Entertainment 2000: Supporting female stars will bring you a hundredfold return

Chapter 342 Director Tang's Influence, A PY Deal (Please subscribe, please vote)

Among the crowd, Fan Bingbing and Li Bingbing, the sisters who were closest to Tang Wen, were a little worried for him.

I'm worried that Spielberg might ignore me.

The next second, that worry vanished.

Steven Spielberg smiled warmly, extended his hand, and said in a teasing tone:

"Tang, you should have come earlier. I thought you didn't want to win the award."

With their hands clasped together, Tang Wen shrugged: "You know, I am, after all, a director who is also a film and a singer, and I never have enough time."

Spielberg shook his head and chuckled, then introduced the woman next to him with short blond hair who was covering her mouth and smiling: "Meg Ryan."

“Ms. Ryan, it’s an honor to meet you.”

This beautiful woman in her thirties, also from Hollywood, is one of the juries at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

"I never expected to meet Director Tang in Cannes." Meg Ryan didn't dare to be negligent when facing Tang Wen.

Tang Wen was polite to her.

Her posture was even more humble than Tang Wen's.

Everyone in Hollywood knows that Nicole Kidman's "resurrection" and return to the Oscar for Best Actress is largely due to director Donald Trump.

Meg was only in her early thirties when she divorced her ex-husband.

This is the time to build a career.

Upon meeting Tang Wen today, just by looking at his appearance, she felt that he was exactly her type.

During the conversation, they inevitably became closer.

Tang Wen casually told a joke: "Speaking of which, Meg, you're a screenwriter, actress, and director all rolled into one."

She laughed so hard she almost fell over.

It's as if he's never heard a joke before.

Fan Bingbing, standing to the side, felt both surprised and annoyed by the enthusiastic support.

Turning to the two Li sisters, he muttered, "Is this woman a Cannes jury member?"

"Meg Ryan, she's acted in many well-known films." Li Xue was indeed a competent agent, having already memorized the names of several Cannes jury members.

Fan Bingbing forgot her pride and wondered, "Could she have taken a liking to my brother?"

Meg Ryan, as a Hollywood actress, is well-maintained.

She exudes the charm of a mature woman, and many young men are drawn to her.

Li Xue: "She's already had a child."

Li Bingbing chuckled and said, "You should be secretly happy. Isn't this all for your public relations?"

"That's right. If you don't want to, give the female lead to my sister next time."

Fan Bingbing was displeased and chuckled, "Too much trouble. Just call me 'sister'. By the way, I heard he's been trying to poach you from the company?"

"Good to know, don't be so polite." Li Xue trembled.

Fan Bingbing: "Why don't you come with me? Putting everything else aside, the pay will definitely be higher than what your own sister would offer you."

"You two have had enough." Li Bingbing pouted and said to Fan Bingbing with a gloating expression, "Look over there, the French Rose is here. She looks so beautiful today!"

The roses have just been watered.

She exudes a lazy and charming aura unintentionally.

Her beauty was captivating and mesmerizing.

Sophie Marceau, in her early thirties and still at the peak of her career, exuded a charm that made almost all the women present pale in comparison.

20-year-old Fan Bingbing was no match for her; she could only be described as having a touch of innocence. Her charm was still budding, undeveloped and uncultivated.

Fan Bingbing's pretty face was tense, and she couldn't smile at all.

He felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy, cursing inwardly:

You're a French woman, why don't you stay at home and be a rose? Why are you always peeking into my room?

And these French men, are they even capable? Didn't you say she was your dream girl?

So, you only dream about it but don't dare to actually come, right?
Sophie Marceau was also accompanied by Karin Vihar, an elegant French actress.

He is also a jury member at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Another judge has arrived!
Zhang Ziyi felt incredibly jealous: You're the judges, and when we usually approach you, you barely acknowledge us. Aren't you afraid of losing face by being so proactive now?

Aren't you afraid of criticism?

After exchanging greetings, Karin Vihar winked and said, "Don, you're so charming. No wonder Sophie always mentions you."

Sophie Marceau released her arm, hugged Tang Wen, and didn't say anything, but the meaning was clear: We're a couple, you have to support the movie!

Of course, Sophie wouldn't let them help for nothing.

With several judges gathered here, and the stunningly beautiful Sophie Marceau also present, Tang Wen became one of the focal points of the evening.

Those who didn't know him started asking around.

Those who knew him, his competitors, all had different expressions.

