From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

“Official Clarification.”

An official announcement, from Sony Columbia, took them a mere thirty minutes. Before the surging crowd could completely surround Sony Columbia's Madison Avenue headquarters, Michael Lynton demonstrated his decisive ability in a critical moment, issuing a strong and immediate positive response.

Because Michael knew that time is money.

Sony Columbia had to apply the brakes before the situation deteriorated; a delay would invite complications. The unseen shadows and lurking specters in the darkness would all emerge one after another. By the time public opinion formed a storm, even if Sony Columbia could clarify the facts, it wouldn't be able to recover the reputational damage.

Everything had to be fast, and at the same time, firm and unyielding.

In this official statement, Michael showcased his abilities and talents to the fullest, which is why he was able to become the CEO.

Firstly, he condemned TMZ, calling everything they said utter nonsense.

Secondly, he emphasized his stance, stating that the list was an audition list for another unnamed confidential project at Sony Columbia and had nothing to do with "Spider-Man 2."

Thirdly, Sony Columbia had been patiently observing Anson Wood's condition and sincerely hoped that Anson could recover his health as soon as possible.

Concise and straightforward.

The main points of Sony Columbia's statement can be simply summarized as the above three points; however, from the same statement, one can interpret Michael's different attitudes.

Facing the paparazzi, he was severely critical, directly pointing fingers, stating that Harry Pacey was using any means to divert attention, no different from other supermarket tabloids. The wording, tone, and sentence structure all conveyed the anger behind the words, wishing he could roll up his sleeves and throw a punch directly.

Facing the audience, he didn't give a direct response, but his words implicitly accused netizens of being mindless, lacking judgment, and not believing TMZ so easily. Even though this statement appeared because the crowd surrounded Sony Columbia's headquarters, the statement deliberately ignored the audience.

Facing Anson, his words were vague, polite, and stiff, repeating the same old platitudes. He seemed to express support for Anson, but a closer look revealed the trickery:

The statement could have simply said, "Sony Columbia has never and will never replace Anson," simple, blunt, and straightforward, extinguishing all controversy. The paparazzi could disperse, the audience could disperse, and the matter could be easily and completely resolved; however, it didn't.

The entire statement, from beginning to end, never mentioned Anson or the crew, or Anson continuing to play Spider-Man, not a single word.

Smart people could see Michael's cunning and treachery. He always left room for maneuver. After the storm subsided, if he could replace Anson, he would still carry it out to the end. If they were besieged and attacked at that time, they could righteously say—

I only said that the list was not for substitute actors, but I never said that the possibility of preparing a backup plan for the movie didn't exist.

Perhaps some would say that this is shameless.

But did Michael care?

The answer was no.

In fact, if the public opinion siege hadn't been too fierce, if the bustling crowd hadn't personally surrounded the Sony Columbia building, they wouldn't have bothered to respond to those rumors at all. "Spider-Man" was Sony Columbia's project; when was it the outsiders' turn to point fingers?

This statement was already the result of Sony Columbia's compromise.

However, no matter what, Michael was still impressive. This statement was comprehensive, not only responding to the controversy head-on but also clearing away suspicion.

Thus, the situation suddenly evolved into "Paparazzi VS Film Company." TMZ and Sony Columbia each held their own ground, so who was telling the truth?

Obviously, most people were willing to believe Sony Columbia. Although conspiracy theories still flew everywhere, and although there were still quite a few netizens who believed that TMZ wasn't making things up, on the whole, Sony Columbia's statement was reasonable, well-organized, and indeed very persuasive.

The situation was quietly changing.

The assistant came in with a salad and coffee, asking Michael a few questions; but obviously, Michael wasn't interested. Even though it was already past lunchtime, he still had no appetite, constantly staring at the downstairs.

The reason was very simple: the bustling crowd gathered downstairs still hadn't dispersed.

“Mr., I just spoke with the NYPD. They said that the gathering here has applied for a permit, the city hall has approved it, and the NYPD can't do anything about it.”

Michael wasn't surprised by this answer, but he still couldn't hide a burst of irritability, “What about lunch?”

The assistant, “They sent ten people to buy sandwiches and hamburgers. They are all eating on the spot, and they have also booked afternoon tea for later.”

Michael twitched the corner of his mouth, “Looks like they know how to enjoy themselves more than I do.”

The assistant hesitated slightly, but still said, “There are rumors that the lunch and afternoon tea were funded by the actors and directors.”

Michael, “All of them?”

The assistant, “Not sure, but according to rumors, all the main actors are involved, including Alfred, who joined this time, and William Dafoe, who is only making a cameo appearance.”

Michael sneered, “Are they planning to unite to resist me? I should replace them all, a complete blood change.”

The assistant didn't respond.

Michael had a bad feeling.

Vaguely, he felt that something was about to happen, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. This feeling of being on pins and needles was terrible.

But Michael still regained his reason and calmness.

“If they want to stay, then let them stay.”

Withdrawing his gaze, Michael returned to his desk. He still had things to do.

At the same time, in the square on the first floor in front of the building, the rustling of discussions never stopped, chattering and lively.

The atmosphere was slightly noisy—

Because now is not the era of smartphones and social networks, there is a time difference between real life and the online world, which is still somewhat separated.

When they were besieging Sony Columbia on Madison Avenue, they temporarily had no way of knowing that Sony Columbia had released a statement immediately.

By the time the online news spread to their ears, lunchtime had just ended.

A pebble stirred up ripples.

These young people started to discuss what to do next?

Ilene looked slightly confused, looking left and right, but no one spoke. The others around were in full swing, but it was particularly quiet here.

In the end, Ilene couldn't help but break the silence.

“What do we do now?”

Looking at each other, Karen tried to answer, “Our goal has been achieved. This shows that we have succeeded. We can leave, can't we?”

Leave, or stay?

Continue, or pause?

This is the focus of discussion.

When Blair, Gloria, and the others planned this protest, they didn't expect Sony Columbia to respond so quickly. They had originally planned to besiege Sony Columbia for three consecutive days—

At least three days.

First besiege for three days to see the reaction, and then decide whether to continue the protest.

Because they also knew that film companies would not be easily swayed by the opinions of the audience. They had to be prepared for a protracted war and remain patient.

As a result, that's it?