Simon looked at Barbara Brooke, who looked directly at him with his chin tilted slightly, and did not respond to what she had just said, and suddenly smiled and said, "Barbara, has anyone said that you are actually very similar to another person." ”

Barbara Brookley was a little stunned.

The Brockley family has been in control of 007 for thirty years, and in recent years, her father Albert Brockley has been getting worse and worse, and is handing over the leadership of this ace spy series to their siblings, and often tells them to hold 007 firmly in their hands and not allow anyone to get involved.

Simon has been meddling in the next 007 project during this time, and insisting on replacing the current actor Timothy Dalton, which makes Barbara Blockley, who also inherited her father's strong personality, instinctively feel threatened, which is why there will be a question that is almost provocative.

Unexpectedly, the young man who made her feel like a great enemy in her bones changed the topic lightly.

Simon didn't wait for the stunned Barbara Brookley to speak again, and said: "You must have seen "Alien ET", I have to say, you and the little girl in the movie, well, Drew Barrymore, really look alike." It seems that she should be a big girl now. ”

Steven Spielberg's "Alien E.T.", Barbara Brockley naturally watched. Of course, I also remember the little girl in the film.

It's just that.

What does that mean?

"Simon, ET the Extraterrestrial, well, it's a great movie, but we don't seem to be talking about that right now. ”

"I understand," Simon nodded, seeing MGM CEO Shirley Lansing hurriedly walking over, waiting for her to approach, and said to Lansing: "Barbara said that I shouldn't meddle in the 007 series, in that case, I won't interfere, you can do it according to your own ideas." ”

Shirley Lansing's face was a little ugly.

Simon has asked about the 007 series several times during this time, and she has always said that the project is going well, but she didn't expect the Brockley siblings to suddenly pick out the casting differences between the two sides that have not been negotiated until now.

Now, Simon Westeros has let it go lightly, but Shirley Lansing doesn't think it will end there.

Meg Ryan, who had just become popular with "When Harry Met Sally", wanted to terminate her contract with Daenerys Entertainment, and Westeros also agreed easily.

And the result!

Seeing Simon turn around and walk towards Jon Peters, president of Columbia Pictures, who came over, Shirley Lansing hurriedly followed, trying to explain that she didn't care about what Westeros would do with the 007 series afterwards, but she didn't want to affect herself.

Seeing that Simon had already started chatting with Peters, Lansing could only stand patiently beside him.

During the small talk, Lansing apparently noticed that Simon was very interested in Peters' young girlfriend.

Jon Peters is in his 40s this year, but his little girlfriend is obviously a little young, in her early twenties. Probably of Latino descent, the girl's skin is not so white, and although she has a charming face that attracts men, it doesn't seem to be the type that Westeros is interested in.

However, Shirley Lansing still remembered the girl's name.

Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Simon didn't expect to meet Hollywood's famous 'Old Man Killer' at tonight's party.

Remember, Katherine Zeta-Jones' resume in Hollywood is brilliant. is not only Jan Peters, a Hollywood gold producer, Catherine Zeta-Jones also once caught up with Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery and other big names, and finally married Michael Douglas, who is 25 years older than her.

It's never easy to get on top in Hollywood, even if you have a figure, a face, acting skills and are willing to sleep with others, you can't have much advantage at all, and too many people have to return to reality after a while.

Therefore, the history of Catherine Zeta-Jones, who also has no background, can be regarded as a small 'legend'.

While they were talking, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore also got in with them.

The conversation was unwittingly turned by Jan Peters to a film project in which he planned to invite the Williss.

"This is a thriller and suspense film about domestic violence that leads to murder, called "Deadly Thoughts", the plot is similar to "Sleeping with the Enemy", with murder elements added, telling the story of a woman who assists her best friend in killing her idle husband, and we hope that Bruce and Demi will join us and start filming early next year. However, Demi said that the schedule may conflict with MGM's "Few Good People". ”

Jon Peters said, glancing at Shirley Lansing, then turning to Simon again.

Simon, however, looked at Lansing again.

