Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The Rockefeller Building on Sixth Avenue is one of the oldest skyscrapers in New York. From the first floor to the eighth floor, there are no walls to separate them into multiple offices. Instead, the entire building is rented to NBC New York station, used as a studio.

The studio on the sixth floor is the largest and is where David Letterman's Late Show is recorded live.

"Thank you, David." Ronald was in the studio, after viewing the layout of the scene, and then shook hands with David Letterman, who specially accompanied him, and said goodbye.

"You're welcome, this is also a good opportunity for me to increase my ratings."

Letterman was very generous and agreed to free up the second weekend of next month for the joint appearance of Cher and her ex-husband Sonny, which Ronald recommended. He would give Cher a chance to sing a new song, and then give Sonny Bono and Cher a duet of their famous hit "IGotYouBabe."

This old song was once the most played song at American weddings. After more than ten years of separation, the two original singers came back to sing a famous song, which is expected to arouse the audience's enthusiasm. It will also create a topic in the media the next day. This kind of enthusiasm is very good for all parties involved in this matter.

There is nothing in the entertainment industry that cannot be used for hype. As long as the audience likes to watch it, they can act. This show has become a place where the interests of many parties are involved.

Cher has not been in the top ten of the rankings for eight years. In order to save her endangered singing career, she not only agreed to cooperate with her ex-husband, but also signed a contract with David Geffen's new record company, Geffen Records, who had an unpleasant breakup experience.

This show gave Cher a rare TV appearance for her new album. Geffen Records' marketing capabilities were poor. Her album was poorly played on radio stations and DJs from various radio stations collectively refused to play it.

Therefore, Cher urgently needs such an opportunity to promote new songs on the charts. Announce to everyone, she is still the same big singer.

Ronald was responsible for arranging for Sonny Bono to take time off from filming "Hairspray" to appear on The Late Show, and for coordinating subsequent media interviews for both men. Letterman gave both actors a chance to answer questions about the status of their new films.

In this way, both men will brag to millions of viewers across the country on the Late Show for a movie project that Ronald is leading.

As for David Letterman, in addition to the increase in ratings, it is also very important to be able to have interviews on such national topics on his own show.

At this year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, the President did not ask him. Instead, he asked Jay Leno, who is also Johnny Carson's apprentice, to host this annual humorous evening.

Johnny Carson gradually began to increase his regular time off last year, and Jay Leno became the regular backup host of his America's No. 1 talk show. Letterman needs this kind of guest and topic to prove that he is the best successor to Johnny Carson.

"How did Jay Leno, with his big chin, become Johnny Carson's regular substitute? I think his speech is a bit slurred." Ronald asked softly to Letterman who sent him downstairs of the Rockefeller Building. . This kind of thing is not convenient to ask in the NBC studio.

"You know Johnny Carson, he would rather have a bad guy to highlight his status." Laitman also quietly whispered in Ronald's ear. He just wrote a lot of Carson's jokes, but they were not recognized by Carson. Fortunately, NBC decided to open a late-night talk show for adult audiences, and he got the opportunity to host the late-night show.

Ronald patted Letterman on the shoulder and got into the car to pick him up.

Television is an unfamiliar field for Ronald. It seems that in this industry, the monopoly of male presenters is even greater than that of male stars in Hollywood.

Johnny Carson relies on the fact that the audience is familiar with his face and likes his style of humor, so he suppresses potential competitors very hard.

As long as a man is on Johnny Carson's show, he can only have one talent. Either you can write jokes or you can host a show. If you can do both, then I'm sorry, but you will be the person he targets most in the show team.

Even Johnny Carson was the only long-term substitute host previously recognized

, Joan Rivers - a woman he originally regarded as no threat, was also driven away from the show after the ratings and audience praise were high.

Of course, Joan Rivers was a Johnny Carson in a skirt as she joked a lot. After she was kicked off, she went to Fox, where the new show aired at the same time as Carson's show. He is more talented than all the male hosts of his generation.

The car turned a corner and went to the old St. Regis Hotel.

Christie Turlington was resting in the hotel lobby. She got a set of very nice clothes, but as YSL's top model, her dream of improving her status was still shattered.

Yves Saint Laurent's complaints were ignored. On the one hand, fashion magazines need the support of luxury customized women's clothing. On the other hand, their evaluations also have a great influence on the sales of women's clothing in the new season.

The number of bookings for YSL's women's wear dropped miserably, and Yves Saint Laurent's conference in London also received a cold reception. He began to live in Europe, wondering if he was really out of date, and considering recruiting new designers to work for his brand. .

In this way, Turlington's expected YSL top model position is no longer guaranteed. Besides, it is also a question whether this brand's top brand still has the status it once had.

Turlington and Ronald had lunch, and the limousine took her back to the apartment.

Ronald still had to wait for Douglas Jr. to come here, saying that George Jr. had something to discuss with him.

"This stock market crash has a relatively large impact on our campaign strategy. Many people blame the stock market crash on the president's laissez-faire policy. He went to Camp David for vacation on the day of the stock market crash. Only on the third day did he make a televised speech, calling on the public to calm down.

Therefore, my father's campaign team had a lot of disagreements on whether to uphold the overall economic policy inherited from the president in the campaign.

I suggested coming to New York to ask for your opinion. My mother also wants to hear your opinion. She thinks highly of you."

George Jr. came secretly from Washington, DC. He found Douglas Jr., and the two quietly entered the St. Regis Hotel, went to the executive suite on the top floor, and talked to Ronald about George Sr.'s campaign strategy.

"George, I'm just a movie director. Shouldn't I ask the campaign consultant about this kind of thing?"

The campaign advertisement made by Daydream for George Sr. was extraordinary. Everyone has an inexplicable liking for this veteran politician from a loyal and brave family who has come out to lead America forward.

Robertson, the biggest primary rival in the Democratic Party, was exposed as a flatterer on the battlefield and lied about his military service experience. His credibility as a pastor has dropped sharply and his momentum is no longer as high as before.

Some candidates in the circle, such as Rumsfeld, agreed to withdraw after the primary voting began next year after the vice president colluded with the Democratic National Committee.

The only challenging candidates left are New York Congressman Kemp and the new candidate, Kansas Senator Bob Dole.

They all began to distance themselves from the president, advocating for stricter regulation of Wall Street in terms of policy, and even hinted at raising taxes on them.

"Roger Ailes still supports President Trump's economic policies in principle, but downplays this connection. Instead, he focuses on some gossip that the public cares about. He also suggested that several of us children appear in the next campaign ad."

"I support it. You are photogenic, George, and you are sincere to others. The audience will believe what you say."

"But another campaign consultant, Lee Atwater, said that we should stand with President Trump's economic policies. He said that the public likes President Trump. If we stand with him, some voters will vote for us."

"Orchestra principle, don't talk about those big truths, isn't it good to talk about some gossip?" Ronald shook his head. This kind of consultant is obviously not as experienced as Roger Ailes.

"But my mother Barbara now prefers Lee Atwater's strategy, mainly..."

George Jr. talked about some inside stories of the campaign.

Barbara is a very strong

mother. She strongly requires all her children to contribute to their father's campaign. Several children came back and served as volunteers in the campaign team.

However, only the youngest son Jeb did not come back because of his public office in Florida. Barbara still gave her youngest son a break in his future, and this partiality made the other children very angry.

And the youngest son Jeb, who holds a public office in Florida, is the one who has gone the furthest in politics among all the children. His opinions are also more valued by Barbara than other children.

Jeb supports Lee Atwater's strategy. The president is very popular in the southern states, and the president who has been re-elected for one term is most concerned about whether his successor can continue his policies. Therefore, whether George Sr. inherits his strategy in its entirety will be an important consideration for the president to endorse his vice president for the election.

Barbara thinks that the ideas of Lee Atwater, the campaign consultant supported by Jeb, are perfect in logic. Lee Atwater was also the strategist during the last presidential election debate. In the second debate, he turned his age disadvantage into an experience advantage in one sentence, killing Mondale in seconds.

Barbara felt that the opinions of such young talents were more reliable than those of the ugly Roger Ailes.

"Wasn't it me who first proposed the idea of ​​the debate reversal?" Ronald thought to himself. He was also dissatisfied with Lee Atwater for taking his ideas for himself. But there were no witnesses for this kind of thing, so he couldn't explain it clearly.

Anyway, Ronald understood the factions in the campaign team better. George Jr. and Roger Ailes were allied. Although Jeb didn't come in person, he had a stronger influence on his mother than other brothers and sisters. He supported Lee Atwater.

"I need more people who have influence with my mother now, standing on our... no, the right side. The White House is going to hold a dinner this weekend. My mother wants you to go over there. She wants to talk to you in person."

"It's not that I won't help you, but I'm not an expert in the campaign. I can't think of any role. But in the next campaign ad, I can make you look more outstanding in it."

Ronald didn't want to get involved in this kind of family conflict.

"This is not an obligation, Ronald. You have helped me a lot. I just want my mother to hear the opinions of an outsider. There is nothing added." George Jr. was obviously a little behind in the battle for favor and wanted to pull in an outsider who had influence with his mother.

"Ronald, George also wants to find the right direction. Anyway, the stock market crash has stopped everything we have in the film and television industry."

Little Douglas also began to persuade Ronald. After all, he was a very promising candidate for the president and the current vice president. It was a bit unreasonable to reject Barbara's request outright.

"Well, I can't guarantee anything..."

"It doesn't matter, my mother also wants to see you."

Seeing that Ronald was talking, George contacted the driver immediately.

"Ronald, I'm so glad to see you here."

In the banquet hall of the White House, Ronald saw Barbara with silver hair again. She was wearing a simple long dress. In a corner of the banquet hall, she hugged Ronald warmly and kissed him.

"I'm glad too, Barbara. You're still so kind." Ronald also liked this simple second lady. This dress didn't have any fashion elements at all, as if it was an old lady who had just walked out of a wooden house in the 19th century.

"We have to come closer, so as not to be seen by..." Barbara pouted at Nancy, the first lady in a red dress in the middle of the banquet hall, who looked very Hollywood-like. Barbara now hides when she sees her, so as not to be swept by Nancy's eyes.

"The campaign ads shot by your company for us are very exciting. Old George and I like them very much. Especially the shot where I stand next to him and watch him accept the declaration from the vice president. We like it very much."

Ronald smiled. Most people know that the president has to swear on the Bible at the inauguration ceremony. What is less known is that the vice president also has to swear, but this is usually arranged indoors so as not to steal the limelight from the president.

"I hope that in the near future, I can see you and your wife holding a ceremony outdoors."

"Ronald, you are really... good at praising and blessing." Barbara couldn't stand this kind of high-level flattery and laughed out loud.

"Oh, who was it? It turned out to be Ronald. Come over here quickly."

Perhaps Barbara's laughter was too loud, and the star Nancy's attention was attracted. When she saw that it was Ronald, who was very lucky for her husband, she waved to him happily and let him pass.

For so many years in Washington, DC, Nancy was surrounded by boring women like Barbara, who didn't even know how to dress. Some people said that they were blue-blooded aristocrats on the Mayflower, which was ridiculous.

"Go ahead," Barbara patted Ronald on the shoulder, indicating that she was fine. Nancy always regarded herself as a Hollywood star, without the consciousness of a politician's wife. Even if she was still a Hollywood star, she was already old and ugly at this age, and could only play a grandmother.

"Hello, Mrs. Nancy." Ronald did not dare to be careless, standing straight, posing like a veteran Hollywood star.

"My husband saw your Top Gun, and he was very satisfied. You fulfilled your promise to him." Nancy looked at Ronald, as if her husband, old Ronald, was so tall and handsome when he played the baseball player "Kip".

"But personally, I still like Dirty Dancing. When will you let the male lead Patrick come to the White House?"

"Ah...hahaha, let me see how I can arrange it." Ronald did not expect Nancy to still be keen on holding a dance party at the White House. Last time, he invited the former dance king John Travolta to dance with Princess Diana, and this time he was thinking about the new dance king.

"Mr. President has never forgotten you. During the last debate with Mondale, your golden words kept on repeating to him. He said he hadn't seen such a good script for a long time."

Nancy's eyes were a little bleak. Her husband's memory was getting worse and worse. Only the most profound memories could make him keep mentioning them. For example, this time, in the nationally broadcast TV debate, the golden words that sealed the matter.

"Why did Nancy say that Ronald came up with that golden sentence in the debate?" Barbara was standing next to him and heard this, and she became suspicious.

"I have to check who came up with that sentence that turned the tide at that time?" Barbara put down her wine glass and left the banquet hall by herself. Anyway, Nancy didn't want to see herself there.

Barbara was not like a lady like Nancy, who could only provide astrological references to her husband. She had a lot of real power in the campaign committee. She also had a strong influence on her husband's key decisions.

Nancy was still a star. After chatting with Ronald for a few words, she was attracted by the new guests.

That was the owner of the "The New York Times", the legendary newspaper mogul, Katharine Graham. She was a housewife before she was 43 years old. After her husband died, she supported the New York Times alone and saved the then declining Post.

She also insisted on reporting the Watergate incident and was the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. The industry nicknamed her Katharine the Great.

Nancy's biggest concern now was whether her husband's actions in the stock market crash would be picked up by the media. She took the initiative to talk to Katharine Graham. She hoped that she could say a few good words for her husband.

Ronald felt very bored alone, and he went back to look for Barbara but couldn't find her.

He had to go to the table where the food was placed alone to find something to eat.

"Where's Pepsi? Why isn't there Pepsi here?"

Ronald saw a little old man over 50 years old, wearing a pair of large tortoise-capped glasses, talking to himself and looking for a waiter.

"Is Coca-Cola not okay?" Ronald saw that no one paid attention to him like himself, so he took the initiative to greet him.

"I like Pepsi. The taste of New Coke makes me sick." The old man thanked Ronald and continued looking for Pepsi.

"How about you try this cherry-flavored one? I've had it before. It's... quite special." Ronald looked at the cans of new Coca-Cola on the table and knew that some people just like the old ones.

taste. The White House, for some reason, was unprepared.

"Cherry flavor?" The little old man picked it up, opened it, and took a sip. "Well, it's very good. I'll drink it from now on."

"Actually, the taste of New Coca-Cola is just different, and it's not bad." Ronald took a can of New Coca-Cola, opened it, touched it with him, and took a sip.

"Actually, it's not that bad. Coca-Cola's stock price hasn't been that bad since New Coke, excluding the stock market crash. It shows that consumers still like new flavors." Ronald still felt that he couldn't accept the cherry flavor.

"Do you also trade in stocks?" the little old man asked with a smile.

"I actually don't know how. I don't look at stock prices very much. I just make money. I buy some stocks of big companies. I'm lucky and I've made a lot of money in the past few years. What about you?" Ronald asked back. Stocks are really popular now. What everyone is talking about.

"I'm similar to you. I don't look at the stock price. Although I am a professional stock investor, you may not believe it. During the stock market crash, I didn't look at the stock price once. I was all looking at the financial statements."

"Oh, then you must make money. People who lose money are very nervous and watch live TV every day."

"Yes, don't be impatient when buying stocks. Buy today and think about making money tomorrow. Look at the long-term returns. When I bought Catherine's Post stock, I let it sit for ten years. The current returns make me very satisfied. I plan to Always hold him."

"I am Ronald, Ronald Lee, a film director." Seeing such a professional investor who was still calm and composed during the stock market crash, Ronald found it very interesting and wanted to get to know him.

"Are you a movie director? That's great. My youngest son is into music. He wants to score movies. What are the prospects for this career?"

"Movie soundtrack? It doesn't make a lot of money, but it is a profession that requires professional knowledge. There are also Oscars in this area."

"This kid doesn't like investing, but I know he is the smartest of my three children..."

"Then do you think the stock market crash is related to the economic policies of the General Secretary?" Ronald lowered his voice and caught the expert in time to ask.

"It doesn't matter, that's just because the stock price has risen too high this year, which has exceeded the company's profit level. But the stock market crash has not subsided for such a long time. It is still those speculators who are at work, deliberately prolonging and expanding the crisis level. You see Well, those who take advantage of the crisis to try to take short-term risks will probably not only fail to earn excess returns, but also lose more..."

"So now, has the stock price returned to normal? Can I buy some?" Ronald didn't care about that. He wanted to know, can he buy the bottom now?

"Patience, Ronald, be patient. With these short-term fluctuations, Mr. Market will not give you a chance." The little old man admired Ronald quite a bit and said a few more words.

"I don't do short-term trading anyway. I just have some money recently and want to buy some stocks to preserve my value. For example, Coca-Cola?"

"As an amateur investor, that's actually a good choice. If you have money, just buy some and put it there, no problem."

"Thank you, uh..." Ronald realized that the other party hadn't said his name yet.

"Warren Buffy, you can call me Warren."

"Ah, are you the boss of the company whose stock costs $3,000 per share?" Ronald remembered what the accountant said to him.

"There are no more three thousand, but that's not important. What's important is the company's operating conditions... Well, this cherry flavor is quite delicious. Give me another can."

"Here you go." Ronald inexplicably gave him a can of cherry flavor, and he opened a can and took a sip.

"Hey, when he said it, it seemed to taste okay."

It seems that no matter what happens, people will always drink Coca-Cola.