The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 109 One-stop service
Private video store in West Hollywood.

There is a huge poster hanging at the door. The main characters of the poster are a man and a woman, but the figures have no heads. Instead, there is a line of large characters - "Super Star Appointment Officially Launched".

Early in the morning, before the audio-visual store opened, a long line formed at the door, with dozens of LSPs waiting to be the first to get their hands on DVDs or videotapes.

These guys had no embarrassment at all and were discussing Josh and Alison.

As soon as the store door opened, LSPs rushed into the store, scrambling for DVDs with the hand speed they had honed from years of being single.

In just half a day, all 300 sets of DVDs in stock were sold out.

The boss called hurriedly to order the goods.

On this day, "Superstar Promise", released by Private Films, set a single-day sales record for videotapes and DVDs in the Sacred Valley.

Due to distribution restrictions, some stores do not have a special area for products for people over 18 years old, resulting in this film not being as popular as "The Lord of the Rings 1" across the United States. However, in many stores where this film is distributed, its sales have topped the store's sales list.

In less than two days, "Super Star's Appointment" sold over 100 million copies.

Inevitably, pirated copies appeared on the Internet, and their distribution scope expanded further, sweeping across the United States.

The most discussed topic on various forums, blogs and online communication software is Josh Hartnett and Alison Faith.

Although some people later exposed new photos of Alison on the Internet, the huge scandal swept everything with the heat of the sun.

Instead, those became fuel for the push.

The two also made headlines in several gossip media outlets, including The National Enquirer and Hollywood Life.

Los Angeles is a place where gossip and scandals emerge one after another. It is not easy to grab the headlines, but Josh and Alison have been at the top for several days in a row.

The heat of the video recording is the foundation, and the voice Alison makes in the interviews is the key.

"I am in charge of my body!"

This slogan is very popular among certain groups.

Alison automatically jumped out and charged, and was pushed into a prominent position by them.

Josh Hartnett has always been very responsible. Although he is not as popular as Alison, the selfie scandal has made people ignore his previous scandal.

One shocking scandal overshadowed another.

On the third day after the release of "Superstar Date", when the news heat had died down a little, Hawke once again asked Allison and Josh to hold a press conference to announce the lawsuit against the private film company.

On the Internet, LSPs who saw the selfie scandal felt psychologically satisfied. In their sage state, they transformed themselves into fighters for justice, supporting Josh Hartnett, who had a strong sense of immersion, and protesting against the infringement of private film companies.

Based on the real-time changes, Hawke asked Will to hire a professional protest company to provide one-stop service, and gathered a team of hundreds of people to sit in protest in front of the private film company.

Many LSPs who live in the Holy Valley and are in Sage Time also come to join in the fun.

A protest group of hundreds of people quickly gathered in front of the private film company.

Of course the reporters and paparazzi would not let it go, and a large number of people came to take pictures.

Before the news here has cooled down, under Hawke's manipulation, the computer repairman who sold the video was moved by the star detective Erica's righteous behavior when he attended a media event and stood up and turned himself in on the spot.

The repairman was also interviewed on the spot, describing in detail how he copied the video from Alison's laptop, sold it to a private film company, and couldn't help showing off on the Internet.

While the media and the public were enjoying the show, they were also amazed at the personal charm of Detective Erica Ferguson.

The next day, the news released by LAPD caused Josh and Alison to publicly protest.

The computer repairman was released on bail that night, and even if he went to court, the most likely outcome would be a fine and probation.

Amidst all this turmoil, Fox 11's "Midnight Entertainment" program invited Allison and Josh into the studio, where they were interviewed by Megan Taylor and talked about their mental journey over the past ten days.

The ratings for this episode were staggering, and the direct result was a sharp increase in sales of "Super Star's Date".

In just over a week, this film set the highest sales record for a single film of the entire Private Group since the beginning of the new century.

The popularity of the selfie scandal has reached its peak.

It was at this time that Western Sound Records officially announced that Alison Faith was about to release a new album titled "My Body, My Rules"!
Afterwards, the first single was released to chart, and the lyrics of the song were urgently modified by the lyricist based on Hawke's wishes to better suit Alison's current situation.

When the first MV was released, it shocked everyone.

The quality of the song is mediocre at best, but the energetic singing and dancing in the MV brought LSP and the Free Girls to a climax.

Alison's look in the MV really lives up to the saying "I have the final say over my own body."

In the past, similar scenes may have appeared in some programs, TV series, movies or photo posters, but never such clear camel paws.

Alison once again had the first-mover advantage.

On the Internet, which is the easiest place to guide public opinion, Hawke asked Fergie's team to post a series of messages, calling the camel's foot a new indicator of women's freedom, fashion and avant-garde.

Alison's first music video was a huge success.

There were a lot of curses, but there were also a lot of cheers.

But with the popularity and the operation of Western Records, Allison's new single quickly entered the Billboard Top 50.

This is already a success.

However, Hawke is not responsible for any subsequent progress, as this is the record company's job.

With a serious and responsible attitude, Hawke contacted Waddell, the deputy editor-in-chief of People magazine, whom he met during the Steve Knight incident, before the end of the business.

