America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In April, Justin Bieber became the hottest news personality in America, topping headlines across countless media outlets.

Although there was no shortage of support for him, within the mainstream opinion, this singer became the target of severe criticism and even sparked nationwide protests and demonstrations.

Various groups including Black, homosexual, and transgender communities successively publicly denounced Justin Bieber, calling on everyone to boycott his work.

Ordinary fans, supporters, and the public might not care about these, but in the mainstream media, Justin was utterly vilified.

Many celebrities came out and made harsh criticisms.

Apple's CEO, Cook, said Justin did not understand what respect was, Magic Johnson's son thought Justin needed to apologize to the world, Ellen Degeneres invited Justin on her talk show to debate with him live...

All these were influencing public opinion.

The increasingly left-leaning entertainment industry also took a series of actions against Justin Bieber, proving their righteousness.

Apple Inc. publicly announced that all of Justin's songs would be removed from iTunes.

YouTube also blocked the paid portions of Justin's songs.

Many online platforms temporarily suspended their collaboration with Justin.

Within just a week, Justin Bieber went from being a promising star to being utterly disgraced.

Despite public apologies by Justin Bieber under the pressure of his management and record labels, it did not help in the short term and instead led to more criticism.

Furthermore, the transgender groups, leveraging the Buff, continued to dox Justin's address, maintaining 24-hour non-stop protests, harassment, and tracking.

Even during one of Justin's drug transactions, they called the police, leading to the arrest of both buyer and seller.

Without several years of PR and effort, it was impossible for Justin Bieber to resume a normal career as a pop star.

This incident also resulted in another outcome: the LGBT community rapidly grew with this controversy, though the latter part of QIA still did not have much influence, the first four groups stirred waves one after another.

…

"I have a feeling, Martin."

In the VIP lounge near the airport's private apron, Nicholson sat on the sofa and said seriously, "It seems like we three have opened Pandora's box, pushing society into an unknown abyss."

Martin did not see it that way, "You're overestimating our abilities, even without us, without Justin Bieber, this tide could not be stopped, it would merely have appeared a year or two later."

Leonardo was in a particularly good mood this week, always smiling, and now chimed in, "Jack, did you forget about Martin's drunken ideals? Maybe soon, we'll see Martin leading his army of transgender beauties, storming into Washington, seizing the White House and sitting in the Oval Office."

"Have you met Gisele Bundchen recently?" Martin, the cruel guy, couldn't stand seeing Leonardo happy.

Leonardo's good mood vanished, and with a downcast face, he gritted his teeth, "You're really an asshole, Martin!"

Nicholson asked him, "Want me to always stand by your side from now on?"

Leonardo knew this asshole well, "What's the price, Jack?"

Nicholson's condition was very simple, "Marry Lorraine."

Martin patted Leonardo, "That's why, buddy, we're in this together."

Leonardo said, "On the matter of Lorraine, we indeed are."

Bruce came over and said, "The plane is ready."

Martin checked his watch, "You guys get on the plane, I have to go back to work at Brooklyn Studio this afternoon."

Nicholson picked up his bag, "Let's go, back to Los Angeles, keep watching the drama."

Martin saw them and Leonardo out, "Just watch, don't join in, especially Leo, don't think about making an LGBT-themed film to win an award, that wouldn't be fair."

Nicholson, aware of the discussions about the Oscars between the two, said, "Leo, with your PR skills, you stand no chance if it's a fair competition, even though you've been gunning for the Oscars for over a decade."

"So, my terms are simple," Leonardo asserted firmly, "Martin wins Best Director, and I get Best Actor. That would be fair."

Nicholson scoffed, "For Martin, that asshole, to win Best Director with his crappy skills, I'd probably have met God by then."

Martin couldn't help but retort, "God wouldn't want to meet you."

Nicholson laughed, "True, I don't want to meet God either. Hollywood and America are getting more interesting by the year, so many dramas to watch, I could live another fifteen years."

Leonardo added, "With the current trajectory, the future will only get more exciting."

Martin saw the two off on his Global 6000 private jet. After the plane took off, he left the airport to go to Brooklyn Studio and continue filming "John Wick 3."

Over the past couple of weeks, the crew had been constantly on the move around Manhattan, shooting over 30 outdoor scenes.

Apart from a few scenes to be shot in Morocco, only two major action scenes remained,

both inside a glass building, where Martin and Blake Lively fought side by side.

