Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1559 This is the philosophy you came up with yourself
"Welcome... Your and Clarissa's arrival is truly a great honor..."

A week later, Bronfman Jr. and his wife came to Ronald's home. The guests were of high status, including Goldman Sachs COO Paulson, DDH CEO Ed Bastian, Oscar Best Original Score winner Peter Buffett (second son of Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Buffett). There were also many Hollywood stars, such as Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, who had just collaborated with Universal on "12 Monkeys", Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who had just filmed "Apollo 13", and Kevin Costner, who had just finished filming "Waterworld" in Hawaii.

Ronald introduced the Bronfmans to the guests who had already arrived. Seeing that the guests of honor had arrived, Ronald announced the start of the party...

"We have everything here, everyone can do whatever they want. If you have any special requests, please tell Dave, he is the manager of the party company.
However, everyone knows that the purpose of my party is absolutely not related to the upcoming Oscar voting. This kind of canvassing is expressly prohibited by the Academy. The purpose of today is for everyone to reminisce and have fun..."

"Hahaha..." All the Hollywood stars who came laughed. Ronald had a good sense of humor and they didn't have to pretend to be amused by his jokes. Although this party gave them the opportunity to meet real powerful people, it would be too boring if they had to pretend to flatter him like at Redstone's party.

"Haha, I like this party. The alcoholic drinks here are all Seagram's brands..." Bronfman Jr. joked with a smile.

"Hahaha..." Ronald burst into laughter, and the stars next to him seemed to have received instructions and laughed even louder than Ronald's joke just now.

However, when she turned her back, Demi Moore rolled her eyes. Her private gratitude just now was immediately rewarded.

Ronald stopped her with his eyes and winked to signal her not to reveal the truth. Demi was also very smart, and immediately pulled Bronfman Jr.'s second wife, Clarissa, to share parenting experiences with Diane.

Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s love life was probably the most like a classical drama of anyone here.

Don't be fooled by this wife, a white beauty named Clarissa Alcock, who exudes a Latin atmosphere and exudes a Hollywood star style. But she is actually the daughter of a Venezuelan oil executive.

The wife's Catholic faith had a neutralizing effect on the Bronfman family's Jewish ancestry, allowing them to make a gesture in America without being criticized too much.

Bronfman Jr.'s ex-wife, Sheri Brewer, is a genuine Hollywood actress...but she is black.

At that time, Bronfman Jr.'s marriage to her was not blessed by their father. Bronfman Sr. was worried that his grandchildren would be accepted by neither white people nor black people. The two father and son did not speak to each other for a year. In the end, it was Bronfman Sr. who took the initiative to give in and invited his son to work at the family business, Seagram, and they reconciled.

Bronfman Jr. has done very well in his family life. He had three children, a boy and two girls, before he divorced his ex-wife due to personality differences. He also has a little boy with his current wife. According to Catholic customs, he can probably have more children.

It may also be that Bronfman Jr. rebelled against his father on this matter, and coupled with his sense of responsibility towards his family, Bronfman Sr. chose him to inherit the family business.

"I have always been interested in showbiz, and I wanted to be an artist back then. Maybe if I had chosen another path, I would have become a regular at such parties many years earlier."

Bronfman Jr.'s personality was actually a bit like an artist, and he actually yearned for this kind of life. But Ronald had long understood what an actress would do for a role. If Bronfman Jr., a rich kid, had the idea of ​​becoming an artist, I don't know how many actresses would have pestered him if he hadn't been married at the time.

"I don't know about the rest, but if you choose to be a movie actor, the director and the cinematographer will be very happy. Your face shape is a perfect face shape for a natural movie actor, with a good three-dimensional sense, which will save a lot of time when lighting..."

Ronald smiled. Everyone tends to romanticize filming. In fact, most movie actors don't like filming. They often spend hours setting up the lights and only a few minutes filming. Some directors even ask you to act out the scene dozens of times...

Ronald believes that to judge whether a person really likes the art of film or just likes the fame and media attention that movies bring, one just needs to let him stay on the set for three days. Many people cannot stand this kind of boredom.

"Aha, this is very interesting, but my ambition back then..." Bronfman wanted to talk about his glorious past. He didn't have the patience to make movies, but composing music for singers was something he liked.

This kind of composition does not require long-term patience and meticulous repetitive work. All you need to do is drink some alcoholic beverages, or something else to stimulate the Muse to descend. If you are lucky, you can write the main melody of a song in one night. As for other work, such as perfecting the music score and arranging the music, just leave it to professionals.

