America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 288: Winning the Prize and Seeking Sponsorship

In February 2006, the weather in New York began to warm up. With the coordination of Warner Bros. and WMA, the crew overcame all obstacles and were able to shoot exterior scenes on the streets of New York.

We chose Central Park as our first stop to prevent the Wollman Rink from thawing.

Because of the relationship between Martin and Aniston, the crew also attracted a large number of media reporters to watch and film.

The exposure of "Limitless" is high enough for now, so there is no need to actively create news.

The crew's filming proceeded step by step. Apart from some complaints about the road closure, there were basically no other troubles.

On the weekend, Martin took time out to go to Fifth Avenue.

After arriving at Tiffany's and taking a quick look, he waved his hand and said, "This one, and this one, I want them."

When men buy things, the most important thing is to be fast!

Go straight to the goal, don't wander around, don't be long-winded.

Martin swiped his card and received a ruby ​​necklace and a sapphire necklace, which were mailed to Los Angeles and Atlanta respectively via a special line for valuables.

This is for Louise and Kelly.

Afterwards, she bought a set of three items, a necklace, earrings and a bracelet, and mailed them to Atlanta for Elena.

There were other people to send gifts to. Unlike the saltwater crocodile teeth and ox horn sculptures, Martin did not plan to send gifts to the same brand, so he went to Cartier and Chanel respectively.

The latter bought the necklace, and he will give it to Blake Lively when he goes to Louisiana to visit the set on Valentine's Day.

I bought a pink diamond bracelet from Cartier as a gift for Aniston.

As for Julie, Martin had put her out of his mind for some time.

Jolie never looked back on the road to becoming a saint. After the release and promotion of the "Wanted" DVD, she flew to Afghanistan and other places to conduct on-site inspections of refugee issues.

Martin called her. Jolie's next role is also closely related to mother and child. It is called "Changeling", a film directed by old cowboy Eastwood, which is guaranteed to win awards during the awards season.

Julie’s future development plan is very clear, that is, a modern Madonna.

Martin spent more than $100,000 on gifts for five people.

When you should be generous, you must never be stingy.

This is the experience Leonardo told him after Martin asked him.

What others say may not be reliable, but this dedicated superstar has dated dozens of girlfriends, both formal and informal, and not one of them has jumped out to criticize him, some even keep praising his good points.

Playboy is unique in Hollywood for being able to achieve this.

After completing the mailing procedures, Martin and Bruce carried a few bags and got in the car to return to the hotel.

Bruce drove out of the parking lot and said, "You are so generous, unlike the Martin I know!"

Martin said: "It's mainly because I was ill before and never got cured."

Bruce wondered, "How come I didn't know you were sick?"

Martin explained simply: "It's a disease of poverty! I only have 200,000 or 300,000 US dollars on me. Who dares to spend hundreds of thousands of US dollars to buy a gift for a woman? I'm not a love-brained person."

"That's right." Bruce began to think it made sense. He drove past an intersection and thought, "No, this is not right!"

He saw through the fog and got to the essence of the matter: "Heath Ledger paid for you! He compensated you $20!"

Martin retorted: "The spiritual supplement money he gave me, isn't it my money? The money I swiped wasn't my money?"

Bruce couldn't argue with that.

Martin asked: "What gifts did you give the Kardashians?"

Bruce said deliberately: "The tusk pendant and the horn carving, the clown type."

Martin raised his middle finger directly in front of him.

Bruce told the truth: "Designer bags, one for Kim and one for Khloe." He is a bad guy and has a lot of ideas: "I asked Kim if she wanted to give one to each of her family members. Kim said that this time period is not suitable."

Martin finally understood: "No wonder I seem abnormal sometimes, it turns out that you have influenced me unconsciously!"

Bruce said disdainfully: "It's obviously you who influenced me!"

The two bad guys returned to the hotel discussing bad things.

Martin entered the suite and found that Aniston, who had been visiting friends, had returned.

She changed into home clothes and came out of the bedroom with a gift box in her hand.

Then, seeing the Cartier handbag in Martin's hand, he couldn't help but laugh: "We have such a tacit understanding?"

Martin teased her: "It's not a gift for you."

"Yes, you have a girlfriend." Aniston ignored Martin's words, walked over, grabbed Martin's left hand, took off the watch on his wrist, and placed it on the sofa next to him.

Martin asked, "A Valentine's Day gift for me?" Aniston unpacked the gift box and said, "I have a lover who pays me hundreds of millions every day. Valentine's Day is coming soon, so I have to give my lover something in return."

Martin pulled at his sleeve.

Aniston took out a Patek Philippe men's watch and put it in Martin's hand: "Take a look first and see if you like it."

Martin discovered that there were words on the back of the watch case. When he turned it over, he saw a line of cursive English engraved on it - Martin, Jennifer will always remember you.

