America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 155, Section 154: The Startled Weinstein

Beverly Hills, the Cooper family home.

Eric opened his eyes in bed, then covered them with his hands; the glaring light from the ceiling made him feel uncomfortable.

I fell asleep without turning off the light.

I drew back the curtains and looked out the window; the sky was still pitch black, and it was only midnight.

Eric took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and drank it, but his expression suddenly changed, as if he remembered something.

"Oh no, I really wanted to talk to Theron on the phone before I fell asleep, but what did I say? I can't remember at all."

Eric rubbed his temples and shook his head vigorously, but he could still vaguely remember calling Theron after he got home and rambling on and on, the content of which was as blurry as a blackout.

I quickly went back to my bedroom, picked up my phone, and checked my call history.

Sure enough, the first one was Charlize Theron.

Snapped!

Eric slapped his forehead. This was bad. A man in a drunken state was calling a woman, and a beautiful woman he had been eyeing for a long time at that.

So what they would say is probably something we can imagine.

They might even lose their most basic manners and start acting like hooligans on the phone.

"It's all over! All the image I've worked so hard to build is gone!"

Eric was filled with regret. He shouldn't have drunk that wine; it had ruined everything.

He hesitated, holding his phone, wanting to send a text message to apologize, or at least to test the other party's attitude so he could judge whether he had said anything excessive.

But then I thought it was the middle of the night and a bit inappropriate, so I put my phone down again.

Eric went to the bathroom and took a shower. The cold water poured over his head made it even harder for him to fall asleep.

I simply opened my laptop and started browsing the news.

The first headline on Google's entertainment section was about Ben Affleck being photographed at a nightclub, which caused another argument between him and his girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, and their wedding was unsurprisingly postponed again.

Given Ben Affleck's womanizing nature, this news is most likely true.

However, this couple has been dragging things out ever since their relationship was exposed last year. They were initially talking about getting engaged in November, but it's still not confirmed. Everyone is getting tired of waiting for this drama.

During that time, Eric saw at least ten pieces of gossip about the two of them, and he always wanted to laugh at this future Daredevil and Batman from the bottom of his heart.

Men, no, women too.

Especially for people in the entertainment industry, they should not rush into marriage before they have had enough fun.

Do not compromise because of pressure from public opinion, family, or the other party, because compromise has its limits.

Moreover, this circle is full of temptations. Even if a cat doesn't steal fish, as long as the cat is good enough, the fish will take the bait. Sooner or later, you will not be able to resist.

Rather than causing a messy situation due to relationship or marital issues later, it's better to wait until you're completely settled before getting married.

But once married, he stopped messing around and settled down to be a good husband and father—that's the principle Eric follows.

As for when he'll have had enough fun and when he'll settle down completely, at his current age, it will be a long journey.

Eric didn't even have the desire to open the news article. His gaze swept downwards, and he soon saw news related to himself.

The trailer for "Transformers" has been released.

Clicking the link reveals that no one would guess that the trailer was actually edited by Peter Jackson.

Compared to the rough version reviewed internally, this minute-long video is a fully retouched version with complete special effects.

It was just the beginning. In the distant reaches of space, the electromechanical planetary clock on Cybertron spun, and with the grand and magnificent narration, Eric felt he was getting into the spirit of it.

As each Autobot and Decepticon appeared, the complete special effects unfolded before his eyes.

Just as expected, it combines a metallic feel with agility, not much different from the image in my memory.

Even if there is a gap, it's not that big, after all, Transformers uses the most advanced technology in the current film industry.

The trailer, lasting just over a minute, ended with the words "Major Launch on 11.16".

The editing is excellent, the soundtrack is great, and the intense close-ups of the battle, with flying and exploding metal parts, are enough to get your adrenaline pumping.

Eric scrolled down and saw that the comments section was almost entirely filled with positive reviews.

Words like surprise, shock, wonder, and unexpected appeared most frequently.

Eric then logged onto the world's largest Transformers fan forum.

Sure enough, the trailer was pinned to the top.

