Bab 396: Chapter 396: Don't Thank Westeros
"At this year's Golden Globe Awards, the nominees for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy are: Mia Farrow for 'Alice', Julia Roberts for 'Pretty Woman', Andie MacDowell for 'Green Card', Demi Moore for 'Ghost', and Meryl Streep for 'Postcards from the Edge'."
On the stage of the Hilton Hotel ballroom.
After introducing the nominees, Morgan Freeman, the winner of last year's Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, smiled as he tore open the envelope, glanced at its contents, and announced into the microphone, "The winner is Julia Roberts. Congratulations."
Applause erupted.
Dressed in an elegant white off-the-shoulder gown, Julia Roberts appeared incredulous as she stood from her table, where several key figures from 'Pretty Woman' were seated. After embracing her colleagues, she made her somewhat shaky way to the stage.
Accepting the trophy from Morgan Freeman, the star approached the microphone, still visibly overwhelmed and covering her mouth in disbelief.
Another round of applause ensued.
"It's just unbelievable, like a dream," said the 23-year-old Julia Roberts after composing herself. She stammered into the microphone, "First of all, I want to thank Simon. Without him, none of this would be possible for me..."
At a table somewhat farther back in the ballroom, Janet, hearing the actress's speech, waved a finger in front of Simon and remarked, "That's the sixth time tonight. I wonder if Michael Blake, who just forgot to thank you, is now feeling uneasy."
Throughout the ceremony, including the recent award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, Daenerys Entertainment had already clinched seven awards, five in film and two in television categories. Of the seven speeches, six winners had expressed their gratitude towards Simon, with only 'Dances with Wolves' screenwriter Michael Blake omitting any thanks to him.
Simon reached to pinch Janet's elegantly raised finger, but she playfully dodged. He whispered, "It's been too many times."
Recalling a trivia from the original timeline, someone had counted the number of times Hollywood big names were thanked at the Oscars, with Steven Spielberg and Harvey Weinstein topping the list with three to four dozen mentions over the years.
While the Golden Globes couldn't compare to the Oscars, Simon felt that at this rate, it wouldn't take many years for him to set a record for being thanked at various award ceremonies.
Simon had no desire to seem omnipresent. He preferred being the 'man behind the curtain.'
Janet, understanding her man's thoughts, suggested, "Maybe you can mention it to Doigman at the party later."
On stage, Julia Roberts finished her speech, and the host came forward to introduce the next category: Best Actor in a Drama.
Kevin Costner had already won the Best Director award for 'Dances with Wolves', but his performance in the film wasn't particularly notable and he predictably lost to Jeremy Irons in 'Reversal of Fortune'.
Jeremy Irons, who would later portray Alfred the butler in the Batman series, was poised to also take home the Oscar for Best Actor this year. The British actor, in his forties, was not only good-looking but also talented. Unfortunately, his luck in Hollywood had been poor, with several commercially unsuccessful films since breaking into Hollywood in the 1980s.
Hollywood is superstitious.
After a string of box office flops, it often becomes difficult for an actor to secure high-quality projects. As opportunities diminish, so do chances for a turnaround.
Following the Best Actor in a Drama award, the ceremony moved on to the final award of the night: Best Drama Picture.
'Dances with Wolves' triumphed over 'Goodfellas', 'Intersection', 'The Godfather Part III', and 'Reversal of Fortune' to win Best Drama Picture.
By the end of this high-profile Golden Globes, of the thirteen film categories, Daenerys Entertainment had won six awards, including Best Drama Picture for 'Dances with Wolves', Best Director for Kevin Costner, Best Actress in a Drama for Susan Sarandon, Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Julia Roberts, Best Screenplay for 'Dances with Wolves', and Best Supporting Actress for Whoopi Goldberg.
Nearly half of the awards were won by Daenerys Entertainment, a dominant showing.
Although it was a celebration party hosted by Daenerys Entertainment, many stars were invited to the afterparty at Malibu Daenerys Film City.
Daenerys Entertainment's post-Oscar party had already been booked by Gucci, so this post-Golden Globes celebration was held under the auspices of Igraine.
As the Westeros system ramped up its efforts in the internet industry, it wasn't just about America Online's free trials and Igraine's significant content investments but also an all-out advertising blitz.
Igraine didn't just place ads on television networks
and various print media platforms; it now also had a spokesperson. Sandra Bullock, a star user of the Igraine blog and personally connected to Simon, easily landed this gig, receiving $5 million annually for a three-year endorsement deal.
After leaving the Beverly Hills Hilton, Simon and Janet first stopped at their Palisades mansion so Janet could change. They then proceeded to Daenerys Film City. Although they were delayed, upon arriving and posing in front of a wall branded with Daenerys and Igraine logos, they entered the party hall, which was already packed.
Seemingly by arrangement, as soon as the Westeros couple entered the hall, Kevin Costner and 'Dances with Wolves' screenwriter Michael Blake came over to greet them.
Janet listened as Michael Blake expressed his excitement and gratitude to Simon for the award, casting a 'told you so' glance at her partner.
Simon wasn't bothered by Michael Blake's omission during his acceptance speech; lacking the magnanimity for such minor oversights was no way to live, so he reassured him gently.
After parting ways with Costner and Blake, Simon called over Eira Doigman, head of Gaomon Studios, and instructed, "For the upcoming Oscars and future ceremonies, tell the PR people for the nominees to stop thanking me."
Eira Doigman looked puzzled, "Simon, is there a problem?"
Simon shook his head, smiling, "No, just as I said. I don't want my name to be everywhere during award ceremonies. It might look like I'm manipulating the awards."
