Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"What's the latest news?" Ronald asked his agent Niceta.

After the shooting was finished, Ronald would routinely take a few weeks off to completely forget his love for certain shots during the shooting. In this way, when editing, he would not be disgusted by a certain shot because it was shot many times, or like another shot because it was shot very proudly. In this way, all shots are treated equally, and the quality of the shots can be measured from an objective standpoint.

"Sylvester Stallone's Rocky 4 has just been shut down. I heard that director Avildsen and him have a little quarrel. Stallone is preparing for the post-production."

"I know about this. Weintraub is competing with Stallone to sign the composer Bill Conti." Ronald nodded.

Bill Conti was the composer of the first Karate Kid. He was abandoned by Stallone for Rocky 3. Now of course, he is more willing to choose Ronald, who respects him and has a pleasant cooperation.

"When will Rocky 4 be released? It won't be in the same movie as mine, right?" After all, this is the idol of all Americans, Rocky's latest boxing match that turned defeat into victory.

"Don't worry, they are in a hurry, it will be released at the end of the year."

Ronald raised his eyebrows, "So anxious?"

"Sylvester Stallone seems to be short of money now, and he urgently needs another hit movie to repair his financial situation."

"Zack's "The Evil Husband" encountered some difficulties. The chemistry between the two leading actors is very good, but Disney believes that a big star is needed to boost the box office. Now they are re-contacting Diane Keaton to persuade her to play the leading role."

"Well... just don't interfere with Helen Slater's supporting role." Ronald listened to the latest developments in the industry.

"Did anyone contact me while I was away?" Ronald asked another agent Richard.

"Jim Cameron has gone to Pinewood Studios in London to shoot the Alien sequel. You were still in Hawaii when he called."

"John Hughes called and said that he wrote a script called "Pretty in Pink" based on your creativity. I hope you don't mind. If you are willing to direct..."

"How can I be free?" Ronald interrupted Richard.

"I replied to him like this, the script is here, it's based on the core of the story you said, a girl changes her appearance with the help of a boy's best friend to date another boy she has a crush on, and finally finds out that she loves the best friend when she dates the boy she has a crush on."

"It's really the same? Is he still looking for his muse, Molly Ringwald?" Ronald flipped through the synopsis, and Hughes did quickly write down the few words he said last time into a script. The script is not thick, it seems that he will use his trick again to let the male and female protagonists improvise on the set.

"Yes, but his male muse, Anthony Michael Hall, refused to act. Hughes' interest in "Pretty in Pink" has waned a bit, and he may return to Chicago to direct another movie of his, so he is now looking for a replacement director all over the world."

"Now is not the era of big studios, it is difficult to maintain cooperation with one or two actors for a long time", Ronald heard that John Hughes wanted to cooperate with these two underage actors in more than a dozen movies until they were no longer suitable for youth films, but he didn't expect that the male protagonist ran away in the third movie.

"Hey, that's not right. Did Hughes make a mistake?" Ronald flipped through the script and asked.

"What's wrong?"

"The gender is wrong. What I told him is that the boy had a crush on the girl. With the help of another best friend, he chased the girl. After the date, he felt that the best friend was more suitable for him."

"Is it okay?" Richard flipped through the notebook. Hughes didn't ask this question.

"How can it be okay? It matters a lot! Our conservative values ​​in America make it difficult for a girl to choose the loser among two boys. On the contrary, it's okay for a boy to choose a girl, as long as she is pretty."

"Any other calls?" Ronald looked at Richard who nodded frequently and flipped through his phone book. He had to talk to John Hughes about this question.

"And Elizabeth Taylor. She invited you to attend the charity gala..."

"Hush, wait a minute," Ronald answered John Hughes' call.

"John, this is Ronald. I read your script. I won't be free in the second half of the year because I have to work on the editing. I called to ask you if the gender of the male protagonist in your script 'Pretty in Pink' is reversed?"

