Chapter 255

In the night, after returning to the hotel, Arthur held Jennifer Connelly as they lay on the bed, "The inauguration ceremony was such a boring event, totally meaningless!"

"Really? I saw you having a great time chatting with Mr. Clinton," Jennifer Connelly leaned on Arthur's chest, her impressive 34D fully on display.

Arthur laughed, "Well, it's good to make connections; it will definitely help my future career. And what about you? The tango girl in Scent of a Woman earned you a lot of praise. You must have plenty of scripts now, right?"

Scent of a Woman has grossed $50 million at the North American box office so far, and the reviews are good. The earnings are expected to increase even more before it leaves the theaters.

"You're amazing. I just had a small role, but it has indeed given me a lot more exposure. However, I'm being more selective with scripts now," Jennifer Connelly said, climbing onto Arthur. "I don't want to take on any more explicit roles. I'm tired of being labeled a sex symbol!"

Arthur flipped over, pinning Jennifer Connelly beneath him. He laughed as he rubbed her impressive breasts, "Of course, we can't let other men admire you so directly."

Jennifer cupped Arthur's face, "They can only see me on the screen, but you get to have me anytime you want. Isn't that enough?"

"That's not the same thing, totally different!" Arthur said, then leaned in to kiss her. Jennifer Connelly eagerly wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck and responded passionately.

With the first presidential inauguration after the Cold War, the main goal of the new president, Bill Clinton, was to establish a global trade exploitation system centered on the United States.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and with the U.S. becoming the sole superpower, American hegemony was established, and now it required designing a new world political and economic system.

Nick Davis, CEO of the USA Network, came to Arthur's office in North Hollywood to discuss the future direction of the USA.

"With Galaxy Television backing us, the USA Network is sure to produce a batch of high-quality series. Ratings determine the share of subscription fees between the network and TV operators. It also affects the distribution of copyrights and the potential for creating and selling videotapes!"

Arthur was undoubtedly serious about the USA Network. With a $300 million bank loan, plus Galaxy's own $85 million dollars, Arthur expected a matching return for his investment.

Nick Davis naturally understood what Arthur meant. The competition among cable networks for broadcasting new films was fierce.

Currently, the high-quality films produced by Galaxy would premiere on the USA Network after their theatrical run, which would significantly boost the network's ratings.

In the afternoon, Arthur attended the groundbreaking ceremony at Galaxy's headquarters in Glendale. After so much preparation, construction was finally starting.

Amy Pascal, beside him, excitedly reminded Arthur, "Once this is completed, Galaxy Studios will become another renowned production base in Hollywood!"

Arthur smiled, "Perhaps. At least Galaxy won't be swallowed up by a big studio like Miramax."

Just days after the Golden Globes, Disney announced the acquisition of Miramax for $45 million and the assumption of its debt.

Amy Pascal shrugged, "So what? It's just another studio under Disney with a label for indie films. Miramax's focus on sex and controversy - they probably only got lucky with Sex, Lies, and Videotape because of its catchy title!"

Arthur nodded, "When I chatted with director Steven Soderbergh, he told me the first question Harvey asked him was, 'How many sex scenes are in the film?'"

It was unfortunate that Sex, Lies, and Videotape gained fame not because of its explicit content but due to the emotions and message the film conveyed.

However, Harvey Weinstein indeed had a good eye. He was willing to spend $2 million to buy the North American theatrical rights for a film made by a rookie director with a budget of $350,000.

Other film companies usually wanted both theatrical and video rights together before they made an offer. Once Weinstein saw the value, he wasn't afraid to make a big spending bid.

"With Disney's support now, Miramax will have a much larger budget. If they stumble upon another breakout hit, they could still rise to prominence," Arthur wasn't worried about Miramax's comeback; he just didn't want to ignore the capabilities of the Weinstein brothers. Any market competition among independent film companies was directly eating into Galaxy's market share!

However, now that Quentin Tarantino, Miramax's greatest rising star, was already signed with Galaxy, could Miramax still rise?

In the evening, Arthur attended a banquet at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills with Winona Ryder.

Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and other Hollywood Jewish big names were all present.

"Interesting," Arthur noticed MCA Universal's president Sidney Sheinberg and wondered if this was a Jewish gathering.

"What's up, Arthur?" Winona Ryder saw Arthur smiling suddenly and asked curiously.

"Nothing, it just feels like a celebration party for Schindler's List," Arthur responded with a smile, holding the lady by the waist. After all, Schindler's List star Liam Neeson and many of the film's crew members were also there.

"Spielberg's blockbuster Jurassic Park just wrapped, and Schindler's List did so well, it's only natural for his team to join the festivities," Winona Ryder was indifferent.

"Hey Arthur, congratulations!" Sidney Sheinberg approached, "I didn't expect Galaxy to fully acquire the USA Network so quickly."

After shaking hands with Sidney Sheinberg, Arthur replied casually, "Mostly because MCA Universal didn't show interest in the cable network. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the confidence to outbid you!"

Sidney Sheinberg shook his head, "Panasonic is managing MCA Universal now; you should understand their goals. MCA Universal's performance hasn't been great, and Panasonic isn't going to invest money in cable networks."

Arthur nodded, "By the way, weren't there several companies interested in Paramount Communications? Why does it seem so quiet lately?"

Sidney Sheinberg laughed, "It's because the initial offers were too low; now all the companies are conducting more research for second-round bids. And I've heard that Viacom is showing the most interest!"

*****

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