American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 86 Solving the Problem Once and For All
Barry Mayer and Robert Iger both came from humble backgrounds. When their starting points were no different from the masses, their current status and power were earned through blood and sweat. Therefore, after reaching a cooperation agreement with Isabella to develop "The Voice (Variety Show)," they knew that their enemies would definitely attack them. Thus, it was inevitable to prepare contingency plans in advance.

How many specific details are there?

Nobody knows this.

How many scenarios did the two of them simulate?

Nobody knows this either.

However, they had already discussed the back-and-forth with Isabella beforehand, including how to handle the script issue related to "The Voice." There was no other way; this was indeed Isabella's Achilles' heel.

If they were Isabella's enemies, they would also exploit this existing breach.

Since the script problem of "The Voice" is a ticking time bomb, and there is always the possibility of it exploding if we don't deal with the future, then solving the danger once and for all is what Mayer and Iger want to do most. Isabella plans to make at least seven HP movies, and the process is not even halfway done yet. Iger wants to keep making music variety shows. He wants to make "The Voice" his long-term achievement.

As for methods of mine clearance?
In Mayer and Iger's eyes, it was actually quite simple...

"First, I'd like to ask everyone to look at the opening of the two scripts together. In Mr. Arndt's script, the story begins with a chaotic family. Disorder and chaos are the images he wants to present to the public. But in the script for The Voice, I think everyone is already familiar with this. Lily Zeller is a happy little girl."

"The two scripts tell clearly different stories, and they also evoke completely different feelings in the audience..."

"Secondly, I would like to ask everyone to move their attention to the middle of the script. In Mr. Arndt's script, his story is a straight line. If I had to describe it, it would be like our country's Highway 91. It looks straight and beautiful at first glance. But the presentation of The Voice... Many people have played video games, right? It is a level-based progression."

"Lily Zeller has been pushing forward and winning, and she has also had the warmth of her family by her side."

"Finally, I want to show you the ending of the script. Mr. Arndt did write a story about a talent show, but he portrayed the life of a loser. Until the very end, the main family didn't win. But what about 'The Voice'?"

“I don’t want to discuss the impact of the protagonist’s wins and losses on the story in filmmaking. I just want to say that when we were creating The Voice, what we wanted to do was a story full of hope, because when Isa was writing the script, she felt that she was a winner, and your support and your love made her so successful today.”

"So she wants to share this joy with everyone and hopes that everyone can stay true to themselves."

"And I sincerely hope that everyone can embrace their own happiness..."

"Oh! I knew all the previous news was just a hoax!"

"I told you! The Fox anchors have shit for brains!"

"What's that bald guy's name? Michael... Arndt? That guy's really wicked! He's been leading us to believe he wrote the story of 'The Voice'? Where is he now? Warner Bros. has already handed us the script! And he's saying he wrote 'The Voice'? The two stories are completely different!"

As Nathan Bailey put down the script, countless screams filled North America.

This isn't because North Americans have nothing better to do than stare at Isabella all day; it's because today is June 22, 2003.

Sunday.

Although many people still have to work on this day, there are definitely more people resting on weekends than on weekdays.

In addition, due to the summer vacation, the "Voice of China" selection was underway. Even though the press conference was held suddenly, the number of people watching in real time still exceeded 10 million. Under the watchful eyes of 10 million people, "Voice of China" and "Sunshine" were compared.
Anyone with a normal mind can see the differences between the two stories!
So, could "The Voice of China" be involved in plagiarism?
This problem will no longer exist starting today.

That's right! Holding a press conference and directly comparing the scripts—that's the solution Mayer and Iger came up with!

Because it's simple and easy to use.

However, there is no perfect way to handle things in this world.

While a direct comparison with the script would certainly allow the public to see everything clearly, it would also raise another issue...

"Hello, Mr. Bailey, I have a question."

As North American citizens swept Michael Eisner's carefully crafted smear campaign into the dustbin of history, at a press conference, an invited media representative raised his hand. With Nathan Bailey nodding, he was given the opportunity to speak and went straight to the point:
"Mr. Bailey, I agree with Warner's comparison, but I don't agree with it either."

