Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1052 The follow-up disturbance of the award ceremony

David Geffen's call came through, "Ronald, are you still in Los Angeles? I have something important and I want to talk to you..."

"Mr. Geffen, do you want to buy back Andy Warhol paintings from me?" Ronald didn't like the Jewish profiteer.He was asked to buy back the "art" that could not be sold at charity auctions.

"Hey, there is no unconditional return in the art business. That thing has a lot of room for appreciation, so you can keep it. You can see how many times Van Gogh's paintings have increased in value after his death... Wait, I didn't find you because of this piece Thing, there is a big thing about Hollywood. We desperately need your help, Ronald. Without your participation, Hollywood's blacklist will come back, and you don't want Hollywood's discrimination to come back, and future movies will By the Ethics Committee..."

"How can it be the same? Andy Warhol is not called a painting, it is screen printed." Ronald scolded this profiteer in his heart, but he was curious about what kind of discrimination he was, and he was like McCarthy again. Senator, to interfere with free creation?

"What's the big deal?"

"You're in Los Angeles. I'll ask the driver to pick you up. We're at the Four Seasons Hotel..." Geffen hung up the phone.

"What? I didn't agree. These powerful people all have one thing in common, always Ego is very big..."

After listening to Ronald's story, Diane persuaded Ronald to go to see him. This time, the reason for Oscar's failure is that Ronald's friendship is not wide enough, and he likes to associate with a genius like Cameron. , I am always impatient with those who have insufficient IQ or ability.

"I'll go see him and come back..." Ronald followed the advice and arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel in the limousine sent by Geffen.

"This is Bruce Villange, the writer of the script for the Oscars...you already know this, Alan Carr..."

As soon as David Geffen saw Ronald coming, he introduced him to two pale men sitting in the room.Villanki looks a little obese, and Alan Carr (Oscar's producer), who is still half-dead, stood up and said hello when he saw Ronald.

"The witch hunt in Hollywood in the 50s has started again. We want your support to express your views publicly and support Ellen's Oscar ceremony..." David Geffen came up and made a request.

"What?" Ronald was puzzled, looking at the pile of newspapers that Geffen pointed to on the table, he picked them up and looked at them one by one.

Just like film critics, there are drama critics for TV shows.The Oscar awards party received a lot of malicious comments in the newspapers.

"ABC's Oscars show is surprisingly lacking in magic. It's stale and completely lifeless compared to last month's Grammys," read the Los Angeles Times.

Ronald actually agrees with this statement, let Snow White come out to sing and dance, this kind of form might have been loved by some people 50 years ago.

"This year's Oscar Awards Ceremony should always be included in the annals of Oscar's embarrassment. The chaotic performances made the audience have no confidence in the future of Hollywood."

Ronald also agrees with this. During the performance of the new star, he sang and danced the routines of Hollywood musicals from 30 years ago.

"The 61st Academy Awards, which had a huge audience in 91 different countries, including access to the Souvier League, turned out to be an unprecedented televised flop, and we put them in a circus."

Although these words are harsh, they also have real elements, especially Alan Carr's ingenuity not to mess with the host, which is indeed like a disaster.

"No good words?" Ronald realized something was wrong.When his movie is released, even if there are critics criticizing it, it is impossible for all the reports to be negative...

"This is an attack on us...we need to unite and make our voices heard together." David Geffen put his arm around Ronald's shoulders, clenched his fist with the other hand, and the other two parties present, He also expressed excitedly that as long as Ronald led them to do it, he would go all out.

"What, what us? What do I have to do with you?" Ronald was puzzled.Why are I and the two people who operate the Oscars party in the same camp?Anti-Semitic?Impossible, David Geffen is Jewish.

"Yes, Ronald, we want to speak out for us sexual minorities. I heard that many conservatives have begun to join forces in private, and they want to send an open letter against us..." Geffen's face was excited, cheekbones There are two clusters of pink on it.

"What a minority... Aww!"

Ronald looked at the two good-for-nothings who made Oscar, and suddenly discovered a truth in their eyes. These two people, like Geffen, were people with different orientations.

"I'm not, I'm not, where did you hear that?" Ronald was so frightened that he jumped out two meters away with a groan like a tomcat whose fur had exploded.

