I am Hollywood

Chapter 30: Michael Eisner's Invitation



[Chapter 30: Michael Eisner's Invitation]

Lester hadn't expected Eric to suddenly bring up Amy Pascal. "Pascal... Ms. Pascal has resigned," he responded.

Eric was baffled. "Resigned? Why?"

Lester's mind raced for a few seconds before he said, "I'm not entirely sure. Maybe she was upset that the company didn't involve her in the Home Alone project and decided to quit."

From the flicker in Lester's eyes, Eric sensed he was lying but chose not to call him out. He let out a disappointed sigh, "That's quite unfortunate. In that case, I'll take my leave."

...

Once Eric stepped into the elevator, Lester knocked and entered Cohen Blount's office.

Cohen Blount no longer wore that warm smile he had during Eric's visit; instead, he wore a frown as he held a document, though his focus was clearly elsewhere.

"Mr. Blount, here's what you asked for," Lester said as he placed the folder on Cohen Blount's desk. Hesitating, he added, "I just ran into Eric Williams outside. He asked about Amy Pascal."

Cohen abruptly raised his head and fixed a sharp gaze on Lester. "What did you say?"

Lester instinctively wanted to step back under Cohen's intense stare but steadied himself. "I told him Amy resigned because she was unhappy with the company not involving her in the Home Alone project."

Cohen remained silent, staring at Lester. Lester then continued, "I believe Eric Williams and Amy Pascal aren't well acquainted. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked me where her office was. He would undoubtedly thank her privately, so he probably wouldn't go looking to verify what I said."

"You think so?" Cohen asked, his expression showing no signs of easing.

Lester felt a pang of anxiety and cursed his bad luck for encountering such a situation. "Mr. Blount, even if the truth came out, it might not matter. Eric could end up dissatisfied with us, which might help in implementing our plans. If he is unhappy with us, it becomes easier for him to accept Disney's conditions."

Cohen took a moment to consider and finally relaxed a bit, waving his hand. "Alright, you can go now."

...

Driving along Hollywood Boulevard, Eric contemplated everything he had encountered at Columbia that day. He was certain that Columbia was not content with the profits they had gained from the bet agreement and had already begun some actions. He now had two leads; one was the compensation document in his hands, and the other was Amy Pascal.

After parking far from home, Eric slipped in through the back door and went to the second floor to glance outside. The reporters still lingered by the front door.

The moment the reporters spotted Eric at the second-floor window, they lifted their cameras to snap pictures. Eric thought it was time to move house, laughing sardonically to himself. With the Ronkels moving to Beverly Hills, he realized he only had a few hundred dollars scattered around. Talk about being broke.

Lost in thought, his phone rang suddenly behind him.

He picked up the receiver. "Williams residence, how may I help you?"

"Is this Mr. Eric Williams? I am Michael Eisner's assistant. Mr. Eisner would like to invite you to lunch. Does Mr. Williams have time?"

Eric wasn't surprised that Eisner knew his contact information, but he was curious about the reason for the call.

"May I ask what this is about?"

The assistant replied, "It's regarding your Home Alone project. Disney is interested in the overseas rights."

Since Columbia's terms were disappointing, Eric didn't mind collaborating with another company. "Sure, where shall we meet?"

"We will send someone to pick you up shortly," came the response.

...n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

After hanging up, Eric pondered for a moment before picking up the phone again to call Jeffrey Hansen. "Jeffrey, it's Eric."

Jeffrey's tone was enthusiastic. "Hey, Eric, the opening weekend box office for Home Alone was incredible! I called you this morning to congratulate you, but no one answered."

"Oh, sorry about that. I was at Columbia discussing a few matters."

"No worries, Eric. What can I do for you?"

Eric replied, "When I visited Columbia today to discuss the upcoming release of Home Alone with Cohen Blount, I noticed some oddities. I suspect Columbia might be scheming something. Also, I heard from Lester Reed that Amy suddenly resigned. Can you contact her...?"

Jeffrey hesitated before saying, "Eric, I don't think reaching out to Amy will be of any help. Even if she resigned, she wouldn't leak Columbia's trade secrets. Can you share what unusual things you noticed? I've been in Hollywood for over twenty years; maybe I can help you out." Realizing he couldn't rely on Amy Pascal, Eric recounted the events of the morning in detail. Jeffrey pondered for two minutes before saying, "Have a lawyer check that compensation agreement. I suspect the issues might stem from there. If there isn't anything there, I can't think of any other problems for now. Eric, can you recall any other details?"

"Other details?" Eric repeated, thinking back to the recent phone call. "Oh, just before I called you, Michael Eisner from Disney suddenly invited me to lunch, stating he was interested in the overseas rights to Home Alone."

"Michael Eisner..." Jeffrey echoed the name, raising his voice slightly before adding, "Eisner and Cohen Blount are friends. Eric, be cautious. Don't agree to anything Eisner offers. Columbia's terms for the overseas rights to Home Alone are very low, and now Eisner reaches out to you because of that? It's hard to believe the two aren't connected." Listening to Jeffrey's warning, Eric's peripheral vision caught sight of a silver car pulling up outside his house, so he said, "Jeffrey, the car sent by Michael Eisner is here."

"Well, go on then, Eric. Remember, no matter how tempting their offers may sound, don't agree to anything."

Eric nodded, hung up, and went downstairs. After confirming his identity, the chauffeur and another man cleared a path through the reporters, helping Eric into the car.

...

Half an hour later, Eric met Michael Eisner at the Hilton Hotel. Eisner, still in his forties and in his prime, exuded a certain liveliness that came from running one of the six major studios. He was not yet the tyrant Disney would later become, displaying a friendly demeanor.

"I can't help but envy you, Eric. When I was eighteen, I was still just proud of getting into Denison University, while you have achieved what many dream of," Eisner said, enjoying a casual chat before diving into business.

"I actually intended to apply to UCLA, Mr. Eisner, but due to some family changes, I had to carve my own path. Luckily, I've had some success," Eric replied.

Eisner shook his head. "No, it wasn't merely luck, Eric. Even though this is our first meeting, I've learned about your accomplishments. If someone lacked talent, not even the goddess of fortune could help them achieve such remarkable heights. You're one of the most outstanding young people I've encountered."

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Eisner. You're also someone I deeply respect, considering not many people head a film giant at your age," Eric replied.

Eisner clearly relished Eric's praises and smiled. "Since I'm one of them, may I ask who you

admire the most?"

After a moment of thought, Eric answered, "I'd say Howard Hughes is my greatest admiration."

"Oh," Eisner nodded, "he was indeed a legendary figure. If I may say, Eric, you share some similarities with him. Perhaps you're even a bit more remarkable; most of his success was due to inheriting a vast fortune from his father, while you've achieved so much without relying on anyone. You're on your way to becoming the youngest multi-millionaire!"

Eric felt bashful at Eisner's compliments, chuckling slightly. If it weren't for his rebirth, he might have been in a modest studio shooting infomercials for some health product.

Ignoring Eisner's authoritative traits, he was indeed a person of significant charisma. During their lunch, both engaged in friendly conversation, and the atmosphere felt quite pleasant. If he hadn't phoned Jeffrey Hansen beforehand, who had put him on guard, Eric might have forged a genuine friendship with Eisner.

As the server cleared the plates, Eisner said, "Alright, Eric, let's get down to business."

*****

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