Simon studied Barbara Broccoli with interest. She had her chin slightly raised, staring straight at him, clearly ready to argue her case to the bitter end. He didn't respond to what she'd just said. Instead, he suddenly smiled. "Barbara, has anyone ever told you you actually look a lot like someone else?"
Barbara Broccoli froze.
The Broccoli family had controlled Bond for thirty years. In recent years, her father Albert Broccoli's health had been worsening, and he was handing leadership of the franchise over to her and her brother, constantly reminding them to keep a tight grip on 007 and not let anyone touch it.
Over the past few weeks, Simon had repeatedly involved himself in the next Bond project and insisted they replace the current lead, Timothy Dalton. Barbara, inheriting her father's strong temperament, instinctively felt threatened. That was why she'd just challenged him so bluntly.
She hadn't expected the young man she regarded as a looming enemy to so casually steer the conversation elsewhere.
Without waiting for Barbara to speak, Simon continued, "You've seen E.T., right? I have to say, you really look like that little girl in the movie, Drew Barrymore. She should be grown up by now."
Steven Spielberg's E.T. was something Barbara Broccoli had obviously seen. Of course she remembered the little girl in it.
But.
What was he getting at?
"Simon, E.T., yes, it's a very good film. But we don't seem to be discussing that right now."
"I know," Simon nodded. Then he spotted MGM's CEO Sherry Lansing hurrying over. When she reached them, he said to her, "Barbara says I shouldn't interfere with 007. In that case, I won't. You can do it your way."
Sherry Lansing's expression darkened.
Simon had asked about Bond several times lately, and each time she'd said everything was progressing smoothly. She hadn't expected the Broccoli siblings to drag an unresolved casting dispute, something they still hadn't settled internally, right in front of Simon.
Now Simon was letting go with a single offhand sentence, but Sherry didn't believe for a second that would be the end of it.
Back when Meg Ryan, who'd just become hot off When Harry Met Sally, wanted out of her contract with Daenerys Entertainment, Westeros had also agreed without hesitation.
And what happened after that?
Seeing Simon turn and walk toward Columbia Pictures president Jon Peters, who was coming to greet him, Sherry hurried after him, trying to explain. She didn't care what Westeros later did with Bond, even shelving it would be fine. What she couldn't afford was getting caught in the fallout herself.
But Simon had already started chatting with Peters, so Sherry could only stand patiently beside them.
As they talked, Sherry noticed Simon seemed unusually interested in Peters's young girlfriend.
Jon Peters was already in his forties. His girlfriend looked very young, early twenties. She seemed to have Latin blood. Her skin wasn't very pale. She had a sultry face men would find irresistible, yet she didn't look like the type Simon Westeros would usually be drawn to.
Still, Sherry Lansing memorized her name.
Catherine Zeta Jones.
Simon hadn't expected to run into Hollywood's famous "old man killer" at tonight's party.
In his memory, Catherine Zeta Jones's path in Hollywood could be called dazzling. Not only Jon Peters, a gold plated producer, she'd also been linked for a time with major names like Steven Spielberg and Sean Connery, and in the end she married Michael Douglas, twenty five years older than her.
Climbing in Hollywood was never easy. Even if you had the body, the face, the talent, and you were willing to sleep your way up, it still didn't guarantee much. Too many people wasted years and ended up crawling back to ordinary life.
So for Catherine Zeta Jones, with no real background, her rise counted as a small "legend" of its own.
While they were talking, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore also came over.
The topic gradually shifted, guided by Jon Peters, to a film project he wanted Willis and Moore to join.
"It's a thriller mystery about a murder triggered by domestic abuse. The title is Mortal Thoughts. The plot is similar to Sleeping with the Enemy, except it adds a murder element. It's about a woman helping her best friend kill her freeloading husband. We want Bruce and Demi together. We'd shoot early next year. But Demi says her schedule might conflict with MGM's A Few Good Men."
