Simon looked with interest at Barbara Broccoli, who was looking at him with her chin slightly raised, as if she was planning to argue her case. He did not respond to what she just said, and suddenly smiled and said: "Barbara, does anyone say anything?" But you actually look a lot like another person."
Barbara Broccoli was in a daze.
The Broccoli family has been in control of 007 for thirty years. In recent years, his father, Albert Broccoli, has become increasingly ill. He is handing over the leadership of this ace spy series to his brother and sister, and often warns them. You must hold 007 firmly in your hands and don't allow anyone to get involved.
During this time, Simon kept intervening in the next 007 project and insisted on replacing the current leading actor Timothy Dalton. This made Barbara Broccoli, who also inherited her father's strong character, instinctively feel threatened. Only then could there be a question that was almost provocative.
Unexpectedly, the young man who made her feel like a formidable enemy would change the subject in an understatement.
Simon didn't wait for the dazed Barbara Broccoli to speak again, and said: "You must have watched "ET". I have to say, you and the little girl in the movie, um, Drew Barrymore , she looks really similar. It seems that she should be a big girl now."
Barbara Broccoli has naturally seen Steven Spielberg's "ET", and of course she remembers the little girl in the film.
only.
What does it mean
"Simon, "ET", well, it is indeed a very good movie. However, it seems that we are not discussing this now."
"I understand," Simon nodded and saw MGM CEO Shirley Lansing walking over in a hurry. When she approached, he said to Lansing: "Barbara said I shouldn't get involved in the 007 series. In this case, I I won’t interfere, just do what you want.”
Shirley Lansing looked a little ugly.
Simon has asked about the 007 series several times during this period, and she has always said that the project is progressing smoothly. Unexpectedly, the Broccoli brothers and sisters would suddenly bring up the casting differences in front of Simon that the two sides had not yet negotiated.
Now, Simon let go in an understatement, but Shirley Lansing did not think that the matter would end there.
When Meg Ryan, who had just become popular with "When Harry Met Sally," wanted to terminate her contract with Daenerys Entertainment, Westeros agreed easily.
The results of it!
Seeing that Simon turned around and walked towards Columbia Pictures President Jon Peters who was coming to meet him, Shirley Lansing quickly followed and tried to explain that she didn't care how Westeros would arrange the 007 series afterwards, even if it was directly It doesn't matter if you put it on hold, but you don't want it to affect yourself.
Seeing that Simon had already started chatting with Peters, Lansing could only stand patiently.
During the chat, Lansing obviously noticed that Simon was very interested in Peters' young girlfriend.
Jon Peters is already in his forties, but his little girlfriend is very young and looks like she is in her early twenties. She was probably of Latino descent, and the girl's skin was not that white. Although she had a charming face that was very attractive to men, she didn't seem to be the type that Westeros was interested in.
Still, Shirley Lansing remembered the girl's name.
Catherine zeta jones.
Simon didn't expect to meet Hollywood's famous 'Old Man Killer' at the party tonight.
Catherine Zeta-Jones has a brilliant resume in Hollywood. Not only Jon Peters, a gold medal producer in Hollywood, but also Catherine Zeta-Jones once hooked up with Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery and other big names, and finally married a man 25 years older than her. Year-old Michael Douglas.
It has never been easy to get a position in Hollywood. Even if you have a body, a face, acting skills and are willing to sleep with others, it does not constitute much of an advantage at all. Too many people waste time and have to return to reality.
Therefore, the rise to power of Catherine Zeta-Jones, who also has no background, can be regarded as a small 'legend'.
While they were chatting, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore also joined in.
The topic unknowingly turned to Jon Peters's movie project in which he planned to invite the Willis couple to participate.
"This is a thriller and suspense film about a murder case caused by domestic violence, called "Deadly Thoughts." The plot is similar to "Sleeping with the Enemy," but with murder elements added. It tells the story of a woman who assists her best friend to kill her idle husband. We hope that Bruce and Demi will join the film together and start filming early next year. However, Demi said that the schedule may conflict with MGM's "A Few Good Men."
Jon Peters said, glanced at Shirley Lansing, and then turned to Simon.
Simon looked at Lansing again.
