Seeing Ovitz coming out, David O'Connor, who was talking to Mia Sara, nodded to him and left first.
Some things are best arranged by the BOSS himself.
Instructing the two of them to follow him back to the office, everyone sat down, and Michael Ovitz handed the script over and said to the two of them: "I just want to remind you that this is a script that Simon Westeros personally saw. Three days later For the audition, you two have to thoroughly understand the script even if you don't sleep in the past few days. Some people may only get this one chance in their lives, and if they screw it up, it will be gone."
Although CAA is a cross-agency system where agents are closely linked and no one can absolutely control certain clients, agents at different levels are still distinct.
Although Mark Ferguson and Mia Sara were not at the bottom, they were still the kind that Ovitz would never notice on a daily basis. When they heard him say this, they were both a little trepidated and inevitably excited.
Simon Westeros personally saw the script, and the whole of Hollywood understood what this meant.
If Mia Sara can get the role, her already hopeless career is likely to be revived, and Mark Ferguson, who is 37 years old this year, can also take advantage of the trend.
The two exchanged promises, and Ovitz turned to Mia Sara and asked in a casual tone: "Mia, do you have a boyfriend now?"
Mia Sara didn't know why Ovitz asked this for a while. She felt like her calf was kicked by her agent. She was still a little confused. After a little hesitation, she said honestly: "I'm dating Jason Connery recently. , the son of Mr. Sean Connery.”
When Michael Ovitz heard this, he showed a slightly formulaic smile and nodded: "Jason is good. So, that's it, remember to prepare carefully for the audition."
After saying that, he stood up to see off the guests.
Mark Ferguson said goodbye to Ovitz respectfully. He just went out and glanced at Mia Sara, who was holding a script next to him and looking happy. He became more and more depressed. He stayed in silence until he arrived at the underground parking lot of the CAA building. Mark · Ferguson came to his black Chevrolet and pressed the remote control lock, but suddenly he couldn't bear it anymore and kicked him hard.
Bang—
Amidst the reverberating muffled sound, a large dent was made in one side of the car door. This middle-aged man, who was close to being tall and somewhat bald, still did not calm down after one kick. He kicked him a few more times and said something in his mouth. He also cursed something quickly in a low voice, as if venting his anger.
Mia Sara looked at the sudden outburst of the manager. Her originally joyful expression turned into panic. She didn't know what happened, so she could only step back a little. She didn't hesitate to pull away until the manager finished venting and got into the car. The door opened and the passenger got in.
As the black Chevrolet pulled out of the parking lot, Mia Sara finally asked: "Mark, did I do something wrong?"
The agent, who had calmed down a bit, stared straight ahead and involuntarily raised his foot to step on the accelerator, then let go of it slumped: "What do you think?"
Mia Sara said nonchalantly: "I, I don't understand."
Mark Ferguson suddenly sneered, still not looking at her, and said firmly: "Do you think you can get extra care by telling Mr. Ovitz that you are dating Jason Connery?"
Mia Sara didn't speak, she really thought so.
As the first big name signed by CAA that year, Sean Connery's status in this talent agency has always been quite aloof. It was Connery who opened up the situation for Ovitz's grassroots team. In order to show his respect and gratitude to the veteran 007 actor, CAA headquarters has reserved an office specifically for him.
Mia Sara met Connery's son Jason Connery while filming an HBO TV movie last year. After being pursued by him, they soon began to fall in love, of course with the help of Jason Connery Leigh's relationship with his father, Sean Connery, helped him gain some resources.
Even if you still fail to turn over in the end, if you marry the other person, it will be a good ending.
After all, although Jason Connery relies entirely on his father's relationship to get into Hollywood and is considered the most useless second-generation star, Sean Connery is still very rich and will not leave it to his son in the future. .
Seeing that the woman next to him obviously hadn't reacted yet, Mark Ferguson couldn't help but remind him: "Then you haven't thought about why Mr. Ovitz asked about this just now?"
Mia Sara was stunned for a moment, her manager even reminded her that she was certainly not hopelessly stupid.
This kind of thing is actually quite common in Hollywood.
