Rebirth of America, this is my time

So what is going on now? Is Columbia Pictures involved in a large-scale check fraud case? An hour later, Ethan Jones met Smith, who had arrived from John Bull overnight, at his villa in Palo Alto. Steven Spielberg three.

The dusty look on his face explained what it meant to be tired, but even so, there was no trace of chaos in his bloodshot eyes, but rather filled with angry flames.

What's happening? What else could happen? All the damn projects have been stopped!

Steven Spielberg had just sat on the sofa for two seconds. After hearing Ethan Jones's question, he jumped up and paced back and forth, David Begelman is simply my life. The stupidest guy I've ever seen! When I heard about his exploits in London, I was totally shocked!

There are ten thousand ways of corruption in Hollywood! But he didn't use any of them!

He had to choose the most difficult one! The easiest way to find out! The way to embezzle with the worst ending after discovery! This is simply - this is simply - this is simply stupid!

Steven Spielberg waved his right hand and his angry voice trembled.

To be honest, when Ethan Jones saw Steven Spielberg in this state, his whole head suddenly became a little confused. It was his project that was stopped by Ferber, so he should be angry. Is it because he is angry? Why does Steven Spielberg act like a dead mother... Well, this metaphor is a bit inappropriate, but it doesn't matter. Why does this guy act so hoarse?

Ethan Jones couldn't figure it out.

Blinking his eyes, he looked at Steven Spielberg with a confused expression.

Uh, Steven, can you calm down? He said: I can understand your mood now, because I am also very angry now, but... can you tell me the news you know? Because I feel that the information I have may be a little incomplete.”

The tentative words made Steven Spielberg stop pacing his legs.

Okay, of course I can tell you... He looked at Ethan and started telling.

His words were very concise and he made things clear in a few words. After listening to the description, Ethan Jones discovered that the content and general process of the incident that these people learned were no different from the case files he saw that day. The cause of the whole incident was that a movie star was subject to a special investigation by the IRS.

And since the incident information they obtained is roughly consistent, then...

I want to know, does this matter have anything to do with Universal?

Ethan asked: Steven, if I remember correctly, you seemed to have said on the phone before coming here that your company, Universal, is about to face an investigation by Verbole?

Can this check fraud case bring down the whole of Hollywood?

MFxxk...

“Is this David Begelman so powerful?”

But why haven't I heard his name?

What Ethan Jones said he hadn't heard of, actually meant that David Begelman was unknown in his previous life. If this guy really made a check fraud case that covered Hollywood, then what would happen to him? In his previous life, this guy would definitely have a great reputation. He might not be a hard-core ruthless person in the Tongliao universe, but there would still be no problem if Hollywood makes a movie for him.

As for saying that family scandals should not be made public?

nonexistent!

Since you were defrauded of money by this guy, you must earn it back from this guy!

Compared with losing face, losing money is more uncomfortable.

However, following Ethan Jones's inquiry, Steven Spielberg, who had been scheduled to speak, suddenly gritted his teeth. His chest could not help rising and falling, and his face looked more like pig liver.

That state was as uncomfortable as eating shit.

After seeing his friend's panting look, George Lucas spoke quickly and said: Ethan, this matter is very long to talk about, because before joining Columbia Pictures, David Begelman had He is the vice president of Universal’s parent company, MCA…”

What? Ethan suspected that his ears heard wrong.

George Lucas said seriously: You heard me right, that was a long time ago...

David Begelman was born in 1921. He graduated from New York University as an adult. In 1950, he joined the American Music Company, also known as MCA, where he worked for almost eleven years and was eventually promoted to the company's vice president. , and the reason for leaving was that his business philosophy was not in line with the company's development.

He believes that as a music company, it should focus on the music business and maximize it. However, other executives of MCA believe that MCA's development in the music field has reached a bottleneck and needs to develop new product lines. , so they decided to acquire Universal Pictures.

David Begelman didn't want to make movies, so he left MCA and opened a new company, CMA, with his friend Fred Feldman, specializing in artist agency business. Since they have been working in the music field for decades and have their own resources, the company has developed quite quickly. Judy Garland, Henry Fonda, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, Woody ·Ellen, Barbra Streisand and other superstars all have special numbers for their clients.

Even David Geffen and Fox President Alan Ladd Jr. have worked for them.

Since these superstars are all amphibious entertainers, in addition to having music careers, they also make movies, so CMA went round and round and finally opened up a film department, and their first client was Francis Coppola. After that...