"No, didn't you actively speak out for the AIDS parade? You also participated in the charity gala." David Geffen was also surprised. How is this possible?Everyone in the Hollywood "circle" knows that you are very friendly to us.

"No, why do you think I'm..."

"No, the late cinematographer James Crabbe you used in Longwei Kid, who was just... ah. And you gave Emile Adorino a fledgling director, a director with tens of millions of big productions Chances... don't tell me there's nothing between you... the father of Jennifer Gray, the heroine you used in Dirty Dancing, told me all..."

"Don't come here...don't come here..." Ronald felt a huge misunderstanding, "This doesn't mean I am? I obviously like pretty girls..."

"Well, it's nothing, even if you are not, we are also very grateful for your support for our minority group, you are one of the few directors and producers who do not discriminate against us." David Geffen admitted that they misunderstood, or Invite Ronald to sign their open letter, not as one of them but as a sympathizer...  

In fact, many of them are still not brave enough. Not all of them can come out of the closet. Even Geffen mistakenly thought that he was terminally ill, so he made public his orientation.

"In this way...it is inconvenient for me to sign this open letter, but I will not sign the other party's open letter either. If you want the director's signature, go to Emil Adorino..."

Ronald called Emil Adorino, who agreed to come over and discuss...

David Geffen sent Ronald to the door, and apologized to him again for the oolong, "Actually, you didn't try another direction?...Many people wake up at a certain age. Xue'er is in love, and doesn't know enough about herself... thinks that she is two-way... well, well, I won't talk about it. Anyway, thank you for treating those of us who are discriminated against..."

"It's so good, how about buying Warhol's paintings back?" Ronald felt that what happened today was too funny.

David Geffen's words were indeed not groundless. In the next few days, Hollywood was full of various rumors.

Some people say that the reason why Snow White found an unknown actor and put on that kind of makeup is to imply that she is actually a man in cross-dressing, and specially arranged for the most "beautiful" actor in Hollywood, Rob Lowe, to share with Snow White. Dance is a suggestive declaration.

And that Hollywood rising star's performance, originally based on a performance at New York's 54 Club, was full of undertones and allusions to minorities.

The general feeling among Hollywood people is that this kind of thing goes too far.A producer who is open about his orientation, and a screenwriter who is open about his orientation, for the sake of their group, they have selfish motives and make use of it.

"Ronald, we want to do an open letter against this kind of behavior, are you interested in signing it? I'm someone who went through the blacklist of screenwriters in the 50s. Hollywood is bound by the values ​​of various audiences. Any radical, Extreme agitation to undermine this coherent value will tighten the creative freedom that Hollywood now has, and we cannot let it go."

The leader of the opposition was also a bigwig, Gregory Peck.He visited the other side of the Pacific Ocean with Ronald, and he admired this rising star, so he wanted to recruit him into the group and hand over the banner of the right power in Hollywood to him.

"When I was young, I opposed discrimination against Chinese, against blacks, and against Jews (he also starred in the movie 'Gentleman's Agreement' against discrimination against Jews). But this approach that is against mainstream values , will only divide the audience and have a very strong negative effect on our cause. I lived through that era and know it all too well."

Gregory Peck explained to Ronald that opposing discrimination does not mean advocating the values ​​of a minority, and using mass media such as movies to promote them.It's about not discriminating against them for their actions that don't hinder others.

Those who stood on his side were all big names who had been famous for a while.In addition to him, there are Paul Newman, Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music Actress), and Oscar winners for best director, Billy Wilder and Joseph Mankevich, a total of nineteen Hollywood " Social sages"...

However, these "social sages" are too old and have no real influence.Ronald agreed to Geffen in advance, so he found an excuse that his company signed the director Emile Adorino, who is also a minority group, and it is not convenient to sign.

"Mr. Parker, although I agree with your point of view, I can't break the heart of my contracted director. But don't worry, it's not convenient for me to sign this open letter, but I will not sign the other party's open letter either."

"Well, I understand, you are a real gentleman. Now in Hollywood, few people uphold this kind of demeanor." Gregory Peck chatted with Ronald for a few more words, and then went to find other people to sign up.

Things got more and more troublesome, and Hollywood's slightly famous stars were all asked to stand in line.Ronald's agent, Nisita, also had to go back to deal with this matter.He didn't want his client to participate in such a heated statement from both sides, so he went to negotiate terms with Ovitz.

