The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 163: Red Table Talk]

The day after the Oscars, the hottest news figures across America naturally included the winners of the prestigious awards.

Last year, when Hawke arrived in Los Angeles, he had made a handsome profit off the viral video of Gandalf smashing a McDonald's. However, this year was different. Outside of the Oscars, Will Smith found himself at the center of public opinion.

In the morning, numerous entertainment media outlets reported on the text message incident from the night before. Online forums buzzed with discussions about the texts, with most people believing someone was pulling a prank on Will Smith. After all, similar SMS scams were rampant in North America.

Reporters hoping to interview Will Smith had little luck locating him. They called his agency company, CAA, but received no response.

By afternoon, various forums began circulating news of infidelity involving the Smiths, supported by video screenshots that were labeled as being shared from Twitter. Numerous major websites, including Yahoo Entertainment, amplified this news, which had originated on Twitter.

Throughout the day, the editorial team led by Caroline was busy posting updates in forums. The posts, complete with images, quickly became the most popular topics of the day. Countless curious onlookers flocked to Twitter to watch the supposedly scandalous videos of Will and Jada Smith. Many of them signed up for Twitter accounts just to share the experience.

Will Smith was a commercial superstar, and his influence far surpassed that of Josh Hartnett and Allison Faith back in the day. Across the country, both men and women, various Stans regardless of gender, jumped at the chance to discuss the unfolding drama.

"Did you see Will Smith's video?" Friends greeted each other with the buzz: "His wife's even crazier."

Fortunately, Hawke was prepared for the media storm. Thanks to the hard work of his technical staff, the website managed to withstand the massive influx of traffic.

Those who had registered on Twitter shared the videos on their own accounts to make it easier for themselves to view later. On Twitter, Stans followed each other and commented, "It's a shame the key parts were blurred."If they hadn't blurred them, it'd just be a porn film that couldn't appear on legitimate sites." "Turns out this couple is playing by their own rules."

By the evening, news of the Smiths' scandal and the exclusive Twitter revelation made it to Google's trending topics. The Oscar winners found themselves overshadowed by the intense gossip surrounding the superstars.

The two infidelity stories claimed the first and second spots on the trending list.

...

The day after the video was released, Caroline reported back to Hawke, "Yesterday during the day and all night long, our registered users surged from under 30,000 to 2.27 million."

Hawke instructed, "Don't stop there; keep posting updates."

"Yes, boss," Caroline replied, reminding him, "This plan of yours is driving everyone wild."

Hawke stated a hard truth, "Even without this new plan, if we followed the previous one, Will Smith would still be in a frenzy."

Caroline hurried out of the office to keep an eye on the newly recruited editors.

Hawke made his way to the third floor, where the technical team was setting up for the live broadcast. In the center of the studio was a red round table. According to the plan, after sufficient public interest had built up, Will and Jada Smith would hold a Red Table Talk to discuss their open marriage with America.

Hawke called over the technical team leads, Harland and Kasim, and said, "From today onward, we'll conduct daily live rehearsals. Any issues must be resolved on the spot."

Harland responded, "Kasim and I will conduct a roundtable discussion shortly."

Hawke stayed to observe the live rehearsal, witnessing numerous challenges that the technical team quickly worked to resolve.

...

Century City, CAA Headquarters.

A crowd of journalists gathered outside, having just received word that Will and Jada Smith would make a public statement regarding the infidelity video. Inside the lobby, Jada was eager, while Will sported a sullen expression, not having smiled in days. With his hands shoved deep in his pockets, he was unwilling to say much.

James Locke could only state, "Time is tight, and they're still holding our vulnerabilities, so we can only make the choice that benefits you most for now."

"I don't blame you," Will understood that without James's decisive intervention using money, his video with Duane would've likely been leaked by those bastards, which would've been far worse.

James checked the time, saying, "Let's wrap this up, preserve your career, and we can deal with the rest later."

Frustrated, Will waved to Jada for her to join him as they stepped outside. Close to a hundred journalists surrounded the entrance. Los Angeles 9 even brought their broadcasting truck to the vicinity.

Maha was maintaining order, ensuring Will and Jada could address the press. Will addressed the crowd of microphones, saying, "There have been issues in my marriage with Jada, but our relationship is not broken, and we never intended to part ways. We are committed to facing the challenges in our marriage."

Jada added, "Since the start, Will and I have given each other trust and freedom. Our marriage cannot be a prison. However, to the outside world, the media and public opinion believe we have problems, and we will provide clarity on that."

Will continued, "Where things went wrong, we aim to fix there. Over the past few days, Jada and I have been in discussions with Twitter about hosting a live broadcast for our most important conversation since getting married."

The crowd gasped, and reporters from various networks shouted, "Will, Los Angeles 9 is a more suitable platform than the internet!" "ABC is ready for you at any time!" "Fox 11 is offering prime time!"

