Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1120 Stepping up to shoot the Star-Spangled Banner movie

“The Supreme Court decision in Johnson, Texas, continues to have a lasting and far-reaching impact in Congress…”

After getting married, one of Ronald's major changes was to try to have breakfast with his family at home every day.An American family tradition is to watch ABC's "Good Morning America" ​​program during breakfast.

Because of the jet lag, what Ronald and Diane actually saw together was a taped version of the East Coast show three hours earlier.

Ronald still remembers the case of the rebellious youth in Texas who burned the Stars and Stripes, which finally reached the Supreme Court's 5:4 decision, announcing that the burning of the Stars and Stripes is protected by the First Amendment.

General George Sr. also took this opportunity to deliver a speech at the mass rally, claiming to make a statement for the patriotism of the majority of Americans, urging the Senate and the House of Representatives to amend the law and make the protection of the new bridge flag a new amendment .

当然这需要参众两院都是2/3的多数通过，然后还要送到各州进行表决。只有2/3的州，也就是38个州以上的州议会通过，才能成为一条新的No.20七修正案。

The last time such an amendment was passed was in 21.Because of the influence of the Vietnam War, more and more young people participated in politics, so the voting age was lowered from 18 to [-].

But for most state senators and representatives, this is an excellent opportunity for them to win votes.Unlike congressmen from big cities on the east and west coasts who have to face voters with progressive values, congressmen from these inland states can win the support of many voters in their hometowns by adhering to a patriotic mentality.

The proposed amendment, which was repeatedly debated in Congress, was called the "Insult to the Stars and Stripes Amendment."Sen. Bob Dole (D-Kansas) said: "Americans may not understand every nuance of the law, but they know it's insulting when they see it. They demand action."

Senator Strom Thurmond (R-S.C., Elephant Party) said in a statement to the Senate that the ruling "has sparked a fountain of emotion in our country calling for immediate action."

Senator Trent Lott (D-Mississippi, Elephant) told the Senate he "heard outrage" while visiting constituents in Mississippi, and in "city after city" he claimed he witnessed several This decision "more than tears."

These three senators have one thing in common, that is, they all served in the US military.

But senators from several large states on the east and west coasts voiced objections.

Senator Alan Cranston (D-Calif., Ass) said: "The First Amendment is the most important amendment. It guarantees our free speech, including the right to express opinions about the Stars and Stripes, even if those opinions unwelcome."

Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (N.Y., D-N.Y.) said: "The Star-Spangled Banner is a symbol of our country, but it is no more important than our laws. The First Amendment is the cornerstone of our democracy, and we It cannot be violated in order to protect a symbol."

Very neatly, the two senators who supported the Supreme Court's decision were once university professors at Harvard and Berkeley.

There is a clear distinction between voters in the big cities on the east and west coasts, and voters in the inland and southern states, and their perceptions of this matter are completely different.And this rare judgment does not affect everyone's economic interests very much.So these senators are happy to come out and shout out to their supporters.

"Due to strong resistance in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is expected that there will be no new amendment motion before the summer recess of the 101st Congress. Some members told our reporter that they may bypass the amendment and switch to And seek ordinary legislation to stop this unpatriotic behavior."

This kind of ordinary law is much simpler. As long as both the Senate and the House of Representatives pass it with a simple majority, and then it is signed by the Grand Commander, it can become a law.

Ronald never discussed this with his relatives and friends. He silently changed the channel. After eating, he went to Daydream and found senior executives to speed up the filming of three low-cost patriotic movies.

The fastest forming crew among the three movies is Showdown in Little Tokyo (Showdown in Little Tokyo).

The director hired Mark L. Lester, the director of Commando, starring Schwarzenegger.After directing the box-office success of Commando, his second film, The Bodyguard, failed miserably at the box office.

After that, I couldn't find a project, but the top management of Daydream saw that the return on investment of a series of action B-movies he had directed before was very good, so they persuaded him to direct this small production.

Daydream is going to invest 600 million in production costs, and has found a lot of suitable actors and action directors.Except for the actor Longger who was once Ronald's bodyguard, the other supporting roles all have Ronald's related background.

For example, the heroine Tiya Carrera is a Japanese-born singer and model from Hawaii.Another detective playing an increasingly background role is Brandon Lee, the son of kung fu master Bruce Lee.

And the villain Yoshida in the movie is played by a Japanese actor Hiroyuki Tagawa who looks very bad and evil at first glance.This actor has an extraordinary background. His mother is Mariko Hatake, an actress from the Takarazuka Troupe, and his father is a Japanese American soldier stationed in Japan.

Unlike those children born of mixed races of different races, his childhood was relatively happy. After his mother retired from the army, she and his father immigrated to the United States.

Tagawa Hiroyuki was very fond of Ronald's Ryuki Kid because he himself was a black belt in karate from Shotokan.During this meeting, I had the opportunity to meet Ronald and asked him for an autograph.

"I remember that you also played a role in the last emperor." Ronald looked at this bad face and was really impressed. Some actors may not be able to become popular, but their roles always allow the audience to remember.

"Hi Yi, I'm playing a eunuch in it." Tian Chuan replied with a smile.

"Not only that, he also plays a Hong Kong policeman in the latest 007 license to kill." It was Ronald's earliest partner, Eddie Cohen, the first president of Daydream Productions, who was speaking.

However, with the expansion of the daydream, there are many things. After earning a lot of money, he has already proposed to Ronald that he wants to step down as the president and pursue his own career. The president is going to be handed over to Michel Canold to take over. .

Ronald did not treat him badly, the boss of the small New York brokerage company that helped him back then.He was given some token shares and then arranged for him to take a director's position in Daydream.

