Reborn America, this is my time

Chapter 213 Finding the Murder!

In fact, when Ethan learned that Roy Disney wanted him to become the White Knight of the Walt Disney Group, he already had an understanding of the market value of the current Hollywood giants.

then……

He was shocked.

Different from the media carriers that people will see in the future, the Big Seven of Hollywood in this era are really little Karamis among listed companies. The cheapest one is only close to [-] million yuan, and the most expensive one is only [-] to [-] million yuan.

If you look at the profit-making speed of the game of fate, even if Ethan Jones lets these companies run for ten years, he is confident that he will acquire them in No. 15.

No way, who made video games so unreasonable in terms of making money?

And when there is a world in Ethan's head...

Then only a nuclear-powered money printing machine can kill him.

In this way, Spielberg is not talking nonsense when he said that he can easily acquire a film giant, but Ethan's own ideas... If there is no sneak attack by Komodor and Rockwell, Alan · Bradley's backstab, he will definitely make a bold acquisition, but now?
cough--

Steady.

Not to mention anything else, if he dares to make any acquisitions at this point in time, then Morgan Stanley, which was robbed by him, will definitely do something, regardless of whether it is raising the acquisition price of the target company or wooing other buyers. If anyone bids with him, it will make him feel like a stick in his throat.

"Let's talk about officially entering Hollywood later."

Ethan couldn't refuse, but Evelyn dared to speak. She looked at Spielberg with a smile and said, "Steven, for us now, the movie project is just a supplement to the game promotion. Come on, the movie may be a big advertisement to let more people know about our game."

"Okay, I understand..."

The meaning of the two has been so clear, so Spielberg will not be entangled.

While he nodded in agreement, Ethan also changed the subject, "Steven, how far has your friend David Begelman's case progressed? Will Columbia protect him from death?"

Since Ethan has been fighting chip defense and plunder counterattacks in recent months, he has no time to pay attention to Hollywood, so he has no idea how far the Colombian check fraud case has progressed.

And this question...

Spielberg sighed, his eyes flashing helplessly under the lenses, "This matter..."

He stretched out his voice.

It seems to be organizing language, but it is more like recalling the entire process of the entire case.

"Actually, I don't know." He shook his head and said, "A few months ago, the check counterfeiting case was very serious, but now there is no sound. It seems that Fobole and the Internal Revenue Service have stopped the investigation."

"I've inquired about the reason, and it seems to be related to the surrender of Columbia Pictures' shareholders."

MGM issued an acquisition invitation to Columbia Pictures at the beginning of this year. At the beginning, the shareholders of Columbia Pictures strongly opposed it and refused to accept it.

But as the check fraud case intensified, and several major shareholders of Columbia Pictures successively received inquiry letters from Verber and the IRS, their views on the entire acquisition suddenly changed 180 degrees. Those shareholders It seems that he doesn't want to stay in this inexplicable whirlpool any longer.

"About April or May? Columbia Pictures held an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders. Nearly 70.00% of the shareholders were satisfied with MGM's offer, but they did not accept MGM's cash offer. They hoped that Columbia Pictures would The industry can be fully merged with MGM, so that after the transaction closes, they can get a certain amount of stock in the new company."

"MGM agreed to Columbia's terms, then the investigation into the fraudulent check entered a strange standstill, and the deal is now in the approval phase."

"This matter should be easy to understand, right? Because there have been monopoly cases in Hollywood before, the Ministry of Justice of America has to evaluate whether this merger will re-create a monopoly enterprise. If the approval is approved, the merger will be officially carried out. "

"And then..."

"David Begelman may be able to escape the investigation."

Spielberg spoke out what he had learned.

These words also made Ethan's eyes flicker, and he sneered: "That means, the guy who attacked Columbia was MGM boss Kirk Kerkorian?"

