"Hello, Ms. Jolie. I've been a fan of yours since I was a little girl."
Facing the superstar couple of Jolie and Pitt, Anya didn't show a hint of stage fright. Her demeanor revealed the elegance of an old-school Londoner throughout.
In aristocratic schools, etiquette is a compulsory course.
However, the British chick didn't seem to realize that age is the biggest taboo for Hollywood actresses.
Hearing this, Jolie's face visibly soured, and she could only cover it by taking constant sips of her wine.
She suddenly realized she was thirty-seven years old. She was no longer the Tomb Raider who wielded dual pistols and leaped over walls in mysterious ruins around the world.
Jolie quickly changed the subject, leaving Anya to the side to chat about movies with Leon. "I'm currently preparing a new film themed around World War II. do you have any thoughts on war movies?"
Since her debut, she had been stuck with the "sexy" label, but she seemed overly obsessed with ripping it off.
For the past decade, she had been dedicated to molding herself into a perfect woman combining compassion and talent.
However, the market didn't seem to recognize Jolie's directing talent much; both literary films she wrote and directed had flopped.
David Fincher once evaluated her in private: "Angelina Jolie has no talent; she's just a spoiled brat who acts like a mental patient."
"I know nothing about war movies. Maybe you should ask Pitt. Inglourious Basterds, which he collaborated on with Quentin, is an outstanding war movie." Leon's gaze never left the semi-circles on her chest, completely uninterested in this woman's brain.
"Strictly speaking, that doesn't count as a war movie." Pitt shrugged, full of helplessness regarding Jolie's directing dreams.
In 2005, he left Jennifer Aniston—who had exploded in popularity with Friends and had excellent audience appeal worldwide—because he lusted after Jolie's body.
Pitt, whose brain was controlled by his "little head" at the time, never imagined that Jolie's various impractical ideas were even more inflated than her chest.
Besides being a director and doing charity, she also went to Vietnam to adopt three children.
Pitt endured again and again, but now it seemed even that pair of perfect breasts was going to leave him—to lower her risk of cancer, Jolie was considering a double mastectomy.
She even thought about getting it done once and for all by removing her reproductive system, thoroughly embracing the future depicted by the leftists.
"My friend, that movie you made is fantastic. I think it's no lesser than Martin Scorsese's Hugo."
Pitt felt Leon reminded him somewhat of his younger self, so he had a good impression of him.
They were highly consistent in their thoughts on Jolie being a director—Stop it, you really don't have the talent for this.
Although it was their first meeting, the two chatted unknowingly for over ten minutes.
"I'm very honored to receive your praise."
The momentum for Hugo to win Best Picture at this year's Oscars was huge. The combination of Martin Scorsese and Johnny Depp crushed other competitors in terms of cast lineup and heat alone.
Besides that, the loudest voice belonged to the French film The Artist.
This black-and-white film had already proved itself at the Cannes Film Festival last May, breaking into the Palme d'Or nominations and taking home the Best Actor trophy.
More importantly, Harvey Weinstein was the behind-the-scenes producer of this movie.
Last year, he swept the Oscars with The King's Speech, and this year he wanted to continue his dominance.
Things had been very unpleasant between Harvey and Leon. It wasn't hard to imagine that he would definitely try every means to make The Artist win, thereby slapping Leon hard in the face—"Without me, you can work hard for a lifetime and don't even think about gaining anything at the Oscars!"
But if the other party really thought that, they were somewhat judging others by themselves.
Straight Outta Compton was the first movie Leon invested in; getting a nomination was already very satisfying.
Winning an Oscar is a low-probability event where both strength and luck are indispensable. Some superstars charge toward the awards with full confidence every year, only to return in defeat every time.
In the 67th Academy Awards in 1995, Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption would have been undisputed winners in any other year.
Unfortunately, they met an unconquerable opponent, the pinnacle of main melody films, Forrest Gump.
For Leon, box office always came first; winning awards was just a bonus.
Weinstein seemed to have developed a perverted obsession with trophies, constantly repeating foolish acts of putting the cart before the horse.
For the next hour, under Jeff's instructions, Leon greeted the heavyweights of the Academy one by one.
He pretended to be humble while listening to the old white men's understanding of movies. They deliberately brought up names of many obscure old movies to show off their erudition.