Aniston took the watch and put it on Martin, saying, "Don't be too touched. We are just lovers, not boyfriend and girlfriend, and we can't get married."

Martin was helpless: "Can't you let me fantasize for a few more seconds, fantasizing that I married a billionaire named Aniston, and from then on I don't have to work hard and can just lie down every day."

Aniston put on her watch, like a caring older sister, and straightened Martin's sleeves: "If you lie down, the world will have one less billionaire."

"Good luck to you." Martin opened the Cartier gift box, took out the bracelet inlaid with pink diamonds, and put it on Aniston.

Aniston was happy that the little puppy was thoughtful and said, "Actually, the gift you gave me last time was very good." She asked curiously, "Who is Lily Carter?"

Martin replied, "I have a sister in Atlanta who is very talented in sculpture. She is going to apply to the California Institute of the Arts this year."

"The sculpture department there is pretty good." A woman in her thirties, if she is really considerate, can take every aspect of a man into consideration. Aniston was having a hot relationship with Martin and took the initiative to ask, "Do you need me to write a recommendation letter for you? I have a good relationship with Vice President Delena of the California Institute of the Arts."

Martin quickly responded, "Of course! Jane, you are the best lover in the world."

Although my neighbor Mr. Jones will provide a recommendation letter, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a few more letters of recommendation from celebrities.

Aniston said: "It's mainly because Lily Carter's carvings are good and very useful."

Martin had seen how Louise and Kelly used his statue, and understood it instantly.

"Want to see it?" Aniston opened a suitcase and took out a clown carving.

Martin said nothing and pulled her into the bedroom.

Anyone who knows a little about Hollywood would not want to watch a movie starring Aniston.
On the eve of Valentine's Day, the crew deliberately took a day off, and dozens of people dispersed.

Even Robert De Niro, who is such a good guy, had to rush home to create the seventh money-eating beast.

Martin first went to Atlanta, and then flew from Atlanta to Louisiana. He spent three consecutive days running around and exploring. When he returned to New York, he slept for more than ten hours before he recovered to his full energy.

While giving out the gifts, Martin also received four brand-name watches.

He also couldn't understand why women liked to give watches as gifts.
Martin specially marked the watch box to indicate who gave it to him, to avoid the trouble of wearing the wrong watch.

We can't give up because of such a small matter.

A few days after the crew resumed filming, Aniston finished filming all her scenes and returned to Los Angeles to deal with the termination of her contract with CAA.

Thomas came to New York again, bringing with him the release plans of WMA and Warner Bros.

Through his connections, Ari Emmanuel saw some sample footage of Martin's role in The Departed and determined that the character was far above the normal standard for awards season, so he immediately asked his staff to begin preparing a plan to win awards during awards season.

“In the early 12s, the North American awards season started in December.”

Inside the suite, Thomas explained the situation in detail: "But since the mid-5s, the traditional system has not worked well. To be more precise, the current award season starts with the Toronto Film Festival. Some films even start competing for awards at the Cannes Film Festival in May. However, the European Film Festivals have little impact on the Oscars, so don't worry about them. They can basically be ignored."

Martin had heard Louise analyze awards season before.

Thomas continued: "Warner Bros. and Scorsese agreed that the Toronto Film Festival is a perfect fit for the world premiere of The Departed, and starting with the Toronto Film Festival, WMA will invest resources and networks to build momentum for you."

"Be more specific," Martin asked practically.

Thomas said: "After Ali handles Aniston's contract, he will personally negotiate with Warner Bros. and the crew to let the crew's publicity and marketing expenses be appropriately invested in you."

He actually knew that if Aniston didn't sign a contract with the company, the company would not make any actual investment. This was an exchange of interests: "In addition, in addition to media and personal connections, the company will also allocate $100 million for lobbying and public relations."

Martin knew that funding was key to Oscar's operations, so he asked, "Do I need to raise some of the expenses?"

Thomas said honestly: "Parties, lobbying, advertising, and gift-giving all require money. If you don't invest money in the Oscars, you won't get anything. The Oscars have little to do with art in essence, but a game of fame and fortune."

Martin was well prepared and had a plan: "I talked to Coca-Cola about the Oscars, and they said that as long as the endorsement effect is good, they can sponsor me to win the award."

Thomas is not surprised, because when other stars are competing for awards, the brands they endorse will also make efforts.

His agent took the initiative to take over: "I will communicate with Coca-Cola Company."

Martin nodded: "Then I'll leave it to you."

Thomas added: "Warner Bros. has confirmed the release date for Limitless, which will be released early next year."

He also mentioned a key thing: "I'm not sure what Leonardo thinks about the next awards season. You'd better talk to him. It's not easy to have a good relationship with him. Don't create conflicts because of this kind of thing."

Martin said: "The crew is about to finish filming. I will go to find Leo when I return to Los Angeles."

Alas, the person passed away last night, less than four days after he fell ill.

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(End of this chapter)