Chapter 353: The Strike Was Almost Over

As the new year began, following months of fierce competition, the curtain fell for Arsenal. A Hollywood tycoon from across the Atlantic, Capet Capital, began making waves in the English Premier League (EPL)!

"PS2.2 million, signed 17-year-old Aaron Ramsey from Cardiff City!"

Of course, this was just the appetizer, followed by some bigger moves.

"PS7.5 million, signed goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from Schalke 04 of Bundesliga."

"PS10 million, signed Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic from Lokomotiv Moscow, snatched right before Chelsea could finalize the deal."

"PS18 million, acquired midfielder Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, disappointing Tottenham."

"PS20 million, brought in star striker David Sanchez from Valencia CF in La Liga."

"PS3 million, signed center-back David Luiz from Vitoria in Brazil. Although initially loaned to Benfica, Arsenal directly secured him before the season ended!"

In just over half a month, Arsenal splurged over PS60 million on the transfer market, which is around EUR80 million.

The Daily Telegraph: "Arsenal to End the Trophy Drought!"

The Guardian: "After Chelsea, Arsenal's Football Financial Boom Begins!"

Not only did British media outlets like Sky Sports and The Independent report extensively on Arsenal, but also French's L'Equipe and France Football, Germany's Kicker and Bild, and Spain's AS were paying attention to Arsenal in the EPL.

Arsenal didn't just shock the EPL; they shook Europe, as their tactics were strikingly similar to Chelsea's a few years back.

The happiest folks were undoubtedly the Arsenal fans, who were already enjoying the second spot in the league and now had such strong new additions.

Arsenal had a clear objective: the championship!

Whether it was the club chairman Charles Capet or David Dein, who had regained control of Arsenal, both stated in interviews that Arsenal's goal this year was the championship trophy.

Winter transfers were supposed to be for reinforcement, with the main focus obviously being on summer transfers. However, Charles didn't want to see Manchester United winning a treble this year.

Arsenal already wasn't weak this year, and with the new star players coming in, Charles was confident they could take down Manchester United.

In North London, outside Charles' villa on Hampstead's Bishop Avenue, an Aston Martin DB9 was parked, with Charles passionately making out with Emily Blunt inside.

"Alright, alright, Charles, let's go inside!" Emily Blunt chuckled as she moved Charles' hand from her bra.

"No wonder you didn't want to live in Knightsbridge and chose to stay here; your Arsenal is really shining right now."

"Well, it's not bad, but the British paparazzi sure are relentless," Charles mumbled as he nibbled on the girl's neck, "I haven't seen you in days!"

"Let's go inside," Emily Blunt pulled Charles into the villa's living room, and they both sat on the couch. "Charles, will the Writers Guild also boycott this year's Oscars?"

"Oscar?" Charles laughed, "Didn't they cancel this year's Golden Globe Awards ceremony? Do you think they can hold out until the Oscars?"

Charles glanced at his watch, "Today, the Directors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached an agreement, which should help propel further negotiations between the Writers Guild and the Producers Alliance."

Since the beginning of 2008, on January 4, the Writers Guild announced a boycott of the Golden Globes.

On the same day, the Actors Guild announced their support for the Writers Guild and would also boycott the Golden Globes.

On January 7, due to the joint boycott by the Actors Guild and the Writers Guild, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the cancellation of the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

On the same day, the Writers Guild reached an agreement with United Artists led by Tom Cruise, the first agreement the Writers Guild signed with a production company since the strike began.

On January 14, the 65th Golden Globe Awards announced winners through a press release conference due to the cancellation of the ceremony.

Capet Pictures' tragic romance film Atonement, which had seven nominations, won the Best Drama Film award as expected.

However, the film's stars, James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, lost to Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood and Julie Christie for Away from Her in the Best Actor and Actress in Drama categories.

"If the Oscars get canceled, it'll be a huge loss," Charles said while flipping through a nearby newspaper, "The strike started over two and a half months ago, and the impact on California and Los Angeles' economy has been substantial!"

Charles hadn't anticipated that Tom Cruise would be the first to reach an agreement with the Writers Guild. Apparently, he developed a low-budget arthouse film Lions for Lambs at United Artists.

Given United Artists' current scale, it would make more sense for Tom Cruise, representing his own production company, to announce an agreement with the Writers Guild.

Tom Cruise was someone who cared a lot about profits, so he must be planning to leave United Artists soon.

MGM's difficult financial situation, with holding company Sony Group focusing solely on its Blu-ray high-definition DVD market!

BusinessWeek: "Times Warner, which previously supported HD-DVD, has announced support for Blu-ray high-definition DVD format!"

After last year's Paramount, Capet, and Universal exclusively supported Blu-ray, now Warner Bros. has also shifted allegiance. This means that in the high-definition DVD format war, Sony's Blu-ray has triumphed over Toshiba's HD-DVD.

Merrill Lynch, the third largest investment bank on Wall Street, announced three sale agreements to alleviate its funding crisis.

The global financial crisis was truly erupting, and it seemed that soon enough, folks could enjoy the sights of free-falling objects from Wall Street rooftops and heavy items splashing down from the Brooklyn Bridge.

"This year, with the current situation, film companies reduced their film projects. And the writers' strike still isn't resolved," Emily Blunt muttered as she prepared to star in Guy Ritchie's next Capet Pictures film, Sherlock Holmes.

"Don't worry, the strike is almost over!" Charles set down the newspaper, pulled Emily Blunt into his arms, and planted a kiss on her lips.

The girl responded enthusiastically, and soon the two began to engage in some intimate activities right on the couch.

*****

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