Will and Jada chose not to respond further and turned to re-enter the CAA building.

...

As news spread, Twitter found itself under the limelight again.

The heat from the infidelity video had yet to cool off, and now the news of Will and Jada going live on Twitter for this crucial dialogue only fueled the fire. Twitter's traffic surged yet again.

The next day, Hawke, Maha, and James had a conference call. Following their discussion, Maha personally updated Will and Jada's official Twitter account, displaying a promotional poster.

Marriage is Not a Prison

Underneath the title was a heartfelt photo of Will Smith gazing into Jada's eyes. Below it was the time for the live broadcast.

A couple's infidelity, yet their relationship seemingly intact, with an intention to resolve matters through dialogue, was a major hook, especially with one of the parties being Hollywood superstar Will Smith.

The buzz was through the roof.

As a result, many internet users rushed to create Twitter accounts to follow Will and Jada. Seizing the moment, Hawke introduced a computer installation version of Twitter, which saw downloads exceed two million on the same day.

...

At that time, Megan Taylor dropped by. In the office, Hawke welcomed his longtime friend.

Megan glanced around his office, saying, "The last time you mentioned diving into web media, I thought you'd be in a slump for a while, and I didn't expect you'd make it to this level in just two months."

Hawke replied, "I was lucky and happened to catch Will Smith's video."

"Do you need to say this to me?" Megan shook her head, "You've never done anything the conventional way."

Hawke reiterated, "The business world is like a battlefield; without unconventional tactics, my investments risk going down the drain."

Megan then brought up another matter, "How about collaborating for Friday's broadcast?"

Hawke flatly replied, "I'm sorry, I have an exclusive deal with Will."

Megan didn't press further and shifted the subject, "You haven't visited in a while; my plumbing is clogged and I could use a man's help."

"I'll get to it after this busy week," Hawke said honestly. "The next few days are crucial for me, I've only been getting a few hours of sleep."

Megan made a quick visit and went as quickly as she came, "I won't bother you anymore."

...

Hawke spent the week navigating through busy schedules as Twitter rose alongside Will Smith's news.

Reporters even began gathering outside Twitter's office building. After seven rehearsal runs, the technical team resolved all live streaming issues.

Hawke held a final meeting, deciding to supplement the video broadcast with live text updates.

Meanwhile, various comments flew around on Twitter, with rumors and images swirling about Will and Jada Smith. Twitter's real-time sharing feature activated, causing fast dissemination of information.

Netizens enthusiastically dug into the past, unearthing names of actresses who had previously dated Will Smith, listing photos and timelines of their relationships and breakups. Jada Smith was no exception, with Tupac's name rising to prominence.

Entertainment journalists needed not to scour far; they could directly repost from Twitter. Even more absurd, every leading lady who had ever worked alongside Will was pulled into the frenzy.

In a sense, they weren't entirely innocent bystanders.

Trailing Jada Smith was a long list of names of African American rappers. With the Twitter-driven scandal, the Will Smith infidelity saga appeared to spiral into a collective entertainment frenzy reminiscent of something ten years down the line.

Everyone participated in collecting stories, sharing allegations, and indulging in the unfolding spectacle. The visceral experience of being part of it all wasn't something one could get from merely reading newspapers or watching television.

This was the advantage of social media.

...

On Friday afternoon, Will Smith and Jada, along with Maha and James, arrived at Twitter's headquarters.

Hawke and Caroline conducted a final briefing. The couple's Red Table Talk attracted enough attention that by now, the specifics didn't even matter.

Hawke maintained a serious focus, intent on seeing it through.

Will and Jada took the Red Table Talk as a chance at personal promotion, even bringing their son and daughter along.

This was quintessentially the Smiths.

...

By around 7:30 PM, Hawke stood in the makeshift broadcast room. Seated next to him was Caroline, working on text editing, and Harland from technical.

The latter reported, "Website traffic has exceeded seven million and is still growing rapidly."

Kasim remarked, "The server is under high load."

Hawke responded, "Keep monitoring the live status."

Caroline added, "Will and Jada's Red Table Talk is trending first on both Google and Yahoo News!"

Her assistant, Sasha, chimed in, "Multiple forums have connected live stream links to Twitter."

...

By eight o'clock, Hawke asked Harland, "What's the current count?"

Harland checked the backend, his mouth agape as if ready to eat someone: "Boss, the real-time view count has surpassed ten million!"

Hawke ordered, "Let's start."

Outside the broadcast studio, James and Maha sat at a computer, fixated on the display screen. Across North America, millions awaited the broadcast to commence.

Frank, the scruffy old guy, seized Edward's office to watch the live stream from his own computer.

On the Twitter live stream, the trailer for Bad Boys II abruptly cut off. Sony Columbia had dispatched someone to inquire about the situation, and upon receiving the relevant updates, they sent over the trailer.

