Chapter 529: Alicia Silverstone

[Chapter 594: Alicia]

In the early morning, in a villa on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Arthur lay on top of Nicole Kidman, kissing her soft, pale skin. "Are you heading straight back to Los Angeles?"

Nicole Kidman kept her eyes shut. "I have to go back for some promotional events for To Die For. To Die For only had a limited release last year to qualify for awards, but now it's getting a full release." Arthur chuckled as he brushed against her delicate body. "I'll come find you when the time comes."

"Mm," Nicole Kidman opened her eyes, wrapped her arms around him, and flashed a vibrant smile. "Let me feel your assets..."

...

Around noon, in the restaurant of the Ritz-Carlton in Times Square, Arthur enjoyed lunch with New York City's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

"Once filled with sleazy bars, adult theaters, and a violent atmosphere, this area has transformed into the trendiest spot in New York and even across America." Arthur exclaimed as he gazed down at the Times Square area.

Rudy Giuliani smiled. "Someone had to do something about the Big Apple's vices. Times Square was once Manhattan's disgrace, but now it's a source of pride, all thanks to everyone's efforts."

Arthur shook his head. "The crime rate in New York has dropped by 56% over the past two years. Your cleaning efforts have been exceedingly successful."

At the same time, Arthur thought about the crime-laden city of San Francisco. Mayor Frank Jordan had ideas to clean up San Francisco as well. Even though Frank Jordan had just won re-election from Willie Brown, who had passed away, his power could hardly match Rudy Giuliani's since New York had a legitimate mayoral governance.

...

In the evening, in a grand hotel on the south side of Central Park in Midtown Manhattan, a lavish business cocktail party was taking place, led by Sony, showcasing the newly released DVD players in the United States. Executives from manufacturing giants like Sony, Panasonic, and Philips were present, along with many Hollywood media tycoons.

After sharing a passionate kiss with his date, Jennifer Connelly, Arthur patted her playfully. "You're in for it tonight."

Jennifer Connelly laughed, licking her lips. "Afraid of you?"

Arthur then mingled around the party, greeting everyone.

"DVD -- another revolution in video technology," Gerald Levin, chairman of Time Warner, mused with nostalgia.

Arthur sipped his drink while looking over at Sony's president, Norio Ohga. "Is that Howard Stringer who just took charge over there?"

"Yes. He just started and is responsible for Sony's film, music, and other entertainment businesses in North America," Gerald replied.

"I heard that Michael Eisner even recommended Disney's president, Michael Ovitz, for the position of Sony's U.S. president." Arthur laughed as Gerald brought it up, "Seems like Eisner wanted to peacefully push Ovitz out of Disney back then. Too bad. The CEO of CAA turned into a wandering soul since then."

"Look," Arthur pointed at Summer Redstone, who had brought his daughter to the party. "The emergence of DVDs has significantly devalued Viacom's Blockbuster."

After all, Blockbuster's main business was video rental, and its large number of stores gave it substantial negotiating power.

Gerald Levin shrugged, "Maybe that's just God's plan."

Did he really just bring God into this?

"Next up is the big push for DVDs," Arthur anticipated, knowing that the price of videotapes had shaped their market. Warner Bros. and MGM, both holding the largest film libraries in Hollywood, were undoubtedly the most supportive of DVDs.

...

After chatting for a while with Gerald Levin, Arthur had just picked up a drink from a waiter's tray when someone bumped into him, splattering some wine on his suit.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur almost wanted to slap the person, but he heard, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to; I just stepped on my dress."

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed, curvaceous young woman apologized and started to wipe the wine off for him.

"It's alright. I can just change when I get back to my room," Arthur managed to restrain his anger and walked away.

Once he reached his room, Arthur stripped off his blazer and sat on the sofa, waiting for the server to bring him clothes. It wasn't long before the clothes arrived, but it was the same woman from earlier who knocked at the door.

"Mr. Smith, I'm really sorry! I didn't do it on purpose."

Arthur nodded and took the clothes from her, glancing up. "You're Alicia Silverstone?"

"Yeah, that's me! I didn't expect Mr. Smith to know who I was," she smiled sweetly.

Alicia Silverstone, born in 1976, was now 21 years old and had gained fame early on in the music video for the band Smith's Ship. She became a new generation of sexy icons in America thanks to the campus idol film Clueless just two years prior.

"You played Batgirl in Batman & Robin, right?" Arthur asked, surveying her from his spot on the sofa.

"Yes. Batman & Robin is set to release this summer," Alicia Silverstone nodded in response.

Arthur chuckled. "Batman & Robin had all sorts of negative stories since production began. Didn't think it would actually make it to the big screen?"

Alicia laughed awkwardly, reminiscent of the excessive payment for Arnold Schwarzenegger, the disagreements between the director and producers, and the promotional photos where she looked awkward.

But Alicia wasn't too worried; her background was not something just anyone could compare. Her father was a successful real estate developer and a millionaire in Northern California.

Alicia attended the party because she had founded the production company First Kiss and signed a $10 million contract for three films with Columbia Pictures.

As Arthur put on his clothes, Alicia Silverstone came over to assist him and asked, "Mr. Smith, did you think I bumped into you on purpose just to meet you?"

Once he was dressed, Arthur replied, "Well, this kind of thing happens all the time; only a few people ever manage to come out ahead."

Alicia Silverstone finished helping Arthur organize his clothes. "So, did I manage to come out ahead tonight, Mr. Smith?"

"Just call me Arthur," he said while pouring two glasses of wine and handing one to her.

*****

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