It was too late last night. Kate Beckinsale and Rachel Weisz didn't get up until after nine o'clock. They were led by the maid to have breakfast in the restaurant downstairs, and then found a room upstairs that was the same as the main villa. In the open living room connected to the large terrace, Simon was sitting on the sofa reading a script.
Simon wasn't alone in the living room.
Fernanda Lima occupied the couch next to her by herself, lying on it and reading a magazine. On the single sofa opposite Simon, there was a girl named Angela Lindworth curled up, also holding a small book in her hand. This "VOGUE".
Because of the open layout, standing in this living room you can directly see the back courtyard.
On the tennis court on the west side, there are obviously the figures of four other big fairies. They are playing a four-person doubles game at this time, and occasionally there are cooing sounds.
At first glance, it looks like a very leisurely weekend time.
only…
Well, there are a lot of women.
At such a time when many people's day has just begun, Simon has already sent away the breakfast guests and spent an hour dealing with today's work.
Regarding China's hope that Bezos would speak at the launch ceremony of the Shanghai data center, Simon decisively agreed after hearing a name revealed by Chen Qing and personally called Bezos.
On the European side, Celia and the French side have basically reached a tacit understanding. Things have been turbulent for a week and will be over soon if nothing unexpected happens.
There are also various other trivial matters.
After taking care of these, there will be no other arrangements for today.
After all, it was Sunday. In the past, he would have been at home with his wife and children, but this weekend he was kicked out and not allowed to go home.
So I planned to spend time here.
Actually only one morning.
After lunch, I will fly to New York. Next week I will discuss with several teams in New York the bond issuance plans of core companies in the Westeros system. According to the adjusted plan, Verizon Telecom’s IPO is scheduled to be listed on 8 However, the bond issuance plan will be implemented in July in the second half of the year.
In short, the goal is to hoard as much cash as possible in anticipation of bargain hunting.
After all, next year is 1997.
Even if the new technology bubble that has already spread in advance can survive, the global economic shock caused by the brewing Asian financial crisis will also bring about a wave of troughs suitable for bargain hunting.
After the 87 stock market crash in the United States, a circuit breaker mechanism was created.
The first U.S. stock market meltdown in Simon’s memory occurred in 1997.
The circuit breaker in 1997 in the original time and space was only affected by the Asian financial crisis, and it was a near miss. This time, things may be very different, because the new technology bubble has risen to a very dangerous high level earlier than in history, and it is likely to burst as soon as it is poked.
Noticing Kate and Kate coming in, Simon greeted them and patted his legs.
Kate understood, walked over generously, sat directly on the man's lap, leaned into his arms and asked: "Simon, what are you looking at?"
Simon showed Kate the script in his hand, with "The End of Disco" written on the cover: "You two came at the right time. I think this script is very suitable for you two to star together."
Rachel is not as bold as Kate, not to mention she has no place. Fernanda, who was sitting on the couch in the middle, saw her coming and took the initiative to get up and give up a corner of the sofa. Rachel walked over and sat down. When she heard Simon say that the script in his hand was suitable for them, she looked over curiously and noticed the name on the cover.
Kate put her arms around Simon's neck and glanced at him: "'The End of Disco', what is it about?"
Simon summed it up: "The ordinary story of a group of young men and women in Manhattan during the disco boom of the 1970s."
Kate said: "It sounds very boring."
Simon smiled and explained: "This is a literary film. The director and screenwriter are both Whit Stillman. This is an auteur director with a unique personal style. "The End of Disco" is the work of Whit Stillman. The last part of the trilogy, his first two films have received very good reviews, and the script of this final film is just great.”
Kate held Simon's big hand and pulled it over to look at the content of the script, and asked: "Then what role do you want me to play?"
Simon said: "This is a movie with two heroines. Charlotte and Alice are both junior assistant screenwriters in a publishing house in Manhattan. Their salaries are not high and their lives are tight. They are troubled because they cannot afford to rent a better apartment. . However, because the two became friends with the executive of a popular discotheque, they could often enter the dance hall without waiting in line, and met all kinds of people in the process. You are going to play Charlotte, who is mean on the surface. , is full of aggression, has feminist tendencies, but has a low self-esteem and a fragile heart. He is secretly jealous of the excellence of his friend Alice, and he faints and goes to the hospital just because his boyfriend breaks up with her."
Kate listened to what Simon said and shook her head: "It sounds very unpleasant. How about I play the jealous Alice and let Rachel play Charlotte."
Simon said: "This temperament is too mismatched. Alice's character image is relatively reserved and quiet, and Rachel is more suitable."
Kate was dissatisfied: "I can also be reserved and quiet."
"The key is that if you play Alice, Rachel may not be able to support the role of Charlotte. As you just heard, this is a character with a somewhat complicated personality."