Celebrity infidelity, whether from one party or both, was hardly groundbreaking in Hollywood.

The live stream transformed into shots of Will and Jada seated across from each other at the red round table.

Jada opened, "Hi, Will."

Will nodded in response.

Jada immediately got to the point, "The events of the past few days have left fans and media itching to surround us."

Will assumed a socially responsible demeanor, "We've occupied too many public resources."

With a serious expression, Jada said, "We vowed to love each other forever. Why has it come to this? When did we suddenly change?"

Will replied, "Since the birth of our daughter. Remember? You had postpartum depression, and after Willow was weaned, we separated."

"Yes, that separation happened," Jada emphasized, for in media and law, a separation doesn't count as infidelity, which could dilute the negative sentiment aimed at them.

Jada continued, "I felt particularly distressed at that time, and no one was there to share the burden except Nate Dogg, who would come by every day to care for me, and I naturally fell into a relationship with him."

Will's voice deepened, "I discovered it and felt heartbroken. I thought we would be completely over, and I started seeing other people until you came back."

Jada nodded, "You told me that no matter what I did, you would support me."

"Because every morning when I woke up, I found you crying in your sleep," Will said. "I counted; the longest sadness lasted for 45 days. That was the most terrible time in our marriage, and I felt like a failure."

Jada added, "During that time, we referred to each other as life partners."

Tears streamed down her face, "We even stopped claiming we were married."

Will Smith cried as well, and although he was not known for his acting prowess, he still had a red nose from the tears.

This couple wasn't yelling or losing their tempers; there were no accusations between them. The content of the Red Table Talk was structured by Hawke, with the Smiths filling in the specifics.

This ensured there would be ample viewing interest. The odd Smiths reflected on their past, even swapping perspectives and considering conversations from each other's viewpoints.

They resolved to reflect on their actions and rekindle their marriage.

Jada stated, "I once thought we could never reconcile, but after everything, I realized that you, our son, and daughter are what matters most to me."

Will displayed great magnanimity, "You don't believe in traditional marriage, so we have to give each other trust and freedom. For me, freedom and trust are the highest definitions of love."

Jada responded, "As long as we keep our conscience clear, we can do anything we want."

They shared a knowing smile, fist-bumped, simultaneously reciting, "We overcome difficulties together and face death together; our marriage remains unchanging!"

As the broadcast picture froze, the Red Table Talk came to an end.

...

When the camera turned off, the Smiths rose and walked away from the round red table without a word.

In Edward's small office, Frank shut down his computer, shaking his head slightly: "A newly blossoming model couple in Hollywood and quite an unusual way of handling relationships."

James and Maha approached Will and Jada.

James reminded them, "There are reporters outside, so when you walk out later, make sure to hold hands."

He thought for a moment before adding, "Hug one child each while you hold hands."

Will grasped his wife's hand tightly: "Let's do it now."

"Wait for me a moment," James said as he went to find Hawke but was stopped outside the makeshift broadcast room.

One security guard said, "Please wait a moment, the president and several directors are tying up a few loose ends."

James nodded slightly.

...

In the broadcast room, Hawke instructed Caroline, "Put the video on the homepage, select exciting highlights, and create a short clip for easy sharing."

He recalled, "During the live stream, Will and Jada had several impactful actions and lines. Let's make them into site emojis; we'll pay the licensing fees and allow users to use them for free."

Kasim had previously heard Hawke discuss emojis in detail, and he replied, "That's not technically difficult and can be executed easily."

Hawke then spoke to Caroline's assistant, Sasha, "You take charge of guiding online entertainment and maintain the buzz as long as possible."

Sasha responded, "I'm on it."

Hawke finally asked Harland, "Have the peak viewership numbers been gathered yet?"

Harland replied, "The peak reached 12.35 million users watching."

"Great job, everyone!" Hawke commended, knowing how to motivate his team, "Keep it up; bonuses are not an issue."

The team was filled with enthusiasm.

...

As Hawke exited the broadcast room, he saw James and shook his hand: "What an excellent talk show."

James managed a forced smile and said, "Don't forget your promises."

Hawke waved down the corridor, and Edward came running over with a storage device to hand directly to James.

"Inside is the original video," Hawke stated plainly, "I will honor our agreement."

James replied, "That will do."

He took the storage device and rejoined Will Smith and the others as they left Twitter.

...

As James got into his car downstairs, he called, "I advise CAA to prohibit all clients from collaborating with Twitter."

The person on the other end responded, "Tom Cruise and Steve Nutt have had personal Twitter accounts for a while, we can't rein them in."

With their status and importance, if either of them were unhappy with CAA, they could easily cut ties.

Moreover, Tom Cruise had come away empty-handed from this year's Oscars and was ready to fire CAA after a falling out with his agent, Kingsley.

James's expression darkened. Facing high-profile star clients, the agency was rather powerless; any management contract could only last three years.

*****

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