Exploiting Hollywood 1980

A tentative agreement that would allow members of the Writers Guild to temporarily work on Hollywood productions received overwhelming approval from the Writers Guild. After all, compared with ideas and empty promises, bringing bread to the family table is the most urgent need of every screenwriter.

Ronald's Daydream is also associated with medium-sized producers such as Cannon and Orion, as well as Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, Rob Lennar's Castle Rock, and other 150 companies under the director's name. Several small production companies signed a tentative settlement agreement.

"Why do I feel like the seven major studios are not afraid of the antitrust lawsuit?" Ronald asked his lawyer Mickey Kanter after signing the agreement.

"In America, the original intention of filing a lawsuit is not necessarily to win the case." Kanter explained to Ronald.

There are two types of antitrust lawsuits in America. One is a public prosecution investigation initiated by the Department of Justice and the Board of Trade. Based on the Shelton Act, it opposes the collusion of large enterprises with each other or the abuse of monopoly to obtain improper benefits.

This antitrust is very strict and will result in fines, bans, and even splits if found guilty. Just like when Paramount was forced to split up its theater business.

The other type is the private lawsuit filed by some people in the Screenwriters Guild. This kind of antitrust is mainly based on the Clayton Act, and it mainly opposes behavior that leads to monopoly or significantly reduces competition. For example, several major studios and three major public television stations have formed an alliance and refuse to agree to a new labor agreement.

This law is relatively lenient. If you lose, the plaintiff will only be compensated three times the damages and attorney fees.

But if this case is officially scheduled for trial, it will definitely attract media attention. Maybe it will attract the attention of the Trade Commission and the Ministry of Justice. If you encounter another minister with political ambitions, you can launch a public prosecution and investigation.

Therefore, the reason why the Writers Guild filed the lawsuit was also to make a threatening gesture, hoping that these die-hard members would stop boycotting the agreement. Otherwise, the Writers Guild may undergo changes at the top and attract public power to intervene, which would not be good.

…

Whether or not the lives of the writers who wrote for television were improving, the writers who worked on Hollywood and Ronald's Daydream were laughing.

Robert Harlin can finally appear on the crew as a screenwriter. Several screenwriting doctors hired by Ronald urgently also began to work with him to make emergency modifications to lines and scenes in some places that were not suitable for film shooting.

Diane Lane's accent training was almost completed, and she came over to report the results to Ronald.

"Where did you get the pickup truck?" Ronald asked funnyly when he saw Diane driving a broken pickup truck and parked in front of his high-end apartment.

"I'm telling you, Ronnie, that pickup truck is such a good car. It's perfect to drive for fishing!" Diane smelled like corn stubble when she spoke, and she walked like a girl from a southern town. If you don't know her, you will really think that she and Dolly Parton are from the same place.

"Hahaha, your special training is very good." Ronald was happy. Diane is talented in acting. After several weeks of training, he has mastered the characteristics of southerners very well.

"I want to reward you, what do you want to eat?" Ronald knew that the film was shot in 1.85:1, and the character of Diane wore a conservative skirt from beginning to end, and the management of the figure was not so strict. It was hard work. After taking so long to prepare, eating something delicious is always very attractive to actresses.

"We have to celebrate tonight. The barbecue is delicious. I'll bring that bottle of bourbon later." Diane continued to be immersed in the southern state.

"Do you really want to eat barbecue?" Ronald didn't care.

"Hahaha, no, no, if I eat barbecue, this month's training plan will be in vain. I now practice yoga and aerobics every day."

"Since you are exercising, you are not afraid of eating barbecue. If you want to eat, we will eat it. Then we will do more 'exercise' to burn off the calories." Ronald emphasized the word exercise.

"You promise?" Diane laughed out loud, her eyes brightening, "Hahaha, okay, let's go eat some delicious food. I heard that the nearest Japanese restaurant is good."

I didn’t taste the barbecue, but the expensive Japanese Wagyu beef flown in from Japan, and the American Wagyu beef that is a cross between Wagyu beef and local cattle, are not the same level of enjoyment at all.

"Mr. Li, Mr. Horowitz wants to see you."

While Ronald and Diane were enjoying the meal, a waiter wearing a white shirt and black tie came over to give Ronald a message.

