-LA & SD- Conference with Giovanni

All Local Channels cut to a Live report, warning that a live press conference is about to take place on the topic of the Assistant DA and "Mr. Giovanni", promising to return to the regularly scheduled program when it was over. It then cuts to the scene, as the media has occupies a conference room. A long table can be seen up front, a blue curtain behind it. The table is laden with a pitcher of ice cold water with ice cubes in it, four glasses, and lots and lots of microphones. It also has 4 chairs for people to sit at. Reporters from all venues seem to be there, local television stations, as well as newspapers and magazines.

An eruption of flashing bulbs from pictures being taken, and a thunderous roar of questions as the media storm ensued to the cue of Marcello Giovanni entering with five other people. A man in his forties, and two younger men. the last two are young men, seem enter, but they move to stand to flank the table behind it. The others move to sit at the table, and Marcello gestures for everyone to be silent. It isn't work at first.... at all. Five minutes pass and he leans in to mummer something to the other three, before leaning back and waiting patiently.... finally... after a few more minutes, silence falls over the crowd of reporters.

Finally Mr. Giovanni speaks:

"Thank you all for coming. I asked you all to come here tonight and appreciate your haste. The assistant district attorney and I want to thank these three men for coming out and telling the truth behind this pathetic attempt to drag our names through the mud. We are disappointed in the news station for airing a false story conveniently orchestrated and staged by a cowardly paparazzi in a desperate attempt at a good story."

Immediately a hand goes up in the crowd. It belonged to a young man. The young man was dressed in a pair of black pants, a red button up shirt, black tie, black sneakers (e gads, he was killing the suit fashion wise), and a black jacket. He had a thin, slightly scrawny build, and was maybe just ending twenties. The man wore a goatee, mustache, and a pair of black wired shades with orange lenses. He also had dreadlocks, regé style, and a "PRESS" badge clipped to his jacket. He had a ready smile, sketchpad in hand, and pencil in other. His eyes were brown, and seemed keen on knowledge. The man spoke out:

"Robert Orwell, Flash Magazine. Can you please tell us where Miss Spinelli is tonight? I mean, if all you claim is true, why isn't she here herself?"

Right after that, in tandem, a really cute petite reporter stands up, poking her head up to get a good view of Mr. Giovanni. She seems to be a tiny little thing in stilleto heels, fashionable attire for a reporter, lovely dark mahogany hair, and lightly tanned flesh, with the most beautiful dark brown eyes that could catch a mans attention. She too spoke:

Carmen Ruiz of Channel 6 News, what does Mr. Giovanni mean by -the truth-?"

Marcello responds to the first question:

"She will not be joining us this evening."

After that, he gestures for one of the other three to answer.

At this, the older man stands and clears his throat, deciding to "make himself known". He leans back in his chair, and pours a glass of water, before taking a sip, and then speaking calmly into the Microphone:

"We were appalled when we heard that Mr. Giovanni and Ms. Spenilli's personal favor to us was used as a disgusting lie by a paparazzi. We asked them to help us with inspiration on a play about corruption within the city's law system and the appropriate elected officials. We asked Mr. Giovanni because we know he is an Italian man and may have known such characters in his life and Ms. Spenilli because she was the district attorney. We asked them to meet us and do an impromptu scene so that everything would be natural and not so staged."

Just like that, a hand goes up again. It belongs to the young man in dreadlocks, as he speaks:

"Hi, yeah, Robert Orwell again, Flash Magazine. Hey, can you tell us more about these claims of you being a "Mafia Boss"? Want to see if we can stick to the facts"

Marcello responds:

"It is convenient and easy for people to be prejudiced against well off Italian men due to Hollywood and a certain handful of people in the past. It is a shame that we still rely on such ignorant accusations just to make a story."

