Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 207 Fast-paced trip to Los Angeles

   "Ronald, nice to meet you."

   "Nice to meet you, Jane."

  Ronald is back in Los Angeles, now in Jane Fonda's big Hollywood house, and a few months later, nothing has changed, except during the daytime, when it's not filled with party guests.

  Jane was wearing a yoga suit, a sweater around her waist, and a headband in her hair. It seemed that she had just finished exercising. Super Red Star is very busy. This time, Ronald was specially invited to talk at home. He didn't know what to say to him.

"I just came back from Squam Lake, New Hampshire, and just finished shooting 'Golden Pond.' Katherine forced me to do the lake jump without a double, which was a challenge for me." Jane Fonda said some shooting first gossip.

   Ronald had no interest in agreeing, but his agent, Nisita, who accompanied him, was very supportive. He seemed to be a movie fan, and he laughed when he heard some interesting stories about Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda.

   "I'm sorry for Director Bridges' decision to rewrite the script, I was filming very hard during this time and didn't have time to think about 'My Brother's Protector'..."

   "It should be called 'her brother's protector' now." Ronald said with a smile.

  Jane Fonda smiled when he heard the complaint in Ronald's words. In fact, there are many such things in Hollywood, and young screenwriters have not yet realized the cruelty of this industry.

   "Rick, please let me and Ronald have a few words alone."

   Agent Rick Nisita stood up and patted Ronald on the shoulder, then walked out of the room, leaving Ronald alone with Jane Fonda.

"Ronald, when this happened, I was filming on location at Golden Pond. I bought the script for my dad on a trip and had Katherine Hepburn in it. Henry's body took off at a speed that everyone could see this year. On the slide, the college has begun considering a lifetime achievement award for him.

   is the consolation award given to movie stars who have not won an Oscar, when they are physically able to attend.

   But I'm not reconciled, Henry deserves an Oscar. That's why I put my heart into filming. I hope to win an Oscar for him, which is his regret.

   Can you understand me? Ronald? "

   Ronald did not expect Jane Fonda to say such a paragraph to him. At New York University, the first old movie he saw was "The Grapes of Wrath" played by Henry Fonda. Thinking that the handsome young boy of the year was also getting old now, Ronald couldn't hate Jane anymore.

He nodded, "I understand you, Jane. In fact, you don't owe me anything for this matter, and I got the money. It also appeared in the New York Times. Several of my screenwriting business and commercial shooting business have also benefited from it. The prestige this script has brought me."

"No, but you lost your most precious chance to become famous." Jane Fonda stood up, "I am an actor, my brother is also an actor, my father is also an actor, I understand the pursuit of an artist. If you could exchange that $350,000 for the opportunity to direct the film, I think you would agree without hesitation."

   Ronald did not speak. Of course, a debut feature can lead a big production in a big studio, who doesn't want to.

"I was busy on set, had a tight schedule, was disrupted by strikes, overruns, and I was so focused on filming. When Bridges called me, I thought he was just treating you Some details of the script have been revised.

   As for some of the other little tricks, I don't know who did it, and I'm not interested in investigating. Hollywood is full of struggles every day, and if you're not used to it, focus on being a screenwriter. "

  Ronald understood what Jane Fonda meant, and there was nothing to complain about. Jane was able to invite him to explain the situation, which is already a model of Hollywood stars sticking to principles. So he said, "I understand, you were filming and didn't know the specifics, and it's a thing of the past."

   "Good boy, I'm really looking forward to seeing your directorial work." Jane smiled and took something from the side.

"This is my picture, for the fans. I heard you say this script was written by your aunt and assigned me to play. You can't appear on the subtitles, she will be very disappointed, I will send one Give her a signed photo so that she can relieve her regrets a little."

  Ronald burst into laughter, it would be funny if Jane knew that Aunt Karen hated her role as the returning soldier's wife, "Well, she'll be happy... Her name is Karen"

  “To Karen,

   Your friend Jane Fonda. "

  Jane signs the photo with a quick-drying pen and wraps it in an envelope. "I have to continue to exercise, the actress's homework."

  Jane turned on the record player, a burst of music played, and several technicians came out from the inside. Start setting up lights and TV cameras.

"This is?"

   "I'm going to make a video about doing aerobic exercise at home. Now the studio alliance is arguing with the Dongying manufacturer. The movie can't be made into a video tape for sale, so they come up with some other content for sale."

   "The yoga mat is right there..."

   Ronald saw that Jane Fonda's schedule was really tight, so he took his autograph and said goodbye and left.

  Nisita greeted him to get into the BMW, "We will meet Mr. Robert Sterwood again in the afternoon. He and Universal have reached some new consensus to see what he thinks of the sequel to 'Grease'."

  Robert Sterwood met them both in pajamas.

  This middle-aged handsome guy now enjoys life every day at work, and takes care of his business by the way.

   "Andy Gibb let me down. All three of his BeeGees older brothers are in moderation, but he's lost in Hollywood's bonanza."

  Ronald knew that Sterwood was talking about Andy's drug abuse and being sent to the Rehabilitation Center, but in a room full of handsome men and women, Sterwood seemed a little funny.

  Stwood didn't notice Ronald's attitude at all, and continued, "Universal's Simberg did me a big favor, he bought the entire project after Paramount pulled out. So he has a say in the protagonist.

   But that's actually a good thing. Um, are you right? Ronald. "

  The air-conditioning in the mansion was on, and cool-dressed handsome men brought Sternwood cocktails. Another beauty also gave Ronald and Nisita a glass each.

   "Do you mean Timothy Hutton? Mr. Sterwood," Ronald asked.

