Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 819 Platinum Records

  Two weeks after the official release of the film, the "Dancing Hot" soundtrack has sold 1 million copies. New CDs sell for $14.99, vintage CDs for $9.99, and come with a movie poster.

   Of all the songs, only the theme song "The Time of My Life" and "She's Like the Wind" composed and sung by Patrick Schwytz were newly created specifically for the film. The other ten songs are old songs from the 1950s, and the copyright of the singer was bought out at a cheap price.

  RCA Records, calculated the retail data, the profits are very rich, the record factory is working overtime, the retail shipment is still fast, and Ronald's book income is rising every minute.

  RCA's vice president responsible for the release of this record has also become the most proud person in the company. When other old-fashioned singers suffered huge losses in their new albums, they did not expect such an album of ancient dance music to give RCA the most successful album in the past two years.

   They kindly invited Ronald to their headquarters in Manhattan, New York, to discuss further cooperation arrangements, and to celebrate the album's sales reaching the standard of platinum albums - 1 million copies sold in the United States.

  Ronald wanted a good rest and didn't want to saddle his horse across America. However, the other party was very sincere and put forward two conditions.

   First, RCA flew all the company's private jets to pick up Ronald. Second, the share of the first stage will be settled immediately.

   Getting on the Gulfstream III private business jet of RCA Company, Ronald felt that the height of the cabin was a little insufficient, and he had to bend down when getting on the plane, otherwise he would hit the ceiling. Still, it feels fine when seated in the plush custom leather seats.

  The pilot is a retired Navy, and seeing that today's passenger is Ronald, salutes him immediately. According to him, after the release of "Top Gun", the profession of pilot, which was previously unknown, has no advantage in picking up girls now. As long as you wear a uniform to the bar, you are the most popular group of people.

  The flight attendant, a beautiful woman, came over and put a light blanket on Ronald and asked him what he wanted to drink.

"Let's have a glass of liqueur." Ronald has been very busy recently. After getting on the plane, he sat in a large and soft special seat. After the plane took off, it quickly reached the stratosphere. A special kind of slight noise made him feel relaxed. .

  The flight attendant is very professional. After handing Ronald a glass of botrytis liqueur, he did not take the opportunity to chat with Ronald, but stepped aside. After drinking the sweet wine, Ronald suddenly fell asleep in a noise much smaller than that of a civil airliner.

   On the black screen, a light suddenly appeared. Ronald felt like he had flown over Manhattan, New York.

  The Statue of Liberty is passing by, and a yellow ferry from Staten Island can be seen on the sea, heading for Manhattan.

  The sparkling sea reflects the light of the rising sun, and the twin towers of the World Trade Center on the opposite side are shining in the rising sun, as if covered with a golden coat. The small island of Manhattan, where the financial center is located, looks so vibrant in the morning.

  The angle of view begins to drop, approaching the yellow Staten Island ferry. Although the ferry looks a bit shabby, the deck appearance is very clean, cutting through the waves, heading towards Wall Street represented by the World Trade Building.

  Ronald felt that this shot seemed to represent thousands of ambitious young people in America, working hard in this city full of opportunities and hard work.

"I was on this ship back then, and Aunt Karen embezzled the money from the housing loan to see a doctor for herself." Ronald thought, he was also on the ferry, looking at the twin towers of the World Trade Center, and his heart was full of dream.

   "Manhattan, Manhattan..." Ronald muttered to himself. This is the heart of America's capital machine, the blood of industry. How many young people wanted to squeeze in, and how many were drained and thrown out.

   "Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee..."

   Ronald was woken up by the flight attendant, "Hey? Are you at JFK Airport?"

The stewardess gave a crisp smile, "We are a business jet, so we can land directly at Tateboro Airport and go closer to Manhattan. RCA has already arranged a limousine for you, and you can arrive at the RCA headquarters in an hour. ."

  Ronald rubbed his eyes. Sleeping on a business jet is still much more comfortable than a commercial flight.

