money player

Old Griffith looked out the window. "What do you think of Yaowen Xian?"

"A shrewd businessman who is good at exploiting legal loopholes and seizing opportunities."

“My son Griffiths speaks highly of Yaowen Xian, but Great Britain doesn’t seem to hold much appeal for him; his legitimate business interests are centered in the United States.”

“The Talmud contains the principle of the three distributions of wealth, and Yaowen Xian has Jewish blood.”

“Perhaps we can discuss him again next time, back to Farouk.” Old Griffiths frowned. “We can’t let anything happen to that incompetent fool. Anyone in Egypt would be more difficult to deal with than him.”

“Farooq’s image is so bad that we cooperated with him against Great Britain, but he did not win back public opinion. Instead, more Egyptians criticized him for being corrupt and incompetent.”

"What are Waffle's plans regarding leaving the party?"

"The abrogation of the 1936 treaty is being considered, and Prime Minister Mustafa Nahas may announce it at any time."

Old Griffiths pondered for a moment, “Approach the Conservatives again, promise them support, and let them fight against the Waffle Party. If Great Britain loses the Suez Canal, we will all be the sinners of Great Britain.”

Beverly Hills Hotel.

After having breakfast with Jia Na, Xian Yaowen did not leave the hotel. He went down to the coffee shop area in the hotel lobby, ordered a coffee, and sat down to read the newspaper.

At eight o'clock, Hepburn and Simpson arrived at the same time. Simpson gave him a document, and then they went upstairs together.

The document contains information about Marilyn Monroe, detailing her schedule and income this year, including which productions she auditioned for, which shows she acted in, and the fees she received.

Marilyn Monroe was quite hardworking, with a long list of auditions and a number of film credits, but most of them were minor roles. In terms of rank, she was at most a featured extra, so her pay wasn't very high, usually in hundreds, with the highest being 10.

Her main income still comes from him, from the flower photography studio and the fee he paid her for inviting her to Paris for the press conference last time.

Playboy only paid her for two photoshoots, but she had her photos taken for them five times. The reason she wasn't paid for the three photoshoots was that after Playboy's popularity increased, Playboy not only stopped paying models with the "Hollywood" label, but also started charging some models.

The bigger the customer, the more the store bullies; the bigger the store, the more the customer bullies. Playboy is not an ordinary magazine; you can't just get on the cover of anyone you want. Models not only have to meet the requirements, but they also have to pay advertising fees.

As for whether the staff members took the opportunity to engage in shady dealings, he didn't care, so he didn't investigate and therefore had no right to comment. However, he wasn't worried about the photos that didn't meet the requirements appearing in the magazine.

Playboy magazine doesn't have a single, influential figure who can keenly perceive changes in readers' preferences, so there's no one who can make decisions on their own. Every photo and every article in Playboy is reviewed and voted on by all the creative staff at Playboy.

This model of majority rule cannot create miracles, but it is stable and will not make big mistakes, unless all members of the Flower Society have become outdated and need to be collectively replaced with fresh blood.

After looking at the document, he put it aside, took out his notebook, opened it, glanced at the photo of Argentina's First Lady Evita Perón in the newspaper, and wrote "Evita" in the notebook.

Start a new line and write "One step away", then start another line and write "Libertango", followed by "Argentina, don't cry for me".

After a moment of contemplation, he wrote down "Turandot → Jasmine".

Argentine folk song "Alfonsina and the Sea", Mercedes Souza's "Thank You, Life", Spanish folk song "The Miller's Girl"...

As he memorized song titles, musical notes danced joyfully in his mind, and the story of a new project, "Evita," was strung together by these notes.

Even if one doesn't remember history, Sin Yiu-man saw in the newspaper that Evita Perón was diagnosed with late-stage uterine cancer in 1949. Based on the medical standards at that time, combined with Evita's background and living standards, one can roughly deduce how long she could hold on given her physical condition.

