America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 360 A Good Press Club Produces News

Santa Monica, the Sunshine Hotel near the beach.

Ivan came out of the restroom and entered the hotel's beach area. He saw Heath Ledger playing volleyball in the distance, found a place to sit down, and waited patiently.

Jody came over with her assistant, sat down next to him, picked up a newspaper to shield her eyes, and said in a low voice, "It's been two days, and we still haven't found an opportunity."

Ivan was new to the industry, and influenced by Martin and Bruce, his standards were much higher than those of the regular journalists: "He might use it in his room or somewhere else; we can't just drag him into a public place and force-feed him something."

The assistant whispered, "I heard that Heath Ledger comes to the beach every day to get some fresh air."

Ivan was very patient: "Be patient and wait a little longer."

The assistant, being younger and less composed, offered a bad suggestion: "How about we take some pictures of him smoking, and then look at the pictures..."

"Shut up," Jody snapped. "You work for TMZ, not American Rumors! TMZ reporters must have professional ethics; their news reports must stand up to scrutiny, and they must never fabricate facts."

The assistant fell silent. TMZ, though not long established, has built a brand precisely because of the authenticity of its revelations.

Jody flipped through the newspaper: "Waiting this long isn't a solution."

Ivan asked, "What's your plan?"

"Be more proactive, give him a push," Jody thought for a moment and said, "When will he urgently need those medications?"

Ivan, who came from a humble background and had extensive knowledge in this area, said, "Aside from outbursts, extreme emotional fluctuations often..."

Jody then asked, "Who do you think Heath Ledger disliked the most recently?"

Ivan distanced himself: "It must be that bastard Martin Davis. I heard that after what happened between Heath Ledger, Martin Davis, and Aniston in New York, he hasn't received any work since. The two production teams that were originally slated to hire him have also dropped him."

Jody muttered, "Michelle Williams broke off her engagement with Heath Ledger, and he didn't want her to leave."

Looking at the people on the beach, she gradually came up with an idea. She called her assistant to leave, walked to a distance, and said, "Have the staff print a few copies of the newsletter, and bring a few more people over tomorrow."

The assistant understood and immediately went to do it.

The following morning, Heath Ledger, as he had done in the past few days, studied the script and went to the hotel beach for some fresh air.

Just like a few days ago, he shuffled along the sidewalk in his beach shoes, then stopped at the car Bell had left for him, opened the trunk, and took out a bottle of mineral water.

Nearby, two young people were gossiping.

"Hollywood is such a mess. I heard Jolie and Aniston are having affairs with Martin Davis," said the man with the mustache. "I'm so envious of him!"

Another man with a crew cut said, "This is all old news. Didn't you read today's tabloids? Michelle Williams had a tryst with Martin Davis yesterday, and they stayed at a hotel together for a long time."

These words all reached Heath Ledger's ears.

Heath Ledger looked like he'd been hit in the chest with a stick, and he was having some difficulty breathing.

There was a newsstand on the beach, and he walked over without thinking. As soon as he got to the newsstand, he saw a small newspaper displayed in a prominent place.

The front page featured a photo of Michelle Williams and Martin Davis entering a hotel together.

The photo was clearly taken secretly, and the resolution isn't very high, making it look somewhat awkward. However, Heath Ledger knows his ex-fiancée so well that he definitely wouldn't mistake her.

He took out his money and bought a newspaper from the female shop owner, then began to read it carefully.

The tabloids vividly described how Michelle Williams and Martin entered the hotel hand in hand, and only emerged alone more than three hours later.

Heath Ledger knew the industry environment and atmosphere all too well. If a male and female celebrity went into the same hotel hand in hand, no one would believe that nothing happened.

The two had only broken off their engagement less than half a month ago!

Michelle Williams could have accepted anyone else, even Bell, but she chose Martin Davis!

"She wants revenge on me?" Heath Ledger felt as if he had been hit on the head with a club. He was dizzy, his head felt like it was turning into mud, and his vision was going black.

His lips trembled, countless words stuck in his throat, unsure how to express them.

Betrayal? Escape? Confrontation? Heath Ledger didn't know how to view these questions.

After a moment of confusion, he crumpled up the newspaper, threw it into the nearby trash can, took a few steps forward, and plopped down on the steps at the edge of the beach.

He just sat there blankly, like a stone sculpture.

Jody, who had just sold the newspaper, was even a little worried. This person didn't seem to have a very strong mental fortitude, and it would be troublesome if he committed suicide.

Should we tell him the truth?

Jody hesitated for only two seconds before shaking her head inwardly. Human lives were nothing compared to the importance of the news.

After sitting for a few minutes, Heath Ledger finally stood up. His depressed mood made him feel very uncomfortable all over. Once this feeling came over him, it felt like a hundred thousand worms were crawling inside him, pushing him toward his car parked nearby.

