Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Aha, you're here, Ronald, hahahaha..."

At a meeting held to raise money for George Sr., George Jr. and his wife Laura appeared at the scene. This fundraiser is a special event for supporters in Staten Island and Lower Manhattan except for Wall Street.

All participants must donate at least several thousand dollars. Sitting in the front row, you have the opportunity to chat with the deputy commander's family and take photos. You need to donate more money, or be the person in charge of a grassroots organization of the Elephant Party who can act in concert to vote for the old George group.

Of course, in the end, I was able to sit down at the same table with old George and Barbara for dinner, chat about home affairs, and have the deputy commander personally greet his family. It had to be Ronald, Douglas Jr., and the overseas Chinese leaders in Manhattan's Chinatown. , a representative of a small group in Little Italy, and some old money from the old Jewish ghetto.

"Mom, look who's here." Little George welcomed Ronald very warmly. Ronald asked his assistant director Emil to shoot an advertisement for him, which made Mr. and Mrs. George stand out among several children and became the most popular children of the deputy commander among voters.

Unlike his younger brother who made his debut in Florida and speaks in an official manner, George Jr. speaks like an uncle in every family, and voters have the best impression of him. He gained many middle- and lower-class supporters for his father.

His mother, Barbara, was not expecting George to be the most popular in the polls. She gave her eldest son more trust, and now George had a greater say in the campaign team.

Not to mention Ronald’s donation…

"Ah ha, Ronald. Come and give me a hug... ah..." Barbara, who had white hair and simple clothes, hugged Ronald and kissed him. In order to get the party's nomination, Barbara spent this time meeting different supporters across the country to seek more donations.

New York has always been an important city for soliciting donations. This time she has had secret talks with many party heavyweights and Wall Street tycoons, and participated in many such fundraising meetings.

What she didn't expect was that New York's 14th District, where Staten Island and lower Manhattan's minority areas are located, could also raise so much money in the primary stage, which was more than some Wall Street private fundraisers. .

Especially the "Action Committee to Continue to Promote Jobs and Prosperity" established by Ronald and Douglas Jr., the numbers on the check are impressive.

"I saw your name on the list as one of the founders and organizers of this PAC. I thought they had the same name and surname. You are so surprising." Barbara also didn't expect that Ronald, a film director, would now The amount of donations has reached the level of multi-millionaires.

And you have to be a die-hard supporter.

"This is not my fault alone. This is my friend Douglas Hansen Jr., who is the most promising young man of the Hansen family in Staten Island." Ronald first introduced Fa Xiao to the old lady, and then Then he said:

"This is all due to George Jr., who explained the political views of the deputy president very clearly. We the people of Staten Island hope that such a candidate will continue to be tough in diplomacy and inherit the old economic policies economically. president."

Ronald's emphasis was on "old economic policies," and Barbara certainly understood. "George's idea was to continue free economic development and limit federal power. If the 'old' system was working well, we wouldn't have to Go fix it.”

"Hahaha, Ronald, you have already said it. I just can speak more simply..." Little George was even more happy when he heard that Ronald gave himself the credit for the fundraising.

"Easier...not simpler...", his wife Laura reminded quietly from behind.

"It's almost the same..." Little George waved his hand and continued chatting with Ronald and his mother.

"Honorable Vice President of the United States of America..." The waiter who announced his name at the door loudly said the title of Old George. Although in the hands of ordinary people, this position is just a useless spare tire, in the hands of old George, it is the most powerful person in history.

In the previous Persian Gate scandal, George Sr., as the former CIA director, was inevitably involved. There are rumors that the spokesperson of the Israeli government, anti-terrorism expert Amiram Neal, finalized this deal with George Sr. when he visited Jerusalem. He used the money obtained from the spare parts of F-14 fighter jets sold to the enemy Persia to circumvent the situation. Through the Congress controlled by the Donkey Party, it privately funded opposition forces in Central America.

