"I understand what the two of you are thinking." Looking at the two people sitting in front of his desk, they looked a little unnatural. Occasionally, they would look at each other but quickly move away. Adriaan smiled and said, "I'm also very willing to express my support, but the problem is that I'm a member of two associations at the same time, so it's very difficult for me."
"So, we hope you can stand on our side." The middle-aged man with a mustache, who looked to be over forty-five years old, immediately said, "We all know that you are the best screenwriter in Hollywood. We also know that your first job was as a screenwriter, so we think you should support us. If you can support us, this storm will soon calm down.
"In fact, Mr. Kewell is most praised as a producer. He has produced countless classic movies that can leave a heavy mark in the history of the film industry." The man next to him, who looked a little older than him, immediately took over the topic. He first spoke to the middle-aged man, then turned to Adriaan. "What's more, you are the chairman of AC Media. Of course, you should support us. As long as we have your support, this storm will calm down faster."
After hearing this, the first middle-aged man's expression suddenly changed. The meaning of his words was very simple, and it was indeed in line with Adriaan's identity. As a billionaire who had produced countless movies, he was born to be on the producer's side. Even so, he still did not give up and wanted to fight again. Although the other party's words were a little exaggerated, if Adriaan chose to support them, his side would definitely fall into a considerable disadvantage.
However, before the first man could speak again, Adriaan had already raised his hand. "Okay, Scott, Griffin, listen to me, okay?"
He smiled and looked very confident, as if he was very confident in solving this problem. "There is no doubt that I am a registered member of the Screenwriter's Guild. In the beginning, the guild also gave me a lot of help. However, at the same time, I am also a member of the Producers' Alliance. In many of the movies I produced, the alliance also provided a lot of convenience. So, in the face of this contradictory situation, I can only announce that before the end of the negotiation, I will no longer be responsible for any work related to the script, not even giving suggestions. Similarly, before the end of the negotiation, I will not ask about any matters related to the production, and I guarantee that Universal will only re-sign the contract with the screenwriters after the dust has settled. "
Hearing such a promise, the two lobbyists from the Screenwriter's Guild and the Producers' Alliance could not help but be stunned. Then, their expressions turned ugly. Their purpose in coming here was to win over one of the most powerful and relatively easy moguls in Hollywood to stand on their side and win this war. Now that they heard that he was still sitting on the fence, he definitely wouldn't be too happy.
However, in just a moment, they recovered. One reason was that they had been mentally prepared. A big shot like Adriaan would not easily make a promise — even if he had to face the public's eyes — and another reason was that they found the words to be beneficial to them.
For the Screenwriter's Guild, the miracle director, who had started his own legend as a screenwriter, promised not to do any work related to the script before the end of the negotiation. This in itself was a kind of support. Wasn't what the screenwriters were doing now? Wasn't it just doing nothing? Similarly, for the Producers' Alliance, although Adriaan not producing movies did not help them at all, promising that Universal would only re-sign the contract with the screenwriters after the dust had settled was tantamount to letting Universal Pictures and the Producers' Alliance advance and retreat together. Although AC Media had more than one film company, as the most profitable film company in Hollywood in recent years, it was enough to have them on their side.
At the same time, this did not have the slightest negative impact on Adriaan's image. This action had completely extricated him from the dilemma of having to choose one of the two. He now maintained a neutral stance. In other words, he clearly expressed that, due to his identity, both the screenwriters and the producers should support him. However, considering the sensitivity of his identity, it was not appropriate for him to support either the screenwriters or the producers.
If this statement was too opportunistic, then Adriaan would say to the screenwriters that he would not support the producers. Then, he would say to the producers that he would not support the screenwriters. So, they could boldly compete with each other.
To sit on the fence like this, it was no wonder he was one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood. Although Adriaan's achievements today were mostly due to certain factors, it was undeniable that his own ability had played a significant role.
Since the words had been made clear, the Screenwriter's Guild and the Producers' Alliance did not say anything else. They quickly got up and left. In any case, at least half of their original goal had been achieved. At least, this influential figure had guaranteed his neutrality.
After they left, Adriaan let out a long sigh. Alright, he had to admit that although he had expected the screenwriters' strike, which had happened before, he had never thought that this would happen. Sure enough, there were always losses when there were gains. Even though he had gained a lot of glory by having one foot in front of the stage, it had made it easier for him to operate things, such as using his huge popularity to put pressure on the Film School. At the same time, he had to bear a lot of responsibilities, such as standing on the sidelines.
Just as he had said, at the beginning, the Screenwriter's Guild had given him a lot of convenience. Not to mention anything else, just keeping his script and outline to prevent any similarities was a great help — even though that was their basic duty. If Adriaan had not joined the Screenwriter's Guild back then, the current situation would have been much easier. But if he had not joined back then, he would not have been able to get that kind of service.
