America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 223, Section 222: The Eight Families

Before his disgraceful deeds were exposed, Justin Timberlake was a superstar idol adored by millions, and in China he was known as Boss Jia.

Because he has a keen business sense, he has invested in multiple industries such as clothing, golf, and catering, and has made a lot of money.

But ever since the incident was exposed, he immediately became a scumbag that everyone condemned, and a piece of trash despised by the whole world.

And Britney Spears wasn't the only woman he harmed; almost every woman who dated him ended up badly.

Janet Jackson's career plummeted and her popularity crashed after only one collaboration with him.

For the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, they specially invited superstar Janet Jackson and popular young star Justin Timberlake to collaborate.

But just as the performance was ending, Justin Black suddenly ripped off Jenny's clothes, exposing her right breast to the camera.

Even though the director quickly switched the camera, the footage was still seen by more than 8000 million viewers.

It's important to know that the Super Bowl is a national event, with a large number of minors and children under ten years old in the audience.

Although a scene of exposed breasts will not have a negative impact on a person's mental state, especially since the duration of that shot is very short.

But this is still a serious broadcasting accident. Who made you a public figure? Who made you a big star? You have to take responsibility for it.

After the performance, the NFL, broadcaster CBS, and production company MTV all received a massive number of complaints.

The FBI launched an investigation into the incident, and some angry viewers took legal action, demanding exorbitant compensation for emotional distress.

As the two central figures in the incident, Jenny publicly apologized to the media, saying it was an accident and she didn't expect her bra to be torn. She had no intention of using nudity to promote herself and didn't want to let anyone down.

Justin Din Black continued his fine tradition of playing dead and beating around the bush.

He did not admit his responsibility, only saying that it was an accident or that he was too excited while singing, using vague words to shirk responsibility.

In an instant, the media and the public all turned their attention to Janet Jackson: Who told you to apologize?

If you don't apologize, everyone can only see all the parties involved as responsible. But if no one else apologizes and you are the only one who apologizes, then you are the one who is responsible.

Otherwise, you're not the one in charge, so why are you apologizing?

You knocked someone down, but you didn't do it, so why are you helping them up?

However, in a later interview, Jenny stated that she was coerced into apologizing because she was about to release a new album.

The management team, record company, and other stakeholders all hope the situation will calm down quickly and force her to apologize and beg for forgiveness so as not to affect the album's release.

This decision was clearly a huge mistake, almost identical to the Michael Kovrig child molestation case in 1993.

At that time, the management team reached a settlement agreement with the Chandler family. Michael was on tour abroad at the time. When he returned, he found that the matter was already settled. Everyone around him advised him not to let the lawsuit affect his career and that he could only settle out of court. His older sister, Toya, even betrayed him.

After Janet apologized, the Grammys, MTV, and other organizations all wanted to blacklist her, stating that she had to take full responsibility, each trying to absolve themselves of all blame.

Moreover, rumors circulated that after the incident, Justin went to MTV and CBS privately to apologize to the heads of both companies in person, crying and receiving their forgiveness.

Jenny didn't go, so all the blame was directed at her.

This incident caused Janet Jackson's career to plummet. She was originally known as one of the four queens of pop, along with Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Madonna.

After the turn of the millennium, the record industry as a whole was in a slump, and the sales of the other three artists all declined significantly. Only Jenny continued to maintain her advantage, but after this incident, she fell behind instantly.

Justin Din Black was not affected; on the contrary, his popularity soared as a result.

The truth behind the Super Bowl incident is impossible to verify. Was it an accident or intentional? Who designed the bra-ripping scene? Is Janet completely innocent? Is Justin a victim?

But Justin apologized to Jenny more than a decade later for this. If it had nothing to do with you, why apologize? If you firmly believe you did nothing wrong, why apologize? Were you coerced?

Even taking the worst-case scenario, Jenny and Justin orchestrated this together.

So shouldn't Justin step up like a man? His cowardly behavior is clearly an attempt to shirk responsibility, revealing his depraved character.

Now that Eric knows, he must prepare for the worst and treat the situation as if it were going to happen.

At this point, it's obviously impossible to persuade Janet to withdraw from the Super Bowl, since the contract has already been signed.

