Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1370 Finalizing the Bodyguard Global Concert

"Hey, are you the stunt pilot from Top Gun?"

Kevin Costner boarded Ronald's private plane, and they and the crew went to Tokyo to attend the premiere of "The Bodyguard" and the release ceremony of the original soundtrack.

"That's me..." Bozo still looked cool, and answered calmly with sunglasses on.

"You are so awesome, can I come into the cab and take a look?"

"Okay, come with me." Bozo got Ronald's permission with his eyes, and then took Costner in to see.

"This plane is so comfortable, oh, I like it..." Whitney Houston, who boarded the plane later, was also very happy. She was wearing all black and touched the leather seats here and there. The texture was very good, "It's a pity that the color is not bright enough..."

"When yours arrives, we'll have a satisfactory color." Ronald knew that black people's aesthetic tastes were different from those of white people, and they preferred colors with high saturation.

"Yeah, baby, yeah..." After singing a few lines of the rhythm of black music, Whitney Houston suddenly felt very comfortable.

Both big stars knew that Bodyguard had great box office potential, so they began planning their own private jets. They wanted the latest Gulfstream jets that could fly intercontinental flights.

Ronald was still the same. After the plane entered a stable flight, he covered himself with the blanket that the stewardess had prepared long ago and went to sleep. Only Costner and Whitney Houston were discussing their experience of buying a plane.

The two became friends during the filming of "The Bodyguard". Coupled with Ronald's commercial operations, this movie, which was not of top quality, gained high recognition in the overseas market with the help of Whitney's theme song and the scenery of the location chosen by Costner.

The plot is not complicated, the action scenes are thrilling, there are handsome men and beautiful women, and the final theme song is very infectious, giving people a feeling that the entire movie exists just to set off this scene.

Compared to A-level blockbusters where you can’t guess the plot if you don’t understand the lines, overseas distributors actually prefer movies like The Bodyguard. Even the video releases are very well received.

……

"Your new phone, listen here, talk here..."

“I’ve been doing this for years.”

Ronald saw the screen again in his dream. An old man in a red car rental company uniform was explaining to a handsome guy how to use a mobile phone with a big "Erickson" logo on it...

Hey, isn’t this the actor from 007 and James Bond that I dreamed about last time?

This time he dreamed of a 007 movie again, and Ronald quickly discovered a significant difference, that is, there were significantly more product placements. In addition to the phone called Ericsson, Bond's car also changed from an Aston Martin to a BMW, and after opening the door, there was a voice prompt with a clear German accent.

The movie I dreamed about last time had a lot of B-movie texture, and it was completely gone here. The setting, lighting, and lens usage were all big production standards.

Ronald sighed. It seems that the last 007 movie probably did well at the box office. Is this a revival of the 007 series? But to be honest, the actor who plays 007, Pierce Brosnan, does have a kind of leisurely British demeanor. In the fierce fighting scenes, his hairstyle is also meticulous...

"Then there is the car remote control function that I am very proud of. Press twice, one, two, ... and then move your finger very slowly on the touch pad..."

The old actor who played Q started the BMW sedan with the Ericsson phone. The car started up with a sound, then jumped forward and stopped. The two trademarks were given a close-up, and Ronald laughed when he saw it. It seems that the box office is really good and the impact is huge. This level of sponsorship must have made a lot of money. It seems that this is a good idea for making a 007 series movie.

"It's very difficult to drive with this remote control. It requires..." Q was still demonstrating, but when he was reversing, he crashed into the shed behind with a bang.

"Let's see how she responds to my touch..." 007, played by Pierce Brosnan, took the mobile phone remote control, accelerated suddenly, and the BMW sedan rushed out quickly.

There were a series of squeaking sounds from the tires rubbing against the ground, and the BMW turned around outside, then quickly turned around and drove towards Bond and Q. The camera cut to a perspective from inside the car, as if the car was unmanned, and drove towards Bond and Q.

At the last moment, the car stopped at the feet of Bond and Q. Ronald understood that this was a shot shot from a borrowed position. In fact, the car and the actors were quite far apart, and the perspective illusion made the audience feel as if they were on a straight driving route.

"Oh, this BMW car is just so-so even if it is used in a commercial. And 007 is the protagonist of your commercial..." Ronald suddenly felt that a new window had been opened. It seemed that 007 did have many things to attract investment.

"I work for Xinhua News Agency..."

"I don't remember inviting you..."

"I have to confess, I sneaked in..."