Ovitz has a headache of his own, with both genuinely different clients and those who loathe them.How to choose, in order to obtain the greatest benefit?
Finally, another layer of identity, Jewish ethnicity, comes into play.Ovitz accepted written interviews with the media, defending Alan Carr and others.Said that their awards show is a performance that truly respects Hollywood traditions and "brings acting back to the film industry."

This statement angered the older generation headed by Gregory Pike, and their words became very fierce.

"What happened at this awards show is an insult to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Technology, and the film industry as a whole."

These famous directors and actors of the older generation are all figures who deeply believe in the morality of the early white Puritans in America.Whether it is Parker, who leans to the left, or Paul Newman, who leans to the right, they are very disgusting.

Snow White is a classic image of Hollywood, and it is a very embarrassing hint to be used to do this. This is a great offense to the foundation of Hollywood and the audience.You want to promote that your group is not a monster, and don't drag down the assets accumulated by Hollywood's 80 years of hard work.

The escalated open letter also caused an escalation of anger on the other side.David Geffen was also interviewed by the media. He completely denied this accusation, and believed that this was a witch hunt, a resurgence of the persecution of minorities by McCarthyism in the 50s, and a very irrational homophobicism.

An open letter to fight back is also being prepared. He plans to use Montgomery Clift, a star who was discriminated against by Hollywood because of his minority orientation and died young, as a representative of the persecution to disclose the real reason behind his alcoholism. as a counterattack.

Things gradually got out of control.What was supposed to be an insider hint has now become gossip for public discussion.

The most seriously injured, or Disney's Snow White image.At the helm Michael Eisner decided to make a move.

“The Walt Disney Company has filed a lawsuit against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for improper use of the image of Snow White. The lawsuit seeks damages of an unspecified amount, including “copyright infringement, unfair competition, and damage to commercial reputation. "

Disney's legal department got involved.

This time, David Geffen had to die down.Their planned counterattack also came to naught.Now is not the fight against discrimination and anti-discrimination, it has involved the most critical thing in Hollywood - money!
Anti-discrimination is one thing. It is another thing to prevent Hollywood's largest animation company from making money, devaluing one of their most famous animation images, and the surrounding dolls can no longer be sold in the future.

Moreover, Eisner is also Jewish, so the race card has expired.Geffen wanted to resist again, but the attitude of the academy completely shattered his delusion.

Academy chairman Richard Kahn immediately apologized to Disney when he saw something bad happened.And said that the academy has no intention of disrespecting Snow White.

Alan Carr was summarily fired and his three-year award show production contract was cancelled.Screenwriter Bruce Villange's contract was also cancelled.

Actor Irene Bowman, who played Snow White, was given a gag order and was not allowed to talk about any details of the awards show or accept interviews, otherwise she would face a high fine.

"So, they really want to create a different version of Snow White?" Ronald looked at the direction of events in the newspaper that many people didn't expect, and asked Richard.

Are those pretentious rumors true?Are they really that stupid?

"Yes, Erin Bowman said that producer Alan Carr told him that this dance is a rite of passage for someone with a different orientation."

"Uh...", Ronald felt a little physically uncomfortable. He didn't feel this way when he watched it live. Now that he was reminded, sure enough...

"How dare they do that? Disney is not easy to deal with..."

"Actually, they got the consent of the lawyer, because the image of Snow White has passed the copyright protection period, and they also deliberately avoided the costumes and accessories of the image of Snow White in the cartoon."

"But Disney is Disney..." Ronald had seen the capabilities of Disney's copyright lawyers.

"Fortunately, I didn't sign it, and Emile Adolino didn't have time..." Ronald only felt that the director under his banner was not involved in this big trouble, and he was really lucky.In the future, we must pay special attention to whichever side this aspect leans towards, it will cause the disgust of the other side.

"I don't think this performance has so much meaning, it's just an ordinary tribute to Snow White. I don't think playing her boyfriend is an offense to this classic image..."

On TV, Rob Lowe, who played Snow White's boyfriend, was interviewed.He is a relatively innocent person who was involved for no reason.Acting at the Oscars was considered by his agent to be a good opportunity to return to the mainstream film industry, who knows...

"It's stupid to do interviews now...," Ronald said, watching the Kid Gang's "Pretty Boys" on TV.

(End of this chapter)