The project started recently and should be completed before she passes away. The day she passes away will be the premiere of "Evita".

Sin Yiu-man's assessment of the Perón couple was that if they hadn't entered the presidential palace, they might have become good people. But there are no ifs. They were the president and first lady, and during their years in office, they seemed to have done many good things for the people. However, anyone with even a basic understanding of economics who examines Argentina's accounts and unravels the threads of the problem would inevitably exclaim, "Damn, this despicable couple deserves to die!"

To put it more vividly, what the Peróns have been doing these past few years is cutting flesh from the thighs of every Argentine citizen, making delicious steaks, and feeding them to every Argentine citizen, who enjoys them immensely.

This year, Argentina's social welfare spending accounts for more than 30% of its GDP, which is maintained by printing money and foreign debt, leading to soaring inflation; lowering grain purchase prices to subsidize workers has triggered farmers' strikes, turning Argentina from a grain exporter into an importer.

This is like a kind older brother and sister-in-law taking a bunch of simple-minded younger brothers to the city to make their way in the world. They couldn't find stable jobs and could only do odd jobs. But the older brother and sister-in-law were so generous that they always said that since they brought the simple-minded younger brothers to the city, they had an obligation to take care of them. So, they fed and cared for them for several years.

One day, my silly brother suddenly received a call from home saying that debt collectors had called our house, saying that he had taken out more than a dozen online loans. My silly brother was dumbfounded. It turned out that he had been living off his debts for the past few years.

The Peróns provided the Argentine people with unrealistic and excessive welfare benefits that the country could not afford. They set high goals but exhausted the resources, leaving behind a huge debt and sowing the seeds of future disaster for Argentina.

However, regardless of what kind of people the Peróns were, their reputations were currently excellent, especially Evita, who sold her body to earn a ticket to Buenos Aires, slept with everyone in Buenos Aires' elite circles, and finally slept with the great hero who could save Argentina. She washed away her glamorous past and devoted herself to assisting him. Even lying on her sickbed, she was still concerned about the workers' needs. It would be an injustice not to praise such people.

Celebrating Evita aligns with Perón's interests, and Argentina is unlikely to protest once the film is released. However, there's a concern that those in charge of censorship might not understand that "Evita" also serves American interests and might simply shut it down.

“Mr. Hepburn.”

Sin Yiu-man looked up and saw Marilyn Monroe standing in front of the table, wearing a peach-colored dress, her eyes slightly puffy, clearly indicating she hadn't slept well.

"Please take a seat."

After Marilyn Monroe sat down, Sin Yiu-man put away his notebook and picked up a newspaper to compare how similar she was to Evita. As he thought, the two didn't look alike, but when he thought about the "Evita" project last night, Monroe was the first actress who popped into his mind.

He put down the newspaper, glanced at his watch, then fixed his gaze on Marilyn Monroe's face. "I'm so sorry for calling you this morning. I only meant to leave you a message, but I didn't expect..."

He shrugged.

“It’s alright.” A slightly silly smile appeared on Marilyn Monroe’s face. “I’m so glad to receive a call from Mr. Hepburn.”

"You can call me Adam."

Sin Yiu-man's gaze lingered briefly on the corner of Marilyn Monroe's eye. He quite liked Monroe's silly yet genuine smile at that moment, which was much better than a carefully crafted charming smile.

“Adam,” Marilyn Monroe called out.

In response, Sin Yiu-man spread his left hand, called over a waiter to order a coffee for Marilyn Monroe, and then said unhurriedly, "I invited you here because I have two pieces of news to tell you. Please don't interrupt me when I'm speaking. You can wait until I finish speaking, OK?"

"OK."

“Jorge Guinness is going to work on a new project, and I would like to invite you to play the lead role, a first lady of a very distinguished background. You will need to play her from the age of thirteen until her death, which will be very challenging for your acting skills.”

