I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1045: Teaching You One Thing]

Although it had the advantage of being associated with Desperate Housewives, the series premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reached an impressive 3.5 million viewers, making it an undeniable success. With this momentum, the subsequent plans could roll out smoothly, which explained the jubilant celebration sounds coming from next door.

After chatting about The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for a bit, Eric finally inquired about the viewership of Desperate Housewives. With the first season concluding with over 7 million viewers, the second season premiere also enjoyed a strong opening.

Preliminary statistics from the East Coast sampling indicated that the first episode of the second season of Desperate Housewives averaged about 7.35 million viewers, with the key demographic of ages 18 to 49 hitting nearly a 5.0 rating.

In North America, each ratings point typically equated to around 1.2 million core viewers. Therefore, out of those 7.35 million viewers for the second season premiere of Desperate Housewives, nearly 6 million fell into the coveted 18 to 49 age group -- this ratio far exceeded that of typical public network shows with similar viewership numbers. To attract 6 million core viewers on a public network, the total audience would need to exceed 10 million.

While it wasn't transferred to a public network, the nearly 5.0 rating allowed Desperate Housewives to generate advertising revenues surpassing most public television shows. Moreover, being on a cable network meant that the high ratings could also lead Bravo to see more revenue sharing from cable operators, a part of income that public networks simply didn't receive.

Eric hadn't planned on working that night, but he found himself chatting with Kris Jenner for quite a while.

Upon hearing the boisterous sounds from next door again, Eric turned to Kris Jenner and chuckled, "Well, you should head back to the party."

Kris noticed Eric's noticeably good mood and remarked with cleverness in her eyes, "Eric, actually, there's one more thing."

Eric responded with an "uh-huh," gesturing for her to continue.

Kris carefully gauged Eric's reaction as she said, "I want to create a dedicated website for the cast members of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Beverly Girls. That way, we can better promote their popularity."

Eric waved his hand dismissively. "You should discuss that with Amy and the others. I really don't have the time for this."

Kris remembered when John Calley from MGM Television had initially been unsatisfied with her signing a few reality show actors. However, after some inquiries, she discovered that Eric had said it was fine. This time, Kris had similar thoughts in mind, and if she couldn't get Eric's approval beforehand, MGM certainly wouldn't agree.

Thus, with a slightly flattering tone, Kris said, "Eric, MGM is yours; I believe discussing this with you would be more convenient. Otherwise, we're talking about a marathon of endless meetings just to settle this."

Eric genuinely didn't care about such trivial matters. He was about to casually agree, but then suddenly realized what Kris was up to; she wanted to carve out a slice of the profits from these reality shows' merchandise.

Though both The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Beverly Girls were reality shows, they still had a wealth of potential merchandise to exploit. From the cast's matching outfits, jewelry, and shoes to their daily recipes and collectible photo albums, there was plenty to cash in on.

In recent years, with the rise of internet e-commerce, many celebrities and companies with recognized film projects were pleased to establish similar themed websites and sell products through Yahoo's YahooPay payment interface. This low-cost operation turned out to be significantly profitable.

Kris Jenner initially mentioned she wanted to build a temporary themed site for the actors rather than a site tied to both reality shows. It was clear she aimed to stake her claim on these sites, intending to draw some peripheral revenue from the two shows.

Given the popularity exhibited by the two shows, even if Kris didn't want to be overly explicit, a yearly profit in the range of several million dollars seemed likely.

As Eric rolled up the magazine in his hand and turned to the hopeful-looking woman, a smirk played on his face as he kicked back in his chair, "Come over here."

Kris felt confused by his abrupt statement, but the commanding tone coming from the man made her unconsciously rise.

Slowly moving over to the edge of the pool, Kris couldn't understand what game Eric was suddenly playing. "Eric, I don't think this is a good idea."

Eric suddenly shared the feeling, saying, "Take off your evening gown; don't get it wet."

Kris felt a flush rise in her cheeks under Eric's gaze and found she didn't possess the courage to resist.

Given the recent events -- whether discussing the stock sell-off of America Online or the acquisition deal with Sony Pictures -- Kris had increasingly recognized the immense wealth and power this little man possessed.

Reaching around to unzip her gown, Kris soon slipped it off and neatly folded it onto a nearby lounge chair.

The wealthy housewives of America typically kept in great shape, and Kris was no exception.

Eric enjoyed the view for a moment before nonchalantly kicking her in.

With a splash, her surprised gasp filled the air.

Eric remained unfazed, reclined on his lounge chair, only getting up once he sensed Kris resurfacing from the water.

Kris, now flustered and coughing at the pool's edge, saw Eric looking down at her and realized her little schemes had probably been spotted by him, lending meaning to her predicament.

Daring not to resent Eric, she tried for a pitiful expression and said, "Eric, cough, you are so mean!"

Eric ignored her faux pity, lifting his magazine to tap her chin and remarked, "Here's a lesson: I'm always generous to those who work for me. If you want something, just tell me directly. If I think it's reasonable, I'll give it to you. If not, then I won't. But don't think you can outsmart me. Even if you trick me, you may manage to fool everyone around me, but if I find out, then you can just go back to being a housewife. This time, it's just a small punishment, but next time, I might not be so forgiving, got it?"

Kris dared not show even a hint of displeasure and nodded obediently, still keeping her voice pathetic, "Eric, I understand; I won't dare again."

