"Viacom's acquisition of Blockbuster was announced, trading in the stocks of both companies was suspended, and Wall Street consultants found that they could not accurately calculate the market value of the two companies..."
"Huizenga and Redstone are both strong-willed people, and some executives familiar with both said they were surprised that he would do this, and suggested that it might not be easy for Huizenga and Redstone to work side by side..."
"The two get along well, and Blockbuster Vice Chairman Steven Berard downplayed any potential friction. He said Huizenga and Redstone's chemistry contributed to it."
Viacom Vice President Biondi said the negotiations between Wednesday and today could be described as a hit-and-run, with much of the time spent on machinery and equipment over what type of Viacom stock Blockbuster shareholders would receive.
On procedural issues.”
The news of the acquisition was officially published in the newspaper, and most financial reporters expressed doubts about whether Redstone would continue to acquire Paramount. Financial reporters from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times both pointed out the same problem. Due to Viacom's acquisition of Paramount,
The Starstar deal is finalized, and until all the processes of the deal are essentially completed, will Viacom-Blockbuster still be the same Viacom?
Is Viacom's new offer for Paramount still subject to the ten-day limit? If Viacom's old company is strictly restricted, then Blockbuster's 1.2 billion can be used for the new offer.
There will be legal questions
If the original Viacom is not strictly restricted from being the subject of mergers and acquisitions, will the new Viacom-Blockbuster join the competition as a new acquirer? How to deal with the offers from the old companies in the past?
These legal issues are not easy to solve. Even if Redstone wins the competition, he may still face a lawsuit from Barry Diller.
Another more serious problem is that Redstone's last offer included Martin S. Davis, the current chairman of Paramount Media, as a director of the new company, as well as of the merged company.
of important duties.
And now? Blockbuster occupies the seat originally given to him. Three board members, and Huizenga's transcendent status is guaranteed. So what will Martin Davis think? Originally, he was inclined to maintain the two contracts.
Yakum also doesn't want to retire yet because of his position in the new company.
Among the many media outlets, only John Lippman, a reporter for the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times, shared the same view as Ronald. Redstone harbored great malice towards Paramount. In addition, for him, he was better than Barry Diller.
Probably something more important than the acquisition itself.
Ronald was sitting alone in his study. He told Diane that he needed to have a conference call with people from Goldman Sachs to discuss the listing. Diane felt that the matter was important, so she took Little Roger to find her best friend Laura Dern.
Played.
"How are the preparations going?" People on several phone lines had arrived, and Ronald spoke to Bannon first.
"We have sold some short orders with a small amount of money, and no one on the other side noticed it. I believe their attention is on the acquisition." Bannon returned to New York, and his team was in a short-term leased office in the World Trade Center.
Employees are not allowed to go out. These days, sleeping and bathing are done in the administrative office. Anyway, there are already beds and bathing facilities decorated for senior executives.
As for food, it was all taken care of by Domino's Pizza and Pagoda Fast Food in Chinatown. They were sent to the office next door and then moved there by his own people. Ronald also sent a group of people headed by bodyguard Daniel to Bannon to watch closely.
They don't let the news leak out.
When the matter was over, they quietly evacuated and restored the office to its original state. No one knew that a stock market offensive and defensive battle worth hundreds of millions of dollars had taken place here.
"Ronald, have you confirmed Redstone's determination?" After Bannon made arrangements, he walked to an office and confirmed with Ronald through a confidential line.
"Redstone came to see me. This guy's eyes are very crazy, I'm sure. If you were here, you could see that he was so desperate that he offered me three offers to buy Blockbuster stock."
"Ha, this dandy! He can actually be so cowardly at times!"
Bannon didn't do well on Wall Street, but he felt like a fish in water in Hollywood. His essence is that he is still good at observing people's emotions, but not good at rational analysis. If you want to talk about the acquisition, how much price Redstone paid, he will not give up the competition.
He is not necessarily sure about purchasing Paramount. When you mention that Redstone actually bent his seniority and "pleaded" to Ronald many times in order to reduce costs, his certainty is 100%.
"Mr. Li..."
The traders on the other confidential line are the experts in the global markets department of Goldman Sachs recommended by Paulson. They have more advanced trading systems, and they only need fewer people to handle the same amount of money, and they are mixed in.
Among the cross-border securities derivatives investments that are traded in huge amounts every day, they are not conspicuous at all.
