America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 227 Making stars, destroying stars

When signing the contract and paying the fee, Martin also changed his car.

Antonio sat in the spacious back seat of the Escalade and felt that there was enough space for his big belly. He said, "This car is good. It is tough, domineering and has a lot of space."

Martin pointed to the driver's seat and said, "This guy, Old Bull, wants to buy a Hummer."

Bruce started the car: "That's a man's toy."

Antonio half-lay on the wide seat: "Comfort is the most important thing."

Martin said, "Did you hear that, Old Bull?"

Bruce raised his middle finger to the back.

When we arrived at the real estate company, Thomas and the lawyer were already there.

The procedures went very smoothly and Martin got the house keys on the same day.

When we arrived at the Coti community, we found that the real estate company had already asked someone to clean the house, and it was clean and tidy.

Martin turned around and said, "There are still a lot of things missing." He looked at Thomas and said, "Give me some advice."

Thomas told the truth: "My current home was bought by my girlfriend, but later she broke up with me..."

I can’t say any more. During that period, I had to work overtime and had to break up with my girlfriend one by one. It was so difficult.

Martin said, "Move here first and buy whatever you need."

In a place like Los Angeles, if you have money, you will never lack for anything.

Bruce took out his camera skillfully and said to Martin, "Take a photo with your new home and post it on your blog."

Martin praised Old Bull: "You are becoming more and more intelligent."

Internet sharing will soon become a key part of attracting traffic for celebrities.

Leaving Thomas and Antonio behind, Martin and Bruce returned to the North Hollywood apartment and moved all of their belongings at once, along with Emily and Jessica's car.

Bruce mainly had clothing and a few guns.

In addition to these, Martin also has souvenirs from the crew, jade and Australian specialties.

Thomas happened to see Emily carrying a pile of crocodile tusks into the villa's living room with great effort.

Seeing the huge number, he couldn't help but ask: "Martin, have you pulled out all the teeth of the Australian crocodiles?"

Martin was so thick-skinned that he was not embarrassed at all: "I just got the news a few days ago that I legally hunted more than a dozen six-meter-long saltwater crocodiles in Australia, but my memory is declining and I don't even remember it."

Antonio shook his head as he watched. With Martin's shamelessness, this kind of thing would sooner or later flood Hollywood.

Originally, he was thinking of waiting for Martin to become a superstar so that he could sell the pendant and carving given by Martin for a good price, but now it seems that he has to sell them earlier.

Then find a tenant who wants to be a star and sell it.

Bruce gave the camera to Jessica and asked her to go to the study to upload the photos to the blog.

In addition to uploading photos, Jessica also wrote a short essay in Martin's voice.

"Today is a special day. I moved out of my North Hollywood apartment and moved into my new home. I want to share some photos of my new home with everyone."

The photos and text were posted on the blog together.

When Jessica looked at the fan section and came back, there were already hundreds of comments and dozens of entertainment bloggers had reposted it.

She responded to a few messages in the name of Martin, and when she looked again, she found that the official blogs of The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly had also reposted the previous blog post.

Young Jessica has a special sense of accomplishment. Compared with Hollywood stars of the same level, Martin's influence is much greater, even surpassing Hollywood and the film and television industry.

Outside, Bruce took an electric drill and other tools and went to install some equipment on the other side of the fence.

Martin and Thomas each carried a bag and went to the underground storage room.

There were two metal cabinets standing on the ground, perfect for storing guns.

Martin unzipped the bag, revealing several ARs and shotguns.

Thomas had a toothache and asked specifically, "Is the gun okay?"

Martin nodded. "They are all registered, legal firearms. I forgot to tell you that the LAPD helped me get a concealed carry permit."

"In your situation, it would be safer with a gun." Thomas knew about the Russians and did not object to Martin having a gun.

The grips on all the rifles are very special and look quite awkward, much like hammer heads.

After the 1998 North Hollywood bank robbery, California tightened regulations on assault weapons, including long weapons such as semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, and banned the use of pistol grips.

Where there is a policy, arms dealers naturally have countermeasures, and hammerhead and shark fin-shaped grips came into being.

Anyway, users don’t have to worry about it, arms dealers will always find a way to solve it.

After putting away the spare weapons in the basement, Martin returned to the first floor, picked up another bag, and went around each large room, specifically hiding weapons.

Antonio was quite speechless. Some people said that this man was a coward for daring to jump out and fight with the armed bandits. Others said that he was brave, but he was too cautious.

Martin came down from upstairs. It was almost noon. He called out twice and waited for people to come over. He said, "We'll have a big meal at noon to celebrate and get ready to set off."

During the meal, Antonio gave Martin the contact information of the chairman of the Coti Community Council.

Martin has just moved here, so I won't be able to visit him until he's settled down.

He was going to Washington soon, and he planned to give another party when he came back from Washington.

In the afternoon, Martin sent the others away and went shopping with Old Bull, mainly bedding and daily necessities.

