Chapter 83 83. The fish is about to be hooked
Double Star Entertainment Company, the Olsen sisters just finished participating in a commercial event, endorsing a children's brand of bath products.
Looking at the seven or eight-year-old girls and boys, as well as a small number of teenagers in the audience, the Olsen sisters felt uneasy.
Children, and more children. It seems that the two sisters are deeply bound to children. No matter where they go, they deal with these little kids.
The noisy chattering is annoying. It is said that children's smiles are the cutest, but after seeing them for more than ten years, it is still a bit annoying.
They finally completed the activity, and had to fake smile for more than an hour, which made the two sisters feel that their apple cheeks were almost stiff.
Now that I'm back to my own company, I can finally relax a little.
Sitting in a special lounge, as major shareholders of the company, they have this privilege.
There is a comfortable and soft big bed, an exaggerated dressing table, and even a bathroom with an exquisite bathtub. Only here can you relieve the fatigue of work.
Lying on the sofa and enjoying the service of a professional masseur, sister Ashley Olsen said faintly: "Now I feel very tired just by attending an event. It was not like this before."
Sister Mary Olson feels the same way: "I think the reason is not that we are physically tired, but mentally, our hearts are too tired."
“Yes, I’m tired of this.”
"Ashley, why hasn't that guy contacted us yet? Has the script not been revised yet? The last time I saw it at MGM, it was clearly a very mature script. Anyway, I think it is a hundred times better than The New York Hour."
The strength on her shoulder made Ashley Olsen moan comfortably. She closed her eyes and said, "Mary, Blue Is the Warmest Color is an art film. Of course, it needs to be carefully crafted."
"In fact, I hope MGM can spend more time on the script. You know, this may be our last chance. The better it is polished, the better it will be for us."
She suddenly waved her hands in annoyance and said, "As for that stupid movie 'New York Time', a script that is so rubbish, it cost us $500,000. Damn it!"
Mary Olsen smiled self-deprecatingly: "Maybe we can think of it in a positive way. It was this bad script that made us fly to New York to solicit investment, and then we met that guy Eric Cooper."
"But he's also a nasty guy. The smell of greed almost permeates his entire body, like rotten leaves."
Knock, knock, knock. At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Sister, it's me!"
Hearing the energetic voice outside the door, the two sisters looked at each other and were a little envious of their younger sister.
The door opened and Elizabeth Olsen ran in. Although her clothes were thick, they could not hide her lovely temperament. Her smile was sweeter than her two sisters.
What her two older sisters envy the most is her height. Although she is only 14 years old, Elizabeth Olsen is already as tall as her two older sisters.
"I knew you were here!"
Elizabeth ran to the third massage chair and sat down in a familiar manner. She also often visited this place.
"Elizabeth, are you done filming?"
The little girl nodded slightly: "It's just a guest appearance, it will be over soon."
Then he stared at his two sisters' faces and said, "OMG! Why do you look so tired? You weren't like this the day before yesterday."
"Nothing, just a little tired, you can't feel it now."
Elizabeth pouted. "Are you saying I'm not famous enough? Although I know this is true, after all, when people mention the Olsen sisters, they're talking about you two. No one ever cares about me."
When the little sister acted coquettishly, Ashley Olsen's tone immediately became doting.
"Elizabeth, you are still young. It is too early to worry about such things now. You will find your own way. Our whole family firmly believes that you can become a big star."
Mary Olsen added: "But remember, don't follow the old path of me and Ashley. You should go to the big screen. Don't stay on the small screen for too long. It will limit your development."
Elizabeth frowned. "But no one asked me to act in a movie. I wanted to act in Spy Kids, but the crew said I'm not suitable."
"They gave the role to Alyssa Vega. The second part of the movie was released last August and it grossed over 100 million yuan. Now Alyssa Vega is the hottest female teenage star."
She waved her hand, signaling the masseur to leave, and only the three sisters were left in the room.
