Entertainment 2000: Supporting female stars will bring you a hundredfold return

Chapter 409 Paramount's "Winning Strategy"! Tang Wen's Number One Beautiful Female Fan! (Please Subscribe)
Tang Wen's Galaxy Entertainment began negotiations with Paramount.

The staff from both sides had a brief meeting, or rather, exchanged their respective demands.

As expected, Paramount's upper management voiced strong opposition when Tang Wen wanted to participate in the "World War" project.

The original novel for this project was published in 1898.

It was adapted for the big screen in the 50s, but due to technical limitations, the final film was not particularly impressive.

However, the influence of the original work remains.

With a renowned director like Spielberg and a top-tier male star, it would be difficult for the film to lose money.

Whether it's Spielberg or a top-tier male star, they can't be easily satisfied with just a little money.

There will definitely be a share of the profits.

Paramount definitely doesn't want another person to share the pie in this project.

Besides, it was a delicious cake in their eyes.

Without much back and forth, Paramount directly refused: "Tell Don that Spielberg doesn't like others interfering in his projects."

That's just an excuse.

There is no room for two tigers in one mountain.

With two big-name directors involved, who's directing whom?
Following Tang Wen's instructions, Galaxy Entertainment quickly responded: "Director Spielberg and Director Tang Wen have a very close personal relationship and do not mind jointly developing this project."

"This is impossible!"

Paramount immediately contacted DreamWorks, and Spielberg's response was exactly the same as Tang Wen's.

"They've started organizing?"

"They must have planned it beforehand!"

"..."

At the next meeting, Paramount executives were all talking at once, expressing both anger and disbelief.

"When did Spielberg become so easy to talk to?"

What is his relationship with Tang Wen?

"never heard of that!"

"I think they must have exchanged some benefits."

Shirley Lansing was relieved, as Tang Wen secretly connected her with a California women's rights organization.

He funded the initial setup of her foundation.

Tang Wen contributed money and effort, but not to do good deeds.

It means selling out, uh, making good use of Paramount's resources in exchange for these.

The promise made earlier to help obtain the rights to "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" was just one part of it.

The timing isn't right yet; the copyright issue is still unresolved.

Now Paramount has a need for cooperation with Tang Wen, and Tang Wen has put forward conditions, promising to help him achieve them as much as possible.

However, Tang Wen's demand to participate in "World War" was too outrageous.

For example: Paramount hires Don Wen to repair a dilapidated house.

Tang Wen's condition was that he wanted to take away one of your children who was quite capable of earning money.

The opposition was, of course, fierce.

"President, could you perhaps speak with Spielberg and have him reject Tang Wen?"

Spielberg holds an extremely high position in the industry.

They belong to that small group of people at the very top of the pyramid.

The only person in Paramount who could put pressure on him was Shirley Lansing.

He's not even qualified to be a vice president.

Unexpectedly, this time she shook her head slightly:
“I called him early this morning, and the old guy gave me this high-sounding explanation that the project was too big and he wasn’t entirely confident on his own! With Tang Wen on board, the chances of success are much greater.”

The conference room fell silent.

Spielberg has thrown out a huge scapegoat, and no one dares to step forward and say that they don't need Tang Wen, they can do it themselves and guarantee profitability.

If they had that kind of ability, why would they need to be executives? Wouldn't it be better for them to go out and become directors?

Everyone knows this is just an excuse.

Spielberg is so famous, how could he not be confident?
He won't start a project unless he's confident.

"President, we can't agree to this!"

Shirley Lansing said seriously, "Yes, I have a conference call with Tang Wen. I will put pressure on him. Please wait a moment."

After saying that, she got up and went to the small conference room next door, glancing at her secretary.

The secretary quietly turned on the recording jammer she carried with her.

"Tang, it's me. What Paramount project have you taken a fancy to?"

Tang Wen feinted: "World War won't do?"

“Hmm,” Shirley Lansing pondered for a moment, “It’s definitely not enough for you to just provide the money. You also need to use your talent and abilities to truly participate in the project. With my hard work and mediation on your behalf, there’s only a slight chance.”

Tang Wen pretended to think for a moment: "Shirley, I don't want to put you in a difficult position. Changing the project isn't out of the question. Don't you have a comedy project about a father-in-law and son-in-law, and are you starting up a sequel?"

"Meeting the Father-in-Law"?
Is this Tang's true goal?
"Please wait a moment, I'll have someone inquire about the project's progress."

