American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 123 Settlement Time: A Myriad of Events
Fox's decision to surrender prompted Warner Bros. and Disney to back down.

Well, after all, Barry Mayer and Robert Iger were after power.

If they could swallow Fox and News Corp. without any losses, they would certainly be willing to do so. But when Rupert Murdoch is not the kind of person who is willing to surrender easily, pushing him into a corner is not a good thing for either of them.

With Warner Bros. and Disney withdrawing from the fray, NBC and CBS have also stopped pursuing Fox.

Or perhaps, they've already gotten everything they wanted. When Fox announced the indefinite suspension of "American Idol," the pressure on NBC and CBS in the variety show field instantly lessened considerably.

Even now, they still have to face the freakish "The Voice of China," but the scenario where Coca-Cola and Pepsi join forces to launch a red-blue battle, and then tacitly crush other manufacturers, will no longer occur.

Then, as long as the two companies can make their variety shows relatively successful, they will be able to reap substantial rewards.

The greatest significance of variety shows is actually to attract viewers; an excellent variety show can boost the popularity of several TV dramas.

Of course, the quality of the series can't be too bad.

The withdrawal of capital signifies the end of the matter; no one is stirring things up anymore.

The end of the event signifies the beginning of the settlement:
For African Americans and equality advocates who had been protesting throughout, the current outcome is satisfactory.

What a remarkable achievement it is that they united and made capital bow down and admit its mistakes!
For North American viewers, the week-long drama was absolutely spectacular.

Fox was actually destroyed by the overwhelming crowd?

That's fucking awesome!
In the eyes of racists, the current losses are still acceptable.

After all, Fox broke the law first, and then someone else found a handle against them, so there's really no way to salvage this situation.

Then, Chris Columbus's disappearance made them very happy.

Well, in their view, Chris Columbus's decision to turn down a Black director was a smart one.

They certainly don't want a bunch of guys who can't even read books to be directors and make movies.

Artists must be cultured!

Uncultured people can only produce garbage!

But when Fox's crushing defeat became known to the other members of the anti-foe alliance...

"Rupert suffered heavy losses this time."

new York.

In a mansion on Long Island.

Ted Turner and Steve Case are having a small get-together.

They know everything that has happened recently.

Or perhaps, when they learned that Murdoch had secretly turned against Harry Potter, they were actually cheering him on. The two even gave Murdoch a push, but Murdoch ultimately failed.

This left them very disappointed.

Furthermore, judging from the current situation...

"Rupert won't recover in the short term."

Steve Case picked up the wine glass on the coffee table, brought it to his lips, took a small sip, and sighed at the slightly sweet taste.

That's fruit wine.

"Tom Rothman is an important figure at Fox Studios. He founded Searchlight Pictures, Fox's Oscar-contending label. With his departure, Fox Studios' operations will inevitably experience a period of growing pains."

"As for how long this pain will last..."

"That depends on how long Tom Rothman worked on strategic planning for Fox before he left."

"If the plan is for three to five years, that's fine, but what if it's not happening next year..."

"Then Fox Studios is probably in danger."

"No, no, no—Fox Films is in danger—"

Ted Turner shook his head and said, "Because X-Man is gone, and Fox doesn't have any other franchises, that alone can cause problems for their film business."

"Then, when X-Man became associated with racial issues, the only way to continue production was to reboot it, but they couldn't reboot it for several years. And if the trend in the entertainment industry is comic book adaptations, Rupert will be furious."

Ted Turner also leaned forward and raised his glass.

He slightly raised his left hand, making a simple gesture towards Steve Case, and then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

He was drinking whiskey.

The sudden, pungent, and fishy smell shot straight to the top of one's head.

This made him instinctively squint and raise his eyebrows.

After a few seconds, having regained control of his face, he smiled at Steve Case and said, "And there's American Idol. Without American Idol, Fox's ratings are bound to drop."

"At that time, they will fall to the bottom of the four major broadcasting networks again."

"However, I personally think that these are not Rupert's biggest worries right now."

"At this moment, what is most troubling him is that the cancellation of 'American Idol' is a commercial breach of contract. He needs to pay a large sum of money to the sponsors who have sponsored the show. It is not a small amount; it will be at least two or three hundred million yuan."

"And this expenditure will cause Fox's stock price to continue to fall."

"The amount of money Fox gained from 'American Idol' is now going to be lost, and even more."

"Then……"

"The shareholders will cause trouble."

“…” Steve Case fell silent.

