America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 635 Sweeping the World

The contrast between photos of Leonardo DiCaprio from back then and photos of him now is striking.

Lorraine said, "Leo is still the most handsome guy I've ever been."

Leonardo reminded him, "You should call him Uncle Leonard."

Nicholson and Martin were editing the video, and they quickly selected a segment, cut it out, and saved it.

Lorraine quickly grabbed the storage disk, her face beaming with joy: "I've really struck it rich this time! My allowance for the whole month is secured!"

Leonardo glanced at the money-grubbing Lorraine, then at the whispering Martin and Nicholson, and suddenly felt that he was the only one who was hurt by this whole affair.

Are these bastards trying to mess with him?

Martin, with a focused and serious attitude, asked, "Jack, do you use social media?"

Nicholson shook his head: "Not interested."

"Make me a copy of these two photos." Martin pointed to the computer screen and said, "I have a lot of followers on Twitter, Facebook, my blog, and the official website of the Cola Cult. Send me a copy as well, to help Leo get some attention."

Nicholson took immediate action.

Seeing how serious the two were, Leonardo scratched his head, thinking that it was true that these two bastards were helping him get into the Oscars, but it was also true that they were using the opportunity to mess with him.

I'll endure this for the sake of winning the Oscar for Best Actor. Once I get the golden statue, I'll melt it into juice and force-feed it to those two bastards!

Martin put away the USB drive and turned on another computer.

Lorraine asked, "Which website will the video be given to?"

What's the most suitable?

Martin, prepared for this, said, "My team did some research. Guess which website our members visit most often?"

Lorraine was the first to speak: "Rotten Tomatoes or MTC?"

"Wrong!" Martin gave the answer directly: "It's TMZ."

Nicholson said, "That's right, it's TMZ. We guys like to watch the drama too."

Martin said, "Get the video on the front page of TMZ."

Leonardo, having gone all out, asked, "Are you sure it's just my water gun photo that'll make the headlines?"

Martin said to Lorraine, "Give the video to Old Brooks and let him sell it. The money is yours."

Lorraine ran out: "I'm going to find Old Brooks."

Martin first posted a photo of Leonardo DiCaprio with a large belly and a water gun on his official Twitter account, with the caption: "This is Hollywood's number one heartthrob!"

Then he posted a photo of Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack: "Formerly Hollywood's number one handsome man!"

Leonardo looked down at his own flabby body, plopped down on the sofa, and didn't want to say anything.

Martin then posted the same content on his blog, Facebook, and the official website of the Cola Cult.

Nicholson leaned over and said, "Great, great, the text and picture are a perfect match." He pointed to the webpage: "Look, someone has replied."

Annette Bening replied: "My God, is that Leonardo DiCaprio?"

She also tagged actresses Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Meryl Streep, and Sandra Bullock, saying, "Look at your favorite male idols, they've turned into greasy old men now."

Sandra Bullock quickly commented, her comment perfectly in line with her outspoken and somewhat eccentric personality: "What has Leonardo been through all these years? How did he end up like this? Is this still the Jack I know?"

Martin took out his phone and sent a text message, calling for reinforcements.

Soon after, Kate Winslet went to Martin's Twitter account and replied to a number of comments: "These are the prices Leo has paid to break free from his established image and hone his acting skills. He has been surpassing himself all these years."

Annette Bening replied with another message: "Leonardo works much harder than people think."

Martin called out, "Leo, come and see, they're praising you effusively."

Leonardo glanced over and said, "It seems to be working. If I win the award, Martin, I'll get a bunch of Asian actresses for a party, and I'll cover all the expenses!"

He brought up an example: "I know an investor from Malaysia, similar to your Burmese investor, who has money and connections in Southeast Asia."

Martin thought for a moment, realizing he didn't recognize any of the Southeast Asian actresses, and said, "Let's find Korean actresses instead. Korean chaebols always have a keen eye for beauty."

Leonardo DiCaprio confidently stated, "As long as I win Best Actor, none of these things will be a problem."

Martin began to seriously consider: besides that nine-member girl group, what other high-quality female stars were there in South Korea during this era?

Son Ye-jin? Jun Ji-hyun? Song Hye-kyo?

…………

Upon receiving Bruce's call, TMZ's deputy editor-in-chief, Jody, left the company, drove to a nearby parking lot, saw the familiar Volkswagen, got out, and went straight to the passenger seat.

Bruce handed her a USB drive: "Breaking news, Leonardo DiCaprio's stuff."

Jody, with her high level of professionalism, immediately picked up her laptop, plugged in the USB drive, and started watching.

She initially thought it was a major scandal involving Leonardo DiCaprio, and when she opened it, it was indeed a scandal, but not bad enough; he was also wearing floral shorts.