The atmosphere fell into silence again, and after the car drove for a while, Mark Ferguson sneered: "Understood? Simon Westeros, that's Simon Westeros, ha, think about Sandra Bullock, Nick Ke Kidman, Valerie Golino, Famke Janssen... think about these people, and then think about yourself, Mia, now do you understand what you are missing?"
"I..." Of course Mia Sara understood, her face turned red and white, and then she took out the script she had just put in her bag and said to her agent: "Mark, haven't I already got this script? I should... I’m breaking up with Jason tonight, tonight.”
Mark Ferguson wanted to sneer again, but in the end he held it back with some dejection. Mia Sara missed it, which actually meant that he, the agent, missed it: "This script must have been given to you by Westeros. However, if Westeros’s purpose is very clear, that is, to be interested in you, do you think Mr. Ovitz still needs to ask you that question just now?”
Mia Sara's expression flickered for a moment, and she completely understood.
The joy I felt after just getting the script disappeared.
Since Simon Westeros personally sent the script of "Scary Ghost" to her, it means that the big shot noticed her as a little actor. However, the other party obviously did not express a clear purpose, such as inviting them to have dinner together.
The subtext of Michael Ovitz's question was not to ask her if she was single again. In Hollywood, even if she was married, it didn't matter. The other party was actually testing whether she was willing.
If he is willing, Ovitz may find an opportunity to send her to Westeros.
Then, as long as she hooks up with that man, even if she is 29 years old now, with his energy, she still has a chance to be ranked alongside the series of female stars her agent just cited.
This is a thousand times ten thousand times better than being with Sean Connery's useless son.
As a result, she screwed up straight away.
Or because of Sean Connery.
If she hadn't mentioned Jason Connery's name just now, and hadn't mentioned Sean Connery, even if she said she was married, a certain CAA boss would still be able to continue to help her connect and create Opportunity to meet Simon Westeros.
It just happened to be Sean Connery.
In fact, due to the rapid changes in the Hollywood landscape in recent years, Sean Connery, like many old Hollywood celebrities, has reached a low point in his career. Nowadays, Hollywood is dominated by a large number of new generations with the creators of the DC movie universe as the core.
However, Sean Connery’s meaning to CAA is really special.
Just like the office permanently reserved for Connery at CAA headquarters, Sean Connery is a symbol of CAA, a benchmark used by CAA to show its attitude towards star actors.
Therefore, Michael Ovitz will not take any action that may damage the relationship between CAA and Connery. Introducing the other party's son's girlfriend to another Hollywood boss, let alone public exposure, even if it spreads privately, will seriously damage CAA's reputation. After all, many people will think, Ovitz, this is how you treated yourself back then. A great benefactor who helped you achieve your career
Even if she had a chance to reach Westeros through this project, Michael Ovitz might create obstacles in return, given certain factors.
Thinking about how she entered this industry at the age of 17, she had wasted so many years, and she was about to turn 30. She was still just a third-tier actor who was still on the decline. And just now, she missed another one that might be the last time in her life to rise to the top in one step. opportunity, Mia Sara felt her heart becoming increasingly empty, her nose becoming more and more sore, and her eyes becoming more and more astringent.
Los Angeles after get off work.
In the busy traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard, some oncoming drivers could only briefly notice a dark-haired woman in the passenger seat of a Chevrolet covering her face, wondering if something sad had happened to her.
…
Hollywood is a circle.
Compared to CAA, as the most powerful Spider King at the core of this web, Simon is more informed.
The following weekend, news about the Middle-Earth Cinematic Universe reached Simon's ears.
Many people, both inside and outside the circle, asked him about the news directly or indirectly.
If Daenerys Entertainment really wants to create a Middle-earth movie universe, it will definitely involve the interests of all aspects, and the level of this series will basically be equivalent to that of the DC movie universe, and will no longer be as small as the Conjuring movie universe.
