America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 176, Section 175: Back to Being a Pimp

As expected, Sony's stock price rebounded quickly after the Nasdaq stock market opened on the new day.

However, forget about going back to the original state, since Mike took away half of the copyright. Although Sony still enjoys the rights, things are different now.

Moreover, aside from half of the copyright, Mikey itself is a cash cow.

He has always kept his own music copyrights in his own hands. He only handed them over to Sony to manage before, and now that he's leaving, he's naturally taking them with him.

So although Sony's stock price has rebounded somewhat, its market value still evaporated by more than two billion US dollars, which is a heavy loss.

Tom Motorola was made a scapegoat and was kicked out of Sony. Given his current disreputable state, no company would take him in anytime soon.

Tom Motorola's only way out is to start his own company, but he doesn't have Michael's confidence and resources. Once his reputation is ruined, even if he has money, it will still be difficult for him to do anything.

That bastard Martin Barshere has disappeared somewhere and still doesn't dare to show his face in public.

Michael has already filed criminal charges against him, and the BBC, for the sake of its public image and public opinion, will certainly not protect him.

As a journalist, his career is completely over, and he will inevitably end up in Longchang.

Larry Feldman and Mathis fared slightly better; in exchange for smearing Sony, Mike didn't sue them.

However, their professional careers are over; their licenses will definitely be revoked, and they're lucky they won't end up in jail.

They will most likely find a place where no one knows them, or immigrate abroad, in any case, they will find a place with few Mike fans.

Janet Avizo has announced the withdrawal of the lawsuit and issued a public apology, acknowledging her mistake and hoping for forgiveness.

She's just a stupid, foolish woman. Mike didn't bother arguing with her; it would only damage his image.

In any case, the true nature of the Avizo family has been exposed, and they cannot escape the fate of being harassed and targeted.

Her son will inevitably suffer from school bullying, and with those relatives who gave false testimony, his future is bleak.

There's also that trashy, scoundrel Eminem. Michael Jordan has issued a statement demanding a public apology from him and the removal of the album from the market.

Eminem's record label, Aftermath, has apologized, and founder Andre Young said they will communicate with distributors as soon as possible to remove all CDs or other merchandise containing "Just Lost It".

Undoubtedly, this decision will cost the record company hundreds of millions of dollars, but not doing so will face the wrath of fans.

Look at Sony, how can a small brand like you compare to Sony? You'll get smashed!

As for Eminem himself, he remained stubborn and did not make any response, simply leaving with a sullen face when interviewed by reporters.

After all, this guy is notoriously stubborn; when George W. Bush criticizes him, he argues back.

On Facebook, he already had over 400 million followers.

Especially after Facebook started promoting its services in various secondary schools.

Because the style of music that involves swearing and insulting is very popular among teenagers, Eminem's fan base grew very quickly.

He himself has a very active personality and completely uses Facebook as a platform to express his opinions and promote his work.

In this Facebook ranking event, his number of followers has broken into the top ten, currently ranking ninth.

As a result of his improper attitude, he lost over 100,000 followers overnight.

A large number of users left abusive comments on his homepage, which were too numerous to delete. In the end, Eminem's team reluctantly shut down the comments section.

And seeing that he doesn't respond and just gives up, and is even thinking of running away and getting by.

Eric simply ordered that Eminem's account be banned.

You don't want to talk, huh? Then never talk again. I'll ban every account you open from now on. As long as you're on my turf, you won't be able to utter a single word.

Give him a few more days. If he still pretends to be deaf and dumb, then Mike will sue him.

Los Angeles, MGM Grand, Eric's office.

"Billy, the main reason I called you back this time is to assign you a new task."

"I'm planning to produce a music variety show, and now I need you to go all over the country to find some talented singers to participate in the competition."

Hearing this, Billy was somewhat puzzled: "We're going to gather information? Shouldn't we be posting announcements and waiting for contestants to apply and be selected?"

"The method you described works for most variety shows, but it's not suitable for mine. Don't worry about the specifics, just start doing it. I'll give you two months."