After she finished speaking, her secretary made a phone call and reported a few minutes later: "The script is having a difficult time. The first comedy project was successful, but I'm not sure if the second one will be successful."

The movie "Meet the Parents" was made into three parts.

The first film was released in 2000, with a production cost of $5000 million, and grossed over $3 million worldwide.

It was a great success.

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Why is the second movie still in the script stage?
To put it simply, it's a comedy sequel, not as strongly related to other film series.

Whether the second installment is successful or not depends entirely on the production quality, and has little to do with the first one.

The first film's reputation might help a little during its first week of release.

Once people find that the quality is not as good as the previous work, or that it is not a good movie.

Word-of-mouth will quickly decline, and box office revenue will be halved in the second week of release.

A high-quality first installment can actually raise audience expectations.

It's really not easy to do.

Shirley Lansing did not hide anything and told Tang Wen the truth.

The latter laughed and said, "That's perfect. If I organize the script and personally direct and produce it, can I get a 50% share?"

"Comedy is very difficult, are you so confident?"

"almost."

Shirley Lansing thought for half a minute: "If your funds are willing to be 'subordinated' and take the risk, this can work."

"Subordinated funding" means that if there is a loss, Paramount's investment will be recovered first.

Tang Wenlai will bear the losses.

Tang Wen laughed: "It sounds like I'm at a disadvantage."

"Shall I give you a nomination for the female lead?" Shirley Lansing knew Tang Wen's preferences.

"Okay, I'll be the one to designate the project for the female lead."

"no problem!"

A dozen minutes later, the secretary pushed open the door to the large conference room again!

The Paramount executives stopped their casual conversation and focused their gaze on Shirley Lansing's face.

Shirley suddenly smiled and said, "After my persuasion, Don gave up his idea for the War of the Worlds project, and Spielberg will explain it to him himself!"

"Wow"

"No wonder she's the Iron Lady of Hollywood!"

"The president is wise!"

The atmosphere in the large conference room was wonderful.

Executives from Shirley Lansing's faction, looking proud, applauded.

Even the neutral executives secretly sighed: Sulli is indeed Sulli!
Only a minority of people who didn't get along with her looked uneasy, secretly cursing Tang Wenzhen for being a coward. What was he afraid of? He was young and promising, so why didn't he dare to fight this old woman?!
Before the applause subsided, they asked, "So what are Tang's new conditions?"

Don't get too excited yet. What if she gives up even more benefits?
Shirley Lansing glanced calmly at the person who asked the question and instructed the person at the door, "Let them in."

The project manager of "Meet the Parents 2" walked in from outside, accompanied by two senior screenwriters.

He looked quite nervous.

The executives had no idea why they were there.

But no one questioned it.

At Shirley Lansing's prompting, the project manager began to speak: "As everyone knows, comedy has always been the most difficult genre to create! We've been working on it for three years..."

She talks non-stop about how hard she works, how she works overtime, and how she stays up all night.

The executives all realized that the progress of the second part was bound to be very slow.

"The success of the first film was largely due to the remake, but the second film requires us to create something entirely from scratch..."

The project manager spoke for another ten minutes.

Everyone was getting impatient with what he was saying.

If Shirley Lansing hadn't remained silent, someone would have already stood up and berated them: Are they capable or not? If they aren't, there are plenty of people in Hollywood who would be willing to do it!
“Alright, this project has been in preparation for three years. How much longer do we need to prepare?” Shirley finally spoke, her tone very stern.

"This?" The project manager looked uneasy and was unwilling to give a specific timeframe.
"We have our eye on an actress—Barbara Streisand, as you should know, her style is perfect for this film. The problem is, she retired from acting seven years ago."

“What about the budget?”

Another critical problem.

The project manager was sweating profusely.

"Robert De Niro (father-in-law) and Ben Stiller (son-in-law) need to significantly increase their salaries, and Barbra Streisand would need at least ten million dollars to be willing to return to acting. The total salaries for the actors alone could reach tens of millions of dollars..."

"Enough!" Shirley's voice was filled with anger. "Say the numbers."

The person in charge gritted his teeth: "8000 million, it will probably take 8000 million US dollars to get it!"

There was an uproar in the conference room.

The first film cost over 5000 million, and the cost of the second film almost doubled?

"Does anyone here want to take over this project?" Shirley Lansing asked again.

The person in charge was deathly pale.

