Chapter 439: Rapidly Changing Situation

Adam was truly shattered, completely broken.

He couldn't imagine Anson secretly going to record "The Tonight Show." Even more absurd was that "The Tonight Show" actually agreed to it.

Sony Columbia was backstabbed like this, their entire plan disrupted. Wasn't this adding insult to injury?

No matter how much he thought about it, Adam couldn't control himself.

Shit!

Cursing again, Adam had to force himself to calm down. He didn't have time to settle the score with Anson right now. Controlling the crisis and minimizing the damage was the top priority.

As for Edgar, hmph, settling accounts later wouldn't be too late.

He would let them know that no matter how battered Sony Columbia was, it was still one of the seven major Hollywood film studios. It was the 21st century now, so there was no need to talk about silly things like banning or not banning, but teaching actors and agents a lesson was still possible.

With a flick of their finger, they could make Anson and Edgar suffer.

Pulling himself together, Adam regained his composure.

"What about 'The Tonight Show'?"

The conference room fell silent.

After a short while, a timid voice finally answered, "The show hasn't responded."

Adam: ...

"The Tonight Show" and Jay Leno were tough nuts to crack. Adam knew it was impossible to ask them to pull the episode, but at least they could postpone its airing, right?

Delay it a bit, avoid the peak of the storm, wait until two weeks after the release of "Spider-Man," no, even airing it after the opening weekend would be fine. This way, they could control the damage within a reasonable range.

Adam believed this was negotiable since "The Tonight Show" wouldn't suffer any losses.

However, the show didn't respond.

Adam glared fiercely.

The person immediately understood, "I'll continue calling the show right now."

Flusteredly gathering their documents, the figure quickly left the conference room. In their haste, they didn't even have time to open the door and rushed out, slamming into the door panel with a bang.

A loud crash!

Everyone in the conference room winced in pain, but the person didn't have time to rub their forehead. They opened the door and quickly fled the scene on all fours.

Adam paid no attention, looking at the crowd with a blank expression and continuing, "So, how should we turn the situation around now?"

The conference room exchanged glances.

The air almost solidified.

After a brief silence, someone finally spoke cautiously.

"If we can't avoid it, why not use it to our advantage?"

"Anson has a close relationship with producers like Darren Star and David Crane. Jeff Robinov also mentioned his name. Not long ago, he just finished working on a project with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Maybe we can contact them and have them mention Anson, taking advantage of the situation to make this game bigger..."

The more they thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

However, dark clouds gathered over Adam's face.

The next second, all he heard was a ringing in his ears.

"Idiots."

"What's their relationship with Anson, and what's their relationship with us? Why would they endorse 'Spider-Man'?"

"Jeff Robinov?"

"Steven Spielberg?"

"Why don't you just have Warner Bros. and DreamWorks' teams help us with the promotion? Let the whole Hollywood see us as a joke."

"Huh?"

"Ahhh..."

The volcano finally erupted. The entire room fell silent, and no one dared to look Adam in the eye.

Adam almost flipped the conference table. The entire space was filled with a deathly silence, and everyone lowered their heads, afraid of being targeted by the dinosaur.

After venting his anger, Adam finally regained his composure and took a deep breath.

Ultimately, he still needed to solve the problem, and he believed he could.

"Connect me to Brian Swozstone."

Not long ago, Brian Swozstone had been promoted to CEO of William Morris.

In fact, the matter wasn't that complicated. There was no need for a direct confrontation. Just a little pressure to push back the airing time of "The Tonight Show" would suffice.

If Sony Columbia forced "The Tonight Show," it might be difficult. But if Edgar himself made the request, the show had no reason to refuse.

So, to solve the problem at its root, Adam went directly to the William Morris executives.

On the phone, Brian displayed the efficiency of a seasoned professional. He didn't make excuses or beat around the bush, readily agreeing. He would inquire about the situation and would absolutely cooperate with Sony Columbia's promotional plan.

Of course, Adam wasn't a child and was long past the age of naivety. He couldn't believe everything Brian said and still needed to make multiple preparations. Sony Columbia also became fully engaged.

However!

"The Tonight Show" still aired.

It wasn't postponed, nor was it canceled. It even aired three days earlier than planned.

Their stance couldn't have been more assertive.

Rumor had it that when Jay Leno learned of Sony Columbia's unreasonable demands, the king of talk shows was outraged and immediately went to the NBC executives.

Although no one heard the full conversation, snippets could be caught before the office door closed, such as "Since when does someone else tell me how to do my show?" and "They think they can control everything." It was a rare sight to see Jay Leno lose his temper.

Because he hosted talk shows year-round, Jay Leno always wore a smile, creating an illusion:

He was a harmless teddy bear.

Only at this moment could people recall that when Johnny Carson was about to retire, the competition for the successor of "The Tonight Show" was also a bloody one. Originally, David Letterman had received a promise from the executives, securing the job, but in the end, David Letterman left in anger, and Jay Leno forcefully took the position.

What exactly happened behind the scenes remained a legend.

But one thing was certain, Jay Leno was definitely not a pushover or a simpleton.

Although no one knew the specific content of Jay Leno's conversation with the NBC executives, the result was clear: the show still aired.

Not only did it air, but it also aired earlier.

Undoubtedly, this was a slap in the face, and Jay Leno didn't intend to save face for Sony Columbia. This counterattack made things very ugly.

Later, Sony Columbia had to find a mediator to ease the relationship between the two sides. Jay Leno used the third party to convey his views.

"Wouldn't I, the host, know whether the show is good or not?"

"For them, the success or failure of a movie is of limited importance. Compared to the losses on Wall Street, it's just a drop in the bucket."

"But for me, I have my reputation to uphold. I invited him to be a guest on the show and recorded the episode, so I need to be responsible for its quality."

"This is my show, damn it, this is my brand."

"Who is he? Someone from the marketing department, coming to tell me how to do things, pointing fingers at my show. Does he even have a brain?"

"I'm willing to air this episode, which shows my confidence. Even if he doesn't believe in those newcomers, he should believe in my ability and judgment. I won't allow others to question my professionalism."

Facts proved that Jay Leno was right.