   "You, you are very business-minded." Sterwood pointed to Ronald's nose and said to his agent, Nisita, "Rick, you signed a very promising client."

"Of course, Ronald was my first screenwriting client, and he was the best." Nisita raised his cocktail and expressed his full approval, completely ignoring that he was acting casually on Ovitz's screenwriting-first strategy. Signed Ronald.

"Timothy is going to be the next golden boy in Hollywood. We're lucky." Sterwood drank his cocktail. "His agent is all over the place for him, Timothy is going to parties, next year. The Golden Globes must have his share, and the Oscars are also going to nominate him for Best Supporting Actor, which I think is very hopeful."

   "Isn't he the protagonist?" Ronald asked suspiciously, "Isn't the story in ordinary people revolving around a young man who survived a sailing accident and lost his brother unexpectedly, how to reconcile with his parents?"

  Stwood clipped a large cigar and pointed at Nisita, motioning for Nisita to explain.

"Oscars aren't all about acting, Ronald. Next year's Oscar nominations are very intense, with your teacher Scorsese's 'Raging Bull' actor Robert De Niro. Although United Arts has no money for PR, but De Niro's Italian-American identity makes Hollywood's Italian-Americans public relations for him, including Sly and Stallone.

   There is also veteran British Shakespeare actor Peter O'Toole, who has been nominated for Best Actor for the fifth time.

   Other competitors are Jack Lemmon, Robert Duvall. Timothy Hutton has no chance of winning even if he is nominated. It is better to switch to Best Supporting Actor. The chance is much better. "

"Will the famous Barry Miller also be nominated?" Ronald thought of the famous actor who was slapped by director Alan Parker and unexpectedly performed a good crying scene . He also wanted to date Maureen Tiffie, the director's girl.

   "It's also bad at MGM, I hear they've been reduced to releasing a movie for two Israelis." Sterwood took over.

   "Nobody's doing PR for Barry Miller, maybe he won't even get a Golden Globe nomination, let alone an Oscar."

   Ronald was silent.

There is an old saying in Hollywood, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." What happened to him and Barry Miller recently made Ronald understand the meaning of this sentence. .

   "Do you really have no hope of being nominated for an Oscar by being famous all over the world?" After a while of silence, Ronald asked this question. To be honest, I still fantasized about being nominated because of this movie, and then there are investors willing to try their luck on themselves.

   "There is no hope for the best picture and director. The acting category is also impossible." Sterwood denied the possibility of being famous all over the world and winning the award.

"There's hope for Best Original Song, and that producer Da Silva is jumping up and down to PR for his Latino future star, Erin Carla. Her singing career is booming, and the TV is always on the rise. Play her 'Fame'."

   "Your screenwriting award...well, several strong competitors. If you're particularly lucky...maybe there is hope."

   Ronald shook his head, his luck is best used at the most critical time. Compared with the best original song, he hopes that his screenwriter will be shortlisted.

   "Anyway, the Vietnam War, demonstrations, and debates have to be deleted." Sterwood said back to the topic.

"The overall temperament of the script is still in the 1950s, the upward atmosphere of the post-war golden age. Grasp the optimism, the low unemployment rate, the many jobs, and the blue-collar jobs that can afford a house and support a wife and a family. This was America's golden age, and it's one that people who are now living in a recession miss."

  Ronald nodded, Universal hopes to make a song and dance film with a similar temperament to the original "Grease". The formula for success should not be changed. In the 1950s, old-fashioned song and dance, young people, male and female protagonists belonging to different gangs love.

   "As soon as possible, Ronald." Nisita sent Ronald back to CAA. "Timothy Hutton's agent also offered to see the revised script."

   "I see." Ronald frowned, why would anyone want to make some comments on the script. Why don't you put the camera, how the director arranges it, how do you raise the tape recorder to give advice, just to the screenwriter.

   Do they think they can type and read scripts, so they have the illusion that they can write scripts themselves?

   "Ronald, here's an offer to revise the script, would you like to see it?" Richard, the main agent, was waiting for him in the office. Seeing that he and Nisita were back, he handed over a document.

   "Revision? What about the original screenwriter?"

"It's a youth drama adapted from a novel. The original screenwriter is the author of the original novel. Universal agreed to release their film, but the producers were not satisfied with the script. They thought the novel was well written, but the author was not very good at writing scripts. Looking for a veteran to fix it."

   Ronald frowned and refused to take the document.

   Again, I feel that the screenwriter can’t do it, and I want to intervene myself. If you don't know how to write it yourself, ask a screenwriter to change it according to their ideas. How sad the original author is.

   "I don't want to pick it up, why didn't they have a good discussion with the author? I always feel that the author's writing is not good, and the screenwriter should get more respect."

  Richard rubbed his hands together, "Ronald, the filmmakers agreed to you because they were very optimistic about your fame. This is also the first offer I found for you, so let's take a look."

   "Okay." Ronald likes Richard as an agent. He doesn't have other interests like other agents. He is always on his side.

   "But I have a condition."

   "You said." Richard was pleased.

   "I want to meet the author. If he agrees with me to join and revise his 'baby', I will. I don't want what happened to me to happen to other screenwriters."

   "This is no problem. The production company talked to the author, and the author also felt that his script writing ability was insufficient. He proposed it himself. I will arrange for you to meet."

   "Okay", Ronald looked down at the synopsis of the script, which has a very long and strange name:

   "Fast Timesat Ridgemont High"

   "FastTimesatRidgemontHigh", Chinese is generally translated as "open American school"

   (end of this chapter)