Eddie wants to go back to his old business, and opening a small brokerage company just fits in with Ronald's career.Tian Chuan Yangxing is the first batch of customers he fancy.

"Very good..." Ronald admired this man's acting ability.After Tagawa left, he asked Eddie, "Is this client willing to sign under the banner of a small company of yours?" There are only a few studios like Our Daydream that have stories about Asian characters."

"It turns out that there is another reason. Don't miss that Tia Carrera." Ronald pointed to the actor's audition photos and said to Eddie.

He has seen this Tia Carrera in real life, with bronzed skin and a special sexy beauty.A lot of Americans and East Asians would love an actor of his type.

"Actually, I have talked with all the Asian actors in this Little Tokyo. Most of them are willing to put their economic contracts on us. Only Brandon Lee..."

"Then don't worry about it..." Ronald knew that the son of this kung fu master was arrogant, and he once went to Xiangjiang to find his old acquaintance Jacky Chan to make a movie.

Although his background is actually very suitable for developing with Ronald, Ronald would rather praise Chinese-American Qiu Yunbo and a group of action actors from Xiangjiang than find him.There is no other reason, but this guy really feels too good about himself, and he also likes to teach the director how to film.

But the director has his eyes on him, and he doesn't know if the cooperation will go well.

The second discussion in the meeting was "Best of The Best".Ronald also met with the already confirmed cast.

There was an old acquaintance inside, and it was Sean Penn's younger brother, Chris Penn.Ronald had dealt with him before, but seeing him today, he felt that his face seemed a little swollen.He also asked him with concern how he was doing.

But these Hollywood actors are always getting into all kinds of trouble, either with alcohol or drugs.Seeing Chris Penn saying that the swelling was just caused by poor sleep, he didn't say much.

In contrast, the state of the leading actor Eric Roberts is okay.Although the dark circles under his eyes and dark complexion have not changed after he has been drinking too much, but this is also suitable for the role of the prodigal son.

Similarly, there are many Korean-American actors in this movie, and they were all signed by Eddie Cohen.Their surnames were either Rhee or Park. Ronald couldn't remember too much at once, so he just shook hands with them to express his congratulations.

One of the actors, Phillip Rhee, is also a martial artist himself, and he also performed taekwondo for Ronald.This kind of martial art is obviously different from Japan's karate at first glance, mainly based on leg movements.This is a great thing for filming and branding.

In the end, he starred in the World Taekwondo Championship, and the coach of the American team was a black actor.He is a middle-aged man with a stocky figure, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, and his voice is very powerful.

"James Earl Jones, you can call me James, nice to meet you Director Li..."

"Did I hear it wrong? Or are you the one..."

"Yes, I am the voice of Darth Vader, and most people will ask this question when they see me..."

"Haha, George (Lucas) didn't tell me this...", Ronald shook hands with him for a long time, and talked to him about the current status of Star Wars actors.The actor who actually played Vader had a strong Welsh accent, so he was forced to do the dubbing.

His voice is very characteristic. If he is a white actor, he will definitely have various supporting roles.But because he is black, there are not many roles suitable for him in Hollywood.Only in the trip to the United States starring Eddie Murphy last year did he play the king of an African country, which can be regarded as a relatively important supporting role.

In Hollywood movies, black people are either gags, gangsters, musicians, etc., and some other characters with very black stereotypes.The voice of James Earl Jones is upright, and there are really not many opportunities for such performances.

This time he plays the coach of the US team, which is a role that fits his voice and appearance.

The last Star-Spangled Banner patriotic film was Kickboxer starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.Kickboxing is a sport that was invented based on the fighting concept advocated by Bruce Lee. Before karate became popular in the 80s, it was once a relatively popular fighting sport in the United States besides boxing.

In addition to Daydream's investment in this movie, Jean-Claude Van Damme also brought in some money, and also found Xiangjiang's martial arts friends to participate in the filming.And invited Chen Guoxin and Li Jiading to play supporting roles.

However, the heroine Jean-Claude Van Damme decided to use a Filipino actress Rochelle Arshana.This actress used to be a female stunt double in many movies. In this movie, many action scenes can be performed in person.

Daydream's production ability has been tested. Ronald learned the B-level film shooting method from Roger Coleman, shoot as cheaply as possible, shoot as quickly as possible, if it is overtime and budget, With the spirit of tearing up the script, it is no problem for a small company like Daydream to start shooting three low-cost movies at the same time.

However, if it is a big production, Daydream cannot handle it by itself.

Joel Silver's Die Hard 2 once again required additional investment from Fox, and he chose Alpena, Michigan as the location for the second film.

Located on the west shore of Lake Michigan, it has great views and a place for outdoor activities.One can engage in various activities such as hiking, fishing, boating and diving.

20th Century Fox had some doubts about Joel Silver's approach. They found Ronald and hoped that Ronald would confirm whether these plays really had to be played in this relatively expensive tourist destination. to shoot.

"I said Joel, you don't want to go on vacation, do you?" Ronald found Joel Silver and asked him immediately.

"It's not me. I'm innocent. You should ask Bruce Willis' agent. Bruce and his wife, Demi Moore, requested that his wife and children visit there during filming. They Loves the water, loves the outdoors." Joel Silver, innocent-looking, in pajamas, puts his arm around Canadian playboy beauty Pamela Anderson.

Ronald didn't know if what he said was true or not.But he had a good relationship with Demi Moore, so he called his home to inquire about the situation.

"Is this Ronald? Let me tell him..." Bruce Willis heard Demi's voice, he came over and picked up the phone, "Hey, Ronald, would you like to come to my house to play?" Play, bring your wife, we haven't had a party in a long time."

(End of this chapter)