However, George Sr. is the candidate of the Elephant Party Committee, the establishment faction, for the next leadership. So in the face of hard evidence, the senior officials involved, such as Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams, and National Security Advisor Robert C. McFarland Everyone else kept their mouths shut, and no one said George's name.

George Sr., who was already involved in a major scandal even before he won the party's primary election, was flying around the country to raise funds while also devoting his energy to dealing with the inquiries of the Congressional Special Investigative Committee and the constant provocative questions from the news media. .

"Thank you, thank you all, like all Americans, I love New York..."

Ronald noticed that the person who walked in with George Sr. was his electoral registration address, Congressman Guy Molinari of Staten Island. He had just been talking secretly with old George for a long time, and he was even a few minutes late for the dinner. Ronald couldn't help but turn to look at little Douglas.

"Molinari and New Jersey Congressman Peter Rodino, who is also of Italian descent and is also a member of the Congressional Special Investigative Committee on Persia Gate, have been friends for many years..."

"Aha..." Ronald understood, just as old George's speech ended, he and others clapped together.

…

After taking photos with Mr. and Mrs. George Sr., Mr. and Mrs. George Jr., Congressman Guy Molinari and others, Ronald got in the car and went to attend Julia Taylor's party.

Julia is a senior employee of the casting studio and has done casting for many major New York-based directors. She helped select many of the directors' famous works.

However, Woody Allen, who has collaborated with her most, did not come this time. Julia Taylor seems to have some opinions about him and has stopped casting the director since last year. This party invited many directors and casting directors in New York to gather in the office of the casting studio back then. It was also a kind of nostalgia.

"Marty... it's nice to meet you. Did you come back from Morocco before Christmas?"

"Ah, yes, I have just been back for three days, Ah Hee... Ah Hee... there are cats here, and I am allergic to cat hair."

This party was attended by many directors, such as Ronald's teacher in college, Martin Scorsese. One of the conditions in exchange for him and Tom Cruise filming "The Color of Money" was to sign with CAA, and then Ovitz guaranteed that he would film his lifelong wish, a story about the ascension of Christ Jesus.

This year, thanks to Ovitz's unremitting promotion, Universal finally agreed to shoot the movie and gave it a shooting budget of US$7 million. The delighted Scorsese chose Ronald's old acquaintance Willem Dafoe as the male lead and his former collaborator Barbara Hershey as the female lead. He flew to Morocco and finished filming in three months. This "The Last Temptation of Christ." After finishing, he returned to New York to rest and spend Christmas with his wife.

"Sneeze...sneeze", Scorsese continued to sneeze, Ronald picked up the cat, stood up and put it into another room.

When Ronald came back, he found that Scorsese's symptoms had immediately eased and he was chatting with a very personable man.

"Ronald, come and meet Peter, all three of us got our start with Roger Corman, hahaha."

"Hello, Peter," Ronald recognized the man as Peter Bogdanovich. I had dinner in a restaurant with myself, the late Orson Welles.

He was the girlfriend Stratten who was killed by her husband. In order to commemorate his girlfriend, he spent five million US dollars to buy back the distribution rights of the movie "Laugh-In" in which Stratten starred as the heroine, and then invested huge sums of money himself. It was released, but it failed at the box office and made him personally bankrupt.

"Hi, Ronald, I saw your latest movie, 'Moonlight,' and it's very poetic. Is Cher difficult to work with?" Peter Bogdanovich is a proud man, and he doesn't want to Just to get closer, you flatter your juniors. He still liked the movie quite a bit, so that’s why he said this.

"Hey, you can't imagine it," Ronald sighed. Cher caused him a lot of difficulties at the time, but luckily, the dinner scene was shot like a miracle.

"Oh no, you have directed Cher, so you understand my troubles better." Ronald remembered that Bogdanovich directed Cher and Eric Stoltz in 1985. "Mask", when he said this, director Cher must have suffered a lot at that time.

"I directed Cher in many scenes very closely, but she later denied it in interviews. She is a difficult person..."

