America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Thomas relayed the results of the meeting and roughly described the proposals of the other two agents, "There's no need for Eliza's side; the crew won't push for it. What about Paris?"

"No need," Martin said simply. "Her reputation is too bad now; it will drag me down. Instead of a good reputation rubbing off on me, I'd get smeared with stink."

Thomas shared a similar view, "I'll call Steve in a bit."

Martin instructed, "For Eliza's part, I broke up with her peacefully. If there are promotional activities, coordinate with her agent in advance. I don't want to start any conflicts with her."

Thomas took note and also reminded him, "The second payment of 100,000 US Dollars from the jeans commercial has been deposited into the company's account, and it will soon be transferred to you."

Between the jeans commercial and The Hills Have Eyes, Martin was set to earn a total of 850,000 US Dollars in salary, ten percent of which would be the agency's commission.

Feeling financially secure, Martin's spine stiffened, "You're getting a big cut, aren't you? How about throwing a party to celebrate one of these days?"

Though the agency took a ten percent commission, not all of it made its way to Thomas, but including his earnings from the Horror Wax Museum, his income from the three films had also exceeded 50,000 US Dollars. He decided to be generous, "Let's wait a bit longer, until all your payments are in, and I'll throw a big party to celebrate."

It wasn't just about celebrating. Thomas also wanted to showcase his strength and connect with superiors. He asked Martin, "Tell me if you have any specific requests, don't be shy."

"Then I won't be shy," Martin boldly requested, "Dozens of young and beautiful female models are a must, right? Swimwear or pajamas are essential, and then we need to come up with some new gimmicks..."

Thomas quickly interrupted, "Hold on, a party like that, my commission would be cut in half just for the expenses."

Then Martin took a more considerate stance, "Okay, forget it; inviting more beauties should be fine though, right?"

Thomas breathed a sigh of relief, finding Martin more and more agreeable, "The company's got loads of young actresses."

Martin threw out a mischievous idea, "You could sell them tickets to enter. Famous agent Thomas's party invitations for 50 US Dollars a piece – a rare opportunity."

Thomas said, "If I were a star, I could sell them for 100 US Dollars each."

After a round about, Martin called Louise to say he wouldn't be going to her place that evening; he was planning to meet up with Zomi Silla instead.

Thomas specifically cautioned him, "You don't yet have the capital to be high-profile. Don't casually disclose your pay, especially to company clients and those close to you. Most people won't congratulate you, nor will they admire you; they'll only set up barriers to ensure you stay on the same level as them."

Having experienced much of the same in a past life, Martin said, "I understand. People can't stand to see those around them suffering, but they can't stand it even more when someone is doing better than they are."

"That's exactly the mentality," Thomas said.

…

Martin returned to the Horror Wax Museum workshop, met up with the off-work Zomi, and they headed to Sunset Boulevard together, where they had dinner at a Brazilian barbecue restaurant with Wes Craven and Alexander Aga and then went to a newly opened luxury nightclub.

Wes Craven declared, "Martin is paying for dinner, and I'll take care of this place."

The old man purchased four three-hundred-dollar tickets, "Let's go, I've got us the front-row seats."

Martin, familiar with the industry, asked, "The tickets are this expensive?"

Even in Los Angeles, a hundred-dollar ticket would qualify as a venue for the high-end crowd.

The four of them walked inside. Since they arrived early, there were not many people in the nightclub yet, so they found seats near the center of the stage.

Aga posed a question similar to Martin's, "Is there a female star performing tonight? Striptease was a lousy movie, but Demi Moore was really good."

"She's too old, unless she wants to pay," Martin said.

"You're shameless," Craven laughed heartily. "Do you know how much Columbia Pictures paid Demi Moore to get her to star in the movie? A salary of 12 million US Dollars!"

Zomi seemed quiet and introverted but was actually quite coy, "Actually, it doesn't have to cost anything. I heard a rumor that after Demi Moore got divorced last year, she started dating a younger man, and apparently they like threesomes."

Martin deliberately advised him, "Zomi, I sincerely suggest you don't try it; it could be dangerous for you."

Craven and Aga both burst into laughter.

Very seriously, Zomi stated, "I often feel like I don't fit in with you guys. Now I'm sure it's because I'm not a pervert."

Martin waved over a waiter, ordered drinks, and returned to the matter at hand, "Wes, you haven't said why yet?"

Craven revealed, "Tonight is a special performance by Dita Von Teese."

Martin had heard the name, "America's number one striptease artist?"

"The one and only," Craven replied.

Zomi was puzzled, "I didn't see any posters or promotions."

Craven explained, "Those who need to know, they know she's here. No need for posters."

