America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 227 Making Stars, Destroying Stars

When the contract was signed and payment was made, Martin's car was also changed.

Antonio settled into the spacious back seat of the Escalade, finding ample room even for his large belly, and remarked, "This car is great; it's rugged, imposing, and has plenty of space."

Martin pointed to the driver's seat: "Old Brooks wants to buy a Hummer."

Bruce started the car: "That's a man's toy."

Antonio reclined in the large chair: "Comfort is the most important thing."

Martin said, "Did you hear that, Old Brooks?"

Bruce raised his middle finger behind him.

When they arrived at the real estate company, Thomas and his lawyer had already arrived.

The paperwork went very smoothly, and Martin received the house keys that same day.

Upon arriving in the Coty community, the real estate company had already had the houses cleaned and tidied up.

Martin looked around and said, "We're still missing a lot." He looked at Thomas and said, "Give me some suggestions."

Thomas told the truth: "My current home was furnished by my girlfriend, but she broke up with me later..."

That's where I have to go. During that period, I was working overtime, and every girlfriend I dated ended up breaking up with. It was so tough.

Martin said, "Move over first, and buy whatever you need."

In a place like Los Angeles, if you have money, you won't lack anything.

Bruce expertly pulled out his camera and said to Martin, "Take a picture with your new house and post it on your blog."

Martin praised Old Brooks, saying, "You're getting smarter and smarter."

Internet sharing will soon become a key element for celebrities to attract traffic.

Leaving Thomas and Antonio behind, Martin and Bruce returned to their North Hollywood apartment, and together with Emily and Jessica's car, moved all their belongings over in one go.

Bruce mainly has clothes and a few guns.

Besides these, Martin also had film crew souvenirs, jade, and Australian specialties.

Thomas happened to see Emily struggling to carry a pile of crocodile tusks into the villa's living room.

Seeing the sheer number of them, he couldn't help but ask, "Martin, did you pull out all the teeth of the Australian crocodiles?"

Martin, thick-skinned as ever, showed no embarrassment whatsoever: "I just received news a few days ago that I legally hunted more than a dozen saltwater crocodiles over 6 meters long in Australia. My memory is failing, and I don't even remember it."

Antonio shook his head at the sight, thinking that with Martin's shamelessness, this kind of thing would inevitably flood Hollywood sooner or later.

Originally, he was thinking that once Martin became a superstar, the pendant and carving Martin gave him could fetch a good price, but now it seems he should sell them sooner rather than later.

I'll find a tenant who wants to be a star and sell it to them.

Bruce gave the camera to Jessica and asked her to go to the study to upload the photos to the blog.

In addition to uploading photos, Jessica also wrote a short essay in Martin's voice.

"Today is a special day. I moved out of my North Hollywood apartment and into my new home. I'd like to share some photos of my new place with you all."

The photos and text were posted together on the blog.

When Jessica returned after checking the fan section, there were already hundreds of comments and dozens of entertainment bloggers had shared it.

She replied to a few comments under Martin's name, and when she looked at them again, she found that the official blogs of The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly had also reposted the same post.

Young Jessica felt a special sense of accomplishment. Compared to other Hollywood stars of similar stature, Martin's influence was far greater, even surpassing Hollywood and the film industry.

Outside, Bruce took a power drill and other tools and went to install some equipment on the other side of the wall.

Martin and Thomas each carried a bag and went to the underground storage room.

There were two metal cabinets standing on the ground, just the right size to hold guns.

Martin opened the bag, revealing several ARs and shotguns.

Thomas, feeling a sudden toothache, specifically asked, "Is the gun okay?"

Martin nodded: "They're all registered and legal firearms. I forgot to tell you, the LAPD helped me get a concealed carry permit."

"Given your situation, it's safer for you to have a gun." Thomas knew about the Russians and didn't object to Martin having a gun.

All the spears had unique grips that looked rather awkward, much like hammerheads.

Following the North Hollywood bank robbery in 1998, California tightened regulations on assault weapons, including long weapons such as semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, prohibiting the use of pistol grips.

Where there are policies, arms dealers naturally find ways to circumvent them, leading to the development of hammer-shaped and shark-fin-shaped grips.

Anyway, users don't need to worry, the arms dealers always have a way to solve it.

After storing the spare weapons in the basement, Martin returned to the first floor, picked up another bag, and went around each of the large rooms, specifically to hide weapons.

Antonio was quite speechless. If you said this guy was cowardly, he dared to jump out and fight armed bandits to the death; if you said he was brave, he was overly cautious.

Martin came downstairs; it was almost noon. He called out twice to wait for someone to come over, and said, "Let's have a big lunch to celebrate and get ready to leave."

During the meal, Antonio gave Martin Cotti the contact information of the chairman of the community council.

Martin just moved, so I can only visit him once he's settled in.

He's going to Washington soon, and he plans to throw another party when he gets back.

In the afternoon, Martin sent everyone else away and went on a big shopping trip with Old Brooks.

Mainly bedding and daily necessities.

