Simon Westeros appeared for less than 20 minutes at Madonna's concert on the evening of June 23, yet provided enough material for the media to buzz about for an entire week.
The opening act featuring a fiery guitar was undoubtedly the focus of fan attention.
While the concert was still ongoing, many were already inquiring about the origins of the guitar Simon was playing.
The Los Angeles Times got the details of the fiery guitar first, interviewing members of the guitar's production team. The information revealed made most guitar enthusiasts step back due to its cost exceeding $100,000 and the design patent specially filed by Westeros, not to mention that even if it were possible to replicate, the guitar itself was much heavier than standard guitars, weighing over 20 kilograms while typical guitars rarely exceed 5 kilograms.
Most people can lift 20 kilograms.
However, for a musical instrument, a weight over 20 kilograms, even if strapped over the shoulder, would be too cumbersome for most guitarists to perform comfortably unless seated.
But, it's rather embarrassing to sit down and play such an aggressively styled double-necked fiery guitar as if it were a delicate wooden one.
Naturally, these obstacles didn't stop many from desiring the fiery guitar.
After the concert, those seeking to buy the guitar from Simon were relentless, with offers reaching as high as $3 million, all of which were declined by Simon. Janet planned to store the guitar in their soon-to-be-finished Dumais Point villa.
The fiery guitar also drew media back to Simon's impressive personal combat skills, with videos from a Melbourne boxing ring where he knocked out opponents ten times earlier this year being circulated again.
While the fiery guitar remained largely out of reach for most, the guitar single named "Fire" was officially released the following Monday, quickly selling over 1 million copies within five days.
Madonna planned to release the other two new songs, "Hung Up" and "GhostTown," in her next album, so fans looking to get them early had to hope for the upcoming concert recordings.
Of course, many also recorded the concert on VHS at home.
Besides Madonna's team, the biggest beneficiary of this concert was ABC, which had purchased the broadcasting rights for $6 million, leading to terrifying viewership numbers ranging from 36 to 43 million, comparable to the Oscars, though such numbers for the Oscars would be unthinkable at that price.
Despite the substantial gains, everyone understood the concert's unique circumstances.
To ensure ticket sales, most artists wouldn't easily allow TV broadcasting. Although it might yield a significant short-term profit, it would likely dampen fans' enthusiasm for attending live events.
Madonna's team understood this, and the decision to broadcast was more for promotional purposes than anything else. The results, however, far exceeded expectations.
Following that evening's concert, with Westeros no longer involved, tickets for Madonna's remaining North American and European tour dates sold out within days.
The hot media discussion inevitably included controversies.
A petite girl named Jennifer who rushed onstage during Simon's last appearance was suspected by many media outlets of being a planted actor.
The reasons were compelling.
A beautiful doll-like girl.
Westeros's perfectly timed consolation.
And the closing song, Elton John's "Rocket Man," particularly criticized as a flaw by skeptics.
Commercial concerts require authorization for every song, whether cover or original; unauthorized use could lead to legal issues.
However, news that followed addressed these suspicions.
It was indeed an accident.
Jennifer Bree from Florida, a 17-year-old and crazy fan of Simon, had no previous personal interactions with him and was seeing him in person for the first time that night.
Regarding "Rocket Man," Simon indeed infringed copyrights.
However, Madonna's team immediately contacted Elton John and the rights-holders of "Rocket Man," resolving the issue with a fee, and all parties expressed understanding.
Elton John even praised Simon's performance in an interview, expressing hope for a collaboration.
When "Rocket Man," a hit from 1972, quickly climbed to the second spot on the singles chart following "Fire," the rights-holders were thrilled.
After the concert, Jennifer Bree also became a media focus, with both wanted and unwanted details about her life unearthed by the media.
Jennifer came from a middle-class family in Miami, with her father working for a food company and her mother as a nurse. She had become enamored with Simon since "Run Lola Run" and had saved for years from part-time jobs to afford the concert ticket.
She traveled alone by train from Miami to New York, waiting outside the Brenda Barre Arena all day with empty pockets, not even having a place to stay after the concert.
After his performance, Simon intended to escort her offstage, but noticing her somewhat abnormal mental state and realizing she was alone, he took her backstage. Learning of her situation, he arranged a hotel and a flight back to Miami for her.
That was it.
After ensuring the girl was safely sent home, Simon did not
follow up on the matter.
However, the media speculated about possible events of the night, chased every interaction between the girl and Simon, and even agencies tried to sign her.
These, however, had nothing to do with Simon.
The day after the concert, Simon left North America for Australia.
Cersei Capital was starting a new phase of operations targeting the international oil market, Apollo Management was engaged in the acquisition of Sealy Corporation, and BlackRock was planning to capitalize on the global stock market volatility triggered by wars.
July was crucial for Cersei Capital, and Janet did not accompany Simon back to Australia this time.
As planned, Jennifer Bree accompanied him.
During this period, a female assistant personally oversaw the construction of a cabin by a lakeside in Tasmania within Simon's estate, just waiting for a snowy day to spend some anticipated time alone with Simon.
