Chapter 285: New Divide
Chapter 285: New Divide
Ever since that video was made public and the tide of public opinion began to turn, the domestic media in North America initially maintained a sliver of restraint. However, the British media across the Atlantic—even including several British newspapers controlled by News Corporation—abandoned all integrity, completely flipped their stances, and threw their support behind Eric in a one-sided landslide. As for the reason, it was naturally due to Eric's status as a British citizen—at least, that was how the British media saw it. It was much like how whenever a British actress found fame in Hollywood, regardless of whether she had taken American citizenship or not, she would invariably be hailed by the British public as a "British Rose."
As a Hollywood director who had grown up in London until the age of eight, still retained his British citizenship, and had created a series of box office miracles, Eric had, without a doubt, become the pride of the British people before the storm ever broke. This was readily apparent from the outstanding box office performances of the several films he had directed within the UK itself.
Consequently, when the storm first erupted, although the British media had followed the trend by launching a series of attacks against Eric, most outlets used the sort of disappointed, tough-love tone [1] reserved for seeing a child from one's own family failing to live up to expectations.
Now, having initially thought that a "child" from their own home had fallen from grace, the facts proved that it was actually all a frame-up by others. The emotions of the British media could easily be imagined.
On the very day the video was released, the famous British newspaper The Guardian published an article on its front page headline, characterizing the various attacks Eric had suffered during this period as "the most severe persecution of public opinion at the end of the 20th century."
"In the short span of a single year, Eric Williams has left a series of classics for world cinema, a feat that is exceptionally rare in the entire history of global motion pictures. His Home Alone franchise has brought laughter to children worldwide; his Pretty Woman and Sleepless in Seattle have brought yearning for romance to young men and women; his Running Out of Time allowed us to experience a soul-stirring clash between good and evil; his The Others made us realize that a horror film can still make people shudder even without gore and violence...
Yet it is precisely such a talented young man who, because of his miraculous rise, has suffered a series of distressing onslaughts. It can be called one of the most severe public opinion persecutions of the 20th century. If we investigate carefully, we will find that for over a month, the series of scandals regarding Eric Williams in the media was fundamentally baseless nonsense manufactured out of a few wind-catching, shadow-snatching [2] photographs, and the several lawsuits Eric Williams is currently facing are also entirely orchestrated by calculated individuals behind the scenes. It is hard to imagine that in a nation like America, which constantly clamors that freedom trumps all, its news and public opinion could actually be manipulated to such an unrestrained degree. This must be called a supreme irony."
Following the publication of The Guardian's commentary article, the thesis that Eric was suffering "the most severe persecution of public opinion of the 20th century" rapidly gained validation from many international media outlets outside the United States, and quickly found its way back to North America.
The majority of American media outlets, which had initially merely drifted with the tide, also swiftly accepted this viewpoint. While beginning to wash themselves clean, they started stepping up to mount a defense for Eric.
However, after the turnaround in this storm, the ones who reacted most intensely were not those media outlets, but the ordinary citizens. Countless historical facts throughout the ages have proven one truth: though the public is the easiest group to fool, they are also the group that absolutely brooks no deception. And the remarks made by Arnon Carpenter in the video were undoubtedly a massive provocation to the American public, who had always pursued freedom and transparency.
Thus, in the short span of three days, coordinated by Eric's fan organizations scattered across North America, demonstrating crowds emerged in more than ten major US cities—including New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Philadelphia—to strongly back Eric and petition the federal government to investigate this public opinion persecution scandal. Although the headcount in each city wasn't massive—even in Hollywood's home base of Los Angeles, the fans participating in the demonstration numbered fewer than two thousand—the scope spanned almost every critical city in America. Even the most foolish person knew that if the federal government turned a blind eye to this, the matter would definitely escalate and expand, eventually reaching an uncontrollable state.
While the federal government was still urgently deliberating over a countermeasure, Eric—having remained almost completely silent for over a month since the storm broke—formally issued a statement. He announced that he would release his first single on February 14th, Valentine's Day, to deliver his personal response to this storm. At the same time, all subsequent revenue generated from the commercial distribution of this single would be donated to a legal aid foundation in North America dedicated to helping vulnerable groups.