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg boarded his pirate ship one after another.

No way, who told Francis Coppola's personal company to be established with the help of David Begelman? When George Lucas took Steven Spielberg to Francis Coppola's set to observe the filming of the film up close, the vast majority of the staff on the set were from the CMA.

With this relationship, their cooperation is naturally very pleasant.

more importantly……

Star Wars was actually brought down for us by David Begelman.

George Lucas spread his hands and said: After I submitted the script to Fox, Fox President Alan Ladd Jr., who was in charge of the final review, approved it because of David Begelman's face.

After I received the funds approved by Fox, I did not shoot the movie immediately. Instead, I established Industrial Light and Magic. This was illegal according to the contract, but Fox did not hold me accountable because President Alan Jr. Ladd tacitly allowed me to do this.”

If it weren't for the fact that the editing of the first version of the movie was so bad that other Fox executives couldn't stand it, then Alan Ladd Jr. would still be able to control the overall situation.

As for the copyright of Star Wars...

I'll be honest, if the person who signed it wasn't Alan Ladd Jr....

I think other studios would rather kill me than bet against me with their copyrights.

George Lucas sighed and cast a helpless look at Ethan Jones.

After hearing such a shocking news, Ethan Jones' eyes straightened out!

He glanced at Steven Spielberg and his film company president Gary Kurtz with disbelief, and the two guys nodded in resignation.

Not only that, Steven Spielberg also leaned forward, put his elbows on his legs, and covered his face with his hands, saying: It was because of him that I signed to Columbia for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I had access to all the resources at Universal, but I didn't put Close Encounters of the Third Kind at Universal. Because David Begelman had helped us many times before, so when Columbia Pictures needed to improve its performance, we I naturally helped him...

The same applies to the current Alien. Ethan, do you remember the situation when the contract was signed that day? David Begelman didn't read the script at all, because this is how we have always operated.

And he helped you find CBS before the contract was finalized...

We have cooperated for many years, so a verbal agreement is more effective than a signature...

‘…’ This answer made Ethan’s mouth twitch slightly.

‘It turns out that the smooth cooperation before was not very popular with me? ’

‘So it turns out that the smooth sailing before was all due to the tacit understanding of these guys? ’

'Grass--'

‘I thought Columbia Pictures would bow down as soon as my tiger body shocked me! ’

‘Lan Shou! ’

In just one moment, Ethan Jones' mind filled up a 30,000-word drama.

But soon, he came out of that regretful mood and asked: So, why did he jump from CMA to Columbia Pictures? Isn't he the founder of CMA? Shouldn't the boss go to work part-time?

Well... this question is a bit embarrassing to talk about. Gary Kurtz, Ethan Jones's nominal subordinate and president of Destiny Pictures, explained after hearing this question: Because David Bergelman I found that after ten years of operation, their CMA has reached the top of the industry, and there is no room for improvement. If they want to break through, they can only find other ways...

At first, when he was working at American Music Company, David Begelman strongly opposed other senior executives' acquisition of Universal Pictures. But after he founded his own company, he realized that after a business reaches its peak, it must operate in a mixed business. , otherwise profits cannot rise again.

Compared with the money earned by being an artist manager, the most money can be earned by devoting oneself to the actual production of music and movies. Therefore, he gave up the CMA he created and was invited by Columbia Pictures. Since 1973, he has been the person in charge here.

His first film was Warren Beatty's Shampoo, which was the fourth highest-grossing film in North America in 1975. His second film was Shampoo, starring Barbra Streisand. Funny Lady, which was the eighth highest-grossing film in North America in 1975.

The success of two consecutive films gave him a lot of fame in the field of film production, but he was not satisfied, so he roped in Steven Spielberg to try to hit the box office crown.

But it's a pity...

There was Star Wars in 1977.

But that's not important, right?

Close Encounters of the Third Kind can still make Columbia Pictures a lot of money.

In this case, no matter what kind of scandal happens to David Begelman, Columbia Pictures will protect him to the death, because his connections include most of Hollywood! When both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were close friends of his…

Columbia Pictures would fire him only if they had a bad brain!

What about embezzling public funds?

It is obvious that the treatment we gave is not good enough!

What kind of check fraud?

That's definitely all a misunderstanding!

Columbia Pictures didn't want to give up on him, and Ferber and the Los Angeles police didn't want to touch David Begelman, who had already built a huge network in Hollywood and was a capitalist himself.

