Beverly Hills, Cooper Family.
Hahahahaha!
"Cheers!"
Clink, clink, clink!
Wine glasses clinked crisply. Except for Joshua, the Cooper Family was all gathered for a family reunion, celebrating overcoming a difficult period.
However, if Joshua were truly here, he would probably have a heart attack from envy.
He only dated two ordinary girls and had his leg broken.
Eric, on the other hand, has already dated five famous actresses. This is the difference; Joshua would definitely regret not entering the entertainment industry back then.
Dad, beaming, said, "Harvey Weinstein actually had the nerve to ask for leniency. What was he thinking?"
"Hehe... That's because he's scared, almost driven mad. I heard that Weinstein Company is considering firing him. To be fired by the company he founded, it's quite amusing," Nicole said with a smile.
"That's normal. The Weinstein Brothers have had conflicts for a long time. Bob handled internal affairs, Harvey external, and in fact, both played a decisive role in the company's development."
"But obviously, most of the glory and benefits were taken by Harvey Weinstein, and Bob has always harbored some resentment."
"Now that the ship is about to sink, of course, he won't go down with Harvey, and those board members all want to kick him while he's down."
Eric took a bite of ostrich meat; it was still as delicious as ever.
He just wondered if his mother-in-law, if she found out that Nicole wasn't Eric's only woman, would stage a scene like Da Lang drinking poison.
"That half-orc, he's a pile of stinking dog shit now. Everyone who sees him is disgusted, and they worry about stepping on him when they walk."
"Michael Eisner even mobilized his connections, hoping to unite The Big Six to pressure the victims, attempting to settle with money."
"But it seems few people are buying it. Did you see Jeffrey Katzenberg's post?"
"I saw it last night. Now that you mention it, I understand. It seems he was referring to Michael Eisner when he said someone wanted to use their power to intercede for Harvey," Theron suddenly realized.
"But it seems Katzenberg doesn't want to give him face. Not only does he not want to, he's publicly slapping him, practically putting Eisner's name out there."
Gadot asked curiously, "Wasn't Katzenberg a great hero at Disney before? I remember he directed The Lion King, so they should be old acquaintances."
On this, the Olsen Sisters, who had always managed the company, had a lot of experience.
"Gadot, would you like your boss?"
Gadot looked at Eric: "You guys know more about that than I do."
"Alright, that's an exception, but employees generally don't like capitalists, and Katzenberg was no different. When he was at Disney, funding, manpower, and projects would all be held up."
"He was considered inferior back then. Now that he's working independently, who would want to be nice to their former boss?"
"Moreover, before DreamWorks handed over its overseas distribution rights to MGM, it was heavily suppressed, and Michael Eisner didn't show any old affection then."
"Katzenberg must have been seething with hatred for a long time."
Dad shook his head slightly: "He can't help Harvey. Weinstein is doomed this time. I've already received news that Disney's amusement park will have problems within a few days."
"The timing is just right now. By then, Michael Eisner won't have the energy to worry about Harvey Weinstein, and he might even kick him while he's down."
"By the way, I noticed MGM's stock price has recovered. This is good news. Did you all buy?"
All five women nodded. The sharp drop in stock price a while ago indeed triggered a frenzy. Many people thought MGM was doomed and were scrambling to sell.
Eric encouraged them to eat as much as they wanted; now was a great opportunity.
And the five women were always very obedient in business matters. Except for Gadot, who didn't have much savings, Eric secretly slipped her a sum.
The wealthiest Olsen Sisters had already acquired 0.7% of the shares.
"Actually, even though the price is relatively high now, you can still continue to buy. In a few days, I expect MGM's stock price to experience a big leap."
"My dear, are you saying that frozen's box office will explode?"
"Exactly, it will be a super big hit. The whole world will be captivated by Princess Elsa."
"You're exaggerating too much. Will it be stronger than shark tale?"
Two months ago, shark tale grossed nearly $430 million, making it the highest-grossing animated film of the year.
