In a Chicago studio owned by Harper Productions, Helen Herman walked through a corridor, encountering Oprah, who was heading to the makeup room. Helen greeted her calmly, even sharing a few words before leisurely making her way to Matthew's makeup room. She gently knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Matthew's voice came from inside. Helen Herman opened the door and stepped in.
Matthew had already finished his makeup. He waved off the makeup artist and assistant, who then left the room.
Helen Herman closed the door behind her and said to Matthew, "I have some bad news."
Matthew turned to Helen Herman. "Hmm?"
"I got word from an assistant at Harper Productions." Helen Herman spoke quickly. "Spike Lee is in another makeup room. He's also going to be on tonight's talk show."
"Spike Lee?" Matthew was a bit surprised. "On the same show as me?"
Helen Herman nodded seriously. "He's joining tonight's Oprah Winfrey Show."
Matthew slowly stood up from his chair, shaking his head. His surprise quickly faded. "Oprah really knows how to stir things up."
Honestly, this was unexpected.
"She fears nothing." Helen Herman remained calm. "She's Oprah. Even if you and Spike Lee start a fight on stage, she can handle it."
Matthew knew this was true. Oprah wasn't just any celebrity.
Helen Herman continued, "It seems tonight's climax will be your direct confrontation with Spike Lee." She stared intently at Matthew. "This is a battle you can't lose. If you do, you'll have to leave Hollywood for years."
"Do you think we'll lose?" Matthew asked, more serious than ever. "We've prepared so much."
Helen Herman nodded. "I can only be behind the scenes. It's up to you now."
Matthew exhaled. "This might be better. Face-to-face, it's clearer."
Helen Herman opened her handbag and handed Matthew a portable hard drive. "This is a backup, just in case. The videos will have a greater impact at a critical moment."
Matthew took it and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans.
Since Oprah had invited Spike Lee, a direct confrontation was inevitable.
In fact, this controversy had already brought many negative effects to Matthew. The most immediate result was Armani pausing negotiations with Helen Herman, with no clear date to resume. The Actors Guild and Producers Alliance had expressed concern over the issue, potentially intervening in the "I Am Legend" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" productions.
Even the North American box office for "300" had been significantly affected.
On Monday, the film's box office performance was normal, grossing nearly $11 million. But by Tuesday, as media coverage spread, the earnings dropped to $8.5 million, and continued to decline on Wednesday and Thursday. By Thursday, the daily earnings had fallen to just over $6 million.
Warner Brothers and Skydance Productions reported that black audiences and some white audiences seemed to have developed a resistance to the film.
David Ellison was furious about this, wishing he could get rid of Spike Lee. This investment was too important to him.
In another corridor of the studio, James Jackson finished advising Spike Lee and exited the makeup room.
Inside, Spike Lee took off his glasses, breathed on them, and slowly wiped the lenses. He wanted to ensure his glasses were clear so he could see Matthew Horner squirm, just as he did in front of the Four Seasons Hotel.
This was about both his career and personal vendetta.
Although the controversy had gained some momentum, it wasn't enough. He needed to escalate it, cementing Matthew Horner's reputation as a racist, and then benefit from it.
Receiving Oprah's invitation had been a surprise. When he learned he'd be on the same show as Matthew Horner, he thought it over and decided to participate.
This live, nationwide broadcast was his chance. If he could take down Matthew Horner on the show, he would be a hero of freedom and democracy, a role model for all black people in Hollywood, and the biggest beneficiary of this controversy. The Academy heads already disliked Matthew Horner, and taking him down would surely leave a lasting impression.
Hollywood was, after all, dominated by the left.
As for whether he could take down Matthew Horner, Spike Lee had no doubts.
In other areas, he might be lacking, but when it came to using race issues to attack others, he considered himself second to none in Hollywood.
After all, he'd focused on race issues for over a decade, becoming a top expert in this field.
Having spent so many years in Hollywood, no one understood this better than him.
Spike Lee knew his directing skills were just average. Without some tactics, he couldn't even maintain his current position, let alone become a top director. Years of research and analysis of Hollywood's changing environment led him to a highly effective conclusion: "I'm black, I'm weak, so I must be right."
A decade ago, this mindset would have led to a dead end in the industry. But now, it was a powerful tool, effective in every situation.
Spike Lee realized that in Hollywood, faced with the abuse of political correctness, some would bow their heads, and others would resent it, but none dared to speak out.
Since that was the case, why not use it? He planned to leverage his race to act unscrupulously. Anyone who objected would be labeled a racist.
In today's social climate, no matter how much Matthew Horner argued, he couldn't escape the suspicion of racism. After all, he had intervened in the "I Am Legend" production, replacing two black actors with white ones, and it was well known that Francis Lawrence had left the project in support of the black actors.
There was also potential to exploit Will Smith, though Jada Smith had diluted the focus with her actions.
Spike Lee also saw that he wasn't the only one seeking to benefit from this. Will Smith seemed to have a sharp sense for opportunity as well.
He had his agent, James Jackson, contact Kevin Huvane, hoping to team up with Will Smith to further escalate the controversy for mutual benefit.
Although Will Smith hadn't responded definitively yet, Spike Lee believed that after the talk show, Smith would join forces with him.
They would take down Matthew Horner and drive him out of the industry.
Why should Matthew attract Sofia Coppola? Just because he was well-endowed?
Spike Lee was still bitter about that day. He had orchestrated this plan and wouldn't stop halfway.
Sitting before the makeup mirror, he reviewed Matthew Horner's responses over the past few days, which he found lacking. He had caught Matthew off guard.
He guessed that Matthew intended to use the talk show's influence and viewership to clear his name.
But with Spike Lee present, any plans Matthew had would be futile.
Thinking this, Spike Lee practiced a victorious smile in the mirror, perfecting it for when it would soon be necessary.
As night fell, a long line formed at the studio entrance. Audience members for the live show, arranged by Harper Productions, were waiting to enter.
At the entrance, not only was there a security checkpoint, but security personnel also checked the belongings of the audience members.
The 9/11 attacks had profoundly changed the country, especially regarding security.
Gilberto Silva, a typical African American, with natural curly hair, dark skin, and thick lips contrasting with his white teeth, hadn't smiled today.
He had finally gotten the chance to be in the audience, wanting to see if the Hollywood star he admired was truly as racist as the newspapers claimed. If it were true, he wouldn't hesitate to...
"What's this?"
At the security checkpoint, Gilberto Silva was stopped by a guard who opened his bag to reveal several eggs. "Why are you carrying these?"
"Can't I bring eggs?" Gilberto Silva asked sheepishly, scratching his head. "It's dinner time, and we've been waiting in line for ages without eating. These are my dinner."
The guard lightly tapped one egg to confirm it was real. "Your dinner?"
Gilberto Silva nodded quickly. "Yes, my dinner."
The guard waved him through. "Go ahead."
Someone else had brought bread, another hot dogs. Eggs were normal. It wasn't like airport security.
Gilberto Silva zipped up his bag and hurried forward, sighing in relief after rounding a corner.
These eggs were his special gift for the allegedly racist star.
If his favorite star was indeed a racist, he'd leave a memorable mark.
Many others followed, over a hundred audience members, with Gilberto Silva finding a seat in the front row, likely because he was black.
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