I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1082: Carrying Stones Down the Mountain]

Kenneth Horne grew serious upon hearing Eric's words.

Over the years, Hollywood studios had mostly figured out the award PR tactics deployed by the Weinstein brothers. However, understanding their strategies didn't mean anyone could easily replicate them. After all, the connections to various award judges that the Weinsteins had cultivated were certainly not something one could establish simply by throwing money at it in a short time.

If the Weinsteins really put all their effort behind the PR for The Horse Whisperer, New Line had little chance of success.

After a moment of contemplation, Kenneth couldn't help but say, "Eric, I think if I were Harvey, I would never do this. Miramax's impressive performance at the Oscars over the years has drawn a lot of criticism. If Harvey pushes a film that isn't universally expected to win into the limelight, both the media and the Academy could react negatively. If that happens, Miramax won't see any gains at the Oscars for a long time."

Eric nodded in agreement.

In the original timeline, under the Weinsteins' influence, Shakespeare in Love achieved even greater success at the 71st Oscars than Forrest Gump, including Gwyneth Paltrow's somewhat ridiculed Best Actress win.

The "success" of Shakespeare in Love ultimately provoked a backlash from the Academy, leading to several years where Miramax saw nearly no Oscar recognition. It wasn't until they produced Chicago, a film with impeccable reviews and box office numbers, that they managed to regain some favor at the Oscars. But by then, under intentional suppression from the Academy, it would be hard for Miramax to replicate its previous glory of snatching important awards year after year in the '90s.

"I think Harvey definitely understands this," Eric continued after nodding. "But right now, Harvey is like someone carrying a stone down a hill; he can't just stop whenever he wants. He has to keep moving forward."

Over the past weekend, The Horse Whisperer, now in its sixth week of release, grossed a total of $114.93 million. Although its weekly box office slipped to just over $300,000, that figure still represented a significant success against its $50 million production budget.

In this context, Miramax, feeling the thrill of "big production," would certainly strive to gain more autonomy from its parent company, Fox. This meant that the Weinsteins might very well press for The Horse Whisperer's Oscar campaign, enhancing the film's accolades even further.

Though Eric wouldn't overlook Oscar's potential economic value, he also never placed too much weight on it and wouldn't let his company invest excessive effort trying to mimic the Weinsteins' PR approach. After all, shifting from their established, steady-profit strategy in commercial films to chase Oscar campaigns would be a losing game. In terms of profit, the cumulative increases from all nominated films during any given year's Oscars might not even equal the earnings from one title like Ted.

Therefore, towards Elizabeth, which was about to go head-to-head with The Horse Whisperer, Eric's expectations for New Line were just to do their best.

...

In the following days, as the Christmas vibe thickened, all of North America eagerly anticipated the release of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

Fox invested an unprecedented promotional budget for this prequel, and vendors licensed to sell Star Wars merchandise worked tirelessly to promote it. Across the country, various Star Wars-themed events were held, and city streets were filled with Star Wars-related cosplay.

In this fervent atmosphere, on December 18, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace premiered in 3,126 theaters in North America, with a midnight box office of $16.5 million, easily breaking the midnight record set by Charlie's Angels 3 in the summer.

In the days that followed, while critics and general audiences had polarized opinions on the film, it did not dampen the fervor of fans for the Star Wars series. Over its opening weekend, the film raked in an astounding $81.65 million. The following four days added $54.53 million, and by the end of its first week, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace had grossed $136.18 million, setting a new box office record once again.

...

Eric spent Thanksgiving with the women and children in Maryland, while he naturally stayed in Los Angeles for Christmas. He spent Christmas Eve with the girls, and called Elisabeth and Julia, hoping they could join him, but was outright refused. Elisabeth even chastised him over the phone, and she flew off to New York with Julia.

On Christmas Eve, he received a "harassment" call from East Hampton. Julia frequently visited thanks to Emma, and things were going well with Elisabeth and Joanna.

Being in Los Angeles usually meant he couldn't escape work, but since Christmas fell on a Friday that year, Eric planned to take a three-day break, departing early Saturday morning with the two girls, Drew and Jennifer Aniston, for a weekend at San Simeon Castle in Northern California.

