Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Hello, Rick (Nicita), I'm sorry to bother you, I have something urgent to do. Richard is still on the transatlantic plane." Ronald called his agent in Los Angeles regardless of the time difference.

"Ah, it's okay, wait for me, I'll go out to pick it up, Paula and the children have just gone to bed." It was just after two o'clock in the morning in Los Angeles, and he ran to the study to answer the phone.

"I want to contact Princess Diana. I have only met her at a few premieres, and I have sent her some videotapes of my movies and received her handwritten letters, but I don't have a way to contact her quickly. I need... yes, it's very important..."

The only aristocrat Ronald knew in Britain was Princess Diana. From their experience of getting along, he felt that Diana was a person with middle-class modern values, who treated friends as equals, and would surely help him.

"Ah, that's a bit difficult. Britain is actually a hierarchical society, and the royal family has many rules. We have to apply to the royal family through formal channels first, and then wait for Buckingham Palace's approval. I will try to find someone to help, which will take some time. Relax a little and wait for my news there. When Richard arrives, you can tell him everything." Niceta looked embarrassed.

"I do have an urgent matter to contact the princess now. Ovitz often boasts that he can travel a thousand miles to do things for clients. Now I count on you." Ronald was a little anxious, and his voice was involuntarily higher. If it was easy, why would I need CAA?

"The Duchess of Wales..." Elton John heard Ronald's voice next to him and interrupted with a smile.

"What?" Ronald turned around, not knowing why.

"Although you Americans often call Diana the princess, the royal family did not give her the title of 'princess'. Her official title is the Duchess of Wales. Elton John smiled and corrected his American cousin's misunderstanding.

"You can contact Diana, the Duke of Diana...whatever her name is, I actually know her, but I just contact her through emails. My matter is...you know, Elton, I don't want to take the opportunity to get to know her..."

Ronald was overjoyed and a little speechless.

"I can call her private secretary, and finally see if Di is willing to talk to you..."

"That's all I ask, a chance to talk..." Ronald was very happy, "Hang up!" He hung up Niceta's phone casually.

"All, all, all...", the phone came with a busy tone, "shxt, when can Richard arrive in London?" Niceta held her forehead...

"Is it Patrick (Jeffson)? I'm Elton...which Elton? Elton John... has a friend from Hollywood, he is friends with Day, he is in London now, I hope to have a chance to meet..." Elton John called Day's secretary.

"Let me check... Mr. Ronald V. Lee, no problem, he is on the white list given to me by the Queen's secretary who can meet at any time. The Duchess happens to be returning to London this afternoon, and there is a public meeting at Canary Wharf. You can go there to meet her." Japhson is the newly selected private secretary of the royal family who took office after retiring from the navy. After checking the records, he agreed to arrange a meeting immediately.

"This afternoon, at Canary Wharf, Day happens to be free. "Elton John looked at Ronald and wondered in his heart that the highest level white list was mostly for various relatives of the royal family, who could go to Buckingham Palace at any time without an appointment. He himself was not on the list.

...

"The hospital has been established for three years, and there is no patient. It is full of doctors and nurses..." Princess Diana was chatting with Prince Andrew's wife Fergie Ferguson. They had just participated in the anniversary ceremony of a public hospital and then returned to Canary Wharf in London.

"Your Highness, the Duchess, the private secretary called and said that Elton John and Ronald Lee, a film director from America, are in London. Do you want to meet them?" The personal maid came to report.

"Hey, does he have a new movie? Send more videotapes to watch. "Fergie Ferguson, with her carefree personality, said that they could meet before Diana did.

...

"As for the Royal Ballet..." Diana did not agree immediately after Ronald made his request. This best ballet company in the country is named after the royal family, but it is actually sponsored by the Queen and her husband.

"Dai, you have to help Ronald. He came on the Concorde to find that friend..." Elton John and Diana met at a charity party in 1981. The relationship between the two is that of best friends, and they can talk about gossip.

"Ronald, if your friend does not have a persistent preference for the Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet is actually a very good choice. "Diana treated Ronald as an equal friend, and she was very careful to maintain Ronald's dignity.

Diana had a close relationship with the English National Ballet. She loved ballet and had taken ballet lessons privately when she was young.

Now she is also a patron of the dance company, publicly raising funds for the dance company and increasing its popularity. In addition, she often participates in the daily activities of the National Ballet, such as watching rehearsals and attending premieres.

"Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness. My friend also interviewed at the National Ballet." Ronald breathed a sigh of relief. Although they speak a similar language here in Britain, it is really difficult to get things done.

"Do you have any new movies?" Fergie Ferguson is still like a girl from a middle-class family, very interested in new Hollywood movies.

"Yes, there will be a "Working Girl" released next year. In addition, I also invested in a movie about American southern women, "Steel Magnolias"..."

The two princesses are very interested in this kind of female-centered movie, and told Ronald that they must show it in London as soon as possible.

"Ronald, if you come to London for a royal premiere..." Diana put her hand on Ronald's arm and made a request.

Unlike the fashionable and beautiful princess when they met last time, after a few years of running-in after marrying into the royal family, Diana has gradually found the royal style of dressing. The bleached light golden hair, tight leather jacket, and bubble skirt are gone.

Diana's style is now conservative, and her dressing style is simple and noble. But her warm attitude towards people has not changed.

"No problem, I will negotiate with the British distributor as soon as possible." Ronald was overjoyed when he heard it. He met the princess, got things done, and got a royal premiere for free, which was equivalent to doing millions of pounds of advertising on Fleet Street.

"This is the phone number of my private secretary Patrick (Japhson). You can contact him anytime when you come to London... As long as I am in London, you are a welcome guest." Diana also gave Ronald a contact number to prevent this situation of not being able to find someone again.

...

Sure enough, when he came to the National Ballet of England, the attitude of the executive here was completely different. In addition to immediately issuing Antonia's job invitation, he also personally took Ronald to visit the exclusive theater near the Royal Albert Hall.

This ballet company is not large, with only 70 dancers, but after receiving funding from Diana, it signed the famous Danish dancer Peter Schaufuss as the artistic director and equipped with an exclusive symphony orchestra, becoming the second of the five major ballet companies in Britain.

"Did we give this job offer to Miss Antonia's agent, or did you personally pass it on?" The other party began to show goodwill. The sponsor called in person to explain, and this person didn't know what kind of relationship he had.

In addition to the close relationship, the royal family greeted him, and the sponsorship from Americans was also very straightforward. The annual donation of tens of thousands of pounds, plus Antonia's own ballet level is also beyond the ordinary, and her foreign background and ethnicity are no longer an obstacle.

"Uh..." Ronald thought to himself that I don't know where she is now, "You should just follow the usual practice."

Elton John is now passionate about creation and inspiration is constantly emerging. This kind of romance across 6,000 miles is so rare. He invited Ronald to his home and asked the chef to prepare real English dishes, and insisted that Ronald talk more about this background.

Ronald cut off the beginning and the end and talked about his past with Antonia. He asked Elton John to write the song without involving his name. And it is better not to reveal details in the lyrics, so that friends in America can't guess that he is the protagonist.

Elton John said that it was nothing, he just needed some real romance to inspire him, and then he started to question Ronald.

"Sir, here is a long-distance call from Mr. Li."

Ronald, who was a little embarrassed by the interrogation, got up to answer the phone and escaped from Elton John.

After a while, the operator with a strong French accent spoke, and the call was connected. "Ronald? This is McPike... It's harder to find you than Miss Franceschi..."

The person on the other end of the phone was McPike, the detective hired by Ronald, who called from Paris.

"Where did you find Antonia?"

Ronald heard the other party's hidden meaning, and now things began to go smoothly.

"There is good news and bad news." McPike thought this business was very profitable and joked, "The good news is that she is in Paris now, preparing to apply for a job at the Paris Opera Ballet."

McPike and Niceta's investigation route was completely different. He started with Antonia's relatives and colleagues.

Antonia, whose parents have passed away, has a younger brother, but he has left Manhattan to live in Brooklyn, and he doesn't know much about Antonia's arrangements. When his sister left, she just left her car to him and said she would look for opportunities in Europe or London.

And there were not many clues from colleagues in the New York City Ballet. It is only known that Antonia was excluded a lot in the dance company because of the unexpected death of her mentor Blanchin. Because in the past few years, Blanchin often chose Antonia to play roles that dancers with more seniority than her had no chance to play.

Without a backer, the new artistic director is not so partial to her, and some people who had accidentally offended her in the past have been constantly building momentum and making up all kinds of rumors about Antonia. As a result, she has not gotten any roles worth mentioning in the past two years.