Although the check fraud case has nothing to do with Ethan's half-dime, the attack on Columbia has really affected his personal interests.When the mastermind behind the scenes caused the "Alien" project to be almost changed, Ethan's only idea was to find out the real culprit, remember the real culprit and take revenge on the real culprit!

not to mention--

MGM is the enemy!

Their "Tom and Jerry" is very good!
However, just when Ethan regarded MGM boss Kirk Kerkorian as an enemy and set up a target, Spielberg shook his head and said: "Ethan, this matter may not be that simple. "

He cleared his throat and said: "On the surface, Kirk Kerkorian is the biggest winner in the entire acquisition. At the same time, he is also your direct competitor, so he publicized the check fraud case and put Columbia Pictures Being dragged into the quagmire will not only allow MGM, which has half-retired from the industry, to regain its film production and distribution capabilities, but it can also deal a blow to you, distracting you with crises in film projects, so that you cannot devote yourself to video games wholeheartedly. Go to the main business of production."

"but--"

"He shouldn't have known about the David Begelman check fraud case."

Spielberg put his elbows on the table, leaned forward, and looked at Ethan with strong eyes, "I know about David Begelman's case. Ferber was very low-key when investigating him last year, and never publicized it. At the same time, Columbia did not accuse David Begelman blatantly, but only a few people on the board of directors conducted a self-investigation. Under such circumstances, how would MGM know about this matter?"

"They've been building hotels for the last seven or eight years!"

"Their focus is not Hollywood at all!"

"When they dismantle and sell companies in Hollywood, their influence in Hollywood will decline to an unimaginable level!"

"When actors can't get the right projects from them, when directors can't get movies they like, when producers can't get enough money from them..."

"Even if there is a traitor in Columbia Pictures, Kirk Kerkorian will never know about it!"

"so--"

"Kirk Kerkorian should have had nothing to do with the exposure of the check fraud case!"

Although Spielberg had just apologized to Ethan, and Ethan also said that he did not take the Columbia matter to heart, but neither of them actually believed these things.

Spielberg didn't believe that a vengeful guy could be so big!
And Ethan...

I don't take things personally but I can keep it in my heart, right?

In this case, Ethan's inquiry was to get to the bottom of it, and Spielberg's resolute words and detailed analysis made him very satisfied.

At this moment, he finally felt that Spielberg's previous concealment was self-protection.

After looking at Spielberg for a while, Ethan suddenly smiled, "What's going on with this restaurant?"

"Didn't you eat for half a day?"

"Oh—I'm hungry too, I'll go and have a look." Such words made Spielberg get up.

As he left, Ethan turned his head to look at his sister.

Since he didn't take anything to heart, he would complain to his sister when encountering bad things, so Evelyn, who knew the whole situation, directly expressed her thoughts, "Sounds very sincere."

"So far, I haven't found any logical holes in his words."

"But the final judgment still has to be determined based on the real murderer he identified."

Evelyn's words reached Ethan's heart!

Since Spielberg can boldly state that Kirk Kerkorian will not be the real culprit behind the whole incident, then... Who does he think is the real culprit?

He can only tell others that Kirk Kerkorian is not the real murderer until he finds what he thinks is the real murderer. In this case, he can judge by hearing the name of Spielberg's real murderer. Is this guy analyzing a case, or is he fishing in troubled waters for something else.

Ever since, after Spielberg urged the waiter to finish serving the meal, Ethan asked what was in his mind while staring at the speechless starry sky. After hearing his question, Ethan was cutting Steak Spielberg also said: "If I didn't analyze it wrong..."

"The real culprit behind that scene should be Warner Communications."

'Fuck! '

As soon as the name Warner appeared, Ethan's eyes straightened instantly!
Because Warner hasn't taken the lead since it drew with him last year. When Warner Communications boss Steve Ross has been playing dead, Spielberg thinks they are the real culprits?
"Why?"

Ethan was a little curious.

"reason?"

He wants to know why.

"The reason is simple." Spielberg forked a piece of steak into his mouth and chewed, "Because killing Columbia Pictures is in the interests of Warner Communications."

