King of Hollywood-Chapter 250 - 248 Already Started
Chapter 250: Chapter 248: Already Started
Chapter 250 -248: Already Started
“I’ve had enough, Ed!” Gluum’s face turned crimson as he waved his fists furiously in the office, shouting, “I’ve given so many suggestions, yet you don’t listen to a single word. Do you ever respect me?”
“Of course I respect you, Winston,” Adrian said from behind his desk, spreading his hands as if he hadn’t seen the other’s fiery demeanor, “I’ve been trying to find ways to resolve our differences.”
“Trying to resolve differences?” The elderly man’s eyes widened and his lips trembled slightly, showing his extreme anger, “Ignoring my opinions as if they were air and always altering the plot your way, is this your way of resolving differences?”
“The problem is that your opinions and the tone of the script don’t match, Winston,” Adrian replied leisurely, “As I’ve told you many times, you’re always trying to steer the screenplay towards political satire, always wanting to highlight the dual sides of the protagonist, whereas I want nothing to do with politics.”
Gluum rubbed the sides of his head and suddenly threw up his hands, “So, you’re saying our opinions will never align? Very well, then I quit, Ed, I’m fucking done!”
He looked at Adrian with an expression that meant ‘let’s part ways.’
“You want to quit?” Adrian raised an eyebrow, he had been waiting for these words, “Alright, then I’ll finish it myself.”
“Finish it myself?” Gluum sensed something amiss, “But the contract clearly states…”
“The 11th to the 14th items of Clause 7 of the contract clearly states what I can do in this situation,” Adrian interrupted him cheerfully, “So I see no problem here.”
“This… this can’t be right!” Gluum’s already crimson face deepened to purple, his features distorting somewhat as he struggled to say, “This is a trap, I’m going to sue you!”
“Suit yourself,” Adrian’s face turned cold as he watched Gluum with a sneer, “I’m ready anytime, Winston. Anyway, there are plenty of movies to make, I won’t miss this one, besides…”
He sat up straight and looked at him with a playful gaze, “What was sold to me was a 15-year right.”
Gluum glared at him, his face extraordinarily ugly, his breathing grew heavier, and his fists clenched tightly, seemingly ready to swing at any moment. But he eventually exhaled sharply and, without saying a word, grinding his teeth as he walked out.
With a bang, the office finally regained its tranquility, Adrian leaned back in his chair and scoffed disdainfully, originally intending to make Gluum’s Best Adaptation award more deserving, but the old man’s stubbornness just couldn’t be changed, no wonder he was also kicked out in the past. Such people, once stubborn, didn’t care about your status or capability, not even ten oxen could pull them back, so it’s better to deal with people who know how to advance and retreat, and understand signals.
But now, with faces torn, it meant he could revise the screenplay faster, without always having to put part of his energy into persuasion and arguments. Moreover, Adrian had done all he could, and if Gluum truly filed a lawsuit, he wouldn’t be polite about it, and others wouldn’t have much to say.
After settling this matter, Adrian resumed his leisurely life, such as corresponding with Natalie, occasionally visiting record companies, teasing Charlize, and dating Monica—Julia had given him the cold shoulder for several days after he declined to spend Thanksgiving with her.
The promotions for a few movies were already on track. One didn’t need to mention “The Piano Lesson”; “Philadelphia Story,” with its themes of homosexuality and discrimination against AIDS patients, also attracted a considerable amount of attention, but still less than “Schindler’s List.” The black and white trailer, edited personally by Spielberg, was broadcast on various major TV stations a week before Thanksgiving, immediately attracting countless eyeballs, followed by a massive amount of diverse opinions.
With no dialogue throughout, just a somber and heavy soundtrack, various black and white scenes intermittently appeared—Jews being randomly abused, crowded trains heading to Hell, gold teeth poured from a bag, and Steen’s calm, Amon’s arrogance, Schindler’s contemplation in sequence, imposing an involuntary pressure on viewers.
“Usually, a trailer is said to be the essence of a movie, condensing the most watchable parts into just a few minutes, but ‘Schindler’s List’ appears to break this norm,” someone wrote, yet others thought the trailer was extraordinarily remarkable.
“Spielberg made a bold attempt, in his view, using just black and white to express the sorrowful atmosphere of that time,” they said, and many agreed with this viewpoint, while those who disagreed continued to oppose, sparking further disputes and further whetting the public’s appetite, with the rhythm controlled very well.