The project preparation of "Few Good People" is much smoother than that of "007: GoldenEye", Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Demi Moore have all been confirmed to join, and the original script has also been revised, and it is expected to start filming in November, and the preliminarily determined schedule is early August next year.

The schedule at the end of the summer schedule can allow "Few Good People" to avoid the impact of blockbusters such as "Terminator 2" and "Batman: The Dark Knight".

Demi Moore behaved more than Meg Ryan in the option contract with Daenerys Entertainment, and directly accepted the $2 million salary offered by Daenerys Entertainment, and Simon was very happy to give the other party some convenience.

Shirley Lansing noticed Simon looking over and nodded, "If necessary, we can try to schedule Demi's scene before the year." ”

Demi Moore suddenly said at this time: "Simon, why don't you take the time to read the script of "Deadly Thoughts", if you can, I think Peter and Strong will definitely not mind making it a collaboration between Daenerys Entertainment and Columbia Pictures." ”

After so many years of staying up to finally come out, Demi Moore cherishes the popularity that "Ghost Love" has brought her, but understands even more that continuing to keep in touch with Westeros is only good for her.

Jon Peters heard Demi Moore say this, and his eyes showed anticipation.

Judging from the box office of the two films "Sleeping with the Enemy" and "Shaking the Hand of the Rocking Basket" that have been released this summer, if "Famous Thoughts" can join Daenerys Entertainment's 10 film projects, even if it has to share half of the proceeds, the result will definitely be much better than Columbia Pictures' solo production.

Simon was not interested in participating in a film that he had never heard of, so he casually refused.

After a few more conversations, Jon Peters said goodbye and walked away.

However, Catherine Zeta-Jones, who had not interjected since she had just introduced herself, obviously glanced at Simon when she finally left.

Simon noticed the girl's small movements, just smiled, and looked at Lansing, who was still with him.

Knowing what Lansing was worried about, Simon said: "Shirley, I've been too busy lately to care about 007 anymore, since the Brockley family wants to maintain control, let them make another one by themselves, no matter what, the 007 series has indeed not lost money." MGM has been tossed around by Corkrian for so many years, your next task is to restore MGM's normal operation as a big studio, wait patiently for a year, and I will make other arrangements. ”

Shirley Lansing put her mind at ease, nodded seriously, and said, "Simon, I understand. ”

During this time, the news that Daenerys Entertainment was about to intervene in the MCA acquisition made Shirley Lansing understand the reason why Simon was reluctant to officially intervene in MGM when he had the opportunity.

It's just that in recent years, Daenerys Entertainment, which has risen rapidly, has reached a level of parity with traditional big studios, and Daenerys Entertainment is now a member of the Motion Picture Association of America. Therefore, once the Westeros system controls MGM in advance and then wants to acquire MCA, it is equivalent to trying to control the three major Hollywood studios, and it will inevitably encounter antitrust obstacles.

On the contrary, after the merger of MCA, it will be easier for all parties to accept MGM and things will be much simpler.

Sending Shirley Lansing away, Simon didn't move his steps when someone stepped forward again.

......

"Terry, it's a celebration party tonight, so let's not talk about acquisitions...... In fact, no matter what, the cooperation between Daenerys and Warner Bros. will not change. ”

......

"Good evening, Bob, is the late production of Havana finished...... Of course, no problem, I happen to have time next week, you can arrange to call me. ”

......

"You're pretty tonight, Julia...... Yes, I know about Captain Hawke, and Steven specifically called me. Daenerys Entertainment doesn't happen to have a project for you, so there's nothing wrong with you going to play Ting Kobair. ”

......

"Pierce, I didn't expect you to meet Joanna ...... Northern Lights? Maybe I should take a look at it. ”

......

"There's no need to worry too much, Joe, Terminator 2 is a lot better than Abyss, and I'm personally watching it, and I'm going to make sure that Cameron completes this project under $70 million...... Well, you can tell Barry, actually I thought 50 million was unlikely. ”

......

"I'm sorry sir, you can send the script to Daenerys Entertainment's copyright department, it's not my working time. ”

......

