hollywood.
"This is your first ti walking the Oscar red carpet with a woman, right, Your Majesty?" Kate, following him out of the car and wearing a pure white high-slit evening gown, drew close to his ear and asked.
"Of course, my dear." Adrian chuckled lightly, "Any problem with that?"
"You’re not worried now?" Kate scoffed.
"What’s there to worry about? This is just the 81st Oscars; there will be plenty more, so they’ll have their chances too." Adrian shalessly flicked her cheek amid the flashes of light, "I’ll gradually introduce them all, naturally you’re the first, always the first."
Then, he laughed: "Worry about right now instead. Even though your acting is excellent, and even though I personally directed ’Changeling,’ with ’Departures’ as a precedent, will the judges still give face?"
Kate glared at him but said nothing, only holding his arm tighter as they walked the red carpet, slowly walking toward the sacred Oscar ceremony hall amidst nurous gazes. (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly votes; your support is my greatest motivation.)
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