Therefore, in the eyes of ordinary people, since they had enjoyed the benefits, they should, of course, fulfill their obligations. Although it was not a big deal for big shots not to fulfill their obligations, things like being ungrateful could be done, but they could not be said. After all, Adriaan was a public figure, which meant that some things would be looked at under a magnifying glass. Once a name was given to him, other media groups would be happy to add fuel to the fire.
Similarly, it was the same with the Producers' Alliance. It should be known that in Hollywood, the Producers' Alliance was the most powerful among several organizations. Basically, if there were any labor disputes here, it would be various unions — screenwriters, actors, directors — fighting with the Producers' Alliance. Basically, all the powerful producers in Hollywood were gathered here. Therefore, as the lobbyist of the Producers' Alliance, Griffin, had hinted, as the chairman of AC Media, which owned several good film companies, and as one of the most powerful tycoons in Hollywood, Adriaan should naturally stand on the side of the producers.
This choice was not so easy to make. No matter which side he chose, he would lose a lot of points on the other side, which would affect his image. Even though this loss was not unbearable, who knew what the subsequent chain reactions would be like? Fortunately, luck was more or less on Adriaan's side. Although the strike had been brought forward, it had only been brought forward by a year. What he wanted to do and what he wanted to get had been completed. It was just the right time to take it out for a deal, which led to the scene just now.
Although the strike had started in late November 2006, it would at most last until around mid-February. Film school and even the whole of Hollywood would not allow a strike to affect the Academy Awards Ceremony — this was why the Screenwriter's Alliance had chosen this time to strike. Therefore, it was not difficult for him to not ask about the script for a month and a half. As for movie production, he would not touch it, even if he had a movie that he wanted to produce this year. Of course, because this was not enough, he used Universal Pictures.
In short, the chips in his hands were enough for him to remain neutral, and at the same time, he had used a disguised method to support the Screenwriter's Alliance and the Screenwriter's Alliance. Adriaan had solved the dilemma of choosing one of the two.
"Life is like chocolate. You never know what the next one tastes like." Adriaan muttered at his desk. After a few minutes, he let out a long sigh, as if he had completely relaxed.
He pushed his high-back chair away, and immediately, a rustling sound came from his desk. That's right, he was playing the game that he often played in the office, but this time, it was not Charlize or Ivanka, nor was it Kate or Nicole. It was — Natalie.
Natalie, whose face was slightly disheveled and whose hair was speckled, coughed softly a few times after she crawled out, but her expression was exceptionally calm and cold. It seemed that she was already used to this, but her eyes were a little hollow. However, this did not stop Adriaan from carefully looking at her. He pressed her head down again and then rubbed it. And Natalie also rubbed her face, neck, and other places very cooperatively.
After a moment, Adriaan finally let her go. Then, seeing that she was kneeling on the ground to clean him and himself, he pinched her chin again. "You always have this expression, can't you change it?"
"This way, I can please you to the greatest extent." Natalie, who was kneeling in front of him, said in an unusually calm tone, "I maintain this cold expression to arouse your desire to conquer. This way, you will be more happy to play with me, and get more pleasure and satisfaction from it."
After a pause, she said again, "Of course, if you get tired of it, I can also change it. No matter what expression you want, I can also change it."
After saying that, Natalie rubbed her face with her hand, and then quickly revealed a silly expression, as if … she had been played with. If she put something behind it, it would be similar to Annie's.
"Very good, in the future, use this expression in private." Adriaan first raised an eyebrow, then nodded.
Natalie stood up obediently, still wearing that silly expression on her face. When she was ready to leave, Adriaan called her again, "By the way, next time, how about going out with Annie for a walk?"
"Everything of mine, inside and out, is yours. Your will is my will," replied Natalie. Coupled with her current expression … it was pretty good.
"Very well, then you don't need that thing on your neck anymore. Take it off and leave it here," said Adriaan.
Without hesitation, she removed the thing from her neck, put it on the desk, and left the office after getting permission. Adriaan's gaze lingered on the thing for a long time. It was a black necklace, half the width of a thumb, black in color, with a small ornament on one end, in the shape of a sun, and a smiley face carved in the middle.
It wasn't difficult to reconstruct a person's personality, especially after they had been completely defeated. Of course, this way, the reconstructed personality would be abnormally obedient — even more obedient than Britney. Even if Adriaan wanted her to strip naked and walk around the Walk of Fame, Natalie would do it without hesitation.
The advantage of this was that he could enjoy her as much as he wanted. No matter where he was, no matter what he wanted, Natalie could satisfy him. The shelves in the collection room were also quickly filled up.
