America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Nicholson led Martin and Leonardo into the storage room, opened a fireproof safe, and showed them, "Brand new Gatling, specially ordered from Chinatown."

Martin took one out; the new Gatling fireworks were much more refined than the rough impromptu modifications he and Bruce had made, very close to the Gatling fireworks he had used in his previous life.

Besides the Gatling, there were specially made fireworks RPGs.

They could be fired from the shoulder.

Leonardo glanced at the sun turning to the west outside and said, "Now that we\'ve got the goods, shall we find a place to test them out?"

Nicholson said, "Wait until it gets dark."

"Where are we going?" Martin asked first, then reminded, "Aren\'t you afraid of getting shot randomly?"

Nicholson, however, was nonchalant, "Don\'t worry, it\'s alright, just say hello to my old pals."

Martin understood, Nicholson was planning to open fire towards his old friends\' homes.

Leonardo climbed up to the roof of the storage room and peered into the distance.

Nicholson\'s mansion was built against a hill with a relatively high position; looking to the south, all he could see were other mansions.

Many old Hollywood stars chose to live on either side of Sunset Boulevard.

As the sky grew darker, Nicholson took Martin and Leonardo up to the rooftop of the three-story villa.

There was a mini-golf course built here, but no fairways.

Martin understood at once and pointed to the distance, "Do you hit balls down the hill?"

Leonardo put down the RPG firework and picked up a golf club, "I have a house down there, I don\'t live there often, but occasionally when I do, I find golf balls in the yard; I never suspected it was you!"

Nicholson didn\'t see it as a big deal, "Just an occasional stray ball."

As the elder, he conscientiously taught his younger brothers, "Golf isn\'t just golf; it can also be used as a method of communication."

Martin looked towards the nearby mansions, surprised that Nicholson hadn\'t been killed by the neighbors yet.

Nicholson pointed out two houses and said, "Over there used to be Marlon Brando\'s place, and over there Warren Beatty and Annette Bening live. When I want to get in touch with them, I don\'t have to call; I just need to send a golf ball their way, and the ball landing in their yard is the message."

Martin couldn\'t help but admire, "You\'re damn talented."

"Marlon Brando went to see God," Nicholson said, pointing to Warren Beatty and Annette Bening\'s home, "The only person who can endure my bombardment is Warren Beatty."

He reached out, grabbed an RPG firework, and hoisted it onto his shoulder, "Light it for me!"

Martin didn\'t smoke, so he had no lighter.

Leonardo pulled out a lighter and ignited the fuse.

Martin slapped Nicholson\'s head and, pointing to Warren Beatty\'s mansion, shouted, "Old scoundrel, fire your Italian cannon!"

Nicholson took aim.

Boom—

A bright firework shell, glittering with light, shot over the wall and fell into Warren Beatty\'s yard, then exploded with a bang.

Martin had seen many fireworks and knew at a glance that these were the common flashbangs from his previous life.

That wasn\'t all; the smoking RPG on Nicholson\'s shoulder was still hot, and he, excited like a kid, shouted, "Fire! Fire!"

After another boom, another firework shell landed in Warren Beatty\'s yard and exploded.

Martin wondered, "Are they not home?"

Leonardo deliberately said, "I think Warren Beatty and Annette Bening went to get their guns."

Nicholson\'s face bloomed with a smile, "Keep going! Keep going!"

One flashbang after another flew over until they were all gone.

No sooner had Nicholson discarded the RPG launcher than there was activity from the other side.

Martin saw a woman climb to the top of the house, raising an electronic megaphone.

A lion\'s roar of a voice blared out, "Jack, you damned bastard! Just you wait, Warren and I are going to smash your windows!"

Nicholson yelled, "Come on over, there are three men waiting for you here!"

Annette Bening retorted, "Bring on three more, I\'m not afraid!"

After she shouted, she went back downstairs.

Nicholson beckoned, "Come on, let\'s go downstairs, time to start drinking."

Martin and Leonardo went downstairs together.

It didn\'t take long for Warren Beatty and Annette Bening to come knocking on Nicholson\'s door.

True to her word, Annette Bening did smash two of Nicholson\'s windows.

After that, the five of them entered Nicholson\'s home bar and drank merrily.

They had been drinking for less than half an hour when more of Hollywood\'s old guard white men arrived.

Martin and Leonardo were no fools, they knew Nicholson was helping them expand their network among the old white males of the Academy.

Warren Beatty currently held a position inside the Academy, and having just received a lifetime achievement award, he let slip some news to Martin and Leonardo, "The committee of this year\'s Oscars has already sent out invitations to Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and George Lucas, planning to have them present the Best Director award."

Martin had some memory of this and reacted quickly, "Is Director Scorsese going to win an award?"

