America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 113: Keep him down

call out!

With one swing, the golf ball took off.

Eric looked at the white track going away, gradually losing sight of his target.

Steven Spielberg looked at him with a smile: "Eric, it seems your golf level needs to be improved."

Eric shrugged. Of course he couldn't play golf. Although he had worked as an assistant director in his previous life, he was nothing like an assistant director.

It wasn't yet to the point where someone would invite him to play golf. Usually, they would just treat him to a meal and sing karaoke, plus a bar and sauna. Golf was still a bit high-end for him at that time.

Finally, under everyone's surprised eyes, Eric used 183 strokes to finally push the damn ball into the hole.

"I have to say, it's much more difficult to get into this hole than in bed."

Eric's rant immediately caused everyone to laugh.

Dad handed over a bottle of water: "Son, maybe you should come to the golf course more often and play this kind of ball more and that kind of ball less. Your mother will feel more at ease."

Everyone laughed again.

Luckily it was in America. If this passage were spread in China, some of them would be criticized by netizens and marked with all kinds of labels of slutty and wretched men.

"By the way, Eric, are you and Nicole Kidman really happening?" Jeffrey Katzenberg asked curiously.

"What! Do you believe this stuff too, Jeffrey? It's just slander and reporting rubbish scandals. These gossip newspapers are the best at attracting attention. Attracting attention equals sales."

"So 'La Vie en Rose' is real? What type of movie is it? An artistic film or a commercial film?" Spielberg asked.

"A literary film, a very standard literary film."

"Does that mean MGM and Nicole Kidman are planning to use this movie to win another award?"

"Yes, you can understand it that way."

"When is it planned to be released? This year or next year?"

Eric shook his head slightly: "Not sure yet, the script is still in the revision and improvement stage. If the filming goes well, it will be good to catch up with the Christmas schedule."

Spielberg smiled and said: "I suggest putting it on the Christmas screen."

"Why?" Cooper and his son looked at the little old man with glasses.

"Because Steven is producing "The Terminal", which is scheduled to be released in June next year. If "La Vie en Rose" is also released next year, I'm afraid we will be competitors at the Oscars." David Geffen explained on the side.

Eric suddenly realized: "Tom Hanks is starring, right? Then I have to avoid your old partners. He is the first person to win the Oscar for Best Actor with "Philadelphia Story" and "Forrest Gump". I'm afraid in the future There will never be another actor like him."

"But you can give Nicole Kidman a chance to win, for example, let her be the best actress in a row.

"Steven, you just want me to put the movie in this year anyway, right? Well, then I'll do my best. By the way, I remember your birthday is in December."

Spielberg nodded: "December 18th, what happened?"

"Then I have decided that "La Vie en Rose" will be released on December 18th. It can be regarded as my birthday gift to you."

"No problem. If "La Vie en Rose" is really released on December 18, I will promote it for free and book the show."

"Count me in."

"And I."

"Wait, something doesn't seem right. I feel like I've been fooled by you. Even if there is no "La Vie en Rose", MGM will have other movies next year."

Ha ha ha ha

In the lounge, several people were sitting or lying down, and five masters were massaging them vigorously.

Of course, these are not projects for other people's golf courses. They are experts specially invited by Eric from Chinatown. The old man with half white hair who is pressing the button on his father is almost 60 years old.

The others are all his apprentices. The youngest is a Chinese woman in her twenties. She is slightly fat and should be good if she loses weight.

"OH!"

"OMG!"

"OH!"

The lounge was filled with the howls of several old men. Spielberg's left arm was bent half a circle around his neck. The world's number one box office director was wailing in pain.

"Relax, relax, don't resist, your muscles are too stiff. You will feel comfortable soon after you finish pressing."

click

"ah"

As he spoke, the master gave it a hard squeeze, and there was a sound of bone shifting in Spielberg's cervical vertebrae.