We can only take precautions in advance, lest something unexpected happens and "The Voice of China" is bombarded with criticism, losing before the competition even begins.

The second week box office results for "Saw 2" are in. In North America, it dropped by 53%, but still managed to gross $2500 million.

It has begun screening in some overseas countries and has grossed $21 million at the box office. Its global box office is about to break $100 million.

The box office success naturally boosted MGM's stock price, which rose by another 2.23% to around $116 billion, bringing it very close to 20th Century Fox's record.

If they release another blockbuster or a few more profitable films, surpassing Fox is a certainty.

As for its competitor, Dead Silence, it has been swept into the dustbin of history.

Like "Saw II", "Dead Silence" also began to be released overseas, but unfortunately, the overseas box office was just as bad as in North America.

Every film has its limitations. Just as martial arts films cannot go beyond Asia, Western horror films are generally only popular in Europe and America, while Japanese, Korean, and Thai horror films spread throughout Asia.

Therefore, American audiences did not approve of "Dead Silence," and the same was true in Europe and South America. Cultural similarities lead to a shared perspective when evaluating a film, resulting in everyone thinking it was terrible.

Judging from the current overseas box office trend, it would be a miracle if "Dead Silence" could gross over ten million dollars. Analysts predict that the film will hardly break 4000 million dollars at the global box office, and Lionsgate is bound to lose money. They can only pin their hopes on the DVD market.

At the same time, YouTube's growth momentum is very encouraging, attracting tens of thousands of registered users every day even after the peak.

The influence of the shoulder-shaking dance continues to spread, not only in Europe and America, but also in Asia, where many imitators have emerged.

In Howard Hughes' words, it was like a whirlwind that couldn't be stopped.

Mike's hilarious music short film "ppap" was also officially released to the market recently.

As expected, funny videos remain funny even after more than a decade, and "PPAP" quickly spread.

Since only the first half of the song was captured, it was very easy to imitate, far less difficult than the shoulder-shaking dance. Imitation videos appeared on YouTube as soon as it was released.

With his exaggerated movements and captivating expressions, coupled with simple yet catchy lyrics, the Japanese-American named Yamanaka suddenly became a sensation.

Clubs, bars, and talk shows have already invited him to perform, but unfortunately, the copyright of the songs belongs to YouTube, not him personally, so he has no right to perform them.

For this reason, Yamanaka specifically applied to YouTube, and the company did not make things difficult for him and chose to grant authorization.

He splits the profits from any activities related to PPAP 80/20, with YouTube taking 80% and Yamanaka taking 20%.

Don't complain about the small amount; 20% is enough for you to eat and drink your fill, after all, you're just an unknown performer.

You weren't involved in the creation, you weren't involved in the recording, you weren't involved in the promotion. What more can a wage earner want?

Even without you in the mountains, there would still be Nara and Akimichi. Taking 20% ​​is already a blessing and favor from God. I should kneel down and thank you.

Beverly Hills, Nicole's house.

"Jenny, just as I expected, your cooking skills are indeed superb, in no way inferior to those Michelin chefs."

Eric ate ​​his food while praising one of his future mothers-in-law.

Chefs love to be praised for their cooking skills, and Jenny happily cut Eric another piece of steak.

"Eric, it's been a pleasure talking to you. Nicole's father rarely praises me. He just eats, and after he's full, he sits on the sofa watching TV or goes to his study to read."

"That's normal, Jenny. Anthony has enjoyed your excellent cooking for decades, he's used to it. I think he must have praised you a lot when he was younger."

Nicole agreed: "Yes, I remember when I was a teenager, my dad often praised you for being pretty."

"Hmph! He's gone mad from reading too much. He spends all his time studying psychology and then applies his findings to other people. He should be studying my psychology more."

"Eric, Nico told me that your parents have maintained a good relationship for decades."

Eric nodded slightly: "Yes, they rarely argued, at least that's how I remember it. My parents got married when they were around thirty years old. By then they were mature and knew what they wanted."

"So after they found each other, they have been living happily ever after. Of course, the main reason is that they both have very good personalities and temperaments."

Jenny said with a look of satisfaction, "It's not easy to see a couple like this in Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Your parents were lucky to fall in love, and they are even luckier to have such an outstanding son as you."

