America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Davis Estate, inside the study of the villa.

A metal screen descended on one side of the wall, and Elizabeth Olsen herself set up the projector and connected the laptop, instantly displaying the data Thomas had collected on the screen.

Martin, Leonardo, and Nicholson looked toward the screen.

Elizabeth handed the remote control to Martin and said, "I'll have the kitchen prepare lunch, you guys talk."

When it came to the Oscar campaign, she couldn't help much, but she was in charge of logistics support.

Leonardo stood up, turned on a laser pointer, and aimed it at the images on the screen, saying, "These materials are about the most likely competitors for this year's Oscar."

Martin poured tea for the two of them and said, "Campaigning isn't just about one's own role, it also depends on who the competitors are for the season."

"Times have really changed," Nicholson remarked nostalgically, "Now, as long as you can take down your competitor, you'll naturally come out on top."

It didn't matter how good you were, as long as others were worse.

Martin said, "If this year's Oscars had a bunch of talented industry heavyweights, I wouldn't have agreed to join you guys in this sympathy-vote campaign plan, no matter what."

Leonardo said, "You've got to have some confidence in yourself, the competition this year isn't that strong!"

Martin looked at the images on the screen, which listed this year's prime candidates for the Oscar for Best Actor and their films. It mainly outlined four people—George Clooney with "The Descendants," Gary Oldman with "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Sean Penn with "The Tree of Life," and Matt Damon with "Moneyball."

Nicholson spoke first, "Sean Penn doesn't need consideration; he's already won two Oscars for Best Actor. His performance in 'The Tree of Life' is conventional, and he hasn't actively promoted or lobbied for it, so his chances of winning are negligible."

Since the awards season had begun, Martin had hardly seen any promotion by Sean Penn in the media.

The film's leading actress was Jessica Chastain, and Martin had specifically asked her for insider information— "The Tree of Life" was mainly targeting Best Director and Best Picture.

Leonardo continued, "George Clooney has shown a positive attitude towards campaigning, but he is even less favored by the academy than I am."

"That's right, in the eyes of us old guys, he can't act at all," Nicholson said bluntly. "George Clooney comes from TV and he's got a bad pedigree. He played Bruce Wayne, Batman, which are serious deductions. He'd do well just to get a nomination."

Perhaps in six or seven years, as the influence of the old white men began to wane, the Oscars would change, but for now, their afterglow still shone brightly.

Martin trusted Nicholson's judgment, saying, "Gary Oldman's 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' is a spy film co-produced by Britain, France, and Germany, without any involvement from North American production or distribution companies, making it a weak contender."

Nicholson agreed, "Exactly, the Oscars are essentially a game for the North American film circle. Without local forces to join in the fun, it's difficult to get a share of the cake, especially one of the biggest pieces like Best Actor."

The laser pointer in Leonardo's hand landed on the last name and movie title, "So, your real competition for this season is only Matt Damon!"

Martin snapped his fingers, "Matt Damon and I go way back."

Their first contact was during the competition for roles in "Infernal Affairs," which then led to a series of incidents.

Leonardo went on, "His movie is a baseball theme, which is very popular with the judges, and it's also a biographical film about Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics. Thematically, it has a big advantage over 'The Martian.'"

Nicholson followed up, "Strictly speaking, this film is closely related to our old friend Brad Pitt. About six or seven years ago, he recommended the original book to Warner Bros., who bought the adaptation rights. They tried to start production several times but encountered setbacks. The first time, the initially confirmed director David Frankel went to direct 'The Devil Wears Prada.'"

He took a sip from his teacup, "The second time, the established lead Brad Pitt got messed up by you, forcing Warner Bros. to give up; the third time Ellen Horn and Steven Soderbergh had preliminary intentions, but Ellen Horn left Warner Bros. Not until last year did Jon Berg employ Mike De Luca and Bennett Miller to start the project, with the lead actor changing from Brad Pitt to Matt Damon."

Martin sighed, "I guess I have to compete with an old friend once again."

Leonardo smiled and said, "Not just an old friend but also Warner Bros. Matt Damon has an Oscar for Best Screenplay and has always wanted to snag one for acting. It is rumored that George Clooney is pushing a new Rohan movie, and Warner Bros. and Matt Damon's partnership is far from over; they'll likely go all out to support Matt Damon's campaign."

Nicholson set down his teacup and declared, "To ensure our Trio of Scoundrels doesn't have to deal with math problems anymore, Martin must win an award at the earliest opportunity!"