When Leo arrived with Xiahou, the chairman of the jury, the area became the focus of the entire event.

The other crew members frowned: Wait, who is this Tang?
Is she so popular?
Won't this affect the fairness of the judging panel?
Fortunately, they parted ways after chatting for a few minutes.

Only Leo and Sophie came with Tang Wen to the "Peacock" film crew.

With shared interests, Leo relaxed considerably: "Don, you should have come to Cannes a long time ago. Your arrival brought good fortune."

That's right, good luck came, and Avi's bad luck came.

Tang Wen smiled and said, "What luck can I bring? This film festival will still depend on your efforts."

The two were speaking in cryptic language.

Han Sanping understood.

The relationship between these two is better than I imagined.

The next second, Leo revealed the truth.

"Currently, the judges are favoring films such as Gus Fancent's 'Elephant,' Turkish director's 'Uzak,' and 'Savage Invasion'..."

He rattled off several movie titles in one go.

The fifth one mentioned "Peacock".

Fan Bingbing was feeling very uneasy. If this was the order in the judges' minds, it seemed unlikely that she would win a big prize.
But fifth place sounds like a pretty good possibility.

Others were also secretly pondering it.

Tang Wen remained remarkably calm. After exchanging a few words with Leo, he took Sophie to find Spielberg.

In the hotel's small conference room, the bodyguard entered first and took out a professional detector to check for eavesdropping devices and hidden cameras.

Then, three military-grade audio jammers were turned on.

"Don, it's always so reassuring to work with you." Spielberg also had bodyguards with him, who had excellent eyesight, and they whispered to him what these things were for.

After the security team had all left, Tang Wen got straight to the point:
"Steven, I need your help."

"You want to compete for the Palme d'Or?"

"is it possible?"

Spielberg thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "I have no problem with this, but your competitor, Elephant, is too opportunistic."

Tang Wen nodded; he understood this as well.

"Elephant" recreates the events of a horrific shooting that occurred at an ordinary high school in the United States in 94.

Most of the actors used were real middle school students.

There was almost no script; even the dialogue was written by the students themselves.

The entire film was shot using only one camera, and the whole movie was filmed in 20 days.

After watching the finished film, Tang Wen had only one feeling: it was natural, smooth, and completely unpretentious, almost like a documentary!

This style isn't just liked by the Cannes jury; filmmakers throughout Europe and the West appreciate it.

Tang Wen then brought up another matter: "Next year, under the same conditions, China Film Group will import at least two DreamWorks films."

Spielberg nodded: "It would be best if one came out in the second half of this year."

"No problem, but you know the standards for review."

After just a couple of simple sentences, the cooperation was reached.

Most Hollywood films imported to China are sold on a revenue-sharing basis.

The percentage allocated to foreign investors is very small, at most 18%. So, even though it's about two movies, in reality, after their theatrical run, DreamWorks is lucky to get a million dollars.

As ordinary jury members at Cannes, they also had a personal relationship.

Profits of around a million US dollars, plus hidden benefits.

That's enough for Spielberg to do his best to help.

After discussing the details, Tang Wen asked again, "Meg Ryan, how can I win her over?"

"Her career hasn't been going very well."

Meg Ryan has never been a box office draw. She messed up a mediocre production last year, and now unless she organizes her own production, no one is willing to use her.

Spielberg finished his whiskey and left the room.

Tang Wen invited Meg Ryan over, and the two drank red wine and chatted about Hollywood.

The latter mentioned that he is currently preparing a new project, a biographical film.

It tells the story of the most successful female boxing manager in North American history.

She plays the female lead.

After waiting quietly for her to finish speaking, Tang Wen remembered the movie and realized it was undoubtedly a flop.

"It sounds like a fantastic story of a woman's struggle! Hollywood loves this. I work with women's rights organizations in California, and they'll definitely give you a lot of support."

Tang Wen wanted to get something for nothing by exchanging prizes.

But Meg has been in Hollywood for over a decade and isn't so easily fooled.

Coupled with a series of failures, she wouldn't let any opportunity slip by:
"Actually, our project is still a little short of investment."

Tang Wen hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How much difference?"

"Five million dollars!"

Ah!
This woman is too greedy.

$150 million?
It didn't take this much to win over Spielberg.

"Actually, I'm preparing a prize-winning project."

"Oscar?"

"Yes."

Meg Ryan was skeptical.

