America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 717 Family Members Don't Lie to Their Own Family

Beverly Hills, Davis Estate.

After selecting a few bottles of fine wine from the cellar, Martin returned to the living room and found that Leonardo, Nicholson, Saoirse Ronan, and others were all gone.

Seeing Elizabeth come out of the kitchen, he asked, "Where are they?"

Elizabeth pointed outside: "They've all gone to the yard."

Martin pulled her along as they left the villa, only to find everyone gathered at the fountain square.

It had gotten dark, and the square was lit up.

Leonardo picked up a pipe with a handle and tilted it at a 45-degree angle towards the sky.

Nicholson flicked his cigar, lit a special firework shell, shoved it into the tube, slapped Leonardo on the head, and yelled, "Fire!"

Martin panicked and shouted, "Don't set off fireworks! Don't set them off..."

With a loud bang, a spark, trailing a fiery tail, shot into the sky and exploded, scattering sparks everywhere.

Martin scratched his head. Those two bastards actually set off fireworks to celebrate at halftime!

Saoirse saw Martin and Elizabeth and called out, "Teacher, Liz, come and set off fireworks together!"

Elizabeth noticed that the person next to her had stopped, and the weight in her hands was as heavy as a calf's.

Nicholson shouted, "Martin, don't stop us! Leo and I just want to figure out one thing: does celebrating at halftime really mean we'll lose the game?"

"One more shot! Keep going!" Leonardo shouted. "Martin, let's give it a try. If all else fails, Jack will give you an Oscar. He has three."

Martin shrugged: "After harming outsiders, you've now harmed your own people. You two truly deserve to be called the two biggest bastards in Hollywood!"

Nicholson lit another firework, which Leonardo sent soaring into the sky and illuminating half the heavens.

Martin, too lazy to care anymore, pulled Elizabeth back: "Let's go prepare dinner."

Elizabeth smiled and comforted him, "Leo and Jack put in a lot of effort this time, they deserve a celebration."

Martin said, "Ignore them."

At this year's nominees' luncheon, the "Mars" crew reaped a bountiful harvest, securing eight nominations including Best Art Direction, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture.

Regarding the Best Director award, Ridley Scott made it clear that he would forgo further public relations and promotion.

The production team and Disney have reached an agreement, with Martin Scorsese's primary goal being the Best Actor award.

After successfully eliminating Matt Damon through the "worst of the worst" contest, Martin stands out almost entirely among the nominees.

The next step is to prevent an upset.

…………

In just one night, Matt Damon fully accepted the fact that he was saying goodbye to this year's Oscars.

Without a nomination, his efforts are futile.

The bad things he did in the past eventually cost him some price.

But Matt Damon has never regretted it. If he hadn't done those awful things, he wouldn't be where he is today.

Matt Damon's agent came to visit him early in the morning.

Once inside the living room, he said, "Steven Soderbergh is preparing to shoot a biopic about the pianist Liberace. You've worked with him many times. If you're interested, you can ask Soderbergh about it; I'm sure he won't refuse you."

Matt Damon knows that biopics are award-winning films, and he has always had a good relationship with Soderbergh, saying, "I'll call Steven later."

His agent, worried that he would dwell on the matter, specifically said, "The Oscars happen every year. If it doesn't work out this year, we'll try again next year. There's no need to get hung up on one year, and even less need to get entangled with Martin Davis."

Matt Damon remained silent, looking simple and honest, as if he had listened attentively.

The agent glanced at his watch, picked up his bag, and said, "I'm leaving now. Call me if you need anything. You should get some rest."

"Wait a minute." Matt Damon finally couldn't hold back and called out to his agent, saying, "Keep in touch with the media and expose all the dirt on Martin Davis that we've prepared."

The agent couldn't help but shake his head. What kind of scandalous material was that? Throwing wild parties, hooking up with the neighbor's fiancée, messing around with numerous supermodels—what were these things to a Hollywood star?

He said, "It's useless. These things won't hurt Martin Davis, and might even make him more charming. This is Hollywood, not Washington."

Matt Damon said, "I didn't get a nomination. Martin Davis is the favorite now. We can hold him back a little bit. If we can't get him, he shouldn't get him easily either."

Faced with a client of Matt Damon's caliber, the agent couldn't refuse: "Okay, I'll try my best."

When the first negative news broke, Matt Damon immediately assumed it was related to Martin Davis without even thinking about it.

He had considered retaliating, but after extensive investigation, he couldn't find a way to counterattack.

This bastard has never dated anyone under 18, never forced any other women, and never evaded taxes, etc.

