Nobody cared much about which movie won the big award. More people were focused on the catfight between two pretty girls.
On the night of the awards, there were plenty of stories to spin. It was all about interpreting the pictures. Those editors weren't any less skilled than William White.
It's worth mentioning Nastassja. She had just jumped ship, leaving an old colleague in Europe as a bitter soul. Poor old guy got dragged out for another round of public bashing.
Ha, and he couldn't even talk back.
Meanwhile, the first commercial for Speed hit the airwaves.
Honestly, it wasn't just the average Joe who was blown away. Even Lucas couldn't contain his excitement when he saw the sample.
The audience learned why it was called Speed. Turns out, the bus can't slow down, or it'll blow up.
With handsome guys and beautiful girls, plus an explosive plot with thrilling action scenes, the movie's box office success was a foregone conclusion.
William White was a master of marketing. That was already a well-known fact in the industry. With his own television network, of course, he kept the profits internal.
In short, it was all about ads and talk shows, with some casual gossip thrown in.
When the host mentioned the frequent accidents, Tom felt a pang of empathy, and they released some behind-the-scenes footage.
People of this era had never seen marketing tricks like these. Especially Hollywood's top dogs were realizing the power of television networks.
In less than a week, the advertising onslaught was downright crazy.
...
"Lucas, should I bump my movie back a week?"
"Tsk, hard to say. At this rate, a hundred million dollars is a conservative estimate."
"Are you nuts? Go ask Hollywood if anyone would claim less than a hundred million. Besides, when was that kid's movie ever below a hundred million?"
"The one he's filming now? I bet it won't even break fifty million."
"That's an Oscar contender. So what if it's fifty million? That's already a great result for the Oscars."
"Sigh, I doubt it. You know those old farts. If he runs again, it's gonna be a problem."
"Haha, Lucas, I bet he won't win either. Those old guys are just baffling."
...
While Hollywood moguls were on edge, William White was in a great mood. If you mess with me again, I'll give you a media blackout.
Covering a movie not yet released while shoving the Oscars to the sidelines, people noticed an interesting pattern. The two appeared side by side quite often.
Yeah, it's just pure trolling. So what if the Oscars are a big deal? You can be the background scenery.
Everyone knew it was a slap in the face, but so what? Is there anything wrong with my content? Can you tell me where to put it?
The Oscar committee was especially speechless as other media outlets didn't want to offend that jerk either, opting for low-key reports.
Were they afraid of William White?
No.
Newspaper groups had their own rules, and since White Press was part of the group, no one would cross him.
Sure, newspaper groups competed and backstabbed each other, but one rule was clear: don't get involved in personal vendettas.
It was obvious that William White and the Oscars' feud was well-known. The key point was that the public generally sympathized with William White.
No matter how self-righteous the old guys were, they couldn't let things continue. When they tried to reach out to William White, he simply ignored them.
By this point, White was beyond recall. Honestly, what happens if you never give me an Oscar? Believe it or not, I'll refuse the award.
In this era, William White didn't care about the Oscars. It's not like they're the only awards. Europe had many similar events that weren't much less prestigious.
It wasn't until the mid-to-late '90s that the Oscars started to dominate, while a bunch of old guys sat back and rode the wave to glory.
As for now?
Believe it or not, I could start a 'Whitcar' award. With money, you can really do whatever you want.
Saying so might tick people off, but that's just the way it is.
William White threw around cash and easily swayed public opinion. There were far more people curious if he was a lone wolf than interested in the Oscars.
...
"You're heartless! You're leaving me?"
"How could I? It's just publicity. The movie I'm filming now is important. It's aiming for the Oscars."
"Hmph, those old fogies must be infuriated by you. They're not gonna give you any awards!"
After getting good service, naturally an explanation was due. William White was helpless, but what could he do with his boundless energy?
After roaming around Hollywood, Sharon Stone finally realized how tough the world was. Those guys just wanted to devour her with no intention of helping.
See, it wasn't William White going around messing with girls. They threw themselves at him. If he didn't, he'd waste their intentions.
"Do I care about the Oscars? Don't be ridiculous. So what if those guys hold a grudge? If I get annoyed, they'll be even more upset."
"Fine, but I want an Oscar, too."
"Sigh, we'll see. What's up? Not finding success out there?"
"Hmph, those jerks are no good."
"Haha, Hollywood doesn't have good people. Show me one."
"You're one, a good person."
"Uh..." William White's skin was thick, but not that thick.
"You're kidding, right? Didn't I succumb to temptation?"
"That's different. At least I was willing. Good person, I have an itch again."
The saga of two women fighting for a man took a twist with a new player. Excited reporters were quick to spin their tales. It was all about new loves and old flames; who couldn't sling some mud?
...
"Boss, save one or two for us, would you? You're already up to three or four."
"Jason, I gotta tell you, with your puny frame, I'm not scaring you."
A burst of laughter erupted among the group of friends as they ribbed Jason about his skills.
"Tch, you're just jealous. I'm the real deal."
"Jason, don't tell me you're planning to go solo. Let me tell you, your hand will definitely get tired."
This bunch of teenage boys only ever talked about one thing. At this age, boys and girls were all the same. It was just how it was.
Today, they were all there to comfort him. William White didn't bother to hide anything. They were all about the same age, and pretending not to care was pointless. It would just invite ridicule.
*****
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