Before Simon arrived in Australia, "Batman: The Dark Knight" had already started filming in Melbourne.
Considering the benefits "Batman: Begins" brought to Melbourne in terms of movies, tourism, and employment, the new "Batman: The Dark Knight" enjoyed even more favorable conditions with an increased rebate from 15% to 20%, without any additional restrictions applied to other films.
Simon did not exploit Melbourne's generous terms; instead, he moved more production aspects to Australia and bought a former factory in Melbourne's western suburbs intended for movie production, planning to establish a film production base.
Daenerys's special effects Australian division was also officially established.
In terms of filming, although fans had some reservations about Jane DeBont as director, as Daenerys and Warner Bros announced, the control of the film remained firmly in Simon's hands.
The script was personally finalized by Simon, and DeBont had no authority to alter it without convincing Simon. The crew was also entirely trained by Simon, ensuring the technical aspects of the film were consistent with the first installment.
Although DeBont was the nominal director, Simon also appointed two assistants for her, Roland Emmerich and Martin Campbell, both already established Hollywood directors with sufficient filmmaking experience and undeniable talent.
Simon's requirement was for the three to collaborate closely, with many decisions made after joint discussions.
After pooling their wisdom, although DeBont had the final decision-making power on set, Simon trusted her to take advantage of the other two's suggestions willingly.
Additionally, Simon again invited Joe Silver to handle the logistics for "Batman: The Dark Knight."
With these advantageous conditions, if DeBont failed, Simon would decisively remove her.
As it turned out, DeBont was not dismissed.
Upon arriving in Melbourne and reviewing the previous week's footage, Simon was reassured enough to leave the ongoing management to his team.
Still, to reassure fans about the film's quality, media reports emphasized Simon's dedicated involvement in the film's production.
Unbeknownst to many, July 1990 had arrived.
While Simon was not in Los Angeles, Daenerys Entertainment continued its routine financial auditing for the first half of the year, with Janet occasionally assisting.
Moreover, not just Daenerys Entertainment, but due to Simon's participation in the concert earlier, some media outlets realized that since entering Los Angeles in the summer of 1986, Simon Westeros had built a vast business empire within just four years.
The entire Westeros system, centered around Westeros Corporation, spanned entertainment, fashion, technology, and finance.
What's more impressive is that each of these sectors was not just a minor endeavor.
Daenerys Entertainment, the most prominent part of his business, although limited to the film industry and related sectors, had quickly become a powerhouse within a few years.
The film industry's strong performance uncertainty and unsustainability curse were broken by Daenerys Entertainment.
Since its inception, Daenerys Entertainment had not suffered significant losses in film projects, often achieving box office miracles with films like "Scream," "The Sixth Sense," and "Pretty Woman."
The expansion of the DC Movie Universe plan showcased a new path for the film industry's development.
In the fashion sector, Gucci, nearly bankrupt before Simon Westeros's takeover, quickly revitalized under his leadership, with recent industry valuations exceeding $1 billion, several times the return on his initial investment.
In technology, this was Simon Westeros's earliest substantial bet.
Although one of Westeros's 'four women,' Igritte, seemed still minor, Westeros Corporation's bets on Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, and SUN during the 1987 stock market crash had rapidly appreciated in value in recent years.
Especially Microsoft.
Since the successful launch of Windows 3.0 in May, Microsoft's stock had continually soared, currently surpassing $5 billion, closely following its close partner, Intel.
Industry insiders even predicted that by August, Microsoft's stock value could double from its early-year valuation of around $3 billion.
Thus, even without considering the profits from accumulating Microsoft shares during the stock market crash, just the 10% increase in holdings at the end of last year could
bring nearly 100% returns for Westeros Corporation within a year.
Finally, in finance.
Cersei Capital became famous overnight through its operations in the Japanese financial market and the U.S. bond market last year, and the exposure of Simon Westeros's $4.5 billion overseas cash reserves earlier this year was sensational.
Although always trying to maintain a low profile, every move of Cersei Capital continuously stirred Wall Street.
Cersei Capital's current operations targeting the international oil market were no secret from the start.
Fortunately, the companies privy to information from Cersei Capital weren't foolish; following quietly was the wise move, thus preventing widespread dissemination of this information, even proactively assisting in keeping Cersei Capital's activities from becoming fully public.
After rough estimates, the total market value of the enterprises involved in the entire Westeros system's entertainment, fashion, technology, and finance sectors had already exceeded $50 billion.
In this era, even General Electric, often ranked among the top of the Fortune 500, had a market value of less than $50 billion.
July in the Northern Hemisphere was the height of summer.
The Southern Hemisphere had entered the coldest stage of winter.
Melbourne, located in a temperate maritime climate, typically does not experience snow in winter, and the coastal regions of Tasmania are similar. However, extending several tens of kilometers inland presents a completely different scene.
In the second week of July.
When the area where the female assistant built the cabin experienced heavy snowfall, the two rushed there together.
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