In response to that, a flash goes off again, as more pictures are taken, it must be getting annoying for those up front. The beautiful young female reporter spoke out another question after raising her hand then:

"Camen Ruiz Again Sir. Channel 6 News. Speaking of facts and accusations, how about the Assistant DA, Ms. Spnilli, hasn't reported to her office in the last four days?".

Marcello responds:

"I can not speak for her actions, unlike the accusations would like me to"

The woman reporter responded with:

"Again Camen Ruiz Channel 6 News Sir. The Assistant DA was last seen with you, and according to phone records, she last spoke to you as well?"

With that the man who had made himself known as a "Director" of sorts, speaks into the mic to interrupt with a charming smile:

"Um yes..... Um I believe one of us has some... footage here, to show you that they were taking pictures... for inspiration"

One of the two other men, an actor, stands and shows a digital camera, pictures that were taken from another viewpoint, showing them the "inspiration". This is greeted with another cacophony of flashes. A hand goes up again, its the guy in dreadlocks, as he speaks:

"Hi! Over here! Robert Orwell, Flash Magazine. Another question, this time for the Director. Um… so… where is the script? I mean, you spoke alot about how you were all there and everything, technically, when filming begins, there is a script. Do you have a copy of that here that you could produce to show us the progression of your work?”

The Director seems blank for a moment, before speaking slowly:

"Uh... we .... don't have a script.... yet..... we were.... looking for.. inspiration...".
This is greeted with more flashing, as he seems less convincing then at the beginning of the conference.

Again a slender female hand goes up as a familiar voice speaks:

"Sir, Camen Ruiz, Channel 6 News. You phoned the Assistant DA and answered that you informed her of the press conference that would reveal proof that the news broadcast was orchestrated, so I have two questions if you don't mind, Mr. Giovanni. First, did you possibly meet with Ms. Spenilli and something went wrong, possibly she didn't agree with something you wanted her to /submit/ to and second, what do you have proof of that the Broadcast was orchestrated, because a few photos on a digital camera isn't showing us much?"

Marcello responds:

"As you saw in the broadcast, the pictures were zoomed in just enough to capture only the assistant district attorney and I. It was quite convenient for the photographer to take the pictures to leave out the other five men there out of the frames, so it would look as if I were alone with her, manipulating her"

A hand goes up again, and its the reporter with dreadlocks:

"Hi, its me again, Robert Orwell, Flash Magazine, just another question there Mr. Giovanni. According to the audio we all heard on the news, Miss Spinellis husband is recently departed. Don't you find, that even a "joke video" of some kind, might be in bad taste? Especially in the eyes of the public? And with which studio were you planning to produce this.... porno project?"

For some odd reason, this seems to effect Marcello a moment, perhaps agitating him, taking a moment, before answering with a chuckle:

"Oh a porno project now is it? So first our names are drug through the mud and now you wish to degrade the reputations of three innocent individuals who asked for an impromptu scene in order to garner inspiration? Our little free form skit was intended to give these men an idea for the play they were interested in performing, not for a paparazzi to record and take pictures in a way to manipulate the truth into a false story just to make a dishonest dollar."

The director speaks out again, trying to pipe in:

"Mr. Giovanni here gave us a very good opportunity to tell a good story.... a... mafia story..."

He is interrupted by a hand going up from the man in dreadlocks, who quips out another question:

""Oh hey yeah, Robert Orwell, Flash Magazine, just one more question Mr. Giovanni...... when were we going to see trailers for this movie in the theaters? And were any of the profits planned for Charity? Or is this a "pet project" of yours?"

Laughter can be heard amongst the other reporters for a moment, before quieting down.

Marcello answers, though he seems just a touch agitated:

"I offered my assistance out of good will because the arts should never be forgotten. Do you have one more question.... again?".

The reporter actually pipes in:

"In fact! I do! So uh, the fine arts of plays.... I am not a big artist, but the pictures in the media were pretty graphic... I mean graphic to the point of having to be censored.... out of curiosity... what is the idea behind it? What will the name of this play be?"

