Chapter 378 Hollywood Tycoon

Legends never die

The legend never goes out

When the world is calling you

The world is calling you

Can you hear them screaming out your name

Broadway, No. 1717 Street Bar, the box was full of lights and feasting, Link crossed his legs and sat on the sofa in the middle.

There was a glass of pure water on the table, and on the stage not far away, Dino and Mario grabbed a microphone and roared hard.

Although the lyrics are correct, none of them are in tune, especially since the two of them sang so passionately, swaying their buttocks while singing, it was like ghosts crying, wolves howling, and demons dancing wildly.

Link covered his forehead, regretting accepting their invitation.

At the end of previous training, Dino asked him if he wanted to go clubbing, his eyes full of anticipation.

Link thought that he had nothing to do in the afternoon and could make his own arrangements. Besides, after becoming famous and suddenly rich, he seemed to be getting further and further away from his former circle. This was not a good phenomenon.

With this in mind, he followed Dino and others to this smoky place.

After arriving, Dino called four scantily clad dancers and said they wanted to greet him well.

Link didn't accept it. After knowing that Little Epstein, Diddy and others were planning to use women against him, he stopped letting strange women get close to him to prevent them from being blackmailed.

Dino and Mario teased him a few words without forcing him. Then Dino and a few boxers went to drink, sing, dance, and start a lively nightlife.

Link was sitting alone on the sofa drinking pure water. The surrounding environment was very noisy, but his heart became calmer and calmer. In the past few months, he had been busy with concerts, dealing with the media, training and other work. I haven't enjoyed this kind of peace for a long time.

feel good.

"Link! Do you want to come up and sing a song?"

Mario shouted, holding the microphone.

Link waved his hand and sang continuously for two months, singing dozens of songs over and over a hundred times. Even a person who loves music will have a period of burnout. Now he has no interest in picking up the microphone.

"Stop calling him. Link costs a million dollars to sing a song. How can he sing here so easily?"

Dino teased.

"If I had known that singing was so profitable, I would have studied music."

Mario said with a frown on his face.

Link smiled.

Jingle Bell!

The cell phone on the table rang twice and then stopped. He picked it up and looked at it. It was Jennifer Lawrence's number. He didn't know if the other party was looking for him for something or if he dialed the number by mistake.

Just as he was about to call, Jennifer sent a message asking him if he was busy. She was coming to New York to audition for a movie today.

Link said he wasn't busy, attached the address of the bar, and asked her if she wanted to come over.

Jennifer said it's also on Broadway, and you can get there in ten minutes.

Within ten minutes, Jennifer Lawrence appeared in the bar booth.

Wearing a camel-colored suspender dress and sneakers, her long blond hair is draped over her shoulders. Her shoulders are still voluptuous, her cheeks are rosy and smooth with a little baby fat, her breasts are bulging, and her butt is perky.

Her appearance is not exquisite, and her figure is not hot. In Hollywood, where there are so many beauties, she is only considered to be above average. Sometimes if she doesn't pay attention to her dressing up, she will fall to the level of a village beauty.

But the highlight of her body is her simplicity and naturalness, without being pretentious. Compared with those exquisite vases, she is more like a pottery.

"What movie are you auditioning for?"

After Jennifer sat down, Link poured her a glass of white wine.

“Silver Linings Playbook, the new film directed by David Russell, who you worked with.”

Jennifer said.

Link nodded. He had an impression of this movie. It tells the story of a pair of low-class men and women who are in trouble in life and redeem each other in love. It is similar to the theme of "Rust and Bone".

With this movie, Jennifer became the first Best Actress born in the 1990s and the second youngest Best Actress in the history of the Oscars. It is a very good film.

Because the film was good, when "The Fighter" premiered, he told Director Russell that he should inform himself about new movies, and he could negotiate for the leading role or investment.

At that time, Director Russell nodded repeatedly.

But the crew had already entered the casting process without notifying him.

"How did the audition go?"

"It went well at first. Director Russell was very satisfied with my performance. But not long after the audition, the production team called and told me that I failed the audition. I called Director Russell to inquire about the situation. Russell The director said it was Harvey Weinstein's decision, who was the film's chief producer."

"Harvey?"

"Yes, before I joined the Palm Bay Agency, someone from Weinstein Films approached me and said there was a role that would be perfect for me. After I passed the audition, Harvey Weinstein offered me a hotel room. No., he asked me to go over and talk about the role, but I refused and angered him, so he interfered with my audition again.”

