Hollywood Director 1992

[Chapter 338: Early Morning Beauty]

As dawn broke in Hollywood, Link woke up with a jolt. He opened his eyes to find a stunning face smiling at him, with lips as luscious as rose petals kissed by morning dew, radiating sweetness.

It was Angelina Jolie.

She held a pristine white feather in her hand, wearing a mischievous grin. Behind her stood Cameron Diaz, dressed in a jacket and blue leggings, stifling laughter.

"What are you doing? Why are you up so early?"

The bedroom curtains remained drawn, leaving the outside sky shrouded in darkness, with just a hint of light on the eastern horizon indicating it was around four in the morning.

Link wrapped an arm around Angelina's slender waist, pulling her closer.

"Ha! You're too heavy, I can hardly breathe."

Angelina laughed, pushing against his chest.

"Darling, we're heading out to watch the sunrise at sea and then for a morning jog on the beach. Want to join us?" Cameron asked, squatting down.

"Let's go! Monica said the sunrise here is beautiful, and we haven't seen it yet." Angelina said, wrapping her arms around his neck playfully.

"Alright!"

...

Link carefully got out of bed, showered, dressed, and returned to the bedroom where Michelle and Diane had also woken up, their long hair tousled, wrapped in blankets, chatting with Angelina.

"Do you want to come?" Link asked.

"Diane isn't up to it yet, so we'll skip it," Michelle Pfeiffer replied with a smile.

"Okay, just rest well. I'll take them to Diamond Head to watch the sunrise. If we come back late, you can eat first."

"Got it, just hurry, otherwise, the sun will come up!"

"Then we're off."

Link kissed Michelle and Diane on the cheeks before taking Angelina and Cameron and leaving the bedroom.

...

Bang!

After the door slammed shut, Michelle Pfeiffer and Diane Lane snuggled back into their covers.

"Link has such a good temperament." Diane said, blinking.

"Temperament?" Michelle smiled, "I thought you'd comment on his strong physique, boundless energy, and exceptional skills -- he's quite a man."

Diane shot her a glance. "I meant that despite Angelina and Cameron's antics, Link has never lost his temper or blamed them; he's incredibly patient."

"I've been with Link for almost three years now, and I've never seen him angry. He's so stable," Michelle said, laughing.

Diane pulled the blanket up closer to her chest, gazing at the slowly brightening window. "He's perfect. I used to think such men didn't exist."

"Now you believe it?"

Michelle leaned on her shoulder, twirling her golden hair.

"Absolutely. Link's perfection surpasses my wildest expectations. The things we've experienced in the past few days are a hundred times better than anything before." Diane's cheeks glowed with satisfaction.

Michelle smiled. "Good for you. In the past, when I was with Link, you all laughed at me for not knowing a good man, urging me to break up with him. Now you're also with Link. Will you break up with him?"

"Of course not. Meeting Link is my fortune; why would I leave him? But even though I know how great Link is, Jodie and Meg still don't. Shouldn't we help them understand him better?"

Diane bit a strand of hair, turning to look at her with a smile.

"Meg could be fine; Jodie doesn't like guys, so that might not work." Michelle replied thoughtfully.

"Not necessarily. Jodie talks about Link often and seems fond of him, but she just lacks the courage to make a move. Maybe we can help her."

"Is that a good idea?"

"What's wrong with it? If Jodie can't accept it, she'll just ignore us for a few days. If she does accept Link, her life could become very happy. As a friend, I would love to see that."

Diane laughed.

"Okay, I'm on board with your plan."

Michelle embraced Diane and gave her a kiss.

Diane laughed and wrapped her arms around Michelle, pulling her into the blankets as they playfully tumbled around.

---

By the time Link drove Angelina and Cameron to Diamond Head, the sun had already risen above the Pacific Ocean.

They missed the moment the sun leapt from the sea but witnessed it rising gradually.

The distant horizon had turned a fiery orange, with countless seabirds circling around as the sun ascended, their calls carried by the ocean breeze.

Link took photos of both Angelina and Cameron and then took a few with them together.

