Exploiting Hollywood 1980

David Geffen's call came through, "Ronald, are you still in Los Angeles? I have something important and want to interview you..."

"Mr. Geffen, do you want to buy back Andy Warhol's paintings from me?" Ronald had no good impression of this Jewish profiteer. Initially, he was asked to buy back "arts" that could not be sold at charity auctions.

"Hey, there is no unconditional return in the art business. That thing has a lot of room for appreciation. Just keep it. Look how many times the value of Van Gogh's paintings has appreciated after his death... Wait, I'm not looking for you because of this. This is a big deal in Hollywood. We urgently need your help, Ronald. Without your participation, the blacklisting in Hollywood will come back, and you don't want the discrimination in Hollywood to come back. , all future films will be reviewed by the ethics committee..."

"How can it be the same? Andy Warhol doesn't call it a painting, it's a silk screen printing." Ronald cursed this profiteer in his heart, but he was curious about what kind of discrimination, and it was like McCarthy. Senator, want to interfere with free creation?

"What's the big deal?"

"You're in Los Angeles. I'll ask the driver to pick you up. We'll be at the Four Seasons Hotel..." Geffen hung up the phone after saying that.

"What? I didn't agree. These powerful people all have one thing in common, they always have a very big ego..."

After listening to Ronald's story, Diane persuaded Ronald to go and meet him. The big reason for the failure of the Oscar this time was that Ronald's friends were not broad enough. He liked to associate with geniuses like Cameron. , and are always impatient with those who have insufficient IQ or ability.

"I'll go see him and come back..." Ronald followed the advice and took the limousine sent by Geffen to the Four Seasons Hotel.

"This is Bruce Vilanch, script writer for the Academy Awards show...you already know this, Alan Carr..."

As soon as David Geffen saw Ronald coming, he immediately introduced him to two pale-faced people sitting in the room. Vilanci was a bit obese, and Alan Carr (Oscar's producer) still looked half-dead. When he saw Ronald coming, he stood up and said hello.

"The witch-hunting movement in Hollywood in the 1950s has begun again. We want your support to express your views publicly and support Allen's Oscar ceremony..." David Geffen came up and made a request.

"What?" Ronald was confused and looked at the pile of newspapers pointed by Geffen on the table. He picked them up and looked at them one by one.

Just like film critics, there are drama critics for TV shows. The Oscars party received a lot of malicious comments in the newspapers.

"ABC's Oscars broadcast was surprisingly lacking in magic. It was old-fashioned and completely lifeless compared to last month's Grammy Awards." This is the review of the Los Angeles Times.

Ronald actually agreed with this statement and asked Snow White to sing and dance. This kind of performance might have been popular with people fifty years ago.

"This Oscar ceremony should always be included in the history of Oscar embarrassment. The performance was chaotic and left the audience with no confidence in the future of Hollywood."

Ronald also agreed with this. In the segment where the new star performs, the singing and dancing are still the routines of Hollywood musicals from thirty years ago.

"The 61st Academy Awards were an unprecedented event, with audiences in 91 different countries, including entering the Soviet Union for broadcast, but the result was an unprecedented failure in television broadcast. We gave them a circus."

Although these words are harsh, they also have elements of truth, especially Alan Carr's ingenuity of not being the host, which is indeed like a disaster.

"No one said anything nice?" Ronald realized something was wrong. Even if his movie is released and criticized by film critics, it is impossible for all reports to be negative...

"This is an attack on us... We need to unite and make our voices heard." David Geffen put his arm around Ronald's shoulders and made a fist with his other hand to encourage him. The other two parties present, He also said excitedly that as long as Ronald leads them to do it, he will risk his life.

"What, what us? What does my relationship have to do with you?" Ronald was confused. Why are you and the two people who run the Oscars show in the same camp? Anti-Semitic? It’s impossible, David Geffen is Jewish.

"Yes, Ronald, we need to make a voice for those of us who are sexual minorities. I heard that many conservatives have begun to join forces in private to issue an open letter against us..." Geffen's face showed an excited expression, his cheekbones There are two groups of pink color on it.

"What a minority... ow!"

Ronald looked at the two losers who made Oscars, and suddenly discovered a truth in their eyes. These two people, like Geffen, are people of different orientations.

"I'm not, I didn't, where did you hear that?" Ronald was so frightened that he jumped two meters away with a snarl like a tom cat with its fur exploded.

