America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 396 Old White Man

Nicholson, who was striding along, stopped five meters away from Blanchett, held up a bouquet of bright red roses in both hands, and, as if reciting lines from a play, loudly proclaimed, "I love Blanchett! I love Blanchett..."

Regardless of Blanchett's expression, Nicholson continued his performance.

Because he found it amusing and had discovered its fun, he not only raised his voice even louder, but also went all out, his face full of sincerity and devotion: "Cate Blanchett, marry me!"

The scene erupted in uproar.

Anyone in Hollywood knows that Cate Blanchett got married.

Martin shouted from a short distance away, "Marry him! Marry him!"

Upon hearing this, Leonardo immediately chimed in, "Marry him!"

He not only shouted, but also spread his arms to encourage those around him to help: "We are witnessing the birth of a great love, shout together!"

Those who enjoy watching a spectacle never miss an opportunity to stir things up. First, a few people who came with Leonardo started shouting, and a few seconds later, everyone around them joined in.

"Marry him! Marry him..."

Some passersby, without even understanding what was happening, joined in the shouting.

Blanchett looked extremely unwell. Everyone in Hollywood knew she had a husband, and the couple had a very good relationship. Whenever she returned to her home in Australia, she was a devoted wife and mother.

This bastard wants to ruin her reputation?

Blanchett, his face as dark as a rock, strode up to Nicholson, snatched the bright red roses from his hand, and threw them on the ground.

Still not satisfied, she stomped on it, turning it into a puddle of mud.

Nicholson looked quite helpless: "I was just expressing my love, I didn't hurt you, there's no need for this."

Blanchett continued stomping on the roses, her face cold and menacing, as she uttered sarcastic words like a sharp iron plate scraping against the ground: "Get out! Ugly freak, with your old and ugly appearance..."

She spat very rudely: "Pah!"

Nicholson innocently spread his hands, doing nothing more, looking more like a gentleman who had been rejected in love.

Not far away, his daughter Lorraine was filming everything with a handheld camera.

Nicholson said, "I just love you very much and hope you can give me a chance." He was a shrewd and experienced man, and seeing Blanchett's extreme anger, his words carried a certain something: "Even though I'm old, my influence has diminished, and I've become an insignificant old white Hollywood man, I still have the right to express love."

He specifically emphasized, "Older white men in Hollywood should also have their day."

"Pah!" Blanchett spat again, yelling, "Disgusting old white Hollywood man!"

Nicholson shook his head, ultimately saying nothing, and instead stepped aside.

Hearing the commotion around her, Blanchett turned and left quickly; she felt she might throw up if she stayed even a minute longer.

Once she had walked out of the crowd, Nicholson called to Leonardo, "Let's go, let's go."

Leonardo, Nicholson, and Lorraine, who had secretly followed them, got into an electric scooter and sped away from the scene like the wind.

Martin jumped into the driver's seat of the electric scooter, told Bruce to sit down quickly, and headed straight for the studio parking lot.

A dozen minutes later, Martin arrived at the WMA headquarters in Century City, where they had arranged to meet.

Martin entered the lobby on the first floor, waved to Leonardo and his two companions in the rest area, and asked the front desk for a meeting room.

Given his current position in the company, it wouldn't be a problem for him to have guests in Ali Emmanuel's office.

On one hand, it's about his status; on the other hand, Martin's three-year contract is about to expire.

Now the whole company is trying to flatter him.

Getting a star like Martin, with his immense commercial appeal and still rapidly rising popularity, to sign a three-year contract is no easy task.

After closing the door to the meeting room, Nicholson took the digital video camera from Lorraine.

Martin and Leonardo immediately went over.

Lorraine was quite helpless. Her own father was unreliable, and her two closest friends over the years seemed even more unreliable.

Three idiots together, always causing trouble.

Martin watched the video he had filmed, and gave Lorraine a thumbs up: "Well done."

Lorraine returned the smile.

Leonardo, who had been hastily brought in, asked, "What's the next step?"

Martin looked at Nicholson: "You're the director, producer, and lead actor. You decide how things should be done."

Nicholson already had an idea: "Of course we have to sell it, make back all the money we invested today, and probably even make a profit. We will never do a business that loses money."

Martin nodded: "You're fucking good at business."

Nicholson surprisingly modestly replied, "I learned everything from you."

Martin turned his head: "Old Brooks, the contact."

Bruce asked, "A direct trade?"

"A direct trade." Nicholson glanced at Lorraine, thinking his daughter needed some training: "You go and make the trade."

Lorraine's mouth dropped open: "Me? Okay, I'll go."

Nicholson added, "If it doesn't sell for $1, you'll have to make up the difference yourself, and you can keep the rest."

Lorraine copied a video and followed Bruce out to make a deal with Jody.

Leonardo asked, "Jack, did you do this on purpose?"

Martin was also quite interested.

Nicholson said, "If you want it to be fun, you have to add something extra. Hollywood's old white men are all petty, haha..."

He himself was one of them, so of course he understood.

Martin patted Leonardo on the shoulder: "You're the most qualified to say this."