"What?" Ethan was a little confused by such a heaven-defying speech.Because colleagues are enemies!
Everyone wants to die together!

In this case, Spielberg's argument simply doesn't hold up!

And just when Ethan frowned and felt that Spielberg was a little strange, Spielberg said: "One thing you may not know is that Columbia Pictures owns half of the shares of Warner Bros. Burbank Studios under Warner Communications. , and this studio bears all the ownership of all the shooting locations, post-production locations, and prop storage warehouses under Warner's name!"

"To put it more simply, although Warner Communications has the most complete filming resources in Hollywood, half of them belong to Columbia Pictures..."

'...'

Ethan was shocked!

He really didn't know the news!

And as Spielberg narrated, the grievances and grievances of the two families also appeared in front of him.

After television entertainment developed and gradually entered the homes of American people, the film industry suffered an unprecedented impact. The North American box office gradually narrowed under the impact of the times. Major film industry giants have felt the winter since the 60s. the chill.

In the early 70s, Columbia Pictures almost went bankrupt, and Warner Bros. also encountered a serious financial crisis. They wanted to save themselves. In order to cut costs, the bosses of the two companies met and decided to jointly create a company called Warner Bros. Burbank. Studio, as a way to manage two overlapping businesses.

When the reusable departments of the soundstage, post room, prop house, and production plant are all combined, the two companies can get rid of a bunch of useless expenses.

After they cut costs, the business conditions of the two companies suddenly improved at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just three years, their studio became the busiest place in Hollywood, because with their merger, Warner Bros. Bank Studio has become the largest photography venue in Hollywood. It can meet the shooting needs of almost all production companies. With the emergence of this fact, major companies have also begun to reduce their own filming locations, preferring to rent rather than hire people.

So-

"Almost overnight, Warner Bros. Burbank Studios became the profit center for both companies. Warner and Columbia were surprised to find that they could make money just by renting out the space."

Spielberg said with a serious expression: "So, since then, the two of them have started to compete for the actual management rights of this company. Warner wants to take the company as his own, and the one who provided the venue when the company was formed Columbia wants to kick Warner out..."

"The two of them have been fighting for this matter for three years. So far, the two sides have been in a stalemate. Therefore, if Columbia can be pulled into the scandal trap and they are acquired, then Warner can monopolize Hollywood's largest photography. base."

"Oh—" Ethan understood what Spielberg meant.

"Who has the most profit and who is most suspected?" he asked.

"Yeah~" Spielberg nodded vigorously, "Whoever benefits is the murderer."

If judged according to this line of thinking, Warner Communications is really more suspect than MGM.

But the problem is-

"I have two questions now."

After thinking for a while, Ethan said, "The first question, why didn't you tell me about this before?"

When Ethan cast a scorching look at Spielberg, the guy who seemed to be determined to correct himself suddenly smiled bitterly, "Sorry Ethan -" Spielberg said: "I didn't tell you this. First, when Columbia When you are clearly opposed to Warner, you can get more resources after you cooperate with Warner, who is already opposed to Warner. Second, I was helping David Bergelman with the project at the time. He needed success, and I knew that "Alien" "This project will definitely succeed, but I don't know if you want it."

"I don't know if you're willing to accept that the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Just take the land under our feet as an example. The Duke who delivered the Iron Curtain speech never regarded the guys in the east as friends..."

What Spielberg said was a famous event in WW2.

Although John Bull and Mao Xiong joined forces to fight against Hans Cat, the two sides never regarded each other as friends. In August [-], they had a crisis of trust. At that time, Mao Xiong's army had already reached the east bank of the Vistula River. Warsaw faced each other across the river, and while they were planning the next step, an uprising broke out in Warsaw occupied by Hans the Cat.According to common sense, Mao Xiong should help, but Mao Xiong refused, allowing Hans Cat to suppress, and explained that the rebels were criminals and they would not save them.