The project preparation of "A Few Good Men" is much smoother than that of "007: GoldenEye". The three main creators Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Demi Moore have all confirmed to join, and the original script has also been revised. It is expected that Shooting can start in November, and the tentative schedule is early August next year.
The end-of-summer schedule allows "A Few Good Men" to avoid the impact of blockbusters such as "Terminator 2" and "The Dark Knight."
Demi Moore behaved better than Meg Ryan when it came to the option contract with Daenerys Entertainment, and directly accepted Daenerys Entertainment's $2 million salary offer, and Simon also I am happy to give the other party some convenience.
Shirley Lansing noticed Simon looking over and nodded: "If necessary, we can try to arrange Demi's scene before the year."
Demi Moore suddenly said at this time: "Simon, how about you take the time to read the script of "Deadly Thoughts"? If possible, I think Peter and Qiang would definitely not mind making it into a film produced by Daenerys Entertainment and Columbia Pictures An industry-leading collaborative film.”
After spending so many years finally coming forward, Demi Moore cherishes the popularity that "The Last Day" brought to her, but she also understands that continuing to stay in touch with Westeros has only advantages and no disadvantages for her.
When Jon Peters heard what Demi Moore said, his eyes showed anticipation.
Judging from the box office of the two films "Sleeping with the Enemy" and "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" that have been released this summer, if "Deadly Thoughts" can join Daenerys Entertainment's 10 film projects, even if it has to be divided into half The income and results are definitely much better than if Columbia Pictures produced it alone.
Simon was not interested in participating in a film he had never heard of, so he simply refused.
Everyone chatted for a while, and John Peters and others left.
However, Catherine Zeta-Jones, who had conscientiously refrained from interrupting after introducing herself, apparently gave Simon a flirty look when she finally left.
Simon noticed the girl's little movement, just smiled, and looked at Shirley Lansing who was still following him.
Knowing what Shirley Lansing was worried about, Simon said: "Shirley, I am really too busy recently and have no time to care about 007. Since the Broccoli family wants to maintain control, let them make another one." Well, in any case, the 007 series has indeed not lost money yet. MGM has been tortured by Kerkorian for so many years. Your next task is to restore MGM to normal operations as a major studio. Wait patiently. Next year, I will make other arrangements."
Shirley Lansing felt relieved, nodded seriously, and said, "Simon, I understand."
During this period, the news that Daenerys Entertainment was about to intervene in the acquisition of MCA made Shirley Lansing realize the reason why Simon was unwilling to officially intervene in MGM even though he had the opportunity.
Daenerys Entertainment, which has risen rapidly in recent years, has reached a level comparable to traditional major studios. Daenerys Entertainment has now become a member of the American Motion Picture Association. Once the Westeros system takes control of MGM in advance and then wants to acquire MCA, it will be equivalent to trying to control the three major Hollywood studios, and it will definitely encounter antitrust obstacles.
On the contrary, after merging MCA and then joining in with the much weaker MGM, it would be easier for all parties to accept it and things would be much simpler.
After sending Shirley Lansing away, before Simon could move, someone else immediately came forward.
…
"Terry, tonight is a celebration party, so let's not talk about the acquisition... No matter what, the cooperation between Daenerys and Warner Bros. will not change."
…
"Good evening, Bob, has the post-production of "Havana" been completed... Of course, no problem. I happen to be free next week. Please make arrangements to call me."
…
"You are so beautiful tonight, Julia... Yes, I know about "Captain Hawke". Steven called me specifically. Daenerys Entertainment happens to have no projects suitable for you. You There’s nothing wrong with playing Tinker Bell.”
…
"Pierce, I didn't expect you to meet Joanna... "Northern Lights"? Maybe I should take the time to watch it."
…
"There's no need to worry too much, Joe. "Terminator 2" is much better than "Abyss", and I'm also watching it personally. I will definitely make sure that Cameron completes this project within $70 million... Well, you can tell Barry, actually I thought 50 million was unlikely from the beginning."
…
"Sorry, sir, you can submit the script to Daenerys Entertainment's writing department. This is not my working time."
…
"It seems that you already know each other, Jane, and Holly... I think the heroine of "The Piano" is completely tailor-made for you... Well, Ella, you can arrange a formal meeting next week, and then Call Harvey and let everyone have a good talk... I will go over if I have time."