“I agree because the presentation of ‘The Voice’ is very different from the story written by Michael Arndt.”

"I disagree because The Voice's structure is quite similar to Michael Arndt's outline. Both are road movies, both are dream-chasing films driven by talent shows, and both have the same number of characters, and then..."

“You even proactively admitted that Michael Arndt’s script was in your hands.”

"So, I can understand all of this as you buying Michael Arndt's script and then creating the story of 'The Voice' based on it, right? If all of this is true, then..."

“Michael Arndt didn’t lie either, did he?”

"Ok?"

The pointed questions captured the attention of all viewers in front of their television sets.

After carefully reviewing the reporter's words, everyone immediately noticed something amiss.

"Hiss—what this guy said seems to make sense—"

"The fact that the story of 'The Voice' is different from the script written by Arne Arnold does not mean that 'The Voice' was not written with that script in mind!"

"That's right! And they do indeed own the copyright to Arndt's script!"

"what is happening?"

Yes, if we're going to use direct comparison to solve this problem, then we have to face the issue of the similarity in structure between "The Voice of China" and "Sunshine". When you expect the public to use their brains to judge the right and wrong of something, the public can't just unconditionally side with one side. Only by manipulating emotions and stirring up the atmosphere will people rush in headfirst, right?
So……

"Okay, that's a good question."

In response to the question, Nathan Bailey smiled and said, "I can answer that question, but before I do, I'd like to show you a video, a behind-the-scenes video related to Harry Potter..."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately became interested.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, a cassette player was carried to the press conference venue by Warner staff.

After a few simple tweaks, as soon as the play button was pressed, ripples like water waves suddenly appeared.

This is a normal physical phenomenon, caused by the frequency difference when observing an electronic screen from a mechanical perspective. Although it greatly affects the viewing experience, it is not important because the human eye is very powerful and can help you make up for the deficiencies.

At this moment, Nathan Bailey is showing the world behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of "The Chamber of Secrets." The scene shows the dining hall in Livingston, where Isabella and Columbus, dressed in Hogwarts uniforms, are sitting in a corner under the surveillance camera.

The picture was indeed rather blurry and the sound reception wasn't very good, but people were still able to glean useful information from the noise.

The two were discussing the creation of "The Voice of China".

Isabella was explaining her thought process, while Columbus pointed out the problems with it.

This fact brought a sense of relief to many families in North America...

"Oh—it seems we were right! Chris was indeed involved in the creation—"

"Alright, alright, let's leave it at that. Isabella wrote 'The Voice' herself—"

"All the suspicions are false! They're all slander! Those people are disgusting!"

"Perhaps this is the price of success? Once you become famous, the people who are jealous and envious of you will swell up like popcorn!"

As the image disappeared, the camera, which had returned to darkness, moved back to the light.

Nathan Bailey laughed and said, "The Chamber of Secrets was filmed around the same time as The Sorcerer's Stone was released. Isa was only 11 years old at the time, and Isa is now 13 years old. Since we can't turn back time or fast forward, we can't have the present Isa film the past, nor can we have the past Isa film the present."

"Therefore, I don't need to prove the authenticity of this video anymore, right?"

"If anyone has any questions, then I can only suggest that they see an ophthalmologist."

"Hermione in The Chamber of Secrets is very different from Isaac in the promotional video for The Voice we see now."

These words elicited chuckles from the media present at the press conference.

It also brought a smile to the faces of viewers in front of their televisions.

Nathan Bailey continued, "Although many people say Isha is a genius, she always felt she was just an ordinary person, just... a little good-looking, that's her exact words. So, the creation of 'The Voice' did indeed involve guidance from others, and the reason someone didn't want to be credited is simple: he felt the story's idea was Isha's own, the writing was done by Isha's sister, and his contribution to the creation was just moving his mouth..."

"He then felt that he had not made much contribution to the creation of the story."

"Then, we want to say that we did buy Arndt's script. The reason for buying the script is simple: the initial idea for The Voice, that is, the inspiration for pursuing dreams, was indeed provided by Arndt."

