Los Angeles in February enjoys delightful weather, perfect for sightseeing. The traditional Hollywood district hasn't been a hub for studios in ages; it's now a full-blown tourist trap. Riding on the fame of Hollywood films and landmarks like the Walk of Fame, the area pulls in hordes of visitors every year.
In the run-up to the Academy Awards Ceremony, tourist numbers in Hollywood hit their peak.
Adeline Lewis and Michelle Williams are a university couple from the UK—and rabid Hollywood movie buffs.
'So this is the Walk of Fame!'
Standing on the terrazzo pavement, Adeline Lewis spotted the names on the golden stars and squealed, 'Every star is a megastar!'
Michelle Williams, who'd been filming her, lowered the camera. 'Not necessarily. The name under my foot is a total stranger.'
Adeline Lewis pouted. 'You always spoil the mood!'
She sniffed, spun round, and marched toward the Kodak Theatre. When Michelle caught up, she pointed at the venue. 'In less than ten days the Oscars will be held right here.'
Michelle Williams said automatically, 'Too bad we won't be around—we fly back to Britain in two days.'
Adeline Lewis drooped in disappointment. They walked on until they reached the theatre. A giant screen on the wall was running ads.
She was about to speak when a roar from above made her look up. Several choppers thundered in, each trailing a huge banner. Flying low, they came close enough for the letters to be crystal-clear.
Michelle Williams glanced up and quickly read the banner aloud.
'Charlize Theron, please accept my pursuit!' He squinted at the signature. 'Matthew Horner.'
He turned to Adeline. 'Who's Matthew Horner?'
'Dummy!' Adeline Lewis nudged him. 'the scorpion king, Will Turner, Ben Gates…'
'Oh, that guy!' Michelle Williams caught on. 'So he wants to woo oscar best actress winner Charlize Theron?'
No sooner had he spoken than the big screen in front of them changed to the same message.
'Charlize Theron, please accept my pursuit!'
The signature still read Matthew Horner.
Farther off, Michelle noticed an electronic billboard flashing the identical plea.
Clearly, Matthew Horner was pulling out all the stops to court Charlize Theron.
'So romantic!' Adeline Lewis's eyes turned starry. 'If someone did this for me…'
Michelle Williams didn't flinch. 'Not romantic—filthy rich! The guy's got money to burn!'
Adeline Lewis pinched his arm. 'Can't you let me dream for once?'
At that moment every major electronic billboard in Hollywood became Matthew's love letter.
Helicopters circled overhead, parading the banners for all below.
The stunt cost a fortune, especially post-9/11. Securing that many low-flying choppers took serious string-pulling by Helen Herman and the mr. & mrs. smith Crew.
The second the choppers appeared, reports hit the web. TMZ paparazzi, poised and ready, filmed from multiple angles and uploaded footage instantly.
Meanwhile, Elena Boyar personally shot a video at Hollywood & Highland and posted it to TMZ's homepage, igniting the gossipsphere.
Matthew stood alone outside the mall, waiting for Charlize Theron to exit the Dior event—but she never showed.
Against the backdrop of banners and billboards, his solitary figure looked bleak.
The spectacle didn't last; after five minutes the ads vanished—Hollywood billboard time is pricey, and even with the mr. & mrs. smith Crew footing the bill, the meter runs fast.
In the end Matthew granted an interview to so-called reporter Elena Boyar.
'Charlize and I met two years ago. We've been great friends ever since.'
Facing Elena Boyar's camera, Matthew spoke half-truths and half-lies. "After finishing 'mr. & mrs. smith' together, I got to know Charlize better—she's an incredible woman. Then last month, while I was in Germany signing with Mercedes-Benz, Charlize happened to be in Munich. I went to see her and we spent a few days touring the city. We connected on a much deeper level, and I realized she's the one I've been searching for—she's my goddess!"
The interview ended, and before other reporters could swarm in, Matthew and Elena Boyar quickly got into a car and left the scene.
Barely ten minutes later, the clip was already up on countless websites.
Frankly, the stunt was crude and hardly original, yet it worked like a charm, sparking an instant sensation.
Although Charlize Theron offered no comment when she faced reporters and cameras after her Dior event, fans reacted with overwhelming enthusiasm.
Last year's video of Matthew rescuing Charlize Theron from Stuart Townsend was dug up by website after website, and most people voiced support for Matthew and Charlize to be together.
One was an oscar best actress winner, the other a red-hot star; a public declaration of love like this was bound to cause a storm.
Even many media outlets began touting Matthew and Charlize Theron as a match made in heaven.
Yet Charlize Theron never gave a direct response.
As the gossip started to cool, the 'mr. & mrs. smith' Crew released the film's first official trailer—built entirely around Matthew and Charlize Theron's scenes together, zeroing in on their love-hate chemistry.
The trailer landed with a bang, airing simultaneously on several TV networks and websites. On Matthew's personal blog alone, it racked up more than fifty thousand views in a single day.
Of course, once the trailer appeared, some inevitably claimed the earlier uproar had been a deliberate publicity stunt, but the Crew, Matthew, and Charlize Theron each had counter-moves ready that would soon silence every doubter.
Besides, skeptics were only a minority; most people who follow gossip care only for the surface and have zero interest in the facts.
Social media hadn't taken off yet, so the public's immunity to Hollywood hype was still fairly low.
Even in Matthew's final years in his previous life, most folks simply parroted what they'd heard and were easily swayed by publicity stunts.
Plenty of fans even felt Matthew and Charlize Theron naturally belonged together and, like tap water, pumped out soft articles everywhere.
TMZ created a dedicated section for the couple, predicting when they would officially become an item.
The gossip site, focused on scoops and entertainment, also listed reasons why Matthew and Charlize Theron absolutely had to unite.
'The coolest man and woman must be together!'
'They're duty-bound to be together; it's only right, for the sake of global magazine sales, moviegoers' expectations, and paparazzi overtime pay. They were spotted hand in hand in Munich; they should stroll the same way in Los Angeles.'
'Life is too dull, and Hollywood's been dull for years. In the film, Matthew and Charlize Theron must save a family; in reality, they have to save the world from boredom. When they appear together, it's like the most perilous explosion in a Hollywood blockbuster: over a hundred and twenty cameras click away from every angle, and the world falls silent, every ear turning into a listening device, waiting for the slightest whisper.'
'Close-ups, spotlights, rumors, denials, new rumors, new denials... What else do you expect from the coolest man and woman in history?'
'Just like studio execs who, when pairing actors, instantly see the box-office gold behind the match, we know without a doubt what their union will trigger. The trailer for "mr. & mrs. smith" proves it—spectacular and explosive!'
'Audiences aren't lining up for an action movie; they want to watch the sexiest couple flirt. They're already great at it, and they realize they can be even better, magnifying the behind-the-scenes moments fans crave and bringing them into real life.'
'Why do viewers always hope on-screen couples are madly in love off-screen as well? Because they're gorgeous. Look at any candid photo of Matthew Horner and Charlize Theron—each one is a pleasure to behold, like a still from a film.'
'Ever since Matthew Horner officially declared his pursuit of Charlize Theron, experts have popped up to read faces, study star charts, and analyze fortunes. Friends have emerged to examine pasts, personalities, and details, predicting their future. The plot keeps changing, every twist more bizarre than the last...'