Capítulo 179: Chapter 179: The Impossible Reality
[Chapter 179: The Impossible Reality]
"Vicki, is it the Sunset Tower Hotel across from the Andaz?" The rugged-looking white man in the driver's seat, appearing to be around thirty, asked as he focused on the road ahead.
"Of course, are there two Sunset Tower Hotels on Sunset Boulevard?" Virginia replied from the passenger seat. She pulled out a small mirror from her purse, checked her makeup, and carefully applied a bit of lipstick. This action somehow made the man in the driver's seat a bit displeased. "Vicki, I just don't get it. Why do you want to get involved with that kid? You two have a ten-year age gap."
"I already said, my personal matters are none of your concern," Virginia blurted out but quickly realized she shouldn't talk to her brother that way and softened her tone. "Mike, I'm enjoying my time with him. He may be young, but he's very considerate."
Michael Madsen frowned even more. "That guy isn't going to give you any promises, is he? He's not going to marry you."
Hearing that, Virginia's eyes dimmed a bit, and she replied softly, "Honestly, I never expected him to marry me."
"But you're already twenty-eight. I want you to find a reliable man to marry, not just end up with a kid like that as your lover." Michael sounded a bit agitated, and as he spoke, he couldn't help but slap his hand on the steering wheel, turning to look at his sister. "I just want you to be happy, Vicki."
"Will getting married make you happy?" Virginia asked, putting her lipstick and mirror back into her purse. "Our mom and dad certainly aren't happy, and you've been divorced once already."
Michael Madsen continued trying to persuade her. "Because of that, I want you to find a good man. There are definitely still good men in this world. Even if one doesn't work out, try again. Look, even though I've been divorced, I'm happy with Jeannine. In six months, you might have a little nephew or niece."
"Okay, I got it, Mike. Can we not talk about this today?" Virginia, feeling much like any older single woman pressured about marriage, began to dodge the topic. She had been raised by this brother, who was four years older, as their parents were busy with work after the divorce, so even her parents' opinions could easily be ignored, but her relationship with her brother mattered greatly.
"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then I won't," Michael Madsen said helplessly, looking back at the road ahead.
Michael stopping the topic relieved Virginia, and they both sat quietly for a moment, looking out the window. They could tell they were getting close to the Sunset Tower Hotel. Virginia then added, "Mike, I know you don't like him, but please don't be rude. I really hope you can get that role he mentioned."
Michael Madsen replied, "Of course I won't be rude, but I'm only here to see your new movie. Don't expect me to brown-nose just for a role."
Virginia felt a bit resigned. She knew her brother very well; he was indifferent to fame and fortune, and he initially wanted to be an actor more for a living than for stardom. That still held true.
As they talked, they quickly arrived at the Sunset Tower Hotel. Virginia noticed a swarm of paparazzi waiting outside with cameras hanging from their necks. She rushed to put on her sunglasses, but that still didn't stop the sharp-eyed paparazzi from spotting her. A crowd rushed over, snapping photos at the car window. Seeing these news-hungry folks, Michael had no choice but to slow down, which only excited the paparazzi more, making them hammer on the car windows and shout at Virginia inside.
However, no matter how loudly the paparazzi called out, they didn't receive any replies. The siblings drove straight into the underground parking lot and took the elevator up to the hotel.
...
"Another one? Julia Roberts just arrived. I wonder what Firefly is up to?" A group of paparazzi was blocked by security and had no choice but to continue waiting outside the hotel, hoping the next guest would give them some juicy details.
"You just got here less than ten minutes ago, right, Jake? Several big Hollywood names went in during the last half-hour."
"Oh, Kane, who else has been here?" The paparazzo named Jake asked.
Kane leaned closer to Jake and whispered, "The CEO of Disney, Michael Eisner, a VP of distribution from Warner Bros., and Paramount's president, Ned Tanen, along with the VP of Columbia, Amy Pascal. Four of the seven major studios have already sent representatives. Just wait; I'm sure the other three will send someone too."
