"Hello everyone, I am Andrew Adams, the Mayor of Santa Barbara. The main purpose of today's press conference is to respond to the unfair treatment Michael Jackson has suffered.
"Two days ago, Mr. Jackson was summoned by the police, and Neverland Ranch was searched. However, there were certain irregularities in the enforcement process, which caused some damage to Mr. Jackson's property and person."
"Therefore, as the Mayor of Santa Barbara, on behalf of the Municipal Government, I sincerely apologize to Mr. Michael Jackson and am willing to compensate for all losses."
Click! Click! Click!
Flashlights kept flashing, and cameras were aimed at the front for live broadcast. Behind the reporters, a large number of demonstrators were watching.
"Regarding Tom Schneider, after a collective decision by the Municipal Government, it has been decided to dismiss his appointment as Prosecutor and transfer him to judicial proceedings to investigate his violent law enforcement and to verify whether there was any abuse of public power for private gain."
"Regarding Police Chief Brown Howard, it has been decided to suspend him from his position as Chief and to assign a joint task force to investigate whether he was involved, and whether there were issues such as knowing but not reporting, and dereliction of duty."
"Regarding the eleven police officers who participated in the search of Neverland Ranch, it has been decided to suspend them from duty. We will hold each person accountable for the value of property damaged based on video recordings."
"All investigation results will be announced successively. The Santa Barbara Municipal Government assures everyone that it will severely punish any lawbreaker and restore fairness and justice to Mr. Michael Jackson."
"Finally, I once again express my sincere apologies to Mr. Jackson!"
At Neverland Ranch, watching the live broadcast on TV, several people nodded silently.
"See, Michael, this is the power of public opinion. In peaceful times, public opinion is comparable to swords and guns, capable of killing without shedding blood."
Michael, of course, had personal experience with this, except that before he had suffered slander, this time it was sympathy and apology.
He said contentedly, "As long as Tom Schneider is removed, it can at least ensure that there will be no interference from public power in the subsequent trial. This is very good."
Eric smiled slightly, "Hmm, I imagine that after seeing the fate of Tom Schneider and Brown Howard, no one will dare to tamper with your case."
"At that time, it will depend on everyone's methods. With the evidence we have, it's enough to choke Janet Avizo in court."
As he spoke, he looked around and then got up to close the door.
"What's wrong? Why close the door?" Michael asked curiously.
"Just in case walls have ears, I'll tell you something. I've already gotten Jordi Chandler to agree to attend the trial and clarify the events of 1993."
"What! Is that true?" Michael's eyes widened instantly.
"Of course it's true, so we will definitely win, and not just this case, but also 1993."
"Michael, it's been ten years. You've endured what you shouldn't have. It's time to be free."
"Phew."
Michael took a deep breath, slapping his face continuously to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
The 1993 case had always been a thorn in his heart. Although he didn't plead guilty, the out-of-court settlement still made many misunderstand that he was guilty.
If you weren't guilty, why did you pay? Paying meant you must have done it, but these people didn't understand the behind-the-scenes maneuvering at the time.
"Eric, how did you do it?"
"Haha. Remember what I once said? To make reasonable use of the resources at hand. The wealth and power we possess are all resources."
"When you decide to use them, these resources will become powerful weapons, just like now."
"Michael, you also hold immense power, but you haven't learned how to use it."
"You mean copyrights?" Michael retorted.
"Exactly, it's the 50% copyright you hold in Sony Music. It can decide many things. If I'm not mistaken, you hold the songwriting and composition copyrights, right?"
"Yes, the distribution rights are exclusively for Sony Music; I only hold the songwriting and composition copyrights."
Eric said coldly, "That's enough, Michael. As long as you give the order, apart from singers from Japan, most of the other artists under Sony Music will no longer be able to release music."
"Commercial performances? Concerts? Haha, all activities will be halted. This is the killer move you hold."
"If it comes down to it and Sony still doesn't want to let you go, then this is the only step we can take: to pull the rug out from under them, to go for a scorched-earth policy!"
Listening to Eric's chilling analysis, Michael couldn't help but frown deeply.