Regarding the project details, that's all I can say for now. Your salary is $5. Of course, this is just the publicly announced figure; you won't actually receive a single cent. You'll also have to pay taxes. The exact amount will be known after Jorge Guinness and Fox reach an agreement.

Sin Yiu-man looked at Marilyn Monroe's open and closed mouth and said, "I know you're going to ask why. This is to raise your value as quickly as possible. If this project succeeds, you can ask for $5 or more for your next film."

The second piece of news is that Jorge Guinno is preparing to form a singing group, and you are one of the members I have chosen. This week, Jorge Guinno will negotiate your contract with Fox and try to give you a larger share of the profits.

However, you should be prepared for one thing: your share will be the lowest in the group, because the other members' contracts are with Jorge Guinness, while yours are with Fox.

Okay, if you have any questions, ask now.

How much tax do I need to pay?

“My idea is to split it into three parts, with Jorge Guinno, Fox, and you each contributing one-third, but you will likely have to pay Fox’s share, which would be around $2.2.”

Monroe said dejectedly, "I have no savings, only debts. Fox pays me $500 a week. $2.2 is too much. I can't afford it."

“There’s still a long time before the tax season starts, and I believe you can earn several $2.2s before the tax season arrives.”

Marilyn Monroe couldn't believe it and exclaimed, "Are you sure?"

“I’m pretty sure, but I’m not sure if you can seize the opportunity.” Sin Yiu-man pointed at Marilyn Monroe. “Opportunity also means responsibility. I don’t want to see what happened in Paris happen again. You can leave now. Think it over carefully before you officially sign the contract.”

"I……"

"Goodbye."

After seeing Marilyn Monroe off, Sin Yiu-man welcomed Arthur Crimson. Upon seeing Hepburn in her evening gown, Crimson bowed gracefully to him, which dispelled his doubts about Hepburn playing Princess Anna. He then suggested arranging another time to discuss the investment amount.

Of course we had to talk. Jorge Guinness was a complete newcomer to Hollywood, utterly clueless, with no experience in production or distribution, and penniless, possessing nothing but himself and his personal connections.

Experience needs to be accumulated, and connections need to be expanded. If a good project like "Roman Holiday" were handled by Jorge Guinness alone, it would only be half-baked. It might achieve some success, but it would never reach the heights it deserves.

Without stopping, Sin Yiu-man took Hepburn to Universal Music and met with its president, William Goetz.

William Goetz is the son-in-law of MGM founder Louis Mayer. He entered the core of Hollywood power through marriage, but he is not a fool. He is good at low-budget films. Universal is known for its B-movies, horror films and westerns, which was the strategy he devised.

Universal never invests too much in a single project; $30 is the limit for investment in a project. Even if a project like "Roman Holiday," which requires filming in a foreign country and has a budget of $150 million, were given to Universal for free, it would end up gathering dust in a warehouse.

With a promising project and a personal relationship with Rank, Global had already expressed interest in investing. This visit dispelled the female lead's doubts, and next time they will basically discuss an investment amount of $30.

Leaving Universal, next stop Paramount.

In the car, Simpson explained Paramount's current situation to Sin Yiu-man.

The key points of the Paramount Decree ruling include prohibiting bundled sales, meaning studios cannot force theaters to buy bad films in bulk; mandating the separation of theater chains, requiring Paramount, Warner Bros., MGM, Fox, and RKO to sell or split their theaters; and prohibiting discrimination against independent theaters, requiring fair and open access to film screenings.

Since the bill was named after Paramount, and it controlled 1,200 theaters across the United States, Paramount, which held a 25% market share, was naturally the first to be affected. Paramount dragged its feet and finally established an independent company, UPT (United Paramount Theaters), at the end of 1949, divesting 700 core theaters.

The remaining 500 secondary cinemas were forced to sell to independent operators.