"Good. Now climb back up and go back to the party."

Kris clambered out of the pool in disarray, momentarily at a loss over how she could return to the party in her current state.

As Eric settled back down, he pointed to a large towel on the chair beside him. "Go find a bathroom and clean yourself up."

Kris felt like she'd been given a reprieve. She quickly grabbed the towel to wrap her body, holding her gown as she walked toward the villa.

...

As soon as Kris disappeared, Natasha emerged from the bathroom and quietly returned to her spot.

Seeing Natasha seemingly unaffected, Eric smiled and asked, "Why aren't you speaking, Natasha?"

Natasha looked at Eric seriously, "Will the master kick me like that someday?"

"Not a chance," Eric shook his head, "Definitely not."

"Okay."

"Now, let's say, Natasha, hypothetically speaking, what if I did that? What would happen?"

A hint of hesitation colored Natasha's delicate face before she replied, "I don't know, but Eve would probably be nicer."

Eric found her suggestion amusing and replied, "What a good sister. But you mean Eve would only manage to beat me half to death, right?"

Natasha solemnly nodded. "Yes."

Eric felt pleased, "Looks like Natasha really cares about me. She's only willing to beat me half to death."

"Yeah."

"Alright, since Natasha is only willing to beat me half to death," Eric stood up and took her hand, "I'm taking you out tonight."

Natasha obediently got up, her cheeks slightly flushed as she softly asked, "Master, do we need to tell the boss?"

"Of course not. That girl intentionally sent someone to disturb us; I'd be fine not to spank her little butt," Eric joked as he led Natasha toward the garage, adding, "Don't worry, when she sees we're gone, she'll figure it out without us saying anything."

...

Kris Jenner came out from the bathroom, restoring her glamorous look just in time to see Eric driving away with that pretty Russian twin girl. A pang of envy hit her.

However, when she returned to the party, surrounded by guests eager to chat with her, Kris's earlier frustrations quickly faded.

With the tremendous success of the twin reality shows, she had become one of Hollywood's hottest producers of reality TV. No matter where she went, she garnered much attention and flattery, a lifestyle that was pure heaven for someone like her, who relished in fame and fortune.

While chatting with her husband and another wealthy couple who had participated in filming The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Kris caught sight of her daughter Kim Kardashian trying to sneak by with a plate of mini cakes. She shot her a sharp glare.

Kim, caught in the act, had no choice but to approach with politeness and greet everyone.

Kris recalled how Eric had initially contacted her through her middle daughter but then went silent. Now seeing the high-calorie treats in Kim's hand, she couldn't help but feel a mix of disappointment and frustration.

After exchanging pleasantries with her husband and the couple, Kris pulled Kim aside, her tone strict, "No more eating. And starting tomorrow, you're going on a diet. If you don't lose weight below 90 pounds in a month, I'll be seriously angry with you."

Kim almost dropped her mini cake in fright, nodding vigorously in compliance.

In such a setting, Kris didn't want her scolding to affect her image; she quickly gathered herself and asked, "By the way, where are Kourtney and Khloe?"

"They're chatting with Drew," Kim replied hurriedly.

Hearing this, Kris felt satisfied before quickly turning displeased, "Then why are you still here? Go over to them!"

Kim nodded nervously, tossing the mini cake and hurriedly departing.

...

As the second season of Desperate Housewives and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premiered, the quality shows under the Firefly Group's various networks also started rolling out.

On another front, Firefly's acquisition talks with Sony Pictures were also progressing swiftly.

Following the hearings in the second week, Firefly received its transaction approval for the acquisition of Sony Film's business from the Department of Justice, and the audit of Sony Pictures' balance sheet was mainly completed within half a month.

After several rounds of negotiation, both parties resolved various details, and by the end of September, Firefly and Sony Group jointly signed the transaction agreement at Sony Pictures' headquarters in Los Angeles.

Firefly invested $2.99 billion and took on $1 billion in debts left by Sony Pictures, successfully adding another Hollywood studio to their portfolio.

Once the acquisition was completed, Firefly had no reservations and announced at the signing ceremony that Sony Pictures would be rebranded as Columbia Pictures.

...

Despite still being busy filming Gravity, Eric carved out half a day to personally attend this signing event.

In Culver City, the signing ceremony reception took place in Columbia Pictures' headquarters restaurant.

Neither Nobuyuki Idei nor Howard Stringer made it to the event, leaving only one vice president from Sony at the signing ceremony. After the ceremony, the representative stayed for barely ten minutes before making excuses to leave, at which point no one cared about Sony's reaction.

After mingling at the reception, Eric called Bill Mechanic over to the side, and they sat on a sofa in a corner. Eric began, "I've gone through the project documents you sent me last time, and there are a lot of issues. If we hadn't already invested so many resources and energy, I would consider cutting all these projects."

Patiently, Bill listened, not defending himself; he believed Eric understood that while he was nominally in charge of Sony Pictures at that point, he actually had little decision-making power.

Eric had no intention of inviting Bill to explain anything. He continued, "When we have more time, we'll discuss the details this weekend. For now, I need you to handle three projects. First, get back that CAA project, Entrapment. I've reviewed the script; it can be wrapped within five months, making it a key feature for Columbia Pictures' summer lineup next year. Additionally, I don't like the female lead CAA recommended; she's out. We'll choose someone else ourselves."

*****

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