Not mentioning their academic discussions, the publisher was delighted. It wasn't only this book that was selling well; William White's previous books had another resurgence.
Many authors felt frustrated, wondering why this amateur writer earned more than them. Is there no justice anymore?
Theater owners were also quite happy -- couples coming to watch movies boosted sales of snacks and drinks, which was rare during a typically slow movie season.
Wait, slow season? My goodness, this guy's films never seem to have an off-season, no matter when they're released.
Hollywood's big shots weren't oblivious; they figured this out early on. There might have been jealousy but not too much resentment -- it was just a matter of skills. Nothing to complain about.
Since audiences liked melodramatic stories, they gave them melodrama. Speaking of which, maybe they should spice up their own romantic lives. William White's ideas clearly came from his lady-killing escapades.
Hollywood isn't that large of a place; everyone knew the situation with Demi Moore. In fact, the movie Sophie Marceau was about to film was even more melodramatic than all her previous ones combined.
They knew from the time the script was registered with the Writers Guild. Isn't it just a Hollywood version of La Traviata?
Well, the guy was indeed shameless. But since he was playing it that way, others could too. And so, Shakespeare and others got butchered in a wave of Hollywood fan fiction adaptations.
Anyway, since nobody's writing anything good, they might as well tap dance on the legal line.
Can't you do adaptations?
No?
Pack your bags and get out of here.
Even if they wouldn't admit it, the facts were in front of them. They couldn't dispute it. William White did make Hollywood much livelier.
Overall box office sales were increasing, and more audiences returned to cinemas. Although audiences' expectations rose as well, as long as you made movies earnestly, there would always be an audience willing to support.
Many people lamented how unfair fate was. A man who already lived well on his looks turned out to be talented too. If that wasn't enough, he was also a downright oligarch.
Not only ordinary folks, but even a group of old-timers also pondered this question.
William White? Should they perhaps look to boost him up a bit?
Living under the same sky as such a person was truly a sorrow. Even if you destroyed his game console, he still had plenty left in his hands.
Leaving aside everything else, just look at his books. Each one could become an exceptional screenplay.
...
"William, if you ran for office, more than half the women would have your back."
"Hmph, don't even think about it. Their husbands would object. That means only a 50% chance of winning."
"William, you even turned wooing into flair. Could you teach me?"
"George, you're sure you want to learn? Haha, I'm not trying to scare you, but if you do learn, you might be kissing politics goodbye."
"Cough, cough, I just don't get it. How did a traditional place like Texas produce someone like you?"
"Traditional? Let me tell you, the more traditional a place, the more repressed it is. Their thoughts are just bound by morals. Once they get a chance, it's doomsday."
George Bush wasn't visiting to discuss women. He wanted to know how big of a stir the Department of Justice's issue would cause.
"I don't know, looking at when they launched it, I couldn't care less. Smash the old, and I'll have a chance at the pinnacle of life. Here's a secret, George, I'm fed up with this game company. I might as well take this opportunity to restart."
"Okay, I understand."
When interests worth billions were involved, no matter how good the relationship, there was no position to say anything. Friends are friends; political stances are political stances. As for interests, that's an untouchable taboo.
...
"Dad, this is going to be a big problem. William White has no intention of compromising. He's said he hopes to restart."
"Restart? He's planning to tear it all down and rebuild? Haha, having money is really nice. Alas, why can't those idiots understand?"
For such a potentially explosive weapon, Bush Sr. was very torn. This fundamentally was a struggle with no winner. He just couldn't comprehend why that group of fools wouldn't take it easy.
"Then there's nothing to be done, just sit tight and see how things play out. Let this actor worry about it."
"Haha, yes, dad, what kind of people does he have around him? None of them are obedient. Whether or not to sit in that position just seems pointless."
"Haha, you don't get it. Typically, during such times, everyone compromises. Who's ever seen it get to the knives? I believe after this, they will be more restrained."
...
William White was indeed in a state where he seemed invincibly lonely.
Video games might have been his first challenge. No matter how much the Department of Justice wanted to crack down on monopolies, this particular industry couldn't just disappear. These were basic attributes of a market economy.
When it came to Legendary World, William White could lose his temper because it wasn't about market competition. Therefore, he would use extreme measures to face it, although there were some things he couldn't change, requiring him to reinforce his strength.
NBC's split wasn't complete, and Capital Cities had already targeted ABC. The second largest broadcaster in the US had a price tag of a staggering four billion dollars.
Geez, with that perspective, NBC's valuation seemed low. Although ranked first and second, the gap wasn't small.
In variety shows, news, and TV series, NBC was very strong. Even those guys who were being fully suppressed were worth this price. NBC's valuation should be over eight billion.
Quite simply, if you want to acquire the whole thing, don't even think about it without 10 billion dollars. It's just not something you can dream about.
"Sir, can we join the bidding?"
"Heh, how could we? I'd rather hope it beats Columbia down; then the strength would be more balanced."
Filson felt a bit upset, thinking about Legendary World's predicament. If all companies started doing things like this, how would anyone survive?
With the Department of Justice causing trouble, playing capital games would be harder. No wonder the boss was expanding overseas; he simply didn't trust some people's integrity.
Filson left; he still had a lot to do. These companies better split up quickly, who knows when the DOJ folks might go nuts.
*****
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