Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 639 Gossip Report

   "Your next movie is confirmed?"

   "Yes, the sequel to Longwei Kid, how about you?"

   "Not yet, probably still looking for Molly Ringwald for a teen movie, I'm still looking for inspiration."

   The one chatting with Ronald was John Hughes, the director who made "The Breakfast Club". After his success, his family moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. As the creative director of an advertising agency, he has a more mature business mind than Ronald and has already started to get involved in the production business.

  The two were sitting in the corner in a large conference room. A staff member of the Film Association on the podium is making a presentation.

At this meeting, Jack Valenti, the president of the American Film Association, convened a meeting of Hollywood producers, large and small, after the state guest who brought the open information left, to prepare for the American film on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. week to prepare.

   And the first American Film Week in 1981, where I found "Singing in the Rain" and "Snow White", and other decades old films, this time I asked for some new films from the 1980s.

  The last movie week, Hollywood has confirmed that there are still some older audiences who remember Hollywood chasing classic old movies such as "Song in the Rain" and "Snow White" in the 1950s.

   This time Jack Valenti wants to convince the major studios to come up with the latest masterpiece to test the waters of the youth market. However, due to limited spending power, only a movie buyout fee of $20,000 can be paid.

   So big companies are reluctant to release any new films, they only agree to sell old films of more than five years at preferential prices in the third world. In the end, the major studios came up with five Oscar-winning films from "Mrs. Kramer", "Golden Pond", "The Miner's Daughter", "Turning Point" and "Star Wars" five years ago. The taste of the young audience over there.

   In addition, there is also the idea of ​​buying 5-10 Hollywood movies every year starting next year. Big companies don't like buyout fees, but small and medium-sized studios like Minahan Golan are very interested.

   Ronald's film was not selected. In fact, he also knew that the taste of exploitative films was too heavy, and it was unlikely to be selected there, so he did not participate in everyone's discussion and began to chat with his acquaintance John Hughes.

   "The Year of the Dragon seems to be very bad, Cimino has lost his sense." John Hughes also knew what was going on in Chinatown recently, and chatted with Ronald.

   "Indeed, well-known film critics are now criticizing, even Albert in Chicago.

   Possibly the best film critic in America, Pauline Kael, who now occasionally writes film reviews for The New Yorker magazine, also wrote a review for "The Year of the Dragon." Ronald was holding the review in his hand, quietly reading it to Hughes.

   "'Year of the Dragon' is low culture instigated by hysterical mobs, the kind popular with illiterate audiences...".

   "Hahaha", Ronald laughed. In fact, I didn't spend much money this time, I just gave Chinatown some funds for the protest, plus I bought a few tabloid reporters, and I jumped out first to guide public opinion. However, the maliciousness of the film itself to the Chinese can be heard even with closed eyes.

Many "people of insight" have jumped out to step on Cimino's new work, especially this week's new horror film "Return of the Living Dead" and the producers of Tom Hanks' comedy "The Volunteer" , vaguely appeared in the film review pages of several major newspapers, following the trend and criticizing.

   "The Year of the Dragon has only about twenty-five words in its vocabulary, most of which are swear words led by four-letter words. I don't know if the credit should go to screenwriter Oliver Stone or director Michael Cimino."

"No wonder this script has a Vietnam War flavor. I heard that Stone wanted to make a Vietnam War movie. But the middle part of Joey Tai going to Thailand may have been written by Cimino, which is too similar to his deer hunter. "Hughes also saw the movie, and it was a little bit out of place.

"The only powerful performance is John Lone as the sinister, new young Chinese godfather who almost turns the movie on its head, the gangster who is the only character in the movie with a brain, or an emotional life." Ronald finished Pauline ·Carl's film review, hey hey laughed. This evaluation is similar to his own, the director actually dragged down the Chinese actor.

   "What do you think about youth films? Romance dramas?" John Hughes had big innocent eyes, and when Ronald finished laughing, he discussed the topic of youth exploitation films with him.