As soon as the two of them got into the car after leaving the mall, Martin received a call from Julie in the Middle East.

He motioned for Bruce to drive and answered the phone.

"I just saw your blog on the Internet." Julie was quieter: "Congratulations on moving to a new home."

Martin smiled: "You can still access the Internet over there, which means it's not dangerous."

Julie said: "I am in the embassy in Baghdad. I gave a speech to the Iraqi people yesterday and the response was very good."

Martin asked curiously, "What's the content?"

Julie smiled and said, "Congratulations to them for escaping from the cruel dictatorship of the tyrant and gaining precious democratic freedom."

Martin said: "Student, you have learned all the teacher's skills."

Julie was not in a good position, so she said cryptically, "Teacher, when I get back, I will double the tuition."

The two quickly hung up the phone.

Bruce, who was driving, glanced at the passenger seat and asked, "I remember you taught me that dead stars are more conducive to movie sales than living stars?"

God knows what kind of messed up knowledge Martin taught Old Bull.

Martin casually said: "It may not be a big seller, but it will be easier to market and the publicity effect will be better."

Bruce said: "I know some people in the Middle East..."

"Old Bull, can you please behave yourself?" Martin immediately seized the moral high ground: "Although we are bad people, we are bad people with principles and bottom lines!"

Bruce looked innocent: "I didn't say anything!"

Martin changed the subject: "Pack it up quickly, we are going to Washington to receive the award in two days."

Bruce said: "There is only a medal, not even a bonus."

Martin was very conscious: "Even if I get this kind of bonus, I have to donate it."

The two returned home and the ordered goods were delivered quickly.

In the afternoon, Mene also came to help. He was not looking for a new role for the time being because the filming of "The Departed" would start in mid-July.

…………

A business vehicle is parked outside the Clayton neighborhood in Atlanta.

Alex looked at the dilapidated house from a distance and said to his two subordinates, "This is it. Find out about Martin Davis' past. People who live in places like this are usually involved in flour, gangs, and crimes. Find out useful news clues."

Albert's subordinate said, "Can we give them some benefits?"

Alex nodded: "Okay."

Another subordinate, White, reminded: "Bring your press card, this kind of place is dangerous."

Alex was certainly aware of the potential dangers in the slums: "Wear your ID, and evacuate if something goes wrong."

Albert is very confident: "There is no news that we at the News of the World cannot get!"

Alex waved his hand and let the two enter the community.

He took a newspaper from the side. On the social news page, there were listed several people who would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year.

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, boxing champion Ali, father of the Internet, Vinton Kove, and Hollywood star Martin Davis.

The News of the World is the weekend edition of The Sun and entered North America many years ago with News Corporation.

Alex's news team didn't want to miss the big news of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but like The Sun, they never took the usual path and were known for creating breaking news.

What's the point of regular reporting? It's not eye-catching at all.

Alex is very good at selecting targets, Greenspan is not easy to mess with, and Muhammad Ali has been deeply rooted for many years. It would be troublesome if he was accused of discriminating against black people. Vinton Kove is worth tens of millions of dollars...

Who could be better than Martin Davis? He is famous, influential, and alone.

As for the leader of the Coca-Cola Cult, as long as a fatal blow is launched to destroy his public image and create a fait accompli, businesses will give up without hesitation. This has happened countless times in North America.

Alex pointed his finger at Martin's head and said in an inexplicably noble voice: "I don't know you. I came to you out of my sense of responsibility as a reporter. The public has the right to know."

What he wanted to do was actually very simple, and it was also what the media was used to doing. A star and a hero was successfully created, and the news value of continuing to publicize his glorious deeds was far less than the news value of destroying him.

Alex said to himself: "Making stars, destroying stars!"

At the entrance of Clayton Community, Albert entered a small supermarket, selected drinks, snacks and other items, and went to the checkout counter to pay.

The owner, Nani, was wearing a fang pendant and scanned the code to pay: "25 dollars, thank you."

Albert took out two $20 bills and handed them over until Nani gave him the change. Then he said, "I'm a reporter. I want to get some information from you."

Nani had seen more than one reporter recently: "About Martin?"

Albert asked, "Any inside information?" He took out another dollar bill and slapped it on the counter: "The best and most explosive one."

Nani didn't need to cover up for anyone, so he told the truth: "I have known Martin for ten years. He is a real scoundrel. He dropped out of middle school and didn't work hard. He insisted on being an actor. The money he earned was not enough to even eat. He could only eat at the Carter family. He had been having an affair with the Carter family's eldest daughter for a long time..."

He talked a lot, emphasizing the most explosive things: "Oh, by the way, Martin's parents are both assholes. His mother took too many drugs and died in a car accident. His father is a liar, alcoholic and drug addict. He seduced the Carter family and ran away with the mother of Martin's first love. No one knows where he went."

There are two more chapters to come. I am working hard on typing them and they should be posted at noon.

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(End of this chapter)