The director blinks, but says nothing for the moment. Marcello speaks up:

"As said before, it was impromptu and thus meant as inspiration. What parts are used is left up to these three men. As for the name... again I try to get you to understand tht it was -inspiration-. If you want, I would be happy to look up the exact definition of the word so that you may understand its meaning.

The director clears his throat, then sips his water, taking a cloth to dab at his sweating forehead:

"Yes.... Marc.... I mean.... Mr. Giovanni here has been a good source of inspiration..... his efforts, coupled with Miss Spenillis... professionalism... have given us a whole slew of ideas..."
More flashes from cameras seem to make the man blink as if in a daze.

A slender hand raises again, as a female voice speaks out:

"Carmen Ruiz, Channel 6 News again Sir. Mr. Director.... so have you spoken to Ms. Spenilli yourself in the last four days to brainstorm these ideas she is giving with her professionalism?".

The director speaks out while looking at his actors a moment:

"Uhm... I am afraid all my attempts to contact miss Spenilli have not been successful, no...."

The two actors both admit to not being able to reach her as well, then the Director continues:

"maybe she just didn't feel like answering her phone?"

The woman reporter simply continued:

"Wouldn't you say it to be a fair assumption that if she isn't answering her phone for you, and she isn't answering her phone, or calls for emergencies within the city, something must have happened to her? Oh this question is directed to you Mr. Giovanni. Sorry, for the Record, Carmen Ruiz again, Channel 6 News".

Now it seems that the Director is angry about something, snapping as he gets loud:

"Hey! I am the one talking here! NOT THIS MAN! I AM TALKING! Stop talking to him! He isn't a director, or an actor! He doesn't know his ASSHOLE FROM HIS ELBOW in the business ok?!! He is just a source of frigging inspiration!"

he blinks a moment as cameras blaze their flashes at him, and sips his water before murmuring:

"Sorry... I.... didn't mean to...".

Marcello looks at the director, then to the reporter:

"isn't it a fair assumption that she may just want to get away for a while and is avoiding the use of her phone?"

More flashes from dozens of cameras, as that hand from the reporter in Dreadlocks comes up again:

"Oh over here! Its me its me! Robert Orwell, Flash Magazine. Just one more question Mr. Giovanni.... are you saying, in your words, that we possibly are in need of a new Assistant attorney? That the old one isn't doing her job anymore?"

Marcello answers:

"I am not sure how you came to that assumption. However that is obviously not what I am saying"

The reporter seems to respond with a witty retort, piping up:

"It isn't an assumption, it is a question. I think you can look it up in the dictionary next to -inspiration- like you offered".

Marcello shrugs:

"Do you have more questions again? There are others here who would like to ask questions with validity behind them".

No answer comes, but the Director cuts Marcello off nervously:

"Excuse me.. uh... are there any more questions? If not... I would like to get... going... have work to do..".

Another reporter stands, male:

"Marcus Blake, L.A. Times... Alright, so you are saying it was all a hoax to damage your reputations.... and that none of it is true, such as the "Agreement" that you would "take care" of the current DA?"

Marcello:

"Exactly. Someone took the impromptu inspirational skit out of context, took pictures conveniently omitting the others on the scene, and set things up so that the entirety of the situation was left out to make it appear as more than it really was".

The director steps in to interrupt Marcello again, actually covering the Giovannis microphone with his hand, before speaking into his own:

"No further questions"

He dabs his forehead with a cloth, stands, and puts a hand on Marcellos shoulder, giving it a little squeeze, then begins to head out.

Marcello nods to the man before looking back at the crowd:

"Are there any more questions?"

A literal storm of flashing lights and thunderous voices all make the questions get lost, as no single one can be heard... they all come in torrents. Marcello stands up, waving his hands to the reporters:

"We are done here tonight. I appreciate you all showing up to get the story of what really happened, and not some farce by a greedy paparazzi".
With that, he and his two men, proceed to exit the room.