Chapter 466: It's Not Easy Being a Good Man

"Films are divided into the commercial and the artistic, the two great pillars of Hollywood cinema. History, especially the brilliance of the Golden Age, has proven time and again that only art films can forge enduring classics and elevate Hollywood into the center of the global film industry."

"Cinematic art demands respect. A film's commercial and entertainment aspects must first defer to its artistic merit. However, since the 1990s, commercial elements in Hollywood films have grown increasingly dominant. A massive number of superficial movies have gradually become the market mainstream. This is especially true of a group of directors who rose during this period, led by James Cameron and Duke Rosenberg. They have abandoned coherent plotlines, fully fleshed-out characters, and profound themes in a one-sided pursuit of visual thrills and sound effects. This has driven a severe decline in the overall quality of Hollywood cinema."

"More tragically, such films are only multiplying. Looking across North America today, the number of movies playing in theaters that possess thematic, humanistic, and artistic depth is steadily shrinking. Instead, visual garbage clutters the silver screen, leaving audiences with absolutely no choice."

"Fortunately, we still have the Oscars, and we still have the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Oscars continue to uphold art as the standard for judging films, and the Academy's voters have cast aside commercial blockbusters, turning their gaze toward art house cinema. These are all developments worth celebrating."

"As the authority of the North American film industry, the Academy has always strived to maintain Hollywood's final line of artistic integrity. They have not compromised with commercialism in the past, and they certainly will not compromise with it in the future!"

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences must also hold this artistic defensive line and resist the invasion of commercialism. In an increasingly commercialized Hollywood, the Oscars are the final artistic stronghold. For the sake of cinematic art, we must hold this ground!"

—Roger Ebert!

The internet wasn't just a tool for Hollywood to exploit. Conservative film critics had also taken notice of this new medium. Prominent critics like Roger Ebert had already launched their own online columns.

Following the conclusion of the Oscars, critics led by Roger Ebert took to the internet to publish reviews highly praising the award results. At the same time, they subtly reminded the old men of the Academy that they absolutely had to hold the artistic line next year.

"The Oscars must remain vigilant against commercial films. Filmmakers must also strike a balance between immediate profits and their sense of responsibility toward cinematic art. In this era where everything can be commodified for entertainment, certain irresponsible directors are simply unworthy of receiving an Oscar Golden Statuette. The Academy's rejection of such directors is the most pressing matter at hand."

—David Denby.

In their columns, these critics stopped just short of explicitly stating that Duke was unworthy of the Oscar Best Director award.

"It looks like the conflict between the critics and Duke Rosenberg is going to completely erupt over Return of the King."

Martin Bob spoke with a hint of schadenfreude as he closed the web pages he had been browsing. "Roger Ebert and his crowd have already set their sights on Return of the King."

"We need to keep our eyes on Return of the King as well!"

Michael Ovitz stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the distant City of Angels. He recalled the years he had dominated Hollywood; now, however, he had been forced into a corner by a director barely in his early thirties, leaving him too intimidated to clash head-on.

"The moment someone makes a mistake, we launch our attack!" he declared.

"Should we have someone play up Billy Boyd and Ian McKellen's..."

"No!" Michael Ovitz raised a hand, cutting off Martin Bob's words. "The statute of limitations on that has passed. It's useless now. Have our people keep an eye on the main members of The Lord of the Rings Crew, and dig into their backgrounds while you're at it!"

"Understood..." Martin Bob replied. He then added, "Our people are already on it."

"The Lord of the Rings Crew is so massive. It's impossible for every single one of them to be like Duke Rosenberg, with absolutely no dirt to dig up besides his romantic flings!"

Michael Ovitz turned around.

"There are plenty of people in Hollywood just waiting to see Duke Rosenberg stumble. As long as we provide them with the right opportunity, there will definitely be a lot of individuals and companies more than willing to step in and kick him while he's down."

"The best approach is still to find some leverage on Duke Rosenberg himself," Martin Bob sighed. "In the past, he at least had those romantic flings we could hype up. Now, he's turned into a good man devoted to his girlfriend..."

He shook his head. He had realized a few years ago that this opponent simply couldn't be judged by conventional logic.

Hollywood directors with more talent than Duke Rosenberg lacked his crystal-clear grasp of the market. Directors who understood the market couldn't match his production quality. And directors who could produce excellent commercial films lacked his endless bag of tricks for grabbing headlines...

A director like this had never appeared in Hollywood before.

"A good man?" Michael Ovitz's sneer rang out. "Martin, do you really think there are any good men in Hollywood?"

Not waiting for Martin Bob to answer, he continued on his own, "Maybe there really are good men in Hollywood, but it absolutely won't be a master womanizer like Duke Rosenberg."