The former could be described as an unconventional story about glass.

Martin and the stunt performers continuously shattered specially made glass in those action scenes.

The set, which cost nearly 4 million US dollars to build, was ultimately destined for destruction.

If not smashed during shooting, it would still need to be handled by a specialized company afterward.

After a scene was shot, Martin, stepping on the shattered glass, sat on the glass steps leading to the next level, slowly sipping water.

Two slim stunt actors, under Chen Hu's leadership, entered the set.

Next, they were to film a one-against-two barehanded fighting scene featuring Martin.

Martin stood up, handed his water bottle over to Bruce, and familiarized himself with the positions in coordination with the other two actors under Chen Hu's guidance.

Chen Hu reminded them of the key points in the action, "Bart and Phil, your advantage lies in speed and agility, which make you faster than the taller and bigger Martin."

These two stunt actors were half a head shorter than Martin and much slimmer.

Chen Hu then turned to Martin, "Compared to these two typical swift-type adversaries, Martin, your advantage lies in body strength. Like a heavyweight boxer against a featherweight, you're stronger and more resistant to hits."

Martin nodded, "I understand."

Chen Hu, aiming for a vivid effect for the scene, drew another comparison, "Martin, you're like a lion, while Bart and Phil are like two honey badgers. The latter can trouble the lion with their agility, but one successful counterattack from the lion is enough."

"We understand," said the two stunt actors.

"Get ready," Chen Hu walked back to the director's monitor, and announced, "We're set."

Chad nodded and said, "All departments, get ready."

The script supervisor came in front of the camera to clap the board, and the shooting began.

This was an action scene lasting nearly half a minute, with Martin being suddenly attacked by two synchronized adversaries, his body smashing through one glass panel after another.

The shot was done in one take.

After Chad called cut, Martin opened his suit and shirt, and pieces of broken glass clinked down.

Chen Hu came over and asked, "Are you hurt?"

Martin shook his head, "It's fine, they just fell inside from the collar."

Chen Hu checked with the two stunt actors to make sure they were also unharmed, then said, "Let's prepare for the next scene where you take the offensive, Martin."

He allowed them to rehearse the movement specifics first, aiming for a perfect first take as replacing the glass would be troublesome.

The shooting proceeded intermittently like this, completing the action sequences in the glass building over three days.

Following that, Martin switched to a new co-star, Blake Lively with two German Shepherds joined the shoot.

It was yet another troubling scene triggered by dogs.

Martin and Blake's scenes were mainly divided into two parts, studio action scenes and a few equestrian scenes shot in the Moroccan desert.

To prepare for these action scenes, Blake had practiced for nearly half a year.

Of course, no one expected her to reach Martin's level.

For her part, many were brief shots; to achieve seamless action sequences, a lot depended on editing and post-production for the desired effect.

The first two days of shooting went relatively smoothly.

However, by the afternoon of the third day when the action scene was nearing completion, the plans for shooting in Morocco had to be changed.

During a simple action scene, Blake Lively moved back too far, hitting the edge of a wooden table, and was in so much pain she couldn't stand up.

Martin immediately had someone call an ambulance.

Blake was taken to the hospital where it was found she had several fractures in her ribs, one of which was a complete break.

The doctor advised bed rest and avoiding any vigorous activity.

Fortunately, Blake's action scenes were near completion. Although she insisted on finishing the shoot, Martin refused and demanded a stunt double for the remaining shots.

The crew's plan to shoot in Morocco was forcibly altered, planning to wait until Blake Lively's injury was manageable, they would set up green screens in the Burbank Disney Studio to capture the Moroccan and desert scenes.

These were not extensive scenes, and the backgrounds would be added during post-production.

Before leaving New York, Martin finished his scenes and visited Blake Lively in the hospital.

"Much better. If I lie still, I hardly feel the pain," Blake said from her hospital bed, asking Martin, "Are you preparing to leave?"

Martin nodded slightly, "'Thieves of the City' is about to be released, and I have many promotional events to attend. I can't stay here with you."

Blake, knowing it was hopeful to ask Martin to stay, said, "I'll probably be fully healed in about two months, which means my swimming and surfing lessons are postponed."

Martin waved his hand, "No worries, there's plenty of time."

Blake, worried about missing out on projects and roles, pleaded, "Can you wait for me for a while, seeing as I'm injured?"

Martin reassured her, "The lead female role in this project will only be yours."