Now, he needs a secluded environment.

Jody picked up the walkie-talkie from under the newspaper and said, "He's heading for Target Number 1. Everyone get ready."

For today, Jody brought four photojournalists, all using TMZ's best photography equipment.

Heath Ledger got into the car, closed the door, reached into the gap on the side of the seat, and pulled out a plastic bag.

Not far from the car, several people with disguised cameras filmed Heath Ledger's every move through the windshield and two windows.

Jody quickly finished up the work, putting away the few privately printed fake newspapers in her bag. She then went to the nearby trash can, found the newspapers Heath Ledger had thrown away, and put them away. Finally, she waved to the distant beach.

A middle-aged Latino man ran over and said, "It's over so quickly?"

Jody took out a few US dollars and held them up in front of him.

Just as the Latino was about to take it, Jody dodged and said, "This is the tail gold; you've never seen me before."

"Of course, I don't even know who you are or what you want." The Latino boss just wanted money.

Jody left the beach, went to a nearby parking lot, got into a van, and waited for more than ten minutes before all of her subordinates returned to the car.

"Boss, it's done! Big news!" The assistant said excitedly, clutching the camera hidden in his bag.

Another person said, "My angle was better!"

One woman said helplessly, "The car windows are tinted dark, so the photos aren't as clear as those taken through the windshield."

Jody took the cameras from the two men, checked the footage, and after a short while, he smiled. He had the news about Heath Ledger in hand!

She patted the driver's seat: "Let's go back to the company!"

The van immediately started and left the hotel.

"Boss, you're brilliant!" The assistant was good at flattering. "A big news story is easily obtained."

Jody glanced around and took the opportunity to instruct her subordinates: "We are TMZ, we don't report fake news! The team I lead is TMZ's top team, you must always remember your professional ethics, and never touch fake news."

She then changed the subject: "You should remember today's case. When you can't find news, you must take initiative. Sometimes news doesn't happen naturally; it can be created by us."

That was a perfect example. All her subordinates admired Jody immensely. A woman who came from a paparazzi background, to be able to sit in the position of editor-in-chief, truly lived up to her reputation.

The editor-in-chief is truly talented!

The group returned to TMZ headquarters and immediately got to work. Jody first disposed of the privately printed tabloids, completely destroying any evidence.

After her subordinates quickly processed the news and adjusted the clarity, she personally directed the uploading process.

Jody, hands on her hips, stood behind a technician and directed, "Select three videos for this news story. First, the one I brought back a few days ago, the one where Heath Ledger went berserk. Second, the one from after the Brooklyn Studios incident, where Heath Ledger held a press conference, apologized to the public, and announced his intention to completely quit."

She smiled and said, "The last one, the video we filmed today, was shot through the windshield using camera B."

This video not only captured Heath Ledger's entire episode, but also his various unsightly behaviors during the seizure.

The assistant chimed in at the opportune moment: "Putting the three videos together in the same news article creates a stark contrast, making it even clearer what his true colors are."

Jody nodded slightly and said, "Add the text news and publish it."

News about Heath Ledger was quickly uploaded to the website.

Jody called the editor-in-chief: "Get this juicy scoop on Heath Ledger, the Australian actor who starred in 'Brokeback Mountain,' out of the loop and put it on the front page."

Soon, the news appeared on the TMZ website.

In the past week, TMZ has had no breaking news, but Heath Ledger's video news was prominently featured on the homepage within minutes.

Nowadays, many Hollywood industry insiders, or North American gossip enthusiasts, often keep an eye on TMZ and check it out from time to time, since TMZ often manages to uncover some big, juicy gossip.

It tastes absolutely delicious.

The related news spread rapidly.

…………

Meanwhile, after Bruce finished his meeting with Ivan and saw him off, he drove back to the Four Seasons Hotel and went straight upstairs to find Martin.

He swiped his room card to open the door, and as soon as he entered, he saw Martin turn around and suddenly grin.

His smile was chilling, filled with cruelty and eeriness, like that of a psychopath.

Bruce muttered to himself, "This guy is a pervert to begin with."

Martin sat on the sofa in an odd, completely out-of-character pose and said, "Old Brooks, don't be so serious, smile."

Bruce curled his lips into a smile, pulling them up towards his ears: "Does my smile look good?"

Martin laughed heartily, "That's awesome!" He asked, "Any good news?"

Bruce said, "Jordy, along with the people from TMZ, filmed the video they wanted and has already posted it on the TMZ website."

Martin stood up, walking in a manner somewhat like Scott's eccentricity, his voice sinister: "Let me think, how should we explode next? Hmm... I've got it, it's time for the guarantee company to make its move."

He stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, arms outstretched: "Before the audition begins, I'm going to eliminate the biggest threat!"

(End of this chapter)