"Hank (Paulson) told you that all my resources are yours to use. You don't need to ask me for instructions. As long as you can take advantage of this acquisition opportunity and take a big bite. I don't want to fight with you next time."
Redstone laughed at him when we met."
"You got what you wanted..."
After staying in the "war room" for several hours, at the end of the day, Ronald came out to calm down his emotions. The dice had been thrown, and the outcome depended on whether his judgment was accurate.
He took a long breath, his breathing was a bit unstable, his heart rate was also very fast, his face was red, and his blood pressure was probably much higher than usual.
People still can't overestimate themselves. Although Ronald felt 100% confident in predicting Redstone's actions. But when things came to pass, the hundreds of millions of dollars invested separately still made people feel like a middle school student. For the first time
It's like going on a date at your girlfriend's house.
"Hey, Donna, are you free?" Ronald called Donna out of nowhere.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Ronnie? What's going on?" Donna asked in surprise. Her cousin usually wouldn't call her to chat.
"I have a question for you. When you and your boss, Mr. Simmons, make investment decisions, do you get nervous? Do you doubt your own judgment? Do you have trouble sleeping at night?"
"Of course, human emotions are always an indispensable factor in investment. As long as Mr. Simmons sees the pattern he is looking for in the stock market data, he will be very excited. He himself said that he can't sleep at night."
"So even he can't sleep?" Ronald took a long breath. Simons' Renaissance Medallion Fund's return rate in recent years has been much higher than Buffy's Berkshire.
.
This person who manages a large fund that may have the highest return rate in the country can't sleep? It seems that the distance between investment and speculation is not as different as when they gave a speech, right?
Ronald pressed his chest. The long period of hyperventilation made his chest hurt a little.
"Would you like to talk to Christy? She calls me all the time to thank you for your help with her new Maybelline endorsement."
Richard has been Ronald's agent for many years, and he is one of the people who knows Ronald best. Ronald, who is now flushed and short of breath, looks like those male celebrities who have just been high, and there are tears in his eyes.
Red bloodshot.
Ronald has been working on the company's listing for the past two days. I wonder if he has encountered any difficulties? Although this IPO does not have any interests for Richard due to the restrictions of the brokerage contract, the client has become the media group's
Boss, no matter how you look at it, it is a good thing for his career. From now on, the opportunities for him and the artists under his alliance will not be of the order of magnitude that you, a director, can bring.
So Richard wanted to catch Ronald no matter what. After long-term contact, he knew that Ronald was nostalgic and liked to cooperate with old friends, so there was no need to kick out all his old friends after rising in class.
Get rid of them and replace them with new friends from a higher class.
"Ha, she was rated as one of the top five models. Now the major haute couture shows are very stable. She doesn't need my help...it's just her own strength." Ronald didn't expect that Richard hadn't given up on his own.
...career, and is still providing Ronald with female companions to "eliminate" tension. Is he a pervert like Redstone?
"She is indeed, but the current Kate Moss has had a great impact on the older generation of models. Maybe flat chest will be the mainstream standard for T-stage models in the future. She is looking for you more because she needs a wise man.
This kind of girl can easily get lost in the trend, and her boyfriend happens to be..." Richard kept talking. He secretly wondered if Ronald didn't want to see Turlington again? How about looking for him?
Have a look at a new mainstream model?
"Well...where's my coffee?" Ronald hoped to drink something hot to make himself more comfortable.
When Richard saw Ronald and heard himself saying that Turlington's boyfriend kicked her, he suddenly said this, thinking that Ronald didn't hit Turlington when she had a boyfriend before.
Call to express dissatisfaction?
"She doesn't seem to have many friends in the industry now? I remember that Cindy used to have a very good relationship with her and they lived in the same apartment."
"Ahem, Cindy and the others seem to have a film project now, which is documentary in nature. Cindy and Kate Moss will appear, as well as the models you are familiar with back then."
When Richard heard this, he almost overturned the coffee he brought for Ronald. Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere seem to have a good relationship, and they often attend events together. Could it be that you, Ronald, are
Do you like this kind of person? No wonder I wonder why Turlington didn’t call when he had a boyfriend.
"Can they really transform into movie stars? If they are famous enough..." Ronald felt that this might be a way. Compared with an actress who is not famous, she has become famous and is seen on the newsstands on the street every day.
