What does a sports car commercial need? To showcase the car's wild spirit? Or its luxurious price tag? Or perhaps its high-end elegance and class?
If placed within a Batman movie, perhaps it should have all of those.
The concept of the commercial was quite simple — Bruce Wayne drives a Lamborghini to a masquerade ball, where he encounters his childhood sweetheart, Rachel.
Rachel is about to leave, and Bruce Wayne follows to see what's going on. The two race their Lamborghinis down the road, chasing one another.
Then Rachel speeds off, leaving Bruce Wayne behind. Bruce searches all over and finally finds Rachel. The two exchange a smile across the balcony.
At the end, Batman glides across the sky above the two Lamborghinis, and the Lamborghini logo appears.
The ad wasn't particularly innovative — rather standard, really. But perhaps because of the participation of a Hollywood director along with handsome men and beautiful women, it had the feel of a blockbuster.
That was exactly what Lamborghini wanted — luxury, flamboyance, and fashion.
Christian Bale had just the right aura of a wealthy playboy, and Jennifer Connelly, the epitome of classical beauty, matched him perfectly. The commercial turned out exceptionally well.
The shoot didn't take much effort — it wrapped up in just two nights.
After watching it, Lamborghini was very satisfied and decided to broadcast the ad during the Super Bowl.
As a reward to the actors involved and to promote their flagship product, Lamborghini gifted the two sports cars used in the ad to the two stars.
There was also a limited-edition model, which they gifted to Gilbert.
Gilbert wasn't much of a car enthusiast. The only vehicle that truly caught his interest was the Batmobile. So, he gave the limited-edition Lamborghini to Anne Hathaway instead.
He asked Scarlett, but she said no — she preferred planes and yachts…
Thinking of how Scarlett had already customized the paint on his private jet and how there was that yacht named The Scar, Gilbert just let her have her way.
Soon, the limited-edition car made its grand debut. During a break from filming, Anne Hathaway insisted that Gilbert accompany her to a few charity auctions.
At one event in Beverly Hills, Anne Hathaway made a stunning entrance, arriving in the limited-edition Lamborghini.
Wearing a flowing white gown, pearl jewelry, and crystal high heels, she was the perfect picture of grace and glamour.
When the car door opened, the first thing reporters noticed was the faint glimpse of Anne Hathaway's long legs beneath her dress.
Gilbert got out of the car, straightened his suit jacket, handed the keys to the valet, and then took Anne Hathaway's hand as they walked down the red carpet of the charity auction.
Even the most jaded Hollywood reporters — used to seeing all kinds of dazzling appearances — were blown away by the sight.
Gilbert, of course, exuded the natural charisma of a renowned director.
And Anne Hathaway, in her white gown, looked as though she had stepped straight out of her Arwen days — nostalgia at its finest.
The reporters naturally wouldn't let the two leave easily. After signing the backdrop wall and posing for photos, they were quickly surrounded by interviewers.
The topic reporters were most curious about, of course, was Gilbert's latest film. To this, Gilbert replied, "Post-production is going smoothly. I believe the film will meet audiences in the summer season."
He then tried to redirect the reporters' attention back to the charity event itself: "I've also donated an item to the auction, to do my part for charity."
A reporter asked, "Can we know what the item is?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Gilbert said with a mysterious smile.
The truth was, the item was a video camera made by Panasonic — model WV3200N — something his old man had bought for him to play with.
This camera had no storage media of its own; it needed a separate player unit. When connected to a TV, it could play recordings directly.
Inside the player was a short, somewhat nonsensical video Gilbert had filmed back in middle school — he included both as one auction item.
While Gilbert didn't see it as anything sentimental, someone else might find it interesting. At least Anne Hathaway thought so — she felt she had to win it back.
Anne also donated an item of her own — a sword she had used during the filming of The Lord of the Rings.
As soon as the two entered the charity hall, they became the center of attention.
Especially Gilbert — everyone wanted to greet him, whether they knew him or not.
"Wow, Leo, you're here too?" Gilbert hugged DiCaprio, then glanced at the long-legged, bronze-skinned beauty beside him. "Your new girlfriend?"
DiCaprio raised an eyebrow. "How about it? Not bad, right? She's Victoria's Secret's top angel — and I got her."
"Oh my God," Anne Hathaway teased from the side. "Leo, could you stop chasing Victoria's Secret models? They're pitiful enough as it is."
"I can't. If I don't, someone else will. Better me than them!" DiCaprio laughed, looking like a man sacrificing himself for the greater good.
If not for that self-satisfied grin, one might almost believe he was a hero.
DiCaprio and Gilbert shared a strong bond — he'd even helped Gilbert handle Madonna once (though DiCaprio had volunteered quite happily).