He usually seems like one of the biggest scoundrels in the industry, but in reality, his moral standards are higher than most people in Hollywood.

Matt Damon got into his car, left his mansion, and headed to the state prison.

Today is the scheduled visiting day.

Matt Damon met his old buddy Ben Affleck and saw how thin, haggard, and restless he looked. He suddenly realized how lucky he was not to have been dragged into this mess by the Harvey and Affleck brothers.

Matt Damon himself has lost count of how many terrible things he did in the past to curry favor with Harvey Weinstein.

The situation in Hollywood has changed dramatically in the past two years.

Even a big shot like Harvey was sent in.

After leaving the state prison, Matt Damon got into the car and sat there silently for half an hour.

He picked up his phone and dialed his agent's number: "It's me. Let's forget about everything I said this morning. It's unnecessary. Let's save our strength and wait for the next opportunity, the next awards season."

The agent said, "A very wise decision."

Matt Damon hung up the phone, started his car, and as he drove out of the parking lot, he glanced back at the state prison; he didn't want to end up there.

This Oscars PR effort made Matt Damon realize one thing: in terms of money and power, fame and status, he and Martin Davis are no longer on the same level.

In other words, he was a bit smarter than Ben Affleck; he could put pressure on people, but he wouldn't do anything illegal.

…………

On a sunny afternoon, Elizabeth Olsen woke up groggily, touched the person next to her, and found Martin wasn't there.

The faint sound of running water could be heard coming from the washroom.

Elizabeth was too tired to move, and after a while she dozed off, she picked up a yacht brochure, flipped through a couple of pages, and then tossed it aside.

Although owning a yacht called Elizabeth is very appealing, after careful consideration these days, she feels that yachts are used too infrequently and can be put on hold for now. Instead, she would like to buy a private business jet.

Whether it's her and Lily, or Martin, they take too many flights every year.

Elizabeth pulled over a cushion, rested her chin on it, and lazily relaxed, recalling the thought that had popped into her head last time.

Lily and she were very close, and when they were in Los Angeles, they mostly stayed here.

Moreover, Lily has complained about it more than once.

The bathroom door opened, and Martin glanced at his phone. There were messages from Chad and Marcus. He said to Elizabeth, "I'm going out for a bit."

Elizabeth nodded.

After Martin changed his clothes and went outside, she took out her phone and dialed Lily's number: "When are you coming back? Nothing important, I'm fine here. I'm calling you just to tell you that I have a surprise for you, and I also want to give Martin a surprise."

"A surprise? More like a shock, isn't it?" Lily sensed Elizabeth's ill intentions. "It sounds like you're plotting against me!"

Elizabeth said, "Of course it's a surprise. We wouldn't lie to our own family."

Lily has also been following entertainment news lately: "Before the Oscars, I always have to go back and congratulate that bastard on winning Best Actor."

Elizabeth cautioned, "Don't open the champagne halfway through the game."

Lily responded, "I understand."

Martin left Beverly Hills and went to the Chiefstone Theater in the Hollywood area.

The place has been completely decorated and is ready for the premiere.

Martin got out of the car and went into the theater, where Marcus, Chad, and Chen Hu were, along with Disney's distribution producers.

Marcus personally set up the display stand and arranged the promotional materials for "Lonely Survivor".

This politically correct film is about to be released.

Considering the potential unforeseen circumstances surrounding the characters and Mark Wahlberg, the film was deliberately scheduled for release in January.

Martin is the film's investor, and Disney Studios is cooperating with him, so naturally he has the final say.

Marcus stood in front of the booth and said, "It's finally going to be released."

Martin patted his broad shoulder: "The pre-sales are going very well. This movie will definitely make people remember what you guys have done."

Marcus's double chin jiggled a few times as he said, "I've invited their families over."

Martin basically doesn't concern himself with these minor matters anymore; Emily and Jessica are perfectly capable of handling the day-to-day management of Davis Studio.

After discussing Lonely Survivor, Chad came to Martin and said, "When do you have time to go to the Angels Club? We've designed some new action sequences."

Martin asked directly, "Can I do it?"

Chad smiled. "It's a bit difficult."

Martin casually remarked, "They're not going to make me drive my car into space and crash it into a satellite, are they?"

"How could that be?" Chad said. "It just adds some close-quarters combat combined with pistol shooting. After all, we're making an action movie, not a science fiction movie."

Martin toured the premiere theater with them to make sure everything was in order, then invited Chad, Chen Hu, and Marcus to wash their faces and chat about the preparations for "John Wick 3".

When you're refreshed and in a good mood, your creative ideas flow like a spring.

(End of this chapter)