"No, no, I don't mean to teach you... Me? I don't have time to direct. That's not necessary. I don't want to sign my name on the script..."

"Hmph..." Ronald threw the phone back to the pedestal with a loud noise.

"Ronald, you are still the Ronald who helped him selflessly. But he is no longer the John Hughes who can accept criticism with an open mind."

Nicita said slowly.

"Okay, don't blame me if the box office fails in the future. This movie obviously has major flaws. The genders of the male and female protagonists should be reversed so that the audience will like the ending."

"Since you are so sure, why don't you write it yourself and then shoot a version?"

"Well..." Ronald pondered for a long time, "It's okay, but I usually let others direct it. I'm not very interested in shooting such low-cost movies now."

I haven’t dreamed about the movie, so I’d better be honest. Whether my vision can really grasp the trends that American audiences like to watch has not yet been verified.

"By the way, what is Elizabeth Taylor's charity gala you are talking about?"

"It was a fund-raising party for Rock Hudson's illness. She rented a place at the Los Angeles Coliseum, and all the audience had the opportunity to sign autographs and take photos with the stars who were there, but they had to pay expensive tickets. The stars who were there, There are also requests for donations.”

"We still have to raise funds, right? How much do I have to donate?" Ronald picked up the invitation and looked at it, "Who is going?"

"They are all celebrities, and there are many of your old friends. You are a director and a junior in the industry. It shouldn't be too high. A few thousand dollars is fine."

"Okay, I have to go socialize a bit."

"Thank you for inviting me, Ms. Taylor." Ronald kissed Elizabeth Taylor, the sponsor of the charity gala, twice on the face.

"Ronald, thank you for coming." Next to Elizabeth Taylor was another friend of Rock Hudson, the veteran actress Doris Day. Ronald also went up and kissed her twice.

"Here's my check."

Seeing the numbers above, Elizabeth Taylor looked significantly better. The fundraiser they launched this time was mainly for Rock Hudson and other poor people with the same disease.

"You're much better than that old Ronald. He's been a little weird since he went into politics."

The two veteran actresses were arranging the boss's fault. Ronald didn't dare to answer the question, so he had to listen awkwardly from the side.

Since the president gave a televised speech about the disease, he was quickly cast aside by his old friends in Hollywood.

This is not only because he forgot his old friend, but also implicitly accused Rock Hudson of his orientation in his speech. And because he didn't let experts declare a state of emergency, invest government funds to investigate the epidemic, and fund laboratories to develop faster tests and possible treatments.

Since embracing the evangelical church for the election, the leader's values ​​have become increasingly conservative. Not only has he criticized Hollywood for too much violence and pornography, he has also begun to advocate traditional marriage in terms of relationships between men and women.

This makes his behavior of divorcing and remarrying seem particularly funny. Perhaps this is the real reason why the commander became so angry after hearing his ex-wife's name.

"Michael", Ronald saw the most popular star now, "Back to the Future" actor Michael J. Fox, and his classmate Jennifer from the acting class came in together.

He just happened to leave the two veteran movie stars and left the place of right and wrong without revealing anything.

Fox and he talked a lot about the excitement after the movie was released. "Back to the Future" made him an A-list Hollywood star. Thanks to Ronald's recommendation and the idea of ​​sleeping in the van during his commute. Otherwise, he would not be able to stand having to sleep only two or three hours a day between the two sets of the movie and the TV series "Family Ties".

"The ratings of Family Ties are very good. I plan to use my summer vacation every year to film movies, and then film TV series at other times."

"That's great news for your audience."

The two chatted happily, and Fox's girlfriend Jennifer smiled happily next to her. The more Hollywood stars she could get to know, the more opportunities she would have to audition. Now John Hughes' new film also has the opportunity to audition for a supporting role. For her, her career has opened up a fast lane for her.

"We meet again." Ronald saw the star Cher in a wig again at the entrance of the stadium. This time it's a black explosion.