Later, DiCaprio admitted that Madonna had been a bit too wild — his back almost didn't survive that period.
The Victoria's Secret model beside him kept a polite smile throughout. Aside from the initial greeting, she remained quiet and reserved — like an ostrich trying not to be noticed.
Leo had made it clear to her: she wasn't in a position to cozy up to someone like Gilbert.
Being a Victoria's Secret model sounded glamorous, but the modeling world was even smaller and messier than Hollywood. She too wished she could break into the film industry.
Unfortunately, no matter how prestigious the title sounded, Victoria's Secret models weren't quite qualified to make it big in Hollywood.
Knowing Gilbert's rivalry with David Ellison, DiCaprio warned him, "That queen bee is here again tonight. She'll probably try to stir things up. Be careful."
Following DiCaprio's gesture, Gilbert saw David Ellison chatting and laughing among Los Angeles elites, accompanied by Martin Bob.
Gilbert didn't care in the slightest. "Just a queen bee. Without his father, he's nothing."
"True. Last time Scarlett pranked him with spiders, he almost lost it. Good thing she's not here tonight." DiCaprio looked around, as if searching for Scarlett.
"I just hope she doesn't pull another snake prank. I hate those things."
"Don't worry," Gilbert said with a smirk. "Scarlett hates snakes too."
"Really?" Leo's eyes lit up as if he had just discovered Scarlett's weakness. "Great! Finally found that little devil's Achilles' heel."
"I'd advise you not to mess with Scarlett," Gilbert said earnestly. "Haven't you suffered enough from her tricks last time?"
Leo shuddered slightly, clearly recalling what had happened at Melon Manor when Scarlett pranked him during a fishing trip.
That little devil, spoiled by Gilbert's affection went around causing mischief everywhere.
Still, Leo felt somewhat relieved. David Ellison had been the most unfortunate of them all.
These days, almost everyone in Hollywood knew about how David Ellison had ended up paralyzed and hospitalized after being terrified by a spider prank.
Now, people secretly laughed at him — the man who wanted to play the bull, only to end up humiliated instead. David Ellison had lost face badly.
Fortunately, though he might lack many virtues, David's skin was thick enough. The mockery and gossip didn't seem to affect him.
Sensing Gilbert's gaze, David Ellison turned around, smiled, and raised his glass in a toast.
That actually caught Gilbert a little off guard. He froze for a second, then politely returned the gesture.
After Leo left, a middle-aged woman approached, bringing along a tall teenage girl.
"Hello, Director Gilbert, I'm Andrea Finlay," the woman said, holding the girl's hand. "And this is my daughter, Taylor Swift."
Taylor's bright blue eyes looked up at Gilbert — and at the radiant Anne Hathaway beside him — before she quickly greeted them.
"Director Gilbert, Miss Hathaway, it's an honor to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Gilbert replied with a warm nod. Then he asked, "I heard from Sheena that your new album is in the works?"
Taylor Swift hadn't expected Gilbert to know about it and was pleasantly surprised. "Yes! I wrote most of the lyrics and composed the songs myself."
"That's impressive," Gilbert praised. "A real young talent. Once it's released, I'll be sure to give it a listen."
"Great! I'll send you a signed copy!"
"Thank you so much…"
After chatting for a while, Taylor had to leave to prepare for her performance.
Anne Hathaway slipped her arm around Gilbert's and said softly, "Girls these days — are they all this calculating?"
"If they weren't," Gilbert said with a faint smile, "they wouldn't make it far. And those who do make it — like Britney Spears — are just lucky. It never lasts long."
Anne nodded in agreement. "True enough."
After Madonna's era ended, every female singer wanted to become the next Madonna. And the one who came closest was none other than Taylor Swift.
The night was destined to be eventful — Gilbert soon ran into Gwyneth Paltrow.
She arrived with her new boyfriend and came over to greet him.
"Seems you've been doing well lately, Gilbert." Gwyneth Paltrow gave Anne Hathaway a quick, dismissive glance before turning her full attention to Gilbert.
"Thanks to you, I'm doing great," Gilbert said calmly. "How about you?"
"I'm fine too," Gwyneth said with a proud smile. "I've got more offers and projects than I can count."
But Gilbert knew the truth — thanks to her infamous diva attitude, Gwyneth had become one of the least welcome actresses in Hollywood.
Not even having Spielberg as a godfather could save her reputation. Most directors wanted nothing to do with her.
Besides, because Gilbert had released Chicago early, that year's Best Actress Oscar went to Naomi Watts instead of her — further lowering Gwyneth Paltrow's standing.
Her feelings toward Gilbert, her former bedmate, were complicated. Seeing him become more and more successful made her feel an unmistakable twinge of resentment.
But now, Gilbert was someone she had to look up to — she could no longer reach the place they once shared.
...
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