Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 643 True Friends

  Ronald packed up and started getting ready for his vacation.

   involves five Italian families, and Ronald doesn't know how the producer Dino de Laurentiis from Naples has anything to do with them. After discussing privately with the agent and the legal team, it was decided that revenge against Dino would not be launched immediately for the time being.

  Ronald also officially hired Mike Pike for a long time, and he was handed over to him to do any background checks on filming and financing. The price was not low, but Ronald was willing to pay it.

   is equivalent to buying an insurance policy. With the news that Detective Mike Pike is well-informed in the NYPD and the five major families, there will be a suitable warning time if someone tries to frame themselves in a desperate attempt.

"Sorry, Ronald. The visa over there is more troublesome. We have already submitted the visas of the thirteen members of the delegation. You want to join temporarily, I can only try it for you, and it may not be approved. ."

Jack Valentine, the president of the Film Association, learned that Ronald wanted to join the American film delegation again. Although he was glad that a film director of his age was willing to go, there would not be only a bunch of old men and women, but the visa is a problem.

   "Is it so difficult?" Ronald didn't know how difficult it was to get a visa.

   "I can help you submit the materials. Thirteen of us have to submit the materials collectively, together with an invitation letter, before the approval is approved. There are too many people going to travel now, and some people have to queue for several years."

   In order to add a little chance, Ronald contacted his agent Nisita.

   "I can't help it. We have not communicated in the cultural field for a long time. If you want to find someone for help, you don't know who to turn to."

   I really don’t know who to ask for this kind of thing, only Lawrence, Ronald’s accountant, hired a senior travel agency manager from Chinatown in Los Angeles to provide some advice.

"Since the two countries opened up travel permits, hundreds of thousands of American people have wanted to see the ancient wall every year. But only a little over one in ten have been approved. It's a lot of luck, we Travel agencies do not know what the standard is.

   It’s just that those of Chinese descent will be approved a bit faster than the average person. "

   "Doesn't that mean you didn't say anything?" Ronald rubbed his ears, "Is there anything else that can increase the chances of getting a visa? I went with the American Film Delegation on official business."

   "Oh, if it's official business, it's easy if you have an invitation letter from a domestic institution."

   "But the delegation's invitation letter has already been sent to approve other people's visas." Ronald sighed, it was really impossible, so he had to ask Weintraub to arrange a trip to Dongying. Or let Minahan arrange it, and it's not bad to go to Israel to play.

"You were added after the invitation list? Do you want to go on a trip with them? This way is not very convenient now. You ask if you can ask the other party to send another invitation letter, as long as there are ministries, or Invitations from institutions such as cultural and sports associations are almost 100% approved, and the speed is very fast.”

   The manager of the travel agency thought Ronald was just trying to take advantage of the delegation and went on a tour. A lot of Americans who couldn't get a travel visa did this before. So give him an idea.

   "Culture, sports, invitations?" Ronald suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "I seem to have one."

   "What did you want to do? Why didn't you have you on the list submitted by Mr. Jack Valenti before?"

  A visa officer of the embassy took the documents submitted by Ronald and read it over and over.

   Ronald heard this Chinese accent and sighed in his heart that he hadn't heard it for a long time. Chinese people born in America do not have this special accent with a slightly flat flavor.

   "I've long wanted to go with the American Film Society delegation. But because of other delays, I didn't make it in time to submit the visa application."

   "What's the matter? Are you so busy? You even forgot to submit materials collectively?"

   "I'm too busy. But I have a supplementary material to prove my consistent thinking." Ronald handed over a letter.

"Well, we will check with the Film Association as soon as possible, and then give you an approval as soon as possible. In the future, it is best to advance this kind of visa some time to avoid delaying the trip. Even if you speed up the process this time, it may take five days, you Not necessarily in time for the delegation's plane."

   "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, I can buy the ticket myself." Ronald was also very happy when he heard that there was a hope of getting a visa, and finally found time to go back and have a look.

   "Ronald, why are you here?"

   As soon as he left the visa office, Ronald was stopped.

   "Chao Li?" Ronald found that the one who just entered the door was the Chinese actor who taught him Taijiquan to hang the white crane's wings before the filming of "Longwei Boy".

"I'm still watching you and Jane Wyman's 'Eagle Crest Manor'?" Ronald shook hands with him, "I'm here to submit my visa, and Jack Valenti's film delegation has recently passed by. To communicate with the film artists there, I also want to go see it. Why, are you going too?"

"Yes, I want to go back to my hometown to have a look. In addition, my son and daughter don't speak much Chinese, so this time I took them to a Chinese summer camp. Hey, it's been a long time since I drank vinegar from my hometown, Xiangyin. No change in hair loss."

  The last sentence, Chaoli said it in Chinese, and he touched his already gray temples.

   "Then I'm just laughing and asking where the guest came from." Ronald also changed to Chinese, correcting a poem.

   "Why, you speak Chinese very well, and you are also highly accomplished in ancient poetry."

   "I took a class in the appreciation of 300 Tang poems at New York University."

   "Okay, let's exchange phone numbers, maybe we can meet there again."

