Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 175 Birds of a Feather

Jerry Buss and Donald Sterling both started their careers in real estate and are old acquaintances.

When Jerry Buss bought the Los Angeles Lakers for $6750 million, he sold a lot of properties, which were then taken over by Donald Sterling;

It was Jerry Buss who suggested to Donald Sterling to acquire an NBA club. The latter acquired the San Diego Clippers at the time for $1250 million and moved to Los Angeles three years later!
"Birds of a feather flock together," Aaron leaned back on the sofa in the villa in the Bel Air community, casually flipping through the information of Donald Sterling and Jerry Buss;

Both of them are playboys. Although they are old now, young girls are the most indispensable thing in their lives.

The Lakers' home court is still at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, and there is no Staple Center now!
Because "Dracula" received mixed reviews, it only earned $400 million in the second weekend and a cumulative $1500 million in 10 days.
According to predictions, the possibility of "Dracula" breaking through $400 million in North America is very slim.

At a party at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in West Hollywood, Ya Kun and Jack Wills were sitting on the sofa drinking!
"Aaron, I've asked, and neither Jerry Buss nor Donald Sterling has any intention of selling the NBA club;"

"You understand the Lakers' current momentum. As for the Los Angeles Clippers, even David Stern wants him to sell the team!"

Donald Sterling's reputation in sports circles and among the wealthy in Los Angeles is extremely bad;
The Clippers did not improve after he moved them from San Diego to Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Clippers have always been a bottom-ranked team.

Aaron curled his lips and said, "The Lakers are Jerry Buss's main asset at the moment, and his management achievements are obvious to all."

"Bass has leveraged the Los Angeles consumer market to combine sports and entertainment. What a brilliant move!"

The Lakers' front-row seats at the Great Western Forum were used by Buss to attract Hollywood stars for traffic;

NBA tickets are expensive now, and the best-selling ones are the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.

"So you're interested in the Clippers?"

Jack Wells took a sip of his wine and said, "It's just that Donald Sterling, that old Jewish guy, is not easy to deal with;"

"I received news that Heidi Frears is quite close to him. After all, he is her old customer!"

Heidi Fleiss, currently the most notorious call girl madam in Los Angeles, had nearly 500 young girls on her payroll at her peak;
Hollywood's high-end call girl service industry is respected by her.

"Jack, you know a lot, don't you?"

Aaron smiled.

Jack Wells shook his head. "Some Hollywood stars like to hire private detectives. Heidi Fleiss has developed so rapidly in recent years that she's been targeted by the police."

"I guess, just like her predecessor, Mrs. Alex."

Mrs. Alex, Heidi Fleiss's guide and boss, the former king of Hollywood madams;

Because he was prosecuted for money laundering and illegal sex trafficking, his apprentice Heidi Fleiss took over the clients and girls and made the business bigger and stronger.

Aaron couldn't deny it. "Forget about these guys. Let's wait and see if there are any other big cities that want to sell teams."

Aaron doesn't have to be in Los Angeles. After all, Dawn's headquarters is here. Aaron is confident that he can develop Dawn into a Hollywood powerhouse in the future.
The team can also increase its influence in another city if it is located in another place!
"By the way, Aaron, if you only want a portion of the Lakers' shares, that can be done;"

"With your influence in Hollywood and your current financial resources, Jerry Buss will definitely be willing to take you in as a minority shareholder. It will be of great benefit to the development of the Lakers." Jack Wells couldn't help but remind him.

"Minority shareholder?" Aaron shook his head. "It's boring without the power to make decisions for the club."

The purpose of acquiring an NBA team is not just investment.

Jack Wells shrugged and said, "Okay, I'll keep an eye on it for you!"

"Well, also, if there's an NFL club for sale, remember to let me know."

Of the four major North American leagues, the NFL is not allowed to be acquired in the name of a company and can only be owned in the name of an individual;

As the number one sport in North America, NFL teams are rarely sold and are mostly passed down through families.

“Also, Aaron, Time Warner Chairman and CEO Steve Ross is critically ill;”

"The news said he seemed to be on his deathbed!"

Jack Wells whispered to Aaron, "Time Warner's president, Gerald Levin, recently held a board meeting and replaced nine directors."

Aaron narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are they all Steve Ross's men?"

"That's right, Gerard Levine has replaced Ross's confidant, and soon he will truly be in charge of Time Warner Group!"

Aaron took a sip of his wine and drummed his fingers on his knees. “In the middle of the year, I heard that Seagram’s Wine Company, led by Edgar Bronfman Jr., wanted to invest in Time Warner;”

"CAA's Michael Ovitz even went to Long Island, New York, to visit Steve Ross, who was recuperating;"

"Now, there seems to be no news?"

If it were Steve Ross himself, he would probably be willing to take in Edgar Bronfman Jr., but now he is on his deathbed;

The person in charge of Time Warner has become Gerald Levin. Is he willing to give up power?

With the arrival of Thanksgiving, the movie "Scent of a Woman" began a limited release, and the filming of "The Mask of Zorro" was moved from Spain to Mexico;
After the release of "Scent of a Woman", it gained good reputation.

The Hollywood Reporter: "In the film 'Scent of a Woman,' Al Pacino and Matt Damon form a successful team, helping each other out of trouble and pursuing a better life."

Los Angeles Times: "Matt Damon's performance is adequate, but Al Pacino's makes the film feel more like a one-man show. Pacino's performance alone captivates everyone and makes all the other performances pale in comparison!"

Because of the good reputation of "Scent of a Woman", Shuguang also made this movie one of his public relations goals for the Oscars.

The limited release of Scent of a Woman was indeed intended for the Academy Awards;
The same goes for "The Crying Game" and "Schindler's List" which will be released next month. The scale of their release at the end of the year is very limited, and they are mainly focused on accumulating word of mouth.

(End of this chapter)