[Chapter 35: Midnight Entertainment]
In the Fox Tower, at the Fox Television Center.
Amidst the bustle of the Channel 11 floor, producer Claire hurried through the office area, throwing open the door to a control room. She exclaimed, "Megan, there's explosive news that could make the lead story on 'Midnight Entertainment'! They're offering a high price; do you want to take a look?"
"Take me there." As the producer and anchor of 'Midnight Entertainment,' Megan removed the scrunchie from her wrist and tied up her flowing blonde hair, transforming from a sweet-looking host into a savvy producer.
Claire crossed the lobby, pushed open the reception room door, and followed Megan into the room.
Inside, there was only one person. Megan glanced over: a man with short black hair, looking rather ordinary and calm, with nothing remarkable about him.
Claire introduced, "This is Megan, the producer of 'Midnight Entertainment' on Channel 11."
"Nice to meet you." Hawke stood up to shake hands, noting that Megan was about his height in high heels.
He handed over his business card and introduced himself, "Hawke Osment, founder of West Coast Media Entertainment Studio."
Megan nodded slightly, took the card, and handed it to Claire before diving right into the matter at hand, "Let's check out the news."
Without wasting time, Hawke hit the play button. The laptop screen shifted to show the video right in front of Megan.
Megan's eyes fixed on the screen as she scrutinized the footage. The video was clear, though the sound was muffled, which was typical for outdoor shoots without professional microphones.
After watching it once, she replayed it, pausing at several key moments. The pursuer was Ian McKellen, the actor who played Gandalf, and the one being chased was a Black man, obviously a paparazzo with a camera hanging around his neck.
Among the five people appearing in the video, the recognizable Orlando Bloom stood out, accompanied by Sean Astin and John Davis, while there were two other men whom she felt she should know but couldn't name.
Megan instructed Claire, "Find out who those two guys are."
Claire replied, "I know them, Dominic Monaghan and Greg Parker, all from the Lord of the Rings crew."
Megan turned the laptop back toward Hawke and asked, "How much do you want to sell this for?"
Hawke chuckled, "Why don't you tell me what your offer is? This is a scoop worthy of a front-page headline."
Recognizing its value, Megan tentatively offered, "$4,000."
Without saying a word, Hawke closed the laptop and started packing it into his bag.
Megan stayed silent, watching him.
Hawke bagged the laptop and walked toward the door without looking back.
As he reached the door, Megan called out, "Wait!"
Hawke stopped and turned to her.
Megan said, "$6,000, that's the most I can go."
Hawke shook his head, "Oscar night, the Lord of the Rings cast chasing a reporter, obstructing freedom of the press -- worth at least $20,000, don't you think?"
Obstructing freedom of the press? That argument was right in line with what Megan was considering.
The news indeed had significant value. After Fox's acquisition, the Channel 11 became quite financially robust, yet Megan couldn't afford to spend nearly a week's budget on just one story.
Time was running short before the show would start, so Megan stated directly, "$10,000. If that doesn't work for you, you can walk away. I can responsibly assure you that no other station in all of Los Angeles will offer more than Channel 11."
Hawke recalled something Frank had mentioned and replied, "Okay."
He added one more condition, "But I have a request."
Megan glanced at her watch, "Don't make it too demanding."
Hawke said, "I want two special press cards for Channel 11."
Megan indicated that she didn't have that level of authority, "I can only offer you cards for the 'Midnight Entertainment' crew."
Hawke agreed, "That works."
Megan instructed Claire, "Hurry up and get the paperwork done." Then she turned to Hawke, "The Lord of the Rings cast collectively attacking a reporter, obstructing freedom of the press -- I love it. If you have more big news in the future, make sure to come back."
Hawke assured her, "No problem."
The process moved swiftly. They signed the exclusive licensing agreement; one side received a check while the other took the video.
One assistant from the production team had been waiting and promptly took the video away.
As Claire accompanied Hawke out, sending someone to arrange for the press cards, she asked, "I haven't seen you around before; are you new to the business?"
Hawke was noncommittal, "I've done a few headline stories."
"Impressive," Claire responded, her tone almost inviting. "Get us more big stories, especially involving the superstars. If it's explosive enough, we could go into six or even seven figures."
Hawke knew all too well that entertainment news often fetched several times more than social news, "If more news comes up, I'll reach out to you."
Claire pulled out her business card and handed it to Hawke, stating, "Just call me directly."
When the cards were finalized, Hawke pocketed them and quickly left the station.
Claire returned to the control room, where the purchased video had already undergone the simplest of edits, primarily for the visuals.
Megan adjusted the program schedule, declaring, "Let's put this news at the top, and push the Oscar results further back."
"But that's the Oscars!" the director protested.
Megan glanced at her watch, "The ceremony ended nearly two hours ago; the Oscar results are already common knowledge and lack appeal. In contrast, the gossip surrounding the Oscars is far more engaging."
She asked, "What is the global box office for The Fellowship of the Ring?"
Claire answered immediately, "Over $825 million."
Megan held up her hands, "Look at how popular this film is. The beloved Gandalf and Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas, were caught openly chasing a reporter and obstructing freedom of the press -- talk about compelling!"
"Wait, hold on..." She raised a finger, directing the videographers, "Get a closer shot of the chased person."
On the player, Edward's image froze.
He wasn't a public figure, so his image was pixelated, yet it was still evident he was a Black man.
As the anchor and producer, Megan was aware that ratings were a hard metric: "The sound in the video isn't clear, but look at the mouth movements of Ian McKellen -- Does it sound like he is cursing 'Nigger'?"
At those words, the control room fell silent.
The director swallowed hard and said, "That could lead to trouble. We might receive a lawyer's letter."
Megan had already concocted a strategy, "The video is clear and includes a close-up of Ian McKellen. Let's find an oral expert to connect with live; I'll pose as someone questioning if Ian McKellen shows signs of racial discrimination! Where's the legal advisor? We need to assess the risk."
A bespectacled man spoke up, "This is still guiding and there are risks."
"But the risks will be greatly reduced, right?" Megan saw the legal advisor nod and declared, "Great! Let's finalize this plan! Editors, start writing up the script immediately!"
She then shouted, "Claire, find an oral expert within five minutes."
When a boss speaks, employees scramble. Claire rushed to dig up contact details for oral experts.
Megan let her hair down, headed to the makeup room to change into a dress and touch up her makeup.
According to Roger Ailes, CEO of Fox News, regardless of whether the news was serious or not, all female anchors were required to wear short skirts and stockings; a special camera was installed in the studio to shoot the anchors from below, capturing their legs.
Close to 11 PM, Megan entered the studio, settled in front of the main camera, subtly surveyed the teleprompter, and began that day's 'Midnight Entertainment.'
*****
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