"What's this?"
"Vivian's concert. She's inviting you."
Gilbert scratched his head. "What does her concert have to do with me?"
"The tickets are already in your hands. Plenty of people want to go but can't get one."
"Alright then!" In both his previous life and this one, Gilbert had only ever been to a single concert—Jay Chou's. Of course, if every year's Super Bowl halftime show also counted, then actually he had watched quite a few.
Besides, Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift had performed at his birthday party, though those didn't really count as concerts.
Right now, Avril Lavigne was at the height of her popularity, praised by Rolling Stone magazine as the "Rock Princess." She and Gilbert shared the same agent—Sheena Boone personally managed them both.
After this final concert of the year, Avril Lavigne would begin producing her third studio album, so she invited some close friends to attend her show.
Gilbert thought for a moment and called Scarlett: "Scarlett, come watch the concert with me!"
Scarlett agreed immediately: "Okay, okay! Whose concert? Maroon 5 or Coldplay?"
"Neither. It's Vivian's," Gilbert replied.
Scarlett pouted. "You're into that young girl, aren't you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? She's actually two months older than you!" Gilbert said speechlessly. "Are you coming or not? If you're not, I'll ask Andrew instead."
"I'm coming, I'm coming…" They hadn't gone on a date together in a long time, so Scarlett naturally agreed right away.
After confirming with Scarlett, Gilbert hung up. Sheena Boone then brought up another issue.
"I heard Transformers is considering replacing the leads—both Andrew and Megan Fox might be removed."
Gilbert raised an eyebrow, completely unsurprised. "Makes sense. Andrew just finished shooting my show, and Megan was poached by you from Michael Ovitz.
Continuing to cast them would only increase their credentials and fame. If it were me, I'd replace them too.
And besides, the main attraction of Transformers has never been the human actors. Who goes to that movie for anyone other than the Autobots?"
Sheena Boone nodded. "True, but I still need to take responsibility. Do you have any suitable projects for them?"
"Andrew's role as David Martinez will be a classic. Just arrange normal roles for him. As for Megan, putting her in commercial films as eye candy won't be a problem," Gilbert said.
He had pulled them out of bad situations out of goodwill, but their future development would depend on themselves. At least with Gilbert, opportunities were equal for everyone.
Starting with Andrew Garfield and Megan Fox, Gilbert wanted to send a message to the rest of Hollywood's lower- and mid-tier actors.
If they didn't want to be oppressed or forced to please certain big names, they could come to him.
Of course, Gilbert wasn't trying to be a moral role model. But standing on the moral high ground and pointing fingers… that felt refreshing.
Cases like Megan Fox's were common in Hollywood. These people might not be high-value assets, but if Gilbert wanted to flip Hollywood from blue to Gilbert-colored, their support was essential.
He had even thought of a slogan: a fair, open, free Hollywood with no oppression and opportunities everywhere.
Of course, the slogan was just for show, but as long as Gilbert performed better than the other side, most people would support him. The world wasn't about who did well, but about who did worse.
After slaying the evil dragon, Gilbert would become the new dragon. At that time, oppression and unspoken rules would return as they always did.
But for now, within the current system, Gilbert's words didn't carry enough weight. So he needed to change the rules—his rules—so Hollywood would belong to him.
Let so-called "political correctness," Black Mermaids, Black Snow Whites, and those hideous protagonists go to hell. In his Hollywood, there would always be handsome men and beautiful women.
Before going to the concert, Gilbert still took time to watch one of his team's games.
Ever since he bought the Seattle SuperSonics—renaming them the Thunder and building a new arena, he hadn't paid much attention to his basketball team.
In the past two years, the Seattle Thunder had not been performing well, constantly struggling on the playoff bubble. Their team leader, Ray Allen, was criticized externally for being soft, and the team couldn't secure good draft picks.
This time Gilbert was attending a Thunder game because he felt the timing was extremely favorable.
In the VIP suite of the team's new arena, the Thunder Center, Gilbert spoke with the Thunder's general manager. "This season, play if you can. If you can't, give it up.
At the same time, we aim to trade Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, and next season, draft a good rookie to rebuild around."
The Thunder's general manager asked, "Boss, are you interested in the genius Greg Oden?"
If the boss stepped in, David Stern would have to give some face— even the number one pick might be possible.
But Gilbert shook his head. "We'll have to see. Maybe there will be someone even better."
If he remembered correctly, Kevin Durant and Greg Oden were from the same draft class.
Although Kevin Durant always obsessed over Scarlett's bathwater, the guy's basketball skills were still fine— at least good enough for an amateur like Gilbert to know his name.
There were also many excellent players afterward, like Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Stephen Curry, and so on.
Although a sport like basketball having many superstars didn't necessarily mean championships, the marketing value looked amazing. With some maneuvering, this could be very promising.
Unsurprisingly, despite the players giving it their all during the game personally supervised by the boss, the gap was too large and they still lost.
Gilbert wasn't angry. Even though he was planning to trade their core leader Ray Allen, he still greeted everyone with a smile.
"You all played very well. It was a good game. It's a pity we lost, but at least we showed our style."
Seeing the boss say this, Ray Allen immediately promised, "Don't worry. This season I will definitely lead the team to the playoffs."
"Just do your best." Gilbert patted Ray Allen's shoulder, affirming his effort.
However, trying to make the playoffs in the brutal Western Conference with their current roster would be quite difficult.
On the way back, Gilbert suddenly had an idea. "What if we manage to get Yao over here? Then pair him with a good outside player from the draft."
Kevin Durant plus Derrick Rose plus Yao— with that lineup, even LeBron with Wade and Bosh would tremble. Of course, that's assuming everyone is at their peak.
Ming Yao already had shooting range and solid mid-range touch, Derrick Rose had tremendous explosive power, Kevin Durant could rise up and shoot anytime and if they somehow added a Curry or a Harden at shooting guard…
Oh ho… outrageous!
The Thunder's general manager was stunned. "Boss, that's probably not realistic. The Rockets won't let him go."
Gilbert shrugged. "Just give it a try. You never know. Tell the Rockets they can pick anyone they want in return."
The general manager gave a bitter smile. He could only agree to try something, though he felt the chances were low.
In the NBA, big men were always more valuable than guards. After several years of development, the Eastern giant had already become one of the top interior players. The Rockets would have to be out of their minds to let him go…
But, just like Gilbert said— give it a try. What if it works?
...
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (Completed)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu