Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Most of the houses on the Upper East Side, on both sides of Central Park, are owned by cooperative apartments (Co-op). The transaction price of this kind of house is relatively cheap, but the monthly fee is high. If you use a loan, you will also need to pay an additional state tax.

As the owner, the buyer needs to submit an application and get the approval of the owner's board. However, Mr. Li's qualifications must be no problem. So I brought a few photos of the houses that best meet your requirements. They are all next to Central Park, top-floor apartments. Please see..."

The real estate agent that Lawrence found was a white man and very enthusiastic.

"I like this one more," Ronald flipped through the photos. He took a fancy to a house with windows facing Central Park. The decoration inside was also very classical, a bit like the one where Ingrid Bergman lived back then. "

"How much is Mr. Li going to loan?"

"Hey, he's Ronald Lee, no loan." Lawrence knew that Ronald had just made a lot of money, and was a little dissatisfied with the agent's question. Didn't he explain Ronald's identity and background before coming?

"OK, then you can save a state tax," the agent was slightly surprised. Many movie and TV stars actually bought houses with loans. Only Chinese people like Lawrence like to use cash.

"Here is the application form. Mr. Li, let's check it one by one. I'll help you fill it out." The agent quickly filled in Ronald's name, occupation, etc.

The property rights of cooperative property apartments are more complicated in law. People who buy houses need to get approval from the board of owners. There are many questions to be asked to prevent some people who have considerable income but will affect the value of the property from moving in. For example, criminals who break the law, escort girls, etc.

"Are you single? How many family members do you have?

Will you sublet the apartment to other people?

..."

"This is buying a house, why do you still ask me such personal privacy?" Ronald snatched the application form, which had more than 20 questions on it.

"This is standard procedure, Mr. Li. The board of owners does not want to see buyers rent out the house, bring in tenants they don't like, or take advantage of fluctuations in the rental market to make money, so there are penalty clauses here. If you sublet the house within one year, you will also need to pay a subletting fee."

"Are you reviewing the buyer or the suspect?" Ronald laughed. The small apartment he bought back then did not have so many troubles.

"Let me help you fill it out. These are very simple questions. If you buy a newly built co-op apartment, not only will the monthly property fee be more expensive, but the location is not as good as Central Park, and the unit price of the house will be about twice as high as this shared ownership."

The agent is still very competent. The other side of the trouble is that the house price is cheap. Moreover, most of the houses near Central Park, the most suitable place to live in New York, are this kind of shared ownership (Co-op) house.

"How long will you live in the Upper East Side every year?"

"I don't know, one or two months, my main job is still in Los Angeles." Ronald patiently answered the question because of the cheap price and excellent location of the house.

"That won't work. You need to live here for at least 6 months a year. If you..."

"Doesn't the Upper East Side belong to America and New York State? I live here, and I still need a green card?" Ronald laughed.

"To some extent, yes, it's different here."

"I have a cousin who can live in this apartment on weekdays." Ronald wanted Donna to help him sit in the "immigration prison" and let her have a foothold for work.

"Sorry, cousins ​​are not considered direct relatives. If it's your wife or long-term cohabiting girlfriend..."

"Fxck!" Ronald was furious. How could I, a well-known Hollywood director, spend real money to buy a house and still be harassed by you? "You'd better introduce me to joint ownership (do). I'd rather spend twice as much."

"It's not that difficult. I can arrange an interview for you with the owners' board of directors. They will make an exception and give you some preferential treatment."

"I'd rather not..." Ronald could already imagine that after moving in, the board of directors would use various excuses to spy on his private life.

"ell, Mr. Li. Joint ownership is a better choice for customers like you who value personal privacy. I recommend this building to you. It was built in 1983. The 39th floor and above are all apartments. There are good services and a particularly strict security system. Many people in the entertainment industry also choose to rent here..."

"Isn't this the apartment that Demi Moore used to rent for $8,000 a month?" Ronald recognized the glittering interior decoration in the photo at a glance. And on the roofs of the lower floors, there are real big trees.

"This is a landmark building on Fifth Avenue. From the 30th to the 55th floor, they are all decorated in bronze and mahogany style. From the 68th floor, you can decorate it according to the needs of the owner."

"Well, very good, very good," Ronald looked at the photos of the interior. There are many lofts on the upper and lower floors, real urban villas. It is also on the most prosperous shopping mall Fifth Avenue. It is very convenient to eat and shop. It is especially suitable for people like me who occasionally come to New York and don’t want to stay in a hotel.

"Which floor are you more interested in?"

"66, 68, seems more auspicious?" Ronald thought to himself, it feels good to come to the top floor.

"Those three floors are reserved by the developer for himself and his wife, who is a famous model from Eastern Europe."

"Hey, you are discerning." Ronald felt that this developer was quite discerning in choosing 66-68 as the highest level. In fact, the middle floors of this building have been skipped. Above the shopping mall and office building on the 20th floor, the apartments are calculated directly from the 30th floor, making up auspicious numbers.

"How about 58? The 58th floor is not bad either."

"There is a very good two-story apartment on the 58th floor. I can talk to the developer's boss. It is the best apartment besides the one he left to his parents on the 63rd floor."

"Okay...make an appointment with him." Ronald decided on the house he wanted to buy, and then began to prepare to attend the preparatory briefing party held by George Jr. for his father's participation in the party's primary election.

As a manager of his father's upcoming campaign office, George Jr. was enthusiastic about nominations for the New York primary.

His mother, Barbara, did not approve of her alcoholic, cheating, and unsuccessful eldest son in business. It's not because of anything else, it's because little George is too similar to his father. Even when he cheated on his wife, just like George Sr., he looked for a secretary by his side.

But since Ronald rediscovered his lost faith with him in the church, coupled with his movie investment business, the profits are much better than the oil business. The son's reputation among New England's upper classes slowly began to improve.

Unable to withstand her eldest son's plea, Barbara gave him a chance to start over, allowing him to contribute to the most important cause in the life of the family patriarch, George, in the most important election of the family.

As an important old lady in the family, Barbara valued the children's willingness and efforts to contribute to the family.

Her favorite youngest son, Jeb, had been a volunteer for George Sr. for a long time in the 1980 election. Last year, he was deeply involved in the election campaign of Florida Governor Martinez, an ally of George Sr., and now serves as Florida’s Secretary of Commerce. It's just that he can't come to the husband's election this time.

This time, little George was also full of confidence and took the initiative to come to New York State. In this most important state in the east, a state where the leader won a big victory in the 1984 election, he could persuade more local forces to run for his father's party primary. faction supports the current deputy commander.

Douglas Jr., a powerful figure in the Elephant Party in Staten Island, was already helping introduce George Jr. to powerful people in New York in the hotel.

They saw Ronald arriving and came up to greet him.

"Laura, help me continue with them. Doug and Ronald and I have something to discuss." Little George asked his wife to continue socializing with the funders, and he pulled Doug and Ronald into the nearby restaurant. A small room.

"Here is the competitiveness within the party.

, the person who proposed to run for the election, here is the rumor among the Donkey Party, the promising candidate..."

Little George pointed to the two piles of materials on the table and introduced them to Ronald. He and Ronald need to work together to figure out which direction George Sr.'s campaign ads need to go in.

"Aren't these guys handsome? Like movie stars."

Ronald couldn't understand what the political opinions and resumes of these politicians represented. He could only judge these candidates from the perspective of a movie director.

The most handsome guy on the Elephant Party side is New York State Representative Jack Kemp. He is a former NFL quarterback, and the introduction materials say that he is the JFK Kennedy of the Elephant Party today.

As for the Donkey Party, the most handsome person is the Senator from Tennessee, a guy named Al Gore. He is also a talented person. He has good looks and is popular with the audience. He can play a small town young man in a traditional Hollywood movie.

"Why, do you only look at candidates based on their appearance? This is not a movie casting." Douglas Jr. joked.

"That's not necessarily the case. The most important tool in America's current election campaign is television advertising, and the thing that most affects voting is the television debate. For example, the last presidential election versus Mondale..." Ronald's own aunt also voted. To say that she particularly agrees with the political views of the leader, it would be better to say that she agrees with the face that represents conservative values.

"So, what you are saying is that a handsome candidate is more likely to be elected?" Little George thought thoughtfully.

"That's not entirely true. Different movie types require different leading actors. The current commander-in-chief was not the most popular in Hollywood back then, but he plays a smart, tough, and compassionate commander-in-chief. This role is perfect for him.”

Ronald commented on the looks of these candidates, "This Kemp is more popular with female voters in big cities, and this Gore is in line with the imagination of female voters in the south. These two can act in a romance movie. .

No, I remember that candidates for the leadership should be born in America and be over forty years old, right? "

Ronald suddenly discovered that Al Gore was only 39 this year.

"He will be 40 years old when the election is held next year, which meets the minimum requirements of the law. He is also the youngest candidate for leadership in history."

"Oh, this one can't be the protagonist. He looks like a villain, and his smile also makes him look like a swindler." Ronald looked at an Elephant Party candidate named Rumsfeld, a bureaucrat from Illinois. .

"Well, that's it. What about this?" Little George found this discussion of fortune telling very interesting and wanted to participate.

"This one is a bit girly..." Ronald saw that he was a senator from Delaware, and he smiled like a villain.