Because everything Ted Turner said was a nightmare.

Because no company can withstand scrutiny from its shareholders.

Once those mad dogs target you...

Even if the chairman in power doesn't die, he'll still suffer greatly.

Steve Case felt a pang of sadness at the thought that his comrades-in-arms, who had fought alongside him, might be unable to stand up for a long time to come due to various trivial matters.

Of course, this isn't about sympathy!
A person with a conscience cannot become capital.

But...

They've lost an ally!
That's right, it's that realistic!

and so……

Should we still seek revenge?

After downing his drink in one gulp, Steve Case looked at Ted Turner.

"Are you afraid?"

Ted Turner chuckled and picked up the whiskey from the table.

Ted Turner waved at Steve Case, and after seeing him nod, he immediately filled his cup.

The golden liquor made Steve Case a little dazed. He shook his head and said, "No, I'm just a little confused."

"In my opinion, Rupert's plan this time is perfect."

"Whether it's the angle of attack, the timing of the attack, or the covert restraint, everything has been done to the best of its ability."

"But even so, he still lost, and lost completely."

"so……"

"All I can say is that Isabella seems to have some magic, some good luck..."

Anyone with a normal mind knows that at this moment, the person who has provided the greatest boost and help to Warner Bros. and Disney, or rather, to Barry Mayer and Robert Iger, is Isabella.

So, if you want to bring them both down, then targeting Isabella is the way to go.

They did the same thing last time, and Murdoch is doing the same thing this time.

Then, last time, even though the blackened flames successfully burned Isabella, they didn't burn her to death. Or rather, their attack actually fueled the madness of "The Voice".

And what about this time?

Before the offensive blade even reached Isabella, Murdoch himself had already exploded!

If I had to describe it, the current situation is like Ron casting a spell on the young master in "The Chamber of Secrets" and then being attacked by the curse!
It's incredibly evil!
Regarding this…

Ted Turner laughed.

While fiddling with the bottle in his hand, he said, "Steve, I actually have an idea now."

"what idea?"

Ted Turner took a swig from his bottle and said, "Since we can't take down Isabella head-on, can't we try to sow discord between her and Barry Mayer from the sidelines?"

Upon hearing these words, Steve Case frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ted Turner raised an eyebrow. "As far as I know, a Wall Street boss has his eye on Warner."

"and then?"

"This boss is also the boss of Marvel."

“Ronald Perelman?” Steve Case immediately called out a name.

But the next second he changed his mind and said, "No—Ronald can't afford Time Warner, so you mean Carl Icahn?"

“Yeah, I was talking about Carl Icahn.”

Ted Turner smiled and nodded, saying, "Although I don't know what Carl Icahn's purpose is in targeting Time Warner, judging from his habits, he most likely wants to separate Time Warner from AOL."

"So, if you can accept this outcome, then I think we can cooperate with him and kick all of Steve Ross's people out of the company. At that time, the company will be ours."

Steve Case narrowed his eyes.

Although AOL and Time Warner are still part of the same group, AOL's position within the group is quite limited now that the name is no longer part of the group's name.

Or perhaps it's only a matter of time before the two families separate.

In this situation, bringing in Carl Icahn would simply be adding more gas to a car that's already going downhill.

Steve Case, who had already lost his position as chairman of the group, didn't care about such things. Right now, all he wanted was revenge, to kill those who had caused him so much financial ruin. But…

“Ted, if I may be so bold, I don’t really understand what you mean.”

Steve Case said seriously, "Carl Icahn won't run a company forever. He won't even hold a company's stock for long. So, even if we bring him in, break up Time Warner and AOL with him, and successfully take control of Time Warner, he will definitely leave Time Warner as he becomes profitable. At that time..."

"Aren't we going to lose the position we worked so hard to get?"

"Because the Ross family can allow their own people to make a comeback."

“Oh—that’s why I said we need to break up Barry Mayer and Isabella’s relationship.”

Ted Turner laughed and said, "In the past, we couldn't take down Barry Mayer because his performance was so good. So, what if we snatched his performance away? Would he still have a chance to come back?"

“Before, we couldn’t take Isabella from him, but now we can.”

"Because Warner Bros. already has DC, but Isabella wanted to develop Marvel."

"Yes, you heard me right, the Iron Man project is what Isabella wanted to do."

"Racquet's entry was merely to silence the others and prevent them from criticizing Chris."

Ted Turner smirked.

Steve Case was stunned and squinted.