This time it was Rachel's turn to listen quietly on the sidelines, a little dissatisfied. However, she only opened her mouth slightly and did not refute.
Kate thought about it for a few seconds, and finally nodded: "Since you asked us to act together, then let's act."
Rachel finally spoke and reminded: "Simon, I still want to film "Titanic"."
"It doesn't matter. This project will start filming next year, probably in the second half of next year. You just need to make time for it then."
When Rachel heard this, she had no objection.
Instead, Kate blinked again and asked: "Simon, this should be a low-cost production, right?"
"Formal preparations have not started yet, but the budget for such a movie will not exceed US$10 million."
"But when "Charlie's Angels" is released at the end of the year, and Rachel's "The Mummy" has already been released, by then, the two of us... well, the pay will be very expensive."
Simon rubbed the slender waist of the girl in his arms and said: "When making a movie like this, no matter how famous the actor is, it is customary to take a salary cut. Stallone only received $60,000 for "Police Empire" last year. You won't Do you want full pay?"
Kate's eyes widened: "It can't be that we only have 60,000 US dollars, right?"
"Even if you add more, it won't be too much," Simon looked at the girl in his arms and said seriously: "Kate, this is actually the rule of Hollywood. If you want to get rid of the label of commercial vase, you need to participate in various independent literary and artistic films appropriately. It adds style and can also compete for awards. Especially in the past two years, you two have just become popular with commercial blockbusters, so you need to slow down."
"Actually, I understand, otherwise I wouldn't have accepted "Good Will Hunting"," Kate shook her body slightly, but then said: "However, I think that investing 10 million in such a movie is likely to lose money. , after all, according to what you said, I didn’t find any highlights in this story, so why would I invest in such a movie?”
"The main thing is that I like this story, and if you two participate in it, you won't necessarily lose money."
Filming will take place next year, and the schedule for "Disco Doom" will be the year after that.
Not to mention "Charlie's Angels" at the end of this year, next year, after "The Mummy", Rachel will still have a "Titanic" released. By then, as long as things don't happen too badly, both women should be Hollywood celebrities. The hottest new actress.
By then, a literary film produced by the two partners will not have a big problem in achieving profitability, at least within the scope of omni-channel.
On the other hand, the reason for investing more deeply in the filming of "Disco Armageddon" is ultimately to increase diversity in Hollywood.
If Simon was just a film businessman or a Hollywood speculator, he would make money wherever he went, and he wouldn't have to worry about long-term matters at all. Now that Simon has made Hollywood his home, and that's pretty much it, he needs to take a longer-term view.
One of them is to curb the boring situation that once dominated Hollywood's blockbusters.
In my memory, Hollywood seems to be still prosperous more than ten or twenty years later, but in fact, there is a hidden worry that the big screen audience is shrinking due to the popularity of blockbusters and even comic-book movies.
Not all audiences of all ages like blockbusters or comic book movies. If the big screen is flooded with these types of films, some children who are too young or middle-aged and elderly people will gradually stop entering the theater.
Compared with the past when movies on the other side of the ocean were mainly concentrated in the young market, the North American film market has been developing for nearly a century. So far, the composition of audiences of different age groups is still very balanced, with everyone from 6 to 60 years old, and there is obviously no obvious difference in proportion.
Coupled with the frequent release of Hollywood's best films in recent years, the number of moviegoers each year has also been steadily increasing. It has now increased from about 1 billion annual moviegoers in the 1980s to more than 1.3 billion in the past year. The peak in memory is 15 100 million.
Then it started to fall back.
A large part of the reason is that the diversification of theater movies has decreased, and blockbuster comics and other types of films have taken up too many resources, causing many people to no longer go to theaters. What Simon has to do is to ensure the diversity of Hollywood as much as possible and avoid the phenomenon of continuous loss of audiences from happening again.
Disco Doomsday is a small detail in the grand scheme of things.
Seeing that she could not intervene in the conversation between the two, Rachel's eyes fell on the table beside the sofa. She saw another script, picked it up and gestured to Simon. When the man nodded, she opened it.
The name of this script is "Club 54".
After roughly browsing the synopsis of the story at the beginning, I realized that it should be similar to the theme of "Disco Doomsday" in Simon's hands, both telling the story of a Manhattan disco.
Kate, who was nestling in Simon's arms, saw Rachel picking up another script and curiously asked: "What is this?"
Simon explained: ""Club 54" is two scripts with the same theme. "Club 54" is of a gentle bourgeois style, while "Club 54" is more explicit and intense. It follows the script completely. It will not be rated NC-17 in the future. No way. I plan to make these two films together next year, just to promote them in tandem."
Kate heard Simon say that "Club 54" might reach the NC-17 level, and she became even more interested. She reached out to Rachel and asked for the script. Rachel subconsciously handed it over, but when she saw that the script had been taken away, she realized that she felt aggrieved. He looked at Simon.