…
"I watched the finished film of "Danger" for the first time last week, and I have to say that your two performances were even better than I imagined... By the way, Mei, how is Dakota doing lately? "
…
"Maggie, Warren didn't come tonight... Oh, happy parting... Haha, stop, I don't want to spread scandals with you... Speaking of which, the last tour took in 70 million US dollars at the box office, don't you think you should share it with me? Is it okay... Okay, let’s change the topic."
…
"Unfortunately, Curt, the heroine of "The Flash" has basically been confirmed. Moreover, "Scream 3" and "The Flash" are scheduled to be relatively close, so you are not suitable to participate in this movie... If If there is a suitable project, I will definitely consider you first... "Today's Stars", Curt, if you want to act in it, I can agree to it now, but you are about to be stereotyped in horror films, and you have to be labeled as a comedy. Vase label... Spend two or three years trying various types of roles. Don't care about whether you are a heroine or not, and don't pay too much attention to the salary. The most important thing is to hone your acting skills and broaden your acting career. After two or three years, you will probably The transformation can be completed.”
…
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Michaela... Yes, The Housewives of Beverly Hills is not canceled, it's just on hold for this season, and I thought Iger would have talked to you guys... Okay, you get Westeros now I personally confirmed it... Dinner, tomorrow night, I won't be in Los Angeles tomorrow... The night after tomorrow, unfortunately, that won't work... In this way, you can talk to my assistant later, she arranges my schedule."
…
Walking through the crowd in the hall, Simon spent more than an hour socializing with the constant compliments, seductions, flattery, testing, lobbying, and introductions before he finally had time to get together with Amy Pascal and other company executives.
Robert Iger was also in Los Angeles these two days. While everyone was chatting and laughing, something Iger mentioned inadvertently quickly aroused Simon's interest.
The matter is related to ESPN, the parent company of ABC TV network, Metropolis/ABC Group. Although Iger left ABC, the relevant connections have not been broken.
ESPN, the largest sports TV station in North America that was as famous as CNN, HBO, MTV and other cable channels, was founded in 1979. It was initially invested by the famous Getty family in the United States. It was the descendant who was kidnapped and had one ear cut off but still refused to do so. The Getty family paid the ransom.
The Getty family has long since lost its glory due to the continuous battle for inheritance. ESPN's shares were also sold during the family infighting in the 1980s. 80% of the shares were acquired by ABC, and the other 20% fell to Nabisco. In the hands of the company, as ESPN's prospects continue to improve, this shareholding ratio has been maintained since 1984.
During this process, the ABC Television Network was acquired by Metropolis Media and integrated into Metropolis/ABC Group. Nabisco was acquired by Reynolds Tobacco Company for $25 billion, becoming the largest leveraged buyout in U.S. business history. ESPN's shares also unknowingly changed their parent company.
Now, reeling from a disastrous merger a year ago, Reynolds Nabisco is forced to sell off massive assets to pay off its massive debt. As a tobacco and food company, the shares of ESPN held by Reynolds Nabisco have naturally become 'non-core assets' that need to be sold to repay debts.
Although he knew that Simon had always wanted to develop into the television industry, Robert Iger did not expect that he would be interested in this equity. He explained: "Simon, this is only 20% of ESPN's shares. We will not get any control when we buy it, and the price will not be high." Very high, probably $200 million, and it also needs approval from Metropolis/ABC Group."
At its peak, ESPN was valued at US$50 billion. Some media even commented that Michael Eisner facilitated Disney's US$19 billion merger with Metropolis/ABC. The biggest gain was ESPN. In my memory, it was in the 1990s that ESPN completely secured its position as the largest sports television network in the United States.
With an investment of US$200 million now, Simon believes that in ten years, the annual dividends from these holdings will be more than that.
Although Simon has more demands for ESPN and the entire Mets/ABC group, taking this 20% stake now is a very cost-effective investment in any case.
Instructing Egger to collect more detailed information for him as soon as possible, Simon looked at the time and saw that it was already past nine o'clock in the evening, so he left early with his female assistant. It only takes a little over an hour to fly from Los Angeles to Seattle, but it should be almost early morning when we set off and get settled.