"Contestants can come from all walks of life. Even those who have some fame in the industry or have already debuted but have never become popular can participate."

"Go to various bars and nightclubs. There are many promising singers in these places. I only have one standard, which is that the singer must have excellent singing skills."

"If they have creative abilities, that would be even better. Tell them that as long as they participate in the competition, they have a chance to sign a contract and obtain resources to become real singers."

"Uh, a contract with MGM? But we don't seem to have a music department." Billy looked puzzled.

"Michael Jackson and I are about to start a record company. You'll understand once it's established. Go do it. Tell Chen Xing to call Judy and Bordeaux over too."

"Okay, boss!"

Soon, Judy arrived at the office first.

"Boss, what can I do for you?"

Eric looked at her: "Judy, you've been with MGM for almost a year now, and you've done an excellent job. You have a keen eye for choosing scripts."

"So I've decided to appoint you to a new position as the deputy head of the production department, while you can continue in your role on the script side."

"Taking on an extra burden might be more tiring; please consider it."

To everyone's surprise, Judy nodded in agreement without hesitation: "No problem, I have plenty of energy, and I also feel that I need to learn and gain experience in more positions."

"You mean, you want more?"

Judy shrugged: "Why not? You only know if it's challenging after you try it. I think I can adapt to a more comprehensive job."

"More comprehensive and interesting terminology. Do you also want to run a company like Warren?"

Judy hesitated for a moment: "That might be a bit early. Give me some more time, or like Bermahadi did, give me an experienced executive."

Eric chuckled and said, "You're always like this. Of all of us, you're always the most confident."

"How about this, we'll still set a one-year deadline. If your work performance remains outstanding after a year, a branch office will be waiting for you to take charge."

"Really?" Judy's face lit up with joy.

"Hehe. You can question other things, but you can't question the boss's decisions."

After Judy left happily and full of energy, another close friend, Bordeaux, walked in.

He had been in the marketing department all year, but his only notable achievement was facilitating a partnership with Hasbro. Eric considered that he might not be a good fit for the position.

Bordeaux seemed to realize what was about to happen and spoke up, saying, "I'm sorry, Eric, I haven't done a good enough job lately and have disappointed you."

Eric stood up, walked over to him, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him, saying, "It's nothing. People always have to find their best place in the world."

"It was my decision to put you in the marketing department, so now I'm planning to change your position."

"I have no objection. We'll go wherever you say we want to go."

"I remember you taught yourself accounting and related subjects when you were in college, right?"

"Yes, I was very interested in this for a while, but I didn't get the certification."

"That's not important. I plan to put you in finance. I don't need to explain what that department means. Just do a good job."

"Don't worry, I will."

Before we knew it, it was August 7th. "Get Out" received rave reviews, and the Black community's promotional strategy was also very effective.

Although the Black men generally have lower levels of education, the film actually expresses the theme of racial discrimination in a very simple way, and most people can understand it.

Even small-time gangsters, the kind who didn't even finish elementary school, would feel excited if they saw a Black protagonist who won and killed the white female lead's entire family.

The first group of moviegoers spontaneously became advocates, recommending the film to their friends and family.

This naturally attracted a second and third wave of attendees, and MGM's survey data showed that the attendance rate continued to rise.

Some movie theaters exclusively for Black people have an occupancy rate as high as 90%, and many Black men who have seen a movie once will drag their friends to see it again.

In addition, Pirates of the Caribbean has been in its fourth week, so its firepower has greatly decreased.

Tobey Maguire's new film, Seabiscuit, had a budget of $9000 million, but the plot was really bad.

It's 2003 now, who would want to watch a horse racing story from the 1930s, especially since sports are already a niche subject, and horse racing is a niche subject within a niche subject.

So while some media outlets praised it, the audience didn't buy it and mostly gave it negative reviews.

In other words, it earned more than $4000 million in its opening week thanks to Tobey Maguire's popularity, but then its box office performance began to decline.

As it turns out, Tobey Maguire isn't effective without Spider-Man.

