Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion-Chapter 530 - 414 Cannes

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"Damn it! That bastard is trending again."

In a smoky bar in New York, singer Chris Brown was scrolling through the news on his phone, cursing under his breath.

"Who? Link? Haven't seen any news about him for a while, what did he do this time?"

50 Cent was nursing a beer, his legs propped up on a marble table.

"See for yourself!"

Chris Brown thrust the phone in front of 50 Cent, and Lil Wayne, T.I., and Drake also put down their beer bottles and looked over, to see a YouTube video.

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In the spacious and bright Los Angeles International Airport terminal, a guy in a casual suit was sitting at a piano, singing "All of me" while playing, surrounded by a crowd of people.

The piano player was Link.

As he played, the terminal was packed with people, all filming with their phones or cameras, and many joined in singing along with him.

What would I do without your smart mouth

What would I do without your sweet talk

Drawing me in, and you kicking me out

You're hot then you're cold

Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down

Link's singing voice was very good, and the crowd's chorus wasn't bad either; the atmosphere was great.

Seeing this video, although T.I. and the others were annoyed by Link, they had to admit the guy could really sing. His live performance was just as good as in the studio, and he didn't need any sound engineer to tweak his voice.

This was something many professional singers couldn't achieve.

Link's performance was quite professional.

"Why is he singing at the airport?"

50 Cent asked while watching the video.

"The news said he was heading to France for the Cannes Film Festival. Because of the weather, his flight was delayed for over an hour, so he got bored and started playing the piano in the terminal. Then the passengers gathered around, asking him to sing a song. He performed a few songs on the spot, and for some reason, this crap made it to the trending news,"

explained Chris Brown.

"Link still has huge popularity."

50 Cent said, smacking his lips.

Compared to last year, when Link made one headline after another from the beginning to the end of the year and the entire American media was following him, this year Link had been much more low-key in the media, hardly doing anything excessively flamboyant.

But even so, every little thing Link did managed to stir up media coverage, and people loved to read news about him.

For example, in February, his "The Toman I Love" broke through 5 million sales in the United States, in March he spent a fortune to buy Lionsgate Films, in April while promoting "Bridesmaids," he boasted that the movie's box office would bring in four or five hundred million, and not long ago his new song "Sugar" also became a hot topic. Now, there was another addition.

"He was originally a boxer, then after becoming the world champion, he transitioned to a singer, and after becoming a superstar, he crossed over to acting. This guy is quite the troublemaker,"

commented T.I.

"Have you guys noticed without Link around, the music scene seems to be missing something?"

Usher mused, sipping his beer.

"Missing what?"

asked Chris Brown.

"Some controversy, a lot of news, and the amount of attention the music industry gets has significantly decreased. Back in '09 and '10 when Link was around, music news was always topping the headlines of all the major media outlets, with one trending topic after another, much more than the film industry.

Now that Link has turned his focus to Hollywood, there's been less entertainment news in the music industry, and it seems to have become a bit boring,"

said Usher.

Everyone thought about it and agreed that seemed to be the case.

Back when Link was around, the news would often cover stories of singers vying for the charts, Billboard single rankings, and Link and East Coast rappers taking digs at each other, using various tactics, the hype lasting from the beginning to end of the year.

These stories were often thrilling, full of ups and downs, and after media interpretation, they became even more exciting than Hollywood blockbusters. They too often made headlines following Link, and although they got ridiculed, looking back, it was quite fun.

Now that Link had moved to Hollywood, the music scene had become a lot quieter.

Usually, the news about the music industry on media platforms was about which singer released a new song, the Billboard single rankings, and album sales, all of which seemed a bit dull.

"The music industry is supposed to be like this. It's just that after Link came, he spoiled the atmosphere. He's the industry's shit-stirrer,"

sneered Lil Wayne.

The others nodded in agreement; Link really was a shit-stirrer.

In boxing, he turned the industry upside down.