Martin Bob thought for a moment and nodded in agreement with Ovitz's words.

"With his status and position, there are simply too many temptations in Hollywood. He might be sticking by Ivanka Trump's side right now, but there are no guarantees for the future. Once the novelty wears off, Hollywood will have fresh gossip and scandals to watch again..."

He paused for a moment.

"Michael, why don't we have some of the pretty actresses at our agency seduce him?" he suggested in a joking tone. "Sparking a romantic crisis between him and Ivanka Trump would surely distract him and impact the movie."

"Wait!"

It seemed Martin Bob's words had sparked an idea. Michael Ovitz paced back and forth by the floor-to-ceiling windows, pinching his chin.

"Martin, do you know Michelle Braun?" he asked.

"I do."

Martin Bob nodded slightly, a trace of awkwardness flashing across his face. He had once been a client of hers himself.

"You must have heard the rumors circulating in the industry about Duke Rosenberg's aesthetic tastes, right?"

Hearing Ovitz's words, Martin Bob thought for a second.

"I've seen some things in the tabloids," he said. "Blondes or brunettes, long legs, tiny waists..."

He caught on to Ovitz's implication.

"Michael, are you saying..."

"Exactly!" Michael Ovitz said. "If there isn't an opportunity, we can manufacture one for him. Have someone contact Michelle Braun!"

"Return of the King is hitting theaters in a month. Isn't it too late for this now?"

Michael Ovitz waved his hand.

"Our war with Duke Rosenberg has been going on for almost ten years. I have the patience to wait a few more."

Seeing Martin Bob getting ready to make the call, Michael Ovitz spoke up again.

"And don't forget, keep your eyes on the rest of The Lord of the Rings Crew!"

Even without competing projects right now, they still wouldn't just sit back and watch their longtime nemesis continue to succeed smoothly.

Returning to his own office, Michael Ovitz picked up the phone and dialed a number in Burbank City. After being transferred by a secretary, the call landed in the hands of the Chairman and CEO of Walt Disney, Michael Eisner.

These former childhood friends had turned on each other during their tenure at Disney. However, with the passage of time and fewer direct conflicts of interest, their relationship had gradually thawed. While they could never go back to how things used to be, they would still align on certain matters that involved their mutual interests.

Listening to Ovitz on the phone, Michael Eisner wore a grave expression.

"As long as you can seize the opportunity, Disney's media outlets will back you up!"

Hanging up the phone, Michael Eisner walked over to the window and gazed into the distance. The Warner Building was faintly visible. The prize he had so desperately hoped to secure had fallen into Duke Rosenberg's hands once again.

Following the massive success of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Michael Eisner had conceived a grand plan that he had never mentioned to anyone. His people had been in constant contact with Joanne Rowling, wanting to bring the Harry Potter Series into the Walt Disney system. It was a franchise targeted entirely at children, and Disney's platform could maximize its potential.

He had even calculated that if they could reach an agreement with Joanne Rowling, not only could Harry Potter merchandise flood into Disney Village, but they could also open a dedicated Harry Potter zone in Disneyland. Relying on the sheer power of this franchise, his position at Disney would inevitably become even more secure.

Unfortunately, after Joanne Rowling signed a new cooperation agreement with Harry Potter Studio, all of this had turned into mere delusion.

While this, combined with the events surrounding Pearl Harbor, had merely displeased him, another matter altogether had pushed him to view Duke as a potential enemy.

He and Disney had already pulled back their hand from Harry Potter, but Duke Rosenberg showed absolutely no intention of taking his off Pixar Studio.

The man was in frequent contact with Steve Jobs. Since October of last year in particular, the two had been visiting each other's homes regularly.

However slow-witted Michael Eisner might be, he wasn't foolish enough to assume Jobs and Duke were discussing grand development plans for Apple. Jobs was also his enemy, and he knew the man well. Duke Rosenberg simply wasn't qualified to discuss Apple's future with Jobs.

That left only one possible topic between them—Pixar Studio!

By now, Michael Eisner saw it perfectly clearly: Duke Rosenberg and Warner Brothers had their eyes set on Pixar Studio!

As for Pixar Studio? His conflicts with Steve Jobs were sharp, verging on irreconcilable. Following the release of Finding Nemo this summer, only one final animated feature would remain on the contract between Disney and Pixar Studio!

Just how important was Pixar Studio to Walt Disney? Michael Eisner didn't doubt it for a second—if he lost Pixar Studio during his tenure, he would definitely be ousted from his position by furious shareholders.

"Since you refuse to pull your hand back voluntarily, I'll just have to smack it away!"

Michael Eisner was waiting for the right moment.