"George, I wish you success in your election in advance. Unfortunately, I am not a Texas resident, so I cannot donate to you or help with your election."
"Ronald, you are out of touch. Without the help of your friends, it would be difficult for me to mobilize so many volunteers..."
A few days later, it was the end of the month, and together with the national midterm elections, there were also re-elections for governors in two states. Among them were the two sons of former General George Sr. and his family, George Jr. and Jeb.
George Jr. worked as the general manager of a baseball team in Texas for several years. He ran the team very well and accumulated a large number of local connections. Basically, his father's connections in Texas all recognized him as the young master and considered him to represent the governor.
suitable candidate.
However, George Sr.’s connections in other parts of the country are given to his younger son Jeb in Florida. He will run for governor in Florida this year on behalf of the Elephant Party.
In this family, former first lady Barbara has a strong say, especially in matters related to family members.
Texas law stipulates that only individuals within the state and companies operating within the state can provide financial support for elections in the state. However, Florida law is different and does not impose restrictions on political donations from other states across the country.
.
Therefore, Jeb, the favored youngest son, received the full support of the old George family's connections and financial backers accumulated over the years. But little George only inherited the family's resources in Texas.
Ronald, who was also restricted by law, could not provide financial support for his friend's gubernatorial campaign, but he invited the old star Charlton Heston, who had played the role of "Hardcore" and "True Lies", and some cowboys who belonged to the company.
A young actor who went there to cheer for little George.
Because Texas has always been a place where cowboy culture is admired, cowboy westerns, which have declined in other parts of the country, still have a large number of fans in Texas. Charlton Heston is also a veteran action star, with true lies.
Wearing props and blindfolds, we quickly mobilized a group of volunteers to proactively contribute to George's campaign, calling housewives to ask them to vote for George, or directly knocking on voters' doors.
Because these people have a good image, they all wear cowboy hats, boots with spurs, and holsters tied to their waists, which is in line with local tastes, so good results have been achieved.
This is George's first step into politics, but his family values his younger brother Jeb more. Even his mother Barbara is not optimistic about George. On the day when the mid-term election results are announced, their parents will go
The state of Florida stood up for its youngest son Jeb, which made little George a little sad.
Fortunately, two old friends, Ronald and Little Doug, still look after him. Little Doug also secured some cheap advertisements for his campaign through the Texas movie theater chain AMC. Little George's image will appear on the website one month before the election.
Titles for all movies shown in local cinemas.
However, electoral politics, especially local electoral politics, was an unfamiliar area for Ronald. The Little George advertisement was filmed and sent to Ronald for viewing.
All the above is information about George Jr.’s approval of the concealed carry gun bill in Texas after he takes office. This happens to be something that the current female governor Ann Richards is opposed to.
As a New Yorker who settled in Los Angeles, Ronald could never understand why Texas voters would support George Jr. if they supported the carrying of concealed guns.
"Are you coming to Texas to celebrate my election?" George Jr. invited Ronald.
"It's a pity that I'm not a Texas resident..." Ronald declined. It was not a good idea for a Californian to go to Texas to celebrate the governor's election. Besides, he was not as confident in his campaign as George Jr.
Although the old governor Ann Richards is a woman, she has the style of an old-fashioned Southern donkey party. During her term, the number of prisoners in the prison increased by 20,000, and she also passed laws against different orientations, declaring that if one person has sex with another
Same-sex individuals who engage in deviant behavior will be found guilty in Texas.
"It doesn't matter, I will hold a thank you event in Houston after I win the election. It would be great if you could come if you have time." George Jr. is still very grateful to Ronald for his help. Hollywood stars, like sports stars, mobilize voters.
Sharp weapon.
…
"Sorry, it's a call from an important friend." After Ronald answered the phone, he returned to the conference room, where young people from Goldman Sachs were showing him the audit results of MGM and Credit Lyonnais.
"I'll make a long story short, in the years that Credit Lyonnais provided loans to help acquire MGM and then in the years that it was forced to take over MGM, they lost a total of $5 billion."
"How many?"
Ronald could hardly believe his ears.
"Five billion, this is a number we obtained through detailed calculations. We have also cross-verified it from the European expenditure and the use of America. It is very credible."