Jenny's words were not just casual flattery; the chaos in the entertainment industry is well-known, and Hollywood's chaos is world-famous.

A prime example is Elizabeth Taylor, who, despite being Mike's good friend, had an unusually chaotic love life.

When people talk about the worst-grossing movies, they immediately think of Cleopatra. Filmed in 1960, it cost around $4400 million, which, after adjusting for inflation, is roughly equivalent to $5 million today.

It ultimately grossed around $2000 million, even worse than Windtalkers, and Captain Marvel 2 was nothing compared to it.

One of the main reasons the film lost so much money was because it was boycotted, as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were having an affair, and both of them were married at the time.

The news broke and instantly became a global trending topic. Even the Vatican criticized their lifestyle, and the two of them were condemned as a result. The movie also suffered as a result.

But this affair was just a minor incident for Elizabeth Taylor, who had been married eight times in her life, as if it were nothing.

Many of these cases involved married women having affairs, becoming mistresses and stealing men.

The brand "Ba Li Shi Jia" appeared too late; otherwise, they should have invited her to be their spokesperson.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are also classic examples of cheating couples, as are Madonna and her husbands, and Kim Kardashian truly treated it all as a game.

In this world of fame and fortune, growing old together is almost impossible; there aren't many couples like Eric's parents who can maintain a happy marriage for decades.

Eric trusts his mother, a devout Christian, completely, but he is suspicious of his father, believing that the latter must have had an affair.

For example, he always felt that his father and Susan's relationship was unusual, but the old man handled it very well and didn't find any clues.

The meal was a great success, with everyone enjoying themselves. Jenny was amused by Eric and couldn't stop smiling. She happily went to clean up the mess.

"You smooth talker, Eric Cooper, you've charmed countless women with your silver tongue."

Nico poked Eric with a finger, but he bit her and then picked her up around the waist.

"Oh no, wait, don't do that, my mom will see."

"So what if she saw it? She already knows."

"You know nothing! She only knows I have feelings for you, but she has no idea that we've been secretly seeing each other for a year."

Upon hearing this, Eric was suddenly a little dazed. It had already been a year. Without realizing it, the two of them had been together for a year. Time flies so fast.

He carried Nico to the bathroom: "You won't be able to see her here."

"No way! Do you think everyone else is stupid? When Mom saw the two of us disappear together, she knew we must have done something wrong."

"Honey, I've missed you so much these past few days in China. You have to help me out."

"I don't believe you. Nobody cares there. You have no idea how much fun you're having. Take your hand away and don't touch me."

Hmm.

Nico was caught, and the two kissed passionately. Her resistance began to weaken.

The land hadn't been irrigated for several days, and Nicole soon began to pant.

The villa was warm and cozy, so I wasn't wearing any thick clothes to begin with.

Eric pushed it up, and the off-white sweater was already rolled up.

That underwear color is so flashy!

"Wait, this really won't do, honey, it's too embarrassing!"

"oops!"

"Eric, you bastard!"

"Pfft. What's wrong with me?"

"Come in quickly, we must finish this quickly!"

"Yes, sir!"

When Eric left, he said goodbye to Jenny with a smile, not noticing anything unusual on her face.

After he left, Jenny immediately glared at Nicole: "Girls, you two seem to have gotten a little carried away, and even in your own home, you're being too bold. At least you should have considered my presence."

"Sorry, Mom." Nicole turned her head away awkwardly.

"And the situation seems a bit different from what you said. This isn't just a simple matter of liking someone. What exactly is your relationship? Tell me honestly!"

After Nico finished explaining, Jenny sighed, "Daughter, you've chosen a difficult path."

"I know."

"Actually, I don't quite understand. Do you really think the two of you will end up together?"

"I don't know, but I hope so."

"Sigh! Nico, is Eric really good to you? Besides his sweet talk."

"He gave me 1% of the shares."

"What?"

"He gave me 1% of MGM's shares just before the company went public, which are now worth over 100 million."

Jenny took a step back: "Okay, forget I said anything. I wish you happiness."

"Hehe. Don't say that, Mom. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Jenny hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can only think of one step."

"Say it!"

"child."

(End of this chapter)