Aside from a basketball team, Gilbert also owned a football club—Arsenal.
But compared to the Thunder's struggles, Arsenal was doing far, far better. Backed by Gilbert's financial support, Wenger had been living the life of a big spender, buying players everywhere and assembling a highly competitive squad.
Ever since the Istanbul Night, Arsenal's championship aura had suddenly surged. In the recently concluded 05–06 season, Arsenal won the treble.
In the Champions League final, Arsenal even defeated the so-called Dream Team Barcelona and successfully defended their Champions League title.
Although club owner Gilbert did not attend the match in person, Wenger joked after the match that Gilbert had brought them championship luck.
"If it weren't for Gilbert's speech in the locker room during last year's Istanbul Night, Arsenal might really have missed out on the Champions League."
Everyone in the team believed the good luck came from Gilbert; the fans, needless to say, supported both the team and the owner wholeheartedly.
In a football website's poll for "Best Club Owner," Gilbert won first place by a landslide—more votes than the second and third places combined.
Despite the success of the last two years, Professor Wenger wasn't complacent. This season he continued pushing for both the Premier League and the Champions League, while also focusing on youth development.
That summer Arsenal let their veteran captain Vieira leave on a free transfer to Juventus, and promoted Fabregas as the new midfield core.
Wenger even personally flew to Croatia to scout a player named Luka Modrić and successfully brought him to Arsenal that summer.
In the front line, after winning two Champions Leagues and one treble, the Ice Prince Bergkamp retired with satisfaction.
Henry and Van Persie continued to spearhead the attack, and Arsenal also poached Fernando Torres from Atlético Madrid to meet the demands of competing on multiple fronts.
Additionally, Wenger—who loved nurturing youngsters—brought over a Polish striker named Robert Lewandowski and integrated him with the first team for training.
In midfield, defense, and goalkeeper positions, they kept strengthening. With Arsenal and the deep-pocketed Chelsea spending heavily, the Premier League had no choice but to enter an arms race.
Wenger's old friend and rival, Sir Alex Ferguson, cursed Arsenal and Chelsea for ruining the league's competitive balance, even as he demanded more investment from the Manchester United board.
Without increased spending, no one knew where United would end up next season.
Arsenal had also moved into a new stadium. With naming rights purchased by wealthy investors from the Middle East, the new ground was named the Emirates Stadium.
However, for the inaugural match at the new stadium, Gilbert unfortunately did not attend.
Once the club was running smoothly, Gilbert rarely involved himself in day-to-day affairs, only listening to reports each year.
After the production of EdgeRunner wrapped, the entire exterior of the Emirates Stadium was covered with Edge Runner posters. Whether watching the broadcast or visiting the stadium, you couldn't miss them.
Of course, advertising fees still had to be paid.
After watching the Thunder's game, Gilbert and Scarlett went together to attend Avril Lavigne's concert in Los Angeles.
It had to be said—the Rock Princess's live atmosphere was excellent. Even someone like Gilbert, who couldn't sing, was energized by it.
Scarlett fully transformed into a hardcore fan, singing along throughout the entire concert.
During the intermission, Avril even introduced Gilbert and Scarlett to the crowd:
"Up next is a new song—the theme song for EdgeRunner. Its director and lead actor are sitting right over there…"
Gilbert and Scarlett stood up and greeted the audience, receiving a wave of cheers and screams.
After the concert ended, Avril invited both Gilbert and Scarlett for a late-night meal, and they posted pictures together on social media.
It had been a fun night. On the way back, Scarlett suddenly asked Gilbert:
"Between Vivian and Taylor—who do you like more?"
"What do you mean?"
"As in… if you had to choose one as your favorite, who would it be?"
Gilbert gave her a strange look.
"That's a weird question. Why can't I appreciate both?"
Scarlett rolled her eyes.
"Ugh. Greedy!"
Between Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne, Gilbert actually preferred Avril a bit more—perhaps because her songs resonated with him more deeply.
Later, Avril supposedly developed an illness and had to leave the music scene for years, allowing Taylor Swift to rise.
But honestly, even if Avril had stayed healthy, Taylor would still have risen to the top—her strategic mind was formidable.
Now, with Gilbert in her timeline, he hoped Avril would have a better future—at least without falling ill.
2006 was almost over, but November and December still had films scheduled for release. First was MGM's first revived 007 film, Casino Royale.
James Bond welcomed a new actor—British actor Daniel Craig as the new 007.
The film performed well, opening at $42.55 million with strong word of mouth, and its North American box office had already surpassed $100 million.
For such a long-standing IP, as long as the box office was respectable—even if just breaking even—the next film would continue production.
For MGM, the 007 series was undoubtedly its trump card, the lifeline ensuring its revival. With oil-capital investment behind them, MGM would continue to exist as a Hollywood giant.
The other film was Night at the Museum, released by 20th Century Fox. Its opening wasn't high—only $30.33 million.
But strong word-of-mouth kept its earnings stable, even causing the film to climb upward at one point—an eye-opening surprise.
Since it was released at the end of the year, its final box office would have to wait until next year.
...
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