King of Hollywood
Chapter 634 - 42: Unsurpassed

Chapter 634: Chapter 42: Unsurpassed

"The Black Hawk Down incident, frankly speaking, was mostly due to the US Army’s own failures. Although the Somali militia had some fighting capability, the US Army’s intelligence, coordination, and cooperation were seriously flawed. The saying from the previous life, ’I fear not the godlike adversary but the piglike teammate,’ was fully exemplified in this matter. Units sent for rescue were actually unaware of each other’s presence and nearly came to blows on their way, which is quite preposterous indeed.

Adrian originally had little interest in this theme. The investment was significant, the market small, and there weren’t many derivatives to market. Aside from Americans, few people would want to watch a film based on this topic unless the US Army were portrayed in an extremely negative light. But that would mean giving up on the North American market. Consequently, for a long time, the theme held little value until he met Ridley Scott.

It was this British old man who produced the film, making it easy to evoke memories, and Adrian’s recollections from his previous life confirmed his initial judgment. The investment was nearly 100 million, but the global box office was less than 200 million. Although the film received good reviews, it was essentially a loss, unless the film company concealed box office figures—a common practice, particularly for medium-sized firms after producing a blockbuster.

Nevertheless, Adrian decided to invest after consideration, as he had a plan that could leverage this film. Although not necessary, if he didn’t move on it, someone else would eventually realize the theme’s selling point and take a gamble on production. Besides, the next two years presented the best chance for this theme to make money; otherwise, even by 2005, it might not enjoy much popularity.

Of course, with his memories as a guide, he definitely wouldn’t let Universal invest too much. Therefore, let Sony Pictures shoulder the bulk of it. As long as he wasn’t the one directly recommending it, even if it lost money later, his reputation wouldn’t be damaged.

Scott didn’t think so much about it. His prompt agreement was mainly his desire to try a new theme. He was currently most skilled in science fiction and drama, and with the release of ’Gladiator,’ he would add another epic film to his repertoire. However, he had repeatedly hit walls with war or, more broadly, military themes. It was precisely because of the failure of ’G.I. Jane’ that he had to temporarily quit directing and join his brother in producing.

Now, since the Miracle Director said he was well-suited for a certain military theme based on a true event from a few years ago, why not give it a try? Who wouldn’t want to become a director capable of filming any genre? After all, he was sitting in front of one.

Thus, the matter was settled. However, Adrian didn’t immediately convey his opinion to Universal. It would be much easier to bring it up after the performance of ’Gladiator’ was known. Besides, he didn’t plan to hide his views on the box office outlook of ’Black Hawk Down.’ Fortunately, this wouldn’t take too long. As the film was released, the response from film critics was enthusiastic.

"A majestic movie brimming with a tangible sense of epic grandeur, Ridley Scott has used his exquisite skill to depict the greatness and barbarism of the Roman Empire. This is his best film in recent years." — New York Times

Before this, there had been similar movies, like the Oscar-sweeping ’Ben-Hur’ of the 1960s, but in recent years, as film technology advanced, this was the only large-scale, high-budget film depicting the era of the Roman Empire. Its excellence in quality made its popularity entirely understandable. Even those who held critical views only commented that the film’s atmosphere was rendered too intensely, having a counterproductive effect.

Interestingly, many media outlets tagged ’Gladiator’ as the contemporary ’Ben-Hur,’ indicating they recognized the film’s competitiveness for the Oscars next March. Subsequently, major film studios would probably turn their attention to such epic films until the disastrous failure of ’Kingdom of Heaven.’ Speaking of which, should he try to prevent that? ’Kingdom of Heaven’ was also a Ridley Scott film, and the biggest factor in its box office failure was the producer’s conservative interference in the film’s editing, resulting in a disorganized story. Everyone agreed that if the director’s cut had been the version released, the box office would have been much better.

Of course, that was a matter for the future. Moreover, no one could guarantee that Scott’s director’s cut would definitely win more box office, especially since that conclusion was reached by comparing it with a poor film, and by that time, the fervor for epic movies had substantially faded. So, it was best to wait a few years and see.

As for the other film, the one that Adrian swore to Crowe on the night of the premiere, saying he would give him a scholar’s role capable of contending for an Oscar, there’s no need to guess which film that was. He would bring it up to Crowe on the evening of the premiere, mainly because of another person.

Just a few days ago, thanks to Adrian’s diligent "efforts," Blanchett finally succeeded in getting pregnant, also finally breaking the December curse—all four previous children were conceived in December. A content and very happy Blanchett eagerly went to the hospital for a thorough check-up, and Adrian took the opportunity to throw her a party to celebrate.

However, there weren’t many people at the party, and it was held in Blanchett’s home. Besides Adrian, only Gwyneth and Liv, who were living with her, were present. That’s right, probably because the quartet had such a good time role-playing during the filming of "The Lord of the Rings," Liv moved into the villa they shared, following Gwyneth’s lead, and surprisingly the three women got along even better together than just the two of them did!