None of the executives present uttered a word.

What a joke! Everyone heard the conditions just now.

The script is difficult to write, audience expectations are high, and the cost cannot be reduced.

The project sounds unlikely to succeed.

Who would be stupid enough to jump into a fire pit?

Shirley Lansing waited two minutes before slowly speaking, "In that case, I will recommend it to Tang Wen!"

Ok?
Many people's eyes lit up: Brilliant! The CEO is truly brilliant!
The opposition weakly voiced their objections: "But this is, after all, a sequel to a hugely successful project."

“Fine, then you’ll take over?” Shirley Lansing’s tone was unfriendly.

The person who spoke immediately lowered their head and pretended to be dead.

Shirley Lansing snorted: "The contents of today's meeting must be kept strictly confidential!"

After saying that, she looked at the current project manager and said, "Today, you need to package the project well, but don't exaggerate it too much. Send the documents to my office later."

The person in charge escaped unscathed, readily agreed, and went out to prepare!

"I will put pressure on Tang Wen again to try to get him fully involved in the project!"

"The president is brilliant!"

"Well, but he's not stupid, he'll definitely give him something in return."

Everyone expressed their understanding, and the opposition had nothing to say, though they secretly scoffed: Do you think Tang Wen is stupid? He would accept such a terrible project?

With no one objecting, Shirley Lansing raised her chin, looking satisfied.

According to the foundation's plan that she and Tang Wen discussed, Shirley Lansing wanted to stay on for a few more years after her term as president of Paramount ended, using her position to expand the foundation's influence.

A great deal of effort is needed to achieve this goal.

What if I haven't made any contributions?
Of course, we should create merit!
How can we reveal all the results of this deal with Tang Wen all at once?

Shirley Lansing is determined to multiply her achievements, winning repeatedly, big wins, and massive wins!
China.

The news from the British newspapers, including the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, and The Sun, finally crossed the ocean and reached the country, stirring up wave after wave of news storms.

However, the topics they report on are only those that can be reprinted by some tabloids.

It's not convenient for regular newspapers and magazines to report on this.

Even if you have great talent and a long playing time, it won't work.

On the internet, major portal websites faithfully reproduced the content.

This is news reporting that directly discusses X-content.

This initially surprised domestic readers, but then greatly excited them.

British newspapers have reported on the private affairs between director Tang and a female star.
Does it involve talent and duration?
And what about a possible 1 vs 2 situation?

Ah, this?
Is this content that can appear in a newspaper?

Netizens were shocked.

Tang Wen's homepage on Renren.com saw a surge in both the number of visitors and the number of visitors.

If the website hadn't been prepared and increased the number of servers in advance, it probably would have crashed again. [Pan, Lu, Deng, Xiao, Xian! Ximen Qing was right! No wonder so many goddesses like Tang Wen! So that's it, so that's it…]

[Upstairs, please explain.]

[Pan: The handsome appearance of Pan An... Donkey is a genuine product, naturally gifted.]

This claim, imbued with a sense of voyeurism about Tang Wen and the female celebrity's privacy, quickly spread online.

[Got it! Director Tang's greatest strength isn't actually in filmmaking.]

My brother is perfect! He's absolutely perfect!

[Holy crap! A female fan?]

Let's get to know each other. Actually, I have a nickname: "Little Tang Wen".

【…】

Male celebrities in Beijing gathered for dinner.

Nie Yuan, Ren Quan, and Xia Yu huddled together and whispered among themselves.

Male celebrities are human too, and they also have a gossipy side.

A bunch of grown men, there was no need for them to pretend to be serious; their tone was full of envy.

Nortel.

Guan Yue was annoyed by several close female classmates who kept asking her all sorts of questions: "These little vixens, they don't dare to ask Xuanzi, so they all come to me to probe indirectly."

How much do I know about such a private matter...?

Yes, I actually know that.

But she showed no sign of it, feigning ignorance and dismissing the group of lustful young men.

Thinking of my best friend Dong Xuan's private sharing, I couldn't help but sigh.

It's true what they say, comparisons are odious.

Thinking of this, I took out my phone and sent a message to Tong Dawei: I'm going to visit the set this weekend...

While Tong Dawei was discussing gossip about Tang Wen with others on set, he saw the message and quickly went to the side to send a message to his assistant, asking him to buy some traditional Chinese medicine.

Tang Wen is not in China.

The women who were rumored to be dating him were at the center of gossip and public opinion.