"The probability is very high," Warren Beatty lifted his glass and had a drink with Martin.Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

Annette Bening then said, "Al Pacino and Robert De Niro seem to be set to present the Best Picture award."

Leonardo spoke before Martin could, "Best Picture won\'t be running away either."

Warren Beatty pointed at Martin, "So you see, if you get the nomination, you don\'t need to think too much about it. Getting a performance nomination within just three years in the industry, look at Oscar history, it\'s very rare."

Martin had researched the Oscars since the new century, "From the perspective of sharing the cake, shouldn\'t other troupes get some gains?"

Warren Beatty nodded, "Exactly, the Oscars are essentially about sharing the cake."

Nicholson poured wine for everyone and said, "Alright, enough talk about these annoying matters, let\'s drink! Let\'s drink!"

The crowd then turned to discussing gossip, using it as a companion to their drinks.

......

The next morning, Martin went to WMA.

Thomas accompanied him to meet the biggest partner, Ari Emanuel.

"Congratulations, your new movie is a blockbuster," Ari shook hands with Martin, "You also got your first Oscar nomination."

Martin said with a smile, "The company has been a great help to me."

Ari invited them to sit and said, "For Best Supporting Actor, the loudest voice is Ellen Arkin, and he also received the highest number of nomination votes."

Martin asked, "What\'s my voting rate?"

Ari said simply, "You rank third, quite a few people voted for you, but most of the votes placed you second or third."

Martin responded, "I\'m satisfied just getting the nomination, it\'s my first time."

Ari said directly, "If you were thirty years old, had been in Hollywood for over ten years, I would have confidence in helping you campaign for the Best Supporting Actor."

Thomas chimed in, "All the PR for Martin\'s side has stopped."

Ari nodded, "The Academy rules prohibit PR after the nomination list is announced, but most contenders for the award still make a lot of subtle moves privately. However, you do not stand a chance of winning, so there\'s no need to leave a bad impression with the Academy."

Martin replied, "I understand." He thought of Trio of Scoundrels\' second member, "For an actor like me, once I leave a bad impression, it\'s very easy to become the next Leonardo."

The more Ari looked at Martin, the more he liked him. After his rise to fame, he hadn\'t become wildly inflated with himself, a quality quite rare among Hollywood stars.

Even Leonardo went through an inflated period after Titanic; even James Cameron said he had lost touch with reality.

Ari was very interested in bringing Martin to his own company, but seeing Thomas beside him, he held back his thoughts.

Thomas noticed Ari\'s eagerness, but compared to before, he had become much more grounded and calm.

After over three years of working together, Thomas had come to understand Martin\'s needs for an agent and knew how to do his job well.

As long as he did well, Martin was unlikely to change agents.

Even if the one wanting to poach him was Ari Emanuel.

Ari spoke again about Martin\'s new work, "Limitless will surpass a hundred million in North American box office in a week. Do you have any new projects or roles?"

WMA would also like to insert some supporting actors into the mix, playing in such a successful movie is beneficial for the growth of new clients.

Martin spoke vaguely, "I have two new projects, both are currently in the planning stage, and the earliest we can get a script out would be the second half of the year. Filming might not start until next year."

He thought for a moment, then added, "I\'m interested in Christopher Nolan\'s new project, if possible, I\'d like the company to give it a push."

Ari agreed immediately, "No problem." He turned to Thomas, "A few days ago, I played golf with Thomas, along with Barry Meyer and Ellen Horn."

After chatting for a while, Martin noticed Thomas giving him a signal, and using making a phone call as an excuse, he left Ari\'s office.

Once out, he called Louise.

"Congratulations on getting the Oscar nomination," Louise complained, "Why didn\'t you come over last night, where did you go?"

Martin replied, "I was drinking at Nicholson\'s house; he introduced me to a lot of old movie stars."

Louise asked, "You called me, something you need?"

"Nolan and Warner are preparing to collaborate on a Batman sequel," Martin said directly. "Is Pacific Pictures interested in investing?"

Louise said with a laugh, "Actually, Warner had already invited both Pacific Pictures and Legendary Pictures, as the initial investment is too high, Warner is looking to share the early risk."

Martin asked, "How much do they plan to invest?"

Louise replied, "No less than 180 million US dollars, it\'s precisely because the initial investment is so high that Warner Brothers invited me."

Martin said, "I\'d like to take a look at the script for this project, I\'ve heard that Jonathan Nolan will submit a first draft to Warner Brothers and DC Comics this month."

Louise understood what Martin meant, "I\'ll find a way to get the script, getting a copy under Pacific Pictures\' name won\'t be difficult."

Martin said a few more words and then hung up the phone.

In the office, Thomas and Ari were engaged in a bout of fencing.