Chapter 378 Hollywood Tycoon
Legendsneverdie
The legend will never die
Whentheworldiscallingyou
The world is calling you
ˆCanyouhearthemscreamingoutyourname
Broadway, No. 1717 Street Bar, the room was bright and feasting, Link crossed his legs and sat on the sofa in the middle.
There was a glass of pure water on the table. On the stage not far away, Dino and Mario grabbed a microphone and roared hard.
Although the lyrics are correct, none of them are in tune, especially since the two of them sang so passionately, swaying their buttocks while singing, it was like ghosts crying, wolves howling, and demons dancing wildly.
Link covered his forehead and regretted accepting their invitation.
At the end of previous training, Dino asked him if he wanted to go clubbing, his eyes full of anticipation.
Link thought that he had nothing to do in the afternoon and could make his own arrangements. Besides, after becoming famous and suddenly rich, he seemed to be getting further and further away from his former circle. This was not a good phenomenon.
With this in mind, he followed Dino and the others to this smoky place.
After arriving, Dino called four scantily clad dancers and said they wanted to greet him well.
Link did not accept it. After knowing that Epstein Jr., Diddy and others were planning to use women against him, he stopped letting strange women get close to him to prevent them from being blackmailed.
Dino and Mario teased him a few words without forcing him. Then Dino and a few boxers went to drink, sing, dance, and start a lively nightlife.
Link was sitting alone on the sofa drinking pure water. The surrounding environment was very noisy, but his heart became calmer and calmer. In the past few months, he had been busy with concerts, dealing with the media, training and other work. It had been a long time. I have never enjoyed this kind of peace.
feel good.
“Link! Do you want to come up and sing a song?”
Mario shouted with the microphone in hand.
Link waved his hand and sang continuously for two months. He sang dozens of songs over and over a hundred times. Even a person who loves music will have a period of burnout. Now he has no interest in picking up the microphone.
"Stop calling him. Link costs one million dollars to sing a song. How can he sing here so easily?"
Dino joked.
“If I had known that singing was so profitable, I would have studied music.”
Mario said with a frown on his face.
Link smiled.
Jingle Bell!
The phone on the table rang twice and then stopped. He picked it up and looked at it. It was Jennifer Lawrence's number. He didn't know if the other party was looking for him with something or if he dialed the number by mistake.
Just as he was about to call, Jennifer sent a message asking him if he was busy. She came to New York to audition for a movie today.
Link said he was not busy, and attached the address of the bar and asked her if she wanted to come over.
Jennifer said it's also on Broadway, and you can get there in ten minutes.
Less than ten minutes later, Jennifer Lawrence appeared in the bar booth.
Wearing a camel suspender dress and sneakers, her long blond hair is draped over her shoulders. Her shoulders are still slender, her cheeks are rosy and smooth with a little baby fat, her chest is bulging, and her **** is perky.
Her appearance is not exquisite, and her figure is not hot. In Hollywood, where there are so many beauties, she is only considered to be an upper-middle-class actress. Sometimes she will fall to the level of a village beauty if she doesn't pay attention to her dressing up.
But the highlight of her body is her simplicity and naturalness, without any pretense. Compared with the group of exquisite vases, she is more like a pottery.
“What movie are you auditioning for?”
After Jennifer sat down, Link poured her a glass of white wine.
“Silver Linings Playbook, the new film directed by David Russell, with whom you worked.”
Jennifer said.
Link nodded. He had an impression of this movie. It tells the story of a pair of low-class men and women who are in trouble in life and redeem each other in love. It is similar to the theme of "Rust and Bone".
With this movie, Jennifer became the first Best Actress born in the 1990s and the second youngest Best Actress in the history of the Oscars. It is a very good film.
Because the film was good, when "The Fighter" premiered, he told Director Russell that he should remember to inform himself about new movies, and he could negotiate for the leading role or investment.
Director Russell nodded repeatedly at that time.
But the crew had already entered the casting process without notifying him.
“How was the audition?”
"It went well at first. Director Russell was very satisfied with my performance. But not long after the audition, the production team called and told me that I failed the audition. I called Director Russell to ask about the situation. Russell The director said it was Harvey Weinstein's decision, who was the film's chief producer."
“Harvey?”
"Yes, before joining the Palm Bay Agency, someone from Weinstein Films approached me and said there was a role that would be perfect for me. After I passed the audition, Harvey Weinstein offered me a hotel room. No. 1 asked me to go over and talk about the role, but I refused and angered him, so he interfered with my audition again."
Jennifer Lawrence said.
Link frowned as he listened.
