King of Hollywood
Chapter 495 - 216: Turnabout

Chapter 495: Chapter 216: Turnabout

Despite the brilliant and eye-catching achievements of "Titanic," which continues to be a topic of great interest to people, Adrian had turned his attention elsewhere. The post-production of "Mulholland Drive" was being rushed day and night because he used two teams for editing in order to participate in the Cannes Film Festival in May—anyway, there was no expectation that this movie would make money, and the investment was originally not that large.

In addition to this, the post-production of "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth" was still ongoing; these two movies were not expected to be released until the end of the year, so there was plenty of time for adjustments. Interestingly, although he had produced four movies from last year to now, the first one to be released was actually the last one made, "Mulholland Drive."

Well, that was neither here nor there, even though the media were filled with confusion and curiosity about his production of movies without releasing them, with endless news like "production hit a bottleneck" or "lack of confidence" coming out. The already marketed "The Matrix" couldn’t stop their discussions. However, if the Miracle Director didn’t do something surprising, how could he be called the Miracle Director?

Of course, he was not only busy with these things. For example, he needed to oversee things at the television station, and soon after he agreed to James, the script for this sci-fi television drama was quickly sent over. It was about what Adrian expected—while there were quite a few areas that needed improvement, the general framework was similar to what he knew, but the situation was much worse than Cameron had described.

It was still in preparation until now. After shooting the pilot and then sending it to ABC for review, and after it was sold and the cast was re-selected for official production, it would take at least half a year. But that was alright, Adrian would be able to allocate his time better. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten to remind the other party through Cameron—it might be more appropriate to set the script in an alternate universe.

"You’re suggesting we don’t mention the United States government and just set it up as a huge disaster found by the entire world, then society regressed?" Cameron asked after listening to his opinions.

"Yes, don’t you think a plot like terrorists attacking the U.S. government is a bit sensitive? If it causes too much controversy and some unexpected situations occur, it might just get axed," Adrian said.

Of course, Cameron completely disbelieved this and even found it amusing. "It seems you’ve got something wrong, Ed, this is the United States, this is Hollywood!"

Adrian did not continue the conversation. He didn’t have high hopes for the TV show’s ratings. If it could avoid being axed after two seasons—with his support, it would probably happen sooner, so maybe after three seasons—that would be a good thing. Even if it got axed, it wasn’t terrible, as long as it could cultivate his own team for producing sci-fi television dramas.

These were just some of the television-related issues he needed to pay attention to. There were many more that he needed to review one by one. For instance, on the cable television side, TNT’s new series "The Sopranos" had received good reviews—since "Sex and the City" had been snatched away, how could HBO’s other marquee show possibly be let slip away. Moreover, Spielberg had already promised him to serve as an executive producer for a television series.

Then, "America’s Next Top Model" had also kicked off. Through a series of collaborations with the fashion industry and assistance from judges Cindy and Claudia through their own connections, countless women had signed up. From fresh-faced girls to young housewives, who wouldn’t want to become a supermodel like Cindy or Claudia?

Trump was particularly pleased—he appeared on television as a judge and garnered more media attention with his humorous yet somewhat sharp commentary. For someone who loved to show off, this was definitely a great thing—of course, it was mostly because the initial funding had been received. Although it wasn’t a lot, it was enough for him to completely ease up.

As for his beautiful daughter, she only occasionally came to Los Angeles, but every time she saw Adrian, she would have a stern face as if she disliked him. At first, she seemed very flustered, but as the number of encounters increased, this feeling of dislike became more and more apparent. Adrian didn’t take it to heart; in fact, he was the one who had caused her to feel this way.

Well, that was the cable channel’s business. As for the network side at ABC, "Big Brother" should also have already started broadcasting not long ago. Though the ratings had not reached the expected heights, there was still great potential to be tapped, as reality shows needed time to ferment. As for the dramas, "CSI" had already started production but it wasn’t given to Bossworth to produce—instead, it was... Universal! This was a long-successful TV drama that had spawned two spin-offs. They didn’t need Universal to do extremely well, just to match the level of the original was enough. So, what Adrian was most interested in were the talk shows.

Although ABC had a few decent talk show hosts at present, Jon Stewart was still the only one who could carry the network, similar to how AC Media’s weakness lay in traditional print media. However, just as AC Media was deepening its collaboration with established media groups like Newhouse or Hearst, ABC was about to see a change in its talk show scene, because Adrian had recruited someone: Ellen DeGeneres!

In the United States, there were many talk shows and many excellent talk show hosts, but in the early decades of the next century, there were only three that were highly regarded. There was Larry King, known for his political and high-profile celebrity interviews, Oprah Winfrey, adored by housewives for her warmth and inspirational appeal, and Ellen DeGeneres, famed for her sharp and fearless style.

