Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 879 New York Film Critics Circle Award
"Why, you noticed too? Michelle Pfeiffer is so beautiful! She is so beautiful that she can't hide her eyes under any circumstances.

Her costume was green with florals, a color favored by blacks. It didn't match her skin tone at all, but even so, there was still such a handsome FBI undercover detective who fell in love with her.The plot was played very convincingly by Michelle. "

Julia Taylor was dissatisfied with Michelle Pfeiffer's audition. The main reason was that Pfeiffer was too beautiful without dressing up. She was not at all the same as Tess's secretary who had been struggling since graduating from high school.

Ronald nodded, then shook his head again, "Well, that's not all I'm talking about. "

He poured Julia a cup of coffee, sat down, and tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, "Did you notice that the two supporting actors couldn't help flirting with her, Although I guess a good half of it was just Broadway acting habits, trying to do live improv."

"Indeed, but there isn't much conflict with the role of Tess, right? Didn't Jack Trainor choose Tess between Tess and her manager Catherine?" Taylor couldn't understand Ronald's point. What is it.

"And that Joan Cusack, when she and Pfeiffer acted together, she seemed to perform very well, as if she was competing with her acting skills."

"Haha, that's not of course. This is a rare opportunity for her to show her face. She wants to make a good impression on you."

"No, that's not what I meant." Ronald knew very well that Pfeiffer would never be able to play Tess, but it was like watching too much, and the director had an instinct for more movies, and it was a bit difficult to explain it all. .

"Because she is so beautiful, even if we use makeup to make him ugly, but the audience sees that she has been a secretary on Wall Street for ten years and is still wasting in this position, it is impossible for the audience to agree with this role. In this way, our movie It's going to fail right from the start."

Ronald couldn't help but think of the filming of "Dirty Dancing", Cynthia Rhodes became seriously ill after performing an operation and got seriously ill. Her skin turned yellow to pass the test.

"But can't all these makeup techniques be done? I still don't understand what you mean." Julia Taylor looked at Ronald, almost thinking that he didn't want to use Pfeiffer, and deliberately used her mouth to deny it. .

"Let me put it this way, have you ever seen a woman who is not young and works in low-level labor, but still has a different temperament among her peers, so that men often ask them out?"

"Of course, we generally call them bitch..." Julia Taylor joked.

"Michelle is that kind of person, of course I'm not saying she's bitch. You see, even Alec (Baldwin) and Kevin (Spacy) can't help improvising, and Joan Cusack A jealous actress, although her outfit today is not really beautiful, it just has a special temperament."

"You mean she can't wait ten years?"

"Yes, such a beautiful female secretary works in Wall Street. It is impossible for such a long time to have no real rich man marry her home... So now I am worried about Demi Moore's persuasiveness after playing ugly. "

Ronald has a history with these two, and he is a little worried that his vision is not the most accurate.

"How about we send some of the doubles who played with Pfeiffer today, and go to Los Angeles to do it again with Demi? Then you can judge from their performance..."

"That's a good idea. I'll discuss it with her. You can find Alec and... well, Kevin. Let's go to Los Angeles together."

Then Ronald picked up the phone and called Limato, Pfeiffer's agent, "Hey, Ed, it's me Ronald. You're a good agent, so I made a call that I didn't need to make."

"Michelle was eliminated?" Limato heard what Ronald meant.

"Yes, I promised to let you know earlier, so that you can arrange other roles for her conveniently."

"Can I ask why?"

"If Michelle was as beautiful as Michelle at the front desk of your company, would she work as a secretary there for ten years?"

"Well, that's a good reason, thanks."

Ronald had a busy schedule and didn't have much time to be courteous. After rejecting Pfeiffer's audition, Ronald asked Richard to help him watch the presentation of the New York Film Critics Circle Film Awards.

Unlike other places called the Film Critics Association Awards, New York's maverick is called the Film Critics Circle Awards.Perhaps because there are too many media in New York, film critics have organized more than one Film Critics Association. In the end, everyone compromised and named it the Film Critics Circle Award.

This is also one of the earliest awards selected by film critics in America, the first award was presented in 1935.

So their awards process is also the most formal, most Oscar-like.The draw is usually drawn in December each year, and the trophy, an upward-pointing pen-tip-shaped trophy, is awarded in January of the following year.

Richard took out the New York Times, a super thick newspaper, found the film review page, and handed it to Ronald.Then he throws away all other layouts.This is also the habit of most New Yorkers when they read the Times—only the pages that interest them.

Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Screenplay...

Ronald pointed his finger at the list of winners, all the way down, and found that only the last Best Supporting Actress, Olympia Dukakis of "Moonlight" got a No.2.