Its cost was only around $70 million, truly earning DreamWorks a significant profit.
This film was indeed excellent, but its box office success, far exceeding expectations, was also partly due to The Big Six and MGM clashing, causing many blockbusters to reschedule and allowing DreamWorks to seize the opportunity.
A box office of $430 million was indeed quite impressive, surpassing last year's X-Men 2 and the matrix 3, and on par with Terminator 3, placing it at 7th for the year.
Many people predicted that shark tale would be among the top three animated films this year, and the reason for 'top three' was because there was also DreamWorks' super blockbuster Shrek 2 and Disney's big production The Incredibles.
As for frozen, since its trailer was released, the response hasn't been very good.
To maintain mystery, the trailer certainly couldn't include those high-energy scenes, nor could it feature the classic song "Let It Go."
When audiences and many film critics saw that it was adapted from an Andersen fairy tale, some people's interest was immediately dampened.
The story of "The Snow Queen" was too old-fashioned. Everyone had heard it for decades, and they knew the plot synopsis with their eyes closed, completely lacking any mystery.
In contrast, its competitor, Shrek, took a subversive, anti-trope approach. The first film gave people a refreshing feeling, and everyone loved it.
The Incredibles sounded like it would have great visual effects and action animation, attracting the interest of many teenagers and adults.
In comparison, the anticipation for frozen wasn't built up as strongly.
However, there were also many positive reviews. For example, in the released trailer, audiences unanimously agreed that frozen's visual exquisite-ness completely surpassed all animated films released last year.
Even shark tale, also polished by DreamWorks, had a huge difference in visuals.
After all, the costs were there: one at $70 million, possibly inflated, and the other genuinely invested $180 million.
To create the snowflake effects in frozen, DreamWorks and MGM's technical teams specifically developed over a dozen software and new technologies, bringing innovation to the industry.
This is why film companies are considered technology-driven enterprises.
"Let's wait and see. I want to cool down this hot summer!"
Time came to June 11th, the premiere of frozen.
It was still MGM's strategic partner, ArcLight Cinema, with a long red carpet laid out, extending to the edge of the asphalt road.
Eric arrived at the venue this time with Judy in one car. Perhaps his fake in-laws were watching, so he had to keep up appearances.
He had also clarified their current relationship with the five women.
After learning that Judy was a lesbian and their relationship was merely a pretense, Gadot, though a bit wronged, agreed for the sake of Eric's career.
Not too many celebrities were invited this time; only close friends came to show support, as the storm hadn't completely passed yet.
Under the flashing lights, everyone posed for photos.
Ashley, who voiced Princess Elsa, suddenly frowned. Judy was standing nearby, and associating her with her sexual orientation, she felt a strange sensation.
"Eric, have you seen that photo?" Ryan Reynolds asked mischievously.
"What photo? What celebrity privacy did you get?"
"What are you talking about? I'm a gentleman. I'm talking about the photo of Harvey Weinstein being taken into the police station. He looks like he aged a dozen years, and his hair is all white."
"Then who do you think did it?"
"It must be you, no need to guess!"
"Hehe. This old scoundrel slandered me. I've already submitted the evidence. Michael Eisner dragged it out for a few days, but he couldn't save him."
"I saw the news. Disney California Adventure Park exposed safety hazards and was ordered to close for rectification for a month. Was that also your doing?"
"What do you think? He's lucky; I originally planned for at least three months of rectification."
Ryan Reynolds's mouth twitched. He couldn't do such scheming things; he would be content to be a celebrity for life.
Celine Dion's arrival excited the paparazzi even more.
"Look here, look here, Celine, are you alone? Will Michael, Jenny, and Jay-Z also come?"
Celine Dion smiled and waved, indicating, "I'm not sure about those three, but I'm here on a mission. I sang the theme song."
"Don't leave later; remember to buy tickets to come in and watch, then you'll hear this new song."
