Chapter 192: Star

Los Angeles, near the seaside town of Venice in the Marina del Rey or King's Dock, the luxurious yacht Charles ordered from the Netherlands last year was finally delivered.

The yacht was 133 feet long, with a maximum speed of 20 knots and a cruising speed of 15 knots, capable of sailing 1,600 nautical miles.

Costing $15.5 million, this luxurious yacht was named Star by Charles.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Evelyn Capet stood at the dock with Charles, praising the yacht.

"The exterior design is nice, and I hired a top designer for the interior. It's alright, though the build time was a bit long. If it weren't for that, I would've customized a 300-foot super yacht," Charles remarked, eyeing a spot on the yacht.

Evelyn chuckled. "This one took nearly eight months to build, right? Over 130 feet, it's still a super yacht!"

Charles smiled and continued, "I also ordered the latest Gulfstream G550 luxury long-range business jet from Gulfstream Aerospace, which should be delivered in May."

Evelyn just smiled, squeezing her son's hand. She never imagined that their family would own a private luxury yacht and a private jet.

Last year, Charles said he wanted them, and now they had both.

"The Gulfstream G550? I've heard of it. It can fly over 12,000 kilometers, right? It's the longest-range business jet available!" Evelyn, who frequently traveled for business, was quite knowledgeable.

"$55 million, and the interior design is top-notch, accommodating 16 people." Charles smiled.

"By the way, are you confident about the upcoming Oscars? You seemed to put a lot of effort into it."

Charles thought for a moment and said casually, "Who knows what the outcome will be? Lionsgate has also put in a lot of effort for Crash. But I have a lot of confidence in the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men!"

"As for the others, Munich and Capote are just there to accompany. The Best Picture will definitely be between No Country for Old Men and Crash."

Capet Pictures' other film Little Miss Sunshine was also just a runner, having already bagged an Best Picture nomination.

The Star yacht could set out to sea anytime from Los Angeles' King's Dock, or sail down the coastline to Central America, passing through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean for a vacation.

...

Meanwhile, the much-anticipated live-action Transformers movie began filming, with High School Musical star Zac Efron teaming up with the sultry Megan Fox and the Autobots to save Earth.

Also, it was the World Cup year. The deeds of Charles during the France World Cup were brought up again.

However, for this year's World Cup in Germany, Charles didn't plan on betting, even though he knew that Italy and France would make it to the finals.

Luck had been on his side once, but playing this game again would likely raise suspicions from the bookmakers, and Charles didn't want any trouble.

...

At Capet Pictures, President Donna Langley and the distribution department's upper management, including Phyllis, had just watched a Chinese film, The Promise.

"No market potential. Actually, I favor Jet Li's kung fu film Fearless, but Focus Features already bought the North American rights," said Phyllis, who had previously helped establish Capet International Pictures' distribution office in Europe and was now back in the U.S.

Donna Langley nodded and smiled. "Capet Pictures is heavily expanding its international business this year. Our UK branch co-invested in Atonement; our French branch developed La Vie en Rose; and last year we bought the North American distribution rights for the German film The Lives of Others. But this The Promise definitely doesn't meet our distribution standards."

Phyllis shook her head. "Originally, The Promise signed a purchase agreement with The Weinstein Company at last year's Cannes Film Festival. However, by the end of last year, after watching the final cut, Harvey Weinstein immediately decided to drop the distribution rights. Now, The Promise is looking for another North American distributor."

Donna Langley nodded. "Are there any other Chinese-language films?"

Phyllis Davis thought for a moment and said, "There is a historical war film directed by the director of Hero with a $45 million budget currently shooting. Additionally, there's a $20 million film starring the leads from Memoirs of a Geisha, based on the plot of Hamlet, which is also looking for a North American distributor."

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.