The young and powerful bankers of Goldman Sachs are well-dressed and very confident in themselves. Their global network has very powerful information channels.
"Then how can they balance the accounts?" Ronald didn't understand. Such a high debt, and it's not a small amount of money, can be covered up through creative accounting methods. Do they still think that they are a lucky director?
Lie?"
"It's hard to say. We have heard some news that the Chinese government may take care of them and package the debts to asset management companies, allowing Crédit Lyonnais to go into battle with ease. But now the Chinese government is also facing an election, so everything is uncertain.
It’s still undecided.”
"But it's still hard for me to imagine how we could lose so much money in just a few years. My friend James Cameron set a Hollywood record for making a movie, and he only spent 100 million US dollars.
, MGM hasn’t made any big productions in recent years?” Ronald didn’t understand this at all.
"In financial matters, you can make money quickly and lose money quickly..." The people at Goldman Sachs laughed. It is a good thing for them that customers can engage in high-risk investments like this, because no matter whether you make money or lose money,
, they all earned a lot of fees.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "In addition, we also found some signs..." The people at Goldman Sachs are still very dedicated. They investigated the details of MGM and Cannon's mergers and acquisitions for eighty-nine times.
Never leave ten.
It can be said that the Italian liar who has owned MGM for two years, Giancarlo Parretti, is more like a tacit candidate for everyone to use to escape.
Originally, after Cannon received US$400 million in financing, it invested in numerous large-scale productions such as Superman IV, all of which suffered major box office failures. The British theater chain it acquired did not bring them the expected distribution pre-sale funds.
When Minahan Golan finally left, the hole was already huge.
Kirk Kerkorian, the former director of MGM, also only used the three-letter name MGM to develop his gaming and real estate business in Las Vegas. For MGM Pictures,
Don't listen or ask.
For so many years, MGM Pictures was like a cow that provided him with cash, but never got a return. When selling, Kerkorian also used many methods to hide the real assets, turning a terrible
The asset package was lost to Giancarlo Parretti.
The two biggest holes in Hollywood were left to Italian swindlers. Giancarlo Parretti, who thought he was going to get a trick, lived happily for two years by picking up actresses on a ship that was about to sink. What was waiting for him was jail.
disaster.
The two groups that hollowed out MGM and bankrupted Cannon Management used this big merger to completely get rid of their responsibilities and go away happily with the acquisition money.
Giancarlo Parretti, this idiot, actually put his 21-year-old daughter in charge of the finance department. It is conceivable that after the incident, the financial statements during his two years in power were a complete mess, and he did not follow any rules.
, which is also convenient for all previous losses to be placed on him.
This 5 billion was not lost in just a few years. It was more like a loss of blood in continuous business operations for more than ten years, and a fool who thought he was smart was found to carry it.
"When Kerkorian sold MGM, he was very smart. He arranged some complex copyright entities with cross-holdings. In fact, all of MGM's classic films in the golden age of Hollywood were packaged and sold to Ted
·Turner. Part of the remaining ones are now in the hands of MGM, which is under the custody of Credit Lyonnais. The situation of the other part is quite complicated, and it will take longer to figure out where to go. We have special contracts in the Hollywood industry,
We also need the help of lawyers in the industry to figure it out..."
Ronald nodded. Kerkorian was a very cunning person, and he had experienced it before. He must have sold the best part of the copyright at a high price, and the rest might have been sold several times. Anyway, there are many in Hollywood.
They are liars and incompetent people. As long as they are fooled during the transaction, people like Giancarlo Parretti will naturally come to take the blame after a few years, and the determination of copyright requires lawyers in the industry to litigate.
"So, who owns the film rights of United Artists?" Ronald asked suddenly. He had given up hope on the MGM mess. He was not Redstone and could ignore the cost.
Eat the garbage together.
But United Artists, founded by Chaplin, is different. This company does not produce as many films as MGM, and the box office is not as good as MGM's films, but it has many artistic masterpieces that have stood the test of time.
These movies may not have done well at the box office back then, but there has always been a fan base that likes their movies. This is also due to the concept of allowing artists to have creative freedom when United Artists was founded.
Although seven out of ten United Artists movies may have gone out of control, the remaining two or three may turn out to be works that can withstand the test of time.