"You are very capable and can be my company's representative in China."

The movie jumps to the scene where Bond enters a party hosted by media tycoon Carver. Ronald sees a Chinese face and has a conversation with Carver, who looks like the villain.

"What's going on? How could such a plot be filmed?" Ronald himself was unsure. It was so difficult for China to even film a panda, so how could such a plot be possible?

He vaguely remembered that this actress seemed to have appeared in Jackie Chan's movies and was very good at kung fu. Could the future 007 Bond girl be of Chinese descent? Moreover, that news agency was generally considered to be one of the cover identities of Chinese agents in Western society.

"Hmm? That's not impossible..." Ronald thought about it. This plot is very interesting. Does it mean that the country will be more open in the field of literature and art in the future?
At the same time, Bond went upstairs and said to a lady with her back to the camera, "I've been wondering what it would be like to see you again..."

Then the lady turned around, looking graceful and elegant. The huge diamond necklace around her neck revealed her identity: she was the wife of media tycoon Carver.

"Pa..." She slapped Bond in the face.

"Well, now I know how it feels," Bond said to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

"Holy Shxt, what's going on? The Bond girl in the 007 movie is married?" Ronald didn't understand. There are actually many taboos in filming in Hollywood, especially for movies like 007, which represent British culture to some extent. Certain plots cannot be filmed.

For example, Bond can have many girlfriends, but he cannot be married in public. Bond's villain can be very bad, but he cannot directly name a country. This movie is really a breakthrough, and it also involves that country. Is the world really a harmonious society after the end of the Cold War?
The scenes in the dream kept fast-forwarding. Ronald couldn't remember much, but some strange things left a deep impression on him. For example, the Bond girl played by Mrs. Carver actually reunited with Bond and was killed by someone sent by his husband. For example, the Chinese Bond girl was even better than Bond. For a while, he couldn't figure out who was the protagonist.

The keyboard is all in Chinese, and the scene of riding a motorcycle to the second floor is similar to that in Hong Kong action movies. There is also a Chinese villain and a fighter pilot flying a MiG plane. Ronald couldn't help but feel that the scale was very large, and the future worldview seemed to be in a rapid change and great integration...

"Ronald... Ronald..."

Ronald spent the final battle in this daze, and was then awakened by Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston.

"Ah? Are we there yet?"

"Yes, I envy you for having such a good sleep. Sometimes I even have to take medicine to fall asleep during my concerts." Whitney Houston looked at Ronald and smiled.

"I have my own secret, which is to watch a movie in advance, a videotape, a TV show, anything will do. Watch it with all your heart, expending a lot of your emotions, and you'll fall asleep right away..." Ronald thanked the two of them, then looked around for some black tea to wake himself up.

Richard did not accompany him this time, and stayed in the country to help with the preparations for the TV station. The one who came temporarily was Kevin Hoover, who had joined Ronald's group and is now one of Tom Cruise's agents. He served Ronald very attentively, but he did not know that Ronald liked to sleep on the transoceanic plane, so he did not bring him tea right away.

"It's very expensive to park your plane at Tokyo Narita Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world. Parking fees are very expensive. If you're not ready to take off at any time, I can fly to Osaka or Nagoya, so the parking fees can be much lower."

Just as he was about to get off the plane, Ronald was stopped by the pilot, Bozo. The land price in Tokyo is expensive, and the airport expansion is even more obstructed. So far, only half of the expansion needs have been met, so the cost of private aircraft parking in Tokyo is several times higher than that in America, which has a large land area and a sparse population.

"This is robbery..." Ronald looked at the charges on the receipt. This price was almost enough for him to build an airstrip in his hometown of Staten Island...

"So, Nagoya or Osaka?" Bozo asked. Many private jets encounter this problem, and everyone tries to make as few stops as possible.

"No, I know a place and it's free." Ronald picked up the business card that Old George gave him and called the liaison officer at the U.S. military base in Japan.

"Welcome to Tokyo with two famous stars. We only have one request. Can you please show us the movie Bodyguard?"

The liaison officer at the base requested that they open the base to Ronald's private plane for free and allow it to stay as long as it wants. It would take more than half a year to wait for the copy of Bodyguard to arrive at the barracks. Being able to screen it almost simultaneously with the domestic version was a huge boost to the morale of the soldiers.

Of course, Ronald readily agreed to the request. Costner and Whitney Houston also took the initiative to go to the base to meet the boys, taking more than ten minutes to sign autographs for them and taking photos with several outstanding soldiers.