Mary Olsen then said, "Elizabeth, becoming famous too early is not necessarily a good thing. It will put you in the world of fame and fortune too early, and it will wear away your aura as an actor."
"Too many young and famous actors neglect their studies. Not everyone is a genius. Most people don't hone their acting skills through movies. Instead, they slowly fix their acting skills as they perform more and more roles. They only perform in the most comfortable and labor-saving way, which becomes formulaic."
Ashley Olsen suddenly interrupted: "Wait, you seem to be talking about ourselves."
"Isn't it? Fans often criticize our acting skills for being the same. No matter what we act, we always smile, giggle, frown, pout, and make some exaggerated body movements. Don't you pay attention to the comments of fans?"
Ashley Olsen's eyes widened: "Of course I pay attention, but I only pay attention to those who like me. I never pay attention to those who scold me, even though I know they may be right."
"I really envy you. I just can't ignore those haters. I get angry when I see them scolding me, but if I don't watch them, I feel like something is missing. Sigh!"
Elizabeth Olsen jumped off the massage chair, pulled two chocolate candies out of her pocket and threw them to her sister.
"If you're unhappy, eat this. I took it when I came out of the crew. Then perform well in 'The New York Hour' and everyone will change their opinion of you."
Looking at the innocent little sister in front of her, Ashley Olsen smiled bitterly and said, "Elizabeth, I forgot to tell you a piece of bad news. The New York Hour has been cancelled."
"What! What about my role?"
"It's gone. It's all gone. Everyone says the script is terrible and it will just lose money if it's made."
"But I think the script is very good. It's inspiring, funny, and full of youthful passion. I like this story."
Ashley Olsen held Elizabeth in her arms and stroked her head gently: "Yes, this is why it failed, because only people of your age like it. Slightly more mature audiences don't watch this type of movie anymore."
"But don't worry, Elizabeth. We have found a new project. This movie is great and may win an award."
“Is there a role for me?”
When she heard that it was a movie that would win awards, Elizabeth Olsen looked up and asked, her eyes full of desire.
"Well... I'm not sure, but Mary and I have read the script and it doesn't seem to have any roles suitable for teenagers."
"profound"
I noticed that the younger sister was a little disappointed. After all, the role she had originally planned for was suddenly gone, and the two older sisters couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
"Elizabeth, this movie is invested by MGM, we have no say in it."
"Okay, we'll give Eric some advice and maybe he can give you a role in another movie."
"Eric! Eric Cooper? The vice president of MGM?" Elizabeth Olsen pushed her sister away and said in surprise.
"Yes, that's him. You actually know Eric Cooper?"
Elizabeth's eyes sparkled. "Of course I know. He's been in the media a lot lately. Oh my god, he's so handsome, more handsome than many male stars."
"You have met him. Is he as handsome in person as he is portrayed in the media?"
Although the most profound impression Eric left on the Olsen sisters was his greed, when they think back to it, they realize that the guy was really handsome, and his looks were comparable to Leonardo Dicaprio in "Titanic".
Considering his status and position, if he were willing to act in an idol drama, he would instantly become the dream of all American girls.
"Yes, Eric Cooper is indeed a remarkable-looking man."
"Can you take me to meet him?" Elizabeth Olsen asked like a star-chasing fan.
"No problem, I think we'll meet again soon, and I'll take you with me then."
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“Yes!”
Bang! The three sisters were talking happily when the door of the lounge was suddenly pushed open and a middle-aged man with glasses rushed in.
"Ashley, Mary, what do you want to do? The advertiser complained to me about your unprofessional behavior during this morning's event."
Looking at the man in front of them, the three sisters immediately put away the smiles on their faces. Elizabeth stepped back. She was a little afraid of this man.
"Robert, we arrived early, interacted with fans, and introduced products. I don't think my behavior was unprofessional."
"Besides, I've said it before, this is our private space. You can't just barge in without my and Mary's consent!"