A netizen nicknamed "Optimus Prime's Arms" commented: "When this trailer was released, I didn't have high expectations, but after I clicked on it, I realized I was wrong. It's the best movie trailer I've seen this year."

Megatron's Eyes: "I agree with the comment above. This trailer is absolutely amazing. I'm really looking forward to the movie now. I wish time could fast forward to November."

Red Spider: "OMG! Can anyone tell me if these robots are real or special effects? They look so high-quality! I just watched *The Matrix Reloaded* a few months ago, and I think *Transformers*' special effects are even better than *The Matrix Reloaded*'s!"

I want to drive a Hercules: "This shows that MGM didn't lie to everyone. They said the investment would not be less than $1.5 million, and it seems that the money was really spent properly."

"The trailer only shows some plot fragments, so if we expand on those fragments, I predict the action sequences in the movie will be at least 40 minutes long—that's going to be awesome!"

Unicron: "Haven't you considered this scenario? What if the trailer already shows the essence of the movie, and the rest is just a pile of crap? Like Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Aces."

I am Jack: "The person upstairs is too subjective. Star Wars prequels 1 and 2 were clearly very well made. Although dialogue isn't Lucas's strong suit, the visuals were fantastic!"

Titanium Master arrives: "Are you kidding me? I admit Lucas created Star Wars, but his two prequel films also ruined Star Wars, and he's actually going to make a third one. Get rid of Lucas, Fox needs to find a new director."

Bumblebee is so cute: "Don't go off-topic, this is a Transformers forum, those who post Star Wars stuff, get out!"

The ambulance horn: "Star Wars is the best! I'm going to binge-watch Star Wars! Transformers is good too, but it's nowhere near as good as Star Wars."

Bumblebee is so cute: "I suspect you're a spy! Everyone, come with me to the Star Wars Zone to collect Transformers!"

After watching for a while, Eric was speechless. Sure enough, no matter what the topic was, it would eventually turn into a fight.

I checked Facebook again, and both MGM's official account and the Transformers promotional account had posted related news and included links.

Celebrities who are close to Eric have also joined in the promotion.

The comments here are much more harmonious, with almost everyone praising the trailer as excellent and saying they definitely want to see it in theaters.

He browsed through some celebrities' homepages and found that some of them were quite active.

For example, Mike shares something every day or two; sometimes it's a photo, sometimes it's his feelings, sometimes it's a song or a book, or sometimes it's promoting charity.

Will Smith, Orlando Bloom, Natalie Portman, and others often share their life experiences or behind-the-scenes photos.

However, overall, the current focus is still mainly on film and television stars, with very few public figures from the music industry, reality shows, business world, and political sphere.

After thinking it over, he estimated that James Murdoch would make his move soon, so he had to accelerate the acquisition of new users and expand his user base.

He took out his phone, edited a short message, and sent it to Fitzheisenberg.

He was asked to hold a celebrity fan ranking event after his one-month Facebook membership expired.

Starting from the first place, if there are enough people, we'll rank them up to the hundredth; if there aren't enough, we'll rank them as many as we have.

This is the first round; we will re-evaluate it every month thereafter.

This method is simple and straightforward. If fans find that their idol's ranking is low, they will naturally call on their friends and family to come and support them.

On the one hand, it can effectively expand the user base, and on the other hand, it can increase the exposure of these celebrities.

At this stage, Facebook's features are not yet fully developed, and users may lose interest after a few days.

Therefore, the celebrity effect remains an important benchmark and attraction. After a year or two of development and gradual stabilization, the celebrity effect can be reduced, and the focus can shift to improving the general user experience.

After sending the text message, without caring whether it would disturb Fitzheisenberg's rest, I thought, "I'm paying you such a high salary, it's only right that I keep you on call 24/7."

Eric crawled back into bed and went back to sleep.

Meanwhile, also in Beverly Hills, at Harvey Weinstein's mansion, the orc was restless and unable to sleep.

He was drinking and pacing back and forth in the living room while holding the phone.

Even with the air conditioning on full blast, his obese body still caused him to sweat profusely.