When it comes to filming scenes with celebrities, Ronald, Bogdanovich, and Scorsese all share the same problem, and many times they have to compete with them in a battle of wits and courage.

"What movies are you filming recently?" Ronald and Bogdanovich had a very lively chat this time. Maybe it's because he has lost all his wealth and is now starting to make money as a director again, so his mentality is more normal.

"I'm going to join the group after Christmas, 'Illegally Yours.' Now I'm back to comedy, with a budget of 13 million, and I'm also trying to make money..." Peter Bogdanovich laughed at himself .

"When you make comedy comedies, you always get both hits and misses. Who is your star this time?" Ronald has watched Bogdanovich's "What's Up, Doc?" and it's very funny. . The second highest-grossing film of the year.

"I asked Rob Lowe, he's a kid from the Bloods."

"Humph..." Ronald stopped talking. The development of the teenage stars of Brad's gang was not very good. Emilio Estevez was almost disappeared from the scene due to his manipulation, and Andrew McCarthy's acting skills were also poor. Stagnation, no development.

"I found a lot of stars to play. In addition to him and Louise, I also chose David Bowie to play a supporting role..."

Bogdanovich seems to be a little out of touch with the audience's taste. A handsome niche like Rob Lowe is not comparable to the solid acting skills of Ryan O'Neal, Bogdanovich's early collaborator. As for Louise, she is the sister of the Playboy cover girl who unfortunately died and Bogdanovich’s ex-girlfriend Stratten.

"Where's your next movie?" Bogdanovich talked a lot about his thoughts about his movie. Seeing that both Scorsese and Ronald were a little perfunctory, he had to change the topic.

"Working girl, you know..." Ronald smiled, "Julia still has a script..."

"Well, I don't like this script very much. It's a serious drama, but it doesn't reveal too much social reality. It wraps the reality in a layer of sugar-coating." Bogdanovich brought the script of "Working Girl" , and commented again.

"Hahaha, you might as well say that I only make movies that cater to the audience..." Ronald and Scorsese looked at each other and smiled. This man is really as arrogant as the rumors say.

"No, this is just my personal preference. I'm looking forward to the release of your new movie. I will definitely go back and watch it. Let me tell you, this movie has to premiere in a cinema that accommodates thousands of people. When the time comes, wear sunglasses. Sneak in after the opening to watch, and the audience will definitely stand up and applaud at the final climax. The scene of thousands of people cheering for you, enjoying it a few more times is very good for your physical and mental health and confidence..."

"I think you're right..." Ronald thought for a moment and had to admit that Bogdanovich was right. When the particularly popular movies he shot, such as "Break Dance", "Top Gun", and "Dirty Dancing" premiered, the audience went crazy, which really gave Ronald a strong confidence, as if it were a movie. He can take pictures.

After a person has experienced this kind of peak experience, he will not be deterred by any serious difficulties.

"Maybe after I finish shooting this movie, I can have the capital to try to shoot something with content I like and a more personal style." Ronald said with a smile.

"Don't ever think that..." Scorsese and Bogdanovich said to Ronald in unison.

"Why?" Ronald was surprised. Didn't these two directors make a few commercial films and then exchange the films they wanted to make?

"Times have changed, and there are too few movies being shot now. I started shooting 'The Last Temptation of Christ' because I was optimistic about the box office potential." Scorsese has had the experience of being too personal and stylized, and it failed at the box office. So I quickly advised Ronald to give up this idea.

"Yeah, yeah, you'd better keep making movies and keep hitting the box office. You know I've interviewed many famous directors from the golden age of Hollywood, Frank Capra (Oscar's first major hit for 'It Happened One Night'), and every year The director of "It's a Wonderful Life" which is shown on Christmas TV stations), the highest record is that 13 movies were hits in a row.

He told me that the biggest secret for a director is to make money at the box office! "Bogdanovich suffered even more at the box office than Scorsese, and he quickly tried to persuade Ronald to have such a terrible idea.