“Even though we didn’t use his story or his design after that, we didn’t plagiarize his work from the perspective of industry standards or legal definitions. But we felt that we should pay for other people’s work, especially creative work, so we bought the copyright to his script.”

Finally, I would like to say two things.

"The first point is related to the similarity of the script structure. The structure of genre films is the same. If anyone still has doubts, you may want to take a look at 'American Graffiti'. Lucas's design is also about six people going on a trip."

"You'd be more accurate to say that the script for The Voice was written based on Arndt's story than on Graffiti."

"The second point is why this information wasn't made public before, because..."

"The suggestion to remove the signature was made by Mr. Michael Arndt himself."

"It wasn't something we forced them to do."

“Isa initially wanted to put ‘Story by’ on his profile, but he didn’t want to.”

"Then we respected his opinion."

"We also have evidence regarding this, but it will take some time to demonstrate it because Isabella is filming in the UK, and we need to go to her to get the contract. However, this is not important because Mr. Arndt also has a contract."

"And that's why we're holding this impromptu press conference today."

"We don't really understand why Mr. Michael Arndt would bring up old issues related to what he himself did..."

boom--

The casual words were like a spark that ignited the already irritable North American continent!

When North American citizens and onlookers learned that Michael Arndt himself had removed the signatures, almost everyone sensed a conspiracy!

"What??? Michael Arndt himself requested to have his name removed from the credits, and now he's jumping out to say that the idea for The Voice came from him? Oh Oh Oh—what does this mean?"

"Could it be that he saw how popular 'The Voice of China' became and felt he overpaid for his script? Is he now trying to back out?"

"I also think he wants to back out, but he probably can't, because script deals are always based on contracts. Once Warner Bros. is able to make the movie, the copyright issue should no longer exist!"

"What does he mean?"

"Perhaps he felt he shouldn't have removed his name from the credits? Because if he hadn't, he would now be an Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay, a title that would have brought him more job opportunities, but after removing his name... he lost everything."

"Oh my god—this person is disgusting—he was the one who suggested removing his signature—"

“Yeah! Isa even bought his script when a straight performance on The Voice wouldn’t constitute plagiarism! And he’s still not satisfied? This guy—oh—is a NYU graduate?”

"..."

Since the issue of similar architectures was unavoidable, Mayer and Egger suggested that Isabella admit everything.

The reason for this is simple: Isabella did nothing wrong in the matter of the script deal.

When she wasn't engaging in forced sales or forcing people to be removed from their jobs...

Why should she be afraid of the truth?

As for whether admitting everything will damage Isabella's image?
After all, before this, she was known to everyone as a genius girl?
Well this...

To be honest, in Europe and America, perfection is actually a form of imperfection.

Why is Anne Hathaway being ridiculed by people in Europe and America?
Isn't it because she's too perfect?

The public can accept someone's success, but they cannot accept someone who is always successful.

Because this is illogical and the general public cannot do it.

It's that simple.

Therefore, when the public feels that something or someone's behavior is beyond reason, they will instinctively think that the thing is fake and the person is hypocritical, even if everything is true.

There's nothing we can do about it; after all, there really are saints in Europe and America.

But the saints of Europe and America...

It's hanging on the cross.

Do you want to be a saint?
can.

But you have to die first before you have a chance to become a saint.

Therefore, if Isabella continues to be perfect and omnipotent, she will inevitably be abandoned by the people of Europe and America in the future. Mayer and Egger can even calculate the time when she will be abandoned.

That was on the day Harry Potter came to an end.

The reason why people in Europe and America can accept Isabella's perfection is because she has been playing Hermione for so long!

Once she's out of HP, things will be hard to predict!
In that case, it's important to have Isabella explain beforehand how ordinary people are perceived by Maye and Aiger.

The script incident on "The Voice of China" was, in their view, the perfect opportunity to tell a story about the ordinary.

Because now, no one believes that "The Voice" was created independently by Isabella.

When the general public in Europe and America had already found reasons to excuse Isabella's imperfections...

Whoever uses this to attack Isabella, Maye and Aiger will turn it into a joke.