After becoming a singer, the music industry was in turmoil with one big news story after another.

```

Now that Link had become an actor, Hollywood thus became busier.

——

"Mr. Baker, I'm your fan. Could you sign an autograph for me?"

"No problem!"

On the United Airlines flight in business class, Link took the autograph book from the female fan's hand and scribbled his name with a pen. The fan took the autograph book and left excitedly.

This was the fifteenth fan who had asked him for an autograph since he boarded the plane. He only sighed in relief when Wallace said there were no more fans asking, then undid his collar and cuffs and sat down comfortably in his seat.

"I heard you're having a conflict with Harvey?"

Across him, director Woody Allen took off his headphones and asked.

"Who said that?"

Link opened his eyes and smiled.

"I'm not deaf, a lot of people in the circle are talking about it."

"Talking about what?"

"They are saying you and Harvey are having a conflict. Talk to me seriously, don't beat around the bush with me here."

Director Allen said discontentedly.

"I'm not beating around the bush. I just want to know if what you've heard is different from what I know. For instance, why am I having a conflict with Harvey, what started it, and what happened and the result of it all."

Link spread his hands and laughed.

Director Woody Allen adjusted his glasses, "I heard it's because of Jennifer?"

"That's right, Harvey knew Jennifer was my girlfriend but still dared to harass her during auditions. When he called to continue harassing Jennifer, I scolded him outright.

I was really angry at the time and might have been a bit harsh, which probably provoked him. He then used his connections to cost me two roles, and he's been going around the circle threatening to blacklist me. And up to now, I haven't lifted a finger against him.

So Woody, your question about me having a conflict with Harvey is wrong. It's Harvey who is having a conflict with me. Looking at the whole situation, I don't believe I've done anything wrong," Link said earnestly.

As for the matter of me using 'dirt' to scare Harvey into giving me half of the rights to 'Silver Linings Playbook', it all started because Harvey was not clean, and I got him by the throat.

This issue also cost Harvey face, and I believe even if Director Woody Allen asked him, Harvey wouldn't easily disclose it.

"It does sound like Harvey's fault. I'll have a talk with him when I have the time, see if I can mediate a bit for you guys. Harvey is an old-school producer with deep roots in the circle. If you want to develop in Hollywood, it's better not to be too stiff with him," Director Allen said.

Director Woody Allen had collaborated with Harvey a few times, including on films like "Dysfunctional Aphrodisiac" and "Celebrity Polyphony," produced and distributed by Miramax Films, so the two had some rapport.

"I understand," Link said, expressing his thanks to Director Allen, but he also knew the likelihood of Harvey agreeing to reconcile was slim, and even if Harvey did agree, he wouldn't.

If it hadn't been for Harvey, he wouldn't have made a move to buy Lionsgate at this time, with over two hundred million US dollars in losses. Later, when 'Bridesmaids' was released, Harvey played dirty, leading to over six million dollars in box office losses.

All these were debts owed by Harvey and couldn't be easily settled.

"Woody, do you think having offended Harvey will affect my chances of winning the Oscars for Best Actor?" Link asked.

Because Director Woody Allen was also a member of the jury and had served in positions such as vice chairman and chairman in the Oscars Academy jury, although he hadn't continued in key positions in recent years, he still had the connections.

Director Woody Allen was drinking water and paused when he heard this.

"You want to win the Oscars for Best Actor? When, and on what grounds?"

"How do you think my performance in 'Midnight in Paris' was? Do I have a chance at the Oscars for Best Actor with that role?" Link inquired.

Director Woody Allen rolled his eyes and told him to forget about it, it was impossible. The Oscars Academy would rather give Best Actor to Optimus Prime, Batman, Harry Potter, or even Mickey Mouse, but not him.

Because he's too young, too successful, too handsome, too famous, and his value is also too high.

Among the 5765 members of the Oscars selection committee, 62% are elderly people over the age of 60, and 77% are male.

Some of them had won the Oscars trophy, some had spent a lifetime making a lot of effort without success. With such resentful people as jurors, how could they possibly vote for him? It was absolutely impossible.

"Woody, I don't have even a slight chance?"

"You don't! Don't even think about it," Director Allen said, waving his hand and closing his eyes.

Link shrugged his shoulders, not disappointed—if he couldn't get an Oscar, then he would first aim to be Film Emperor at the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice film festivals.