Chapter 616: Lucky MGM

Charles hoped his mother could swiftly integrate EDR and become the top agency in Hollywood.

CAA had many people. Although they couldn't match EDR in other areas, CAA's strength in the entertainment industry was formidable.

Hollywood's Jewish capital was deeply rooted. Charles could only slowly trim it away, making Capet Pictures the first step.

Then he planned for his mother, Evelyn, to completely control Hollywood's largest talent agency, EDR.

This way, they could establish strong influence in Hollywood!

In the evening, Charles returned to the villa at the Los Angeles Country Club in Beverly Hills with Scarlett Johansson.

"Mm..." Charles lay on top of Scarlett Johansson in the bedroom, kissing her 32D chest while Scarlett held his head.

After their enjoyment, Scarlett Johansson lay in Charles' arms with a flushed face. "I saw you talking with Francis Ford Coppola at the hotel tonight. Seemed like a good chat."

"Not bad. He's a famed director in Hollywood." Charles didn't feel much for these traditional Hollywood filmmakers who had all experienced the red sofa era.

None had superior morals; they were all the same.

"Okay," Scarlett said, kissing Charles' chest. "I'm joining the We Bought a Zoo crew soon. If you miss me, come find me."

"Of course," Charles smiled, reaching to massage her chest. "As long as you keep up your stamina!"

Scarlett reached out and grabbed him, "Eva Green didn't return to France, right? Weren't you excited when it was the three of us?"

"She's not in Los Angeles either; she's filming out of town," Charles felt regretful as well.

"What about Kate Beckinsale? You have a lot of women, you heartbreaker," Scarlett said, biting Charles lightly.

"Heh, get some rest; there's still a lot to do in the future," Charles yawned.

Human desires are endless. Now Charles longed for immense power, the ability to control nations from behind the scenes.

...

The next day, Charles flew to Chicago to meet with Richard Daley. Charles met Richard Daley at the Trump International Hotel in Chicago.

Richard Daley said with a smile from the sofa. "Rahm Emanuel will soon officially step down as Chief of Staff. The new acting Chief of Staff is Pete Rouse, one of Obama's former aides. Do you know him?"

Charles nodded, smiling, "Pete Rouse was an advisor when Obama first served as Illinois senator in 2005. He's of mixed Japanese-American descent, 64 years old, a seasoned political advisor. Previously, he was Chief of Staff for former Democratic leader Tom Daschle. Pete Rouse is very familiar with Washington affairs."

Richard Daley smiled, "Indeed. Pete Rouse contributed significantly when Obama entered the Senate. Obama has many candidates for Chief of Staff this time. Choosing Rahm Emanuel was to strengthen Jewish influence in the White House. Unfortunately, Rahm Emanuel's personality is too distinct, isn't it?"

Charles smiled without commenting. After watching Richard Daley, he responded, "Anti-Jewish sentiment spiked because of this financial crisis. Rahm Emanuel's Jewish background is too conspicuous."

Replacing Rahm Emanuel with Pete Rouse was a smart move: reducing Jewish influence in the White House, addressing Charles' grievances with Rahm, and easing U.S.-Japan relations.

"Mayor of Chicago, I've also found a new candidate to replace Rahm Emanuel. Rahm's political path is over," Richard Daley added.

"That's good," Charles nodded. "People must pay for their actions, right?"

Richard Daley stood up, patted Charles' shoulder, and laughed, "Just that the price is a bit too high."

Rahm Emanuel's political career ended. His brother was also ousted from the talent agency he co-founded. Facing dual pressures from Washington and Hollywood, Rahm was directly crushed by the insurmountable mountain that is Charles Capet.

...

For Charles, Chicago held no particular significance. As the third-largest city in the U.S. and an international financial center, Chicago boasted a mix of clustered skyscrapers, the scenic Lake Michigan, and the abandoned factories from the industrial era. This versatile and artistic city was quite recognizable.

There were many movies and shows filmed in Chicago, albeit not to the extent of Atlanta!

However, Charles did not linger in Chicago for long. He soon left for Toronto, the largest city in Canada.

Charles received a call from Lin Chi-ling, who informed him she would be in Toronto.

It was the Toronto International Film Festival at that time, and Lin Chi-ling was attending it specifically for the event.

In Toronto, early morning, in the bedroom of a suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, following some blush-inducing sounds, the room became calm.

Lin Chi-ling, with a flushed face and gleaming with sweat, lay in Charles' arms.

Lin Chi-ling had graduated from the University of Toronto, so she was more familiar with Toronto compared to Vancouver.

It seemed that Gao Yuanyuan was still reluctant to give up on the film import business. They had planned to come to the American film market next month to pick up films. Now, Lin Chi-ling was trying her luck at the Toronto Film Festival!

"Do you have any plans for the next few days? We could go to the film festival together," Lin Chi-ling insisted on checking out the market herself.

"Sure, showing you around sounds fun. Plus, our company has a film to promote here. Black Swan is having its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and soon will be released in North America."

Toronto in September was crisp and pleasant, making the climate very enjoyable!

In recent years, Capet Pictures had leaned heavily into commercial films. Last year's The Wrestler was also bought at the Cannes Film Festival. Whether it's Sundance or Toronto, it was harder to find successful projects!

In the next few days, Charles and Lin Chi-ling watched several movies. Charles was most impressed by two films: MGM's The King's Speech and Lionsgate's Buried.

The King's Speech was initially developed by The Weinstein Company. Due to its thematic restrictions, it was hard to attract big investors or stars, but eventually, they managed to raise $15 million to start the project.

Unfortunately, when Harvey Weinstein got into trouble, The Weinstein Company halted production, and The King's Speech moved to its distribution partner MGM!

As for Buried, it was a thriller bought by Lionsgate at Sundance earlier this year.

A coffin, a man, a phone, and a lighter - all that made up an entire movie!

"MGM is so lucky," Charles said, sitting on the hotel sofa, looking at the information about The King's Speech. No matter how great Buried was, its box office would only reach around $20-30 million.

The King's Speech, as far as his memory served, had a global box office of over $400 million!

*****

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