Therefore, self-examination and self-correction have become a way for them to turn a blind eye.

If no one reports it again, then the matter is over.

But when this matter was brought up again...

Fu Bole, who discovered that a third person had learned about the matter, had no choice but to end up again.

So... is it true that his check was forged? Ethan asked with a frown.

From the current point of view...it is most likely true... Steven Spielberg nodded.

No... he is worth at least a million, right? Why would a man worth millions commit check fraud? Is he mentally ill? Ethan was very puzzled.

That's probably because he's mentally ill. Even David Begelman's friend, George Lucas, said unceremoniously at this moment: Only a guy with a mental illness would engage in check fraud. , and his net worth is more than one million. His CMA has merged with IFA and is now called ICM. Those stocks alone can make his net worth exceed ten million.

... The mindless answer made Ethan choke and his eyes darkened.

So what should we do now? How many companies are implicated by him? How many projects are going to be investigated because of him now? When can our project start? he asked loudly.

Uh... we don't know yet. Gary Kurtz, the president of Destiny Pictures, pursed his lips and said: So far, in addition to Columbia Pictures, Universal, which he has cooperated with, has also become a subject of investigation. A member of the list. As for other companies such as MGM, Disney, and Paramount... these companies have not directly cooperated with him in recent years. As for Warner and Fox, they are only their artists and executives working with David. ·Begelmann has a deep connection, so the person being investigated is only an individual.

Of course, if a problem is found, Fobole will definitely continue to investigate in depth.

And if no problem can be found...

I think these suspended projects should start soon, after all...

Every day a project is shut down is a loss for Hollywood.

If this goes on for a long time, the bosses of those film companies will kill the FBI.

The answer made Ethan close his eyes.

At this moment, he wanted to scold the three of them and complain about why they didn't explain in advance that Columbia Pictures was an abyss, but... after thinking about it, he decided not to do it.

After all, no one would believe it if a multi-millionaire cheated on checks!

This is just like many Hollywood stars who like to steal, which is one of the weirdest quirks!

Since it cannot be considered with common sense, these three people are not cheating him. Moreover, when he was seeking foreign cooperation, his core appeal was to find a media outlet to criticize Warner. Judging from the iron relationship between them now, these three people This guy was really helping him at that time.

So are you currently under investigation as well?

Ethan thought for a while and opened his eyes again.

Otherwise, why would we come back? Steven Spielberg leaned on the sofa helplessly and said, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is in his hands, and Star Wars is also related to him. Look further. If so, American Style Painting was also packaged by him...

We don't know when he started forging checks...

If this happened a long time ago, it would be a lot of fun...

When Steven Spielberg, a guy with a lot of authority, felt that this matter was a bit big, the investigation related to it came really fast.

Because it was already night when they arrived, they stopped rushing to Los Angeles after passing their breath. Ethan let them live in his villa while he ducked into the house next door.

Early the next morning, Ethan got up to solve the three urgent problems, and found two Verbol police cars parked at the door of his villa, with all the windows open. There were three people in each car. After seeing Ethan go out to look out, they were friendly. He nodded, then pointed to his house with his thumb.

This gesture made Ethan understand clearly that they were here to find Xiao Si and Xiao Lu, so he called the phone in his room and called the guys who were still sleeping.

After discovering that Fu Bole had come to their door, the three of them washed up and called a lawyer. Maybe it was because there were people behind them, but it was also possible that there was a Mahayana boss in Palo Alto who was busy with them. At that time, Fu Bole was just sitting in the car waiting.

Occasionally, when I leave for a while, I just go to the toilet.

Such civilized law enforcement behavior will definitely make other ethnic groups cry in tears, but for Xiaosi and the others, these guys think it is normal.

After their lawyers came over, they contacted the agents of Ferbole. After answering some questions cautiously, the other party left with fresh information.

Since Ethan didn't lean over to listen, he didn't know what these guys were talking about, but after being questioned, the three of them all got up and left, heading to Los Angeles.

Stoudemire said that he wanted to go back to deal with the cooperation with Columbia; Xiao Lu said that he wanted to contact Fox to see if there are any problems; and Gary Kurtz...

Boss, I'll go back to Los Angeles and keep an eye on it to see when the Alien project can start.

According to the previous plan, we have to confirm the director within three months, and then let Industrial Light and Magic help manufacture the props and scenery used for shooting, and let the director follow the casting, and strive to start shooting the entire movie in the second half of this year. It will be released at the end of next year, but now...