Jennifer Lawrence said.

Link frowned as he listened.

Unwritten rules are very common in the entertainment industry. They have been accompanied by unwritten rules almost since the rise of the film industry.

The upper echelons of film companies have unspoken rules for actors, and it is very common for actors to get roles based on their physical appearance.

It is said that in several major Hollywood production companies, producers with power and resources are embarrassed to tell their peers that they are also producers if they have not used hidden rules on several actresses or actors.

And Hollywood actors and actresses, almost all of them who are good-looking have encountered this kind of thing.

Because there are so many actors in the entertainment industry, no actor is indispensable, which also provides soil for the survival of hidden rules. Those who do not accept hidden rules, unless they have a backstage, basically have no chance to stand out.

However, after the millennium, with the prevalence of the feminist movement, the cost of engaging in hidden rules has increased.

Also because the operating mechanism of the Hollywood film industry is more sound, from project establishment to casting, shooting, and publicity, there are mature operating procedures, each with its own duties.

The senior executives and producers of the seven major film companies are just workers. Their task is to help shareholders make money. If they cannot make money, they will be replaced. The power in their hands has been greatly weakened. They can no longer do whatever they want as before and give roles to whoever they like.

And the film industry union is also supervising and resisting various hidden rules to protect the rights and interests of actors.

This has also led to a decrease in media reports on unspoken rules, which have become more covert and more civilized.

But they do exist.

At present, the most serious unspoken rules in Hollywood are in independent production companies.

Independent production companies are small film companies relative to the seven major film studios such as Warner, Disney, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and Sony.

They have a unique operating model and creative concept, and are more free in film production and promotion. They can select capable film workers to cooperate instead of relying on professionals from large production companies.

They also have higher autonomy in film content creation, do not pay too much attention to box office, do not cater to the market and audience, and do not need to be responsible for capital, because the president of a film company is often the company's major shareholder, just like Link's Palm Beach Pictures.

In short, independent films pay more attention to artistry, have higher autonomy and innovation.

This autonomy also leads to the president of an independent production company having great power.

For example, for a movie invested by Palm Beach Pictures, Link can decide who to use as the director and heroine, which also provides soil for the survival of unspoken rules.

In today's independent film production field, Weinstein Pictures is considered the industry leader, and its founder Harvey Weinstein also has a high influence in the film industry with its strong production and distribution capabilities.

He was therefore rated by the media as the savior of modern movies, the Oscar winner maker, and the Oscar winner.

At the Oscars, 'Harvey' and 'God' were the second most thanked people when the winners gave their acceptance speeches.

There are countless actors and directors who have worked with him.

Including Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Quentin Tarantino, Director Steven Soderbergh, Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie and others, all male and female gods and goddesses.

He has successfully launched many classic films, including Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, The English Patient, Gangs of New York, Infernal Affairs, Chicago, Kill Bill, Shakespeare in Love, The Lord of the Rings, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Cold Mountain, Cinema Paradiso, etc., all of which are works with great influence worldwide.

Many actors and movies can win Oscars, and they are also inseparable from Harvey's operation.

On the list of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood released by The Hollywood Reporter, Harvey has been the most powerful person in Hollywood for eight consecutive years, and has been ranked in the top ten all year round.

In addition, he is also the spokesperson and "financial messenger" of the Donkey Party in Hollywood, and has close contacts with the Clintons. The eldest daughter of this Obama Donkey is interning at Weinstein Pictures.

He is also a member of the Squid Clan, with a strong background and network resources in the media.

This also led to Harvey's dominance in Hollywood.

Since the 1990s, he has been sued for sexual assault and sexual harassment many times, but because he has strong network resources in the media and judicial departments, he is still safe and sound.

Link had read similar reports before. Harvey Weinstein liked to invite actresses or models to his room to discuss work, and then asked them to provide intimate services such as massage, hinting that they would be given important roles. Those who accepted would be given opportunities, and those who did not accept would not have opportunities.

This is how Harvey used unspoken rules. Even if it was exposed, he could claim that the other party was willing, rather than using coercive means, which also brought great difficulties to judicial investigations.

Link did not expect to hear Jennifer Lawrence talk about this in person.

He did not expect Jennifer to reject Harvey.

After Harvey's fall, Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jennifer Lawrence were considered representatives of the "Wei girls", known as the "big, medium, and small Wei queens".

All three relied on Harvey's operation to win the Oscar for Best Actress when they should not have won the award.