"This, this is better, it can act in a serious drama." Ronald turned to a governor of Arkansas in the south. You can't say that this person has a very sunny temperament and is approachable. He is more trustworthy than the previous two more handsome candidates. What they said.

"Our main opponent in the primary election is this person." Little George wrote down Ronald's feelings. He took out a photo of an ugly old man and pushed it to Ronald.

"Robertson, isn't this an evangelical preacher?" Ronald remembered this preacher who preached on television and disliked him. Someone who accidentally sees him on TV and wants to change the channel.

"He called on believers to endorse him. If there are one million signatures, he will run for the leadership. Now he has obtained 3 million signatures and officially announced his candidacy." Little George knocked on the table. This was his father. In the primary stage, the biggest competitor is.

"He also has a candidate?" Ronald expressed disbelief. Such a great stickman, would anyone in America choose him to be the commander-in-chief?

"Three million signatures, this is a force that cannot be ignored."

"What's so charming about him?" Ronald looked carefully at Robertson's resume. He claimed to be a Marine combatant who served in Korea.

"Is this man fake? Look at his eyes. He doesn't have the temperament of having participated in the war like your father." Ronald looked at Robertson's oily eyes and said,

I believe that such a pair of eyes will appear on the face of a person who fights opponents on land.

These eyes reminded him of Michael Cimino, the director of "The Deer Hunter" back then. He didn't dare to look directly into the camera, as if he was always hiding something. Cimino also faked his military service.

"I'll find someone to check. Do you think my father's image should be more of a soldier?"

Little George also felt that his father could shine a fearsome light when needed.

"Veterans are always respected, especially since your father has such a legendary experience. In fact, we can use it. I always feel that watching your father appear on TV, although he does not have the charm of the current commander-in-chief, we Everyone will feel at ease when the country is led by such a person, and no one will bully us.”

Ronald gave his general idea, and Douglas Jr. wrote it down and handed it to George.

"When I go back, I will discuss your views with my mother. She has now found a campaign consultant, Roger Ailes. I heard that he was one of the campaign consultants of the Great Commander-in-Chief."

…

After all, little George is still the son of an old political family. Seeing that Ronald can give him advice, he feels at ease.

He continued to go out and talk to the upper echelons here in New York and get their opinions and perspectives.

"What do you think?" Little Douglas pulled Ronald and looked at little George who was making vulgar and outrageous jokes in the crowd and asked.

"Fortunately, his father's image is relatively good." Ronald also felt that George Sr. was more of a politician than his son. If George Jr. wants to choose, he will have to choose a script carefully. Maybe he can play a western cowboy?

"Anyway, we have contacted them. This time we are deeply involved in this kind of national election. We have got a ticket for the Staten Island congressional district and local elections. Waiting for the next mayor, We can also have some influence when it comes to the election of governors and members of the House of Representatives.”

"Then you have to work harder." Ronald, who was not used to this kind of situation where everyone talks nonsense that doesn't mean what they say, patted little Douglas.

"Ronald, why are you here?" A rich voice came from behind.

"Why are you here, Arnold? Um... hello, Maria." Ronald greeted his wife, who was attending with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"I have always supported the Elephant Party, but you, I thought you supported the Donkey Party like most people in Hollywood?"

"Um... Actually, I voted for candidates from both parties. I came here with my good friend, Douglas Jr. We were on the wrestling team in high school." Ronald didn't want to reveal his political leanings, so he Little Douglas pushed out.

"Hello, Mr. Schwarzenegger, I like your movies very much." Douglas Jr. smiled and stepped forward.

"It was a complete coincidence that I actually supported the Elephant Party. I had just come from Europe at that time and watched a TV debate. The candidate of the Donkey Party was talking about social justice. When I saw it, wasn't it the same as my hometown? I This is not what I came to America to see.

I happened to see Richard, the candidate of the Elephant Party. He talked about small government, free competition, reduction of public expenditures, and tax cuts. When I saw it, I liked this party. From that day on, I have been an Elephant Party member. "

"Hahaha", Ronald and Douglas Jr. burst into laughter. Schwarzenegger's acting skills are good. His native country is Austria, and these words make people feel as if he comes from the Eastern camp.

"I said, you were asked to star in that movie, what did you think?" Ronald thought of the Joel Silver movie and had approached Schwarzenegger.

"To be honest, I don't want to act. You also know, Ronald, the box office of action movies is not as good as it used to be. If I still rely on my muscles to act, I won't have many years. Don't you think that my muscles are better than those of starring in movies?" When I was a reporter, was my girth smaller?" After leaving Hollywood, in a place where there were no other people in the entertainment industry, Schwarzenegger was no longer polite.

"It's true." Ronald took a look and saw that Schwarzenegger was indeed smaller than before.