Gao Yuanyuan has been feeling uncomfortable whenever she goes out to participate in activities these past few days.

The way these people were looking at me was so strange.

It wasn't all malicious; there was envy, realization, teasing, and ill intent... all combined, making her feel very uncomfortable.

"That bastard! He's really done a lot of harm! These British newspapers are so disreputable, how could they report something like this?"

This is the benefit of Tang Wen taking preventative measures in advance.

Gao Yuanyuan is willing to believe it's a publicity stunt.

At the same time, seeing Tang Wen using such a private matter for publicity, I was angry but also felt a little sorry for him.

It's true that being an international director isn't easy.

Under pressure from major Hollywood studios, they are actually forced to sell their privacy!

Hey~
This is not his fault.

Da Meiyuan picked up her phone, logged into QQ, and left a message for Tang Wen to comfort him.

Dong Xuan, Hu Jing, Zeng Li, Chen... shared similar thoughts.

They were young, and due to their limited information and experience, they didn't have any doubts.

After reading the gossip, Fan Bingbing blinked her fox-like eyes, sensing that something was amiss.

She had been to Cannes with Tang Wen and knew that her man was well-connected in France.

Those famous foreign directors and stars were polite and friendly to him; they didn't seem like the type to need to sell their privacy to get resources.
But she dared not make wild guesses.

I don't want to doubt Tang Wen either.

So, we still need to comfort my brother!

But, did it really take that long?
We need to try it quickly.

Producer Tang Wei felt that Tang Wen was not the type to suffer losses. Why go through all this trouble just to boost the box office of "Tomb Raider 2"? Was the sacrifice too great?

What will Paramount give?
Only after seeing the resources and the results of the exchange can she determine whether Tang Wen is lying.

However... that's not important; I should understand.

Tang Wei shook his head, closed his laptop, and immersed himself in his work on "House of Wax".

Incidentally, these American actors also knew about Tang Wen's gossip.

The actresses looked at her with undisguised envy.

Three British tabloids took turns reporting on the story, the gossip coming thick and fast.

A reputable newspaper would never interview several women about something like this.

As journalists from a reputable publication, they couldn't bring themselves to ask such questions.

Even tabloid paparazzi can't get a glimpse of them.

This time, it didn't have much of an impact on them.

They weren't the ones exposed along with Tang Wen.

Some of the women who were significantly affected included:
—Park Si-yeon
After a period of preparation, this beauty pageant third runner-up from South Korea...

I signed a contract with Renren.com and opened a personal homepage.

She was planning to create an account under the name of Tang Wen's number one female fan to promote herself.

Then this news came along.

Should we adopt this number, or not?

I'm sorry, I'm sorry for all the preparations I've made over the past few days.

Moreover, the website was ready to promote her, and familiar media reporters received travel expenses and red envelopes in preparation for interviews and publicity.

If you miss the opportunity, not only will you waste your money, but you might also lose your title to someone else.

You'll be devastated when that happens.

Just when they were about to start a new account, Tang Wen was exposed by overseas media for such a scandalous affair.

They've brought up everything from talent to playtime.

At this moment, the internet and newspapers suddenly announced that Park Si-yeon was Tang Wen's number one female fan. What do the audience and netizens think?
How could onlookers not have ulterior motives?

This Ms. Park, instead of promoting herself earlier or later, is now rushing to claim she's a fan of Tang Wen.

What brings you here?

It's not just because of Director Tang's good looks and talent, right?

Did they also recognize Director Tang's talent...?

Moreover, Park Si-yeon's surname itself has a homonym.

"Shiyan, Renren.com asked us if we've made a decision yet? If you want a postponement, they're not unwilling to cooperate again." The agent finished speaking and sighed, offering advice.
"We said a week ago that we would release the promotional material, and we already postponed it once because you're a fan of Director Tang. Do you want to postpone it again?"

The report appeared in a British tabloid a week ago.

Park Si-yeon, who has a keen international perspective, noticed this and, fearing negative repercussions, proactively requested to wait a week until the news died down before promoting herself.

Female celebrities!

I'm afraid of getting involved in risqué rumors.

Her first role was Zhuo Wenjun in "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate," a representative figure of ancient romantic love.

After learning about the history, Park Si-yeon felt quite proud of her debut in this image.

However, building a persona and opening a homepage on Renren.com are more important.