However, the most interesting thing was that every time Natalie and Kayla had a threesome, after that night, although Kayla, who had been taken by Adriaan, returned to her normal appearance, as long as Natalie appeared in front of her, her eyes would immediately turn red. Come to think of it, she had always regarded Natalie as her best friend and one of the few people in the circle who had a say in it. Yet, Natalie had betrayed her so blatantly. She had sold herself out! With Kayla's twisted personality, how could she tolerate such a thing?
Moreover, Adriaan had directed all her hatred towards Natalie. It was no wonder that whenever Natalie appeared in front of her, she would show an expression of extreme hatred and disgust, and did not hide it at all. Therefore, when Kayla and Natalie were in bed, they would become extremely intense. Every time, unless she was exhausted, or the other party was exhausted, she would not stop. It was almost impossible for Adriaan to be exhausted.
Of course, Kayla did not want to compete with Natalie on the same bed, but after that night, she became increasingly unable to refuse Adriaan's requests. No matter what, her personality was basically shaped by him. Even if she had a twisted side, he had grasped the natural weakness of her personality tightly. Then, under his teasing for a few years, she poured out under the stimulation of Natalie. All her negative emotions were concentrated on her, and she could not resist him anymore.
It could be said that Adriaan had used Natalie and her ambition to kill two birds with one stone, completely controlling both her and Kayla.
It was very wonderful. To be honest, Adriaan had played with many beautiful sisters, such as the Simpson sisters, the Duff sisters, the Hilton sisters, the Hurst sisters, the Deschet sisters, the Olsen twins, and the recent Nordegrin twins. They all had their own characteristics, but the ones that left him the most reminiscing were the beautiful sisters who were not beautiful sisters.
When two faces that were extremely similar yet unrelated to each other alternated under the body, they were filled with anger and wanted to overwhelm each other. This wasn't something that the other sisters could provide. Natalie was also filled with disgust and hatred towards Kayla. This might sound strange, as how could she have the right to hate and hate Kayla?
But that was the truth. If a person could not or did not want to bear the huge mistake they made, and did not want to break down completely, they would push all the blame onto others. That's right, it was the state of "it's not me, it's her, it's the world". This was the psychological protection mechanism of humans, or rather, the psychological protection mechanism of selfish people. This was the biggest difference between Adriaan and Natalie. With a cheating device, he had a clear goal from the beginning, and walked forward resolutely. No one could stop him.
Of course, Adriaan had to admit that he had given Natalie a little push in the process of changing. After all, he was the one who had reconstructed her personality. However, one could not build a building without a foundation, right?
That was why when Natalie faced Kayla in bed, she was also very intense. This was why the battle would not end until one of them collapsed from exhaustion. It was also because of this that when the Four Beauties of Hawaii joined the battle together, Scarlett escaped a disaster. Among the four girls, three of them followed his will. If it was not for Natalie and Kayla's precise entanglement, she would have had to face the attacks of three people at the same time.
Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. This was already the end. Adriaan, who was lost in thought for a long time, finally grabbed the collar that Natalie had left on the table before she left. He took another look at the sun ornament with a smiling face, and put it in the drawer. Alright, it's okay to reminisce occasionally. No matter what … I'll buy her a bell and hang it around her neck in the future.
As expected, after Adriaan officially announced his absolute neutrality through the spokesperson, the Writers Guild and the Producers Alliance did not bother him again. Although his remarks caused a lot of discussion, some people criticized him for evading responsibility, others praised it as a wise move. However, it did not have much impact on the overall situation, so he quickly snuffed it out.
Then, on February 12, the day before Valentine's Day, the two sides finally reached an agreement, and the strike storm finally ended. Many people breathed a sigh of relief. Before this, many award ceremonies, including the Golden Globes, had been canceled because of this strike. Some had expressed their support, while others had been purely unlucky. If they did not settle this quickly, the world's most watched award ceremony would be in danger.
AC Media was not affected much by this storm. Although Universal Pictures was the last to sign a contract with the scriptwriters, because of Adriaan, its film company had always provided good benefits to the scriptwriters. Therefore, many scriptwriters who were still under contract were already secretly waiting for the end of the negotiations. Moreover, Adriaan had already prepared for this. He had the scriptwriters, especially the TV scriptwriters, complete a few more episodes. Although this was to prepare for the strike that was supposed to happen next year, and although they had not expected it to happen so early, they were still able to recover some losses.
As the strike storm subsided, the public's attention gradually began to shift elsewhere, such as this year's Oscar nominees, or some gossip and so on.
Then, at this time, Marvel and Universal released a second trailer for "Iron Man," which was scheduled to be released this summer. It was completely different from the first trailer!
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