Chapter 807

Little Emma, that little demon, had always been a headache. Up until now, Adriaan still hadn't revealed anything to Kate. He could only hope that Ivanka would be the first to open up a gap. Lily was a little reluctant to accept Megan, who was almost ten years older than her. Although she took the initiative to greet Megan, she did not use the term 'Auntie' at all. It must be known that she had addressed the other sisters' mothers, including Jessica. Yet, Megan had asked him if he could call her by her name, even though it was the first time they had met.

Of course, this might also have something to do with the fact that the child in Megan's stomach hadn't been born yet, so they naturally weren't close. But she was already like this, not to mention little Emma, who had always been treated like an older sister by Lily.

Perhaps it was because she was born in such a family, Lily matured early in some aspects. Before this, she had already discussed with her father how children came about, and accused her father of being a playboy.

"I know that when a man and a woman do something together, the child will be born from the mother's stomach. This is all in the school curriculum. But there's one thing that's strange. The curriculum says that this should only be done after a couple who love each other get married. But daddy and mommy aren't married, and neither are the other aunties. Why is that? "Lily asked at that time.

"Hmm …" Faced with this question, Adriaan felt a headache. It wasn't that he didn't want to explain, but if he explained it to the little one, would she understand? But if he used this as an excuse, Lily definitely wouldn't accept it. She never fell for this, and always had an attitude of "as long as you tell me, I'll understand".

Reality was just as he expected. When he said "you're still young, there are many things that can't be easily explained", the little one snorted.

"I'm not a child, I'm Super Lily!" The little one said proudly, and then put on a doubtful expression, "Is there something that daddy doesn't dare to tell me? I've always heard mommy, aunties Sarah, and Charley say that daddy has an unusual possessiveness. "

Hearing the last sentence, Adriaan wanted to roll his eyes. He really didn't know what they usually said to Lily. Well, he couldn't let her guess on her own, right? Otherwise, how could Adriaan maintain his heroic image in her heart? Although in Lily's heart, he probably didn't belong to that word.

"Let's put it this way, dear. There's a delicious apple that everyone wants to eat, so they share it together. Although there's no explicit agreement, there's already a tacit understanding. At this time, if someone suddenly wanted to take the Apple for himself and not share it with others, how would the others react? " Adrian thought for a long while and finally gave such an answer, which could be considered as reluctantly sending the little fellow away.

Of course, he didn't expect that this sentence would become one of the materials that his daughter would use to tease him a few years later.

"Not only is he arrogant, but he's also narcissistic. He actually compared himself to the Apple in the Garden of Eden. Everyone is doing their best to snatch it. That's our father." Lily, who had grown into a beautiful girl, said this to her sisters at the family gathering. God knew that Adriaan had only given an example, and he had used the Apple analogy — he couldn't use a banana, could he? It had nothing to do with the Garden of Eden.

That was why educating children was always a troublesome matter. At first, Adriaan thought that Lily wanted to be a director or cinematographer. She always took the DV apart and put it back together, although most of it couldn't be put back. Later, he thought that she would become an actress, because she always felt that if she played her mother's daughter in "Night Legend," it would be a good experience. But now, he thought that she wanted to be a designer, because Lily earned a lot of pocket money by helping her mother design accessories and decorate small places. It was obvious that children were changeable.

But Adriaan never got tired of it. He would personally change the diapers of each child, put them to sleep, wipe their butts, and so on. It was rare for him to have so much energy and patience. But that was what Adriaan liked to do. In a way, they … were also his creations, very beautiful creations.

So, even though Megan complained that Adriaan lied to her and didn't tell her that there were so many women and children, she wouldn't leave his palm. After all, Adriaan had made his move early. He took advantage of her weakness and combined her feelings and interests. Now, he was even showing his fatherly side. What else could Megan do?

In reality, she was just a little prenatal depression. It wasn't hard to deal with. Adriaan had already experienced seven women's pregnancies. From Kate's whimsical desire for this and that, to Blanchett's sudden annoyance and unhappiness, to Jessica's constant worry about the child. He had seen all kinds of situations, and this was the best time for him to express himself. Adriaan was very good at solving women's insecurities.

So, the biggest problem now was still little Emma. Adriaan had even rejected her request to come to America for a holiday this year. It was rare that the little devil knew about his predicament and didn't insist. But this matter had to be solved. So, after thinking about it, Adriaan decided to do it at the end of September. If Ivanka knew how far to go with the flow, he could call little Emma over when a certain movie was released. Maybe he could settle it in one go.

Even though the end of September wasn't considered a summer holiday, it wasn't the off-season either. So, movies that had potential but weren't as competitive as blockbusters would usually be released at this time. There were movies being produced in Hollywood all the time, so it wasn't surprising. Even Sophie was filming her new movie.