】

"It's a crime to interrupt enjoying a meal with a lady..." Ronald held Diane's hand and didn't pay much attention to the public relations consultant Horowitz.

The two were about to finish the remaining steaks sweetly when they saw Horowitz walking from the side and said, "Ronald, the governor and Johnny Carson are over there. Let’s go sit together?”

"You are really a spoiler..." Ronald wiped his mouth. He could have gone back to exercise with Diane. He turned around and asked Diane, "Do you want to meet Mr. Carson?"

"Okay, last time I was on his show on my eighteenth birthday, but he called me by the wrong name." Diane was in a good mood. It was good to meet the host with the most viewers on the TV station.

Ronald nodded to Public Counsel Horowitz, and went over with Diane to the other side of the restaurant. There was a single room near the corner. There was only Johnny Carson, Frey, the producer of his Tonight Show. de Cordova, and the tall governor of Arkansas.

"Ronald, right? My wife, I, and my seven-year-old daughter all watched your Dirty Dancing video. They would be happy if they were here."

The governor smiled sincerely and stood up to shake hands with Ronald. His handshake was strong and confident, but not the kind that showed his superiority. The dark blue suit and plaid tie are interesting and playful. The governor then placed his other hand on Ronald's elbow in a gesture of intimacy.

"Nice to meet you. I watched your speech at the conference, and despite the boos from the audience, I actually think it makes sense."

"Haha, this makes me very uncomfortable. I think the half hour I spent at the conference was the most difficult time in my life. But it does have its advantages. At least I let many people know about me, such as you..." The governor's arm He put it on Ronald's upper arm and shoulder and patted it twice.

"That's right, Johnny, Mr. Cordova." Ronald felt that the governor had no airs and spoke to him very familiarly, as if they had gone to high school together and played on the same team. A close buddies relationship like rugby.

This was the first time for Ronald to see such a charismatic politician, and he couldn't help but be surprised.

"Hello, Miss Lane..."

"Hello, Mr. Governor..."

Diane also shook hands with the governor, and he held Diane's elbow with his left hand. It seemed that this was a gesture to express his intimacy and interest in you.

Ronald frowned, this level of intimacy was a bit too much.

As if sensing Ronald's displeasure, the governor immediately put his hand down, then pulled out the chair and let Diane sit down.

"You should talk to Ronald, Johnny. It's not a bad thing to have a political guest on your show."

The governor conveniently drew Ronald into the conversation between him and Johnny Carson.

"Hi, Diane, meet again?" Johnny Carson was a little embarrassed, he didn't want to talk about this issue. Politicians not appearing on their own programs is the most important criterion to maintain their neutral attitude and win more viewers. The show's ratings are now falling due to the writers' strike.

Carson, who could have made a temporary agreement and resumed hiring screenwriters, was forced to find a lot of college freshmen and direct them to produce jokes every day because NBC boycotted the agreement. He has been wallowing in a tortured hell for several months, not wanting to cause trouble and be criticized by the outside world for losing his neutral position.

"Mr. Carson, do you remember me?" Diane looked surprised, "My birthday was on your show last time...".

The guests continued to chat, but Ronald did not want to pay attention to them. He still held Diane's hand under the table and rubbed it in her palm... which caused the beauty to look back with a smile.

"Johnny, I think the governor's approachability and camera sense are very good. Do you want to give it a try?" Producer Cordova began to lean towards that side. Horowitz was very good at public relations, and he was inclined to agree, and now Carson was strangely facing competition from David Letterman, who was much younger than him.

Letterman started out writing jokes for Carson. He was younger and more energetic. Many viewers who did not watch the Tonight Show went to watch Letterman's late night show, which was broadcast immediately after Carson's show.

Johnny Carson's own writing skills have deteriorated very badly. The college student team is not familiar with his style, and the jokes are getting less and less funny.

And now that the governor happens to be a national sensation, Carson can't compete with other shows in exploiting his jokes. Now the governor has offered to appear on his own TV. Regardless of whether it is funny or not, as long as he is on the show, it will greatly increase the ratings.

"I understand very well that TV audiences are completely different from live audiences. I have also experienced the kind of situation where I was on stage, the lights were shining down, I couldn't see the faces of the audience clearly, only their voices came through, and I was so scared that I couldn't speak. time." Carson empathizes with the governor's problem, a trap often called "quicksand" in the television industry.