Celine Dion, as expected of the Queen of Comedy, had a humorous and easygoing personality, making the paparazzi burst into laughter with just a few words.
"Who is The Voice's champion?"
Celine Dion glanced at the person, seeing The Independent logo.
"No non-film-related interviews today. This is a premiere. Also, I don't know who The Voice's champion is; everything awaits the live broadcast of the finals."
"Is your new song good? Can I get a refund if it's not?" a paparazzo asked.
"Of course it's good. It's excellent, a rare masterpiece. I can tell you now, you must come in and watch the premiere. You will experience an emotion no less than titanic."
These bold words made the paparazzi's eyes light up, and they immediately drafted a headline in their minds: Celine Dion Declares frozen's Theme Song Surpasses "My Heart Will Go On."
Even if she said it was no less than, in the paparazzi's mouths, it would become "surpasses."
"Celine, is it really as great as you say? More classic than 'My Heart Will Go On'?"
"Haha. I know your tricks; you want to trick me, but I won't fall for it."
At this moment, Eric walked over and hugged Celine Dion.
"Thank you for coming, Xi Di."
"This is my job, and if anything, I should be thanking you. Thank you for letting me sing 'Let It Go.'"
Celine Dion's gratitude was heartfelt. When Eric approached her with the song,
she hummed along to the tune once and immediately realized what an excellent work it was.
When the piano accompaniment was added for the second time, she knew she had to secure the rights to sing this song.
Finally, after watching the sample film, when she saw her singing accompanying the animation's progression, the emotion was like returning to 1997, back to that big ship.
Was this song difficult to sing?
Actually, it wasn't that difficult. The main thing was to have a wide vocal range and be able to hit high notes.
Such singers are abundant in the European and American music scene; anyone with suitable physical capabilities and systematic training can achieve it.
One could say it's completely stress-free for anyone from their teens to their fifties or sixties.
And Eric's willingness to entrust such an excellent work to her was like The Voice, a gift from heaven.
Celine Dion had a premonition that The Voice would allow her to rise again, and "Let It Go" would send her back to the peak of the nineties.
As for Eric's creative ability, she truly couldn't comprehend it, only sighing at his genius and simultaneously complaining about God's unfairness.
To give such powerful creative talent to someone without much passion for music felt like a waste, heartbreaking to witness.
Compared to Celine Dion, Eric didn't hesitate much when considering the singer.
Michael's voice was clearly not suitable. "Let It Go" was destined to be sung by a female voice; otherwise, Princess Elsa walking in the snow, about to transform,
with a man's voice as the background music, would be too jarring, making the audience cringe and laugh to death.
Among female voices, UTA only had Mei Mei and Fruit Sister. Mei Mei was still a raw vocalist at the time and definitely couldn't sing it; forcing it would yield poor results.
Fruit Sister's physical capabilities were very strong, but a bit too strong, resulting in a deep, rich voice.
She was suitable for powerful, explosive songs and wouldn't match Ashley's voice acting at all, lacking chemical reaction.
Excluding Mei Mei and Fruit Sister, Eric also considered Britney, Avril, and others, thinking of using this song to flirt.
But the reason for giving up was still the same: their voices didn't match.
Ultimately, the choice fell to Celine Dion. Her invincible singing skills allowed her to easily master the song, and their relationship was also very good.
Think about it, from the 1990s to the 2020s, over 30 years, countless films were produced worldwide, giving birth to countless theme songs and episode.
But in terms of overall spread and classic status, only "My Heart Will Go On" and "Let It Go" stand head and shoulders above the rest.
The Sound of Music isn't enough, Waterloo Bridge isn't enough, Ghost isn't enough, Castle in the Sky isn't enough.
See You Again might come close, but it's still not enough.
And for one singer to perform two timeless masterpieces is also a beautiful story in film and music history.
In the cinema, everyone gradually entered and took their seats. As the lights dimmed, the noisy chatter ceased.
Roar!
With a mighty roar from the golden lion, frozen began.