After successfully reaching the top, Sophie didn't rush to accept a new movie. Instead, she turned to directing. Even though Sleepless in the Supermarket was nominated for an Oscar because of Adriaan, Sophie's own ability played a big role. She had indeed grown in this area, so she became more and more interested in directing. Since that was the case, Adriaan, who had hoped for her to develop as a director, arranged a script for her and supported her to produce her first full-length movie.

"This story is made up of five short stories. The theme can be interpreted in two ways. You can either go the route of suspense and horror, or go the route of fatalism and tragedy," Adriaan explained to Sophie.

The script was called "The Dead Girl." Simply put, a young girl died, which led to the story of several other women. The monotonous woman who found the body became the headline of the newspaper. She searched for her sister who went missing more than ten years ago, hoping to confirm the identity of the body. The wife found out that her husband had an unusual relationship with the dead girl. The mother began to search for the reason why her daughter ran away from home and the cause of the young girl's death.

The clues weren't complicated. As long as one could grasp the rhythm, the two routes mentioned above could turn the story into a good movie. Plus, it was a woman's movie, so it was very suitable for a newcomer like Sophie. In the end, she chose the route of fatalism and tragedy, which was also within Adriaan's expectations. Although he really wanted her to try the route of suspense and horror, it required more control from the director. Plus, the producer couldn't have a clear and comprehensive consideration, which could easily mess up the movie. So, he gave up.

Besides, going the route of fatalism and tragedy was not bad either. It was too artistic, and the box office might not be good, but as long as the cost was kept as low as possible, it would be fine. The two main leads, Scarlet and Cayden, who had more scenes, basically received negligible pay. Sophie also played a role in the movie.

Cayden was the sister who was looking for her sister or her sister's body. It wasn't difficult for her to play this role. After Adriaan made it clear, Cayden more or less worked hard. Although she was just a vase in "The Day After Tomorrow," she was still a beautiful vase. Previously, in "Sleepless in the Supermarket," if she wasn't so beautiful, her acting skills would have been more recognized. It was also because of this that Sophie considered her first during the preparation. Adriaan wondered if he should matchmake Cayden as Sophie's exclusive actress.

Scarlet was recommended by Adriaan. After the release of "Love to Return to New Jersey" at the beginning of the year, her position in the independent film industry became more and more stable. She was suitable to star in such a low-budget movie. Of course, there were also commercial movies, but they were all of the medium investment type. This was Adriaan's long-term plan for Scarlet, and Scarlet also agreed with his plan.

This time, she played the role of the young girl who died. Because she was sexually assaulted by her stepfather when she was a child, she ran away from home and became a prostitute. She also became addicted to drugs and had a daughter. This was not an easy thing for her. After all, she had never experienced anything like this. At most, she had smoked marijuana, and it was with Adriaan. If she wanted to perform convincingly, she needed a lot of preparation.

"Don't worry, Scarlet. Believe in yourself. You can do anything. If you can play this role with your own ability, then many other roles in the future will not be difficult for you," Adriaan said to her.

This was the truth. Even though Scarlet had done a lot of preparation, it was already very good to have a 70% credibility. Her lack of experience was the biggest problem. If she could really do it 100%, perhaps only a few people could match her acting skills. It was a pity that she didn't say that last sentence.

"If you want, we can try it in private so that you can have a more intuitive experience." He immediately revealed his tail.

"You like to seize this kind of opportunity." After being coaxed to do a knee dance for him, Scarlet, who still had the green paper stuck in her stockings and underwear, said half-reproachfully.

Then, Sophie also played a role in it. Originally, she wanted the role of the dead girl's mother, but Adriaan persuaded her to change it because this role had too many scenes. It wasn't that he thought her acting skills were bad. Even if Sophie's Best Actress Award was the result of PR, if her acting skills were not recognized at all, she would definitely not get it.

It was just that Adriaan had always been persistent. As the director and the lead actress at the same time, it would inevitably lead to deviation in the work. Moreover, Sophie had just started to work hard as a director, so he suggested that she change the role of the mother of the character Cayden would play. Since it would put her in a better position, it would not affect her work as a director.

In this way, as long as the publicity and distribution were in place, it would not be difficult to break even.

Publicity had always been very important. No matter what happened, it needed publicity. That was why Google and Yahoo were constantly competing for YouTube, and why AC Media could make a deal with the Bush family. In order to achieve the desired effect, all kinds of methods emerged one after another. For example, in hot news, such as various shooting cases or various demonstrations, hiring extras to act as witnesses in front of the camera to guide the thoughts of the audience in front of the TV.