"It's a profession that requires a lot of talent, much more than making movies..." Ronald complimented. He already knew Bronfman Jr.'s history from his previous investigation, but he pretended not to know. He only said one sentence and then invited Bronfman Jr. to visit his home. "Would you like to see my Oscar trophy?"

"Okay..." Bronfman felt respected. This kind of affirmation of his career invited him to touch and watch. It seemed that Ronald regarded him as one of his own artists.

However, he did not have the opportunity to brag about some of his "great achievements" in front of Ronald, which was a bit imperfect.

"Do parties like this with so many stars gathering together often happen in Hollywood?" Bronfman's wife is a Hollywood movie fan and was very excited about such scenes.

"More or less. There is never a shortage of parties and gatherings of all kinds in Hollywood..." Ronald smiled faintly. Since his wife asked about this, it seemed very likely that Bronfman Jr. had expressed his desire to acquire a major Hollywood studio in front of her.

"But these are not all the guests. We have found a special guest who will arrive later..."

"Ha, then let's go take a look at Ronald's Oscar collection first..." Bronfman Jr. smiled slightly. It seemed that this late guest was the person that Paulson and Ronald really wanted him to meet.

He didn't say anything and went to visit Ronald's trophy collection with his wife.

"This is my little golden statue, mainly for Best Picture, but I'm still missing one... huh?"

Ronald proudly showed his trophy to everyone, but found that Bronfman Jr. was also interested in the platinum record on the wall.

"It was the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing and it set a sales record for a movie album at the time, and I'm very proud of it because it briefly beat MJ's new record."

Seeing this, Ronald began to introduce him to those records. It can be seen that in terms of personal interests, Bronfman Jr. prefers the record industry to Hollywood.

This made the upcoming mysterious guest even more to Bronfman Jr.'s liking. Ronald felt that the information he had obtained was correct and that the preparations this time were indeed very good.

"You see, this is my first Oscar, and it's the one I value the most. It's the result of the lyrics I wrote for the theme song of the movie 'Fame.' I was just a young man, wearing a tuxedo for the first time, attending the Oscars for the first time, and winning the Oscars for the first time."

Ronald emphasized his first Oscar for Best Original Song, which just hit the spot for Bronfman Jr.

"It was also my first time attending a formal occasion with Ronald as his female companion. Oh my God, my clothes were all my own. I felt so innocent..." Diane interjected. She was wearing a white dress at the time, and there was no brand name clothing to lend her for formal wear. She and Ronald looked like a perfect match, as Ronald's tuxedo was a cheap rented item.

"Oh, so romantic..." Bronfman Jr.'s wife also cheered. Latino women are always very excited at such times.

"My husband, Edgar Jr., was also a composer. He has composed music for many popular singers... If he had continued to be an artist, he might have won an Oscar or a Grammy..."

"Oh, really? I think you have an artistic temperament, but I didn't see your signature at the time. Were you using a pseudonym? If we had known each other then, maybe we would have become a songwriting pair..." Ronald was very happy that Bronfman's wife said exactly what he wanted Diane to say, which would help win Bronfman's trust.

"Haha, you really are an expert, Ronald. I do compose music under a pseudonym..." Bronfman Jr. pushed his rimless glasses. Ronald's words put him and himself on the same level as artists. Doesn't this mean that his level is also at the level of an Oscar winner for Best Original Song?

Bronfman Jr. used Junior Myers or Sam Roman as his stage name. The songs he composed were also adopted by many Divas and recorded in records. The most famous one is "Whisper in the Dark" sung by Dionne Warwick. Bronfman Jr. gave the song to Dionne Warwick to thank her for introducing his first wife to him.

"Who knows? Maybe if we had collaborated fifteen years ago, we could have won a Grammy?" Ronald seemed to regret that he had not met his composing partner earlier.

"Ah, yes. This is the profession that requires the most talent. At that time, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross were divas in the industry. If I had worked with you, maybe one of my songs would have been chosen by them." Bronfman Jr. still seemed passionate when talking about the career he was forced to give up.

“Who wrote a song for me?”

Just as Bronfman Jr. said this, Ronald's mysterious guest, the famous singer and actress Barbra Streisand, came in.

"Ah, Barbara, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Edgar Bronfman Jr., the vice president of Seagram. He used to be a composer. If I had found such a good composing partner, I might have become famous a long time ago and could have made a living by writing songs for you..."