For example, Gwyneth was called the "Water Queen" after winning the award. Although Meryl and Jennifer were eligible for the award, they did not win it through normal channels, and were criticized a lot afterwards.

Jennifer was also considered to have relied on Harvey to become famous, but now she has rejected Harvey, which is a very interesting thing.

Link thought that it was probably his appearance that gave her a better choice.

Compared with Harvey, although he does not have that much power in the film industry, he is young, handsome, wealthy, has good character, is on the rise of his career, and has greater potential and more reliability than Harvey.

Facing Harvey's olive branch, Jennifer can make this choice, which also shows that she is a smart girl.

Link also remembered something else.

Not long ago, he encountered a black wave on the Internet and was besieged by millions of netizens. In order to divert public attention, Link's publicity department contacted many media to vigorously publicize Harvey's sexual harassment case.

Originally, this case was only the size of a piece of tofu in the New York Times. It was said that the case of Harvey's sexual harassment of a female subordinate had been settled out of court, and it did not attract many people's attention.

After being used as a shield by Link, the news was amplified dozens of times, attracting the attention of many people.

It is said that Harvey spent millions of dollars to settle the matter.

With Harvey's connections in the media industry and decades of experience in the entertainment industry, it's hard not to see that Link Music Company is trying to use him as a shield.

Will Harvey resent him for this incident and take it out on the artists under the Palm Bay Agency, causing Jennifer to lose her role?

Link thought it was possible.

——

Jingle Bell!

While they were chatting, Jennifer Lawrence's phone rang. Jennifer glanced at it, her face changed slightly, and she whispered it was 'Harvey Weinstein' and asked him if he wanted to answer it.

Link gestured to Dino and Mario, asking them to keep their voices down.

He asked Jennifer if it would be convenient to turn on the speaker of the phone and listen to what Harvey was saying.

Jennifer nodded, answered the phone, turned on the speaker, and said hello Mr. Weinstein.

"Jennifer, it's very noisy there."

"Yes, Mr. Weinstein, I'm at the bar. What can I do for you?"

"Director Russell told me that your acting skills are great and you are very suitable to play Tiffany. Bradley Cooper also told me that you are the most suitable candidate. They all want to cooperate with you, but! I told They, this is my movie, who can act and who can’t, I have the final say!”

"."

"Jennifer, are you listening?!"

Weinstein's voice became rougher, like a chimney's voice, spewing smoke or fire whenever he spoke.

Link hugged Jennifer and whispered in her ear, chatting casually with Harvey.

"Mr. Weinstein, I heard Director Russell say that everything is decided by you, and so are the actors."

"Yes, this is my movie. Of course, I have the final say. Jennifer, I know you are an excellent actor. Among the new generation of actresses, you are also the only one I recognize. I think you have a great chance of winning." to an Oscar, but only if you’re smarter.”

On the phone, Weinstein said in a commanding tone.

"Mr. Weinstein, what should I do to win an Oscar?"

"Haha, that's a great question, Jennifer. I heard you said that it was an extremely stupid decision to move from IMG to Palm Bay Agency.

Link Baker is just a playboy. He knows nothing and has no connections. He came to Hollywood to start a film company just to pick up girls, and he can't help you at all.

I bet that his Palm Beach Pictures will not survive three years in Hollywood. After three years, he will leave Hollywood in despair with tens of millions or hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. "

"Will it? I heard that "Scandal Project" produced by Palm Beach Pictures has currently exceeded 70 million in North American box office and 160 million in global box office. The investment cost is only 8 million. Palm Beach Pictures can earn at least 4,000 on this project. Thousands of dollars.”

"Hmph! That's because he got lucky. He encountered a big-selling movie. He can't be so lucky forever. No one in Hollywood can. He will definitely lose money in his next movie. That's what I said. Don't believe it. Just wait and see."

"Is that so? I'm a new actor and don't know much about these things."

Jennifer glanced at Link, who smiled casually.

"And I heard that he wants to win the Oscar for Best Actor? Haha, this is ridiculous. He wants to win the Oscar just because he is a singer and boxer and his poor acting skills?

This is simply a big joke. Those people at the Academy are crazy and would give him the Oscar. I guarantee that people like him will never win an Oscar in their lifetime. "

Link's face turned dark when he heard this. Although Harvey was right, he was a singer, boxer and a world superstar, so it would be difficult for him to be recognized by the Academy.

But Harvey said his acting skills were poor, which he would never accept.

Harvey is a film wholesaler, what does he know about acting?