Therefore, Warner, for example, must be worried about whether the DC movie universe, which is firmly held by Simon, will be marginalized and whether the DC movie universe will be sacrificed for the benefit of the Middle-earth movie universe. As for major talent agencies, the first thing they consider is how to get a share of this big plan. There are other film companies. Everyone's life is already so difficult. If someone releases a giant beast again, will they still survive
To be honest, Simon had long planned to bring the entire Middle-Earth series to the big screen, but he had not considered the so-called Middle-Earth Cinematic Universe because it was not suitable.
Whether it is Marvel and DC with a long history, or the Warrens, who have been paranormal investigators for decades, they have accumulated a large amount of material for the two major movie universes to create. In comparison, Tolkien's Middle-earth series , although the setting background is grand, the overall story is clear at a glance. Even the "Hobbit" trilogy in the original time and space is actually known to be deliberately filled out and far-fetched. This novel can be told in one movie.
It's certainly not impossible to forcibly expand it into a movie universe.
However, doing so will only add another assembly line to Hollywood, and what may be lost is the excitement and heaviness of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy that can be recorded in the annals of film history.
Simon wasn't going to do that.
At least, that's not what Simon plans to do until Peter Jackson's version of the Middle-earth epic is complete.
Let’s talk about what happens in the future.
Of course, except for a few people who need to explain a few words, Simon has no intention of clarifying the misunderstandings about the Middle-Earth Cinematic Universe, which is not a bad thing for future movie series.
April 15th.
on Monday.
After a short weekend, a busy week comes again.
The most watched event in the Westeros system this week was originally the listing of Melisandre Company on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, April 19. However, on Monday, the Westeros Company suddenly disclosed a shareholding The filing attracted widespread attention from all parties.
This is a fulfillment of an agreement Simon made with Warren Buffett last year.
During the negotiations to acquire Metropolis ABC Group, Simon and Buffett, as the major shareholders who had a decisive role in the transaction, formed a tacit understanding and will increase their holdings in the company on the eve of this year’s Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting to become a 5% stake in the company. % of major shareholders, in order to use the prestige of the Westeros system to enhance investors' confidence in Buffett, and most importantly, reduce the pressure Buffett encounters from all parties because he has always refused to invest in technology stocks.
In the late 1990s, Berkshire Hathaway's stock price continued to fall because it refused to invest in the new technology field that was in a state of frenzy. Many shareholders jumped out and accused Buffett of missing the best investment opportunity of this era. Someone threw eggs at Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting.
Simon started the new technology wave in advance. Warren Buffett, who has not changed his investment philosophy, still insists on rejecting technology stocks and has faced increasing pressure in recent years.
Fortunately, through Daenerys Entertainment’s acquisition of Metropolis ABC Group last year, Berkshire Hathaway became a shareholder of the popular Daenerys Entertainment Group through share exchange. In the previous Tinker Bayer IPO, Berkshire Hathaway also participated in subscribing for $60 million worth of new shares.
These operations based on the popularity of the Westeros system have somewhat alleviated the pressure faced by Buffett.
This time, the Westeros system stepped forward directly, increased the Berkshire Hathaway stock that had quietly absorbed 4.9% to 5.1%, and publicly reported to the SEC. In fact, it was equivalent to Simon personally standing up for Buffett. , supporting Berkshire Hathaway’s business strategy.
With Berkshire Hathaway's single-day share price rising by as much as 3.5% on Monday, at least no one will throw eggs at Buffett at next month's 1996 annual meeting.
New York.
Simon flew here yesterday afternoon and spent all day Monday at the ABC headquarters on the Upper West Side.
The first season of "American Idol" concluded its last episode on March 28, with a cumulative average viewership of 33.6 million. Due to the higher attention paid to the official events in the second half of the season, the total of 32 episodes was even higher than the number in the first half of last year. The average audience of 31.7 million is nearly 2 million higher than the audience. In the last episode, the peak audience reached 51.3 million, which is a miracle.
Of course, with such a hot result, we can't let it go.
While the second season was directly planned, 4 special programs were also added after the end of the season, mainly behind-the-scenes footage, award-winning interviews, etc., which were just broadcast last Thursday, and the average viewership of the 4 episodes also reached 23.9 million.