After chatting for a while, more people entered the club, including many Hollywood celebrities.

Martin spotted Marilyn Manson, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, and others.

The performance soon began, with Dita Von Teese incorporating classical dance, comedy, and striptease into her act.

It was indeed different.

After the show ended, using Craven's influence, the four made their way backstage, hoping to invite someone out.

When it was Zomi the coy's turn to ask for contact details, he nearly came to blows with Marilyn Manson, who was guarding the dressing room.

Marilyn Manson was dating the striptease artist at the time.

The four men left disappointed and had to switch targets, moving on to the VIP lounge on the second floor to enjoy lap dances.

......

At a Los Angeles shopping mall, Evan, a gossip journalist, was randomly interviewing pedestrians, targeting the youth under 25.

After quickly introducing himself and presenting a pen as a small gift, Evan asked a girl, "Do you know Paris Hilton? What's your opinion on her?"

The girl nodded, "Of course, I know her. A spoiled bad girl, such a nuisance."

Evan then asked, "If she were killed in a movie, would you watch it?"

"Really?" The girl asked with surprise, "Which movie? I know, that horror movie she acted in, is it a slaughter? I'd love to watch her get slaughtered!"

"Go see it and you'll know," Evan said.

The girl soon left, and Evan stopped his next target.

During the morning, he asked over 20 young people, all of whom knew Paris Hilton and everyone despised her; sixty percent of them were interested in movies where the character played by Paris gets killed.

"Because she's rich, she was supposed to go to jail but ended up under house arrest, and later, her three-year sentence was reduced to only 45 days. The media reported that she wrote to Schwarzenegger, she did so many awful things yet didn't get the punishment she deserved. I want to see her brutally slaughtered in a movie since it can't be done in real life," someone commented.

"Look at the media reports, that rich girl lives better and eats better in jail than we do. She acted in a horror movie and gets killed in it? It's a great idea, I'm going to check it out," another added.

Similar random surveys appeared on the streets of Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and Chicago.

There were also some websites conducting polling.

Soon the aggregated results reached the production team.

Parker reported to Susan Levin immediately, "Random sampling survey shows that nearly fifty percent of young people enjoy seeing Paris Hilton's character get killed in the movie, and they hope it's a brutal killing."

Susan commented, "That's quite a high percentage for a sample."

Parker agreed, "It's definitely not low for an R-rated horror film."

Susan made a decision, "Proceed with the plan."

Parker got in touch with the media to prepare the push for "House of Wax" promotional articles and posters.

Susan called Martin, wanting to talk to Kim Kardashian personally.

Martin did not show up, but after contacting Bruce, Bruce brought Kim Kardashian to Warner Bros. Studios and into Susan's office.

After that, Kim Kardashian's scandalous leaks slowed down a bit, but the content appeared in more media outlets.

With the production team's substantial funding, even Warner's "Entertainment Weekly" launched a column dedicated to publishing gossip about Paris.

The goal was to further stigmatize her.

This was also what all the media were doing.

Warner Television Network began planning Kardashian's interview, to be aired as the film was about to be released.

Kardashian had just one thing to focus on for the next month: rhythmically leaking information about Paris.

Compared to Bruce, who was new to the entertainment industry, the production team's professionals had superior control over timing.

Meanwhile, the production team released the first teaser trailer.

In just one minute of content, the camera mainly focused on the characters played by Eliza, Martin, and Paris, with Paris's segment showing her being chased down.

The production team also released the main promotional poster.

And three individual posters.

One featuring both Martin and Eliza, another with the wax sculptor and his brother.

Both posters shared the same title – Twin Showdown!

There was also a solo poster of Paris.

It depicted a fresh wax figure lying on a work table.

Amid the flowing wax that wrapped around the body, you could still recognize it as Paris Hilton.

The poster's title – Psychotic Demon's Cruel Slaughter.

The Twin Showdown poster caused some stir, but Paris's poster was immediately shared by countless media, websites, and blogs.

There was no helping it; Paris in jail was too hot a topic.

Not to mention Martin, who was only slightly famous.

Even Eliza, who stirred up interest with "The Girl Next Door" this summer, couldn't compare.

The production team leaked more news, claiming Paris flirted with a kangaroo during filming, almost causing her and another black actor to get injured.

Circulating fake news during movie promotions is all too common.

As the poster's heat moderated slightly, Kim Kardashian jumped back into the limelight with leaks about Paris's many private actions during filming, like paying men for release.

A personal assistant's betrayal is indeed frightful.

Since Martin had discussed it beforehand with Mene and his agent, Kardashian directly named Mene.

All of a sudden, Mene became famous.