As long as it's hot enough, the entertainment media doesn't care about anything else.

People magazine is going to do an exclusive interview with Josh and Alison and make them the cover characters of the next issue.

At the same time, agent Will sent Josh Hartnett's information to several companies recruiting actors.

Except for a few special crews, most of them accepted his offer, and several crews notified Josh Hartnett to go for the audition.

Moreover, the popularity of the selfie scandal has also attracted the attention of some Hollywood film producers.

Perhaps medium and large production companies are not interested, after all, there are countless scripts lying in their script libraries gathering dust.

But for some small and medium-sized companies, if they can take advantage of this trend well, they will most likely make money.

…………

Shelter Pictures, Culver City.

At the regular meeting on Monday, the company's three founders, Michael Larter, David Rimawi and Shirley Strand, met on time in the former's office.

They were once executives at Village Roadshow Pictures and participated in the production of "The Matrix".

Shirley asked, "How are the film adaptation rights for the science fiction novel "War of the Worlds" going?"

"No room for negotiation." David frowned and said, "I just started negotiating with the copyright agent, and Spielberg got involved. The highest we can offer is $50, and the old bastard asked for $500 million. How can we comply?"

Shirley sighed: "The total investment of our project will not reach 500 million US dollars."

David came up with an idea: "Spielberg's movie is popular, why don't we create an original script, also called "World War", and then release it before Spielberg's."

"You're so smart!" Michael praised, took the latest issue of People and pushed it to the two of them: "Look at the cover person."

Shirley recognized them immediately: "Josh Hartnett and Alison Faith, who are very popular recently."

David, who works in movie operations, said, "Behind these two people, there is a PR expert. In just over a month, he turned Josh, who was about to fade into obscurity, and Alison, who had already been forgotten, into well-known and popular figures across the United States. Bringing two dead people back to life is not something that ordinary people can do."

Shirley continued, "Not many people in these Hollywood PR companies can do this."

Michael didn't want to talk about that, so he quickly changed the subject: "Don't you think this process is interesting? Can it be adapted into a movie? We can even get Josh Hartnett to star in it, which will make it a hot topic!"

David thought for a while and said, "If there is a ready-made case, the script can be completed in one month, one month for preparation, one month for filming, another month for post-production, and it can be released in four months, and it can catch up with this year's schedule and take advantage of this wave of popularity."

Among the three, Shirley is good at scripts. After a brief consideration, she said, "Josh and Alison sued the private film company, but based on past experience, they reached an out-of-court settlement by sharing part of the commercial income. These two people will definitely be furious."

The more she spoke, the clearer her ideas became: "I have the main plot. The title of the film is "The Punisher". The male protagonist was filmed by a paparazzi and wanted to delete the private video but was refused. The paparazzi sold the video to a media company, and the media made the private video public to achieve commercial purposes. The male protagonist was ridiculed by the media and the public. He sought legal justice but could not get it, so he was forced to pick up a gun."

"Good idea." Michael guessed Shirley's plot development pattern: "Let's have a super cool ending in the end. The male protagonist kills all the bastards who participated in exposing his privacy!"

Shirley responded, "Yes, that's right. Josh must be very depressed in real life. We can let him vent in the movie."

David is good at operations. He calculated: "Not counting Josh's salary, the production cost will be less than 150 million US dollars."

"There's only one problem left now," Michael said, "How can we convince Josh Hartnett to play the leading role? No one is more suitable than him. Without him, the film's selling point will be reduced by half." David said, "$50 for the film, plus a share of the post-production. No audition required. It's tailor-made for me."

Michael nodded: "Okay." He then said to Shirley: "Please come up with a script outline as soon as possible. Once you have the script framework, I can talk to someone."

"I'll write it right away." Shirley picked up her pen and notebook and left.

The small size of the company means there aren't so many cumbersome procedures, and decisions on Shelter Pictures' projects can be made by just three people.

…………

Burbank, Western Sound Records.

A nanny car stopped at the door, and Joanna opened the door and got out first.

Reporters and paparazzi who had been waiting for a long time surrounded the car and took pictures frantically at the car door.

Alison slowly got out of the car and raised her hand to greet the camera.

She really loves the feeling of being surrounded by spotlights.

Suddenly, Alison noticed two paparazzi lying on the ground, shooting from the bottom up.

Not only was she not angry, she even deliberately spread her legs when getting off the car.

After taking the photo, a paparazzi immediately got up from the ground, turned around and ran towards the car.

He took a picture of a camel's paw and could sell it for a good price.

Joanna and Alison, mother and daughter, particularly liked being the focus of media attention. They got out of the car and walked very slowly, taking them half a day to enter the door of the record company.

The receptionist was already waiting at the door: "Ms. Faith, Ms. Faith, the president wants you to go directly to the reception room on the second floor."

The two men hurried upstairs and entered the reception room, where they found that in addition to President Roger, Hawke and his assistant were also there.

Joanna hurried forward and said to Hawke respectfully, "There are reporters and paparazzi chasing us on the road. I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."