Unwritten rules are very common in the entertainment industry. They have been accompanied by unwritten rules almost since the rise of the film industry.
ˆThe upper echelons of film companies have unspoken rules for actors. It is also very common for actors to get roles based on their physical appearance.
It is said that in several major Hollywood production companies, producers with power and resources would be embarrassed to say to their colleagues that they are also producers if there are no unspoken rules for a few female or male stars.
As for Hollywood actors and actresses, anyone with some good looks has almost encountered this kind of thing.
Because there are so many actors in the entertainment industry, no actor is indispensable. This also gives the soil for the survival of unspoken rules. Those who do not accept the unspoken rules will basically have no chance to get ahead unless they have a backstage.
However, after the millennium, with the popularity of the feminist movement, the cost of establishing unspoken rules has increased.
It is also because the operating mechanism of the Hollywood film industry is more complete. From project establishment to casting, filming, and publicity, there are mature operating processes, and everyone performs their duties.
The top executives and producers of the seven major film companies are just workers. Their task is to help shareholders make money. If they don't make money, they will be replaced. The power in their hands has been greatly weakened. They can no longer do whatever they want as before, no matter who they like. Just give the role to whoever you want.
And the film industry unions are also monitoring and resisting various hidden rules to protect the rights and interests of actors.
It has also resulted in fewer media reports on unspoken rules, which have become more hidden and the methods more civilized.
But it does not exist.
At present, the most serious unspoken rules in Hollywood are among independent production companies.
Independent production companies are small film companies relative to the seven major film studios such as Warner, Disney, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and Sony.
ˆHaving a unique operating model and creative concept, it has more freedom in film production and promotion, and can select capable film workers to cooperate with, rather than relying on professionals from large production companies.
There is also a higher degree of autonomy in film content creation. It does not focus too much on box office, does not cater to the market and audiences, and does not need to be responsible for capital, because the president of a film company is often the company's major shareholder, just like Link's Palm Beach Pictures .
Simply put, independent films pay more attention to artistry and have higher autonomy and innovation.
This autonomy also results in the presidents of independent production companies having great power.
For example, in a movie invested by Palm Beach Pictures, Link can decide who he wants to use as the director and the heroine. This also gives the soil for the survival of unspoken rules.
In today's independent production field, Weinstein Pictures is considered the industry leader, and founder Harvey Weinstein also has a high influence in the film industry with his strong production and distribution capabilities.
He has therefore been hailed by the media as the savior of modern cinema, an Oscar-winning actor and a successful actress, and an Oscar-winning little expert.
At all previous Oscar awards ceremonies, Harvey and God are the people who have been thanked the second most times during their acceptance speeches.
He has collaborated with countless actors and directors.
Including Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soder Director Berg, Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie and others are all gods and goddesses.
It has successfully launched many classic movies, including "Pulp Fiction", "Good Will Hunting", "The English Patient", "Gangs of New York", "The Departed", "Chicago", "Kill Bill", "Shakespeare in Love", "The Lord of the Rings", "Sex and Lies" "Video", "Cold Mountain", "Cinema Paradiso", etc., are all works that have great influence around the world.
Many actors and movies can win Oscars, and Harvey's work is indispensable.
On the list of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood released by The Hollywood Reporter, Harvey has been the most powerful person in Hollywood for eight consecutive years, ranking among the top ten all year round.
In addition, he is also the spokesman and financial envoy of the Donkey Party in Hollywood. He has a close relationship with the Clintons. The eldest daughter of the current Obama administration is an intern at Weinstein Films.
He is also a member of the Squid tribe and has a strong background and connections in the media industry.
This also led to Harvey's dominance in Hollywood.
Since the 1990s, he has been accused of sexual assault and harassment many times, but because of his strong network resources in the media industry and the judiciary, he has remained safe so far.
Link has seen similar reports. Harvey Weinstein likes to invite actresses or models to a room to discuss work, and then asks them to provide intimate services such as massages, implying that they will be given important roles. Those who accept will be given opportunities, and those who do not accept will not have a chance. .
This is how Harvey uses unspoken rules. Even if it is exposed, he can claim that the other party is voluntary instead of using coercion. This also brings great difficulties to judicial investigations.
Link didn’t expect to hear Jennifer Lawrence talk about it.
I didn’t expect Jennifer to reject Harvey.
After Harvey's fall, Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jennifer Lawrence were considered to be representatives of the "Wei Girls" and were known as the "Big, Middle and Little Wei Queens".
Three of them all relied on Harvey's operation to unexpectedly win the Oscar for Best Actress when they should not have won it.