Then he waved his hand, "No, I can't use such a tactic. Many of Sony's singers are my friends; they'll hate me for it!"
"I'm afraid not only will the singers hate me, but their fans will also despise me. I will become a public enemy."
Eric suddenly grabbed his hand, and with a ruthless gaze, said, "We are not public enemies. Sony is forcing us into this, otherwise you will be manipulated to death by those people, because of your kindness."
"Moreover, it's not absolutely necessary to take this step. This is just our bargaining chip, a chip to force Sony to compromise."
"As a listed company, Sony is responsible to its shareholders, its investors, and the market. Once a tug-of-war begins, you can afford to drag it out, but it cannot."
Michael looked hesitant, "Actually, I can't afford to drag it out either. Due to the shareholding issue, every time Sony expands and acquires some labels or companies, if I don't want my equity to be diluted, I have to co-invest."
"So over the years, I've also borrowed a lot of money from banks, plus the expenses for Neverland Ranch and other aspects, I also rely on Sony's income to cover my expenses."
"If it really comes to this, it will probably be a lose-lose situation."
Hearing this, Eric understood the core of the problem.
"Michael, how much money do you have now? What is your debt?"
"I'm not entirely sure; I need to ask my accountant."
"Okay, tell me the numbers once you've confirmed them. I will prepare a sum of liquid funds for emergencies, to help you through the difficulties if necessary."
Before he finished speaking, Michael shook his head and refused, "No, that's not good. I heard that your MGM is still in debt and owes a lot of money to the bank."
"Haha. The money I owe the bank isn't urgent right now, and MGM's operations are very good. The bank would even prefer I owe them for a few more years, to earn more interest."
"And you wouldn't think I only have MGM as a card, would you? I have many more chips."
"In short, this is just a contingency plan, better safe than sorry."
"Alright then."
Creak!
The door was pushed open, and Siti walked in with a tray, "Have some coffee, Michael."
Eric picked up the remote control and changed the channel. When it landed on NBC Entertainment, he saw Madonna's figure flash across the screen.
Eric stopped pressing the button and watched with interest.
"Ciccone, you look very beautiful today," the reporter asked.
Madonna on screen confidently opened her mouth, "Of course, I'm always this beautiful every day."
Standing next to Madonna was her husband, Guy Ritchie, the director famous worldwide for directing "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."
"What do you think about the Michael Jackson incident? Especially the Playboy magazine with you on the cover found in his bedroom."
Madonna laughed heartily, "I think it shows that Michael is very infatuated with me. Maybe he's been secretly in love with me for many years, ever since we met."
"But if you want it, you can just tell me directly, I can show you something even more private."
Although everyone knew Madonna had a wild personality and was old friends with Jackson, her husband was right next to her!
In response, Guy Ritchie could only shrug, remaining silent, looking both aggrieved and amusing.
With the Santa Barbara Municipal Government's statement, this incident symbolized Michael's victory.
Under Eric's instruction, MGM began to retract its feelers.
However, although he had retreated behind the scenes, the protests and demonstrations he triggered had not stopped.
There were still many fans, righteous individuals, and people who enjoyed a good spectacle continuing the movement.
And the online condemnation had only just begun. Michael also started accepting interviews, discussing the matter and subtly guiding the narrative towards the molestation case, garnering public understanding and sympathy.
In an era where the internet was not yet very developed and topics were relatively few, the heat of the incident would last at least another half a month.
After staying at Neverland Ranch for three days, Eric quietly returned to Los Angeles.
The casting for house of cards was still ongoing, but Eric couldn't be bothered with the remaining supporting roles, leaving Andrea and others to be specifically responsible.
He only set the start date for filming on July 17th.
Eric continued to meticulously edit blue is the warmest color, pondering over the use of certain shots repeatedly, and subtle differences from the original version were already emerging in the details.
Time flew to July 10th. The offline protests and demonstrations finally subsided, but the media and the internet were still grilling the Santa Barbara Municipal Government, demanding a swift investigation of the truth and the announcement of punishment results.
The summer blockbuster season continued. pirates of the caribbean opened yesterday, with the black pearl making a strong debut in major cinemas.