As soon as the two got into their car after leaving the mall, Martin received a call from Julie in the Middle East.

He gestured for Bruce to drive and answered the phone.

"I just saw your blog on the internet." Julie's response was quieter: "Congratulations on moving to your new place."

Martin laughed: "The fact that you can still access the internet means it's not dangerous."

Julie said, "I was at the embassy in Baghdad yesterday, and I gave a speech to the Iraqi people. The response was very good."

Martin asked curiously, "What content?"

Julie smiled and said, "Congratulations on escaping the cruel dictatorship of a tyrant and gaining precious democratic freedom."

Martin said, "Student, you've learned all of the teacher's skills."

Julie couldn't speak freely, so she said cryptically, "Teacher, when I get back, I'll pay double the tuition."

The two quickly hung up the phone.

Bruce, who was driving, glanced at the passenger side and asked, "I remember you taught me that a dead star is more likely to make a movie a box office hit than a living lead actor?"

God knows what kind of nonsense Martin taught old Bush.

Martin casually remarked, "It's not necessarily about selling well, but it's easier to do marketing tricks and achieve better advertising results."

Bruce said, "I know some people in the Middle East..."

"Old Brooks, can't you be a decent human being?" Martin immediately seized the moral high ground: "We may be rotten people, but we're rotten people with principles and a bottom line!"

Bruce looked completely innocent: "I didn't say anything!"

Martin changed the subject: "Get ready quickly, we're going to Washington to receive the award in a couple of days."

Bruce said, "There are only medals, not even a bonus."

Martin was very conscientious: "Even if I accept this prize money, I must donate it."

The two returned home, and the ordered goods were delivered quickly.

In the late afternoon, Menez also came to help. He hadn't looked for a new role yet because filming for "The Departed" was scheduled to begin in mid-July.

…………

A minivan is parked outside the Clayton neighborhood in Atlanta.

From the driver's seat, Alex glanced at the dilapidated house in the distance and said to his two subordinates, "This is it. You two carefully inquire about Martin Davis's past. People living in places like this usually can't escape flour, gangs, and crime. Find any useful news leads."

Albert's subordinate said, "Could we give them some benefits?"

Alex nodded: "Okay."

Another subordinate, White, warned, "Bring your press pass; this place is dangerous."

Alex was well aware of the potential dangers of the slums: "Keep your identification on and get out if things get dangerous."

Albert was very confident: "There's no news that we at the News of the World can't get!"

Alex waved his hand, signaling the two to enter the community.

He picked up a newspaper from the side; the social news section listed several people who would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year.

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, boxing champion Muhammad Ali, the father of the Internet Vinton Coff, and Hollywood star Martin Davis.

The News of the World is the weekend edition of The Sun, and it entered North America many years ago with News Corporation.

Alex's news team didn't want to miss out on the big news of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but like The Sun, they never follow the usual path and are known for creating sensational news.

What's the point of regular reporting? It doesn't grab any attention at all.

Alex is good at choosing his targets; Greenspan is not someone to mess with; Muhammad Ali has been a deeply entrenched figure for many years, and it would be troublesome if he were labeled as a racist; Winton Cove is at least tens of millions of dollars in assets...

Is there anyone more suitable than Martin Davis? He's famous, influential, and isolated.

As for the leader of the Coca-Cola cult, as long as a fatal blow is launched to destroy his public image and create a fait accompli, businesses will not hesitate to give up. This has happened countless times in North America.

Alex tapped Martin's head with his finger, his voice suddenly becoming more sophisticated: "I don't know you. I'm only contacting you out of a journalist's sense of responsibility; the public has the right to know."

What he wanted to do was actually very simple, and it was something the media was used to doing: once a star and a hero had been successfully created, continuing to promote the news value of his glorious deeds was far less valuable than destroying his news value.

Alex muttered to himself, "Creating stars, destroying stars!"

At the entrance of the Clayton community, Albert entered a small supermarket, selected drinks and snacks, and went to the checkout counter to pay.

The owner, Nani, wearing a fang pendant, scanned the code to pay: "$25, thank you."

Albert pulled out two $20 bills and handed them over until Nani gave him change, saying, "I'm a reporter, and I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Nani had recently met with more than one journalist: "About Martin?"

Albert asked, "Any inside information?" He pulled out another dollar bill and slammed it on the counter. "The more sensational the better."

Nani didn't need to cover for anyone and told the truth: "I've known Martin for ten years. He's a real scoundrel. He dropped out of high school, didn't work properly, and insisted on becoming an actor. He couldn't even afford to eat and had to mooch meals from the Carter family. He and the Carter's eldest daughter got together a long time ago..."

He went on and on, emphasizing the explosive part: "By the way, Martin's parents are both bastards. His mother died in a car accident because of a drug overdose, and his father was a liar, alcoholic, and drug addict who seduced Martin's first girlfriend's mother and ran away. Nobody knows where he went."

There are two more chapters to go, I'm working hard on them and they should be posted around noon.

(End of this chapter)