Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1373: Collateral Damage of Counterattack

"You must be stupid, old friend. Who wants your revelations now? Let me remind you, the cousin of the British princess, the descendant of an American war hero, think about how crazy the people are about this story? A man with noble descent is willing to be an ordinary American, and America makes him realize his dream..."

The editor of the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times is taking a call from a whistleblower.

"But he has another bloodline, which is Chinese..." The whistleblower still didn't give up. Isn't this just right? They are all Ronald's ancestors. It's just right for you to do a series of reports, right?
"What the Fxck, if you had given me this information a week earlier, maybe... who the hell wants to watch this now? What do Chinese, ordinary Americans know about them? Besides pandas and karate, The Karate Kid..."

The editor-in-chief got impatient and scolded this old acquaintance. Don't you understand the news effect? ​​A good American fighter pilot fell in love with a British noble lady, and then died in the battle against the Nazis for the country where his lover lived. This plot is even more Hollywood than a Hollywood movie. How can the audience have the appetite to listen to your crappy Chinese story?

"The Karate Kid is from Japan...you idiot, beep beep beep..." The whistleblower only heard the sound of the phone being hung up and was so angry that he hung up the phone with a bang.

"Mr. Bastian, I have rejected all the boring rumors..." The editor turned around and called Ed Bastian, CEO of the New York Daily News Group. Although this newspaper does not have a national influence, it has a large circulation in New York, and people in the news industry have to give it face.

"Thank you, I thank you on behalf of Ronald."

"So can he accept our interview?"

"I'm sorry, but he has to go on David Letterman first. But you can interview him via text, he's been so overwhelmed with interview requests right now that he's not available. We can limit you to one exclusive question, and I promise it will only appear in the Los Angeles Times."

"One is too few, how about three?"

"two."

"make a deal……"

Ed Bastien then faxed Ronald the list of questions that the Los Angeles Times had come up with.

"I'm sorry, I don't know the love story of my grandfather and grandmother. My father was a posthumous child.

Will I become a British citizen? Of course not. I have answered this question to the New York Times. You can ask them if it counts.

Will I make any British films? This is a good question. I am looking for suitable adaptations. I like British drama traditions and old films very much. I hope to find suitable themes for remakes..."

While answering the interview questions, Ronald was getting dressed. He was going to NBC to participate in David Letterman's talk show. Letterman had given up the fantasy of squeezing out Jay Leno and was ready to negotiate with multiple potential buyers. If he could have a guest like Ronald, because of what happened in London, it would increase the ratings and his bargaining chips would be increased.

……

"The next guest is the one who has directed many great Hollywood movies..." Letterman was about to introduce Ronald.

"Beep beep beep...dang dang dang..." The live band cooperated very well, starting with Breakdance, and then played a medley of theme songs from movies such as Top Gun, Dirty Dancing, Working Girl, and Ghost.

"But recently, he discovered that his life story was just as bizarre as a Hollywood movie... I guess you've guessed what I've said so far. Welcome, Ronald Lee..."

"Boom... boom... boom... boom... boom boom..." The band played the first few bars of the Majestic March, the music that the royal family likes to play most in celebrations, in a funny way.

"David..." Ronald smiled and hugged Letterman.

"So, I recently heard that you found your cousin at Buckingham Palace in London."

"Well, actually, it's Kensington Palace. Princess Diana lives there now. I am indeed her second cousin. From my grandmother's side..."

"But, Ronald, as we know you, you have always been known as a New York boy working in Hollywood. How did you suddenly become involved with the British royal family?" Letterman helped to introduce the topic.

"In fact, I was as surprised as you when I heard the news. As you know, my father died young. After I shot my first film, my aunt handed me a box containing my father's family history..."

Ronald picked up some gossip that the audience liked to hear and disclosed it on Letterman's show. In particular, the story about the grandfather's death, leaving his father an orphan, was very effective. The audience of this funny late-night show applauded and showed respect for Ronald's family.

"Why didn't your grandfather and grandmother's families leave anything for your father?" Letterman asked the question that the audience wanted to know most: Is there any grudge or hatred?
"In fact, they were all very kind to me, but my grandparents didn't hold a wedding, which was quite shocking at the time, and my grandfather and father were both the only children..."

"This sounds very legendary. Will you make a movie about your family's story?"

"I don't know, David. My aunt really wants me to do this, but there are always various problems when an artist films his own story. Maybe I should consider it when I am older."

"The show's ratings hit a record high in the past six months. Thank you, Ronald."

After the interview, David Letterman got the ratings data and came over to thank Ronald.

"Don't mention that..." Ronald said that there was no need to talk about that between us.

……

"George Jr. just arrived in New York. I arranged for him to stay at the Hilton Hotel. He won't attract attention." As soon as Ronald got in the car, he saw Douglas Jr. sitting in the back seat. He had been running around for the past two days, communicating with George Sr., the New York State Senator and other Democratic Party leaders every day as Ronald's representative.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work..." Ronald patted the shoulder of his high school friend and future brother-in-law.