Jody asked, "Nothing more exciting?"

"Isn't this explosive enough?" Bruce pointed at the video playing: "Look at that belly, look at that fat face, and look at that water gun. It's definitely worthy of being on TMZ's front page."

After watching the video, Jody asked curiously, "Why did you post these? I remember your boss and Leonardo are best friends."

Bruce said, "Martin is helping Leo win the Oscar for Best Actor."

Jody couldn't understand what this had to do with winning an Oscar. However, the video certainly had enough tabloid value, involving Leonardo DiCaprio, and could even become a hot topic.

She said directly, "I want the video, name your price."

Before Bruce arrived, he asked Lorraine about her bottom line and said, "$3000, plus a homepage headline on the website."

"Okay, I'll give you the check later." Jody put away the USB drive and turned off the computer. "But Old Brooks, if you want to make the front page, you'll have to give something in return."

Bruce quickly said, "This has nothing to do with me, I don't want to pay anything."

Jody's hand reached out like an eagle's claw, her slender fingers gripping Bruce's vitals with unerring precision, as if shifting gears in a manual transmission car, shaking him repeatedly.

Bruce sighed, "Tonight, wait until tonight."

Jody glanced at her watch and said, "I can't wait until tonight. There's a hotel nearby; let's go there now."

To help Leonardo DiCaprio win an Oscar, Bruce Wayne went all out, following Jody into the hotel. As they went upstairs, he complained, "Can't you gain weight?"

Jody is tall and thin, like a European model. She thinks she has a great figure and refuses to accept any advice to gain weight.

When Bruce left the hotel, he kept holding his lower back, not because his back was hurting, but because his pelvis was sore from the impact.

Lorraine, on the other hand, contacted several media outlets with a series of "stunning" photos of Leonardo DiCaprio.

They traveled to many places in Los Angeles and sold several thousand dollars in total.

With the $3000 check Bruce gave her, her allowance increased dramatically that month.

The following day, many entertainment media outlets published Leonardo DiCaprio's stylish new photos, including influential Hollywood publications such as The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly.

Vanity Fair, a magazine favored by Hollywood's top stars, used a photo of Leonardo DiCaprio with a water gun as the cover of its new issue!

The title page even features a carefully crafted advertorial by Leonardo's professional public relations team.

The core of the article is what Martin said.

"In order to break through in the performing arts, Leonardo DiCaprio not only broke away from his established image in films, but also made huge changes in his life, and has now become an absolutely powerful actor..."

This article is written with great confidence because it includes a cover photo and a photo of Jack from back then for comparison.

The first impression of anyone who has seen it is that Leonardo DiCaprio is now a truly talented actor who lets his acting skills and abilities speak for themselves!

Leonardo DiCaprio's water gun photo went viral across the United States overnight and quickly spread to the world.

The public was engrossed in the discussion and kept sharing it.

Just like Jack back then, the water gun photo became one of Leonardo's most widely circulated images.

Leonardo DiCaprio's water gun photo then appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

Of course, he is still a long way from becoming Person of the Year.

This year's Person of the Year nominees are Mark Zuckerberg and Harvey Weinstein.

Time magazine's cover story: "Leonardo has changed; he's destroyed his established image in reality for art!"

With the New Year fast approaching, the Oscars' publicity and public relations efforts are in full swing.

Martin's goal this year is an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, so he's a bit more relaxed. Besides attending film screenings of "Gone Girl" to help David Fincher campaign, he's mainly working with Nicholson to advise Leonardo DiCaprio.

Leonardo DiCaprio also spent a lot of money on publicity and public relations.

"Shutter Island," which was released at the beginning of the year, has returned to theaters in major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.

Nicholson and Warren Beatty also helped identify the main competitors in this year's competition.

Javier Bardem in Biutiae, Jeff Bridges in True Grit, James Franco in 127 Hours, and others.

These characters are no more outstanding than Leonardo DiCaprio, the film's impact is somewhat lacking, and it lacks the operational expertise of someone like Harvey Weinstein.

The power vacuum at the Oscars made Leonardo DiCaprio the most popular candidate for Best Actor.

The most popular candidate for Best Actress is Natalie Portman, who has been frequently attending various events while heavily pregnant.

Her status as a pregnant woman allowed her to enjoy various preferential treatments in all aspects.

In the past two decades of awards season, no female star has used similar publicity and public relations tactics, so it is particularly effective.

In an effort to further attract attention before Christmas, Natalie Portman also held an engagement ceremony with Benjamin Millepied.

Martin also received an invitation and, out of respect for Ari Emmanuel, prepared to attend.

(End of this chapter)