HWI 391
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Pujimaki
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Hollywood What If Chapter 391
During the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show on February 1, 2004, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed together, leading to a controversial incident often referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction." At the end of their performance, Timberlake reached across Jackson's chest and pulled at her costume, unexpectedly tearing away part of her top, exposing her right breast to the television audience for about half a second. This incident, broadcast live to millions of viewers, led to widespread media coverage, public backlash, and significant changes in broadcasting regulations and policies regarding indecency.
The incident had a lasting impact on both artists' careers, the broadcasting industry, and the cultural landscape. Janet Jackson faced significant professional consequences, including being blacklisted by some media outlets and the Grammys, while Timberlake's career continued to flourish.
It was unfortunate that Janet Jackson suffered the most, even though it was not her fault. Her career practically turned to dust after that "wardrobe malfunction." Justin Timberlake was the one who pulled the dress incorrectly, yet his career remained largely unaffected.
This incident was proof that showbiz was harsher on women.
However, for Grey Pictures and Sony-Columbia, it was a heaven-sent opportunity. The suffering of others became their blessing.
In just one day, the entire public shifted its attention to the Super Bowl incident. No one cared about Tobey Maguire anymore. The news about him had already been overanalyzed and recycled.
Sony-Columbia even worked to amplify the Super Bowl controversy so that people would quickly forget about Tobey Maguire. They had to do it, otherwise, they would suffer further repercussions.
In the span of one night, the issues surrounding Tobey Maguire disappeared. Although Universal Pictures and Walt Disney were still keeping the controversy alive, Warner Brothers had stepped away from the battle. After all, Kazir had already promised to work on Batman.
In fact, when Barry Meyer contacted James Lee, the President of DC Comics, James Lee immediately agreed to the idea.
Barry Meyer understood James Lee's excitement. Kazir Grey's name carried immense weight. Whenever his name was included in the credits of a movie, that movie was almost guaranteed to be a box-office success.
Batman was an essential character for both DC Comics and Warner Brothers. Just like Superman, Batman was the face of both companies.
They knew they had the power to revive the Batman franchise because of its profitability.
However, the last live-action Batman movie had been a critical and commercial failure. Audiences didn't like it, and since then, Warner Brothers had vowed that if they were to reboot Batman, they had to ensure it would be a massive success.
Kazir was the best guarantee they could find. His salary was not a problem. As long as Kazir could make Batman popular on the big screen, paying him would be more than worth it.
Since Warner Brothers owned DC Comics, they technically held the rights to all of DC's superhero characters.
Their merchandise sales had been stagnating, but if Kazir directed Batman and the film turned out to be a massive hit, Batman-related merchandise could experience a tenfold increase in sales.
The revenue Warner Brothers could earn just by hiring Kazir as a director was staggering.
So, the best decision was to stop attacking Tobey Maguire. It was no longer worth it.
Warner Brothers wanted to maintain a good relationship with Kazir, now that they were going to work together.
As for the Marvel vs. DC rivalry, that was a battle for another day.
If there was one thing Barry Meyer and James Lee were hoping for, it was that Kazir would help them build the DC Universe. However, Kazir didn't make any promises.
He was only interested in creating a Batman trilogy. The rest was up to DC.
After all, Grey Pictures still owned the rights to some Marvel characters, which they had returned to Marvel in exchange for better profit shares.
Kazir would obviously side with Marvel Comics.
As for the possibility of Kazir sabotaging Batman, Warner Brothers would make sure to include a clause in the contract to prevent that. Just to be safe.
But Kazir wasn't stupid enough to destroy his own reputation.
.........
......
...
With January over, the filming of Spider-Man 2 was also nearing completion.
The production of the film had already been underway long before Kazir even joined the project. While he was busy with Pirates of the Caribbean, the props, sets, and cast had already been prepared by the production team. They were simply waiting for Kazir to officially come on board and begin filming.
Kazir had a reputation for being an efficient director with a clear vision, which allowed the production to proceed smoothly without much hassle.
Initially, Sony-Columbia had considered halting filming to allow Tobey Maguire to stay out of the media spotlight for a while.
However, Tobey personally spoke to Jezebel, arguing that postponing production would result in financial losses. The cast would also waste time waiting.
Kazir agreed with Tobey.
In the end, filming continued. Tobey stayed at a nearby hotel while shooting was ongoing.
"Kazir, thank you so much."
"Hm?"
Kazir glanced at Tobey, who was holding a can of beer. Tobey was allowed to drink, but only inside his hotel room.
"If not for you, I might be drowning in depression right now."
"...?"
"Because of you, I realized that there are still people who believe in me. And I don't want to disappoint them. I'm going to work hard and prove to everyone that Tobey Maguire is a great actor. Thank you, Kazir, for helping me see that."
"I hope you continue to have that kind of perseverance."
The two chuckled. Now Kazir understood why Tobey had invited him to his room for a talk.
"I believe you can do it. You have the talent to back it up."
"Thanks."