Ellen DeGeneres was also quite famous in Hollywood, but as a talk show host, she had not reached the same level as the former two. Perhaps it was because she devoted her main efforts to comedy. She had a famous program in the ’90s called "Call God." But once she dedicated herself to hosting talk shows, she quickly reached a level that could be compared to Larry King and Oprah Winfrey, proving that DeGeneres definitely had something special.

As previously mentioned, Larry King’s talk show focused on politics and the economy. His guests often included government officials, high-ranking Wall Street executives, or foreign heads of state. His speech was very sharp and incisive; it was easy to fall into his logical traps if you weren’t careful. Oprah Winfrey followed a heartfelt and inspirational approach, always managing to get interviewees to open up about their innermost thoughts, often to the point where they couldn’t help but cry, thereby attracting a large audience of housewives. As for Ellen DeGeneres, one word described her style: bold!

Yes, she was extremely bold. There was no topic that she was afraid of discussing on her talk show. All of life’s embarrassments, stinky affairs, and even sex lives and homosexuality were covered without reservation. Additionally, her speech was quite sharp, and she became very popular with young people. Of course, her boldness and incisiveness were not unrelated to the fact that she herself was a lesbian.

A few years ago, ABC had bought a television series produced by Disney called "Ellen," in which the main character was Ellen DeGeneres. This series supported the network’s operations during those years. But last year, DeGeneres publicly came out of the closet on the show, which was a brave move considering the time—several years before such announcements were more commonly accepted. Hollywood was rife with homosexuals, but only a few, like Judi Foster, dared to come out openly.

The repercussions of coming out followed swiftly. Although the TV series did not experience a decline in viewership, Disney unilaterally announced the end of the series, claiming it had nothing to do with DeGeneres’s announcement—some said it was Disney’s retaliation against AC Media. But who knows? The truth was always shrouded in mist, especially in an era where controlling information had become even more convenient.

Moreover, her current girlfriend, Ann Heche, also quickly broke up with her because she had been booed by audiences for a role she played in a film. It seemed strange to the viewers that a lesbian, in her real life, had a passionate affair with a man on screen—this is why it’s often easier for heterosexuals to receive praise for playing homosexual roles. If a real-life homosexual played a homosexual on screen, audiences just thought, "Well, that’s who they are," whereas when heterosexuals did it, their acting was seen as impressive. Ultimately, it was discrimination, just like racism: something you couldn’t openly say or dare to express in public, but private disdain and contempt were never in short supply.

Anyway, I digress. In short, DeGeneres was out of a job, and then Adrian, who had been watching from the sidelines, reached out to help her. Although he didn’t like homosexuality, he didn’t discriminate. Sexual orientation is a tricky thing; trying to force change could backfire. Besides, he thought it would be absolutely fine if Blanchett and Gwyneth, Kate and Charlize, Sarah and Liv, and so on, were to be closer to each other.

Of course, he wasn’t interested in DeGeneres romantically. In one sentence, as long as someone could make money for him and add strength to his Empire, he didn’t care whether the person was homosexual or not.

"It’s simple, Ms. DeGeneres, I see potential in you, I believe in your abilities," Adrian said, as DeGeneres hesitated in the face of his offer, "An individual’s abilities have nothing to do with their gender or sexual orientation. I don’t discriminate against homosexuals. As long as the person has outstanding abilities, they are worth my investment."

"So, what do you need me to do, Mr. Adrian?" DeGeneres asked, taking a deep breath without rejecting the offer. One reason was that she was currently jobless, and another was that nobody would refuse an invitation from the Miracle Director.

"Clearly, Ms. DeGeneres, you haven’t realized where your true strengths lie," Adrian said with a smile, "so for now, work on scriptwriting for the company, whether for TV series or movies, for one year. During this year, I hope that Ms. DeGeneres can learn something and discover what she is best at doing."

"Why do I feel like...I’m talking to a Prophet?" DeGeneres couldn’t help smiling, "Do you have to be so obscure, Mr. Adrian?"

"How can you see a rainbow without a little rain?" Adrian spread his hands open, "I believe you’ll find your direction, Ms. DeGeneres, and I’m looking forward to the day when you shine even brighter."

"Well, I got it. Anyway, thanks for your help," DeGeneres finally said, then burst into laughter, "Now I truly believe that rumour is real. You do have the ability to sweep most women off their feet."

Adrian simply smiled and shrugged, staying silent.

These were work-related matters, but there were also personal issues to deal with, which were quite thorny, such as—

"What happened? How can you both be so indifferent?!" Sarah, a bit angry, bypassed Adrian with his arms folded and Kate standing idly by, quickly walking over to comfort the loudly wailing Lily, scooping her up in her arms without waiting for Adrian to speak.