   After chatting with the flight attendant for a while, he found out that Teterboro Airport is a private airport dedicated to business jets. Although it is in New Jersey, it is managed by the New York Port Authority. It is closer to the center of Manhattan than three international airports such as JFK.

In addition, the flight height of business jets is higher, the cabin space is small, the cabin can be pressurized more, and the rear engine noise is smaller. Passengers feel much more comfortable than large commercial aircraft, and the quality of rest is also required. Much better than first class on a commercial flight.

  Ronald did not feel any symptoms of long-haul flights, such as flatulence in his ears, congestion in his limbs, and backache caused by poor sleeping posture. When I woke up in New York in the morning, I felt refreshed. It's much happier than the protagonist in the movie I dreamed of when I went to Cannes before.

   But what movie did I dream of when I took the business jet this time? It seems like a story about Wall Street.

  Ronald stretched himself, as if he often dreamed of movies when he was on a plane. I don't know why?

   "No wonder Wall Street bankers like private jets," Ronald said to his personal accountant, Lawrence Wang, over a cup of coffee when he was in the limousine to pick him up.

   "Among the clients I serve, you are the only one who has such experience", Lawrence replied to Ronald with a smile.

   "Hahaha..." Ronald smiled and put his arm around his shoulder. He started as a nobody and let him take care of his accounting work. Lawrence's loyalty is unquestionable, but after all, his experience and ability are limited. I am thinking of finding a more professional accounting firm to take care of business problems, and I am also recruiting a new accounting department in the company.

  Lawrence will take care of his personal business in the future, and some matters involving privacy should give him more peace of mind.

The luxury car drove into RCA's headquarters. In the large conference room, all the senior managers and the team in charge of Ronald's "Spicy Dancing" project were all waiting in line, standing up as soon as Ronald came in. applaud.

   "Ronald, congratulations." Mr. Vice President took the just-opened champagne and handed it to Ronald.

   "Congratulations to us." Ronald nodded slightly, pretending to be reserved, then toasted everyone, "Congratulations!"

   "Coax", everyone present began to burst out a burst of happy shouts from the heart.

   "The certification of platinum albums will take some time. We plan to use the results at that time to report to the RIAA once again by the end of the year. It may be five platinum by then."

   The vice president listened to Ronald asked when he could get the certification medal of platinum record, and explained it to him.

   "If you are free now, come to my office." The vice president put down his glass and invited Ronald to his office. There are many large and small cardboard boxes being packed inside. He has achieved great success with "Spicy Dancing" and is about to move to a larger office.

   "This is the first 1 million sales report, please have a look at your accountant."

   Ronald took the document from the vice president and handed it to Lawrence. He went on to ask the VP, "Are there any signs of a slowdown in the sales figures?"

"On the contrary, the speed of shipment is still accelerating." The vice president is very satisfied, "This is also the main purpose of my invitation this time. We can form a strategic alliance with Daydream in the future. The creation of the interlude and the release of the original soundtrack can all be handled by us at RCA.”

   "Are you so confident in my movie?" Ronald replied with a smile.

"I can see it, Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, they are all out of breath. Now the music tastes of young Americans are changing rapidly, new wave music is sweeping the music world, and we do not know Who will be the next MJ.

   Rather than gamble on luck, form an alliance with a movie connoisseur like you. Records and movies, after all, are two commodities that are closely linked and marketed to each other. Within RCA, I stick to this path, and as long as our cooperation continues this path, I will have more say. "

   "That's a good idea." Ronald thought for a while. The veteran singers signed by RCA are out of breath. Now is the time to rely on himself. The vice president also hopes to take this opportunity to take the position. Now it is the most appropriate to negotiate the conditions.

   "Where do we start?" the VP asked.

"My other film, 'Love Is Not For Sale', as a producer, uses the Beatles songs licensed by MJ as the title. If you can get his copyright, you might as well get the soundtrack from that film. Start," Ronald said.