For example, Pepper Gwyneth was called the "Queen of Water" after winning the award. Although Meryl and Jennifer were eligible to win the award, they did not win the award through normal channels and received a lot of criticism afterwards.
Jennifer was also considered to have relied on Harvey to become famous, but now she has rejected Harvey. This is a very interesting thing.
Link thought that it was his appearance that gave her a better choice.
Compared to Harvey, although he does not have that much power in the film industry, he is young, handsome, wealthy, has a good character, and is on the rise of his career. He has greater potential and is more reliable than Harvey.
Facing Harvey’s olive branch, Jennifer can make this choice, which also shows that she is a smart girl.
Link also remembered another thing.
Not long ago, he encountered an Internet undercurrent and was besieged by millions of netizens. In order to divert public attention, Link's publicity department contacted a number of media to vigorously publicize Harvey's sexual harassment case.
Originally, this case was only the size of a piece of tofu in the New York Times. It was said that the case of Harvey sexually harassing a female subordinate had been settled out of court, and it did not attract much attention.
After being used as a shield by Link, the news was amplified dozens of times and attracted the attention of many people.
It is said that Harvey spent millions of dollars more to settle the matter.
Based on Harvey’s connections in the media industry and decades of experience in the entertainment industry, it’s hard not to see that Link Music is trying to use him as a shield.
Will Harvey resent him for this incident and take it out on the artists under the Palm Bay Agency, causing Jennifer to lose the role?
Link thinks it is possible.
—
Jingle Bell!
While we were chatting, Jennifer Lawrence's phone rang. Jennifer glanced at it, her face changed slightly, and she whispered it was "Harvey Weinstein" and asked him if he wanted to answer it.
Link gestured to Dino and Mario, asking them to keep their voices down.
He asked Jennifer if it would be convenient for her to turn on the speaker of her phone and listen to what Harvey was saying.
Jennifer nodded, answered the phone, turned on the speaker, and said hello Mr. Weinstein.
“Jennifer, it’s very noisy there.”
“Yes, Mr. Weinstein, I’m at the bar. What can I do for you?”
"Director Russell told me that your acting skills are great and you are very suitable to play Tiffany. Bradley Cooper also told me that you are the most suitable candidate. They all want to cooperate with you, but! I told They, this is my movie, who can act and who can’t, I have the final say!”
ˆ “.”
“Jennifer, are you listening?!”
Weinstein's voice became rougher, like a chimney's voice, and when he opened his mouth, he either spewed out smoke or erupted into flames.
Link put his arm around Jennifer and whispered in her ear to chat casually with Harvey. "Mr. Weinstein, I heard Director Russell say that everything is decided by you, and so are the actors."
"Yes, this is my movie. Of course, I have the final say. Jennifer, I know you are an excellent actor. Among the new generation of actresses, you are also the only one I recognize. I think you have a great chance to win." to an Oscar, but only if you’re smarter.”
On the phone, Weinstein said in a pointing tone.
“Mr. Weinstein, what should I do to win an Oscar?”
“Haha, that’s a great question, Jennifer. I heard you said that it was an extremely stupid decision to move from IMG to Palm Bay Agency.
Link Baker is just a playboy. He knows nothing and has no connections. He came to Hollywood to start a film company just to pick up girls, and he can't help you at all.
I bet that his Palm Beach Pictures will not survive three years in Hollywood. After three years, he will leave Hollywood in despair with a loss of tens of millions or hundreds of millions of dollars. "
"Will it? I heard that "Scandal Project" produced by Palm Beach Pictures has currently exceeded 70 million in North American box office and 160 million in global box office. The investment cost is only 8 million. Palm Beach Pictures can earn at least 4,000 on this project. Thousands of dollars.”
"Hmph! That's just bad luck. He encountered a big-selling movie. He can't be so lucky forever. No one in Hollywood can. He will definitely lose money in his next movie. That's what I said. Don't believe it. Just wait and see."
“Is that so? I am a new actor and don’t know much about these things.”
Jennifer glanced at Link, who smiled casually.
“And I heard that he wants to win the Oscar for Best Actor? Haha, this is ridiculous. He wants to win the Oscar just because he is a singer boxer and his poor acting skills?
This is simply a big joke. Those people at the Academy were crazy enough to give him the Oscar. I guarantee that people like him will never win an Oscar in their lifetime. "
Link's face turned dark when he heard this. Although Harvey was right, he was a singer, boxer and a world superstar, so it would be difficult for him to be recognized by the Academy of Sciences.
But Harvey said that his acting skills were poor, which he would never accept.