As he spoke, Jon Peters glanced at Sherry Lansing, then turned back to Simon.
Simon, however, looked at Lansing again.
A Few Good Men was progressing far more smoothly than GoldenEye. Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, and Demi Moore were all confirmed, the script had already been revised, and they expected to start shooting in November, with a tentative release in early August next year.
An end of summer slot would let A Few Good Men avoid the impact of major releases like Terminator 2 and Batman: The Dark Knight.
On her option contract with Daenerys Entertainment, Demi Moore had been far more tactful than Meg Ryan, directly accepting Daenerys's two million dollar offer. Simon was happy to make things convenient for her in return.
Noticing Simon look her way, Sherry nodded. "If necessary, we can try to schedule Demi's scenes before the end of the year."
Demi Moore suddenly spoke up. "Simon, why don't you take a look at the Mortal Thoughts script sometime? If it works, I'm sure Peter and Jon wouldn't mind turning it into a co production between Daenerys Entertainment and Columbia."
After grinding for so many years, Demi Moore treasured the fame Ghost had brought her. But she understood even more clearly that maintaining ties with Westeros could only help her, never hurt.
Jon Peters's eyes also showed expectation.
From this summer's box office results for Sleeping with the Enemy and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, if Mortal Thoughts could be folded into Daenerys Entertainment's ten film plan, then even splitting profits fifty fifty would still likely be far better than Columbia producing it alone.
But Simon had no interest in a project he hadn't even heard of. He refused casually.
After a few more lines of polite talk, Peters and the others excused themselves and moved away.
Still, Catherine Zeta Jones, who'd been well behaved and quiet after introducing herself, gave Simon a clear, deliberate look as she left.
Simon noticed the little move, only smiled, and then turned to Sherry Lansing, who was still hovering at his side.
Knowing what Sherry was worried about, Simon said, "Sherry, I really have been too busy lately. I don't have the bandwidth to manage Bond anymore. Since the Broccoli family wants to keep control, let them do one more. Either way, Bond has never actually lost money. Kirk Kerkorian has messed MGM around for years. Your job now is to restore MGM's normal operations as a major studio. Be patient for a year. I'll make other arrangements."
Sherry Lansing's heart finally settled. She nodded seriously. "Simon, I understand."
Recently, the news that Daenerys Entertainment might enter the MCA bidding made Sherry understand why Simon had refused to formally step into MGM, even when he'd had the chance.
Daenerys Entertainment alone had risen in just a few years to stand shoulder to shoulder with the traditional major studios, and it had already become a member of the Motion Picture Association. If the Westeros system controlled MGM early, then tried to acquire MCA, it would look like an attempt to control three major Hollywood studios, and would inevitably run into antitrust barriers.
On the other hand, if they acquired MCA first and only then moved on MGM, which was much weaker, it would be far easier for everyone to accept, and the process would be much simpler.
After sending Sherry Lansing off, Simon hadn't even had time to move before someone else immediately approached.
...
"Terry, tonight is a celebration party. Let's not talk about acquisitions. No matter what, Daenerys and Warner Bros. won't change their partnership."
...
"Good evening, Bob. Is post production on Havana finished? Of course. I'm free next week. Set it up and call me."
...
"You look beautiful tonight, Julia. Yes, I know about Hook. Steven called me about it himself. Daenerys doesn't have a suitable project for you right now, so playing Tinker Bell is fine."
...
"Pierce, I didn't expect you'd know Joanna. Northern Lights? Maybe I should find time to watch it."
...
"Don't worry too much, Joe. Terminator 2 is far better than The Abyss, and I'm watching it personally. I'll make sure Cameron finishes under seventy million. Fine, tell Barry the truth. I never thought fifty million was realistic from the start."
...
"I'm sorry, sir. Please submit the script to Daenerys's writing department. This isn't my working time."
...