That is indeed the case—

With the conclusion of Warner's press conference, public opinion in North America, or rather, the discussion among netizens worldwide, suddenly became unified. Previously, some people in society believed in the guidance of the anti-good alliance and felt that "The Voice" project was problematic, but at this moment, the vast majority of people sided with Isabella.

The public felt that Fox irresponsibly released an ambiguous program;

The public felt that Michael Arndt was somewhat ungrateful and greedy;
The public felt that Miss Beaver had finally "revealed her true colors." Like everyone else, she had things she didn't understand when faced with the richness of the world, and she could also be deceived by bad people when faced with the complexities of society...

"Oh—what an outrageous statement!"

"Will she be deceived by bad people?"

"Is there anyone in this world who would dare to lie to Isabella?"

"Hahahaha—it's already pretty good that she doesn't lie—"

California.

Los Angeles.

Lindsay Lohan has been out of work since filming "Freaky Friday" last year.

She could accept losing her job, but when she learned that the role of "Queen Bee," which she had originally chosen, had been snatched away by Margot Robbie, an artist under Isabella's management, she was truly going crazy.

Is she inferior to Isabella?

Okay! She admits it!

But in the eyes of capital, she can't even compare to the artists under Isabella's management?
This……

That's absolutely insulting!
Unfortunately, she lacked the power to change her own fate, and therefore...

She has actually been somewhat depressed over the past few months.

Especially after Warner Bros. and Disney jointly announced that they would turn "The Voice" movie into a variety show, she felt a surge of jealousy that even made her feel incredibly crazy.

That's why, when she realized that capital was finally going to strike Isabella, her attention was inevitably drawn! Initially, she felt a sense of satisfaction at capital's move; in her view, no matter how strong Isabella was, she couldn't escape the iron fist of capital. But when Warner Bros. and Disney easily defused their rivals' attacks, and public opinion overwhelmingly sided with Isabella…

She noticed that her facial features were somewhat distorted in the mirror.

she really...

I can't take it anymore!!!
"Clang-"

With a wave of his hand, the makeup mirror on the table flew off instantly.

"Wow--"

It touched the wall and stopped instantly, shattering glass scattered all over the floor.

The sudden noise made my mother sigh softly in the living room.

Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway also finished reading the news about Isabella.

But unlike Lindsay Lohan, she is no longer angry about Isabella's success.

This doesn't mean she's reconciled with herself; rather, it means she's officially terminated her contract with Disney. She won't be filming the sequel to "The Princess Diaries" anymore. At the same time, she has officially partnered with Warner Bros. to become Kristen Stewart in "The Phantom of the Opera." The film will officially begin shooting this September and is expected to be released at the end of next year.

And all this...

As her mother said, it was all Isabella's doing.

Isabella's success has made Disney, which is embroiled in internal strife, less interested in dealing with those insignificant small projects!

Isabella's success has made AOL Time Warner, embroiled in internal strife, lose interest in managing its prize-winning projects!
When Isabella's success can influence the distribution of power among international giants...

Anne Hathaway admitted it.

In this lifetime, I might... no, I definitely, definitely not be able to surpass Isabella.

So……

"Mom, how can there be such lucky people in this world?"

As the CBS evening news ended and the talk show began, Hathaway, who was sitting on the sofa, leaned towards her mother.

Although it was a question, she didn't give her mother a time to answer, but instead said enviously—

"Mom, how wonderful it would be if I had such a life!"

"Her life... seems quite exciting?"

Isabella didn't know how others perceived her life, but she was quite satisfied with it. Unless absolutely necessary, she only worked four hours a day, and the rest of the time she didn't have to study and could do what she liked. This ease was quite pleasant.

"Oh—Isa—don't go—"

"I don't want to leave? Sure! So you're inviting me to supervise your studies? No problem!"

"Uh... if that's what you mean... then you should just leave..."

"Hahahaha... Goodbye then? See you tomorrow?"

June 24, afternoon, London.

After finishing her day's filming, Isabella and her friends went to the film set's small classroom.

Like a foreman wielding a large scythe, he shoved them inside, then picked up his older sister who had already finished her class. His smooth, effortless movements gave the group a glimpse of freedom that was so close yet unattainable.