During the phone call, his younger brother Bob Weinstein advised, "Harvey, I think you should change the application; the current situation is very unfavorable for us."

"You saw the trailer MGM released, and it was unexpectedly brilliant. Eric Cooper, that brat, is no fool. We underestimated him."

Harvey Weinstein gulped down half a glass of wine, tossed the glass onto the table, and after it rolled a few times, a crackling sound filled the air.

"Change the schedule? No way! Especially since our opponent is MGM, that sick lion, which is on its last legs, while we are at the height of our power."

"Because of that damned father and son, we were forced to pull 'Chicago' from theaters early, which is why we didn't win Best Picture."

"Have you forgotten how much money we spent? A whopping $1200 million, and all we got in the end was a Best Supporting Actress award? Who would want such a trash award!"

"After the Oscars, the whole of Hollywood was laughing at us, Bob. Don't forget we were the ones who booked the dates first. It was that damn father and son who broke the rules."

After listening to his brother's rant, Bob Weinstein could only continue to persuade him: "Harvey, I've already asked around at Weta Digital, and this Transformers movie is quite well-made. It doesn't look like the work of a novice director at all."

"Perhaps, as that kid said in front of the media, he wants $700 million in box office revenue, and that's not just empty talk."

"Really, Harvey, reschedule it. At least adjust the release date of 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'. November 14th is only two days after 'Transformers,' which is practically a head-on confrontation."

"Do you really think that a story about a 19th-century naval fleet can be more appealing to audiences than the Autobots from Cybertron?"

"But don't forget, we also have Russell Crowe, we have Paul Bettany, and our screenwriter is Peter Weir, who has won the Golden Globe and the Palme d'Or and directed 'Dead Poets Society' and 'The Truman Show.' Whether it's the cast or the crew, we've completely won!" Harvey Weinstein roared.

"But all of them combined can't compare to a living, breathing Optimus Prime presented to the audience!" Bob Weinstein also angrily retorted to his brother.

"Harvey, no matter what, we have to change the release date. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World has a budget of $1.5 million, the same as Transformers. If it fails at the box office, we'll lose a lot of money."

"Rescheduling, rescheduling, all you know is rescheduling! This year's slots were already secured through negotiations with several major companies; next year's good slots should be given to them."

"Now you want to change the release date? I'm asking you, where do you want to change it to? Unless you change it to 2005, or do you want to compete with 'Spider-Man 2,' 'Shrek 2,' 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,' 'Van Helsing,' and 'The Day After Tomorrow' next year? Is there any easy target among these competitors?"

"Bob, it's not that I insist on it, but time won't give us that chance, or let the film sit in the warehouse for two years."

"But by 2005, can you guarantee there won't be Transformers 2, Van Helsing 2, or The Bourne Ultimatum?"

After being berated by his older brother, Bob Weinstein was speechless.

At this point, the two brothers were not yet in the state of conflict and estrangement that would erupt ten years later.

It is said that it was his younger brother Bob who eventually brought Harvey Weinstein down; at that time, the infighting between the two brothers had reached a point of life and death.

Although there were conflicts at this time, such as Bob's attempts to dissuade Harvey from sleeping with actresses, it had no effect whatsoever.

But their relationship is generally quite harmonious.

"But if we don't change the release date, I'm worried..."

"There's nothing to worry about. When have we two brothers ever lost a battle? This time will be no different, let alone a 20-year-old brat!"

"We need to increase publicity efforts, and if necessary, release some damaging information. We can't let others laugh at the Weinstein brothers for being afraid of a greenhorn."

After hanging up the phone, Harvey Weinstein still insisted on not changing the schedule, wanting to confront the issue head-on.

Some people have already given him the title of "Hollywood Movie Emperor".

How could the emperor be afraid?

It's only others who are afraid of the emperor!

"Ouch... Ah!"

Suddenly, he slipped on the broken glass and fell to the ground in pain.

"Ambulance! I need an ambulance!"

Thank you Luciferhx for the 100-coin donation.

(End of this chapter)