According to her and her agent's analysis, as long as she makes a name for herself and gains fans, her commercial value will increase significantly.

Otherwise, she is a Korean and currently has no large company to rely on.

It's not easy to gain a foothold in the industry.

The situation would be different if a page could be opened on Renren.com.

It's like having built-in traffic to promote your work, which will attract the attention of many production teams.

It can be said that this is part of her career plan.

Becoming a featured member on Renren.com is a crucial step.

"Shiyan?" Seeing that she hadn't spoken, her manager urged her.

Park Si-yeon was still deep in thought when she thought of Lee Hyori, Tang Wen's number one fan in South Korea.

Thanks to his status and his works, he's doing very well.

The song "10 Minutes" won the "Mutizen Song" award for two consecutive weeks.
It topped the charts on MBC's "Music Camp" for two consecutive weeks...

This is just the beginning.

It is said that Tang Wen wanted to write a song for her himself.

Although I don't have any relationship with Director Tang at the moment, judging from our interaction that day, Director Tang is interested in me.

At the very least, they absolutely do not resent being approached.

The future may hold a brighter future for me.

I must firmly hold onto my position as the number one fan.

Thinking of this, the girl's fierce determination, which had driven her to travel across the ocean to make her way in the world, burst forth: "Tomorrow it is! I'm not waiting any longer! I'll put on makeup now and ask them to come and film the video!"

"Great, great!" The agent was overjoyed. "Being popular right now isn't all bad. If we handle it carefully, you'll definitely become famous!"

Park Si-yeon nodded emphatically, took a deep breath, and straightened her back: "I'm fine."

She can selectively reply to messages on Renren.com.

As for interviews, there's even less to be afraid of.

China is extremely cautious about anything that is reported or put into writing.

Ignore tabloid reporters; any reputable media outlet would never make things difficult for a foreign female celebrity who comes to China to develop her career.

Otherwise, there would be no need for others to scold them.

The journalism and media industries alike must despise this scoundrel!
The next day.

[Park Si-yeon] was featured on Renren's homepage.

The image used is a still from her drama "Phoenix Seeking Phoenix".

She has an oval face and gentle yet lively eyes and brows.

She's beautiful and can immediately catch people's eye.

Her name was listed below the photo: "[Shiyan (Most Beautiful Girl in Korea) - Tang Wen's Number One Female Fan]"

Renren users know that this means the website has a new resident celebrity.

It's just that the name is a bit strange.

"Is this a newcomer in the industry? One of Tang Wen's people?"

"What does that form of address mean? Tang Wen's not pretending anymore, is he?"

"Is this woman a foreigner, or a beauty pageant runner-up?"

"..."

These days, it's still quite rare to see foreigners online in China.

Besides, she was the third runner-up in a South Korean beauty pageant, a great beauty.

Park Si-yeon's page gets an incredibly high number of clicks.

However, after clicking in and seeing her full name, many people burst out laughing.

"So the beautiful lady's surname is the same as mine!"

"Damn it! You deleted it, so I'll say it myself."

The slightly vulgar joke above received a lot of likes.

Many people who came in remembered Park Si-yeon's name.

For Renren.com, "Park Si-yeon" is someone who capitalizes on the trending topic of Tang Wen.

On her homepage, besides the video of her greeting people, there are also photos of her with Tang Wen.

In the photo, she smiles brightly, holding Tang Wen's autographed album, looking like an ordinary girl who is a fan of a celebrity.

The subsequent video interview also made it clear why she called herself "Tang Wen's number one fan".

It turned out that when she asked Tang Wen for an autograph, she took out her handwritten lyric book.

Tang Wen said, "This is the first time I've seen you."

The comments section became lively:
[That guy surnamed Tang is lying to you, girl! I don't believe he hasn't seen the lyric booklet.]

He must have seen her before, but she was such a beautiful woman, of course he'd say it was his first time.

I've learned something new!

[Park Girl, don't be fooled by him! Tang Wen is a master womanizer!]

【…】

Park Si-yeon kept updating videos to showcase herself and introduce her favorite Tang Wen's songs, and her number of followers began to increase rapidly.

Once she gained the title of "Tang Wen's Number One Female Fan," she started to become popular.

Many female celebrities in the industry, especially those below the third tier, were filled with regret and despair upon seeing this.

"Director Tang's number one fan? Pah! This overseas vixen is just trying to piggyback on Director Tang's fame, but... how come I didn't think of that?"

(End of this chapter)