The pitiful stares made the little girl wave her hand dismissively, her smug, copy-and-paste manner making everyone roll their eyes. Even the teacher couldn't stand it anymore and invited Isabella to sit down. Only after she had finished being smug did the little girl reluctantly leave.

“Oh—Isa—you rascal—”

As Catherine left the small classroom, she sighed.

To be honest, she felt that her younger sister was really annoying when she was being naughty.

Vivian shared the same thought and glared at her youngest daughter with annoyance.

Although her mother and older sister were somewhat blaming her, the little girl didn't care.

He laughed it off, then asked his mother about the outside world.

Although she was currently filming on set, this is the internet age, how could she not know about the enemy's attack? At first, she was a little nervous, but when she discovered that the enemy's moves were based on what Barry Mayer and Robert Iger had planned, she felt relieved.

“Nathan Bailey called today and said that this matter should be over.”

Vivian parted her lips slightly at her youngest daughter's question, glancing around as she said, "He also said that this time, it's not just Michael Eisner and Ted Turner who are targeting you; there might be even more people eyeing us."

"Because the criticisms of you initially came from AOL, which is the private domain of Steve Case, chairman of AOL Time Warner. Then it was Fox that invited Michael Arndt to host the show, and American Idol was personally brought in by Rupert Murdoch's daughter; it's a core project of their network..."

Choosing a friend is choosing an enemy.

Therefore, after the cooperation was reached, with the emergence of "The Coping Guide", Barry Mayer and Robert Iger clearly explained the internal situation of Warner and Disney, as well as the external conflicts that "The Voice" might trigger.

Therefore, Steve Case and Rupert Murdoch may have personally intervened?

This news did not surprise Isabella.

Although people often say that relationships with colleagues are more toxic than those with peers, this statement is only true if you can freely switch jobs.

When Barry Mayer could never leave Warner Bros., and Robert Iger's best end was retiring at Disney, the backstabbing from internal power struggles and the open attacks attracted by external profit-seeking were the same.

So……

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

Isabella dropped the subject after just asking the question.

This is not only because struggle is really mentally taxing, but also because if the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up.

Even if those people wish she were dead, they still have to make Aiger and Maye into noodles first!

As long as these two people are still around, her safety is guaranteed.

Hehe ~
"Mom, how's that guy Michael Arndt doing now?"

Isabella was too lazy to talk about capital, so Vivian didn't bring it up either. She didn't really want her daughter involved in these things, but…

Once you enter society, whether you encounter gods or demons depends entirely on fate.

However, Catherine had a question in her mind, and her question was...

“Nathan Bailey said they have let Michael Arndt go.”

"Because Michael Arndt didn't directly attack your sister."

"He's a smart man, and he only came forward because he had no other choice, so Warner and Disney let him go this time."

"Then, for at least a year, they will do everything they can to protect Michael Arndt's safety."

If Arndt had directly attacked Isabella this time, the resulting media storm could have been managed, but it wouldn't have been as easy as it is now. If Arndt had stubbornly insisted that there would be no "The Voice" without his own script, then the only solution would have been to resolve the issue through litigation.

Once things get to that point, it becomes a complete mess. Let's think about it like normal people do—if Arndt hadn't suffered, why would he keep seeking justice? Right?
Therefore, even if Isabella wins the case in the end, and even if things are eventually cleared up, the negative impact of a protracted entanglement will be greater than a clean break now.

This is also why Michael Eisner hates Arndt.

Until the very end, Arndt left himself a way out, which reduced the difficulty of handling the media storm.

Since Arndt has given him face, Maye and Egger won't make things difficult for him.

This wasn't because they were kind-hearted, but because they wanted to set an example for future generations of not being killed upon surrendering their weapons.

Of course, this is the only option available.

Arndt and his grudges involve far too many people and span over several decades. When many things are no longer a matter of right or wrong, but only of choices, dealing with these matters becomes a real mess.

"Okay, what about Oscar? Is there any sound from over there?"

Catherine wasn't the type to dwell on things, so after clarifying Arndt's situation and confirming that he had no further options, she put the complicated interpersonal relationships to the back of her mind.