After   Chao Li and Ronald separated, instead of entering the visa office where ordinary people go, he greeted the receptionist and went directly to the office of the senior management behind him. He knocked on the door.

   "Come in", a man with plastic glasses and a Chinese tunic said in a loud voice, "Xiao Ji? Why are you here?"

   The two shook hands and hugged excitedly.

   "Your brother asked me to say hello. He is now an ambassador in Fiji."

   "We are all very good. This time I will take my son and daughter back to the Chinese summer camp, and we will also go back to our hometown to have a look."

   "Good, all good. The summer camp was good."

"They can only speak English now. Chinese people can't forget their roots. Our generation was separated by the war and the cold war. Now we just hope that our children can live a better life. There will be many advantages to be able to speak fluent Chinese in the future. ."

The two old friends chatted for a while, and Zhao Li said to him, "I just saw a new Hollywood director, Ronald Lee, who seems to have come to apply for a visa. This person is very friendly to Chinese people, and it is worth being with him. friend."

   "Oh? Is he famous in Hollywood?"

   "Didn't you watch the news? He's the boyfriend who was dating Brooke Shields"

   "Oh? Is it her boyfriend?" The old friend has been here for so long, and he also knows this beautiful idol of America.

   "Are there any visa application materials for Ronald Lee? Let's take a look." The old friend called and asked his subordinates to find Ronald Lee's application materials.

"It's his ex-girlfriend. He is a rare director in Hollywood who is friendly to China. This time, the film 'The Year of the Dragon' has a lot of slanderous content on the Chinese. There was a big turmoil, and the scandal of the ex-girlfriend was shaken out.

   "Gossip?" The other party raised his eyebrows.

"It's all slander, and I finally figured out that Ronald was the hero who saved the beauty and helped the female star escape the scam. In America, this is also a nasty attack. It proved Ronald's friendliness, he is worth doing. friend's."

"Leader, here are the visa materials you asked for. Ronald went with a delegation from the American Film Society. But his application was not submitted with the group, so the process...you see?" The staff asked for it. The application documents that Ronald just submitted.

"This person is very friendly to the Chinese. You go and say hello to the office staff, and you will get it done as soon as possible. Don't delay the trip, give him the longest visa, and invite him to travel. I am also a friendly person. Open the back door."

   "Okay, leader, I'll do it now. Since they are friendly people, it's not too much to give special approval."

   "What do you think? When the Air China flight arrives, I will call you and your two nephews and nieces, who are also on the same flight. You can also chat with Ronald and other members of the delegation."

   "Yes", Chaoli knew that it was nothing more than chatting with Ronald about his views on the Chinese, and it was also a good thing to be able to take a flight across the ocean, so he agreed immediately.

"lead!"

   The clerk just now came hurriedly again, and rushed in without even knocking on the door.

   "What's the matter? You're in a panic, and you're not at all calm. Diplomacy is no trivial matter, and you must remain calm at all times."

   "Yes." The clerk took out a torn envelope and a handwritten letter of invitation.

   "This is the supplementary application material submitted by Director Ronald Lee. He said that there was an invitation letter from people in the arts and sports circles. We thought it was from the film industry, but we opened it and found out that it was..."

   "Who is it?" the leader asked. Chaoli was also very curious, who invited them to report in such a hurry?

   "It's an invitation letter from the Chinese women's volleyball team."

   "What?" The leader took the letter. It turned out that when the women's volleyball team participated in the Los Angeles Olympic Games, they received funding from Ronald and provided Chinese food that suited their tastes, so that they could perform well.

  The main striker and the setter, and also invited Ronald to come and have a look in the letter.

   "Hahaha, it seems that we don't have to go through the back door anymore, this is our old friend. What are you waiting for, hurry up and approve, now people all over the country are learning the spirit of the women's volleyball team."

   On the Air China flight, Ronald chatted with Jack Valenti, the chairman of the Film Society, the Chaori family who had returned home to visit relatives, and other members of the delegation.

   "I've always wanted to go, but this is the first time." Ronald admitted that it was his first visit.

   "I was there when 'Roman Holiday' premiered." Another big-name member of the delegation, famous movie star Gregory Peck, laughed.

   "Roman Holiday? Ronald almost counted the time with his wrench."

   "No, no, it's a local premiere. It's the American Film Festival that Mr. Valenti went to last time. It's screened in several big cities, and there are also premiere events."

   Pike corrected him with a smile.

   "Then you revisited the old place? Are there any recommended attractions and food?"

   "With the Great Wall, you can also eat roast duck. In addition, there is a small soup dumpling in Jiangnan that you can eat. It is very delicious and much better than Hollywood Chinese restaurants."

   "Okay, I've written it all down. I'll take more photos and eat more food." Ronald also lit up his Nikon SLR camera.

   "Ladies and gentlemen, what would you like to drink? We have Coke, red wine, black tea, and Maotai here."

   "Is there an orange-flavored energy drink called... Yes, Jianlibao."

   "Yes, I'll get it for you." The flight attendant also glanced at Ronald, who might be Hua Guotong.

   (end of this chapter)