"Looks like you already know each other, Jane, and Holly. I think the lead in The Piano was made for you. Ira, set up a formal meeting next week. Bring Harvey too. Let's talk properly. As for me, if I have time, I'll drop by."
...
"I watched the final cut of Misery the moment it was done. I have to say, your performances were even better than I expected. By the way, Mae, how's Dakota been lately?"
...
"Maggie, Warren didn't come tonight? Oh, congratulations on the breakup. Ha, stop, I don't want rumors with you. By the way, your last tour grossed seventy million. Don't you think you should give me a cut? Fine, let's change the subject."
...
"Sorry, Courteney. The female lead for The Flash is basically locked. And Scream 3 is close to The Flash on the schedule, so you're not suitable. If there's a right project, you'll be the first I consider. Wayne's World, Courteney, if you want it, I can say yes right now. But you're already close to being typecast in horror, do you really want to be stamped as a comedy doll too? Spend two or three years trying every kind of role. Don't fixate on whether you're the lead, and don't fixate on pay. The key is sharpening your acting and broadening your range. In two or three years, you'll probably complete the shift."
...
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Mikaela. Yes, The Beverly Housewives hasn't been canceled, it's just paused this quarter. I think Iger has talked to you. All right, now you have confirmation directly from Westeros. Dinner? Tomorrow night, I'm not in Los Angeles. The night after, unfortunately, no. Tell you what, talk to my assistant in a moment. She manages my schedule."
...
Moving through the crowd, Simon endured more than an hour of nonstop flattery, seduction, praise, probing, lobbying, and introductions before he finally had a chance to regroup with Amy Pascal and the rest of the senior team.
Robert Iger was in Los Angeles these past two days as well. As they talked and laughed, something Iger mentioned offhand quickly caught Simon's interest.
It involved ESPN, the sports network under Capital Cities/ABC. Even though Iger had left ABC, his connections there remained.
In the original timeline, ESPN, North America's largest sports network, on par with CNN, HBO, and MTV, was founded in 1979 and originally funded by the famous Getty family, the same Getty family whose heir had been kidnapped and lost an ear, yet they still refused to pay ransom.
Because of endless inheritance wars, the Gettys had long since lost their former glory. ESPN's shares were sold off amid internal fighting in the 1980s. ABC acquired 80%, and the remaining 20% ended up with Nabisco. As ESPN's prospects improved, that share structure had remained unchanged since 1984.
During that period, ABC was acquired by Capital Cities and became Capital Cities/ABC. Nabisco was acquired by Reynolds Tobacco in a massive $25 billion buyout, the largest leveraged buyout in American business history. ESPN's minority stake quietly changed hands along with it.
Now Reynolds Nabisco, trapped in the mud after that disastrous merger a year ago, had to sell off assets aggressively to pay down enormous debt. As a tobacco and food company, Reynolds Nabisco's ESPN stake was naturally a "non core asset" to be sold for cash.
Even knowing Simon wanted to expand into television, Iger hadn't expected him to be interested in this stake. He explained, "Simon, it's only twenty percent of ESPN. If we buy it, we won't get any control. And the price is very high, probably two hundred million. And we'd also need Capital Cities/ABC to approve."
At its peak, ESPN's valuation reached fifty billion. In Simon's memory, some media even claimed that the biggest gain Michael Eisner got from Disney's $19 billion acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC was ESPN. And ESPN's position as the number one sports network in America truly solidified in the 1990s.
Investing two hundred million now, Simon believed that in ten years, just the dividends from that stake alone would exceed that amount annually.
Although Simon had bigger ambitions for ESPN and the entire Capital Cities/ABC group, taking this twenty percent stake first was, no matter what, an extremely attractive investment.
After telling Iger to gather a more detailed brief as soon as possible, Simon checked the time. It was already past nine, so he left early with Jennifer. The flight from Los Angeles to Seattle was only a bit over an hour, but leaving now, they would still be settling in close to midnight.