The Olsen sisters had no intention of being nice to the man who had built them and wanted to control them all the time.
Obviously, Robert Solnit was also aware of the conflict between them. The relationship between the two sides had long been irreconcilable, and the only reason they were able to connect together was purely for interest.
However, the performance of Double Star Entertainment has continued to decline in recent years, and the two sisters are not very obedient.
After calming down, Robert Solnit asked, "Ashley, I heard that you gave up The New York Hour. Why didn't you discuss it with me? You gave up a good opportunity."
Mary Olsen snorted, “We don’t need The New York Hour anymore because we’re going to have a new movie soon.”
"What! How come I don't know about this? What movie is it?"
"Keep it a secret!"
"you!"
Seeing the determined looks of the Olsen sisters, Robert Solnit realized that continuing would be a waste of time, so he sneered and turned away.
Seeing the annoying person leave, little Elizabeth asked, "Isn't this a bad idea? Mr. Solny seems very angry."
"Don't worry, someone will take care of him."
In the corridor, Robert Solnit felt extremely suffocated. The Olsen sisters were becoming more and more presumptuous, and they didn't even take him seriously at all.
It’s a pity that I only own 45% of Double Star Entertainment’s shares and can’t do anything to them.
Back in his office, Solni rubbed his forehead and couldn't help but think of what happened a few days ago.
A private equity fund on Wall Street contacted him through a friend and said that it had a good project and was looking for investment.
It turned out that MGM needed financing for this project, and Robert Solnit met with the other party through the introduction of a friend.
"Mr. Solnit, as someone from Hollywood, you should be very familiar with MGM. Now this lion wants to raise funds through private placement to expand the scale of production. This is a high-quality project."
"It sounds good, but I don't understand why MGM suddenly wants to raise funds. It has been developing very well recently and its new movies are making money," asked Solnit.
"Haha. Good development does not mean that there is no shortage of money. Cooper and his son mortgaged everything and took out a huge loan to complete the acquisition from Kelkline."
"After paying Kerkellin, they don't have much liquidity left, but they still have to deal with bank debt collection, company operations and investment in new projects."
"Especially the cooperation with Hasbro, the copyright and film costs exceeded $200 million, plus other film and television dramas produced, MGM is under great financial pressure."
"Unfortunately, the film industry is a very slow-returning industry, so the Coopers are now in trouble. I think you have also heard that MGM plans to go public again."
"But relisting requires time, and MGM can't wait that long, so it entrusted us to go through private placement."
Robert Solnit couldn't help but recall the news he saw some time ago. Both Charlie Cooper and Eric Cooper expressed the idea of relisting when they were interviewed.
Why do companies go public? Of course, for better financing and development.
“How much equity is MGM willing to give?”
"20% in exchange for $1 billion, this is the valuation we give. As long as MGM maintains a good development momentum and it resumes listing in a few months, the market value will only go higher."
"Then why choose me? There are obviously many more suitable investors in the market." Solni asked curiously.
"Hahaha Robert, you are just one of our targets, because MGM has put forward a condition that the private placement target cannot be other major film and television companies in Hollywood. He does not want competitors to infiltrate MGM."
"At the same time, the investor must also have some experience in the entertainment industry. He doesn't want to argue with shareholders who know nothing, which would leave us with few options."
These two conditions make sense, but they are not enough to dispel Robert Solnit's doubts.
Afterwards, he asked people to inquire about the situation of MGM, and his friends were among the group of executives who were kicked out by Cooper and his son, and they were the main targets of his inquiries.
This group of people was well aware of MGM's debt, and when they heard the price of $2.8 billion, they couldn't help but gasp.
He also asked his friends in the bank for inside information, and after paying some kickbacks, he got the inside story that the Cooper father and son were burdened with a loan of 2 billion US dollars.
We also investigated that private equity fund and found that it is indeed a legitimate company.
These things corroborated each other, and everything seemed reasonable, which eliminated most of Solnit's doubts.
(End of this chapter)