Ronald frowned. He donated a lot of money to the New York Film Critics Association and sponsored next year's event. Why is there only one female supporting role No. 2 in the list today?

He picked up the phone and told Richard to call Michael Gray, who was in charge of public relations.

"What's going on, Michael? My money doesn't seem to be doing what it should?"

"Ronald, I'm going to report to you." Michael Gray's voice seemed to be in the car. "I'm going to Fifth Avenue soon. Something happened quite unexpectedly."

Five minutes later, Michael Gray came in with a long cylinder in his arms. After greeting the two, he untied the cylinder hat and pulled out a large piece of cardboard. Magnetic round markers are attached to the whiteboard on the wall.

There are densely packed headshots of members on the paper. Those who support Ronald are marked with circles, those who oppose are marked with crosses, and those who are neutral or do not express their attitude are marked with question marks.

"The New York Film Critics Circle is an association with the largest number of film critics members in China, and it is divided into several factions. Our strategy this time is mainly to start with women, because Ronald your female-themed movie 'Dirty Dancing' gained a lot of favor from them,
Secondly, these female film critics have long been dissatisfied with the fact that Hollywood movies always tell stories around the male protagonist, and the female protagonist is mostly a vassal of the male protagonist. This "Moonlight Sultry" just fits their taste. "

Michael Gray took the New York Film Critics Circle Awards as a preview of the Oscars and did a very meticulous job. Now he pointed to the headshots on the wall to explain to Ronald.

Ronald nodded. When Gray was talking about it, he said that in general this kind of award voting, everyone's votes will not be too high. It depends on whether you can catch a hard vote group, as long as they have enough votes. There are reasons to vote for you, and if you act together, small groups can also leverage big awards.

"Originally, our awards were enough to push Xueer to the position of best actress, and Dukakis is even more sure, and there is also a certain possibility to get No.2 for best screenplay, best movie, and even best director. .

However, a few days before the vote, another force stepped in and changed the voting landscape. "

Then, Michael Gray pointed to the triangular mark drawn with a green ink pen on the paper, and roughly estimated the data for Ronald. These people began to vote in unison, which formed today's result.

"Who is it?" Ronald asked. The number of these people was astonishing. If they voted together, the female generals would not be able to stop them.

Michael Gray didn't speak, but looked at Ronald's agent Richard.

"Cough... Ronald, I'll go out first and buy some food." Richard stood up knowingly and wanted to go out.

"Why? No, he is my most trusted agent. There are no secrets between us." Ronald patted Richard on the shoulder and told him to sit down.

"Well, since that's the case, let me tell you, these people are Jews."

"Huh?" Ronald stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and carefully looked at the headshots marked with green triangle symbols, as well as the names and the media they worked for.

They are all acquaintances.

Ronald recognized several New York film critics of Jewish descent who had written articles critical of their films when Dirty Dancing was released.

"So they're done, right? Why did this shit come up again? Now that Jennifer Gray is the hottest Jewish actress, what do they want?"

Ronald was angry. This group of Jews is really a group of people. The logic is different from that of other ethnic groups. Italians said that the truce is a real truce.

After scolding, Ronald found that Richard was a little embarrassed, and then remembered that he was also Jewish, and quickly said, "Um, either I have a problem with the Jews as a whole, or..."

"No, I understand. The Jews are not monolithic..." Richard said that he didn't have to worry about being psychologically hurt.

"Richard is probably right," Michael Gray nodded to Ronald, "We also discovered a strange phenomenon. Not only you, Spielberg's 'Empire of the Sun', an award also No, not No.2. And these people, the new film critics are attacking this Jewish leader."

Michael Gray circled his hand and pointed to the Jewish film critics who wrote bad reviews of "Dirty Dancing". This time, they gave Spielberg a bad review again.

"Spielberg's shamelessly kid-centric, box-office-only approach undermines this serious subject..."

"Too obsessed with pictures and colors, forgetting the seriousness of the theme, beautifying Japan too much..."

"Those planes and bombings are impressive, but the plot is baffling...Why would anyone see the Hiroshima nuclear explosion in the far southeastern coast of China?"

Many film reviews written by Jews are very explicit and unreserved criticisms.

"Hey?"

Ronald thought he had read it wrong, so he took two more newspapers from Chicago.

Roger Ebert's review was "Basically the theme of this movie is good, but the movie crashes before it even takes off."

Sisko’s criticism is more thorough:
"I don't know what this movie is about. It's such a complete mess, taking things from different places and putting them together.

On the one hand, if it wants to say something about children's views on war, there's a John Portman-produced movie called Hope and Glory that just came out and it's much better.

