I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1049: Grand Party]

Tonight's party was not only a celebration for the success of The Ring, which crossed $250 million at the box office, but also a celebration for Firefly Group's summer blockbuster season. Additionally, with Firefly's recent takeover of Sony Pictures' film operations, the scale and excitement of the event drew attention from all over Hollywood.

Preparations for the party began early in the afternoon, as the gigantic Titanic model in the northeast corner of the studio was cleared for the evening's festivities. The word had already spread, and Hollywood stars and executives were expected to attend. Many aspiring actors were doing their best to secure invitations or connect with those who had them.

Some who knew they wouldn't receive an invite had even chosen to hide away in various corners of the ship. During the cleaning phase, staff caught more than a dozen men and women attempting to sneak in, which made the park manager responsible for the evening's events quite nervous and annoyed. They regretted not having closed the Titanic attraction earlier in the day and ordered a second sweep, which uncovered even more intruders.

Eric had been busy all day at the Gravity set and arrived at the top-level restaurant on the ship shortly after 6 PM for dinner. Since he had made a habit of dining there during the filming of Gravity, he ended up creating an exclusive dining area on the ship. It was small, with only eight tables, but the location and food were exquisitely arranged, serving as a perk for Firefly executives. Group managers and above could dine there while working at the studio.

...

Katzenberg was also in the studio today, and just as Eric sat down, he arrived at the restaurant.

"Based on current ticket sales, The Ring's North American box office should reach around $290 million before leaving theaters, making it comparable to The Exorcist. Plus, its overseas box office is performing even better; Japan alone could exceed $100 million. The international total could surpass $400 million, with a worldwide gross reaching $700 million and a return on investment exceeding 2300%. It's definitely the highest-grossing horror film globally; everyone's going crazy looking for Japanese horror scripts."

While the staff was still putting the final touches on the party, Eric and Katzenberg's conversation naturally gravitated back to The Ring.

Seeing Katzenberg's excited expression, Eric laughed as he took a bottle of mineral water from the waiter. He twisted off the cap and took a sip, saying, "If this is the case, the next two years are going to see an influx of horror films. Let's put the sequel to The Ring and that Ju-on on hold for now and wait for this trend to pass."

Katzenberg nodded in agreement. "I'll find a moment to talk to Kenneth. By the way, have you seen Michael Bay's script for the disaster film about a comet hitting Earth?"

"I skimmed it a bit; it's decent, but the $140 million budget seems a bit high," Eric replied. "Talk to Jerry about it; we should ideally get it under $120 million. He can't continue like this without limits."

Katzenberg said, "Actually, Michael has mentioned to me that he wants to serve as the producer himself."

Eric recalled Michael's good reputation for managing production costs and felt tempted. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Let's hold off for now. He can co-produce with Jerry, but the creative control should remain in Jerry's hands. If we have a chance to collaborate again, we can let him take the lead then."

Most projects in Hollywood are producer-driven, meaning producers hold significant power, which also implies that their work isn't any less strenuous than that of directors. So far, Michael had only completed three films, and Eric doubted he could manage the responsibilities of both directing and producing simultaneously.

However, remembering that Michael previously produced a series of low-budget horror films that performed well at the box office, Eric added, "Also, if he's interested, perhaps he could connect with Kenneth and try producing one or two low-budget films first as an opportunity for growth."

...

As Eric and Katzenberg continued their dinner conversation, the sky gradually darkened, and the ship's grand lights began to illuminate, with more and more chatter coming from outside.

Setting down his utensils, Eric checked his watch and saw it was a quarter past seven. He stood with Katzenberg and walked out to the restaurant's terrace to look down.

They were on the top level of the Titanic model, where the small deck terrace connected to Eric's exclusive dining area. Facing north, the view was great, giving them a look at the Titanic-themed exhibition park below, along with the broad city skyline in the distance. They could also see the hills to the east and the Marian Del Bay to the west.