I reckon that's probably the best case scenario.

Furthermore, after Columbia Pictures senior executives engaged in check fraud, the famous directors we confirmed before may reject our project contracts. We have to prepare for the worst.

The film's release may be postponed to the year after tomorrow, that is, 1980...

The words of Destiny Pictures President Gary Kurtz gave Ethan Jones a sudden thought.

Alien might be delayed to 1980?

This is something he cannot tolerate!

Filming this year and releasing it next year is the best plan, because after a year and a half of shock, the demand for Star Wars in the North American market will drop to a low point. At that time, a science fiction movie and accompanying video games will be released. , which can perfectly introduce users to the host.

Pushing the movie to 1980 would be very disadvantageous for him.

Moreover, if he remembers correctly, Star Wars 2 has actually entered the negotiation stage?

If nothing else happens, Fox will let George Lucas schedule Star Wars 2 to 1980! And at that time, use Alien to compete with it?

That is simply courting death!

More importantly, games, which rely on content to make a living, can never truly monopolize the market. If other companies launch games during the launch vacuum period of Destiny games, for example, Atari and Milohua will continue to If the market pushes his own home console, then the Thunder Strike he exchanged for Star Wars will be wasted...

Thinking of this, Ethan asked: What are the chances of an extension to 1980?

This is the worst-case scenario, Gary Kurtz said.

When will we start the union that will cause the movie to be postponed to 1980? Ethan continued to ask.

Gary Kurtz thought for a while, We have to start work before April 1st.

Today is March 1st. A month full of plans made Ethan nod slightly.

After staring at his subordinate in a daze for a while, he made a decision and stretched out the index finger of his right hand.

One week, I only give Colombia one week.

If they can't handle the FBI within a week, then we will change our partner company.

... Hearing these words, Gary Kurtz was stunned, and said quickly: But boss, we have a contract with Colombia. In the face of such unexpected events, we must give them a certain amount of money according to the contract. The buffer time...

Accident? Are you telling me this is an accident? Ethan looked unhappy and said: If Colombia had got rid of David Begelman last year! Then what happened today would not have happened! Since they chose to cover up Big Brother David Begelman, then they will be responsible for what happened today!”

Gary Kurtz hesitated for a moment and said: Although their cover-up is true, if we really go to court, we cannot use this reason to tear up the contract...

Then let them sue!

Before Gary Kurtz could finish speaking, Ethan Jones raised his voice and interrupted: Motorola is not even going to litigate with me in California. Colombia is nothing!

In a few months, the defamation infringement case brought by Warner Communications and Philips against Destiny Games will be one year old, but the court has not yet held a hearing!

I, Ethan Jones, don't litigate because I hate trouble! Not because I'm afraid of trouble!

You bring my words to Columbia exactly as they are, and I, Ethan Jones, will give them a week. If they can get it right, they will start work. If they can't get it right, I will sue them and make them pay!

“My company’s legal counsel has always been Stanford Law School!”

They want to litigate, I can bring a bunch of people to litigate with them!

Ethan Jones is furious!

Colombia’s real special code is a pig teammate!

It doesn't matter if you are caught once for breaking the law, but you can be caught twice?

What kind of rubbish influence is this?

If they can solve these messy things within a week, then forget it for Ethan.

What if it can't be solved?

Then he will change to someone else to cooperate!

He is not interested in these people's cases! I have no intention of getting involved in those old things!

Now he just wants to film Alien! I don’t want to waste time with these idiots!

Note: ① The CMA founded by David Begelman was actually the first artist management company to start packaged services in the American entertainment industry. CAA copied him. At his peak, he could directly draw together the four major Hollywood directors of the 1970s, Spielberg, Coppola, Lucas, and Scorsese. Woody Allen and others mentioned in the article, as well as Al Pacino and Peter Fondana who are not mentioned in the article, are all his clients. Later, the founder of CAA copied his method of jumping to a film company. However, for such a person to engage in check fraud, that is really outrageous. The special code opens the door to outrageousness. ② The insider copyright of Star Wars is also the same as what is written in the article. The Fox president who approved the Star Wars project was once a subordinate of David Begelman, and had already cooperated with Lucas before going to Fox. And he was kicked out of Fox after the incident (in 1979). ③The fraud case did indeed happen that year. The Wall Street Journal reported on it. Finally, a book was published called Indecent Exposure, which was published in 1982 and is still available on Amazon.