Jennifer winked at him and asked if he wanted to continue listening.

Link nodded grimly.

On the phone, Harvey scolded him as a scumbag, a playboy, who didn't understand movies, who liked to hype all day long, and who was a flashy person.

He also said that Jennifer's decision to jump to his agency was definitely a very bad and stupid decision. This decision is likely to ruin her career and make her miss the Oscar for Best Actress.

"Would you regret if you didn't win the Oscar?"

Link asked softly while holding the girl in his arms.

"I don't know if I can get it, but it feels great to be with you."

Jennifer said with a shrug.

"Jennifer, I'll give you one last chance. If you leave Linkback, I'll give you the role of Tiffany and help you win an Oscar. I have the ability to do that. If you choose to continue to follow Link, it's a pity."

"What's a pity?"

Link picked up the phone and laughed, "Mr. Harvey Weinstein, what you said just now was really domineering, like a lion, but I heard from several women you've violated that you don't have balls and need to inject drugs to become a man every time. I'm very curious, how can someone like you who is not even a man shout in front of me and snatch women from me? Do you deserve it?!"

"Linkback?!"

The phone came with Harvey Weinstein's roar of astonishment and anger.

"It's me, Mr. Weinstein. I don't know what makes you hostile to me, but I don't care. I don't like you that much."

"Link Baker!!"

Harvey Weinstein gritted his teeth and said, "You dare to say I'm not a man? I swear, you will pay the price for what you just said, for sure."

"Really? Harvey Weinstein, not long ago, a media friend of mine handed me a document, which records that since the 1980s, you have violated or harassed dozens of women in the name of work, and there are confessions from more than a dozen victims. What do you think will happen after I expose these materials?"

"Nonsense! Do you think I will believe it?!"

"Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, do you need me to say more?"

Link sneered.

".They are all voluntary, I don't believe you have their confessions."

"What does it have to do with me whether you believe it or not? I'm not Jesus."

Link hung up the phone decisively.

"Link, did Weinstein really violate dozens of women?"

Jennifer asked in surprise.

"More than that."

"Too bad, how can there be such a bad person in the world."

Jennifer frowned, and disgust appeared on her rosy cheeks.

Ding-ling-ling!

The phone rang again. Jennifer glanced at him and was about to hang up. Link waved his hand and took it.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Weinstein. What can I do for you?"

"Link, why are you investigating me? What do you want?"

"I got it by accident. I treat it as a fun story. I don't want to do anything."

"Give me the information and I will help you get the Oscar statuette. You should know that in your situation, the judges of the Academy of Sciences will not vote for you at all. Only I can help you get the Oscar."

"No need. I am an Olympic champion, a world boxing champion, a world superstar, and a billionaire. What is a mere Oscar statuette? Do you think I care about the Oscar? I publicly declared that I won the Oscar just to give the media a material to make fun of me. Why do you all take it seriously?"

Link hugged Jennifer and smiled faintly.

".So what do you want? Link, I know you, I've known you for a long time, we are the same kind of people, we both like beautiful women, we can discuss anything."

"I heard from Jennifer that the movie "Silver Linings Playbook" is good, I want it, give the script and the entire project to Palm Beach Pictures for investment."

"What? You want that movie?"

"Right! This is the price you pay for harassing my girlfriend."

"I didn't harass her, okay, Link, Weinstein Pictures invested more than 30 million in this project, how much are you willing to pay for the entire project?"

"I Just the script adaptation rights, the market price is 30,000 US dollars. "

"30,000?! Damn, what the hell are you kidding? You only give 30,000 for a 30 million project? Do you think you can blackmail me with that? Link, you are too young. With my connections, I bet that even if you expose all the information, you can't do anything to me. "

"Really? I just made more than 100 million US dollars from playing games this year and have nowhere to spend it. Otherwise, let's bet 100 million US dollars to see whether you have more connections or I have more money. "

Link said.

Harvey Weinstein is a Hollywood tycoon and a gold medal film producer, but he is just a billionaire.

After breaking up with Walt Disney Pictures in 2005, he and his brother Bob Weinstein left Miramax Pictures and established Weinstein Pictures.

Without the protection of Disney Pictures, Weinstein Pictures is stretched in terms of resources and funds. In addition, the box office of several movies invested in last year was lower than expected, resulting in a shortage of funds for Weinstein Pictures.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, in order to shoot new film projects such as The King's Speech, Piranha 3D, and Light Up America, Weinstein Pictures had to use the copyrights of 200 films as collateral to borrow 200 million US dollars from asset management companies and insurance companies last year.