"The copyright of the Beatles is not cheap, but I will buy it. This is a manifestation of our sincerity in cooperation." The vice president is not very optimistic that the soundtrack record of this movie can make money, but the record is good, most of them are good to keep the capital. , to make money or rely on 'hot body dance' such a hot record. One top ten.

   "Happy cooperation, Bob." Ronald extended his hand happily.

   "Happy cooperation, Ronald." The vice president named Bob Bouziac also stretched out his hand and shook it with Ronald.

   Everyone decides the direction, and the next details are drawn up by professional people, and the terms are reviewed by their respective lawyer teams. The next time we meet, it is time to sign the contract.

   "Ronald", Lawrence over there read the report and came over and told Ronald that there was no major problem.

   "Bob?" Ronald gestured to the vice president.

   "Hahaha, I asked our financial manager to come in."

   "Oh oh..." Ronald got the check he deserved for his first platinum record and played it. Citibank's checks were very scratchy and made a crisp sound.

   went to Wells Fargo with Lawrence, cashed the check, and Ronald went to stay at the Waldorf Astoria.

  Waldorf is an old-fashioned hotel. There is a large wine cabinet in the room, which holds a whole bottle of Jack Daniels whisky.

   Ronald took a bottle, added some home-brewed honey that Walter Murch had brought with him, and celebrated by himself.

   After drinking two drinks, Ronald, who felt a little lonely, began to think about who to call and share his happiness.

   "ring bell ring", the phone rang by itself.

   "Hello, Ronald." Taking off the receiver and hanging it around his neck, Ronald thought, who knew he was here? It happened to be called over for a drink.

   "Sir, I'm the concierge of the hotel, do you have any special needs? I can arrange it for you."

   A shrill voice came. Ronald had been drinking a lot today, and the voice felt a little familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was.

   "I didn't know your hotel had this kind of service." Ronald has stayed in many high-end hotels, and few people from the concierge will come uninvited.

   "Yes, we have everything here. And the former mistress of President Hairkuni, the former secretary of the Prime Minister of Japan..."

   "Are there any ethnic minorities in America, such as black people?" Ronald listened, and gradually recognized the owner of the voice. This is another call to make fun of himself.

   "Yes, yes, there are also black beauties." The other party obviously did not expect Ronald to say this.

   "Is it someone I know?"

   "Yes, her name is Diana."

   "Not DirtyDiana? MJ."

   "Hahahaha..." Michael Jackson on the other side of the phone grinned when Ronald recognized him.

   "I'm at RCA today, and Diana Ross is their signed singer, right?"

   "Hahaha, yes." There is a song on MJ's new album called "DirtyDiana", and many people think that the song, Diana in the title, is Diana Ross.

   "Have you seen today's rankings?" MJ continued to say to Ronald triumphantly.

   "I haven't watched it yet. The last time I checked, the theme song of "The Time of My Life" was still number one." Ronald vaguely knew the reason why MJ called.

   "Hahaha, then you're out of date, my new song 'I Just Can't Stop Loving You' is already number one."

  MJ's record promotion strategy is different, releasing records first, and then putting each single on the radio and TV charts a lot. His first chart-topping song, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" with singer Cedar Garrett, knocked Ronald's song out of the chart.

   "Oh, you're still amazing. I thought 'the time of my life' would last another week."

   "Hahaha, seriously, I've listened to your record, and it's full of classic songs, but now the audience's tastes have changed, they now like new pops that combine a variety of styles..."

   "I take your comments on music as truth." Ronald thinks MJ is really a very interesting person, sometimes innocent like a child. Knowing that his song knocked Ronald's off the top of the chart, he called to show it off, much like a child who got a fun toy and showed it off in front of his peers.

"Seriously, my cousin and I are your big fans. Is it convenient to give her a signed poster and signed album?" Ronald and MJ chatted about music for a while, remembering that Donna also likes MJ's music, So I asked for a signature.