"This young lady reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. We had a meal together in 1968; Hepburn back then was far more radiant than on the big screen..." Academy CEO Dawn Hudson stared at the young Anya, reminiscing about the past in the tone of an elder.
"Your physical conditions are perfect, but your acting is still very green. Regarding acting, there are many experts in the Academy who can provide you with guidance..."
The old white man revealed his true colors. Having mixed in the film industry for half a life, these people were mostly tired of hot, sexy vixens and instead had a special fondness for little girls of Anya's type.
But Anya was still in the dark, asking innocently, "Private guidance? Are you serious, Mr. Hudson?"
"Of course..." Dawn's smile became increasingly perverted.
"Excuse us for a moment."
Seeing the situation wasn't right, Leon grabbed Anya's wrist and left quickly. "I just told you, watch out for these old bastards."
"Is there something wrong with Mr. Hudson? He looks as kind as Santa Claus."
Leon was speechless for a moment. He wanted to lecture this chick but didn't know where to start.
Santa Claus?
If Dawn was Santa Claus, he would definitely sneak into Anya's room down the chimney and tie her to the bed with red ribbons...
If not for scrupules about the other party's identity as a leader of AMPAS, Leon would have splashed a drink on him just now.
"Hey! Brother!" Near the champagne tower not far away, Vin Diesel raised his thick arm and greeted him.
"Thanks for taking the time to come to my party, man." The two fist-bumped first, then shook hands in a clasp.
"I definitely have to come to support a party hosted by you." Diesel raised his champagne glass. "I also brought the crew along by the way."
"Thank you very much..."
The decisive factor in measuring whether a charity dinner is influential is how many celebrities attend and what their status is.
Before, Leon's biggest worry was that his terrible reputation would lead to a cold reception. Now it seemed this situation hadn't happened.
He suddenly noticed a tall beauty beside Diesel, a passionate smile hanging on her face the whole time.
The beauty noticed him at this moment too. Their eyes met, slightly awkward.
The other party took the initiative to raise her champagne glass and walk two steps closer to say hello. "Hello, Mr. Leon. My name is Gal Gadot. Oh my God, I finally met you in person! Your music can be heard even on the streets of Tel Aviv!"
Hearing this name, Leon remembered where he had seen this black-haired beauty. She had joined the protagonist Dominic's team in Fast Five, released in May this year.
The shot of her appearing on a Ducati motorcycle left a deep impression on Leon.
"Hello, Miss Gadot. You look even more beautiful than in the movie," Leon complimented.
In terms of physical conditions, Gal Gadot and The Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence belonged to the same type. Hollywood seemed particularly fond of these beauties with athletic figures and three-dimensional features recently.
Diesel introduced with a smile, "Don't be deceived by her appearance, brother. Gadot is not only Miss Israel but also served in the army for two years. Her ratings there were all excellent."
"I never dare to look down on a beautiful lady." Leon secretly held back half a sentence—Especially a Jewish one.
The entertainment and media industries are the domain of Jewish capital. logically, she should have been molded by some Jewish old man long ago.
It was strange to say, but as a Jewish actress, her resources didn't seem that good.
Aside from being spotted by Diesel to join the Fast & Furious team and playing a role with little weight, she was rarely seen in entertainment magazines.
Gadot bit her lip, seeming to have made some determination, and whispered close to Leon, "I look forward to collaborating with you very much. If there's a new project starting up, please definitely give me a call."
"I definitely will." Leon pondered for a while; he didn't seem to have any decent resources on hand to trick this girl into bed.
The Purge was a low-budget movie. Inviting Ethan Hawke had already spent half the budget; inviting Gadot was unrealistic.
And the proud Miss Israel might not necessarily be interested in a low-budget movie.
After Jeff finished dealing with the Academy members, he walked to Leon's side and complained in a low voice, "You guy, you're the host of the banquet. Pleasing those old guys is what you should be doing. Listen, I heard some bad news from those old guys' mouths. Someone is trying to stop Straight Outta Compton from being nominated for Best Picture."
"Is it Weinstein?"
"You don't really think Straight Outta Compton poses a threat to The Artist? The only opponent Weinstein needs to pay attention to is Hugo."
"Then who could it be?" Besides Weinstein, Leon couldn't think of anyone who would target him like this.
"Will Smith. He even stated in front of Academy members that he wants to make you, this bastard, get out of the film industry."