Link knew that the other party was short of money, so he pretended to be young and frivolous, rich and powerful, to see if the other party dared to compete.

"Link, you are a very good young man, I admire you very much, and we both like beautiful women, which is our common point. I think we have the opportunity to become friends, not opponents. You just said you like Silver Linings Playbook?

Haha, it happens, I like this movie too, how about cooperating once, the production cost of this movie is 40 million, we each contribute 20 million, co-produce, and each share half of the profits, we are all friends, how about getting rich together?

And the leading actress, Miss Jennifer Lawrence is very suitable. As long as you agree, I will arrange her to join the group immediately. "

Harvey Weinstein said with a smile.

Jennifer Lawrence looked at him in surprise.

Link raised the corner of his mouth and laughed: "Harvey, you are right. We are all friends. Cooperation is beneficial to both sides, and fighting is hurting both sides. I understand this truth, but I am young and don’t know how to make movies. I don’t know anything about movie promotion.

I heard that many billionaires don’t understand the rules of the film industry. They go to Hollywood with checks to develop, but they are cheated by the film companies who make false accounts, falsely report costs, and steal box office. Harvey, you are a gold medal producer and a Hollywood tycoon. I will cooperate with you. Will you cheat me? "

"Uh haha, Link, you are really a joke. We are friends. How can I cheat you? Absolutely impossible. How about we talk in person when we have time? "

Harvey laughed.

Link thought about it and agreed.

He also thought about getting rid of Harvey now and making Palm Beach Studios the leader in Hollywood's independent production field, but it was too difficult.

First, the Democratic Party is in power now, and Harvey has a political advantage. Even if he can find a way to collect evidence of Harvey's crimes, he is not 100% sure to send him to jail.

This is not the right time.

Second, Harvey has been deeply involved in Hollywood for more than 30 years and has a wide network of contacts. He has deep connections with the seven major film companies, the largest agency CAA, and the officials of California and New York.

It is almost impossible for a newcomer who crosses the industry to bring down the other party in a short period of time. This is not the right place.

Third, it is not the right people.

There are many first-tier and second-tier film circles in the current film industry. Many of the online actors have worked with him. Those movie stars and directors he promoted are still the backbone of the American film industry. This is Harvey's foundation in Hollywood.

If he confronts Harvey with a clear-cut banner, he will face the risk of being isolated by the entire circle.

In addition, Harvey is currently very powerful in Hollywood. Those victims have concerns in their hearts and dare not openly stand up to report him. The reports of a few victims alone will not have much impact on Harvey.

Based on these three points, Link believes that it is not a good time to break up with the other party for the time being, and it is not a good choice to cooperate with him.

It is rumored that Harvey and his brother Bob are not good people. One is cruel and licentious, and the other is sinister and greedy. Cooperating with them is like seeking the skin of a tiger.

"Link, you want to co-produce this movie with Harvey? "

Jennifer asked.

Link nodded. "Silver Linings Playbook" is of good quality and is Jennifer's last work. The box office performance should not be bad. It would be a pity to miss it. As for whether Harvey would cheat you, that is certain.

But to deal with a strong person like Harvey, you must confront him head-on and counter his moves to get the best out of the situation.

Ding-ling-ling!

Less than three minutes after he and Harvey finished talking, director David Russell called to tell Jennifer that she passed the audition.

"Link, should I take this role? Harvey looks scary."

Jennifer said hesitantly, holding the phone.

"Don't worry, I'm here, no one can do anything to you. "

Link patted her back.

Jennifer looked up at him, smiled slightly, hooked her hands around his neck, and offered her red lips.

What would I do without your smart mouth

What would I do without your sweet words?

Drawing me in，and you kicking me out

You are sometimes passionate and sometimes cold

Got my head spinning，no kidding，I can't pin you down

On the stage, Dino was singing with a microphone. Mario patted him, pointed to Link's position, and pursed his lips to make a kissing gesture. Dino felt a little disgusted when he saw his thick lips.

"Link is such a jerk. All his girlfriends are big stars."

Mario looked at the two people who were still kissing, his face full of envy.

"This is a skill. You can't envy it."

"If I had known earlier, I would have gone to stock trading. If I had 100 million US dollars, I could also go to pick up female stars. "

Mario grabbed the microphone and shouted at the top of his voice,

Legends never die

Legends never die

When the world is calling you