Spielberg, on the other hand, wanted it to feel like an adventure movie, so you have a character played by John Malkovich, like Indiana Jones, helping little kids through all the fun of war.

I don't know what Spielberg wants to do. "

Ronald seemed to understand something, and he picked up the list of winners and watched it carefully.

Director James L. Brooks' "Broadcast News." was the big winner, along with his best director, leading actor William Hurt.

"Wall Street" by Michael Douglas

……

A large number of winners at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards are Jewish.

"Okay, Michael, let's continue at our own pace. The next Kansas Film Critics Association Awards, it is estimated that there will be no such annoying ghosts to disrupt the situation."

After Michael Gray left, Ronald closed the door and quietly asked Richard LeWitt, his most trusted confidant who had come all the way from the assistant agent.

"Do you know what's going on? Why are they upset with Spielberg?"

"I've only heard some rumors, the unfounded kind."

Richard also spoke in a low voice, although this is Ronald's home, no one will appear.

Richard believes that the main reason is that although Spielberg is Jewish, he has no interest in Jewish values, that is, Judaism.

He neither went to the Jewish synagogue to participate in the ceremony, nor did he use the Jewish tradition to carry out the necessary rituals when he raised his children.

Therefore, those old-fashioned Jews are very dissatisfied with him, maybe they want to take this opportunity to give Spielberg a little color.

"In addition, I guess my boss, Mr. Ovitz, also contributed to it. He has been urging Spielberg to join CAA, but the other party has always declined. If he can get Spielberg again at this year's Oscars Berger is frustrated, so his invitation will be stronger..."

After thinking for a while, Ronald generally understood.

In short, in the Jewish faction of Hollywood, Spielberg has always been dissatisfied with the freedom and excess of tradition.This time I just took this opportunity to beat him.

In those film reviews, hurting profound themes, only pursuing box office, abusing children to tell stories, and other stereotypes are all criticizing Spielberg for not following the habit of Judaism, nor for passing on Jewish traditions to the next generation.

If a Hollywood director can’t set an example, many Jews will abandon those Jewish traditions in one or two generations. At that time, they are no different from ordinary Americans except for a big nose.

Therefore, the Jews in the circle of New York film critics all voted for James L. Brooks, Michael Douglas, and other Jewish directors and actors who have repeatedly stated in public that they obey Jewish identity and traditions.

In the end, they got their wish and shaved the bald head of Spielberg's new film "Empire of the Sun", and their own "Moonlight Sultry" was just collateral damage.

Olympia Dukakis is the Best Supporting Actress. In this situation, she can still get No.2. It seems that she has the best chance of being nominated for an Oscar.

Michael Ovitz, an old fox, must be aware of the inside story. He deliberately did not remind Spielberg, and secretly fueled the flames, so that he would invite him to join CAA after the other party was disappointed.

"Richard, we have been together for a long time, why do you never seem to act like a Jew?" Ronald looked at Richard, the agent had been considerate to him from the beginning, and he did not have the habit of various Jews. The means are used on oneself.

"Why am I not a Jew?" Richard smiled, and his glasses are getting more and more design sense now, and it looks like the special style of a big-name designer.

"I'm just not an Ashkenazi, I'm a Sephardic ... My surname Levitt is not a German Levitt transcription, it's a French Leavitt transcription."

"So it is," Ronald patted Richard on the shoulder.

It turned out that Richard belonged to another branch of Jews in Spain, Italy, China and other places—the Sephardic Jews.Sephardi originally referred to the Iberian Peninsula, and later dispersed to Western European countries after the Reconquista Movement.They spoke Ladino and looked Latino.

And America, especially the Jewish branch with the highest concentration in New York, are Ashkenazi Jews, who are descendants of Eastern European countries, mainly Poland and German countries, and speak Yiddish.It is also they who pay the most attention to religious traditions, and are also the mainstream in Hollywood and financial circles.

It is the Ashkenazi Jews who talk about Auschwitz every day, because they are the ones who suffered the most in World War II.

And the Sephardic Jews mixed with the Latin peoples of southern Europe for the last year, how to say?Some characters are also contaminated with some southern European characteristics, and the characteristics of the hump nose are not obvious.

"Thank you, Richard, Mr. Ovitz, if there are other trends, we will discuss what to do."

"Ring ring ring ring..."

Just as the phone rang, Ronald picked up the receiver.

"Ronald, I'm Paula..."

"Hello, Paula." Ronald smiled at Richard.

"I had a great talk with Brooke Shields, she's a very smart girl. We're signing tomorrow morning, can you come to the signing ceremony? I feel like you'll make Brooke feel better if you're there."

"Of course, if you ask, ten o'clock tomorrow morning, right? I'll be there on time."

(End of this chapter)