America: Child stars start with The Shining

Chapter 84 Under the Spotlight [Seeking First Subscription, 1/4]

Los Angeles, Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court.

The morning sun had just shone across the square in front of the courthouse, and the steps outside were already packed with people.

Reporters from entertainment magazines, television stations, and local tabloids all flocked to the scene, completely surrounding it.

Brody was naturally one of them.

Since a few photos of Charles and Judy were taken on the red carpet at the Oscars, the sales of their tabloid have skyrocketed.

Readers clearly buy into this.

As a result, he was naturally given important responsibilities by his superiors, received a bonus, was promoted, and even had his desk moved from the corner near the toilet to the window.

More importantly, he now has his own column.

As for what this column is for...

Simply put, it's a publication specifically for publishing entertainment gossip news related to Charles.

Although Charles is not yet a nationally renowned child star like Judy, he is already quite well-known in Los Angeles.

It is already quite well-known, at least among the local residents.

The reason is simple: he has good relationships with many movie stars in Hollywood.

Jodie Foster, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, and of course, that very special person...

Reagan.

It can now be said that among the people who knew Reagan, there were very few who didn't know Charles's name.

After all, Reagan recently brought up Shire's story almost every few days during his national speaking tour.

A boy from an ordinary family enters Hollywood through his talent and hard work, and tries to take control of his destiny during the most difficult time.

This sounds exactly like an American Dream story that could be included in a speech.

Therefore, the hearing on Shire's application for the Juvenile Liberation Act naturally attracted a great deal of attention.

Brody waited outside the courthouse early in the morning, hoping to get the latest news.

Of course, in fact, he would be there as soon as anything concerned Ciel was happening.

Now, he is a very competent professional paparazzi.

Wherever Ciel appears, he will follow, never missing a moment.

This is the professionalism of a gossip reporter!

Brody hung his camera around his neck, held a coffee cup in one hand, and smiled as he looked at the nervous expressions of his colleagues around him, appearing completely at ease.

He's no longer the rookie who used to crowd around the Oscars red carpet.

He's incredibly strong now!

He was confident that as soon as Charles appeared, he would be able to find the best shooting angle immediately.

Moreover, Brody has also been granted the right to testify today.

When the time comes, as soon as he walks into the courthouse, he will be able to obtain firsthand information that other reporters simply cannot get.

Brody couldn't help but smile with satisfaction as he thought about this.

He could already picture the smile on the editor-in-chief's face when he saw the manuscript.

Bonuses and promotions are beckoning him!

Unfortunately, the police officers outside the courthouse clearly couldn't understand the noble mission of these entertainment news reporters.

They used barriers to keep reporters outside the steps, preventing anyone from pushing forward.

Several photographers tried to find an angle to get around the camera, but were immediately driven back by the police officers' cold stares.

"Step back! You bunch of gossip reporters! This is a courthouse, not a movie premiere!"

A police officer raised his voice and berated the officer, his eyes filled with obvious displeasure.

They don't usually need to stand guard here, but because of that Hollywood child star named Charles, they're forced to guard this group of reporters here early in the morning.

Brody stood to the side and smiled, thinking that the officer clearly didn't know anything about entertainment news.

What movie premiere is more important than an occasion like today?

This is the first formal case received by California’s Juvenile Liberation Act since it was enacted in 1978!

Today, Charles will represent all future Hollywood child stars facing the same problem, fighting for his own legal freedom in this place!

If the judge approves the application, from today onwards, he will no longer be just a child in a family, nor just a minor under his guardian's name who earns money for him.

He will be able to retain his income, decide on his residence, sign his own contracts, and arrange his own work.

Of course, Brody was also well aware that this freedom had its limits.

He specifically went to look up the information last night.

The liberation of minors does not equate to true adulthood.

Charles is still prohibited from drinking alcohol, voting, and even from working under the restrictions of the underage labor law.

But none of that matters.

For the public who care about this matter, the important thing is that "a rising Hollywood child star has taken back his life from the hands of his evil guardians."

This story was enough to move them.

Moreover, didn't you see there was a group of reporters from major newspapers and various TV stations around?

They specialize in publishing and broadcasting serious news, and now even these people are eager to come and care about Charles's situation.

This shows just how significant today's court hearing is.

Just as Brody was organizing his thoughts, the crowd suddenly stirred.

"They're here!"

It's unclear who shouted first.

The next second, almost all the photographers raised their cameras at the same time.

Before the flash even went off, the shutter sounded like a sudden downpour.

A black van slowly pulled up in front of the courthouse.

The car door opened, and the first person to step out was a bodyguard with a serious expression. His eyes quickly swept across the crowd, as if to confirm the safety of the surroundings.

Immediately afterwards, Charles and his agent got out of the car.

He's dressed very formally today.

A white shirt, a dark coat, a neatly tied tie, and hair that was also neatly styled.

"Ciel! Look this way!"

"Ciel, are you confident today?"

"Did Mr. Reagan call you? Will he be here today?"

The shouts of the reporters reached Charles's ears in waves.

He didn't answer, but just looked up at the courthouse building not far away, then walked over and through the crowded people around him.

He then turned to Ovitz, who was standing beside him, and asked, "Hey, why haven't I seen the defense attorney I was talking about yet?"

"Didn't you say that Reagan's campaign team assigned me a very capable lawyer? How come I haven't even seen him yet?"

In fact, he originally wanted to discuss with Ovitz whether he could get recommendations for a reliable lawyer from the Hollywood stars he knew.

It is well known that this group frequently deals with lawyers and should have considerable resources and connections in this area.

However, to Charles's surprise, Reagan's campaign team, in order to ensure that the matter went perfectly, actually introduced him to a lawyer.

After all, in a sense, Charles's situation is Reagan's situation.

His reputation among the public has improved considerably thanks to the publicity surrounding this incident.

Therefore, Reagan's campaign team certainly did not want any flaws in this matter that could be attacked.

Even the defense lawyer's exorbitant fees were paid by them, so Charles didn't need to worry about that issue anymore.

It's fair to say that Reagan had already arranged everything perfectly; all Charles really needed to do was show up at the courthouse.

Therefore, he wasn't that nervous.

However, he was somewhat surprised that he hadn't even met the lawyer yet.

Upon hearing this, Ovitz replied, "Don't worry, the defense lawyer has already contacted me beforehand, and he should be waiting for us inside the courthouse now."

Charles nodded and went inside with Ovitz.

Immediately afterwards, he saw a middle-aged man appear in front of them.

Charles suddenly paused for a moment.

Wait a minute, why is it an Asian face?!

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