The two stars didn't expect that Ronald's connections were so extensive that he even had connections with the U.S. military stationed in Japan. They envied him and wanted to establish a good connection with them. After all, there are U.S. military bases in many places around the world, which is a convenient door for Houston, who holds concerts around the world, and Costner, who also has appeal in overseas markets.

……

"Ronald-san... you've worked so hard..." Sony's Ohga also came to meet them and treated them to authentic Japanese sushi. In addition, Sony's staff was very considerate and knew the relationship between producer Ronald and the company, so they took care of the organizer of the Japanese Film Awards and included "Bodyguard" in the nominations for the "Best Foreign Language Film Award" in the upcoming awards ceremony known as the "Japanese Oscars".

Kevin Costner was really happy during the dinner. He has a special love for Japanese culture. The script of "The Bodyguard" is, to some extent, an adaptation of Kurosawa's "Yojimbo". He also added a plot of the cinema showing Kurosawa's masterpiece in the movie as a tribute.

This time, Kurosawa's long-time assistant Teruyo Nogami also came, and she brought a letter from Kurosawa to Ronald. Because of the filming of "Never Ending", the old man Kurosawa was overworked and was now recuperating in the hospital.

Ronald admired the spirit of struggle of a man who was still making movies at the age of over 80. He opened the letter, which contained Kurosawa's handwriting. Ms. Nogami translated it for him. It was Kurosawa's words that he would entrust the script of his "Runaway Train" to Ronald, and a letter of authorization granting him a series of copyrights of his future films in America.

Kurosawa knew that his daughter was a qualified costume designer, but his son was not very good, so he wanted to leave something for them. He knew that Ronald had made great contributions to the promotion of Japanese culture in Hollywood and had a distribution channel for videotapes, so he asked Ronald to help him with some of the copyrighted content.

Although these movies are classics, the copyrights are mostly in the hands of film companies, and these classic foreign language movies may not be easy to sell in the video market. Only people like Ronald can find a way. In this way, if there are some sales, then his son and daughter can also share some of the benefits.

"Please tell Mr. Kurosawa, I will do it..." Ronald prepared to go back and discuss with several fans of Kurosawa, including Spielberg, Coppola, Scorsese, Lucas and others, and ask them to come forward to do some publicity.

"Please..." To some extent, Teruyo Nogami may be the person who understands Kurosawa's film ideas the best. She is very talkative as long as someone respects Kurosawa. Kevin Costner talked to her enthusiastically and told a few jokes about Kurosawa's movies, which made Costner say that the trip was worthwhile.

On the other hand, Columbia Records also gave Whitney a very high courtesy. Several famous Japanese idol artists also came to the dinner, just like fans, asking for Houston's autograph and taking photos, acting like an ordinary fan.

"I didn't expect that I would be more popular in Japan than in my country," Whitney Houston exclaimed.

"It's like this. The Japanese respect the top figures in America more than we do in China. When MJ held a concert here last time, it was even crazier than in China... And that Tyson, forget it, he lost the fight..."

"I want to hold a concert here..." Whitney Houston couldn't help but dream of being surrounded by tens of thousands of fans on the stage. It was truly intoxicating.

"Ah, Whitney is coming to Tokyo for a concert..." Those idol artists, not knowing whether they really admired her, clapped and cheered her on, which made Whitney Houston excited. She stood up and sang two lines of "I Will Always Love You", which immediately made those idol artists intoxicated...

The atmosphere was set at this point, and Whitney Houston immediately decided to prepare a global concert with the theme of "The Bodyguard". Tommy Mottola, the president of Columbia Records, also achieved his goal and quickly asked Arista Records to start building a global tour team and stage design.

The film unexpectedly made the sales of the soundtrack far exceed the new album of Whitney Houston that the record company had been promoting, and gained global fame. Motula, who had no intention of doing so, now looked back at Ronald's operation and felt that he had the ability to predict the future, and he admired him very much.

After attending the premiere and a series of promotional activities, the Bodyguard crew flew to Europe again. The first stop was London, where the royal premiere would be held, and Ronald would also go to inspect the Starlight Cinemas, which was originally acquired by Minahan's cousin Yoram.

During this period, EMI Cannon's financial situation had serious problems again, and it was preparing to sell all of its assets at a bargain price. Ronald also came to take a look at the situation on behalf of Hollywood Cinemas.