Barbara had to shoot her movie "Two-Sided Mirror" and had to take time out to come to Ronald's house for a party. Who knew Ronald would give her a surprise here, meeting a billionaire who was rumored to be entering the entertainment industry.

"Is this the mysterious guest you mentioned?" Bronfman was overjoyed. When he was a composer, Barbra Streisand's songs were very popular. His music style is narrative and gentle, which is particularly suitable for a master like Barbra Streisand to perform.

He had thought that his music would be picked up by Streisand, and he would be able to achieve success in life without having to apologize to his father. Who knew that he would have the opportunity to meet his idol here?

"Barbara, Edgar used to write songs for Dionne Warwick, "Whisper in the Dark", he's very talented..."

"Not only is he very strong, he can write songs for her, so why not for me?" Barbra Streisand looked very happy. "Did Dionne Warwick sign an exclusive songwriting agreement with you?"

Dionne Warwick was the only black female singer who fought back during the British music invasion and topped the British music pop charts. When Barbra Streisand said this, it seemed that Bronfman Jr. was not just a hobbyist, but a truly buried composing genius.

"Edgar was a gentleman. Because of his status, he couldn't work in the songwriting industry for a long time, so he gave the song to Dionne Warwick," Ronald added.

"Wow, what you said makes me regret not meeting you back then, Edgar..." Barbra Streisand hugged the young man warmly and said that if she was not busy with her new movie, she would definitely order one of Bronfman's works now to prepare for her new album.

"I heard from Ronald that you are now planning to be a director and star in a romantic comedy? I wonder if there will be any interludes sung by you in it?" Bronfman Jr. said, not taking it seriously.

"It's a movie about college professors falling in love, but it's not a musical..." Barbra Streisand was sweating. Are you serious? One song is fine, but if you want to take over the creation of all the movie interludes, I'll be in trouble.

As she spoke she glanced at Ronald.

"This is the downside of being a singer and actor. When Barbara releases an album, I feel sorry for her fans that there are no new movies coming out. When she has a new movie, I feel sorry for her fans. Not to mention, now Barbara has another job, which is being a director."

Little Bronfman's doubts were now dispelled. Wouldn't it be more interesting to chat with her former idol singer about her current job than to interview some future management candidate for a new company?

"I always ask the stars in the industry the same question: What do you think is needed to ensure the success of a movie in Hollywood?" Bronfman is now slowly learning some things in the industry.

"Ha, I tell you, the key is not to believe those agents who keep saying that you are the only one they care about. Then, you need to have two Balls down there..."

Barbara criticized Michael Ovitz. This sweet-talking agent did not help her get the same director's salary as Robert Redford. In the end, it was Ronald who helped her change the profit-sharing contract. If her new film sells well, she can get the same salary as Redford. She is also the first female star in the industry to do so.

“Hahahaha, so the secret is not to listen to your agent?” Bronfman laughed.

"No, no, no, I mean don't believe those agents who say they love you the most. Facts will prove that no agent will always love you the most..."

Barbra Streisand complained about the bad behavior of her agents. She told Bronfman that we must consider the issue from the perspective of the film, and that some agents only wanted to put other actors they had signed into their own projects, regardless of whether it was good or bad for art.

In Hollywood, agents who truly care about the performance of their clients' films are rare.

"Is there no agent who really cares about you?" Bronfman pushed his glasses again. This kind of first-hand information was indeed very helpful for him to understand Hollywood.

"Few, very few. For example, my other agent Ron Meyer is okay. He always considers the actors from a long-term perspective. He once persuaded Stallone to take on Beverly Cop. He was the first agent in Hollywood to recognize the value of action comedy. If Sylvester had listened to him, there might not have been any Eddie Murphy... um."

Barbara suddenly realized that this statement was suspected of being racist and stopped talking.

"I understand what you mean, Barbara. A good agent should work hard to make a movie a success, not to cram as many clients into a movie project as possible, even at the cost of affecting the quality of the movie."

"Bingo..." Ronald hid his smile in his heart. This was Bronfman Jr.'s own idea and had nothing to do with me.

"Ahaha, Henry, you're finally here. Let me introduce you, this is Ms. Streisand..."

Finally, Paulson showed up at the right time. He had been hiding behind, but after hearing what Bronfman Jr. said, he finally showed up, shook hands with Streisand, and then turned to serve the client, Bronfman Jr.

He also glanced at Ronald. This man's ability to influence others should not be underestimated.

(End of this chapter)