"I don't care, I just hope I can help you get things done as soon as possible, so that Donna doesn't have to fly around like me..."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Ronald used all his connections this time. This matter was quite sensitive and it was not easy to delegate it to outsiders. Only his relatives were the most trustworthy.

"Don't mention that. Just agree to be my best man..."

Both of them were tired and didn't talk along the way. After arriving at the hotel, Ronald knocked on George Jr.'s door.

"My father is preparing to visit Kuwait. He was also very angry when he heard about your experience. He will support you, but let me remind you of two points.

First, after the collapse of the alliance, the military and defense industry community disrupted my father's re-election and is now in urgent need of an imaginary enemy to better ask Congress for money to maintain their business.

Second, you can retaliate against someone directly responsible, but you cannot target Jewish groups. Even the president needs the media they control to get votes.”

When it came to the Israeli Einon Milchan, the mastermind behind the movie "Assassination" that defamed the former president and his wife, George Sr. also agreed to Ronald's revenge and mobilized the powerful departments to cooperate.

But he also drew a red line: you cannot touch the national defense community, and you cannot touch the Jews as a group.

"Very good, they and I have a personal grudge..." Ronald's eyes flashed, he had no intention of crossing the line. Since the small-scale protection was allowed, he would shock the rest of the people at once.

"My mother also asked me to give you a message..."

"Oh? What did Ms. Barbara say?" Ronald raised his eyebrows. In fact, Barbara rarely steals the limelight from old George in front of outsiders. She has always played the role of a good wife and mother in front of the media and the outside world.

"She wants to see no one associated with that disgusting movie ever again in Hollywood."

“Ha, this is a bit difficult, but I can try my best to prevent them from participating in any influential projects…”

"That's what I told my mother. Come on, let's talk about how to deal with them. I have some secret weapons for you..." Little George enjoyed the power to decide other people's fate. He pulled Ronald to plan some ways to deal with the people involved.

"Donna is back and waiting for you at home... Your aunt has gone to bed, and she probably has something to tell you..."

Ronald got the weapon he wanted, and Douglas Jr. told him that Donna was looking for him. Ronald understood that Donna had returned from Ms. Rodham.

"Huh... let me wash my face..." Ronald has been working non-stop for more than ten hours. It is already three o'clock in the morning. He stimulated himself with cold water to stay awake.

The two of them drove to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a pre-war house near Columbia University. The house had a loft on the top floor, which was smaller than the Garbo house that Ronald bought for Helen, but the price was not low.

"Did you buy this?" Ronald was a little surprised at the price of the house. He thought that Doug was willing to spend a lot of money to propose.

"You underestimate Donna. She can afford it with her current income. I want to move to a bigger one, but she insists on splitting it in half..."

"Um, okay... I didn't expect that," Ronald thought. When Donna gets married, he will have to give her some assets. I guess the two of them will have to sign a prenuptial agreement. If Donna has less money than him, she will probably not be able to speak with confidence in the future.

"She's doing quite well at the Renaissance Fund. The fund they invested in before is now closed, and the returns are very considerable..." Little Doug is very satisfied with Donna and is proud of his fiancée when he speaks of her.

"Ah, you're here..." Donna yawned and opened the door, then asked Doug to stay in the living room, "I have something to say to Ronald alone..."

"Of course..." Little Doug thought that since it involved the tragedy of Ronald's parents, he must have something personal to say.

"Ms. Rodham apologizes to you. This was not their original intention..."

Donna began to talk about the results of her communication with First Lady Rodham. President William was different from other presidents. He did not get the full support of the Democratic National Committee in the early stage of his campaign, so the couple actually ran on debt.

In order to win the final election for the presidency, they paid a huge price, not only promising many benefits but also agreeing to many requests.

Many of these requirements are contradictory.

For example, the National Defense Community, which supported independent candidate Perot, also sent a lot of money to William. They urgently need an imaginary enemy, and the most suitable one now is the country across the Pacific Ocean, or the northern power that has just been reborn from disintegration.

Of the two opinions, the former is more vocal, because the Donkey Party naturally has a tendency to promote its own values, while the latter has just changed the world according to their ideas, and it would be difficult for them to turn around now if they want to kill them all off...

In terms of economy, Japanese companies have also found ways to donate a lot. They hope that William can revoke some unfavorable regulations in the US-Japan conflict, and also make the yen less strong, giving the Japanese economy some breathing space.

However, there are also some opponents who demand that the previous policies be maintained to continue to weaken the international competitiveness of Japanese companies.

There are many wealthy people of Jewish descent among them. Many of them immigrated to America from Eastern Europe. Since then, they have wanted to replace Japan with the Eastern European countries where they once lived as the manufacturing base for cheap American goods.

Of course, there is a smaller group of panda lovers who, like Ronald, have some joint ventures and are well aware of the manufacturing potential there, where manufacturing and transportation costs may be lower than in Eastern Europe.

