Chapter 375: Making an Example

In the evening, Arthur and Vivian Chow arrived at Queen's Park near the University of Toronto. Surrounding it were also Victoria University and various university libraries, along with the Ontario Legislative Building, the Royal Ontario Museum, a Catholic church, and various theaters.

After enjoying dinner, the two got into the car. Vivian tilted her head to look at Arthur and smiled, "Are we going home directly or hitting the town?"

Arthur ran his hand over the woman's thigh, "What do you usually do?"

"Well, I'm usually very quiet. In recent months, I've been studying at a tutoring class. Before that, I often traveled to other places and learned photography," Vivian hugged the man's neck. "Moreover, the 12th Men's Basketball World Championship was just held in Toronto a few days ago. I went to watch a few games. The champion was the USA team, and our Chinese team ranked eighth, which is not bad."

"The World Championship? You watch basketball too?" Arthur leaned closer to her neck.

"I used to play basketball before my debut," Vivian laughed.

"Yeah, I can tell. These long legs are quite suitable for basketball," Arthur said as he kissed the woman, simultaneously caressing her thigh.

"Mmph," Vivian held the man tighter, passionately responding to Arthur's kiss.

After the kiss ended, Arthur licked his lips and suggested, "How about we go for a drink at a bar?"

Vivian nodded, "The Rose Valley in North York is pretty good. Let's go there."

...

After spending a few days in Toronto, Arthur returned to New York. The acquisition of the NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had concluded.

In the coming months, Galaxy Sports just needed to pay off the acquisition amount, but the negotiations with the Tampa City government for building a new stadium would soon begin.

In a penthouse at the MGM Headquarters in Lower Manhattan, Arthur sat on the sofa, enjoying New York's night view through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Jennifer Connelly, wearing a slip dress, walked over and bent down to hug Arthur, kissing him.

"What's wrong? You're now one of the NFL owners. Shouldn't you be happy?"

Arthur ran his hand over the woman, "I'm thrilled. I have everything I want!"

Movies like The Mask, Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, and Legends of the Fall released by Galaxy were doing well.

Additionally, they had acquired the veteran film company MGM this year. Everything was developing in a positive direction.

Pulling Jennifer Connelly into his lap, he nuzzled her neck. "It's late August now. Your movie, Addams Family Values, is about to release!"

"Yes, it is. It will premiere next month, two weeks from now. Currently, I'm working with the crew for promotional activities," Jennifer Connelly said, taking Arthur's hand and placing it on her voluptuous 34D chest. "Darling, you're not just an entertainment mogul now, but also a sports mogul. There's increasing discussion about you in both the entertainment and sports circles."

"It doesn't matter," Arthur said, considering the information dissemination was not as rapid as in the future Internet era. "By the way, is Michael Jackson still in a legal battle with the Chandler family in Santa Barbara, California?"

"Yes, a few times his team almost decided to settle, but the other party's demands were too high."

"So, Michael Jackson publicly announced to the media that he would clear his name!"

Arthur's eyes rolled as he wondered if Jackson had followed his advice.

Considering Arthur Smith's current status and influence as an idol for the younger generation in America, his words carried great weight. Many of Michael Jackson's fans also spontaneously supported him.

"However, this matter has taken a tremendous toll on Michael. Many of his commercial activities were canceled due to the lawsuit, and his albums and concerts were put on hold. The pressure is quite significant."

Jennifer Connelly, being wise, could definitely see these things. "Also, Michael Jackson went to South Africa a while back to meet with Mandela!"

"Interesting," Arthur laughed. Jackson's team still had some astute people. Mandela had been elected President of South Africa in April this year, becoming the first Black president of South Africa.

Having spent 27 years in prison and being released in 1990, Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and is now the hottest "political star" of racial politics globally.

South Africa, the economic powerhouse of Africa, is undergoing political and economic transformations, doing away with apartheid once and for all, heralding a new era where Black people will take the reins of power.

"Alright, enough of this topic," Arthur said, fondling the woman's 34D chest. "I heard there have been some bad comments about film producer Scott Rudin recently. Specifically regarding Addams Family Values!"

Jennifer Connelly replied, "Yes, I've heard that too. Last year, the sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit he produced was released at the end of the year, and its box office performance fell short of expectations. So, he's definitely not letting go of Addams Family Values."

After all, it was Scott Rudin who had planned the Addams Family project. Following Galaxy's acquisition of Orion Pictures, they had prevented Rudin from selling the project to Paramount, cutting off his advancement opportunity.

Moreover, Arthur had directly fired Scott Rudin from the crew without any hesitation.

Two years ago, Scott Rudin produced the comedy Sister Act, which was a huge success, grossing two hundred and thirty million of dollars worldwide, followed by the release of its sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit at the end of last year.

Unfortunately, Sister Act 2 was disappointing. With a $38 million production cost, it only grossed $57 million in North America and barely surpassed the $100 million mark globally!

Adding to that, the other works Scott Rudin developed in the past two years showed no sparks at all, leaving him utterly obsessed with the Addams Family series.

"It seems that Galaxy, as a new Hollywood film company, has not instilled a sense of awe in others yet," Arthur laughed. It was necessary to make some of these people understand the brutal reality of Hollywood.

Galaxy's promotional resources were abundant now; it was time to teach Scott Rudin a lesson!

"Are you up to mischief again?" Jennifer Connelly kissed Arthur's chest.

"Heh, it's all for the promotion of Addams Family Values. Since someone is willing to cooperate... it would be wrong not to take advantage of it," Arthur decided to have the media severely tarnish Scott Rudin's reputation as an example to others!

*****

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