Responding to one's own unjust treatment with a song was something that had never happened before. While finding it novel, everyone—regardless of whether they were Eric's fans—harbored immense anticipation for the event. Keenly sensing the business opportunity, several major record labels in North America all contacted Eric at the earliest opportunity, requesting the distribution rights for this single under the most favorable terms.
Seemingly sensing the writing on the wall, the federal government officially convened a press conference on February 13th, announcing that it would establish a dedicated task force to conduct a thorough investigation into the series of attacks Eric Williams had suffered during this period.
On February 14th, amid a holiday of revelry for couples across America, it seemed that far fewer couples went out for shopping, bar-hopping, or movies in many North American cities on this particular evening. Many people dug out radios that had already been tossed into storage rooms, and after a bit of tuning, located the channel they wanted. Naturally, many people did not own a radio recorder; consequently, on this day, radio recorders—whose sales had otherwise been dismal due to the popularity of televisions—experienced a massive sales surge. The stock of radio recorders in quite a few stores was even completely swept clean. Afterward, according to incomplete statistics compiled by some inquisitive media outlets, the nationwide sales of radio recorders on that single day exceeded 2.6 million units, far surpassing the record of over a million television sets sold during the annual Super Bowl.
Inside a Beverly Hills villa, Michael Eisner, who had been busy all day, finally returned home. Ever since Eric exposed that video, Michael Eisner had keenly realized that the series of actions he had coordinated with several other film giants against Eric over the past month would end up yielding nothing. Furthermore, as the initiator and primary executor of this event, once the demonstrating crowds backing Eric appeared in major cities across America, Michael Eisner had no choice but to personally sweep away the series of evidence from their previous operations, and deliberately set up a few newspapers as scapegoats to give the federal government an account.
After resting on the living room sofa for a while, Michael Eisner checked his watch, then softly instructed a servant to find a radio before entering his study in silence.
At the same time, countless people across North America performed the exact same action just before eight o'clock in the evening.
At eight o'clock sharp, a music show program on the Federal Public Radio formally commenced.
"Hi, hello everyone, I'm your good friend Matthew Lassard. As a radio host, I can be certain that with everyone turning their attention toward television screens nowadays, today will definitely become the day with the largest audience in my career. You all might not know that from the moment I started my shift up until now, over the span of two hours, I have listened to a single song a full twenty-plus times. That kind of blood-boiling shout is probably the most inspiring tune I have ever heard in my life. Woah, woah, my boss is making a throat-slitting gesture at me across the glass. Alright, so I don't get fired, I'll say one last thing: this is the Music Heaven program on Federal Public Radio, I'm your host Matthew Lassard. Next, let us listen together to the new song brought to us by the famous, great director Eric Williams—New Divide."
As the host's voice faded, following a brief silence, drumbeats sounded as if approaching from afar, followed immediately by a rapid succession of keyboard, drum, and guitar notes. The pitch climbed higher and higher, carrying an inexplicable, soul-stirring power. The intro sustained for a full half-minute; before the vocals even commenced, countless people in front of their radios felt a resonance and thrill originating from the depths of their souls.
Michael Eisner, who seemed not to have experienced this kind of feeling for a long time, sat in his executive chair inside his study. The fingers he had placed on the desk subconsciously tapped the desktop a few times along with the tune from the radio, but quickly froze up again. Although there was no one else in the study, a trace of awkwardness and embarrassment still surfaced on Michael Eisner's face.
Yet the music in the radio didn't alter in the slightest due to Michael Eisner's reaction, and Eric's voice soon carried out from the speakers:
I remember black skies, the lightning all around.
I remembered each flash, as time began to blur.
Like a star-shattered light...
...
Michael Eisner shifted his posture in his executive chair, forcing a cold smile onto the corner of his mouth as he feigned complete indifference, murmuring, "Is this supposed to be an accusation? How childish."
Though he said this, the mocking expression could no longer surface on Michael Eisner's face. As the CEO of a film company, he could realize that the dissemination of this rock song would bring even more momentum to Eric, who was already holding the upper hand. Therefore, Michael Eisner couldn't help but begin reviewing whether he still had loose ends that hadn't been cleaned up, and whether there was any leverage left in the hands of others. He was a qualified businessman; once a matter became unfeasible, Michael Eisner naturally felt they should continue to cooperate with Eric. After all, interest was always paramount.