"I have to develop some room for comedy performance, so I want to do comedy more. I accepted a comedy film called "Dragon Brother and Mouse Brother". Sorry, Ronald. "

"I understand that." Ronald also discovered that Stallone's box office appeal was also declining. The audience seemed a little tired of movies that were pure action movies showing off muscles.

"I would like to introduce you to little George, the son of the deputy commander." Ronald knew that Schwarzenegger came to New York with the wife of a descendant of the Kennedy family. It was not for nothing, so he took him and introduced him to little George. George knows.

"It's so annoying. These people are more hypocritical than Hollywood actors." Ronald couldn't stay there for a while before he got bored. Politicians' speeches were as much of a performance as actors. And his acting skills are so bad, I just want to shout "Cut"!

Just then the real estate agent called. The real estate agent had agreed to sell to Ronald and wanted to have an interview with him. Ronald decided to look at the house.

…

"Welcome, my friend. This is my wife, welcome to my building." The tall developer of the building was waiting for Ronald in the lobby. Luxury homes take a long time to sell, and someone like Ronald who can pay in full is considered a good customer.

"Thank you. I heard that you are willing to sell me the duplex apartment on the 58th floor?"

"Of course, you are the one who deserves this building. I wish all the artists in America would buy houses here. What do you think?"

Ronald took the special elevator and went up to the 58th floor of the house. This is the same unit as the 59th floor, connected by elevators and stairs. There are multiple large bedrooms inside, a cloakroom, a smoking room, a wine warehouse, a direct private elevator, a large study room and a living room. The existing décor was in a walnut and bronze style, and Ronald was pleased with it.

"Come to my place and have a chat. If you have a movie, can it be shot at my place? I've always wanted to play a cameo role in the movie."

After viewing the house, Ronald initialed the letter of intent and let the agent, accountant, and lawyer handle the rest.

Ronald accepted the invitation and came to the big house on the 66th-68th floor.

"Originally, my house was also in bronze style, but after seeing the decoration of my tenant, Khashoggi, a wealthy Saudi businessman, I decided to upgrade the interior style to the current gold style. I strongly recommend that you do the same after buying the house. deal with."

"Uh...I'll think about it." Ronald was not interested in the nouveau riche style where even the door handles were shiny. He felt that he couldn't ruin a house in a good location like this.

However, this style is very unique, and the owner's taste can be seen at a glance. Ronald had some thoughts. How about hiring a Chinese talent to get some Chinese furniture?

"Look, this is an interview I gave in the ***, ***, Boston Globe.

The current American political scene is dominated by some old-school, incompetent politicians, such as New York Mayor Ed Koch, who also accused me of violating the interests of New York citizens. As a result, two lawsuits he initiated against me failed.

These people play politics every day and can't even repair an ice rink. Koch spent $12 million on the Wollman Ice Arena in Central Park from 1980 to now. I bet him that it can be built for less than $1 million.

The results of it? I modified the design and found a professional company that built ice rinks for the NHL. It only cost US$750,000 and was repaired in four months. I promised them a lot of publicity, but they didn't even ask for the profits.

What is this called? This is the art of trading!

It’s ridiculous that Koch has lost face and comes to trouble me every day, saying that my building does not meet the tax abatement policy and that he is doomed to fail.

"Come on, I'll give you this book, my hard work. This is the newspaper where I was interviewed. You can read it. It's a lot of wisdom. Tonight you can also read CUU, the interview with me by host Larry King. will be broadcast."

Ronald returned to the hotel with the book enthusiastically gifted by the owner. He flipped through it and found that the author column listed Tony Schwartz. Ronald laughed dumbly, how stingy this was.

Ronald, who has been a screenwriter, knows that if you want to write a book, find a

A ghostwriter who only writes without a signature is paid twice as much as a ghostwriter who requires a signature.

This person was not even willing to pay the money, so he asked the ghostwriter to sign his name in the author column. Anyway, his name is written in large fonts on the cover above the title, and readers rarely look specifically at the author column on the inside pages. Most readers might still think that he wrote it himself.

"Are you quitting the Donkey Party and joining the Elephant Party now?" Larry King, the famous host of CUU on TV, asked the question to a real estate agent on the TV screen. This is a recorded video, pretending to be a live interview.

"Yes, I just joined the Elephant Party."

"Okay, why are you being interviewed in the newspaper? Do you want to elect a leader?" Larry King asked him bluntly. This is also what the audience wants to know most.

"No, no, I haven't decided yet..."

"Shxt! It seems that you really want to..." Ronald sat up after hearing this. He took out the interviews with him in the newspapers such as the *** and ***, and the more he read, the more he felt that he was right. Ronald picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Doug, are you with George? Look at CUU, this fucking real estate developer also wants to be elected president."