Geffen and Katzenberg are also fools. The Hollywood bosses and the emperors of the singing circle were defeated by the offensive of massage and soles.

Especially having this experience for the first time in decades, the sour feeling is enough to make them want to die.

At this moment, my father was lying on the recliner, breathing heavily. His face was red and he looked constipated.

"Doctor, I thought you were the oldest and the weakest. It seems I was wrong!"

David Geffen gently rubbed his chest: "Why? Why do we still need to pay when we are clearly suffering!"

"That's my question too!" Jeffrey Katzenberg struggled to endure

Eric also frowned: "David, isn't this just like those busy working people? They obviously do the hardest work, but they still have to hand over most of the value they create to people like us. Man, if you think about it this way, you won’t feel bad.

In an instant, the four old men looked at him together, feeling that what he said made sense.

David Geffen said with some emotion: "Eric, although some people dare not say it to my face, I know they call me a vampire behind my back, but after listening to your speech, I suddenly realized that vampire may be a compliment."

"Thank you for the compliment! Master, attack my kidney reflex area!"

An hour later, the massage finally ended, and the five of them collapsed on the recliner together.

"How do you feel? Are you satisfied with this special service I arranged?"

Spielberg twisted his neck: "It's a very strange experience. Originally, my neck felt like it was going to break, but now it feels surprisingly comfortable."

"That's right, it seems like the long-term fatigue has been released, and the acid in the body has been discharged."

"I feel the same way, especially in the soles of my feet. The original soreness is gone. Now I feel light all over my body."

"It's like the feeling you get when you're young and have a sandbag tied to your leg for a long time, and then you suddenly take it off."

Dad smiled with satisfaction on his face: "Eric, you should recommend it to me earlier. From now on, I will have this kind of massage once a week. Compared with the old master just now, those girls who gave me massages before are just shit." neither."

"Xia Li, the question is, are those girls just giving you a massage? Don't they include other services?"

Ha ha ha ha

"Jeffrey, how far along is Frozen?" Eric asked.

"The modeling of Elsa and Anna has been basically completed, including their clothes, shoes and various styles. The styles of other characters are not as detailed as the two of them in the script you provided, and the designs are still being refined."

"There are also scenes in the Kingdom of Arendelle, etc. In short, this is a very complicated process, more complicated and exquisite than "Shrek". According to my plan, it will take at least four months to complete. This is the most conservative estimate."

"Actually, it can be so fast only because you have provided a fairly complete character composition. Otherwise, according to experience, this time will most likely take eight months or more."

"Steven, do you remember how many scraps there were for Shrek?"

Spielberg recalled it and said slowly: "I can't remember clearly, but it must have been at least half a room. Animated movies are far more time-consuming and laborious than live-action movies."

As a practitioner, Eric also understands how difficult it is to produce a high-quality animated feature film, so he gave "Frozen" a psychological cycle of two years.

It would be best if it can catch up with next year's summer season. If it can't catch up, it would be good to put it on the Christmas season. If it can't even catch up with the Christmas season, it can only be put on the 2005 summer season.

As for other schedules, that would only be a waste of "Frozen's" box office potential.

After learning about the progress of "Frozen", Eric decided to reveal his true purpose.

"David, in addition to movies, I remember DreamWorks also has a music department, right?"

David Geffen looked at him and nodded slightly: "Yes, I am mainly responsible for the music section. I am best at this field."

"Then I want to release a single, is that okay?"

David Geffen was a little surprised: "Eric, can you still sing?"

"It's not me, I'm doing a favor for my friend."

"No problem, I also like to support new people. As long as the songs are good enough, I can help them become a first-line singer."

"It's not a newcomer, it's Michael Jackson. His situation is not very good recently. Sony refuses to send him a single. I plan to help him."

When he heard that the singer turned out to be Michael, David Geffen suddenly stopped talking and his face turned cold.

"Michael Jackson, it turns out it's him. I'm afraid there's something wrong with that."