Simon smiled and handed over the script of "Disco Doomsday": "You read this first. Also, Rachel, I have already talked to Cameron. "Titanic" will start filming in July at the latest. It will not happen again this time. Something unexpected happened, I mean, when you go to Australia, you may have to stay for a few months, do you want me to help you with two assistants? "
Rachel was looking at the script in her hand and was stunned for a moment when she heard this.
With two assistants
He immediately thought of the two people next to Kate and shook his head subconsciously: "No, I... I don't need to."
"Why don't you use it? Of course you do." Of course Kate understood Simon's subtext and immediately added: "I heard that the environment in Australia is very poor and there are many snakes. It will definitely be a lot more convenient if someone can take care of you during the filming process. .”
"Then it's settled," Simon decided directly. Seeing what Rachel wanted to say, he stopped him again: "Don't refuse. When you feel they are no longer needed in the future, just send them away."
The two of them sang in harmony before her, and in addition, her heart was not that firm, so Rachel agreed in a daze.
It's like acquiescing to certain things.
Fernanda Lima and Angela Lindewald, who were also in the room, listened silently, and they were actually a little envious. After Fernanda was spotted by Simon last year, she also had some kind of assistant role around her, but there was only one , Rachel is two, the difference is obvious.
As for Angela, this is the first time she has been in contact with Simon.
Moreover, the girl was still a little disappointed, because last night, there were eight women including Fernanda, two, and Kate, but Simon only did not touch her from beginning to end.
He obviously liked her verbally and even gave her the nickname "Little Fox".
Now, what is this situation
Actually thought of something.
She is still only 17 years old, and according to California law, she is actually not that compliant.
However, Angela herself didn't think this was a problem, and she had no idea of taking advantage of the man opposite her. Who is crazy to take advantage of a big shot like Simon Westeros like this
Therefore, I feel that the other party should not think this is a problem.
So, why
Is it because she is not pretty enough, or is she too young? It is said that he likes mature women very much.
All in all, just uneasy.
Angela was very worried that there would be no more after this time. Thinking about the beauty of the girls in the fashion circle who could have a relationship with Westeros, how could she be willing to accept it
So until noon.
After lunch, Simon quickly set off, and the six goblins returned to New York with him. He also asked Kate, because she would only have a role next Wednesday, and decided to stay in Los Angeles for two more days, so Simon did not force it.
On board a Boeing 767 private jet.
Probably thinking it might be the last chance, when the plane took off, a certain little fox became more and more active.
In the small screening room of the cabin, Simon, who was planning to take advantage of the flight to watch a sample of a movie to be released in the second half of the year, saw a certain girl approaching him. He smiled and motioned for the girl to come and watch the movie with him. He said: "This time, time is a bit tight. I have If I have time, I’ll take you to Canada or Mexico next time.”
Angela Lindewald is now 180cm tall, but because of her slender figure, she does not look bulky when leaning next to Simon. The girl is also very smart. She understood immediately after hearing the words, and boldly leaned her head and kissed Simon on the cheek. , suggested: "Simon, you can actually do it anywhere, I will never... um."
The girl did not explain, but Simon understood and smiled: "Of course I believe you, but many times, when something happens, some people are completely unable to control themselves, so I will not expose obvious unnecessary flaws to others. "
Think of the Paula Jones case that is troubling Clinton, and the possible implication of Lewinsky's "zippergate".
In fact, neither of the parties involved really wanted to get involved in this process.
However, in order to attack Clinton, the Republican Party did everything possible to force the parties involved to attack Clinton through in-depth investigations of relatives, repeated tax inspections and other almost rogue methods. In order to avoid those around them being implicated and themselves from being imprisoned, Both Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky have to passively serve as tools of political strife.
Simon has always been very careful not to expose unnecessary details, not because he is worried about the parties involved, but at worst he will lose some money. The most important thing he needs now is money.
The key is to worry about being taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives.
Whether it is business competition or political struggle, most of the time they resort to all possible means.
Like Jeffrey Epstein, whom I just met again this morning.
In the original time and space, Epstein finally committed suicide. The fundamental reason was not the bad affairs between men and women, but was still involved in political strife.
The Democratic Party wanted to use him as a tool to suppress a certain golden retriever, so they revived a case that had been settled ten years ago. Originally I just wanted to put some plaster on the president's face, but as a result, the lid was lifted, and a group of people, whether it was the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, or various other members of the royal family, the super rich, university professors, and movie stars, pulled out the carrots and brought out the mud. Everyone was involved.
None of them can be touched.
So we could only let Epstein commit suicide quickly.
As for the big guys who were brought out, as Epstein shuts up forever and shakes off the dust he accidentally splashed on himself, it’s business as usual. Maybe they suffered some reputational troubles, but it was only a matter of time. No one was really punished for this, and everyone was still shining brightly.