Everything was going well, but for some unknown reason, suddenly the audience started to oppose you. You were nervously considering how to respond. Before you could react, you couldn't deal with it. It was like you encountered quicksand in the desert and got stuck. What did you do? Everything is wrong. Just wait for your companions to pull you out.

The governor's mistake was that he lacked a person with experience in televised speeches. At the unfavorable moment, he could take over the conversation and just interrupt with one or two sentences to turn the situation around.

What a pity for that occasion...

"To be honest, I just wanted to make Duka Keith look good that day... God knows, I succeeded in a special way..." The governor began to laugh at himself. He was laughed at by everyone and turned the dull-speaking Duka Keith's contrast was quite good.

"Pfft..." Diane laughed out loud when she heard it, and whispered in Ronald's ear, "This governor has a sense of humor, almost like a stand-up comedian."

Ronald continued to touch Diane's palm, and a wave of heat spread through his palm. "It's very funny".

In fact, this is not funny at all. Politics is an art of competing for attention. Although the governor is now being criticized, Dukakis has also stolen all of his limelight. The National Conference of the Donkey Party was originally a good opportunity to promote one's political views to voters across the country, but now...

"Ronald, what do you think? How should I tell Mr. Governor that people currently holding public office are not suitable to appear on my show." Johnny Carson didn't want to continue the discussion anymore. He had drunk enough. , I will go back and continue writing jokes with those rookie screenwriters soon.

"Then don't go on your show as the governor. It's not bad to be a stand-up comedian." Ronald blurted out. He didn't want to waste time anymore. Diane's palms were getting a little tired, and her face was getting more and more disgusting. The redder.

"That's a very good idea, Ronald." Both the producer and the governor agreed. We can’t invite the current governor to be a guest on the show, so why don’t I just go with a different identity?

"Can you say stand-up comedy?" asked producer Cordova.

"I have been playing saxophone in the band in college..." The governor quickly changed his talent. As the governor, it is okay to tell some jokes to liven up the atmosphere and make the audience happy, but it is too low to perform stand-up comedy by himself.

Johnny Carson looked embarrassed, but finally nodded in agreement, "I originally wanted you to defend my argument." On the way out, he complained quietly to Ronald. The governor had already left through another exit to avoid suspicion.

"It's a pity that it's not a recording program, otherwise I could have recorded a supplementary clip in favor of you..." Ronald smiled, said goodbye to him, and he and Diane got in the car and left.

"Hahaha, have you seen Carson's face?" When they arrived at the apartment, Diane smiled happily and lay on Ronald's body. When she was on the show, she was also called by the wrong name by Carson. In the end, a section was cut to make up for it, which made her, who was still young at the time, very nervous throughout the performance.

"As long as you are happy, I like it..." Ronald said, hugging Diane.

"Hmm... I like it when you say nice things, cowboy, are you so majestic at work?" Diane once again imitated the tone of voice of a southern girl, putting one hand on Ronald's chin and flirting.

"Hmm..." Ronald felt as if Diane was a different person. Different tones brought different feelings. The woman in his arms was familiar yet strange, and he suddenly felt the desire to conquer.

"Let me show you if mine is strong enough." Ronald immediately approached Diane, and both of them felt an unusually high level of passion from this role-playing game.

"Bye, after I take care of other things, I will go to Louisiana to watch you shoot." On Friday, Ronald sent Diane on the plane. The filming of "Steel Magnolias" was about to start, and Diane had to go to Louisiana first. That's familiar with the environment.

"I'll wait for you, cowboy." Diane smiled and got on the plane, showing her naughty head on the porthole to say goodbye to Ronald.

…

"Mr. Li, we have followed your instructions and purchased all the funds on our books to purchase Coca-Cola shares. In our company's securities account, you now own Coca-Cola shares worth approximately US$26 million, equivalent to the total 0.2% of the market value is weak. What do we need to do next?”

"Very good, no more operations required. I'll just wait for the dividends." Ronald put down the phone. Adding in the Coke stock he purchased earlier, it was already close to 0.5% of the total share capital.

With so much money, you can live a good life just waiting for dividends every year. Ronald doesn't buy and sell frequently, and I don't know how to trade in stocks anyway. It's best to get dividends. I heard that if you had used your savings to buy Coca-Cola stocks during the Great Depression, you would at least be a millionaire now.