McPike was very confused. Leaving the car to his brother was a very determined move. But not only did his friends not hear about it, they also did not find out what kind of relationship Antonia had in the London Ballet. She had no itinerary to investigate there before, and there was no way to find it at all.

Ballet is a small circle, and McPike didn't believe that a ballet dancer with aspirations could just leave like a waiter in a restaurant. He began to investigate people who left the New York City Ballet at the same time as Antonia.

Sure enough, he found out that the person who resigned from the dance company at the same time was a principal brass player named Gerhard Koch.

"What about the bad news?" When Ronald heard that he had found Antonia, a stone fell to his heart. He had a vague premonition of the so-called bad news.

"The bad news is that she has a boyfriend, and she came to London because her boyfriend found a position in a London orchestra."

"Hmm..." Ronald confirmed his suspicion. After so many years, Antonia was not a nun. It was normal to have other feelings. However, Ronald's inner thoughts are not what Richard fears, which is to get back his past love. But he had a hint of doubt about his past choices.

Ronald, who had never formally proposed, wondered if he would have changed his destiny if he had made a different choice at that time.

At the moment when people propose, what motivates them to make a bet, thinking that they can be happy with a complete stranger for the rest of their lives (or before divorce)?

What did Harry have to go through before he could figure out how to be with Sally? How can Sally forgive Harry for his previous mistakes and agree to be with him?

"Is Antonia's boyfriend also in Paris?" Ronald asked after a long silence.

"No, her boyfriend is in London and did not come to Paris with her."

"I'm going to Paris, you can wait for me there..."

Ronald put down the phone. This quick trip to Europe was about to reach the moment of truth.

"Elton, what is the position of principal concertmaster? What is the position in the ballet symphony orchestra?" Ronald asked the host Elton John.

"Oh, God." Elton, being a very sensitive artist, guessed the truth from Ronald's expression. He didn't say comforting words like ordinary people. This kind of turn was just the source of inspiration needed for song creation.

"The status of the principal flute in the ballet company is higher than that of the general symphony orchestra. Ballet music often has unique melody lines and solo parts. The flute can also add a unique color to the music..."

"Well, I have seen Swan Lake." Ronald nodded. Such a person would be a good match for Antonia.

"I want to take the earliest flight to Paris..." Ronald declined Elton's suggestion to stay overnight.

"I'll ask the butler to book the tickets."

…

At Heathrow Airport, there were not many people in the terminal. There were only some business travelers and people who were anxious to go home waiting to board the earliest flight in the morning.

A tourist, whose hair was soaked with sweat and pulling a large suitcase, rushed over from another arrival hall at a sprint speed of 100 meters.

"Hey..., can I still pay for the first flight to Paris?" Richard, who had just arrived from New York by ordinary civil aviation, called Niceta at Heathrow Airport and learned that Ronald was going there again. When I arrived in Paris, I was shocked. This trend of madness became more and more obvious. He hurried over to see if he could catch up and stop Ronald's head from heating up.

The clerk at the counter pointed in the direction of the transparent glass wall in the lobby, where a British Airways flight was rising.

…

"She has accepted the interview and now lives near the Paris Opera House in the 9th arrondissement. She spends time at the Café de Flore every day, waiting for a reply from the Opera Ballet. It is estimated that after a while, she will finish her morning practice and come Have a quick lunch here.”

Mike Parker was sitting in the Cafe de Flore, which was close to the most prosperous area of ​​Paris, next to the Louvre and Galeries Lafayette. In order to save money, like Antonia, he could only stay in budget hotels.

"Your expense reimbursement..." Ronald took out a check and handed it to McPike. The detective knew that Ronald wanted to face personal matters alone, so he picked up the check and went out.

This is the most prosperous art and business center in Paris. A little further away, it is the theater where Ronald’s female companion Juliette Binoche performed when he came here before. I also spent a pleasant time with her at the Café de Flore. time.

However, Ronald didn't feel like waiting to date a girl in high school, and was looking forward to Antonia's arrival.

Ronald, who was lost in thought, saw the door darken, and a woman wearing a simple blue long-sleeved top, light black pants, and carrying a backpack walked in.

None other than Antonia Franceschi.

In Ronald's eyes, she didn't change much, she was still so beautiful, confident, and unique.

"Antonia," Ronald called as he stood up.

"Oh..." Antonia looked over here...

"It's you, Ronald!" Just like when she left Aunt Karen's house to pick up Ronald's dry cleaning, she smiled softly when she saw Ronald waiting for her, "So you are here... "