After the trip to London, the crew will go to Berlin to participate in the film festival screening, just in time to see Ang Lee's new film "The Wedding Banquet" entry. Ang Lee just finished editing before the competition with a traditional editing machine, and went to Berlin first with the copy still wet.

……

"Daydream One, you can take off... I wish everything goes well..." The special plane carrying the crew started flying towards London again.

"You're not sleeping again, are you?" Whitney Houston decided to start her tour and was very excited. Kevin Costner's "The Bodyguard" won the Best Foreign Language Film at the Japan Film Awards, and she was discussing with her assistant how to add marketing to the award and add it to the poster.

Only Ronald put on his eye mask again and pulled up the blanket. "Ah, yes, I have to dream..." Then he adjusted the seat and fell asleep.

……

"Ronald, Ronald Lee, Li-san, what do you call him? Yes, that's Ronald-san, yes, I'm his agent Richard, I have something urgent to contact him about."

At this time, in Sony's office in Tokyo, a staff member who was involved in receiving Ohga's office suddenly received an international call from Richard.

"I'm sorry, Ronald Sang has already left on his private plane... No, his plane is parked at the US military base, and we don't have a dedicated telephone line to contact them. Satellite phone? I'm afraid it won't work because the satellite phone standard in Japan is different from yours. Only the private planes of the president and the chairman are equipped with satellite phone equipment of different standards. But I can help you say hello to the London office and let them find him at the airport?"

"Shxt!" Richard hung up the phone forcefully. "What should I do?"

Sitting in the office with him were Ronald's TV director Ed Bastian, Ronald's personal lawyer Lindsay Doll, and personal accountant Lawrence.

They sat in a circle, looking at Richard and looking at each other in bewilderment. Finally, Lindsay Doll, who had the longest relationship with Ronald, spoke up, "Richard, you're his agent, haven't you heard him say anything about this?"

"Looks like we have to notify his family. I'll call his aunt, Lawrence, you call his cousin. Richard, his wife Diane...call Lindsay if you have any news, you stay here to guard the center...Also, contact that former political adviser Roger Ailes. We'll need his answers to any political questions..." Ed Bastian, the TV station executive with the best crisis handling ability among the few people, spoke up and told everyone not to sit there and watch, but to do what they can first.

"Diane, this is Richard. I have something important to ask you. Yes, let's switch to the confidential line first, which is the red landline..."

"Donna, this is Lawrence. Are you in Long Island? Renaissance Fund. OK, I've got it in mind. I'm here to see you. It's very important."

Several people started making phone calls, while Ed Bastien grabbed a bag of premium coffee and, without waiting for the Staten Island ferry, rented a helicopter and flew directly to the town of Tottenville, to the doorstep of Ronald's Aunt Karen's home.

"Ding dong..."

"Ed, why are you here?" Aunt Karen saw Ronald's colleague and opened the door to let him in.

"I want to order some baked cookies. Our company is going to hold an event with NBC. I suddenly feel that the best gift is private baked cookies. Many senior executives will bring their children, and they will definitely like it..."

Ed brought the coffee with a smile, and then the two of them walked into the living room one after the other.

Ed Bastian immediately stopped Aunt Karen who was about to get the cookies and said, "Karen, I have something very important to ask you. I can't contact Ronald who is on a transatlantic flight. You must tell me the truth."

"What's the matter?" Aunt Karen saw Ed Bastian's serious expression.

Ed Bastian asked almost word by word, "Does Ronald's father or grandfather have Chinese ancestry?" Then he looked at Aunt Karen's expression, trying to get some additional clues.

"Of course not. Where did you get this weird idea?" Aunt Karen responded with a stunned expression...

"It seems that she is not talking nonsense..." Ed Bastian breathed a sigh of relief. "Someone wants to spread rumors about Ronald. I got the news from my colleagues in advance, so I came to you to verify it."

"No, of course not, haha..." Aunt Karen felt that this rumor was very low-level. Ronald's appearance was typical of the earliest immigrants from the thirteen states of New England.

"Very good, that's good news. I'll call Richard." Bastian quickly called back to the office. "Aunt Karen's reaction is very telling. It seems we don't have to worry about this rumor... We just need to focus on dealing with the other rumor. Richard, I think you should take the Concorde to London first and contact Ronald as soon as possible. There are some things we need his authorization and relationships that he can use..."

　I took some time to write this. I don’t know when it will be published tomorrow, but I’ll try to make up for the content.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)