In addition to these interest groups, there are also many donors who demand that William make changes. For example, the famous musician David Geffen clearly stated that he wants the president to make a decision not to restrict people with minority orientations from joining the military...

There are also many Hollywood stars who support...research and call on President Trump to allocate funds to strengthen research on...and subsidies for patients at the federal level.

"Mrs. Rodham said that she told her husband about the situation, and the President will revoke the permission to attack you. But those people may not relax their attacks in the media. What he can do is to prevent the powerful federal departments from interfering with the attacks on you.

As for the war between you and them, and the state-level issues, they are powerless to do anything. Now they are also facing challenges in the White House, and many things cannot be ordered outside the White House. "

"Hmm..." Ronald felt that the new commander-in-chief's power was not as great as the outgoing commander-in-chief in some places. However, with such a guarantee, he could breathe a sigh of relief and strike the most outstanding enemy.

Just like in a group fight, you must focus on the most active person and break his nose, then the rest of the people will back off.

"In addition, Mrs. Rodham said that she didn't want to be a traditional first lady, and hinted that I, the President, might give her more authority than a traditional first lady, allowing her to participate in politics to a greater extent..." Donna said some of Rodham's opinions, "I wrote a check to her PAC for the same amount as last time..."

"You did the right thing. Don't inform me in advance about this kind of thing in the future. Just handle it directly. I will let Lawrence give you a check."

"Great, I'm so sleepy I can't stand it anymore. You guys are really energetic." Donna yawned several times.

Ronald returned to his apartment and lay down for less than two hours before he was woken up by another phone call early in the morning. This time it was Richard who called.

"Mr. Warren Buffet is looking for you..."

"Ronald..." Buffy's voice came with a click.

"Oh, Warren... Sorry, I'm not up yet..." Ronald said into the phone...

"Catherine wants to talk to you... I'm just passing on a message..."

There is only one Katherine that Buffy is talking about, and that is his confidante, Katharine Graham, the publisher and owner of the former Washington Post.

……

"I'm Ronald Lee, looking for Ms. Graham." Ronald washed his face with cold water again, and according to the number provided by Buffy, he called Mrs. Graham, who was writing her autobiography on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

"After retirement, I rarely take care of the newspaper's affairs, but your name popped up yesterday. I used my influence a little and asked them to reject the article about you..."

Mrs. Graham was very direct. She said that she received messages from the former and current presidents yesterday through different CIA personnel, asking her to stop the publication of the defamatory article that Ronald was a spy in the Washington Post.

The Washington Post is the largest political newspaper. Because it exposed the Watergate scandal, it is also a very upright newspaper among the public. It has long been in contact with the CIA and the White House. Sometimes, for the sake of "national interests", it will press down some news reports that are not suitable for the public to know.

Because of her influence in the industry, if she pressed the issue, most East Coast newspapers would remove it.

"But now that I'm retired, I'm afraid I don't have as much influence as I once did. And California has never been on my side."

"I am already very grateful. I wonder which newspapers will publish such slanderous reports if they appear?"

"Tennessee, Chicago, and some tabloids in California..."

Ronald wrote down the names and immediately asked Ed Bastian to go and greet those media outlets. But the effect was not very good. Many of these media outlets were run by evangelicals, and some were in southern states with strong anti-China sentiments. They could not be convinced by a few words.

Some media in California that are friendly to Israeli Jews also stated that this is a right granted to them by the First Amendment and no one can infringe on their sacred rights.

"Then let's fight!"

Ronald gathered all his senior subordinates for a meeting. Each subordinate performed his own duties. Pai Kingsley and Michael Gray, two public relations consultants, also put aside other business to help Ronald with advice.

Ronald boarded a special plane and flew back to Los Angeles, where he was going to launch the attack.

After getting off the special plane in the afternoon, Ronald, who had already had a good sleep, stretched out with satisfaction. He thought it was still the most comfortable sleep on the plane.

"This is the National Enquirer and the Star, and this is Global Magazine. They all question your transfer of advanced technology related to national defense security to your joint venture in Qingpu. Global Magazine and the Star went the furthest, calling you a spy.

The National Enquirer is slightly better, but it also makes groundless claims that you are an advocate of values ​​that go against America. From the beginning of Japan to the current Chinese culture, everything is anti-American. "

Richard, who had returned early in the morning, was waiting for him at the airport bridge. He reported various information to Ronald.

"Very good, I'll send them the lawyer's letter tomorrow morning..." Ronald got into the car and asked Richard to get in as well.

"Where are we going?" Richard saw that the direction was not towards Ronald's house.

"I'm going to Simi Valley, to the library and museum of the 40th President Ronald Sr. I have some historical documents to donate to the library. I've called the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles-based reporters of the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. I've said hello."

Then Ronald picked up the car phone and called Michael Douglas. "Michael, this is Ronald. What did your father say? Haha, tell him that I will call again tomorrow. If they don't restrain those people, I will let them fight back. If there is any collateral damage, don't say I didn't tell you..."

(End of this chapter)