As Adriaan once said, the information you get from the media will always be the information they want to pass on to you.

Well, this topic was a bit too big. If you want to talk about a movie, then use "Go Forth" as an example. As early as the beginning of the year, in order to make "Brokeback Mountain" less eye-catching, the rumor that Miracle Director's new movie would be a biopic of Johnny Cash began to spread.

Although the reporters did not completely confirm the news, Adriaan avoided them and did not say anything about it. Of course, he did not deny it either. After the Cash family received the news, they only told the reporters that they had been in contact with Miracle Director, but they did not talk about what happened afterwards. Therefore, the news had maintained a certain amount of attention.

In any case, Cash was a famous figure. After his death, even the White House issued a statement, saying that it was a great loss for the United States. Letting a legend direct a movie about another legend's life was definitely what Cash's fans, or rather, most fans, wanted to see.

Therefore, under these circumstances, when the trailer of "Go Forth" suddenly appeared in the major media at the end of August, it was not hard to imagine how people would react. Then, a series of prepared marketing methods were pushed out, and it quickly occupied people's attention. Jaquen and Natalie became the best actors to play the younger versions of Cash and Carter. Even if some people objected, it did not cause much of a stir.

The situation was so heated that some people exclaimed that Miracle Director had already locked in next year's Oscars. Unfortunately, they did not know that there was another movie that was still in post-production, and it would be released at the end of the year. This was the advantage of being able to keep it a secret. Therefore, Adriaan asked Claude and Victor for help, so that the new movie he was preparing could be kept a secret until after March next year.

Actually, he had a better choice, which was to start filming after March next year. As long as the movie could be released at the end of the year, it would be fine even if the public found out by then. However, Adriaan's goal was not just this. He wanted to control Hollywood and represent Hollywood, so he had to clearly stand on Hollywood's side. That would be a great opportunity.

As September began, the fall TV series were also put on the schedule, and "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" finally began airing. Without a doubt, the ratings were excellent. The first episode of "Lost" was released on CBS at 8 pm on Wednesday night. Relying on the well-produced scenes and the right amount of suspense, it won 19 million viewers, easily becoming the number one show in the 9 pm slot. Both Rachel McAdams, who played the female lead, and Cheryl Treddy, who played the supporting role, gained a lot of popularity because of this.

Although Lee Young-ae's Korean character didn't attract much attention due to the lack of eye-catching performances, when it was broadcasted in Korea, it attracted a lot of Koreans and broke several records in the peninsula.

In general, the premiere was quite successful. Many critics thought that although "Lost" was completely different in style from "Heroes", it was a very good sci-fi show, and it was expected to attract more viewers in the future. Therefore, Rachel, Cheryl, and Li Yingai expressed their gratitude in the same way, although it was a pity that they expressed it separately.

However, no one expected that since "Lost" could become the number one show in the ratings for its premiere, it would definitely maintain its position in the second week. However, ABC just had to broadcast a female drama, so "Desperate Housewives" unceremoniously squeezed "Lost" down with more than 22 million viewers.

This was a terrifying number. After all, since stepping into the New Era, the development of cable TV was getting faster and faster, and TV series with more than 20 million viewers were getting fewer and fewer. A show with more than 15 million viewers was already quite outstanding. Shows like "Survivor" and "Friends" that set records of more than 50 million viewers in a certain time slot were basically extinct, not to mention that these two shows had achieved this through the accumulation of word-of-mouth.

"Desperate Housewives" was able to achieve such amazing results, so one could imagine how much of a sensation it caused. Many critics wrote articles praising it, and the four housewives became famous overnight. Adriaan took the opportunity to seduce Melinda again at the celebration party, pulling her into a small room for a long time. Although Melinda complained, she was unusually passionate when they were together.

Moreover, this was just the beginning. After that, Vanessa, Eva, and Brigid were all brought into Adriaan's room to play with them one after another. Originally, he wanted to hook up with Tina as well. Tina, who was the scriptwriter, also played a role in the show — the housewife who committed suicide at the beginning. She was also the narrator at the beginning and end of every episode. Moreover, she had left a deep impression on him during the car accident, so he thought of having a friendly match with her.

Unfortunately, she saw through him after just a few words, and quickly found an excuse to leave the party, which was quite regrettable. However, if Tina thought that she could dispel Adriaan's idea like this, she was wrong. The more she did this, the easier it was to arouse Adriaan's interest, especially when she did not seem determined.

However, although there were many praises for "Desperate Housewives", there were also many criticisms. One of them was that the average age of the four housewives was on the low side, so as housewives, it might be a little … unworthy of the title.