After he had sorted out Ted Turner's words, a bright smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Oh~~~ Ted~~~ I think I understand what you mean."

"You mean Isabella might not like DC?"

"And Warner will never be able to control DC in its lifetime because of antitrust."

"Therefore, when we have access to Marvel, we have a very high probability of bringing Isabella over."

"Once this fact emerges, as long as we can control Time Warner, we will be able to keep all challenges at bay. Even if the Ross family still holds Warner stock, they will not be able to come back."

"Because our efforts to win over Isabella won't harm her real interests, because her real connection with Barry Mayer is Harry Potter, and the rights to Harry Potter are with Warner Bros. No matter who controls Warner Bros., they won't cancel Harry Potter. So, what difference does it make who she collaborates with?"

"Is it right?"

Steve Case winked at Ted Turner.

"Snapped--"

Ted Turner snapped his fingers. "What?" "Go contact Carl Icahn."

"uh-huh?"

"If he's willing to state his demands and offer Marvel in exchange, then... I think we can give it a try."

“Okay, I’ll contact him.”

Ted Turner happily handed over the bottle.

Steve Case didn't hesitate and bumped into him gently.

A crisp "ding-dong" sound was heard.

The two of them laughed at the same time.

Ted Turner and Steve Case had resigned themselves to their fate; they no longer wanted to deal with Isabella, because neither of them wanted to do something so foolish as to cause zero harm to the enemy while inflicting massive losses on themselves. As for the rest of the league…

"Stop attacking them, stop thinking about revenge, okay?"

Canada.

At a manor house in Montreal.

Edgar Bronfman Sr. watched the Fox live broadcast with a complicated expression.

The decision to cede territory and pay reparations made him sigh deeply.

At the same time, he also turned his head away from the sofa.

He glanced at his youngest son sitting to one side and said, “I know you hate them, hate Barry Mayer and Robert Iger, and even hate Isabella Heywood, but they are not people you can mess with.”

“Barry and Bob are both guys who climbed up from the very bottom of society. Their methods are beyond your imagination, and their ruthlessness goes far beyond simply killing a few people. And Isabella… do you think this girl is a normal person?”

Even if God showered her with madness, it couldn't possibly bring her so much good fortune!

"So, please stop making enemies for our family, okay?"

"And please don't cause any more trouble for your mother, okay?"

His father's words made Bronfman purse his lips.

Yes, Bronfman Jr.'s support isn't limited to his father; his mother is also a powerful figure in his life.

His mother's name was Ann Loeb, and she was from the Loeb and Lehman families.

The former refers to the Bühler family, which once controlled the world's largest metals company, U.S. Metals. Like the Eisner family, the Bühler family later retreated to Washington after completing their initial capital accumulation.

During World War II, Bronfman Jr.'s maternal grandfather infiltrated the U.S. Treasury Department, and the National Independent Commission was spearheaded by his grandfather. Furthermore, the family's funds flowed to giants such as Honeywell and General Instrument through their connections in Washington.

To this day, they still control the board of directors of American Express.

The latter refers to the Lehman family, which founded Lehman Brothers. Bronfman Jr.'s maternal grandmother was named Frances Lehman.

Why does Bronfman Jr. dare to act so recklessly in wealthy circles?

That's because no matter what he does, there's always someone to back him up!
That guy's a real old money bastard!

However, even though his family was powerful, his actions also brought a lot of trouble to his family.

This isn't to say that his family hates fighting, but rather that pointless fighting is pretty stupid.

If a fight can bring them tangible benefits, okay, let's do it.

But when a struggle devolves into nothing but emotions, this kind of behavior...

What's the point?

It's important to understand that power is not something that remains unchanged once it's established.

If you don't work hard to maintain it, those who secretly covet it will send you to your death.

So……

“I understand, Father.” Bronfman Jr. sighed softly and nodded slightly. “They are all lunatics. They will cripple or kill their opponents as soon as they get the chance, so I will no longer attack them.”

This promise pleased Bronfman Sr. very much.

But the next second, Bronfman Jr. turned his head and looked at his father.

With a piercing gaze, he said, "However, there is one thing I need to tell you beforehand."

"If they provoke me again in the future, I will fight them to the end."

"I can't just let them infringe on my interests at will, can I?"

“Of course—” old Bronfman laughed.

"We don't provoke trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either."

The consensus reached made Bronfman Jr. laugh, while Bronfman Sr. turned his attention back to the television, watching the press conference as he said, "I've already found out about EMI for you."