Supermodels whose faces can be seen on magazine covers, maybe it will be easier to be an actor?
Ronald returned to the film field he was familiar with and immediately wrote a note and handed it to Richard. If he thought it was good, he could let Daydream try this route.
"By the way, I have prepared a gift for you. Just wait a minute." Ronald suddenly remembered a few days ago that his listing has benefited many people. Richard is the most loyal to him and follows him the most.
He has been one of the people who has been with him for a long time. Although he has arrangements for him, others also have them. He does not have a big gift package, so he must be a little uncomfortable.
"My gift?" Richard smiled.
"Here!" Ronald threw him an envelope, and Richard took it and touched it. There was something hard inside. After opening it, he found it was a car key.
"This is a Porsche 911. Your status in CAA is different from before. You need a car that shows your status. The latest model I want to buy, you are the only one among all the agents in Los Angeles." Ronald pointed with a smile.
Refers to the envelope, which contains all the documents for the car.
"Thank you! Are you sure it's unique to me?" Richard was thinking about Ronald, didn't you give it to Niceta and Paula? This is a bit uncomfortable, it would be better if everyone didn't have it.
"What they need now is not a sports car. I gave them a top-of-the-line luxury car that can take their children to school, hahaha." Ronald laughed. Richard didn't have a regular girlfriend, so it was more serious to give them a sports car.
, he will have different feelings.
…
"I am a good person and I am innocent. In the past month, there have been many bad things that made me feel uncomfortable. Today at this conference to commemorate people of color, I want to tell everyone that I am innocent!"
In the evening, Ronald was still a little distracted. He watched TV and saw that Michael Jackson went to an award show honoring people of color to receive an award. In this award that he had dismissed at all a few months ago,
MJ talked for a full six minutes, but in the end the black people below were no longer interested in applauding, so they could only muddle through.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Why is MJ like this? He seems to be about to faint." Diane also said in surprise.
Michael Jackson's figure is getting thinner and thinner, and his speech lacks power. He is almost completely different from the person he was on tour.
The long hair is no longer as handsome as it was during the tour, but a little sluggish, like a pair of wings, wrapping around the emperor and superstar to prevent him from being harassed anymore.
"Christ Jesus is indeed a little out of shape."
Ronald picked up the phone and called Elizabeth Taylor, MJ's best friend.
"You're watching, too, Ronnie. The recent pat-downs have taken a toll on him both physically and mentally. There are only a few people he can listen to now. Me? Of course I talk to him on the phone, but now Elvis (
The daughter of Elvis Presley is taking photos of him."
"He needs such comfort now, but rational analysis from friends is equally important." Ronald heard that Ms. Taylor was a little dissatisfied with the daughter of Elvis Presley who behaved erratically. As soon as he hinted that MJ should not have a new girlfriend, he forgot about his old girlfriend.
My friends, Taylor immediately agrees.
"Young people should not make decisions at such a fragile time. MJ also proposed to Lisa (Presley) on the phone. What a child... He is a child himself, how could he do something like that?"
Taylor also gossiped that MJ was engaged. However, the method of proposing was very childish, over the phone... and Elvis Presley's daughter actually agreed. It was really what she wanted.
"He has no chance to propose to you, so he has no choice but to do so." Ronald and Taylor joked that Yu Po's seventh wedding was held at MJ's Neverland Ranch.
"Ronald, your phone number..."
Over there, Diane received a call from another line and came over to call Ronald.
After Ronald put it down, he ran to the study to pick it up.
"I'm Ed (Bastian), Barry Diller made a new offer and he dropped the price!"
Finally, another bid for the acquisition of Paramount began. Barry Diller didn't know what he was basing his decision on. He was sure that Redstone would stop after he had enough of Blockbuster, and no one could compete with him for Paramount.
. He actually took the lead and put forward a new round of quotations within the time limit, lowering the previous price conditions a lot.
"I'm Bannon, Ronald. Will this bastard Redstone shrink back?"
Next, more calls came in. Today's TV reports in the financial media were all talking about this acquisition with a total value of more than 10 billion.
"Shxt!" Ronald insisted on continuing, but after hanging up the phone, his hands were still shaking nervously.
If this is really shaken by Redstone, the Blockbuster stock in his hand will rebound, but the hundreds of millions of funds that are shorted will be another big loss. The two items are offset, and he is in Redstone