Of course, there's more to this sale than meets the eye. Aside from Paramount's stalling tactics and the slow progress, Simpson himself was unsure of the final stage. And then there's Paramount's president, Barney Balaban, who deserves a mention.

Balaban was born into a poor Jewish immigrant family in Chicago. His parents were from Ukraine. In the 1910s, he and his brothers ran a chain of budget movie theaters, pioneering the "air-conditioned theater" to attract summer audiences.

In 1925, he entered Hollywood through the acquisition of Paramount Theatres and became a disciple of Paramount co-founder Adolph Zucker.

In 1936, he was appointed president of Paramount in a time of crisis, saving the company from bankruptcy due to the Great Depression and overexpansion.

Balaban saved Paramount and propelled it to the top of Hollywood, making it the most profitable company.

However, entrepreneurs with strong personal abilities often have a common problem: "dictatorship." Their personal abilities are too outstanding. In their past experience, they have been able to seize opportunities one after another, leading the company to run forward rapidly. They gradually develop a style of doing things by making decisions on their own, believing that all the decisions they make are correct and not allowing others to question them.

Such people have a fatal weakness: age. Balaban is old, already 64 years old this year, and his thinking has become rigid. If he doesn't encounter a period of great change, relying on past experience and continuing with routine corporate operations, the myth can be maintained for a long time.

However, we are currently in a period of great change in the media industry. Television is beginning to impact the film market. Other giants have all made some kind of move into television, but Paramount is turning a blind eye. Balaban even publicly said that "television is a cheap toy," showing his contempt.

This kind of person is difficult to deal with, but fortunately, one of Balaban's measures to save Paramount was to bet on genre films—musicals, film noir, and romantic comedies. "Roman Holiday" belongs to the romantic comedy genre, which is very familiar to Balaban. He can tell whether a project is good or bad at a glance, otherwise things would not have progressed to the point where he went to resolve the biggest differences.

As Simpson recounted his story, Sin Yiu-man quickly flipped through the Paramount documents in his hand.

This trip to Hollywood was unplanned. His original plan was to first settle things in Taiwan and then take care of Hollywood while he was in the US. After all, there were many better options than investing in movies at that time. Although movies are related to advertising and marketing, you need to have a product before you need to consider marketing. His focus should still be on product development.

The global market is currently a seller's market, with supply falling short of demand. As long as the product isn't too bad, people can at least make a living. His investment in marketing channels is actually a forward-thinking move.

Therefore, his understanding of Hollywood at the moment mainly came from newspaper news and some work reports that Simpson usually submitted. Since most of them were faxes, the content that could be transmitted was limited due to technical limitations. As for information about other companies, he had to cram at the last minute, striving for even the slowest results.

"Does Balaban have any scandals?"

“Boss, Paramount is the controlling shareholder of the Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily News. There are rumors that Balaban pays gossip reporters like Hedda Hopper every year. Balaban is also a member of a Jewish wealthy club, and he has the ability to suppress information. Even if there are scandals, they won’t get out. I’ve also heard from people at Paramount that Balaban cares more about money than women.”

"Is there not a single scandal about him outside?" Sin Yiu-man closed the file and helped Hepburn, who had been tugging at her dress, straighten it.

"No, it's just that Balaban has been going to parties a lot lately. I've run into him twice already. He's probably there to see Doris Duke."

"Is Doris Duke in Los Angeles recently?"

“She’s been here for a while now. She likes to go to parties. I’ve seen her at the parties lately. You can see Elo Flynn swarming around her like flies. This guy went bankrupt because of tax problems. This isn’t the first time he’s been hanging around rich women.”

"Elo Flynn, the one charged with statutory rape?"

"it's him."

Did anything happen between the two of them?

"do not know."

"Hmm." Sin Yiu-man nodded. "Anyone else?"

"Bond's interns saw Frank Sinatra board Doris Duke's yacht at night and leave the next morning, but unfortunately no photos were taken."

“It’s a pity you missed a great opportunity to make a fortune. I believe Doris Duke would have spent tens of thousands of dollars to buy the photos.” Xian Yaowen said with a smile, “Clay, you have to be careful when you go to Bond. If others find out that you have a relationship with Bond, you’ll inevitably get beaten up later.”

Simpson shrugged. "I can't be careless. Haida Hopper's car windows get smashed all the time. If she weren't a high-ranking Republican, she would have been beaten up countless times."

"Meet with her secretly and invite her to become the president of Bond. The conditions are a high annual salary plus shares. Don't mention the specific amount yet. If she is interested, I will meet with her."

"ASAP?"

"Yes, as soon as possible."

"OK."

“You can reduce the frequency of attending parties. The most important thing for Jorge Guinno now is to achieve something. Without a notable case, no matter how many people you know, you can't turn them into connections.”

"clear."

The group stopped at the restaurant closest to Paramount to eat something. Hepburn couldn't eat; if she ate, her stomach would burst and the pins and clips on her dress would snap open. She could only sip water. She could move around today, but going to the toilet was extremely inconvenient. If she wasn't careful, her dress would fall apart. She tried to avoid going to the toilet if possible.

Half past one in the afternoon.

The three entered Balaban's office and met Balaban.

Balaban was a balding old man with a square face and a strong jawline that gave him an imposing appearance; thick, slightly drooping eyebrows; small, bright, dark eyes; a typical Jewish aquiline nose; and thin, tightly pursed lips that made him appear unsmiling.

Wearing a dark blue three-piece suit with a Goodluck-Seven 777 tie, the details of which reveal his impeccable taste are evident in the tie's design. His pocket square is folded at a right angle, demonstrating his meticulous attention to detail.

Upon seeing Sin Yiu-man, Balaban, with his overweight figure, lifted his legs to greet him, his serious expression breaking down into a sly smile.

Yes, he was cunning, with a hint of treachery. He was someone who was not naturally suited to laughing. Sin Yiu-man guessed that Balaban was often called "Judas" when he was young.

“Adam, Donald just came by last week. Juliet and Paramount signed a cooperation agreement. I didn’t expect you to come this week too. Look, we’re going to start another cooperation.” Balaban smiled and gave Sin Yiu-man a hug.

Sin Yiu-man responded with a smile, "Donald said Mr. Balaban's asking price is not cheap at all, and he hopes you can give in this time."

“Adam, Juliet not only wants the entire brand to be involved, but also demands exclusivity. My offer is already very cheap.” Balaban pointed to the tie around his neck. “I’ll personally advertise your tie, for free.”

"Haha, thank you very much. I'll prepare an SVIP card for you. From now on, you'll get a 9.5% discount on all purchases at Juliet's brands."

"Hahaha," Balaban laughed loudly, "Adam, you're a good businessman. Please come and sit down."

“No rush, let me introduce someone to Mr. Balaban.” Sin Yiu-man gestured to Hepburn, “This is Princess Anna from Oceania, Europe, who has come to visit Mr. Balaban today.”

Upon hearing this, Balaban looked at Hepburn and his eyes were instantly glued to her. He scrutinized her from head to toe. After a moment, he turned to Sin Yiu-man and said, "Adam, I have to admit that she is very suitable to play Princess Anna."

Sin Yiu-man raised his hand. “Mr. Balaban, I know Hollywood doesn’t welcome laymen who don’t understand movies, but I’m not a layman. It’s just that I don’t have much respect for movies. I don’t think of them as art. I only treat them as business. My first principle in investing in movies is to make a profit. Everything else has to come second.”

“Adam, I’ve never considered you an amateur.” Balaban gestured for a chair and led Sin Yiu-man over. “You poached Paramount’s European distribution manager and established distribution channels in Europe. I heard that a Friendship Films film is about to be released in Europe?”