Counting the somewhat unscrupulous scraps of the additional four episodes, the entire first season of "American Idol" has accumulated a cumulative revenue of 690 million US dollars, just from the advertising breaks in the middle of the program. Other aspects include title sponsorship of other programs, purchase of production rights by overseas TV stations, etc. Revenue has also reached 170 million.
The entire "American Idol" project has earned a total of US$860 million so far. Excluding a total of US$230 million in project production and promotion expenses, the gross profit of this reality show in the first season alone reached an astonishing US$630 million, and is expected to contribute more than one-third of Daenerys Entertainment Television's fiscal year 1996 revenue. One profit.
Simply outrageous.
Therefore, Simon did not dare to look down upon such a hen that laid golden eggs. He personally participated in the summary of the first season and the planning meeting of the second season in the morning.
Then, the afternoon schedule is equally important.
It was still a meeting, and Daenerys’ TV department and the Ygrit portal team participated together. The topic was the Atlanta Olympics, which will open on July 19.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games, which is of great significance.
Speaking of which, Simon was also depressed. The broadcast rights for the current Olympics had been won by NBC for US$456 million in 1993. At that time, Simon was unable to interfere with ABC's decision, while Tom Murphy and Warren Buffett were in sports The event was conservative and stingy in terms of expenditures, so naturally it could not compete with NBC.
You will definitely miss it this year. With Daenerys Entertainment increasing its sports business layout and generously supporting ESPN, it will definitely not be able to sit back and watch in the future.
This is something.
Even without the broadcast rights, Daenerys cannot remain indifferent.
Olympic events cannot be broadcast, but news interviews can still be done on a large scale. In order to reduce costs through collaboration, Daenerys and Igrit will team up to conduct TV and online reports at the same time.
As soon as the meeting started, Jeff Bezos, who flew in to attend the meeting in person, first brought up the bad news: “Regarding the negotiation of online broadcast rights for Olympic events, NBC’s resistance was very strong. The other party initially requested six We have a window period of three months and several consultations, but we still have 45 days, which is 45 days after the Olympics closes, before we can put the event video on YouTube. If it is a movie or TV series, it is not a problem, but the timeliness of sports events is too Strong, 45 days, by then the enthusiasm for the Olympics will have completely disappeared, and the Olympic Committee’s offer is stuck at US$120 million, so I don’t think there is any need to continue negotiations.”
What Jeff Bezos is talking about at this time is the negotiation between Igrit and the International Olympic Committee on purchasing the online broadcast rights of Olympic events, not live broadcast. For large-scale events like the Olympics, live broadcast is not realistic under the current network conditions. It is the YouTube platform broadcasting rights for major event videos.
The core of this large-scale sporting event is the competition after all.
Because of the huge commercial interests of the sports industry in Western societies, copyright is crucial. The copyright of Olympic events belongs to the International Olympic Committee. Whether it is NBC or other national television stations, they only purchase the broadcast rights.
Now that the broadcast rights have been missed, the Westeros system is considering striving to put the videos of major events on the YouTube platform as soon as possible.
Now, apparently things are not going as planned.
Igret wanted to get the rights to broadcast the game video online, but the biggest resistance was NBC, which spent a huge sum of money to buy the broadcast rights. The other party proposed a window period similar to that of movie distribution. It is 45 days, which seems to be better than the movie theater release. The three-month window period around video is much shorter, but for sports events that focus on effectiveness, this is basically of no value.
After all, sports events are all about a heartbeat, and the focus is often on the results.
When the dust settles, the public will no longer have any interest in most games, except for a few particularly exciting games.
Ygritte did not expect to get the right to instantly broadcast the event video, and also considered the window period. However, the reasonable window period acceptable here is 3 days, and the longest cannot exceed 7 days, but NBC insists on 45 days. , the differences are too great, and the IOC's quotation obviously has a tendency to slaughter fat sheep, so there is really no need to continue the negotiation.
Simon, who personally presided over the meeting, waited for Bezos to finish speaking. He wanted to express his position directly without wasting time. After a slight pause, he looked at the crowd and said, "Do you have any opinions? Let me know."