"It's mainly still in the hands of MGM...TV stations don't have high ratings for United Artists' works, and the ratings are not as good as MGM's..."
The classic movie channel of the TV station is usually broadcast at midnight, and most of the viewers are those who can't sleep, so United Artists' performance is average. But those movie fans are willing to pay a lot of money to buy the video tapes for their collection.
"I am interested in this part. Please convey my intention to the people at Credit Lyonnais."
"That's fair... I'll convey it right away..." Upon seeing this, the people at Goldman Sachs gave up the idea of making a big fortune. Ronald is not stupid. But it is also a good thing that he is interested in part of the asset package.
When Crédit Lyonnais was looking for other buyers, in fact, United Art’s assets had no positive effect, and they were eager to get rid of the burden.
…
"I don't understand. Mr. Ronald Lee is a famous artist and producer. MGM's classic movies over the years, and our studio in Los Angeles, are of great historical value...
…”
People from Credit Lyonnais also want to persuade DDH...
"Don't waste my time. Your MGM is no longer wanted. I'm interested in United Artists because I have nostalgia for Hollywood in the golden age. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't
I came to discuss with you."
"I'm not saying that this part of the property is not good, but in those years, MGM shot many more classic movies than United Artists..."
"Oh, for God's sake, you don't own the copyright..." Ronald simply said.
"What? But apart from some of the ones chosen by Mr. Ted Turner, such as The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain, the others..."
"You don't have the others either. All the ones before 1986 were sold by Kerkorian..."
"This, this is not consistent with the situation we have..." Everyone at Credit Lyonnais turned pale.
"It seems that you have never really operated in Hollywood. Where is Frans Afman? He knows his stuff."
"Mr. Frans Afman has resigned..."
Well, he was also a member of the runaway army. When Ronald looked at the pale-faced bank employee, he knew that he was also an unlucky guy whose boss had hidden the truth.
Seeing him about to cry, Ronald came up with a joke, "I'll show you the way. When Kerkorian sold MGM to you, he did a lot of tricks. Now you find out
I'll probably find trouble with him.
If he doesn't agree to your terms, you can just...I think it's better to let him buy it back, and you can handle it yourself...ask him to clean up after himself..."
Ronald waved his hands and sent the people from the bank away. Kerkorian had used the Chinese joint venture to make trouble for him, and now he was returning it so that he could have a taste of the power of the banking industry. These people may not understand business.
But when it comes to reasoning, Kerkorian, a casino tycoon, may not be able to talk to them.
Moreover, Kerkorian is preparing to acquire Chrysler Motors. At this juncture, he will not want his evil deeds of acquiring MGM to be exposed in the media.
…
"Our guest today, hum..."
In the evening, Ronald turned on the TV, and it happened that it was time for Rosie O'Donnell's talk show again. The person she invited today was the person she least wanted to see.
"That's my boyfriend's... um, wife, Nicole Kidman"
"Hahaha, isn't this a little weird..." Nicole Kidman walked out from backstage. She was a fan of her husband Tom Cruise's show, which always felt a little weird.
But now Tom Cruise's reputation has suffered a heavy blow. The contents of McCall's magazine were circulated before they took action. Now several entertainment magazines in Europe, Germany, China, and Britain have
I reproduced the above content and added some extra details.
If you want to save Tom Cruise's overseas box office appeal, you must appear on this kind of program to restore the impact.
"Hahaha, Rosie is really an interesting person. The last time she asked me to appear on the show, I told her some things about filming with Tom before. She was awkward with me for a long time and even blushed. Does she really love her?
Are you on Tom Cruise?" Diane came over and couldn't stop laughing when she saw the show.
"I don't know. Next time Tom appears on her show, she will probably ask..."
"Tommy can you hear me?"
Tommy can you see me?”
Rosie O'Donnell did not shy away from pressing the button in front of Kidman and played her self-composed "I Love Tommy" song. Kidman laughed so hard that she burst into laughter on the spot. The audience and ratings were both
It's rising sharply.
"Ring ring ring..." Li Sheng, your phone number.
Wang Ma brought the telephone in there.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Richard. Here is an invitation for Commander William and Mrs. Rodham to come to Los Angeles for a fundraising party. Ovitz sent it to you. Do you want to go?"