Leonardo DiCaprio was on the verge of tears.

Martin looked at Nicholson: "You're a real genius. Blanchett is on the path of artistic awards. If the old white guys really have a prejudice against her, she's in big trouble."

Nicholson laughed: "Not so fast. Let's plant a seed that will make people unhappy first."

Martin said, "Keep it up. She's so distinctive; we have to make sure the old white guys remember her very well."

Leonardo pointed to his two close friends: "You two are always so reliable when it comes to being inhuman."

"If you want to sell the video for a high price, you need to let the seller know what the selling points are!" Martin took out his phone and called Bruce, telling him the real selling points of the video.

…………

Meanwhile, in a shopping mall in Century City, Lorraine met Jody, the editor-in-chief of TMZ.

Jody, who was somewhat attractive but lacked both curves and a shapeless figure, asked Lorraine, "Did you look for me?"

Lorraine gripped the card reader tightly and said, "Let's check the code first."

Jody sighed, but could only ask, "Who is Leonardo's favorite?"

Lorraine confirmed that the person was correct and said, "Giselle Bunsen."

She turned back to look at Bruce behind her. Although she couldn't see him, the thought that Bruce would cover for her reassured her slightly. She took out the card reader and made an outrageous demand: "I want $2 for this video."

Jody took the card reader, plugged it into the laptop, and played it. She found that it was a scene of Nicholson proposing to Blanchett, only to be rejected by Blanchett.

Although Blanchett's words were somewhat excessive and her behavior was rude, it was understandable given someone like Nicholson.

The content in the video wasn't exciting enough.

Jody shook her head: "It looks like a joke, not worth $2. Nicholson and Blanchett are both quite popular, and the middleman who introduced you is reliable. I'll take the $5000."

If the video sold for that price, Lorraine would have to pay $5000 of her own money to help her father. She was unwilling to do so. After calming herself down a bit, she replayed the video and paused it at a crucial point, making Jody listen to Blanchett's words repeatedly.

Jody's news sense was sharp enough that after listening to it just once, she immediately realized the video's greatest value and said, "$1."

Lorraine, who had never done this kind of deal before, couldn't hold back and said, "$1.5, take it or leave it."

"Deal." Afraid she might change her mind, Jody took out his checkbook and wrote a check.

Lorraine realized she had sold it too cheaply, but with the check in hand, she couldn't back out, so she got up and left.

Jody immediately returned to the company and summoned the technical staff from the editorial department.

"Here, here, make the audio clearer." She played Blanchett's words as she spat for the second time: "Push up the audio here to make her voice sound sharper."

While waiting for the video to be processed, Jody sat behind her desk, thinking about how to attract attention.

As a highly professional entertainment reporter, Jody quickly came up with a headline.

Cate Blanchett appears to be dissatisfied with certain groups, launching a scathing attack on older white men in Hollywood!

Anyway, I'm not Black, so it won't cause any trouble like racial discrimination.

After Jody finished writing the article, she asked her assistant to watch the video and write some news content based on the headline.

The assistant watched the video once and said, "Boss, is this really going to get attention?"

"Absolutely!" Jody instructed, "Don't forget, you can reprint it if you cite the source. The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly will definitely reprint it."

The assistant asked, confused, "Why?"

Jody said, "Because the older white male population in Hollywood is very sensitive, yet outdated, there is only one place where they can demonstrate their presence and influence. If anyone offends them, even unintentionally, they can spend ten years holding a grudge against you."

The assistant was still puzzled.

Jody gave an example: "For instance, Leonardo DiCaprio simply said he didn't want to steal the spotlight from the Oscars."

The assistant suddenly realized and said, "I understand, you're talking about the core group of the academy. They're the real old white men and petty jerks."

Jody, on a sudden impulse, thought of something else: "Blancette has a grudge against the Academy. She was the frontrunner for Best Actress at the 1999 Oscars, but Gwyneth Paltrow snatched the award. Blanchette is just taking this opportunity to vent her frustration!"

The assistant flattered, "Boss, you're amazing!"

…………

Meanwhile, Martin picked up Elizabeth on the south slope and drove straight to the Brentwood neighborhood, heading directly into Leonardo's mansion.

Leonardo and Nicholson were already sitting in the living room chatting.

The former's temporary female companion, Bar Refaeli, took the initiative to come over, greeted Martin, and then pulled Elizabeth aside to talk about women's topics.

Bar Refaeli's relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio is unusual. She lives in Leonardo's mansion, is nominally his girlfriend, and uses Leonardo's fame to quickly rise to stardom in the modeling world.

But she never cared about Leonardo's affairs. Leonardo could have as many women as he wanted, and even if he brought them home for a wild party, Bar Refaeli would help with the preparations.

This is probably what they call "each getting what they need".

Martin chatted with Nicholson and Leonard for a while, then Lorraine and Bruce entered the living room one after the other.

Lorraine handed the check to Nicholson: "$1.5, it's all here."

"Take it," Nicholson said, transforming into a generous old father. "It's what you deserve."

Lorraine suddenly realized that the trio led by her father wasn't so bad after all.

(End of this chapter)