"No, didn't you actively speak out for the AIDS march? You also participated in the charity evening." David Geffen was also surprised. How could this be possible? Everyone in the entire Hollywood "circle" knows that you are extremely friendly to us.

"No, how could you think I was..."

"No, you used the late photographer James Crabbe in The Karate Kid, he is...ah. And you gave Emil Adorino a chance to be a fledgling director, a director of a multi-million-dollar production...don't tell me there's nothing between you...Jennifer Grey's father, the heroine you used in Dirty Dancing, told me..."

"Don't come over...don't come over" Ronald felt that there was a huge misunderstanding, "This doesn't mean I am? I obviously like pretty girls..."

"Well, it's nothing, even if you are not, we are very grateful for your support for our minority group, you are one of the few directors and producers who do not discriminate against us." David Geffen admitted that they had misunderstood, but still invited Ronald to sign their open letter, not as one of them, but as a sympathizer...

In fact, many of them are still not brave enough, not everyone can come out of the closet, even Geffen, he mistakenly thought he had a terminal illness, so he made his sexual orientation public.

"Well... I'm not convenient to sign this open letter, but I won't sign the other party's open letter either. If you want the director to sign, go find Emil Adorino..."

Ronald called Emil Adorino, and he agreed to come over to discuss...

David Geffen sent Ronald to the door and apologized to him again for making a mistake, "Actually, didn't you try the other direction?... Many people wake up at a certain age. I was in love with Cher before, and I didn't know myself well enough... I thought I was bidirectional... Okay, okay, I won't say anything. Anyway, thank you for your kindness to those of us who are discriminated against..."

"You said so well, buy back Warhol's paintings?" Ronald felt that what happened today was too funny.

David Geffen's words were indeed not groundless. In the next few days, Hollywood was full of various rumors.

Some people say that the reason why Snow White chose an unknown actor and put on such makeup is to imply that she is actually a man in cross-dressing. The special arrangement of Hollywood's most "handsome" actor Rob Laurie to dance with Snow White is a suggestive declaration.

And the performance of the Hollywood rising star was originally adapted from the performance of the 54 Club in New York, full of minority meanings and hints.

The general feeling of Hollywood people is that this kind of thing is too outrageous. A producer who publicly expressed his sexual orientation and a screenwriter who publicly expressed his sexual orientation, for the sake of their group, took advantage of the issue out of selfishness.

"Ronald, we want to write an open letter to oppose this behavior. Are you interested in signing it? I have experienced the screenwriter blacklist in the 1950s. Hollywood is constrained by the values ​​of various audiences. Any radical and extreme excitement that wants to destroy this consistent value will tighten the free creative space that Hollywood can have now. We can't let it go."

The leader of the opposition is also a big boss, Gregory Peck. He and Ronald had visited the other side of the Pacific together, and he admired this rising star, so he wanted to bring him into the group and hand over the banner of the correct power of Hollywood to him.

"When I was young, I opposed discrimination against Chinese, blacks, and Jews (he also starred in the movie "Gentleman's Agreement" which opposed discrimination against Jews). But this approach of going against mainstream values ​​will only lead to the division of the audience and have a strong negative effect on our business. I have experienced that era and I know this very well."

Gregory Peck explained to Ronald that opposing discrimination does not mean supporting the values ​​of a minority and promoting them through mass media such as movies. It means not discriminating against their behavior that does not hinder others.

Those who stood on his side were all big names who were famous at the time. In addition to him, there were Paul Newman, Julie Andrews (the heroine of The Sound of Music), and Oscar winners for best director, Billy Wilder and Joseph Mankiewicz, a total of 19 Hollywood "social elites"...

However, these "social elites" are too old and no longer have any real influence. Ronald had promised Geffen in advance, so he made an excuse that his company's contracted director Emil Adorino was also a minority and it was inconvenient for him to sign.

"Mr. Peck, although I agree with your point of view, I can't hurt the heart of my contracted director. But don't worry, I am not convenient to sign this open letter, but I will not sign the other party's open letter either."

"Okay, I understand, you are a real gentleman. There are very few people in Hollywood now who uphold this demeanor." Gregory Peck chatted with Ronald for a few more words, and then went to find other people to sign.