"I don't know," Ronald hadn't thought about making a romantic movie for the time being, "but maybe we can try the ugly duckling-style transformation. Adolescent children are more sensitive and fickle, and sometimes they can change their minds from no one at once. The social loser who cares about becomes the person who is in turn liked by the crush..."

   "Ronald", the agent Nisita hurried over and pulled Ronald away.

   "The ugly duckling-like transformation, the object of the original crush likes him in turn", John Hughes took out a pen and wrote some inspirations in his notebook.

   "What's the matter?" Ronald asked.

"Ronald, do you want to go there with us? They gave the delegation a total of thirteen places." Jack Valenti, the president of the association standing at the exit, smiled when Ronald was leaving. Invited.

   "I'll talk about it later, I'm in a hurry."

  Nisita indicated that it was inconvenient to speak here and pulled him out.

   "Emilio Estevez didn't keep his promise. Today's two newspapers have stories of your previous girlfriends."

"what?"

   Ronald went outside and got into a van with Richard waiting for him.

   As a result of the two tabloids handed by Richard, Ronald saw two similar articles.

   "Reveal! The previous girlfriends of Hollywood cutting-edge director Ronald."

  Ronald read on. At the beginning of the article, he talked about the history of Ronald's rise, and also reviewed the past grievances between him and Cimino. He gave a big yawn when he was asked about the deer hunter in an interview. The two had a battle in the air.

   Then he started to sort out his possible gossip girlfriends one by one.

   There are Helen Slater, who has appeared with her more recently, and Madonna, who has recently attended a wedding.

The following candidates began to be outrageous, including Jane Fonda, the heroine of her first script, and the two heroines of her first director movie "Fast Pace", Phoebe Cates and Jennifer Jason. Lee, then Catherine Mary Stuart in "Night of the Comet", and Elizabeth Shue in Longway Kid.

   "How do you know Emilio did it?"

   "Besides him, who else is so boring to collect a director's scandal history?"

   is also right, after all, I am not a star walking in the foreground, and the tabloids do not have a strong motivation to dig their own love history.

   "Then what should we do? Would you like to clarify?" Ronald looked at the guesses above, and actually listed the heroines of the movies he had made since he entered the industry.

   "Besides Helen Slater, is there anyone else you have had a relationship with beyond friendship?"

  Nisita asked, "This is not the time to respect personal privacy, if there is one, you can say, and we will coordinate positions one by one."

   "Uh, there's one more" Ronald clicked on Madonna's photo.

   "She? She's okay, although she's very popular, but now she's just married, it's the time when you don't need scandals. When did you go with her? Before the wedding? Or when you filmed her MV?"

  Ronald's expression was stern, this is nothing to guess, although Madonna is shown as a **** star, but she is not a mess.

   "Okay, that doesn't matter, I'll give her a call too and keep the same tone of voice."

"Helen, it's me, Ronald. There are two tabloids in Los Angeles covering our affairs, what do you plan to say? What do I think? I'll tell you the truth, we used to have a romance, but then we were far apart from filming. Two places... Okay, I get it, take care when you're filming in Santa Monica, I'll tell Jerry, there may be a press conference on set tomorrow."

"Ms. Fonda, I'm sorry. I may have offended people and involved you. Yes, if a reporter comes, we are actually good friends in the circle. I was only able to enter the industry when you saw my script. "

   "Huh..." Ronald let out a long sigh of relief after finishing the phone call. In CAA's office, Nisita and his assistants were busy contacting the "girlfriends" who were on the list. Ronald apologized after getting through.

   "Emilio is here." Richard came to announce.

   "Invite them in."

   "Ronald, you must believe me, this time I didn't break the news." As soon as Emilio came in, he took the edge of the table and proved to Ronald that he did not violate the agreement.

  Ronald pointed to the table to keep him from getting too close, then continued talking to Nisita, "Is there anyone else who hasn't called?"

   "Ronald, I promise you that since I came last time, I have never disclosed any of your private information to any media or individual."

   "I remember we had a deal." Ronald hung him for a while before speaking, looking at Emilio, staring at him until he backed away.