Originally, Angelina and Cameron planned to enjoy the sunrise at the top, but since Diamond Head was a famous tourist spot on Oahu, many visitors came to see the sunrise, and the wind at the peak was strong, making it quite chilly without a jacket.

They had to hold back their excitement and return to the warmth of the car to relive the experience once more by the beach, where the waves crashed.

...

By the time the three returned to the villa, it was already past nine. The moonlit Moon bay and the villa behind them glowed in golden sunlight, looking magnificent, like a palace in a mirage.

Angelina and Cameron cheered and started to run along the beach.

Link chuckled and went into the villa for breakfast, where he chatted with Brooke Shields and Jennifer Lopez about their work.

Brooke had transitioned into television production since last year, launching a cooking show in cooperation with TBS, supported by Link and UTA. She personally hosted the show.

The first season premiered earlier that year, consisting of 12 episodes, with an average viewership of 8.5 million.

While it didn't set viewership records like Friends, it was still a successful television program.

The media regarded Brooke's transition as successful, making her a mature and elegant host, with her annual income surpassing $2 million.

Jennifer Lopez was doing well too. This year, she starred in two movies, including Money Train produced by Columbia Pictures and Jack, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Having invested over a year in music training, she was recently recording a new album, set to be released in November.

They were all doing quite well; Monica, Jennifer, Renee, and others had similar success.

Link felt that he had done a good job.

---

After finishing breakfast, Link supervised Cici finish up her homework for the day and headed upstairs to his study to check the day's newspapers.

The Shawshank Redemption was in its fifth week, earning $7.72 million and accumulating a total of $80.43 million at the box office, projected to gross no less than $120 million in North America.

Meanwhile, Waterworld's box office had dropped below $5 million in its weekly earnings, totaling $68.82 million in North America.

This week's box office champion was Congo, released by Paramount, which made $24.64 million in its opening week and was the top box office film for the year from Paramount.

...

After the weekly box office numbers were released, many media outlets reported that Guess Pictures had another film smashing at the box office, with expectations for two of their films to surpass $100 million in North America this summer, doing better than the seven major studios, thus securing the position of the biggest winner of the summer season in advance.

Due to the high artistic quality of The Butterfly Effect and The Shawshank Redemption, USA Today reported that Guess Pictures not only won box office at the summer season but also gained acclaim.

The newspaper noted that for the seven major studios to beat Guess Pictures, they needed to focus not just on marketing and distribution but also on improving the quality of their films. As long as the seven major studios produced good films, Guess Pictures' films would naturally face decline.

Upon reviewing the weekly box office charts, a news piece in the Los Angeles Times caught his attention.

...

The news claimed reliable sources stated that CAA founder Michael Ovitz was planning to jump ship to Disney.

Since the late 1980s, Ovitz had been named the most powerful man in Hollywood for five consecutive years, being a heavyweight figure in the entertainment industry.

His agency, CAA, was also one of the most powerful agencies in the entertainment arena at the time.

Now, the sudden news of him leaving CAA to work with Disney left the industry in disbelief, with many speculating the reasons behind his departure.

Rumors suggested Ovitz's move was related to Link's rise in the industry.

Since Guess Pictures' emergence, Ovitz's power and influence in Hollywood had dramatically diminished.

Last winter's holiday season saw him partnering with the seven major studios in an attempt to suppress Guess Pictures, only to have Guess become the annual box office champion.

This summer, Ovitz again led the seven studios against Guess, but once more failed, meaning Guess Pictures became the grand winner of the summer season.

It had become widely believed that Ovitz could no longer contend with Link's power; his reputation suffered ongoing declines.

Some thought Ovitz's choice to jump to Disney was an attempt to leverage Disney's standing in the industry to continue competing with Link and reclaim his lost power.

Others speculated he chose to retire in soft resignation after a series of failures.

Regardless, this matter was closely tied to Link.

...

The Los Angeles Times provided three reasons in their report of this news.

The first reason stated that over the past three years, Michael Ovitz's performance as the president of CAA had been mediocre.

He had blindly engaged in a bet against Link at the end of 1993, attempting to aid The Firm in defeating Final Destination.