Eira nodded in understanding once she grasped his intent.
After addressing this matter, Simon casually changed the topic, asking, "How is 'The Piano' coming along?"
The conversation shifted as Janet, spotting Catherine, joined a group of women.
After sending Doigman on her way, Simon's female assistant quietly approached to keep him company for a while until Amy Pascal arrived with another guest, Steven Spielberg.
Simon greeted Spielberg with a handshake and a smile, "Good evening, Steven."
Spielberg returned the greeting, his expression complex.
The young man who had risen rapidly in Hollywood was now effectively his boss. Spielberg had started his career under a contract with Universal Studios, catapulting to fame with 'Jaws'. His initial long-term contract had since been modified to a few specific film contracts, and he still owed Universal three films.
Given his gratitude for the early career support from MCA's Lew Wasserman and Sid Sheinberg, Spielberg had a close relationship with both. Now, with Daenerys Entertainment's acquisition of MCA a done deal and Wasserman and Sheinberg ousted by Simon Westeros, Spielberg felt a mix of emotions.
Nevertheless, contracts must be honored.
Amy Pascal had recently been discussing Spielberg's next directorial venture with him, a science fiction film adapted from 'Jurassic Park'. If Spielberg was willing, the project could remain under Universal Studios, with preparations starting this year and filming scheduled for early next year, aiming for a late 1992 release.
His last major collaboration with Columbia, 'Hook', had already wrapped and was in post-production.
While Columbia was carefully nurturing the project, Spielberg had a sinking feeling during filming that the movie might be a disaster, a personal Waterloo, which had drained him.
Thus, when approached by Daenerys Entertainment, even with some innate resistance to Simon Westeros, Spielberg indicated he would consider it carefully. After all, projects backed by Daenerys Entertainment were generally very successful at the box office.
Amy Pascal had also promised that if he took on 'Jurassic Park', Daenerys Entertainment would support the production of his long-pondered Holocaust film, 'Schindler's List'.
After some small talk and Spielberg's departure, Simon asked Amy, "How's it going?"
"Steven agreed, but we still need to discuss his fee with Ovitz," Amy explained. "Steven's previous film contracts included profit sharing across all channels, like the 20% for 'Hook' with Columbia. Ovitz still prefers that, and although he's somewhat flexible now, agreeing to a box office profit-sharing agreement similar to John Hughes', he wants a base salary of $10 million for Steven."
Daenerys Entertainment's contract with John Hughes for two films offered a generous $5 million base plus 10% of domestic box office earnings, a deal that allowed filmmakers to receive their due rewards relatively quickly.
In the original timeline, Spielberg's contract for 'Jurassic Park' included a base salary plus 20% of profits from all channels.
Thanks to the global success of 'Jurassic Park', Spielberg had made $250 million from the first film alone.
After Matsushita's acquisition of MCA, despite having a blockbuster like 'Jurassic Park', they ended up selling MCA to Seagram a few years later, partly because while they bore the losses from unsuccessful films, most of the profits from successful ones like 'Jurassic Park' went to Hollywood filmmakers,
leaving Matsushita playing the patsy either way.
Simon had considered directing 'Jurassic Park' himself, but now, lacking the time, handing the project over to the original team seemed most appropriate.
Of course, the comprehensive profit-sharing contract would not be considered this time; instead, a deal similar to John Hughes' was offered, combining a base salary with box office profit sharing.
If 'Jurassic Park' achieved box office numbers like in the original timeline, under Simon's agreement, Spielberg's personal earnings could still reach forty to fifty million dollars, which was still a princely sum. Simon believed it was worth the price for a director capable of generating a global box office of one billion dollars.
Compared to the $250 million from the original timeline, that amount was beyond Simon's threshold.
Simon didn't express much opinion on Ovitz's proposed base salary; he simply nodded, allowing Amy to continue the negotiations, then asked, "What about 'Schindler's List'?"
"Steven still has some reservations; he's unsure how to portray some of the emotional transitions in the film, but he's very grateful for your support for the movie," Amy replied, her expression carrying a hint of special meaning.
'Schindler's List' had been a known quantity in Hollywood since the 1980s, and the delay in bringing it to the screen had led to frequent half-joking complaints from the book's author, Thomas Keneally, about whether he would live to see it adapted. He was getting quite old.
Ultimately, many saw 'Schindler's List' as having no commercial potential, merely a testament to Jewish history. Although Hollywood's Jewish community was tightly knit, they were not inclined to blindly invest in a project that seemed unlikely to turn a profit.
Amy was also Jewish.
To her, Simon's move to support 'Schindler's List' at the time Daenerys Entertainment was set to swallow MCA might have been a gesture towards Hollywood's Jewish community, easing the pressure his increasing power imposed on them.
Indeed, Simon had this in mind.
Due to his background in a previous life, Simon wasn't particularly sensitive to racial issues.
However, having been reborn for a few years, he had come to acknowledge the importance of this issue.
Hollywood's Jewish community, indeed, the Jewish community across America, held significant power.
Moreover, changing this was impossible.
Starting with World War II, the Jewish community had mobilized a large number of their youth to participate in the conflict, leading to their substantial influence within the U.S. military system. If America experienced anti-Semitic sentiments like those in Germany, the result could likely be a civil war.
Simon had no aversion to Jews, nor did he wish such issues to befall him in return.
Thus, after acquiring MCA, funding 'Schindler's List' was also a matter of going with the flow. Besides, in his memory, 'Schindler's List' was actually quite profitable.
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