   "No problem, but I'm about to start my new album tour around the world, and I'll have Dario hand it over to you when I get it done."

   "Oh, your new album is going on a global tour?" Ronald heard that the other party was going on a global promotion tour and knew it was very tiring.

   "Hahaha, amazing, right? I'm going to Tokyo next month, from Tokyo to Osaka. I'm going to have five shows there. The fans there like me very much."

   "Really? I'm also going to Dongying next month. My "Dancing Hot" is going to be shown there. Some old friends want to meet. I may be able to go to your live show then."

"Really? Then I'll give you a shot and let Dario contact you." MJ learned that Ronald was his fan, and the more he talked, the happier he was, and asked the manager to take care of Ronald to see the show thing.

   "That's it, I went to Dongying to see MJ's live performance. You and my agent can arrange the time and the number of performances."

   Ronald and MJ's manager Dario talked on the phone for a while, and then said goodbye to MJ.

  It was a situation where he was drinking alone again. Ronald didn't want to make fun of himself like this anymore, so he changed his clothes and prepared to go to the bar to have a look.

   "Ronald, I'm here to find you..."

   As soon as he opened the door, a woman with a beautiful face and an exploding figure was standing at the door of his room, ready to knock on the door.

   "Who are you?" Ronald looked at her with a familiar face.

   "I'm Cassandra, Cassandra Peterson" the woman said eagerly, she was wearing a white shirt, suit pants, and medium heels. Dressed like a decent professional woman.

   "We met in Cannes, do you remember?"

   "Oh..." Ronald suddenly realized, the actress who called Minahan Golan a liar at the Cannes Film Festival. At that time, she was wearing black revealing clothes and heavy makeup, which was completely two extremes from today's somewhat pure female image, no wonder she didn't recognize it.

   "Do you have anything to do with me?" Ronald closed the door, not wanting to cause misunderstanding.

"I pitched a script for your company, do you remember? But your script assistant replied that my film investment was too high to consider. So I came to you, you are an artist who can see the potential of my script of."

   Cassandra Peterson handed over a script.

   "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark", Ronald didn't answer and looked at the cover.

   "Are you a producer?"

   "The heroine, but I've been involved in the production of a lot of movies." Cassandra Peterson replied that she had been preparing this script for a long time, but she had not been able to get enough investment. She could see that the script was suitable for her, so she never gave up.

   "You don't mind if we go to the bar, drink and chat?" Ronald still didn't accept the script, he didn't sign the script, he couldn't touch it.

   "Of course, of course." Cassandra Peterson, who ran into walls everywhere, finally met a big man who didn't immediately refuse.

  The two took the elevator to the executive lounge on the top floor, ordered drinks and sat down.

  Cassandra Peterson handed over a signed waiver of copyright, and Ronald took the script and read it after accepting it.

"Forehead…"

   Ronald hastily finished the pages, wondering why his script assistant, David Simkins, didn't like it.

  The story is full of Roger Coleman-esque B-movie bad taste. The main character, Elvira, is a low-budget TV horror show host based in Las Vegas. He lost his job and the opportunity to open his own show in Las Vegas because he rejected the producer's fuss.

  Her aunt passed away, leaving a small town mansion as a legacy to Avella.

  There are many interesting monsters in the mansion, because she wanted to bring some different experiences to young people, but they conflicted. The adults in town were disgusted by her dress, her tone of voice, everything about her, especially her sexual innuendo. Think she's the devil's advocate.

   In the end, Avella found that there was indeed black magic in the town, and it was true that her uncle deliberately led her to the town to break the seal in order to obtain black magic.

   Finally the mansion burns down, and Avella sits at the door, once again with nothing. But the people in the town understood her and accepted her as an honorary citizen of the town.

   Finally, the lawyer sent the materials, and her uncle's estate belonged to her. Avella finally got the opportunity to open her own live show in Las Vegas.