Because of this, the Duke who later delivered the Iron Curtain speech was furious and Mao Xiong watched the fire from the other side, disregarding innocent lives in order to promote ideas, and Mao Xiong found a series of evidence after entering Warsaw to prove that those guys before You are a scum, and your behavior is not wrong.

Even though everyone knows that there is no right or wrong in this kind of ideological dispute, these bloody facts do prove one thing, that is, the enemy of the enemy is never a friend.

Ethan didn't want to delve into this kind of thing, but at the same time he knew that Spielberg's reasons were very real.

"Oh Steven - I said I don't care about this kind of thing."

Ethan said with a smile: "Everyone has selfishness, and so do I."

"I hope you and George can manage the film for me, because your level can make me make money."

"Ethan—I——" As soon as the words came out, Spielberg immediately wanted to say something, but no matter how his Adam's apple moved, he couldn't make a sound from his throat.

Finally, he could only sigh, "I'm sorry."

"Okay, Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

Ethan waved his hand and said, "Second question, did you use the result to deduce the reason? If so, then I think this conclusion is a bit unreliable, because before someone formally proposes to acquire Columbia, how does Warner know the other party? Not eyeing Warner Burbank Studios?"

When Ethan brought up this question, Spielberg, who was still feeling guilty, suddenly looked up and looked around. After realizing that he was in a private room, he was relieved when he came back to his senses.

"What's wrong?" Ethan became interested, "Is this question difficult to answer?"

"No, no, no——" Spielberg shook his head and said, "This question is not difficult to answer, but the answer to this question may damage the image of Warner Communications, so we cannot let others know."

Spielberg's prudence made Ethan look serious, and when he cast a confused look at the other party, Spielberg also spoke. The guy lowered his voice, as if he was a thief, and said, "Ethan, if I If I remember correctly, did I tell you that Warner Communications suppressed David Geffen?"

"Yes." Ethan nodded, "You said so."

"David Geffen is as Jewish as I am, you know?"

"of course."

"Steve Ross, the chairman of Warner Communications, is also Jewish, you know that too?"

"Yes."

With Ethan's continuous nodding, Spielberg also swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He first glanced at Evelyn to make sure the girl wouldn't talk nonsense, then looked at Ethan, and said in a hoarse voice: "Although the internal fighting in our group is very serious, we are still very united in the same industry." Yes, David Begelman, for example, is Jewish, so he treated me very well, and I reciprocated, but Steve Ross was different."

"He was not in the same category as us from the very beginning."

"Do you know how he got his start?"

"He was collecting protection money in New York."

Having said that, Spielberg stopped and stared at Ethan with straight eyes.

And Ethan's heart has already set off a huge wave!

'what? '

'Warner's boss is a gangster? '

'Fuck! '

'This guy didn't come ashore for nothing, did he? '

Ethan was startled.

But in the next second, he felt that something was wrong.

"Wait, where did you say he collected the protection money?"

"New York."

"Oh Sxxt! You mean New York not New York State?"

"Yes." Spielberg nodded seriously, and said, "It's the New York you thought of."

"As for why he can collect protection money there—"

"The reason is also very simple."

"Because he wasn't self-made either."

　Note: ①The cooperation between Columbia and Warner began in the early 70s. Due to financial problems, they could only merge all the reusable physical sites. Warner.The reason for this incident is also very simple, Sony acquired Columbia.Those who watch Meiyu should know that after Sony acquired Columbia, they dug up Peter Guber and Jon Peters from Warner. In order to get these two people, Sony took half of the shares in Columbia Tower The feature film, film and television distribution rights were all given to Warner, and the studio that Warner had been thinking about for almost 90 years was also handed over. (Warner released a documentary "Hundred Years of Warner" in May of this year. It is still objective. The only problem is that they only pick the good ones. For example, the things in the article are recorded by Sony in their memorabilia of the film company. But Warner didn't say it himself, and the person who did these things was Steve Ross.) ②The example of 'the enemy of the enemy is the enemy' in the article comes from "WW20 Memoirs".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)