"Yes, there is an agreement. If you want to punish me for breaking the agreement, then I will accept it obediently. But I can assure you again that since the last official apology, I have never disclosed more than half of it to the third person. Order your privacy. These are nothing more than my conjectures, they may be like me, pulling out all the actresses you have worked with and arranging them."

   Ronald was noncommittal and waved Emilio away. This line, I don't know how long I have practiced at home, it is too slippery.

   Seeing Emilio go out the door in dejection, Ronald looked to the side, and Nisita specially invited Eva to see the public relations experience.

"is it him?"

"It's not like, his acting skills are not so good. But we don't need to pursue it right now. The top priority is to find a way to communicate with all the actresses mentioned before the press conference tomorrow." Eva took two newspapers , is scrutinizing with butterfly-shaped glasses.

   "Here, why did they mention Cimino, do you have any grudges with him? Any text content that broke the news is worth studying. They spent a lot of money, and this page is wasted without reason."

"Uh, when I was an assistant, I was unintentionally involved in the Oscar battle between him and Jane Fonda." Ronald quickly reviewed the grievances between the two, "We later had several conflicts. , the most recent is that he wants to compete with me for the directorship of 'Longwei Kid', and the interview with me in the new film Year of the Dragon."

"That's right. While belittling you, it also has a relationship with the old enemy Jane Fonda." Eva flicked the newspaper with her fingers. Since you are innocent, we will take the initiative to accept the media tomorrow. Interviews, clarify what should be admitted and what should be denied.

  You and Helen are not married, they are both talented and beautiful, and they are suitable to be together, and they are separated because they cannot be together for a long time during filming. The audience in America will not have any impressions.

   Maybe the person who spread the rumors didn't expect you to be so innocent as a director, and nothing happened to the actress. "

   "Hi, I'm a decent guy."

"Ronald, so you denied any romantic relationship with other female stars in the newspaper except Helen Slater?" The next day, at an impromptu interview outside CAA's office, The "variety show" reporter that PR Eva managed, asked the first question.

Ronald smiled, "Yes, I don't know where this rumor came from, I met Helen when she didn't appear in the first movie, and then we stopped romantically because of the busy filming, We are still very good friends.”

   "The other actresses in the newspaper, don't you have a relationship with them?" The Hollywood Reporter prefers this kind of gossip and scandal, which can increase sales. So their reporters asked more aggressive questions.

"That's pure slander, I can only say it's a complete slander. I want to say to the reporters of the two tabloids that America's freedom of speech does not mean that you can make up without evidence. I am talking with mine. Lawyers are discussing whether to sue for defamation."

   "Excuse me Ronald, you deny all the scandal allegations, does it mean that you have never used power to force other actresses to commit themselves to you?"

   "Which newspaper are you from?" Ronald remembered that the reporter did not report his home.

   "He came from one of the two tabloids that broke the news" Eva, a public relations experience, suggested beside Ronald's ear.

   "Of course not, I wouldn't do that. America is a free society, and no one should use power to coerce others into doing things they don't want to do. I'm a decent guy."

   "Just like me, as a director, when you speculate and fabricate my scandals in order to sell newspapers, this is a serious violation of my personal privacy, and I am also a vulnerable group in this matter."

"Vulnerable people..." In the office, the producer of "Year of the Dragon" Dino de Laurentiis sneered while looking at the newspaper, he picked up a pile of materials, "These materials sent by friends in New York, That's not what it said."

   The opening weekend of "Year of the Dragon" was less than 4 million, many thanks to the young director. If you can turn the negative comments into a war of words between directors, you can save a lot in the second week. If it arouses the interest of the public, go to the cinema to see director Ronald, who is used to lying, what is the bad movie in his mouth? , it is not impossible to rise against the trend.

Nuo picked up the phone and instructed the secretary to come in and dictate to her, "Let Cimino accept an interview and link Ronald's comments on the Year of the Dragon to personal honesty. He knows how to do it. "

   (end of this chapter)