Harvey is a film wholesaler, what acting skills does he know?
Jennifer winked at him and asked if he wanted to continue listening.
Link nodded solemnly.
On the phone, Harvey scolded him as a scumbag, a playboy, who didn't understand movies, who liked to hype all day long, and was a flashy person.
He also said that Jennifer's decision to switch to his agency was definitely a very bad and stupid decision. This decision is likely to ruin her career and make her miss the Oscar for Best Actress.
“Would you regret if you didn’t win the Oscar?”
Link asked softly while holding the girl in his arms.
“I don’t know if I can get it, but it feels great to be with you.”
Jennifer shrugged.
"Jennifer, I will give you one last chance. Leave Link Baker. I will give you the role of Tiffany and help you get the Oscar. I have this ability. If you choose to continue to follow Link, Humph, that’s a pity.”
“What’s a pity?”
Link answered the phone and smiled, "Mr. Harvey Weinstein, what you just said was so domineering, like a lion, but I heard from several women who have been violated by you that you have no **** and need injections every time." It takes medicine to become a man. I am very curious. Why do you, a man like you, scream in front of me and steal women from me? "
“Linkback?!”
The phone call came from Harvey Weinstein’s shocked and furious roar.
"It's me, Mr. Weinstein. I don't know what makes you hostile to me, but I don't care, and I don't like you very much either."
“Linkback!”
Harvey Weinstein gritted his teeth and said, "You dare to say that I am not a man? I dare to swear that you will pay the price for what you just said, definitely."
"Really? Harvey Weinstein, a media friend of mine gave me a piece of information not long ago. It records that since the 1980s, you have assaulted or harassed dozens of women in the name of work. There are confessions from more than a dozen victims, what do you think will happen if I expose this information?”
“Nonsense! Do you think I would believe it?!”
“Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, need I say more?”
Link sneered.
“.They all volunteered. I don’t believe you have their confessions.”
“What does it have to do with me whether you believe it or not? I am not Jesus.”
Link hung up the phone decisively.
“Link, did Weinstein really assault dozens of women?”
Jennifer asked in surprise.
“More than this.”
“Too bad, how can there be such bad people in the world.”
Jennifer frowned, a look of disgust on her rosy cheeks.
Jingle Bell!
The phone rang again. Jennifer glanced at him and was about to hang up. Link waved his hand and took it.
“Good afternoon Mr. Weinstein, what can I do for you?”
“Link, why are you investigating me, and what do you want?”
“I got it by accident, just read it as an anecdote, and don’t think anything of it.”
“Give me the information and I will help you get the Oscar. You should know that in your situation, the Academy judges will not vote for you at all. Only I can help you get the Oscar.”
"No need. I am an Olympic champion, a world boxing champion, a world superstar, a billionaire, and a mere Oscar statuette is nothing. Do you think I care about the Oscar? My public declaration of winning an Oscar is nothing more than a joke for the media. Why do you take my material so seriously?”
Link hugged Jennifer and smiled lightly.
“What do you want? Link, I know you. We have known for a long time that we are the same kind of people. We both like beautiful women. We can discuss anything.”
"I heard from Jennifer that the movie "Silver Linings Playbook" is good. I want it and give the script and the entire project to Palm Beach Pictures for investment."
“What? You want that movie?”
“That’s right! This is the price you pay for harassing my girlfriend.”
“I’m not harassing her, OK, Link, Weinstein Pictures is investing over thirty million in this project, how much are you willing to spend on the entire project?”
“I only want the rights to adapt the script, and the market price is US$30,000.”
"Thirty thousand?! Damn it, what **** are you kidding? You only give 30,000 to a 30 million project? Do you think you can blackmail me with that? Link, you are too young, with me I bet you can’t do anything to me even if you reveal all the information.”
"Really? I just made more than 100 million US dollars from playing games this year and have nowhere to spend it. How about we bet 100 million US dollars to see whether you have more connections or I have more money."
Link said.
Harvey Weinstein is a Hollywood tycoon and a gold medal film producer, but he is also just a billionaire.
After falling out with Walt Disney Pictures in 2005, he and his brother Bob Weinstein left Miramax Pictures to form Weinstein Pictures.
Without the protection of Disney Pictures, Weinstein Pictures is stretched both in terms of resources and funds. In addition, the box office of several films invested in last year was lower than expected, resulting in Weinstein Pictures being short of funds.
According to the "Hollywood Reporter", in order to shoot new film projects such as "The King's Speech", "Piranha 3D" and "Light Up America", Weinstein Pictures had to use the copyrights of 200 films as collateral last year. Asset management companies and insurance companies borrowed US$200 million.