He utilized his power multiple times to have his contracted artists support the movie, ultimately ending in failure.

This failure exacerbated the conflict, indirectly causing actors like Robert Downey Jr., Richard Gere, and Dustin Hoffman to subsequently being 'scrapped,' with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock also leaving CAA.

CAA's influence in the entertainment industry had sharply declined, and their profitability was significantly affected, drawing close to WMA and UTA.

This dissatisfaction led the CAA stakeholders to turn against Ovitz, resulting in his diminishing voice within the company.

Many shareholders saw him as an obstacle to CAA's growth, which ultimately led to his decision to jump ship.

Secondly, during his presidency at CAA, Ovitz had shown a keen interest in film production, participating in establishing several projects, including Hook, and Cape Fear.

Now, accepting Disney's offer as co-CEO provided him the opportunity to fulfill his ambitions in the film field.

Finally, Times speculated that Ovitz's acceptance of Disney's offer was related to movements involving Ron Meyer and others.

Hollywood serves as the center of the North American film industry, and the film industry is the core of the entertainment sector.

Individuals like Barry Diller, Ron Meyer, and David Geffen, who initially worked as agents, have seen their status significantly rise after moving to film companies, gaining even greater influence.

Ovitz may have recognized this, hoping to revive his career through Disney and compete for the title of Hollywood's most influential person once again against Link.

This article in the Los Angeles Times was well reasoned and garnered much recognition after its release.

However, these were merely speculations, and the exact reasons needed further investigation.

...

Link chuckled after reading the newspaper and called Jay Moloney, inquiring about the CAA board meeting schedule and the chances of success.

Moloney informed him that the meeting would take place in the afternoon. Given Ovitz's considerable influence within CAA, many board members and management listened to Ovitz's commands, making his chances of becoming president quite slim.

Link told him not to be disheartened and to give it his all in the board meeting, as there might be a twist in the situation.

...

After hanging up the phone, Link hesitated before deciding against calling Ovitz.

With the news of Ovitz's impending move to Disney now public, it was clear he would be leaving CAA, leading to an inevitable vacancy for the president position after he departed.

Considering Ovitz's influence in CAA, combined with Moloney's support within the board, if Ovitz agreed to back Moloney, Moloney's chances of succeeding to the CAA presidency would increase significantly.

Yet Ovitz highly valued power; would he hand such a crucial position to someone he had conflicts with, particularly after the losses of the summer season?

These were all pressing questions yet to be answered.

While Link was keen on understanding Michael Ovitz's current thoughts, calling him at that moment would appear overzealous and could easily be considered as blackmail.

---

Ring!

In the CAA president's office, Michael Ovitz sat up straight as he heard the phone ring on his desk. Upon seeing that the caller ID was not Link's number, he slumped back into his chair, lazily picking up the phone.

"Mike, I heard you're planning to jump to Disney. Is that true?" Ron Meyer asked from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, Michael Eisner invited me to help him at Disney, and his approach has been very warm. I'm looking to try my hand in the film industry," Ovitz replied.

"Mike, the film production industry is quite complex; you should be cautious."

"You don't need to tell me that; I know more than you do." Ovitz interrupted him, displeased.

"Alright then, I called to ask who will take over as president of CAA after you leave?" Meyer inquired.

"If you're in the running, it'll likely be you. If not, Ron Bernstein, Jay Moloney, or Richard Lovett each have a chance."

"Mike, I hope you can recommend Ron; he's one of us." Meyer suggested pointedly.

"Ron, this is an internal CAA matter; it's best if you don't get involved. I have a meeting to attend, let's talk later," Ovitz coldly said, hanging up and scoffing.

Last time, Meyer prevented him from getting involved with Universal Pictures, and now he was trying to meddle in CAA's staffing; Ovitz wasn't pleased with Meyer's interference.

As for the CAA president's candidates, he already had someone in mind.

Knock! Knock!

"Sir, the board meeting is about to start," an assistant reminded from the doorway.

Ovitz silently finished his cigarette and noted that the phone had yet to ring; he scoffed again and stood up to leave his office.

*****

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