"Looks like you've got to know each other, Jane, and Hawley...... I think the heroine of "Piano Love" is completely tailor-made for you...... Well, Ella, you arrange a formal meeting next week, and then call out to Harvey for everyone to talk about...... I, I'll go over when I have time. ”

......

"I watched the finished film of "Ten Days of Danger" for the first time last week, and I have to say that the performance of the two of you is even better than I imagined...... By the way, May, how is Dakota doing?"

......

"Maggie, isn't Warren here tonight...... Oh, happy breakup...... Haha, stop, I don't want to have an affair with you...... Speaking of which, the last tour collected $70 million at the box office, don't you think I should have a share...... Well, let's change the subject. ”

......

"It's a pity, Curt, the heroine of "The Flash" has basically been determined, and the schedule of "Scream 3" and "The Flash" is relatively close, and you are not suitable for this movie...... If there is a suitable project, I will definitely be the first to consider your ...... "Fighting Witty Multi-Star"?Curt, if you want to play it, I can say yes now, but you are already about to be stereotyped by horror movies, and you will be labeled as a comedy vase again...... Spend two or three years trying all kinds of roles, don't care if it's the heroine, don't pay too much attention to the salary, the most important thing is to hone your acting skills and broaden your acting path. In two or three years, you'll probably be able to complete the transformation. ”

......

"Nice to meet you, Lady Michaela...... Yes, "Beverly's Wife" wasn't canceled, it was just suspended this quarter, and I think Iger should have talked to you guys...... Well, you've got a personal confirmation from Westeros now...... Dinner, tomorrow night, I'm not in Los Angeles tomorrow...... The night after tomorrow, unfortunately, not either...... That way, you can talk to my assistant later, and she arranges my schedule. ”

......

Shuttling through the crowd in the hall, Simon spent more than an hour in the continuous compliments, seductions, praises, temptations, lobbying, and introductions around him, and finally had time to get together with Amy Pascal and other company executives.

Robert Iger was also in Los Angeles for the past two days, and while everyone was talking and laughing, Iger casually talked about something that quickly aroused Simon's interest.

The matter is related to the ESPN TV station owned by ABC Network's parent company, Met/ABC Group, and although Iger has left ABC, the relevant connections have not been broken.

ESPN, the largest sports television station in North America, was founded in 1979 and was originally invested by the famous Getty family in the United States.

The Getty family has long since ceased to fight over the succession, and ESPN's stake was sold in the '80s during family infighting, with 80 percent of the shares being acquired by ABC and another 20 percent falling into the hands of Nabiske, a shareholding that has been maintained since 1984 as ESPN's prospects continue to improve.

In the process, ABC Television Network was acquired by Metropolitan Media and integrated into Metropolis/ABC Group. Nabisco was acquired by Reynolds Tobacco for a huge $25 billion stake, and its shares also unwittingly changed parent companies.

Now, after the disastrous merger a year ago, Reynolds Nabyske has to pay off its huge debt in the form of massive asset sales. As a tobacco and food company, Reynolds Nabeske's ESPN stake is naturally a 'non-core asset' that needs to be sold to pay off its debts.

Although he knew that Simon had been trying to develop the television industry, Robert Iger did not expect him to be interested in the equity, explaining: "Simon, this is only a 20% stake in ESPN, we can't buy it without any control, and the offer is very high, about $200 million, and it has to be approved by the Met/ABC Group. ”

ESPN's valuation at its peak reached $50 billion, and there were even media comments in the original time and space that Michael Eisner contributed to Disney's $19 billion merger of ABC, and the biggest gain was ESPN, which was remembered as the number one sports television network in the United States in the 90s.

Now investing $200 million, Simon believes that in ten years, just the annual dividends of this batch of holdings will be more than that.

While Simon has more to offer to ESPN and the entire Met/ABC Group, taking the 20% stake now is a very good investment anyway.

Telling Iger to help him collect a more detailed ESPN information as soon as possible, Simon looked at the time, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening, and left early with the female assistant. It's just over an hour to fly from Los Angeles to Seattle, but it's almost early in the wee hours of the morning to settle in.