He gestured grandly, "Since 'The Martian' isn't at an advantage in its themes, then that's an easy fix—take down our main competitor, and the advantage is ours. So, the next step in our sob story plan is to take down Matt Damon!"

Leonardo looked at Martin, "You know the old rival well. What's the best way to deal with him?" Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire

Martin was succinct, "Simple, Harvey Weinstein!"

He directly said, "Taking down Harvey Weinstein isn't just political correctness within the industry; it's political correctness across America. Matt Damon himself is deeply involved with Harvey Weinstein, and he and the Affleck brothers have always been Weinstein's underlings, often suppressing the women Harvey had forced himself on."

It had only been a little over a year, and Leonardo still remembered, "That's right, several victims had accused Matt Damon, but the media's attention was all drawn to Harvey, and with Matt Damon himself accusing Harvey as well, the matter ultimately did not involve him."

Nicholson asked Martin, "You are the true manipulator behind the Weinstein case, so you must have something that can corroborate this, right?"

Martin replied, "There's nothing that directly proves Matt Damon broke the law, but there's a lot that can prove he pressured those women. He left behind many traces. After Ben Affleck lost his deterrence, a lot of the ass-kissing and tidying-up work was done by Matt Damon. He mainly exerted pressure through phone calls, and many people have kept recordings."

Such matters might not usually have a significant impact on Matt Damon.

But if they broke out at the critical moment of the Oscar campaign, it might affect the Academy members' vote like when Harvey Weinstein attacked 'Saving Private Ryan' back then.

Martin looked at Leonardo, "You're the commander-in-chief, so you make the decision on how to proceed."

"So many of our actress sisters have been victimized by Harvey, and not only did Matt Damon do nothing to prevent it, he even played an accomplice role!" Leonardo was righteous and indignant, as if he were The Bringer of Justice, "The three of us have the responsibility and duty to seek justice for those sisters! So, we must take down Matt Damon!"

Martin said, "Now you're the boss; I'll follow your lead."

Nicholson said, "No more talk, let's get to action." He reminded them, "There are less than two weeks until the Oscar ballots are sent out. We must have the news published immediately after the ballots are distributed at the end of the month."

Leonardo shut down the computer and projector and said to Martin, "Call your people over, let's get the work arranged today."

He emphasized, "The part about Matt Damon needs to be quick, and there must be no leaks."

"I'll take care of it," Martin assured as he pulled out his phone and called Thomas, Jessica, Emily, and others, asking them to come over for dinner that evening.

After leaving the study, Leonardo and Nicholson headed to the living room first.

Martin found Bruce and briefed him on the situation, instructing him, "You handle the following matters personally. I remember Jody categorized everything in detail and those victims trust her the most. Communicate with Jody and find out who Matt Damon has pressured..."

"I'm on it right away," Bruce hurried out of the villa.

Once in the car, he called Jody and, staring at the sun setting westward, thought, it's going to be a tough night, his pelvis is going to suffer.

Hopefully, he won't have osteoporosis or necrosis of the femoral head when he's old.

Jody readily agreed and said, "Old Cloth, you wouldn't want to see Martin lose the Oscar for Best Actor, would you?"

"I understand," Bruce said, starting the car and heading straight for TMZ's headquarters, picking up the domineering CEO just as Jody got off work, then going to her house.

It was another night of sacrifice for Bruce.

At Davis Estate, members of Martin's PR team gathered to enjoy a lavish dinner and discuss the upcoming Oscar campaign.

"The Martian" had already been released, and with the role and film type already set in stone, they could no longer be changed.

They had to work on potential main competitors outside of their own efforts.

On Thomas's side, agreements with sponsors like Coca-Cola and Samsung phones had already been made, amassing a total of 8 million US dollars in sponsorships.

The WMA agency had completely abandoned Natalie Portman this awards season, with all its network resources and media resources to be fully utilized for Martin's campaign.

Over at Disney Studios, it was confirmed that "The Martian" would have its North American screening extended to the Oscar ceremony, with offline distribution starting after the awards ceremony.

If Martin were to win the Oscar, the film's offline earnings would also see a significant increase.

Disney Studios was also fully advancing the publicity and PR for "The Martian."

Both Davis Studio and Disney Studios were using more traditional and conventional award campaign strategies.

The Trio of Scoundrels controlled the outside-the-box plans in its entirety.

This was an off-year for the Oscars, and Martin was certainly not the only one aiming for Best Actor.