"Why? Are there any disputes between you?"

But David Geffen, like McQueen, kept his mouth shut.

"Eric, if it's anyone else, all you need is a word, but Jackson and I can't get along, so forget it."

Eric looked at Spielberg and Katzenberg. Both of them had puzzled and confused expressions, and they seemed to have no idea what was going on.

I'm afraid only Michael McNair and David Geffen know exactly what happened.

The scene was a bit cold, and Spielberg smiled and said, "We can talk about things later. We just want to relax today. It's not too late to talk about work later."

But who would take this kind of rhetoric seriously? If we can't talk about it today, there will be no need to talk about it in the future.

Eric stood up from the recliner: "David, how about we come out and talk?"

David Geffen frowned, and it was obvious that he didn't want to go, but he still followed out.

In the lounge, Katzenberg looked at his father: "Charlie, what's going on with Eric? Is he familiar with Michael Jackson?"

Dad shook his head: "I don't know either. The division of labor at MGM is very clear. Eric is in charge of production. He doesn't need to report to me everything he thinks or does."

"Eric can talk to David about whatever he wants and we'll leave it alone. I'm sure they will achieve a satisfactory result."

Charlie Cooper didn't want to say it, and Katzenberg and Spielberg stopped asking. The two of them only had a cooperative relationship with David Geffen.

Since it's all a partnership, don't get involved.

Ten minutes later, the two of them returned to the lounge, their faces as usual, as if they had said everything, and yet they seemed to have said nothing.

Others look at their noses with their eyes, their mouths with their noses, and their hearts with their mouths, and pretend that this has never happened.

In the evening, the Coopers and the Big Three of DreamWorks waved goodbye and left.

Eric and David Geffen were still talking and laughing, no one could tell.

In the car, Eric dialed MJ's phone.

"McKen, I have already negotiated with DreamWorks. When it is ready, you can release a single."

"Really?" Maikou's voice was obviously surprised.

"But David Geffen"

"Don't worry, I've got him. But I only have this one chance. DreamWorks will only release the single "rolling in the deep" for you. There will be no follow-up cooperation, but I believe in your ability."

"OMG! What happened? How on earth did you convince David Geffen? He is such an arrogant man!"

"Haha, everyone has a weakness, and MGM holds the weakness of DreamWorks. I don't know what the specific feud is between you, but even if David Geffen doesn't want to, I have to make him bow his head. !”

"Eric, thank you, thank you so much, I don't know what to say."

"Then record the songs. As long as "Rolling in the Deep" is successful, countless people will jump out and rush to release your songs. Even Sony will not be an exception. Prove it to them. Come on, Maikou!"

After hanging up the phone, my father looked at himself: "Eric, do you think so highly of Michael Jackson? He is a big trouble now, and everyone wants to stay away from him."

"Everyone? I don't think so. Besides me, there are still people who can speak for him."

"Dad, I know you are confused. Let me tell you a story. It is a story I learned during my few days in China."

"The story is relatively old, coming from more than two thousand years."

Dad frowned: "The last time I visited the Forbidden City was hundreds of years ago, and this story is from two thousand years ago. This country is really ancient and scary."

"Yes, it's ancient and full of wisdom. The story I'm about to tell is also a story about a wise businessman. It's called Strange Goods."

A few minutes later, Eric finished telling Lu Buwei's story, and his father was thoughtful.

"Invest in the other party when it is most difficult, and then obtain profits dozens or hundreds of times. What do you mean by this? Do I understand you correctly?"

Eric nodded: "That's it. For us, helping Michael Jackson doesn't cost much effort, but we can get returns that far exceed our investment. Why not?"

"Looking around the world, MJ is still firmly in the first echelon. All he needs is a song, a song that makes him turn over."

Dad sighed: "Okay Eric, you always have a plan. How can I help you?"

"Maybe. Do you know a reliable private detective?"