Of the three films currently making the biggest showings in theaters, "Pirates of the Caribbean" grossed $3100 million this week, meeting expectations for such a blockbuster.

"Seabiscuit" was halved in value, earning less than $2100 million, and its loss was inevitable.

"Get Out" had all the advantages of timing, location, and people, and it raked in $5100 million at the box office in its opening week, which can be described as shocking everyone.

Even Eric was surprised when he received the results; it was the third highest-grossing film in its opening week since he took over MGM.

The first is "Die Another Day" and the second is "Red Dragon," but those are both part of a series with a dedicated fan base.

What kind of production team did Get Out have, with a total production and marketing cost of only $1500 million?

The film's success brought great rewards to James Wan, Closévignon, and Anthony Mackie.

With two blockbuster films in just six months, James Wan has quickly become one of Hollywood's most watched rising stars, receiving a constant stream of praise.

His reputation has surpassed Wayne Wang's, and he has the potential to become the top Chinese director in Hollywood.

Closévini also greatly expanded her audience appeal, and many people only then realized that she had actually been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.

Anthony McKay, a newcomer who had just transitioned from theater to Hollywood, was overjoyed when his first film became a huge hit.

His agent has called Charlie Cooper several times, wanting to invite his father to the resort for a good time.

The three were also invited to appear on shows such as Saturday Night Live and The Ellen Show for promotional purposes, making them incredibly popular for a time.

Eric was mentioned several times because he and Rey Wonner were credited as screenwriters, with Eric appearing before Wonner in the credits.

Although it was mentioned several times, screenwriters don't need to show their faces, and the audience isn't interested.

So not many people really know him, or even can connect him with the rumors that circulated before, and Eric is happy about that.

In the evening, Eric drove to the airport.

After waiting for a while, Sergei Hasenfield walked out of the waiting hall and got into his car.

He clearly took great care of himself today; he not only styled his hair and wore a light men's cologne, but also applied light makeup.

It made this middle-aged man, who was nearly forty, look much younger.

"Eric, why did you come in person? You could have just sent someone to pick me up."

"Hehe. We're such good friends, of course I'll come in person. It seems you've made ample preparations. Let's head straight to the party."

Sergei nodded, shaking the delicate little bag in his hand: "The gift is here, let's go."

The car headed towards Beverly Hills.

"Sergei, I worked really hard to get this opportunity, so you should cherish it."

Sergei looked at Eric gratefully: "I will remember everything you've done, and I will definitely repay you."

"Tsk tsk. I feel a little excited. It's been a long time since my heart has been beating this fast."

When the two arrived at Theron's villa, there were already quite a few people there, and the party had already begun.

But it's okay, big shots are meant to be the grand finale.

Aside from Charlize Theron's family, the rest of the people here are mostly actors and celebrities; many of the people I saw at Nico's place last time are here again.

Upon discovering Eric's arrival, someone immediately informed Theron, who quickly walked out from the crowd, her smile making her look incredibly beautiful.

Before Theron could speak, Eric took her hand and kissed it gently.

He then glanced at Stuart Townsend, who was watching the scene from not far away, and sure enough, the kid's expression twitched unnaturally.

"Hmph! I'll show you!"

Then, with a slight pull, the two had already embraced.

However, it only lasted a few seconds. It seemed somewhat intimate, but there was nothing wrong with it. It was just normal etiquette between friends.

Happy birthday, Theron!

Happy birthday, beautiful lady!

After offering their blessings, Eric and Sergei handed the gifts to Theron. She looked at Sergei and said, "Eric, this is the one you told me about."

"Yes, has Kate Winslet arrived yet?"

Theron looked to the side and said, "It's right there, Mr. Sergei. Do you want me to introduce you, or do you want to go and meet him yourself?"

"Theron, since you're being a good Samaritan, why don't you go all the way and help him out a bit more?"

"Okay, then come with me."

Sergei secretly gave a thumbs-up: "Good brother!"

Eric then looked at Stuart Townsend and walked towards him.

(End of this chapter)