"That ngga is crazy!" Leon shook his head while laughing.
Persuading AMPAS members to change their votes not only requires huge industry influence but also the willingness to spend heavy money.
Sending gifts, hosting orgies, fine wine, cigars...
These all require the support of real gold and silver.
While the conflict between him and Will remained at the level of verbal disputes on social media—he himself didn't take it seriously at all—Will Smith regarded him as a true enemy.
From this point of view, the brain circuits of those with black-gold skin are surprisingly similar.
"But you don't need to worry too much. The nomination list won't be announced for another two weeks. I'll put in a good word for you in front of the Academy," Jeff said. "You have to do something yourself too. Isn't Diesel right here? Although he doesn't care about awards, his words still carry a lot of weight given his status."
Jeff's implication was that now was the time to compete on connections.
Leon's connections in Hollywood weren't abundant, but presumably, Denzel Washington, David Fincher, and Diesel wouldn't refuse to stand up for Straight Outta Compton.
As the dinner came to an end, just as Leon was preparing to send Anya back to her hotel room to rest, Gal Gadot hurriedly followed up.
"Please wait a moment, Mr. Leon. I have some questions I want to ask you."
"What questions?"
"About how to improve acting skills... Is it convenient for you to chat with me alone? I know there's a great Jewish restaurant nearby."
Leon instantly understood the other party's meaning. He had never acted in a movie and couldn't provide any experience regarding acting skills at all.
But regarding skills in bed, he had a professor-level understanding.
"Of course—"
Just as he was about to agree, Anya beside him suddenly hugged his arm: "I feel dizzy, it seems like I have a fever..."
Leon was a bit perplexed. It seemed that every time he had contact with an actress, especially during the critical period close to scoring, as long as Anya was around, various problems would always arise.
This gave him the illusion of taking his daughter on a date with another woman.
Anya would always pull "Dad," who was about to go off the rails, back on track at the critical moment.
The smart Gadot quickly saw Leon's predicament and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter if it's inconvenient today. I'll visit you in person in New York another day."
---
The next day, as soon as Leon returned to New York, he received good news. iHeartMedia stated in an email: Although they detested Lion's Den Media's act of retracting the offer, they would consider the $60 million offer at their discretion.
The meaning between the lines was obvious: The greedy Bob couldn't sit still anymore!
"I can't believe what magic you used. Jay-Z seems to have withdrawn from the competition overnight."
Bonnie had been following this project from the beginning. She originally thought that under Jay-Z's money offensive, this transaction would be very difficult, and the final transaction price might exceed $80 million.
"Think with your head, not your ass." Leon tapped his forehead. "Jay-Z is currently overwhelmed by the divorce lawsuit. Do you think he has the energy to acquire a radio station?"
There was more than one piece of good news. In just the Christmas holiday alone, Adidas sold 150,000 pairs of Yeezys.
Major stores across the US announced inventory shortages.
After a series of complex calculations, Leon received a sales share of $3.2 million.
Counting the $7 million in record sales revenue from Columbia Records, his total liquid funds reached $96.5 million.
Even many listed companies would find it hard to take out so much cash in one breath. The ample funds paved the way for the acquisition of radio station Z100.
"Continue to pressure Bob. Tell him we are only willing to pay $50 million now."
Repeatedly breaking promises to suppress the price is not a glorious behavior in the business world, and doing so can easily drive the opponent crazy and directly terminate the transaction.
But Leon knew Bob would absolutely not do this. The other party's current situation was already a piece of meat on the chopping board.
Aggressive expansion strategies had saddled him with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, with multiple loans due this June.
Building a self-owned streaming platform to counter Spotify's entry into the podcast field proved to be a completely wrong decision.
The New York tax season in April was also approaching. At that time, Bob would have to face multiple pressures; cutting off an arm to survive was his last way out.
While Leon was immersed in the fantasy of unifying the New York music radio business, Phil brought another piece of good news—after paying $10,000 bail, Luca successfully brought King Von out of the Brooklyn detention center.
The surveillance footage of Von undoing his handcuffs in the detention center and beating others leaked out, quickly going viral on social media.
This ngga could do more than just show off Glocks and shout provocations online to act cool.
In the mouths of rap fans, King Von was called the first true gangster rap hardcore tough guy after the new millennium.