Tobey took another sip of his beer, feeling renewed determination.
During the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show on February 1, 2004, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed together, leading to a controversial incident often referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction." At the end of their performance, Timberlake reached across Jackson's chest and pulled at her costume, unexpectedly tearing away part of her top, exposing her right breast to the television audience for about half a second. This incident, broadcast live to millions of viewers, led to widespread media coverage, public backlash, and significant changes in broadcasting regulations and policies regarding indecency.
The incident had a lasting impact on both artists' careers, the broadcasting industry, and the cultural landscape. Janet Jackson faced significant professional consequences, including being blacklisted by some media outlets and the Grammys, while Timberlake's career continued to flourish.
It was unfortunate that Janet Jackson suffered the most, even though it was not her fault. Her career practically turned to dust after that "wardrobe malfunction." Justin Timberlake was the one who pulled the dress incorrectly, yet his career remained largely unaffected.
This incident was proof that showbiz was harsher on women.
However, for Grey Pictures and Sony-Columbia, it was a heaven-sent opportunity. The suffering of others became their blessing.
In just one day, the entire public shifted its attention to the Super Bowl incident. No one cared about Tobey Maguire anymore. The news about him had already been overanalyzed and recycled.
Sony-Columbia even worked to amplify the Super Bowl controversy so that people would quickly forget about Tobey Maguire. They had to do it, otherwise, they would suffer further repercussions.
In the span of one night, the issues surrounding Tobey Maguire disappeared. Although Universal Pictures and Walt Disney were still keeping the controversy alive, Warner Brothers had stepped away from the battle. After all, Kazir had already promised to work on Batman.
In fact, when Barry Meyer contacted James Lee, the President of DC Comics, James Lee immediately agreed to the idea.
Barry Meyer understood James Lee's excitement. Kazir Grey's name carried immense weight. Whenever his name was included in the credits of a movie, that movie was almost guaranteed to be a box-office success.
Batman was an essential character for both DC Comics and Warner Brothers. Just like Superman, Batman was the face of both companies.
They knew they had the power to revive the Batman franchise because of its profitability.
However, the last live-action Batman movie had been a critical and commercial failure. Audiences didn't like it, and since then, Warner Brothers had vowed that if they were to reboot Batman, they had to ensure it would be a massive success.
Kazir was the best guarantee they could find. His salary was not a problem. As long as Kazir could make Batman popular on the big screen, paying him would be more than worth it.
Since Warner Brothers owned DC Comics, they technically held the rights to all of DC's superhero characters.
Their merchandise sales had been stagnating, but if Kazir directed Batman and the film turned out to be a massive hit, Batman-related merchandise could experience a tenfold increase in sales.
The revenue Warner Brothers could earn just by hiring Kazir as a director was staggering.
So, the best decision was to stop attacking Tobey Maguire. It was no longer worth it.
Warner Brothers wanted to maintain a good relationship with Kazir, now that they were going to work together.
As for the Marvel vs. DC rivalry, that was a battle for another day.
If there was one thing Barry Meyer and James Lee were hoping for, it was that Kazir would help them build the DC Universe. However, Kazir didn't make any promises.
He was only interested in creating a Batman trilogy. The rest was up to DC.
After all, Grey Pictures still owned the rights to some Marvel characters, which they had returned to Marvel in exchange for better profit shares.
Kazir would obviously side with Marvel Comics.
As for the possibility of Kazir sabotaging Batman, Warner Brothers would make sure to include a clause in the contract to prevent that. Just to be safe.
But Kazir wasn't stupid enough to destroy his own reputation.
.........
......
...
With January over, the filming of Spider-Man 2 was also nearing completion.
The production of the film had already been underway long before Kazir even joined the project. While he was busy with Pirates of the Caribbean, the props, sets, and cast had already been prepared by the production team. They were simply waiting for Kazir to officially come on board and begin filming.
Kazir had a reputation for being an efficient director with a clear vision, which allowed the production to proceed smoothly without much hassle.
Initially, Sony-Columbia had considered halting filming to allow Tobey Maguire to stay out of the media spotlight for a while.
However, Tobey personally spoke to Jezebel, arguing that postponing production would result in financial losses. The cast would also waste time waiting.
Kazir agreed with Tobey.
In the end, filming continued. Tobey stayed at a nearby hotel while shooting was ongoing.
"Kazir, thank you so much."
"Hm?"
Kazir glanced at Tobey, who was holding a can of beer. Tobey was allowed to drink, but only inside his hotel room.
"If not for you, I might be drowning in depression right now."
"...?"
"Because of you, I realized that there are still people who believe in me. And I don't want to disappoint them. I'm going to work hard and prove to everyone that Tobey Maguire is a great actor. Thank you, Kazir, for helping me see that."
"I hope you continue to have that kind of perseverance."
The two chuckled. Now Kazir understood why Tobey had invited him to his room for a talk.
"I believe you can do it. You have the talent to back it up."
"Thanks."
Tobey took another sip of his beer, feeling renewed determination.