It can be seen that as long as America is still a country, there will probably be many people drinking Coca-Cola.

After putting down the phone, Ronald was very happy. By next year, according to the current sales rate, all products of "Dirty Dancing", including records, videos, and box office revenue, are expected to exceed 80 million US dollars, plus other movies The income it brings can make you a billionaire.

He took a can of Coca-Cola from the refrigerator, turned on the TV with the remote control, and drank.

It happened to be Johnny Carson's show that night. During a burst of music, the governor came on stage and sat across from Carson. Being tall and strong, he felt a bit oppressive towards Carson. The self-confidence brought by entering politics has also made Carson, who usually always has the upper hand, a bit suppressed.

Carson asked, "How are you doing, Mr. Governor?" Then he pulled out hourglasses one by one. Place upside down on the table and start timing.

"Hahaha..." The audience roared with laughter. It was not easy to take advantage of Carson.

"Audiences all over the country know about you. What happened at that time?" Carson returned to his smile. He was still as old as he was. A prop gave him the upper hand again.

"I don't know, it just doesn't work. I mean, what can I tell you?" The governor was graceful, a little embarrassed, but eager to win over the audience.

"I went there with the sole goal of making Michael Dukakis look good, and I succeeded, beyond my wildest expectations," the governor said, repeating the day's joke, which was delivered with a self-deprecating jab. The best way to impress the audience.

The two got better and better and explained the situation to the audience.

"I like your humor very much. It reminds us of our commander-in-chief, another public official known for his sense of humor. Your term will also expire in 1991. What I want to ask is, will you Will run for leadership in the future

? "

"Huh?" Ronald discovered the subtlety of this question. Does the governor have intentions?

"Whether it's possible or not depends on my performance today..." The governor made another improvisation with a great sense of humor, which made the audience applaud at the maximum volume.

"This person would also be a good actor if he were an actor," Ronald thought while drinking Coke.

"I think maybe I will go in the future, but not now. Because I have not "fulfilled my commitment to the state" and my daughter Chelsea is still too young, only 7 years old. I think if I run for governor, I will Very busy, this is too cruel for a seven-year-old girl, I think it will wait until later..."

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Governor. But according to the rules, we cannot invite current public officials to be guests on the show, so you must perform a show as an entertainer and newsmaker..."

"I heard that you started playing the saxophone a long time ago and often participated in band practices?"

Finally, the governor came off the stage and played a jazz song with the live band. The governor's level is not as good as a professional, but he is considered top-notch among amateurs.

Seeing the joy of the audience, Ronald found it very interesting. The governor, who just hours ago was a joke to a national audience, is now a darling.

Real life is even stranger than movies and TV shows!

Even if a screenwriter wrote the script, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to write such a fun and dramatic script. If you have the governor's quick wit and sense of humor, it would actually be a very good show without the script and on the spot.

…

Early the next morning, the concierge delivered the newspaper to the door as usual.

“The governor of Arkansas has gone from media doghouse to media darling in just one week,” AP reported the next day, “with just a smile, a few self-deprecating jokes and a song.”

"Before you go on Carson's show, it's over! Play the saxophone on Carson, the new hope of the Donkey Party"

Newsweek, which was still mocking the governor of Arkansas last weekend, also did a 180-degree turn.

This is the first time that "Longwei Kid" returns to the national stage, counterattacks the youth, and makes Al Gore jealous! The New York Times even described the governor of Arkansas as a rebellious boy like Daniel in Ronald's movie "The Kid".

He also used the Tennessee politician Al Gore as a comparison. Both were Southerners, both were charming and well-liked by housewives. But men, celebrities prefer this to lower their body like a buddy.

A counterattacking boy in the political world.

“The Writers Guild is in strife!”

Ronald turned to the entertainment section and finally discovered the big news in Hollywood.

The three TV stations and several major producers who were accused did not sit back and wait for the antitrust scandal to cause greater repercussions. They took action.

"Twenty-one dissident union members who still support the June 16 proposal filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board seeking to invalidate union rules that bar them from returning to work during the strike.

Some dissidents have threatened to resign their union membership and return to work if the strike is not resolved by July 28. "

Some union "Trojan horses" set off a coup within the Writers' Guild on the just and fair reason that they could not go to Hukou if they didn't have a job.