Chapter 623

Brian Roberts appointed Steve Burke as the chairman of MGM. Steve Burke expressed his hope that MGM would return to MPAA, clearly for his own reasons.

The preparation for the shooting of Skyfall and the Hobbit series showed that MGM, after being acquired by Comcast, wasn't just sitting idle!

The unexpected hit, The King's Speech, might have been a catalyst or trigger for Steve Burke's hope to bring MGM back to MPAA.

The King's Speech was rated R by MPAA, not without reason, as the released version contained a lot of profanity.

Previously, the producers and director had submitted a cut version for rating, but it still received an R rating because the intense storyline created too much pressure.

This was a familiar scenario; Charles's Slumdog Millionaire was rated similarly for the same reason. It was only through Universal's efforts that it got a PG-13 rating!

"The rules, these are Hollywood's game rules. Every player entering has to follow," Charles smiled as he watched Brian Roberts leave the Peninsula Hotel.

Now, the two main competitors of Capet Pictures globally were Time Warner and Disney. As for 20th Century Fox, Sony, and Paramount, Charles didn't consider them as close competitors.

The fact that 20th Century Fox and Sony owned the rights to the X-Men series and Spider-Man series originally from Marvel was quite frustrating!

...

In the evening, Charles met with Senator Christopher Dodd from Connecticut at the Wilshire Theatre in Koreatown, Los Angeles, along with Senator Gavin Newsom.

MPAA President Dan Glickman's term was ending, and Christopher Dodd was going to be the next MPAA Motion Picture Association President.

"Charles, Dodd is also the chairman of the Congressional banking committee. With all the major banks in America thriving now, you might have a lot to talk about!"

Gavin Newsom laughed, as besides being the chairman of Capet Pictures, Charles was also a shareholder and board member of Bank of America.

Christopher Dodd was set to succeed as MPAA President by the end of the year, and he and Charles Capet were going to interact a lot!

Charles smiled, watching the stage performance, and said, "It's all thanks to the recovery of the American economy, with the Euro being slapped back and the dominance of the dollar continuing. Financial, energy, and manufacturing industries' recovery is, of course, reflected in the stock market!"

"Charles, the importance of Hollywood cannot be overlooked now. Capet Pictures' international strategy is very exemplary for American cultural exports," Christopher Dodd's future work mainly involved Hollywood, so befriending Charles Capet was essential.

"Oh, by the way, I heard Maurice Greenberg, former CEO of AIG, sued the U.S. government, claiming the previous government's bailout plan harmed the shareholders' interests. Maurice Greenberg is supposedly the largest individual shareholder of AIG. The government didn't even help Lehman Brothers; AIG seems a bit like burning bridges, right?"

Charles asked about the recent lawsuit in the Federal Court in Washington.

Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, current Secretary Timothy Geithner, and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke were all testifying!

These three were the rescue trio during the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis.

Christopher Dodd wasn't concerned, "It's all about interests. The government invested in AIG to prevent its bankruptcy. Now that AIG's stock price has recovered, those who sold their shares cheaply are dissatisfied, but they won't stir up much trouble!"

Charles shook his head, "There was no need to dive into CDS, AIG was doing great in the insurance business. Delisted from the Dow Jones, now they have to sell their businesses to pay debts!"

At this moment, Gavin Newsom spoke, "The California gubernatorial election is crucial now, and Meg Whitman's appearances on Fox TV are frequent. Charles, we need your support!"

"No worries," Charles smiled, "Jerry Brown's rich experience can't be faked, and his support rate is the highest. Unless something unexpected happens, the governor of the first state in the U.S. will be a Democrat!"

The governor is a powerful figure, requiring background and influence; money is just a basic condition.

Jerry Brown, counting his father, has been governor of California for almost 20 years!

...

In the evening, Charles visited Alexandra Daddario's villa in Hidden Hills, Los Angeles. Alexandra gained some fame from the release of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief this year.

On the sofa, Charles passionately kissed Alexandra Daddario, whose curvy 36E figure made him infatuated.

"Honey, shouldn't we have a drink first?" Charles laughed to the seemingly aroused woman in his arms.

At that moment, with her clothes partially undone and eyes full of affection, Alexandra Daddario pressed against Charles's chest, "Aren't I more tempting than champagne?"

"Of course you are," Charles replied, fondling her chest again, "We have plenty of time, don't we?"

Alexandra Daddario smiled, "Then I'll go get the wine!"

After a while, she emerged with two glasses and a bottle of wine.

"Charles, cheers!" Alexandra Daddario sat next to Charles and started enjoying the wine.

"How was filming Transformers 3?" Charles asked, as he had arranged her role to showcase her sexy figure.

Alexandra Daddario smiled and nodded, "The shooting went well! Unfortunately, my scenes are limited!"

"Don't worry, it's a trilogy. There will be a few years before the fourth one, and your role will expand by then," Charles said, taking a sip of his wine. "Breaking Dawn - Part 1 invited you for a role, right? You should seize the opportunity!"

"I understand..."

*****

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