Though Blanchett and Gwyneth mostly got along when they lived together, they would still occasionally have arguments. Now with young Liv acting as a lubricant, things had become even smoother. Even though Adrian was the one who orchestrated this, he was still amazed by how well it worked.

Though the group was small, the night was still lively. Gwyneth might have had some other thoughts, but Liv sincerely congratulated Blanchett, who was radiant with a bright smile, sitting in Adrian’s arms looking every bit the little woman, nothing like the dominance of Elizabeth I or Celeborn. And then, well, pregnant or not, her mouth and hands were still functional, so there was no need to worry about pressing on the belly or such, and the four of them simply laid out a blanket on the living room floor.

Counting this one, this was his fifth child. Even though the joy of being a father for the first time wasn’t there anymore, he was still quite happy, the only thing that made him sigh was not knowing whether it would be a boy or a girl in the future. With Jessica’s baby, because she wanted to know the sex, they had gone for a check-up specifically and found out it was going to be a girl.

While boys are easier to discern than girls, seven out of ten check-ups result in girls... that really did seem like seeing a ghost, although he also liked daughters, but if he only had daughters for the rest of his life, that would be too stretched, right? It must be the perverse sense of humor of some being controlling this world!

Okay, just kidding. Strictly speaking, even if he really only had daughters in the future, it’s still normal. It seems like having daughters with four different women should reduce the probability of having another daughter to a few percent, but in reality, it’s not the case. The chance for the child’s sex is only related to the fertilized egg. That is to say, the child’s sex is decided at the very moment the sperm and egg combine, not based on who the mother and father are, so the chance of it being a girl is always fifty percent. If every roll of the dice landed on the girl’s side, it could only be chalked up to bad luck. Besides, he had heard news of a family who had seven or eight daughters in his previous life, so wait until he has about ten daughters to worry about this.

As for Blanchett, oh, no need to worry. "Her Majesty the Queen" won the Oscar for best actress and was now pregnant, and after his long-term training, she had completely become a collectible. It’s the other woman...

"I’m really envious of Kate, she already has her own child," said Gwyneth the next morning, privately hugging Adrian from behind and sighing somewhat coquettishly.

"What, you want a child, too?" Adrian asked knowingly, being very careful this time, so he didn’t get Gwyneth pregnant like he did Monica and Sophie.

"I really do want one, but..." Gwyneth shrugged, not explicitly stating it, but she believed Adrian understood what she meant.

"It looks like I should have cast you as the older sister in ’Sense and Sensibility,’" Adrian turned around and started with a joke before kissing her lips, "It definitely won’t work this year, but I already have a suitable script prepared for you next year. You know John Nash, right?"

With just a little understanding of the films Adrian produced, Gwyneth knew he planned to lift Julia and others to the throne of best actress this year, so she wasn’t too thrilled, but she didn’t show it: "I don’t know, what does he do?"

"He’s a mathematician who won the Nobel Prize in Economics six years ago, yet the paper that won him the award was published decades ago. John Nash was a genius, achieving at a young age what the majority could not, and then he was hospitalized for mental illness. He was troubled for decades until he finally regained clarity at the end of the 80s. His wife, despite having signed the divorce agreement, stayed by his side faithfully," Adrian introduced simply.

"Do you want to make his life into a movie?" Gwyneth blinked, a mix of excitement and concern in her eyes. She obviously knew which role was hers, but while it’s undisputed that Oscar likes biographical films, whether they would take to such a female character was less certain.

"I suggest you take a look at ’A Beautiful Mind,’ the biography about John Nash. Although some parts are perhaps exaggerated, overall it’s very well-written. You can fully understand what kind of person Mrs. Alicia was," Adrian said.

"Then I’ll look forward to it," Gwyneth immediately responded with a cheerful kiss, reassured by the guaranteed backing of the Miracle Director.

Even though Jennifer Connelly, who originally starred in ’A Beautiful Mind,’ only received the Best Supporting Actress award, she could have easily contended for Best Actress given her role in the film. Probably for the sake of safety and the less competitive nature of the Best Supporting Actress category, Connelly, seeing the opportunity for a turnaround, chose to vie for the Best Supporting Actress award. And indeed, history proved that to be the right choice.

But now it was different; Jennifer Connelly gained popularity from ’Gilmore Girls,’ which had higher ratings than the original. And although she thought about returning to the film industry, it was impossible in the short term—speaking of which, there was also the chance to have a fling with Alexis Bledel while she was in her prime.

Hence, casting Gwyneth in the role was just perfect, and there was no issue with her competing for Best Actress. After all, Adrian didn’t plan for her to win Best Actress in the upcoming year or early ’02; he wanted to refine her a bit more, to have her become a treasured possession like Blanchett.

The movie rights for the biography were secured early on when it was published by AC Media’s publishing house, and once the decision to invest in the film was made, the process would be swift. So, Adrian told Crowe the news directly on the night of the Gladiator premiere and even claimed that if Gladiator didn’t fetch him the Best Actor, this film would—’Training Day’ could simply be delayed a year.