"Okay, I understand. I wish our new films will be successful..."

…

After attending the party here, Ronald ran to the third party. Now that he is famous, he sends invitations to many celebrity parties. Ronald declined all those who could shirk, and only attended those good friends or particularly important gatherings.

Today is the Christmas holiday. Since it is out, I will participate in one more, which will be more efficient.

"Ronald..." The organizer of the banquet, record company owner, David Geffen came up to say hello to Ronald.

"Hello David..." Ronald hugged him and said hello.

Geffen wore a white turtleneck sweater, CK jeans and sneakers. This party was neither George's formal banquet nor the director's relaxed private party, but another party full of artistic flavor.

The big house is filled with all kinds of art. In front of one wall, there are many paintings with strange colors. It is the modern art work that David Geffen wants to promote.

"Look at how infinitely creative this modern artist is, you know? This is made by the painter using silk screen printing. He broke the traditional rules of the game, incorporated pop culture and created the ambiguity of art to form waves. The irony of pop art.”

Geffen enthusiastically introduced his collection to Ronald, who now has an extensive collection of works by many modern artists. Andy Warhol, who passed away recently, is an artist that his art business will focus on hyping next.

"Printed?" Ronald looked at the strange paintings, many of which were quadruple works. Many of Warhol's works are based on Hollywood female stars. A female star's head is made into four versions using a pink like calamine lotion for treating skin diseases, or a sickly green. , and then put together as a group of works.

The so-called pop art is so simple that a high school student can create it after knowing the method.

"He broke the tradition that artists need a pair of highly skilled hands. His works are anti-traditional. Art is not monopolized by a few people, but belongs to the masses." David Geffen continued to introduce Ronald to modern art. The truth is, recently there have been many rumors about Ronald making money in the securities market. This new money class is exactly the target of his art business.

"He created this all by himself?" Ronald looked at the two rows of Marilyn Monroe portrait headbands. They obviously made the molds and then used different paints to find someone to silk screen them.

And the model was also drawn based on Monroe's famous head photo. Isn't there any artistic difficulty? Put this thing in the frame on the screen printing machine, roll it back and forth with the roller, and you can create a picture in three seconds. "

"Whether an artist actually uses his own hands to create a work, the act itself is no longer a key factor in determining the authenticity of a work; and this conceptual revolution in artistic execution is what made the art of the twentieth century The fundamental reason why it is no longer the same as all art before it.”

David Geffen knew that Ronald had seen through the trick behind the work, so he quickly made amends and gave Ronald popular science about the differences between the so-called modern art and traditional classical art. Then he whispered in Ronald's ear: "The auction of Warhol's works will be held in New York next week. Now is a good time to collect. His works have great potential for appreciation."

Geffen then patted Ronald on the back and went to greet the other guests.

"It's obviously just a printed matter," Ronald couldn't understand and complained to a set of portraits of Monroe.

"These are prints. I bought several of them. They are cheap anyway. Who knows if they will appreciate in value?" A man next to him dressed like a rock star answered Ronald's words.

"Ah, Mr. Bowie." Ronald took a look. Isn't this the actor in Bogdanovich's new film, the rock star David Bowie?

"Call me David, you're Ronald. I heard Geffen said you were coming back." As he spoke, David Bowie patted his leather jacket everywhere and looked for cigarettes in his pockets.

"I have Lasker here, do you smoke it?" Ronald handed over the Lasker cigarette that the prop master of "Working Girl" gave him.

"Ah, thank you. I feel bad if I don't have any stuff." Bowie opened the package happily, got one for himself and Ronald, and lit it with a lighter.

"Hmm...it feels good." Ronald was puffing away smoke with David Bowie in the corner.

"I heard that you are going to star in Bogdanovich's new film?" Ronald asked.

"Ah, yes, they filmed in Florida, and the sunshine there is suitable for me." Bowie's teeth and fingers were all yellow from cigarette smoke, and he looked like an old smoker. Ronald and he chatted while smoking.