Her reason for asking about the Oscars was simple: the Oscar rules do state that entries cannot be involved in copyright disputes. Therefore, when The Voice of China ran into trouble, the Academy was able to revoke the award.

Furthermore, such cancellations do occur in reality.

You could even say it's all about doing whatever you want.

Some awards were withdrawn before the ceremony.

For example, many of Charlie Chaplin's award nominations were withdrawn before the awards ceremony.

The most classic example is "The Circus," which received four nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor, but was withdrawn before the awards ceremony. The reason for the withdrawal was simple: the organizers did not want Chaplin to win the awards.

Because Chaplin's political stance contradicted American-style capitalism.

I understand everything I understand.

Some awards were revoked after being presented.

That was *Young Americans*, released in 1969. The film won Best Documentary Feature, but its withdrawal was due to a simple reason: the organizers discovered that the film had been shown in theaters in October 1967, making it ineligible as a 1968 film. Regarding this, the Oscars stipulated that a film must have been screened in North America for at least one week before being submitted for consideration; otherwise, it could be postponed. Therefore, it was not in violation of any rules.

Then, after "Young Americans" returned the Oscar, the Academy gave the award back to Stanley Kramer.

Many people may not recognize his name, but they should know his works. He directed Katharine Hepburn's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and Spencer Tracy's "The Trial at Nuremberg".

After the Oscars were returned, there was a consensus across the United States that the Academy had made a mistake.

In order to award the Oscar to Stanley Kramer, the Academy released the voting results, stating that his film received the second-highest number of votes.

According to the principle of award cancellation and replacement, the award can be awarded directly to him without resubmitting.

This is even more absurd than Moonlight beating La La Land.

In the pre-internet era, academies, free from public scrutiny, truly held absolute power.

And right now...

"Nathan Bailey didn't mention the Oscars."

Vivian shook her head and said, "But I think there shouldn't be any problem."

"Because...they're the ones who orchestrated the removal of autographs in Hollywood..."

Yes.

The Academy is not well-regarded within the industry.

They're responsible for many of the shady things that happen in the industry.

We've already discussed the arbitrary awarding of prizes.

In addition, they were also the ones who allowed a small group of people to reap all the credit.

That action involves setting the number of winners for each award.

The academy stated that since the stage for the awards ceremony cannot be expanded indefinitely, if too many winners of a particular award are selected, the stage will become too crowded. Therefore, the number of winners for each award must be limited.

This is an absolutely ridiculous change.

Because making movies is something that requires a lot of effort to achieve.

Once you assign one or two winners to an award, the attribution becomes Game of Thrones.

Only those with great power can get their names signed; those who actually do the work will never get ahead.

Indeed, this is true of many industries in real life. When 2024 arrived, even the Nobel Prize laureate in Physics revealed the truth, saying that he was only a figurehead and that all the work was done by his students.

But the film industry is different from other industries.

Other industries have existed since ancient times, but what about movies?

There's no such thing as "ancient" in the film industry!

In the beginning, the selection process was based on whether you did the work, got credit, or won an award.

But the Oscars, in order to make the stage look good, forcibly block the opportunities for those who actually do the work to stand out.

Not only that, they are so arrogant that they are unwilling to come up with a tactful reason. If they said that someone was maliciously trying to win the prize, and that in order to ensure the value of the prize and prevent unqualified people from becoming famous, the number of winners had to be controlled, they would not be criticized.

but……

They refused.

Because the guys in the academy think they're the bosses.

Those who yearn for awards are all like Runtu.

This is also why George Lucas looks down on the Oscars.

Others improve things, but the Oscars only get worse.

Since the Oscars themselves are not clean, they dare not speak up now. They dare to target actors not because they are so powerful, but because they only dare to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Why don't you let them go and confront the Sixth Party Congress?
Try and die.

Since the unexpected event wouldn't have a significant impact on Isabella and the others, Catherine lost interest after asking a couple of questions. However, during dinner that evening, she suddenly glanced at her younger sister—

"By the way, Isa, Aunt Rowling called today while you were filming."

"She inquired about your situation with concern, and then started talking about 'The Order of the Phoenix'..."

(End of this chapter)