"Damn it, Sarah, couldn’t you have asked first..." Adrian sighed and raised his hands.

"What’s there to ask! Aren’t you and Kate Lily’s parents? How can you watch her cry so sadly and do nothing? Is this the attitude parents should have?!" Before he could respond, Sarah fired off a barrage of questions, her indignant demeanor suggestive of someone ready to assign blame.

Left with no choice, Adrian raised his hands in surrender while Kate at his side coughed heavily, her face a complex mixture of dissatisfaction and helplessness. Sarah suddenly came to her senses, turning somewhat sheepish, and only after a long pause did she manage a smile, "Hey, Kate... I didn’t expect... you to be here too..."

She had never been fond of appearing in front of Kate; not because she disliked Kate, but because when she first met Adrian, Kate was by his side, almost like someone who watched her grow up. Now, the girl she watched grow up had become her man’s woman, which made it difficult for Sarah to act naturally face to face.

"Can I take Lily now?" Kate sighed, not planning to elaborate any further, and extended her hand as she walked over.

The loud wailing of the little one had quieted down considerably, turning into soft sobs, but when her mother approached, she immediately turned her head away and clung tightly to Sarah.

"All right, Kate, Lily has found a new shelter, don’t expect to calm her down anytime soon. Just let her spend some time alone with Sarah for the moment," Adrian walked over and patted Kate’s shoulder.

Kate gritted her teeth, somewhat reluctantly glancing at her daughter who continued to sob in Sarah’s embrace, took a deep breath, and walked out.

"You need to reflect on this as well, Kate," Adrian’s voice followed her from behind, causing Kate’s figure to pause, then continue on out.

"Did I... do something wrong?" Sarah now looked up at Adrian, neck shrunken, resembling a guilty little girl.

"What do you think?" Adrian said, hands on his hips, but soon he smiled, sliding a hand across her cheek, "It’s alright, it’s already happened, let’s just spend some time soothing the little one now."

"Me? Alone?" Sarah looked at Adrian incredulously then back at Lily in her arms.

"Of course, she sees you as a lifesaver now, she won’t even listen to me," Adrian said, reaching out to play with his daughter. But the little one immediately turned around, ready to bite back, with teary misty eyes full of grievance glaring fiercely at her father.

"See? I’ll leave her to you," Adrian said, patting Sarah’s shoulder again, and turned to leave.

In the empty room, only Sarah was left standing in the center. She looked down at Lily in her arms, who now wore a pitiable expression, her grip still tight as if afraid Sarah might leave her behind. Knowing she must have misunderstood something, Sarah could only sigh deeply and, holding the little one, started to comfort her.

Actually, the whole affair was quite simple—Kate had brought her daughter to Adrian’s mansion to visit him. While playing games in one of the rooms, mother and daughter somehow got into an argument. A child not even three years old, no matter how bright, can’t be expected to reason like an adult. Moreover, Adrian had always spoiled her, so eventually, the little one even began throwing blocks at her mother, and not just one, with one striking Kate on the forehead.

That must have hurt, so Kate immediately covered her forehead, and Adrian, who had been laughing and attempting to make peace next to her, instantly stopped smiling, picked up the frightened Lily, who was hiding in his chest, and very sternly and seriously asked her to apologize to her mother. Maybe she’d never seen her father like this, and feeling aggrieved herself, the little girl’s mind went into a loop: no matter what Adrian said, she just kept saying no.

So as Adrian’s tone became increasingly harsh, reaching the tipping point, Lily burst into fierce crying. Apart from her early infancy, she rarely cried so loudly; the heartache combined with facing such a strict father for the first time made her cries audible throughout the villa.

Kate soon couldn’t bear it any longer; no matter what, this was her daughter. Although throwing a block at her was annoying, she hadn’t meant it. But when she tried to go comfort her daughter, Adrian stopped her.

"It’s okay, Ed. This isn’t a big deal, I’m not bothered by it, so why bother arguing with a child? Lily is only two years old," Kate said.

"This isn’t about arguing. I love her and spoil her, but that doesn’t mean I’ll always indulge her; some things even a two-year-old should understand," Adrian insisted. Kate wanted to argue, but when Adrian’s dwelling aura bore down, she submitted.

And beside them, Lily, even though she didn’t understand what her parents were saying, didn’t stop her features from scrunching up in crying, with snot and tears flying all over.

Then, whether it was Yukie who came over after hearing the noise or Mrs. Galen, Adrian kept them both outside.

"Let her cry," Adrian said nonchalantly.

He just hadn’t expected that Sarah would also show up at his mansion at that time, taking him by surprise and letting her pick up Lily. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)