Hawke said politely: "It's okay, I just got here."

After the mother and daughter sat down, Roger said, "In the past month, I have witnessed what it means to turn decay into magic. You mobilized half of the paparazzi and entertainment reporters in Los Angeles to serve us for free, and then we have today's results."

Hawke asked, "What number is the first single on the billboard?"

Alison continued, "No. 33, with a good chance of making the top ."

Hawke knew very well that in order to achieve such results, Western Records must have invested resources to operate it.

He didn't understand the rules of the billboard, but he knew how Hollywood and the Oscars worked; where there are people, there is a world of its own.

Joanna said with some anticipation: "Hawke, if possible, we would like to hire you as Alison's public relations manager."

"My fees are very high." The PR managers on the market don't earn as much as he does. Hawke reminded him, "Because you are Dawn's friend, I only charged you $80 for this order."

Joanna opened her mouth and closed it again. She knew she couldn't afford to hire Hawke.

Rogge heard the reminder. It was a blessing to have someone like Hawke as a partner. Once he became an enemy, it would be scary to think about it.

He glanced at Joanna and said, "The goal of this plan has been successfully achieved. I will notify the finance department to transfer the funds."

Joanna came to her senses and, although it was very painful, she still called her accountant and paid the balance she was supposed to pay.

Not long after, Hawke received a call from the bank's connection manager, informing him that two deposits totaling $40 had just been made.

The contract ends when the final payment is received.

Hawke stood up to say goodbye and shook hands with Roger: "You have my contact information, call me anytime if you need anything."

"I will." Roger had other ideas in his mind. Unless a scandal that could not be cleaned up was exposed, it would be better not to invite him.

On the one hand, the fees are too expensive.

On the other hand it doesn’t feel so good.

Roger always felt that everyone, including himself, was being manipulated like puppets.

The manipulator is obvious.

Joanna took the initiative to step forward and shake Hawke's hand.

Just as Hawke was about to leave, she turned around and extended her hand to Edward.

I've been too busy and stressed at work these days and haven't had time to talk to Hei Xiaoshuai. Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Joanna said, "Do you still have the contact information I gave you?"

Edward smiled with two rows of white teeth: "I will call you when I have time."

"I'll wait." Joanna nodded with a smile.

Hawke had already left the reception room.

Alison chased out: "Hawk, wait a minute."

"What's the matter?" Hawke asked.

Alison twisted her body into an exaggerated curve: "Are you free tonight? I'll wait for you at home. Thank you very much."

Hawke was afraid of getting sick, so he said, "It's only right to do the work you get paid for."

Just then Edward came out and waved: "Savior, let's go."

The two went downstairs together, went out and got into the Cadillac. Edward drove away from the curb and asked, "Where are you going?"

Hawke said, "Go to Sherman Oaks, Josh Hartnett's house. Will and I have an appointment."

Edward drove westward: "Boss, we always collect the final payment smoothly. When I worked with Bull Dad and others before, the final payment settlement was always complicated."

Hawke simply said: "Take this time as an example. The lawyer I found is not ordinary. He has a special relationship with LAPD and Fox 11. He can contact sister marches for support, contact "People" for an interview, and write short essays to incite emotions..."

Edward understood: "If they don't pay the balance, the price they pay will be even higher!" He thought of another point: "You will let me record the key points."

The Cadillac arrived in Sherman Oaks and drove directly into Josh Hartnett's house.

Will and Josh heard the car and hurried out of the villa to greet them.

The two men had smiles on their faces, as if something good had happened to them.

After entering the villa, Hawke asked directly: "You guys look so happy, didn't you get a heavyweight role?"

Josh said: "It takes multiple rounds of auditions for the heavyweight roles to come out, it won't be that quick."

Will took a text and handed it to Hawke: "The president and chief creative officer of Shelter Pictures came by this morning and are planning to invite Josh to star in their major project."

Hawke took it and looked through it.

Will added: "This actor doesn't need to audition. Shelter Pictures tailored it for Josh, and the plot fits Josh's current situation very well."

What Hawke saw was a draft of a script whose main plot was a replica of the selfie scandal as it was presented to the media and the public.

There are many differences, the biggest difference is the ending, where the male protagonist picks up a gun and shoots everyone.

Josh has tasted the sweetness of turning things around, and asked Hawke: "Do you think I can take this project?"

This was the wrong person to ask. Hawke said directly: "Your agent or manager knows more about this than I do. Professionals should do professional things. I am harming you by rashly expressing my opinions."

“Okay.” Josh smiled, “I’m being presumptuous.”

Will said at this time: "I think the project is good. Although the investment is low, the operation cycle is short and we can make full use of this popularity. As long as the film is profitable, it will be much easier for us to compete for other roles."

Josh said: "You call them, I will give them definite news after considering it for two days at most."

Hawke handed the text back to Will and said, "Our contract is complete."

"Understood." Josh picked up his phone and called his accountant.

Because Josh wanted to mortgage his New York apartment for a loan, Hawke only charged him $20 in the early stages.

The remaining $60 arrived soon.

(End of this chapter)