In just one day, it garnered widespread praise.
Meanwhile, the large-scale screening of the purge in North America had concluded, with a final box office of 97 million dollars, unfortunately not breaking 100 million.
However, leveraging the strong Japanese market, the overseas market reached 60 million dollars.
The overseas box office is expected to bring in another 15 million dollars or so, with an estimated final global box office of 180 million dollars.
In any case, it has already surpassed sharknado, becoming AK Films' new flagship.
Compared to its 3 million dollar budget and negligible marketing, it has certainly made a fortune.
Eric also finally finished editing blue is the warmest color, completing a version he was satisfied with.
MGM Building, internal cinema.
Eric and the Olsen Sisters sat inside. Today, the cinema was not open to employees; the boss was conducting an internal screening.
Perhaps some people might think, isn't it better to have more people for a screening to get more opinions?
But today's screening was a director's special edition, even rarer than the edited version, not for public sale.
Eric only planned to keep one copy for himself and give one each to Ashley and Mary.
In the dark hall, wolf-like howls rose and fell.
"Oh, fuck!"
Ashley sat on Eric, swaying left and right, the two entwined passionately.
Mary, meanwhile, watched the big screen, her face flushed by the content.
The two sisters were seen on screen, intently exploring art, with close-up shots clearly capturing their expressions.
On their smooth skin, lines and veins mixed with heavy breathing, exuding the tension of love.
In her seat, Mary's mouth kept opening and closing, her fingers deftly pinching and kneading.
Eric grabbed her hand and pulled it over, looking at Mary's wandering eyes and asking, "Tell me, what do you want?"
Her small hand lightly caressed Eric's chest, and Mary took his finger into her mouth, sucking on it.
Her eyes involuntarily drifted towards her sister and Eric.
Her golden hair was covered in dew, exuding an eerie allure.
Nearly three hours later, accompanied by the release of the movie's end credits, this exhilarating battle finally concluded.
Eric held the two sisters in his arms, one on each side. All three were exhausted, lying on the floor, panting.
Kissing each of the two women on the lips, the Olsen Sisters, though not top-tier beauties, had the advantage of youth.
Their firm, supple skin and vibrant movements highlighted their abundant vitality.
Of course, more importantly, they were identical twins, and the thrill they brought was not a simple 1+1=2.
Moreover, the two of them would occasionally bring up little Elizabeth, which stimulated Eric in waves, and he was completely drained four times.
As for the movie content, who cared about the plot?
It was like how some people watched Lee Ang's "Lust, Caution" for the plot. Eric, for one, had browsed the entire film several times, but he couldn't remember the plot at all.
His attention was entirely drawn by Tony Leung and Tang Wei, especially Tang Wei's pubic hair, which was truly eye-catching.
"Have you finished reading the mean girls script?"
"Finished it."
"Yes, I've read it."
"Do you have any thoughts? This is actually also a dual-female lead film, though one has slightly more screentime. But the so-called female antagonist actually has a very likable character."
After a pause, seeing the two women drawing circles on his chest, Eric understood.
"You don't want to act in youth campus dramas anymore?"
Ashley stuck out her tongue and licked his ribs, "We've already acted in an art-house film like blue is the warmest color. Going back to campus dramas feels very awkward."
"That feeling is like you've already bought a plane, but you still want one."
Mary also chimed in, "Exactly, and we're a bit tired of campus youth-type movies. We should choose more challenging roles, shouldn't we?"
"Eric, didn't you say before that you also prepared a dual-female lead wedding movie?"
Eric smiled, "There is one, but you are only 17 years old, still in your prime youth."
"blue is the warmest color certainly helped you grow a lot, but there's no need to look down on campus movies."
"Many award-winning actors and actresses, after proving themselves, enjoy making cameo appearances in various mindless films, and audiences don't dislike it; instead, they smile knowingly."
"And the mean girls script is indeed good. You'd best consider it."
"Of course, if you don't want to act, then forget it. There's no shortage of young actresses on the market."
After hearing Eric's advice, the two women could only say they would consider it.