Seeing that she was surrounded by a group of photographers, Ronald stepped forward to provide services as a male guest, extended his arm for her to carry, separated the reporters, and allowed her to enter the stadium.

"Where's Stoltz?" Ronald looked around and didn't see Cher's little boyfriend Eric Stoltz.

"What, do you want to take his place? Now is a good opportunity." Cher also made a joke about Ronald.

"Haha..." Ronald knew at a glance that Xueer had broken up with her boyfriend again, and he didn't know who her next boyfriend would be. I only have admiration for the much older Xue'er, and I have no idea of ​​moving forward to become a boyfriend and girlfriend.

Thousands of spectators came to the scene, and all tickets and donations will be turned into charitable donations to support disease research. One by one, celebrities were invited to come up and say a few words.

In the second half, the famous movie star Burt Lancaster read a statement on behalf of his good friend Rock Hudson.

"It's hard for me to have this disease, but if I can help 12,000 other patients who are also unfortunate, then at least I know that my own misfortune can have some positive meaning."

Hearing such heartbreaking yet kind words from a big Hollywood star,

Several girls in formal dresses carried donation boxes and climbed up and down the seating area, urging the audience to donate more generously.

"I announce that donations from the audience and celebrities have exceeded one million dollars."

The host came on stage and loudly announced to the guests.

"Hua Hua Hua..."

Ronald was also applauding vigorously. This long charity party was finally coming to an end.

"Thank you, thank you." Elizabeth Taylor slowly walked through the tables of guests and thanked each guest who donated.

"Ronald, thank you." Elizabeth Taylor sat down next to Ronald and gently hammered her waist with her hand.

"Ms. Taylor?" Ronald asked with concern.

"Just call me Elizabeth. It's okay. I have a little discomfort in my waist. It's an old problem. Thank you again for your generosity, Ronald. There are not many stars like you who directly take out a check."

"Oh," Ronald nodded and handed a glass of water to the old actress, "Do you know about this disease? It seems that Mr. Hudson is in such a bad condition now?"

"Hey, he has difficulty moving now." Elizabeth Taylor sighed, "This disease is very severe, and it only takes a few months."

"Oh," Ronald couldn't help but worry, "I heard that mosquito bites can also...?"

"That won't happen. Locke went to the most advanced Pasteur Laboratory in the United States. The experts there said that the amount of blood sucked by mosquitoes is effective for transmission. It must be more than hundreds of mosquitoes biting people together."

"Oh, then I'm relieved."

Ronald breathed a sigh of relief. It seems that this is still a disease that is particularly spread among people of certain orientations.

...

A few days later, Ronald was on vacation at a hotel in Palm Springs. He was having breakfast in the morning when he suddenly heard breaking news on TV news.

"Actor Rock Hudson died yesterday after a year-long battle with a new disease, which has just been jointly named by the Pasteur Institute of the United States and the University of Maryland Medical Research Center of our country. He was 59 years old."

"He was found to have stopped breathing by the nurse who was taking care of him at his home in Beverly Hills this morning."

"So soon?" Ronald was a little surprised. He had asked a friend to read the message a few days ago.

"Rock Hudson's career in Hollywood lasted for nearly 30 years. He co-starred with many female stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Doris Day. In the history of Hollywood, the only ones who had a higher total box office than him were Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor."

"Rock Hudson's will does not want fans to send flowers. He hopes that all the donations received before will be handed over to the American...Disease Research Foundation. He also donated $250,000 to the foundation."

Ronald ate while watching the news. Many fans wanted to rush into Hudson's house to say goodbye to their idol.

Afterwards, the TV station reviewed Rock Hudson's life and broadcast the president's previous answers to TV media interviews, which hinted at Hudson's sexual orientation.

At least in Los Angeles and Hollywood, this attack on the deceased has aroused great resentment.

For the first time, the president lost his "non-stick" feature of bad news. This time, it is not so easy for him to distance himself from the bad news. He can't blame the bureaucracy.