...

Although officially donated to the California government, like countless charitable foundations in the West, the Hearst family still wielded considerable control over San Simeon, making it perfectly fine for entertaining guests.

Inside the castle, at the indoor Baroque-style swimming pool, the girls were swimming nearby in their swimsuits, while Eric leaned by the pool's edge, flipping through a copy of The Hollywood Reporter somewhat absentmindedly.

Truth be told, Eric had no interest in the opulent Baroque style castle, or any building that echoed an outdated era. But the girls were the exact opposite, clearly excited about their surroundings. After all, many tended to harbor a serious fascination with nobility, with castles being one of the primary elements associated with the aristocracy.

Ultimately, the Weinsteins did push ahead with aggressive PR for The Horse Whisperer. It was just announced that the film received seven major nominations for the Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Director, with Scarlett Johansson even getting nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

As The Hollywood Reporter published the nominees, some critics began criticizing Miramax for its excessive PR efforts.

After some maneuvering in the previous days, everyone acknowledged that The Horse Whisperer was an excellent film. However, most media outlets and critics felt that its commercial and artistic nature was evenly split, lacking the cultural depth to provoke thought.

Compared to The Horse Whisperer, Elizabeth received only three nominations: Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director, and Cate Blanchett for Best Actress.

As Eric flipped through the newspaper, he suddenly noticed that the two girls in the pool were squabbling over something. He looked up helplessly as they both swam over, one on each side of him.

Curiously, while Drew didn't exactly get along with all of Eric's women, she was the only one who could navigate freely between them. Notably, Joanna, Elisabeth, and even Aniston clearly acknowledged her presence.

Throwing his newspaper aside, Eric pulled both girls into his embrace and asked, "So, what's the fuss about?"

Hearing Eric's question, Aniston pouted a bit, but remained close, turning her head slightly and saying, "It's nothing."

"Ha ha," Drew giggled and snuggled closer to Eric, "You know, the latest Vanity Fair sold 710,000 copies this month."

Eric had never paid attention to the sales of those bestselling magazines and replied, "Is 710,000 a lot? I remember The Sun from the Leed family sells over 3 million copies a day back in the UK."

"Magazines can't be compared to newspapers," the girl retorted. "Vanity Fair's average sales are only a little over 500,000 copies per month. This issue breaking 710,000 has set a new record for the magazine. Guess who held the previous record?"

Noticing the teasing look on the girl's face, Eric quickly pieced it together and chuckled as he pulled Aniston closer, saying, "You're upset over something so trivial?"

As the most popular American sweetheart of the new generation, Eric could guess the obvious answer from her hint.

Aniston pouted again and turned her head away.

But Drew chimed in cheerily, "The cover for Vanity Fair's September issue was Jen, and it only sold 680,000 copies."

The September issue was likely promoting the tenth season of Friends, which, after ten years of being part of American lives, was nearing its end. Aniston's cover would naturally draw a lot more attention than usual.

"680,000 is still quite a lot," Eric said, leaning down to kiss the girl on the cheek. "But you should know, your competition is actually your own man -- it's not a big deal being surpassed."

"You egotist," Aniston rolled her eyes but couldn't help but playfully kiss him back as he leaned in.

Meanwhile, Drew watched the two, feeling somewhat displeased. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She jumped out of the pool, running off with splashes, and shortly returned cradling a laptop. "Eric, look at this cool thing!"

As she spoke, she set the laptop by the pool and quickly opened a video file.

Eric and Aniston looked on curiously as the laptop screen displayed an audition tape of a blonde woman.

At first glance, this woman bore some resemblance to Aniston in both looks and demeanor. But when she spoke, Eric was taken aback.

It wasn't just a visual similarity; her accent and the tone of her voice sounded identical to Aniston's.

Next to him, Aniston shot an alarmed look toward the girl, "What are you doing?"

Drew grinned mischievously, "I'm not doing anything; I just thought it was really funny to show you!"

Eric tapped her forehead, preventing her from getting carried away, but he was still curious. "What's this all about?"

"Her name is Traylor Howard," the girl said with an innocent look after covering her forehead, "I stumbled upon her and thought it was really interesting, so I wanted to share it with you."

*****

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