One didn’t need to say who was behind this; Laverne’s capabilities, plus the covert help of those old men, ensured “Schindler’s List” would receive more acclaim than the version remembered. Besides this, the dust had settled on Viacom’s acquisition of Paramount. Although Summer Redstone had dealt with Barry Diller by the end of October, using his funds to buy Blockbuster and then mortgaging it to the bank for a loan, the final price was US$11 billion, but it was not until mid-November that he officially took over Paramount.
During this period, Adrian mainly negotiated with Claude, who wanted to use the opportunity to enter Viacom’s board of directors, even if he couldn’t do much, he still intended to occupy a seat. However, Redstone clearly did not think AC Media was qualified to do so, hence the two could never reach an agreement.
Claude was not in a hurry, always slowly discussing with Redstone, until in mid-November when he submitted a letter of intent to acquire Turner Broadcasting System. Many were surprised by AC Media’s move, especially Ted Turner who was immersed in the joy of successfully acquiring New Line Cinema. This newly established, obscure media company had quietly secured almost 40% of TBS shares—Claude thought 30% would be enough, but Adrian insisted on 51%. Unable to agree, they settled on a compromise: 40%.
Not everyone was aware of their background, so while some in the industry were surprised, they were not optimistic about the acquisition. But Redstone clearly was not among them; after thinking for a long time, he agreed to Claude’s request.
“He sees potential in us,” Claude told Adrian, “If it weren’t for Diller’s obstruction in the Paramount acquisition, he might have targeted us after acquiring Paramount. He’s very interested in you.”
“Thank him for me and tell him I’m glad we could secure a seat on Viacom’s board,” Adrian replied.
As for acquiring TBS, having waited for so long, there was no need to rush. Claude was fully prepared, and Ted Turner, despite his reluctance, stood little chance of winning this battle—at least that’s what he claimed. Adrian, not well-versed in this area, naturally left everything to his best friend and then comfortably began to enjoy life.
The Thanksgiving of 1993 finally arrived, and Adrian went to Italy as planned with Monica, since they kept a low profile, no one noticed them. The couple toured Central Italy together, and, of course, as a highlight, spent Thanksgiving Day at Monica’s parents’ house.
“My parents really like you,” Monica told Adrian as they strolled through the streets of Milan. Learning that Adrian had never been there, Monica immediately dragged him to Milan. She used to frequently participate in fashion shows there during her modeling career, so she was very familiar with everything about the city.
“Thank you, they were very welcoming,” Adrian said with a slight smile, tightening his grip on Monica’s arm.
Indeed, they were very welcoming, his polished demeanor and manners winning over Monica’s parents, so much so that Monica’s mother privately asked her daughter when they planned to get married. It was the day after Thanksgiving, when Adrian was planning to ask Monica to leave according to their plan, that he unintentionally overheard their conversation outside the half-closed room door. There were also some embarrassing topics discussed, like her mother asking if the loud noises at night meant she couldn’t bear it?
Milan had just experienced heavy snowfall; the winter sun shone on the yet uncleared white snow, making everything look so pristine. Even though everyone wore thick clothes, they still managed to dress very stylishly – fitting for the fashion capital.
Monica didn’t speak again, just quietly walked beside Adrian, their feet crunching in the snow.
“What are you thinking?” Adrian took the initiative to ask, “Didn’t find that small fashion show earlier very impressive?”
Although this year’s International Fashion Festival was long over, this was Milan, where fashion shows, big and small, could happen anytime. With the time Monica had spent here, it was natural they attended a few shows. However, her attention wasn’t really on the runway, as could be gleaned from their earlier conversation.
“Maybe,” Monica said, then suddenly laughed, her expression carefree.
“Ed,” she whispered into his ear, “if one day, I wanted to leave you, would you let me?”
“Of course not,” Adrian answered without hesitation, “You know, I’m a jerk, very greedy, and possessive, so I definitely won’t let you go.”
“That is… such a typical Ed answer,” Monica twisted her mouth, not sure whether to cry or laugh.
“Unless,” Adrian suddenly added, “I can no longer offer you anything, and you feel there is nothing left for you here.”
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Monica immediately lifted her head to look into Adrian’s eyes, his gaze returning hers seriously.
“Indeed, you always…” she sighed suddenly and then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, adding another passionate couple to the streets of Milan. (To be continued. For more details, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)
