Chapter 651: No Choice

In 2011, the Oscars concluded successfully, but the big news in Hollywood wasn't about the awards.

As Gretchen Carlson exposed more evidence, the situation became increasingly unfavorable for Roger Ailes!

During interviews with CBS and NBC, Gretchen Carlson revealed she had previously been forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement and a mandatory arbitration agreement. This meant that if she experienced sexual harassment while employed, she couldn't go public and had to undergo the company's internal arbitration, preventing legal action.

On the other side, the defendant, Roger Ailes, firmly and publicly denied Gretchen Carlson's accusations, declaring: "Gretchen Carlson was fired because her show's ratings were inadequate. We even provided more airtime for her show than any other, but it was her own ability that was lacking!"

Reporters criticized Gretchen Carlson for being ungrateful and asked sharp questions:

"Why didn't you speak up back then?"

"Why are you speaking up now?"

"Didn't you use this to get ahead?"

"Are you just after money now?"

Roger Ailes held his ground for years, refusing to be toppled easily.

However, FNC star anchor Megyn Kelly's home welcomed an influential guest, Secretary Hillary's aide!

...

In Palm Springs, situated in the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley, 120 miles southeast of Los Angeles, MPAA Chairman Christopher Dodd convened representatives from Hollywood's seven major film groups, four leading talent agencies, and three key film guilds for a meeting.

Disney, Warner Brothers, Capet Universal, Sony, MGM, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox were the official members present.

Also in attendance were Steven Spielberg of DreamWorks, Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks Animation, Relativity Media's Chairman Ryan Kavanaugh, Summit Entertainment's Chairman Robert Friedman, Lionsgate's Chairman Jon Feltheimer, and Legendary Entertainment's Chairman Thomas Tull, along with representatives from the producers, actors, and directors' guilds.

Heads of EDR, CAA, ICUTA, the four leading talent agencies in Hollywood, also couldn't miss this.

CAA's head, Bryan Lourd, approached Evelyn Capet and asked, "This seems pretty serious, doesn't it? Everyone here can decide Hollywood's future. Has Charles hinted how far he wants this to go?"

It wasn't surprising for Bryan Lourd to ask. Hollywood had a hierarchy. The top tier was represented by MPAA seven members. The second tier comprised secondary distributors like Lionsgate and Relativity Media. The third tier included the guild representatives.

Talent agency representatives formed another segment of Hollywood. Despite fierce competition among these agencies, they always stood united in overall negotiations concerning Hollywood's business.

Evelyn Capet had a unique position because her son, Charles Capet, was currently a prominent figure in Hollywood. Evelyn shrugged and said, "Charles has hinted to me that the fire should only burn in the news media. His bottom line is that Hollywood must remain stable. Anyone daring to cause chaos will face MPAA's collective suppression."

Bryan Lourd nodded, but his eyes turned to 20th Century Fox's representatives, Gia Gnappolos and Tom Rothman, accompanied by a few guild representatives. How would 20th Century Fox, which is a part of News Corp, respond to the troubles faced by Fox News?

Roger Ailes faced public scrutiny, while 20th Century Fox's representatives were in the spotlight. News Corp's BBC, Paramount's CBS, Disney ABC, and Warner Brothers' CNN supported this outcome.

Sony, a Japanese company, acted like cheerleaders, and MGM's representative was with Charles.

Bryan Lourd pondered what role Charles Capet played in this situation. News Corp was also embroiled in the UK's phone hacking scandal, and now FNC's chairman faced sexual harassment charges. This made things difficult for a key Republican backer.

Evelyn noticed Bryan Lourd's thoughtful expression and smiled. "The purpose of this meeting is clear to everyone. With all these people here, we can still sing and dance as usual!"

...

On the other side, Charles was chatting with Christopher Dodd. "You've already talked to those two from 20th Century Fox, right?"

Christopher Dodd nodded. "Though 20th Century Fox and Fox News are siblings, they still can't escape chaos in Hollywood. 20th Century Fox is just a part of Hollywood. Do you think they have any other option at this point?"

Charles nodded. Gia Gnappolos and Tom Rothman were smart and likely to make the right choice.

"Let everyone know it's time to go in," Charles glanced at his watch and reminded.

"Okay."

*****

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