"Four billion US dollars."

“I know you have the money, so I’ll make up the rest for you, but you can’t tell anyone about this.”

“If your younger brothers find out, they’ll make a scene.”

“Oh—thank you—Dad—” Little Bronfman’s smile widened!

Well, if his father continues to support him in making music, then he might not need to seek revenge.

The conflict between him and Isabella was simply because Isabella prevented him from buying Warner Music.

As for why he, who was rich, couldn't just change direction at the time?

1. You slap me and I turn around and leave?
Doesn't that make me lose face?
2. Even if he wanted to turn back at that time, he couldn't, because he had very limited funds.

Just three billion.

It was only enough to acquire Warner Music.

Acquiring other companies...

It's missing something.

Isabella's magic and the madness of Barry Mayer and Robert Iger led Bronfman Jr. to choose to stay away.

Meanwhile, Michael Eisner shared the same idea.

Fox's terrible condition prompted him to call his friend George Mitchell.

After two beeps, the call connected. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he said, "I'm about to leave."

"Leave Disney?"

"Ah."

"it is good."

Michael Eisner's choice did not surprise George Mitchell.

Because he knew that Michael Eisner wasn't clean either.

The "uncleanliness" here refers not only to the fact that Michael Eisner is also a racist, or that any reasonably white person would feel superior to Black people. It also stems from the fact that Michael Eisner's shady dealings extend beyond this; for example, the Weinstein brothers were his proxies at Disney.

The world-renowned physicist Yang Jinshui once said—

"Some things, if you don't weigh them, they're nothing; but if you do weigh them, they're worth a ton."

As long as Michael Eisner's actions remain unexposed, they are merely a minor act of abuse of power.

But if it gets exposed, even if his family can get him out of trouble, it will be very troublesome.

and so……

"Are you prepared to start negotiations with Roy and the others immediately?"

"Do not."

"Ok?"

“I’m open to negotiations, but they have to talk to me first.”

"Oh, I see. You want me to act as a mediator? To tell them you're willing to negotiate?"

"Yes and no."

"How to say?"

"Yes, it's because I do hope you can pass on a message for me. No, it's because I also hope you can do something for me."

"what's up?"

"Come with me."

"This is acceptable."

"Then, before leaving, he nominated Robert Iger to serve as Chairman and CEO of Disney."

"..."

Washington.

George Mitchell, in his own law firm, looked up.

Looking out at the clear blue sky, the beautiful celestial phenomena made him smile.

"Oh, Michael, even though you've decided to leave, you still want to annoy them, don't you?"

"Hahahaha—George—you know me—no one can kick me away unscathed—"

Michael Eisner's maniacal laughter came from the other end of the phone.

Yes!

Even if Michael Eisner concedes defeat!

He won't let Robert Iger and Roy Disney Jr. get away with it either!

Let's start with Robert Iger—

Isn't this guy trying to climb the ranks?

no problem!
I, Michael Eisner, wholeheartedly support you!

Don't underestimate this kind of support!

Currently, Disney's shareholders consider Michael Eisner a sinner against Disney.

His actions are utterly reprehensible to the shareholders.

When everything he said was wrong, why did he support Robert Iger as chairman and CEO?
Isn't that just using one's own life to smear Robert Iger?
To his disliked shareholders, Michael Eisner was telling everyone that this time, the one who would defeat him wasn't Roy Disney Jr., but Robert Iger. And when Michael Eisner had already committed so many heinous acts, what good could Robert Iger be, the one who could suppress him so completely?
Right?

Let's talk about Roy Disney Jr.—

Disney will never have a peaceful life once Robert Iger is pushed into the spotlight by Michael Eisner.

Because Roy Disney Jr. wants to regain control of Disney.

Robert Iger also wanted to take over.

If one person is in the open and the other is in the shadows, then okay, they can talk.

Furthermore, they are now inseparable.

Roy Disney Jr. had equity and connections, while Robert Iger directly controlled Disney's business lifeline. To put it bluntly, this harsh reality left them with no choice but to embrace cooperation.

But when Robert Iger's ambitions were pointed out by Michael Eisner...

The two could no longer talk.

It's not that they don't want to talk.

Instead, Robert Iger's men would carry him to the top so they could promote themselves!

Roy Disney Jr.'s people also hope that the crown prince can ascend the throne so that they can become prime minister!

So……

“George.”

"Ok?"

"No one can resist power, right?"

“Yeah, you’re right… No one can resist power…”

(End of this chapter)