The matter became more and more serious, and Hollywood stars with a little fame were asked to stand in line. Ronald's agent Niceta had to go back to deal with this matter. He didn't want his client to participate in this fierce statement from both sides, so he went to negotiate with Ovitz.

Ovitz himself was also very troubled. He had both real clients with different orientations and those who hated them deeply. How to choose to get the most benefits?

In the end, it was another identity, the Jewish ethnicity, that played a role. Ovitz accepted a written interview with the media, defending Allen Carr and others, saying that their award ceremony was a performance that truly respected Hollywood traditions and "brought acting back to the film industry."

This statement angered the older generation headed by Gregory Peck, and their words became very intense.

"Everything that happened at this awards ceremony is an insult to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Technology and the entire film industry."

These old-generation famous directors and actors are all people who believe in the morality of early white Puritans in America. Both Peck, who leans to the left, and Paul Newman, who leans to the right, feel very disgusted.

Snow White is a classic image in Hollywood. Being used to make very embarrassing hints like this is a great offense to the foundation of Hollywood and the audience group. If you want to promote that your group is not a monster, don't drag down the assets accumulated by Hollywood's efforts over the past 80 years.

The upgraded open letter also caused the other side's anger to escalate. David Geffen also accepted an interview with the media. He completely denied the accusation, believing that this was a witch hunt and a resurgence of the persecution of minorities by McCarthyism in the 1950s, which was very irrational hoophobicism.

A counter-open letter was also being prepared. He planned to use Montgomery Clift, a star who died young due to discrimination in Hollywood because of his minority orientation, as a representative of persecution, and to disclose the real reason for his alcoholism later in his fightback.

Things gradually got out of control. What was originally just a hint that was understood by insiders has now become gossip for public discussion.

The most seriously injured is Disney's image of Snow White. Michael Eisner, the helmsman, decided to take action.

"The Walt Disney Company filed a lawsuit against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for improper use of the image of Snow White. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, including "copyright infringement, unfair competition and damage to business reputation." "

Disney's legal department took action.

Now, David Geffen had to give up. Their planned counterattack also became a bubble. Now it is not a fight between discrimination and anti-discrimination, but the most important thing in Hollywood - money!

Opposing discrimination is one thing, but hindering the biggest animation company in Hollywood from making money, making one of their most famous animation characters devalued, and making the peripheral dolls no longer sellable, that is another matter.

And Eisner is also Jewish, so the race card has expired. Geffen wanted to resist again, but the attitude of the Academy was completely His delusion was shattered.

Richard Kahn, president of the Academy, saw that things were not going well and immediately apologized to Disney. He also stated that the Academy had no intention of disrespecting Snow White.

Allen Carr was immediately fired, and the three-year contract he signed with him to produce the awards ceremony was canceled. The contract of scriptwriter Bruce Vilanch was also canceled.

Erin Bowman, the actress who played Snow White, was ordered to keep silent and was not allowed to talk about any details of the awards ceremony or accept interviews, otherwise she would face a high fine.

"So, are they really going to make a different version of Snow White?" Ronald looked at the unexpected trend of events in the newspaper and asked Richard.

Are those rumors true? Are they really so stupid?

"Yes, Erin Bowman said that producer Allen Carr told him that this dance is a coming-of-age ceremony for people of different orientations."

"Uh..." Ronald felt a little physically uncomfortable. He didn't feel this way when he watched it on the spot. Now that he was reminded, it was true...

"How dare they do this? Disney is not easy to deal with..."

"Actually, they got the lawyer's consent, because the image of Snow White has passed the copyright protection period, and they also deliberately avoided the costumes and accessories of Snow White in the cartoon. "

"But Disney is Disney..." Ronald has seen the ability of Disney's copyright lawyers.

"Fortunately, I didn't sign, and Emil Adolino didn't have time to sign..." Ronald just felt that his director was lucky not to be involved in this big trouble. In the future, he must pay special attention to this aspect. Which side he leans towards will cause disgust to the other side.

"I think this performance doesn't have so many meanings. It's just an ordinary tribute to Snow White. I don't think playing her boyfriend is an offense to this classic image..."

On TV, Rob Lowe, who played Snow White's boyfriend, was interviewed. He was a relatively innocent person who was involved for no reason. Performing at the Oscars was considered by his agent as a good opportunity to return to the mainstream film industry. Who knows...

"It's stupid to be interviewed now..." Ronald said as he looked at the "beautiful boy" of the boy gang on TV.