[Chapter 126: Hype]
Salt Lake City, Alta Ski Resort. A crowd of people bundled up in thick down jackets and ski gear raced down the slopes, among them were Link, Monica, Lily, and Cecilia.
The four of them were novices at skiing, but after two days of lessons with their coach, they managed to glide slowly on their ski boards.
"Link, you have a call! It's Quentin!" Lily shouted from the rest area.
Link leaned on his ski pole and made his way back to the lounge. He took off his gloves, drank some water, and sat down to call Quentin. Meanwhile, Lily and Monica continued to play in the snow with Cecilia, giggling and having a great time.
"Quentin, happy New Year! What are you up to?" Link asked after the call connected.
"Watching TV at home. Where are you? Sounds lively," Quentin replied.
"I'm at the ski resort. It snowed heavily a few days ago, but today it's clear, and a lot of people are skiing."
"That sounds nice. There have been many news reports saying you got into a fight with Richard Gere at the premiere party for Bram Stoker's Dracula, knocking him to the ground. Is it true that he ended up in the hospital?" Quentin's voice rose with excitement, a tone only fans could muster.
"To be clear, that's nonsense. If I really did that, I'd be at the police station or in court right now, not on vacation."
"Too bad! It would have been awesome if you two actually fought."
"Do you have something against Richard Gere?"
"Nope. I just enjoy the spectacle, especially yours. If you had a real fight, I'm sure we'd get to see more of your antics in the media."
"Sounds like you have too much time on your hands," Link replied, shaking his head. "How's the prep for Pulp Fiction going? When do you plan to start filming?"
"We're set to start in March, around the same time as Final Destination. Oh, by the way, there's a role in my movie that's perfect for you. I just need you to give the crew two days to shoot your scenes once filming starts."
"What role? Just so you know, the part can't be too big. I don't have that much time, and it can't make me look bad; that would ruin my image."
"Your dazzling image? A guy who throws punches has an image? Don't worry, this part is definitely suited for you," Quentin chuckled mischievously.
Link didn't refuse. Back when Paranormal Activity was released, he had approached Quentin to use his screening footage for promotion, which had resulted in a bit of a mess for Quentin. As a trade-off, he had agreed to help Quentin out once.
This time, even if Quentin was offering him the part of a creepy character, he couldn't refuse.
...
After hanging up, Link donned his gloves again, picked up his ski poles, and headed back to catch up with Monica, Lily, and Cecilia. While he enjoyed his vacation in Utah, tabloid magazines buzzed with stories about his alleged altercation with Richard Gere, fueling a media frenzy. However, both Link and Gere simply chose not to address the rumors.
The news cycle lasted two or three days before gradually losing steam.
...
On January 5th, the 50th Golden Globe Awards took place at the Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Scent of a Woman emerged as the biggest winner, taking home awards for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.
Tim Robbins won Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his remarkable performance in The Player.
Link called to congratulate him and expressed a bit of jealousy over the award. Tim Robbins was thrilled and warmly invited Link to the celebration party, which Link accepted.
During the call, Tim Robbins inquired about the rumored altercation between Link, Richard Gere, and Dustin Hoffman. He asked if Link had gotten into a fight with either of them.
"No, I didn't."
Tim Robbins sighed in disappointment and mentioned that Hoffman had a reputation for being difficult, having once tried to woo Susan Sarandon away from him. He teased that if it weren't for Tim's charm and maturity, he might have lost her to Hoffman.
After moving in with Susan, Tim noted how Hoffman still insisted on pursuing her, which was quite annoying.
"Tim, why didn't you just handle Hoffman yourself?" Link asked.
"Why fight? That's not productive," Timanswered.
With a shake of his head, he wondered how someone like Susan Sarandon could be attracted to a soft guy like Tim.
...
After wrapping up the conversation with Tim, Link sent messages to Al Pacino and director Clint Eastwood, congratulating them on winning Best Actor and Best Director.
On January 9th, the ninth Sundance Film Festival kicked off in Park City. Link and Monica caught a few films at the festival, but unfortunately, none seemed to have blockbuster potential.
Robert Rodriguez also attended the Sundance Festival with his film, El Mariachi, which won the Audience Award for Dramatic Feature.
---
After a few days of fun in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Link returned to Los Angeles with Monica, Lily, and Cecilia.
"Cecilia, did you have fun these last few days?" he asked while dropping the two ladies off at their apartment.
"Not too bad," Cecilia replied, crossing her arms with a cool demeanor.
"That's it? You laughed the whole time; I thought you'd be thrilled," Link teased.
"We only had twenty days -- how is that enough? If we had just stayed at the ski resort and skipped school, then I would've been ecstatic."
"Ha, so you wanted to skip class?"
"Not at all! Don't say that," she replied, quickly covering Link's mouth when she spotted her mother approaching.
"What are you doing? Such bad manners!" Lily playfully tapped Cecilia's forehead, instructing the nanny to take her to study.
Pouting, Cecilia reluctantly left with the nanny.
---
After returning to Los Angeles, Monica flew off to Miami to shoot her new project, while Lily returned to work. Link embarked on a second book signing tour, traveling around Canada, the UK, and France.
While he was busy with signings, the promotional work for The Blair Witch Project officially began. Since late last year, World News Weekly had been running investigative stories on the Blair Witch, featuring reporter investigations, on-site photos, and interviews with locals, raising public awareness about the witch.
As the movie's release approached, more media outlets jumped into the fray, reporting strange incidents connected to the Blair Witch.
For instance, tourists claimed to have spotted the witch, describing her as flying on a broomstick through the forest, draped in a black cloak like a giant crow.
Police from the small town of Wilton alerted reporters that over the past three years, more than ten tourists had vanished in the woods, including three children. They presented substantial evidence suggesting that the Blair Witch was responsible for the disappearances.
With that, the local authorities issued a formal warrant for the Blair Witch, offering a reward of $50,000 for credible information leading to her capture.
The president of the Massachusetts Paranormal Research Association cautioned people against pursuing the witch, stating that doing so would anger her and lead to terrible consequences. He explained that the witch preferred to remain hidden in the deep woods and generally wouldn't attack ordinary people unless provoked.
During a press conference in Wilton, a woman stood up, claiming the Blair Witch was her mother, suffering from a mental illness and merely wandering the woods, denying the witch legends.
When reporters sought an interview with her mother, they were turned down.
After announcing the warrant for the Blair Witch, a women's rights group publicly protested, urging the government to reconsider, stating that the witch trials in Massachusetts 300 years ago had resulted in the deaths of hundreds, mostly women. They argued that issuing a warrant without solid evidence was unreasonable and illegal, amounting to a persecution of women that should be harshly condemned.
Despite the protests, many members of the public, having seen the news regarding the Blair Witch, hoped the police would find her to see if the witch was real or not.
With the concerted media hype surrounding the Blair Witch incident, it became the most talked-about social news story at the beginning of the year.
*****
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