Link knew that the other party was short of money, so he pretended to be young, frivolous and wealthy, to see if the other party dared to compete.
"Link, you are a very outstanding young man. I admire you very much. We also like beautiful women. This is what we have in common. I think we have a chance to become friends, not opponents. You just said that you like "Dark Clouds" "The Silver Lining Behind"?
Haha, just right, I also like this movie. How about we cooperate once? The production cost of this movie is 40 million, and we each contribute 20 million, and we jointly produce it, and we each share half of the profit. We are all friends, how about making a fortune together?
As well as the heroine, Miss Jennifer Lawrence is very suitable. As long as you agree, I will arrange for her to join the cast immediately. "
Harvey Weinstein said with a smile.
Jennifer Lawrence looked at him in surprise.
Link raised the corner of his mouth and laughed: "Harvey, you are right. We are all friends. Cooperation will benefit both sides, and fighting will hurt both sides. I also understand this truth, but I am young and don't know how to make movies, right? I also don’t know anything about the movie’s announcement.
I heard that many billionaires didn’t understand the rules of the film industry and went to Hollywood with their checks. As a result, the film companies made false accounts, falsely reported costs, stole box office, and were completely deceived. Harvey, you are a gold medal producer. Hollywood tycoon, if I cooperate with you, will you lie to me? "
“Uh-huh, Link, you are really good at joking. We are friends. How could I lie to you? It’s absolutely impossible. How about we talk in person when we have time?”
Harvey laughed.
Link thought for a moment and agreed.
He also thought about getting rid of the bad guy Harvey now and making Palm Beach Pictures the leader in independent production in Hollywood, but it was too difficult.
First of all, the Donkey Party is currently in power, and Harvey has a political advantage. Even if he can find a way to collect evidence of Harvey's crime, he is not 100% sure that he will be sent to jail.
This is not taking advantage of the time.
Secondly, Harvey has been involved in Hollywood for more than 30 years and has extensive connections. He has deep connections with the seven major film companies, the largest agency CAA, and officials in California and New York.
As a newcomer in a different industry, it is almost impossible to defeat the other party in a short period of time. This is not a disadvantage.
The third thing is not to occupy people and people.
At present, many first- and second-tier actors in the film industry have collaborated with him. Those movie stars and directors he promoted are still the backbone of the American film industry. This is Harvey's foundation in Hollywood.
If you take a clear stand against Harvey, you will face the risk of being isolated by the entire circle.
Also, Harvey is currently so powerful in Hollywood that the victims have concerns and dare not come forward to report him openly. The reports of just a few victims will have little impact on Harvey.
Based on these three points, Link believes that it is not a good time to break up with the other party yet, and it is also not a good choice to cooperate with him.
It is rumored that both Harvey and his brother Bob are not good people. One is cruel and dissolute, and the other is greedy. Cooperating with them is to seek skin from a tiger.
“Link, are you going to co-produce this movie with Harvey?”
Jennifer asked.
Link nodded. The quality of "Silver Linings Playbook" is good. It is Jennifer's second film. It should not be bad at the box office. It would be a pity to miss it. As for whether it will be cheated by Harvey, that is for sure.
However, to deal with a strong person like Harvey, one must be tough and show off his tactics in order to get something out of the fire.
Jingle Bell!
Less than three minutes after he and Harvey ended the call, director David Russell called to tell Jennifer that her audition had passed.
“Link, should I take this role? Harvey looks scary.”
Jennifer held the phone and said hesitantly.
“Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, no one can do anything to you.”
Link patted her on the back.
Jennifer looked up at him, smiled slightly, put her hands around his neck, and offered her red lips.
WhatwouldIdowithoutyoursmartmouth
What should I do without your sweet words?
ˆDrawingmein,andyoukickingmeout
You are sometimes as passionate as fire and sometimes as cold as ice.
ˆGotmyheadspinning, nokidding, Ican\'tpinyoudown
On the stage, Dino was singing with a microphone. Mario patted him, pointed to Link's position, and pursed his lips in a kissing motion. Dino felt a little disgusted when he saw his thick lips.
“Link is such a scumbag, his girlfriends are all big stars.”
Mario looked at the two people who were still kissing, his face full of envy.
“This is a skill you can’t envy.”
“If I had known, I would also speculate in stocks. If I had 100 million US dollars, I could also date female celebrities.”
Mario grabbed the microphone and shouted loudly,
Legendsneverdie
The legend will never die
Whentheworldiscallingyou
(End of this chapter)