From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

In the morning, Sony Columbia reacted swiftly, issuing a statement at the first opportunity to cut losses before the situation worsened. Both the speed of the response and the content of the statement fully demonstrated Michael's crisis management skills —

Praised on all sides.

In the evening, the situation took a sharp turn. Michael Linton's proactive response and tough stance instead exposed their ugliness and filth, their faces twisted in anger, and that statement became the trigger for countless people's negative emotions to erupt —

Cries of condemnation filled the sky.

The same event, yet it triggered completely different reactions in the morning and evening:

Welcome to the 21st century, a new era of information overload, and also a chaotic era of rapid news turnover. Caught off guard.

Without an official statement, the situation in the morning might have spiraled out of control.

But likewise, without an official statement, the evening wouldn't have stimulated the sensitive nerves and moral bottom line of countless ordinary people, igniting a wave of condemnation.

For a moment, it was hard to say whether Michael Linton's crisis management was good or bad.

However, the only certainty was that Sony Columbia was under siege.

Amidst the rush hour congestion in Manhattan, a constant stream of people surged towards 550 Madison Avenue.

Endless!

Never-ending!

Gradually, gradually, they once again surrounded the Sony Columbia building.

In the morning, over a thousand people gathered, a spectacle to behold, and a hot topic on major media outlets and forums.

And now?

Three thousand people, at least, and the number was still rising.

Rush hour congestion was usually annoying and frustrating, but today the vehicles on Madison Avenue seemed particularly content —

One or two were watching the spectacle.

Literally, impenetrable, a sea of people, a truly rare sight; coupled with the continuous influx of more and more people from all directions, the pain and dullness of a long Monday finally found an outlet to explode, and the innocent Sony Columbia became a punching bag, as New Yorkers frantically flocked towards it like a tide.

In the air, radio waves intertwined.

"…Midtown Manhattan traffic is completely paralyzed, all because of the mass protest taking place around the Sony Columbia office building…"

"Clearly, Sony Columbia also completely underestimated this situation, and things have now completely gone off the rails…"

"According to reports, New York is not the only place, Sony Columbia's only West Coast headquarters is also surrounded by movie fans and audiences, with over fifteen hundred people gathered, using red objects as a signal to protest…"

Shua, shua, the sounds from the radio weaved together a magnificent picture.

Originally, all eyes were focused on New York, to the extent that Los Angeles was completely forgotten; now, because of the earth-shaking changes in the New York situation, more and more focus was shifting over, and Los Angeles also appeared in the field of vision, presenting the whole picture to the general public —

It turned out that both New York and Los Angeles felt the anger of Anson's fans.

"…Now, Fox Television has dispatched a helicopter to the scene to provide coverage…"

Five thousand people? Eight thousand people?

Everyone, all using red objects as a signal, all kinds of strange and varied red objects were waving in the air, forming a rolling heatwave, like a blazing flame, engulfing the building in front of them, and even reinforced concrete buildings could not withstand the torment for too long.

Moreover, vehicles were neatly lined up on the road like matchboxes, unintentionally sealing off the roads around Sony Columbia.

Then, Sony Columbia was isolated.

Magnificent!

When Ian Bryce, covered in sweat, ran four blocks on foot to the Sony Columbia building, his knees softened when he saw the sea of people in front of him.

Ian tried hard, trying to push through the crowd and squeeze into the office building that was so close.

But it was really too difficult.

In the end, Ian chose to give up —

Anyway, it had nothing to do with him.

This was a game of contention between the Sony Columbia board of directors and senior management. His opinions and viewpoints could not compete with higher-level interests; even if he went to attend the meeting, he would end up as cannon fodder or a scapegoat. On serious thought, there was really no need for him to force his way in.

Then, Ian saw Laura Ziskin in the crowd, covered in sweat and equally disheveled.

Laura looked at Ian, "I'm stuck."

Ian laughed gleefully, "I can see that."

Laura rolled her eyes helplessly, and then looked at Ian's contented face. In the end, she also gave up struggling and obediently stood in place.

"I think we might miss the meeting," Ian said.

Laura shrugged lightly, "They probably weren't planning to wait."

The entire Sony Columbia headquarters building had been completely surrounded, and the surrounding streets were also completely blocked. So, how would the board members arrive?

The answer was, by helicopter.

There was a helipad on the top floor of the headquarters building.

One after another, the board members arrived, but Michael Linton was still hoping for Laura's appearance.

Although Laura was only a producer, Michael needed support from the production team, and at the same time, if necessary, she could be pushed out to serve as a scapegoat and sacrifice.

Unfortunately, Laura did not appear.

Michael's surface remained calm and refined, completely unaffected; however, a row of small blisters appearing on the corner of his mouth still betrayed his true situation —

Predicament.

To be precise, a dead end. Sony Columbia had indeed put itself in a dead end, and now there seemed to be no other choice.

"Sir…" The assistant appeared again.

Michael took a deep breath, "Tell the board of directors that I'll be there in three minutes."

"No, not the board of directors…"

Michael was puzzled, looking over, but found the assistant hesitant to speak, "What time is it now? Is there anything that could be worse? Just say it."

The assistant grinned, revealing an awkward smile, "The actors have spoken up."

Michael's reaction was a little slow: Actors, what actors?

The assistant explained, "Tom Hanks."

Michael's heart sank.

If Tom Hanks spoke up, it would mean opening a floodgate, and then other actors would inevitably support Anson one after another.

Didn't he hear what the assistant just said? "Actors", that was plural.

Michael barely maintained his composure, "What did Tom say?"

The assistant, "He 100% supports any decision Anson makes."

What did this sentence mean?

If Anson was prepared to actively abandon the "Spider-Man" crew, Tom supported him; if Anson chose to stay and continue to persevere, Tom also supported him.

Unconditionally, 100%.

This was a kind of trust, and it also meant that Tom was willing to play the role of Anson's backing, not only supporting Anson, but also providing support for Heath Ledger and those actors who dared to speak up.

Michael realized:

The tide had turned.