Jake's imagination ran wild at Kane's revelation, and he couldn't help but gasp. "No way, could something big be happening in Hollywood?"
Kane shook his head. "I'm not sure, but it definitely has to do with Firefly. I heard from an insider at the hotel that there's another party tonight."
"Tonight?" Jake checked his watch. "It's only 1:35 now. Are you sure about that? If there's a party tonight, why are all these bigwigs arriving now?"
"I can't be wrong about this. My insider works in the kitchen, and they've been tasked with preparing food for the party tonight."
Jake asked, "Kane, what do you think is going on?"
"Maybe... well, this is too unusual for me to figure out, but didn't we hear that Firefly was planning to acquire New Line Cinema? I wonder if this is related. New Line is a top-tier second-string studio. If they merge with Firefly, given Eric Williams' track record with hits and New Line's distribution ability, we might see a new giant in Hollywood in just a few years."
Jake speculated, "Didn't you say this was initiated by Firefly? Could it be that they need to pick a distributor for their upcoming films, and that's why the top brass from the majors are gathering here?"
As soon as he said that, Kane and the other paparazzi listening were stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. One of the photographers sneered, "No way, you're overestimating Firefly's pull. If it were Eric Williams directing, maybe the top execs would rush over. He's proven his talent. But everyone knows that the rights to Eric's next two films already belong to Fox."
Jake thought his theory sounded a bit far-fetched too, scratching his head and quietly countering, "Didn't we hear that Eric Williams wrote the screenplay himself?"
However, his comment didn't receive much attention from the other paparazzi, who resumed discussing the reasons behind the gathering and eagerly awaited more arrivals.
...
Often, seemingly absurd speculations turn out to be true.
This event was indeed just an internal screening hosted by Firefly.
When the invitations were sent out, Eric had thought that the major studios would only send one or two ordinary execs. However, he quickly received the news that Disney's Michael Eisner, for reasons unknown, had his assistant contact Firefly to confirm his personal attendance. Just that response prompted Eric to move the screening from Firefly's small screening room to the luxury screening hall at the Sunset Tower Hotel. After all, given Michael Eisner's stature, holding the event in Firefly's smaller venue would have been seen as quite disrespectful.
Next, other major studios likely caught on to the fact that Eisner would be attending and began sending other important executives.
However, of the seven majors, only Michael Eisner showed up as the CEO. Paramount sent a president, Columbia sent in Amy Pascal, who had a good relationship with Eric, and the other studios sent either vice presidents or significant executives. Still, the lineup was impressive: top executives from the seven major studios gathered together, all for the distribution rights of just one or two movies -- something that probably hadn't happened in the last decade.
...
Upon arriving on the floor for the screening, Virginia and her brother stepped off the elevator to find Eric's assistant, Allen Fisman, waiting nearby.
"Hello, Allen. Where's Eric?" Virginia asked as she approached.
"Mr. Williams is busy and can't come out to greet you. Miss Madsen, please follow me; I'll take you to the lounge," Allen said politely.
Virginia nodded in disappointment. Michael Madsen, seeing this, didn't know the specifics and assumed Eric was somewhat disrespecting his sister, which made him quite upset. However, he held back his feelings as they followed Allen into a lounge.
Once they entered the lounge, Virginia saw a number of people had already gathered: director Herbert Ross and stars Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirely MacLaine, and others were present. But only Jonathan Demme was there from their crew, making the atmosphere a bit lonely. This was understandable as the two young actors weren't suitable for attending the afternoon screening, and the other actors present weren't prominent enough to gain entry to this event. The Steel Magnolias crew was different; while Herbert Ross needed no introduction, both Sally Field and Shirely MacLaine were seasoned talents with multiple Oscars under their belts, their prominence even surpassing that of Julia Roberts, the rising star. The remaining actresses were also long-established names.
Upon seeing Virginia enter, Jonathan Demme was the first to light up and stood up to greet her. The rest of the The Others crew also rose to acknowledge her presence.
*****
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