  The script is still very good, the rhythm is tight, Ronald also believes that some audiences like to watch this type of film. But such a B-level movie that even ends with a dream of opening an adult show in Las Vegas is destined to not be liked by mainstream audiences.

  If the budget is only 1 million, Ronald believes that Simkins will definitely recommend it. However, Cassandra Peterson gave the film a budget of $7 million. Ronald felt the risk was too great.

"I don't want to lie to you, Cassandra. If the movie only cost 1 million, no, even 1.5 million, I could sign you on the spot. But the $7 million budget is clearly beyond my company's budget. Production capacity. You know, our daydream isn't profitable yet."

   "Well, I'm still thinking you can invest. Or, can you recommend me to other companies that are willing to invest?"

   "Well... let me think about it before replying to you." Ronald felt that this idea might be successful. If he could get other people to invest together, he might be able to share the risk. It was worth a try.

   "Then I'll wait for your news." Cassandra Peterson was very happy.

   "Okay, I'll give you the answer next week at the latest." Ronald stood up and shook her hand. Cassandra Peterson is not dressed as **** as the dress-up photo clipped in the script, but goes in the direction of blandness and hides her majestic figure with a shirt.

  Ronald knew that this person must be the same as Avella in the script, not willing to exchange her body for resources, otherwise, with her beauty, the investment problem will not be too big.

   Sure enough, Cassandra Peterson was very grateful and liked that Ronald treated herself professionally. Thank you again and leave.

   "Um..." Ronald was unsure if this script would make money, so he went back to his room and fell asleep.

  Ronald was using yoga breathing techniques to fall asleep. When he was half asleep, he saw a bright light and a picture appeared. A very eccentric **** woman, who is rude to a cowboy-dressed investor, stomps on his feet with high heels.

"what…"

A scream made Ronald's lower body tighten. This strange woman is Avella played by Cassandra Peterson. Fortunately, she can see it correctly. In life, she is a person who likes others to use a professional attitude. Treated woman.

   "The old lady quit, you go home and find your cow to milk?" Avella yelled. The poor rancher investor was pushed to the ground. Avella accused him of sexual harassment and swearing, which was broadcast live on TV. As a last resort, Avella had to go to her aunt to accept the inheritance.

  The screen is intermittent, Ronald has seen a lot of wonderful performances by Cassandra Peterson. How should I put it, her acting is good, but she is dragged down by some stupid routines in this B-rated film. She should be able to play a better script.

   However, the entertainment of the movie itself is also good. Compared with the films that Michelle Cannold made before that were not released, the quality was several levels higher.

   "Avella, Avella, as long as you come back, the hotel in town will always reserve a room for you."

  The last picture is that Avella was recognized by the residents of the town and got her uncle's inheritance, and she went to Las Vegas to do her own show.

  Cassandra Peterson wore a revealing black cutout with a fringe on her chest, and then, like a stripper, began to dance a special dance, using her waist and hips, her chest and her head up, so that the fringe began to spin.

   "Oh...Shxt!" Ronald was dumbfounded when he saw this. How can such a clean woman like to act in such a low-grade vulgar plot?

   Regardless of Avella in the play and Cassandra Peterson off-screen, they are all characters who are willing to sacrifice for the movie, but not willing to sacrifice in life.

   "Um...um..." It seemed that the energy was too much, the yoga breathing method could not support the picture, Ronald fell into a deep sleep.

   Early the next morning, Ronald got on the plane. While in the sky, he took out his notebook and began to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this "Ecstasy Celestial Master".

  The market for movies is relatively small, but there is a potential market for videotapes. The acting and script are online, but not suitable for the taste of mainstream audiences.

   "Let's find some interested and experienced people to cooperate and try it out." Ronald thought of a countermeasure, closed the notebook, and began to sleep on the private plane again.

   This kind of small Gulfstream plane is really suitable for business travel.

   (end of this chapter)