With the respect that Russell Crowe was now showing him, making such a promise seemed only right; it was his due, and wasn’t this Adrian’s specialty?

’Gladiator’ opened to over $35 million in North America in its first week and was close to hitting the $100 million mark two weeks later, playing in around 3000 theaters—a clear blockbuster, buoying Crowe’s popularity even further. Thus, Adrian refocused his attention elsewhere; after all, releasing ’A Beautiful Mind’ at the end of the next year wouldn’t be too late, and it wouldn’t take up much time or money, so a bit more thorough preparation was no bad thing.

As time passed, the summer movie season grew increasingly lively, especially after Independence Day, with one commercial film after another released. Adrian got busier, caring not only for Jessica but also for an expectant mother. Even if it wasn’t obvious now, the necessary compassion was still essential—Adrian was always thorough in these matters.

Then, Little Emma came to Los Angeles for vacation. She was inherently lively and a bit of a headache, and here she had Small Emma looking up to her—despite her own desires to outshine her. And with ’Little Miss Sunshine’ wrapped up, you can imagine the kind of shenanigans the two troublemakers could stir up together.

Fortunately, Lily, having promised her dad to take care of her younger sisters, didn’t give up halfway. Although tempted by Little Emma’s persuasions, and very much enticed, she ultimately persevered. To hold such resolve before the age of five was quite a feat, of course, after caring for her sisters...

Interesting to note, Little Emma’s reaction was quite bizarre when she found out that Adrian had two more daughters; she seemed a little angry and a bit gloomy. She was friendly towards Deva and Juliet, but whenever the two little ones were around, she would bite her lip while looking at Adrian as if feeling rather unwilling to accept the reality.

Adrian just shrugged it off, and even when Little Emma came up with numerous pranks afterward, he simply smiled indifferently, showing much indulgence. Next year, when "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" was released, Little Emma was bound to become famous. It would probably be not as possible for her to play so mischievously then, so for now, he let her make the most of her frolics.

Even so, it didn’t mean he couldn’t do other things. For instance, right now, he was in New York, enjoying the enthusiastic hospitality of a certain girl.

"My lord, I’m so happy you could come to see me. I wanted to pounce on you right there at the event." Britney coiled in his arms, wriggling her body and acting coy, completely lost in the throes of love, devoid of the innocence and sexiness she usually displayed. Any outsider who saw this scene would probably drop their jaw.

"Then why didn’t you pounce?" Adrian teased as he pinched her chin.

"Really? Can I?" Britney immediately lit up with excitement and sat up straight. _{f r\eew,eb novel.c(o)(m)}

"Of course... not!" Adrian chuckled deviously, feeling very pleased with himself. He knew that if he just expressed his consent, the next time he showed up at one of Britney’s signing events, she would definitely declare her love in front of countless reporters and fans. The fact that he could train her to this extent, to be his inside and out, indeed gave him a great sense of achievement.

"I knew it, you’re lying again, master," Britney pouted, but she quickly cheered up again. "By the way, master, they say my album broke a new record, is that true?"

"Of course it’s true," Adrian said with a smile, playfully tweaking her nose. "Two million sold in a week. No one will surpass you now, my little pet."

Creating Britney’s super album had taken quite an effort, but the results were indeed tremendous. The new songs began to be released gradually at the end of June, starting with "A New Day Has Come." With relentless promotion by AC Media’s outlets, the song hit the top of the Billboard’s Top 100 as soon as it charted. Then, in the second week, two more songs were released, "Never Had A Dream Come True" and "Burning," which took turns occupying the top spot to the amazement of her fans.

Still, the new album hadn’t even been released yet. Continuing the trend, each new song was released one after another, each taking a turn at the top of the Top 100. If it hadn’t been for Adrian running out of good songs, having to make do with a few rock songs to fill the gap, he might have dominated the entire Top 10 of the Billboard’s Top 100. Nonetheless, on the eve of the new album’s release, Britney’s new songs still occupied several spots in the Top 10, and each had topped the charts. Many people—artists and fans alike—were unhappy, thinking there was something fishy about it, but many seasoned musicians claimed the songs were outstanding and deserved their spots.

Under such circumstances, as soon as the super album was launched, it broke the record for first-week sales yet again. Originally, Britney had set the record with approximately 1.5 million sold in the first week. Then, in May, Eminem released a rap album that sold around 1.75 million in its first week. But now, with Adrian’s support, Britney had reclaimed her honor and set an even higher record.

As far as he could remember, the highest first-week sales for an album belonged to Super Boy, which seemed to be over 2.3 million. But now, with Adrian’s early intervention and because Super Boy never reached the same popularity as before, and with Justin’s career ruined, this record of Britney’s would surely remain unsurpassed as the winter of the record industry approached! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we invite you to vote, cast monthly votes at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)