"Yes, we've been preparing for a long time and spent a lot of money. It's time to make money at the box office."

Sin Yiu-man and Balaban sat facing each other. Balaban asked, "Is the headquarters of Friendship Film Company in Hong Kong?"

"Yes, we have branches in Singapore and Tokyo."

“I am not very satisfied with Paramount’s current partner, Shaw Brothers. If Friendship Films can share the distribution revenue with Paramount, I hope that Paramount and Friendship Films can cooperate, with Friendship Films being responsible for the distribution of Paramount’s films in Hong Kong.”

“I am very happy to work with Paramount. Not only in Hong Kong, but Friendship Films has also established distribution channels in Macau, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. The two sides can carry out in-depth cooperation across Asia.”

“Very good. Paramount’s distribution in Asia has been less than ideal. Hopefully, Friendship Pictures can bring about a change.”

“You can wait and see, but before we start our cooperation, I need to communicate with Shaw Brothers. There is a cooperative relationship between Friendship Film Company and Shaw Brothers. Shaw Brothers commissions Friendship Film Company to produce films. Although the profit is not high, it is enough to cover part of the staff’s salaries. I don’t want to lose Shaw Brothers’ business.”

"I can give you time to resolve this issue."

"Thank you." Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly. "This morning I met with Arthur from United Artists and Mr. Goetz from Universal. They have clearly stated that they will invest in 'Roman Holiday.' If you have no problem with it, this project can be released worldwide."

“I had already recognized that Roman Holiday was a good project, but we couldn’t reach an agreement due to a small disagreement. Now that’s no longer an issue, Adam, it’s time to negotiate the investment amount.”

"I'll make the arrangements. Do you think we should make the atmosphere a bit more relaxed? How about a deep-sea fishing trip? Camping?"

"Camping is a great idea; I haven't been camping in a long time."

"OK."

After discussing business, the two chatted briefly about Jewish topics, and when the time was right, Sin Yiu-man took his leave.

The car wheels rolled and drove to a secluded spot. The others got out, and Sin Yiu-man helped Hepburn remove her dress.

Freed from her confinement, Hepburn breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, I don't have to wear these anymore. It feels so comfortable."

Your hard work has paid off.

Hepburn wrapped her arms around Sin Yiu-man's neck. "Adam, thank you so much."

Sin Yiu-man stroked Hepburn's hair. "You're welcome. This is all I can do for you. Your privileges in Jorge Guinness are now off. I've placed you at a starting point that most people wouldn't dare to imagine. The rest of the journey is up to you."

Hepburn pouted and said coquettishly, "I know you won't abandon me."

"Try disobeying me and see if I can control you. You idiot, I've already taken you to the goal and even held onto the goalkeeper for you, and you still couldn't kick the ball in."

“Adam, I don’t have your position. When I speak with them, they don’t treat me with the same courtesy they show you. It took me a lot of effort just to get into their office.”

“Isn’t this the proper thing to do?” Sin Yiu-man released Hepburn and removed her hand from her neck. “Get dressed and get out of the car. Take a taxi home yourself. A little actress like you has no right to sit in my car.”

"This is my car."

"I've requisitioned you. Don't wander around for the next few days, and wait for my call."

"Hell..."

“Maintain the princess demeanor, or I’ll find someone else to play the role.”

Hepburn rolled her eyes. "Should I sit on your red sofa?"

Sin Yiu-man glanced at Hepburn's chest and said, "Baby, you're too young. Let's wait until you're old enough to legally buy alcohol."

"You've made this joke countless times."

"Ha, it's different every time, isn't it?"

Hepburn rolled her eyes again. "You get out of the car too. I need to get dressed."

Amidst laughter and banter, time continued to move forward. In the evening, Xian Yaowen and Haihuasi negotiated the contract details for nearly three hours, finalizing the shareholding ratio and contract terms. Jorre Guinuo gained a female star who could carry the box office. (End of Chapter)