Tang Wen: "It's quite a coincidence, actually. It's a story about a female boxer, directed and starring the famous director Clint Eastwood. The female boxer in it..."

"Let me play the role?" Meg became interested.

If Clint really did direct and star in the film himself, playing the lead role, then that's a huge favor.

Unless she helps Tang Wen win the Palme d'Or, no matter how you look at it, she owes Tang Wen.

hmm~
She looked at Tang Wen's handsome face: If you really give me the female lead role, I'm willing to give myself to you!
Tang Wen had no idea what she was thinking, otherwise he would have definitely retorted: "You're really dreaming."

“Old Wood has a lot of power, and I can’t ignore his opinion.” Tang Wen stared into her eyes: “If you’re willing, I can arrange for you to be one of the final auditionees. You’ll see the script in advance and have more time to prepare. As long as you perform well, no one can eliminate you.”

The film project he's referring to is the one for which Robert previously acquired the rights—"Million Dollar Baby".

This is an Oscar-winning project, and he plans to produce it himself, just like in the original timeline, with Old Wood directing and starring in it.

As for the female lead, she was originally intended for Theron.

Since the character is a boxer, I need to build muscle and bulk up.

Therefore, even though Tang Wen explained that there was a high probability of winning the award.

Charlize Theron still declined.

She's almost sick of filming "The Devil".

I really don't want to make another one.

Meg Ryan, standing right in front of us, is over 1.7 meters tall. If she were willing to make sacrifices, she could spend half a year building up her muscles!

There's a pretty good chance she'll be the female lead.

Tang Wen didn't just rely on words to fool her; he directly had someone bring him a laptop, opened the project materials for "Million Dollar Baby," and showed her the project proposal.

Production cost: $3000 million

[Expected release date: End of 2004]

【…】

Meg Ryan looked at it carefully for a long time, and after Tang Wen promised that if she passed the audition, he would pay her according to the normal schedule, she agreed.

"So, what do you need me to do?" Hollywood actresses are all well-versed in the principles of transactions.

Tang Wen promised her benefits, and she understood that she should get to work.

"When it comes to voting, just follow Steven's lead."

"Huh?" Meg exclaimed in surprise, "It's that simple?"

"I didn't give you any real money, just an opportunity and a chance to help you."

"This is something money can't buy back, are you sure?"

"of course."

Tang Wen told her the original title of "Million," demonstrating his sincerity.

"Don! You're such a fair person! If you need anything else, just let me know." Meg stood up, opened her arms to hug him, and held on for a while.

After seeing her out, Tang Wen sat in the room for a while: He had been careless again this time.

I thought that with Leo there, we'd be lucky enough to win one or two awards.

Unexpectedly, in the end, I had to make the appearance myself.

Steven Spielberg has a good reputation, so there shouldn't be any problems negotiating a deal with him.

But Tang Wen did not trust this woman.

Out of caution, I didn't tell her my prize-winning goal.

Even if she wants to reveal something in the future, she won't have anything to reveal.

Unless she dares to drag Spielberg down with her.

In that case, she would face a combined attack from Tangwen Galaxy Entertainment and DreamWorks.

He will cut himself off from Hollywood.

Spielberg is the firewall that Tang Wen set up.

Tang Wen will not meet with the other judges individually.

This round of prize-winning efforts has come to an end.

Ultimately, the outcome depends on a bit of luck.

In the evening, we returned to the hotel.

Good news came from the United States, though.

With the combined efforts of two close female confidantes, Olivia, the FBI director in California, and Sarah, one of the heads of the IRS California office.

Ike, a major shareholder of Marvel, is under investigation by agents of the New York IRS.

The "flaw" lies with his accountant.

In North America, unless you are a very wealthy person with a lot of assets, accountants usually work with multiple clients.

The IRS in New York found that Ike's accountant had helped other clients evade taxes and was suspected of evading taxes himself.

Using this as leverage, they made a deal with him, asking him to report wealthy individuals with tax evasion issues.

After some conversation, he uttered the name Ike.

So, are there any major issues with Ike's taxes?

should not.

However, there are definitely areas where compliance is not guaranteed.

This is true in any country in the world.

If you want to find fault and impose fines, it's incredibly easy, especially when even the accountants have turned against you.

The IRS is extremely domineering; if a hefty fine is not paid on time, they even have the right to freeze the other party's assets and auction them off.

Ike naturally became nervous and took the initiative to contact Robert, wanting to trade shares.

(End of this chapter)