America: Child stars start with The Shining

Charles slowly walked out of the broadcasting building where the program was being recorded.

Night had completely fallen, and the streetlights along the street were turning on one by one. A large number of spectators were still gathered at the entrance.

They had just left the studio and were still discussing the program in hushed tones, occasionally glancing in Xia's direction.

He had just finished recording an evening talk show.

This show has a strong influence in Los Angeles and is known for its audience participation and controversial social topics. Not only does it have outstanding local ratings, but it also attracts many viewers in other places.

And this is exactly the effect Charles wanted.

What he wanted to do was to package everything that Sinclair Oil Company was secretly doing into a social issue that was sensitive enough and would be open to discussion.

"Underage child stars have their property maliciously embezzled by their guardians."

Once this topic is raised, the media and busybodies will naturally keep stirring it up.

In addition, he has asked Ovitz to contact several gossip news media outlets, and if all goes well, the relevant reports will appear in these newspapers and magazines in a few days.

They absolutely welcome such topics and are very willing to actively promote them for you, especially since this time it involves highly controversial topics such as child stars and guardianship.

It's worth noting that Drew Barrymore had already caused quite a stir with this incident not long ago, and Shire only needed to add fuel to the fire to capitalize on the situation. For the media, this was practically a headline delivered right to their lips.

Charles stood before the steps, looked up at the night sky, and slowly exhaled.

Today's program went even more smoothly than he had expected.

The host clearly knew how to steer the conversation, starting with how young actors manage their income, then gradually shifting the topic to guardianship and minors' property rights, and finally naturally bringing the question to Ciel.

His answer was exactly what a child would say, and there was nothing wrong with it.

He now understood what Judy meant: since this matter couldn't be resolved privately by him alone, he should make it as big as possible and turn it into a public topic, so that there would be a chance.

Ovitz slowly walked up from behind him:

"Don't worry about the bank account issue for now. I'll help you transfer your remaining earnings and other income."

Charles nodded.

Fortunately, his frozen bank accounts only contained a few thousand dollars, so even if Trevor took it, he didn't suffer a significant loss.

The proceeds from the videotapes were still in cash and kept with Tupac, because Charles had asked Ovitz to open a backup account for him, but the account was frozen before he could deposit the money.

Unexpectedly, this saved the money from disaster; otherwise, the loss would have been much greater.

Charles turned and asked:

"How are things going with the other media outlets?"

Ovitz responded:

"Several companies have already expressed interest: entertainment weekly, local tabloids, and a magazine that specializes in celebrity family scandals. They are all very interested, especially after hearing that oil companies might be involved."

"However, they're not stupid. If they were to actually include Sinclair Oil Company's name, they would be quite cautious. At most, they would use 'a large, well-connected company' as a metaphor, rather than naming it outright from the start."

Charles nodded:

"That's enough. As long as they successfully publish these reports, major media outlets will definitely follow up and investigate. At that time, public opinion will naturally ferment."

Ovitz then turned and said:

"There's another piece of news: the materials have been submitted to the court and should be formally accepted soon. Once the media continues to amplify the story, the process of your application for the 'Juvenile Liberation Act' will likely proceed much faster."

Charles breathed a sigh of relief.

He has done everything he could to deal with the situation; all that's left is to let the bullets fly for a while longer.

......

the next day.

Although Charles had not yet received further news from the court and the media, he was met with another matter that he had to deal with.

It's April now.

For Hollywood as a whole, this point in time has always been marked by one inescapable major event.

The 52nd Academy Awards ceremony.

This is the grandest and most dazzling night of the year in the entire film industry.

Production studios, talent agencies, actors, directors, film critics, journalists, and almost everyone involved in film will have their eyes drawn to this name in the next few days.

Who will win, who will be a runner-up, who will soar to new heights overnight, and who will be relegated to a supporting role in front of countless cameras—everyone is waiting for the answers to be revealed.

As expected, Ciel received an invitation because of his connection with the Shining production team.

He hadn't actually planned to go, because this year's nominees were all films from last year, and had nothing to do with "The Shining".

Besides, he was just there to join in the fun.

However, after Judy's reminder, and with some things Kubrick had said to him long ago, he suddenly realized that even if it was just for fun, he had to attend this kind of event.

Because simply appearing in such places will naturally attract media attention, which will definitely be of some help to his current situation.

Media outlets across the United States have been devoting significant space and airtime to the Oscars these past few days.

News that normally takes several rounds of fermentation to spread can often be disseminated rapidly in such situations with just a single shot, an interview, or even a statement made off-site.

Charles sat at the dining table, holding a newly acquired entertainment newspaper in his hand, his gaze slowly sweeping over the front page.

As expected, the entire page was almost entirely filled with Oscar-related content.

From predictions for Best Picture to the favorites for various awards, to who will wear what dress and who will walk the red carpet with whom, every little detail is covered.

Charles had naturally made preparations in advance. He even had a well-fitting suit custom-made. When attending such an occasion, one's attire naturally needs to be considered. Sometimes, it is these kinds of details that require the most attention.

Meanwhile, Ovitz had already compiled a list of media outlets he would need to face, some of which he had arranged in advance, and others of which were due to recent media attention on Charles.

Because he already has some fame.

Part of this stems from the media's constant amplification of his rumored relationship with Jodie Foster, while another part comes from his actual involvement in two films directed by renowned directors.

One of them is Kubrick's *The Shining*.

Another one is "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," which has been generating a lot of buzz in the media recently.

That's why Spielberg had told him well in advance that he would be taking him along for some promotional work at tonight's awards ceremony.

Although this movie definitely won't be released this year, there's no harm in showing it off in advance; it's one of the ways to generate hype.

This is exactly what Charles needs right now.

As long as he remains in the media spotlight, Sinclair Oil Company will naturally take notice.

An unknown underage child star whose property has been embezzled will hardly be noticed by anyone.

However, a Hollywood child star who has just been rumored to be dating Jodie Foster and has appeared in works by Kubrick and Spielberg will definitely keep the media's attention.

This is the "exchange" that Kubrick had previously mentioned to him.

He tells the media some useful information, and the media will naturally give him corresponding value and exposure in return.

Tonight's awards ceremony will be a golden opportunity, and Charles must seize it to turn the tide.

therefore......

He will be attending with Judy tonight.