Standing on the terrace, soaking in the atmosphere, Eric and Katzenberg resumed their earlier conversation. Suddenly, they heard the sound of high heels clicking rapidly behind them. Turning, they saw Drew coming over with a big smile, followed by the quiet twins.

She affectionately hugged Eric and politely said hello to Katzenberg before wrapping her arm around Eric's. "Eric, guess what I just saw?"

"Aliens?"

"Heh, no, I saw the fat girl wandering around below! You didn't bring your phone, did you?"

Eric paused, remembering that the fat girl referred to Jennifer Aniston, and pretended to be annoyed as he tapped the girl on the forehead. Eric checked his pocket and realized his phone was dead for some reason. He waved to the twins, asking one of them to retrieve his phone and to call Jenny, just telling her he was there.

Katzenberg noticed the lively crowd gathering around Eric, smiled cheekily at him, and said his goodbyes.

After a while, Natasha arrived, bringing Jennifer with her.

Jennifer wore a simple light-colored knee-length dress, looking sweet and lovely as ever.

However, as she approached, before Eric could say anything, she rushed straight to the girl, fuming, "It's definitely your fault for making me believe Eric was at the studio, you little brat! I had to run all the way over here."

The girl immediately circled around Eric, defiantly shooting back, "I wouldn't do something so boring, fat girl! You're slandering me."

Jennifer was even angrier; she reached out her petite hand without reservation, "Stop calling me fat!"

Eric, caught in the middle, couldn't help but think about how Elisabeth and Julia might show up later, along with Nicole, and Famke as well.

Considering this, he suddenly felt a mix of whether to escape now or just stick around.

After a moment of playful tussling, both girls were evenly matched, making Eric's shirt a wrinkled mess. He scooped one in each arm, kissed them both to calm his rambunctious "kittens," and pointed to the button that had been snagged loose on his shirt collar. "Look! You two have torn my shirt apart; let's stop this."

The girl immediately pointed at Jennifer, "I saw her doing it!"

"Oh..." Jennifer retorted, glaring at her, her eyes shifting, "I'll sew!"

...

When Nicole walked into the restaurant with a petite blonde woman, she found Eric sitting in a chair, Jennifer awkwardly straddling his lap with a needle and thread, trying to fix a button, while Drew sat nearby, taking in the scene with a wry look.

Seeing Jennifer, Nicole hesitated for a moment but still approached them, greeting, "Jenny, long time no see."

Jennifer, recognizing Nicole's arrival, glanced at the woman by her side, who seemed poised to watch the drama unfold. She lightly huffed, carelessly sticking the sewing needle into Eric's shirt and shot Nicole a sidelong glance. "You can help this jerk sew instead."

Nicole noticed Eric flinching as he got poked and saw Jennifer lingering with a sulky expression beside him. She felt a sigh of relief for some reason, having little sympathy for that guy. Unlike Jennifer, she didn't straddle Eric's lap but walked over, bending down carefully to help him stitch the button back on, all while introducing her companion, "Eric, this is Naomi Watts. I mentioned her last time, my good... friend."

"Hello, Miss Watts," Eric recognized Naomi right away but kept his demeanor casual, not wanting to betray any interest.

"Hello, Mr. Williams," Naomi said, nervously clutching her handbag in front of her, greeting Eric politely, wishing she could escape the awkward situation but unsure how to excuse herself.

Nicole clearly had better sewing skills than Jennifer, promptly stitching the button onto Eric's shirt and organizing the sewing supplies in a small box on the table. "Well, Eric, I should get going."

Eric pulled Nicole back, "Why not grab something to eat? We won't have another chance tonight."

Nicole glanced at Drew and Jennifer with bright eyes, smiled, and nodded, "Sure."

Eric called over the restaurant manager to take the sewing kit away, indicating that Nicole and the others should freely order whatever they liked.

The manager could see too well what kind of situation the boss was in. He felt both envious and a bit gleeful in his own way. After the three women ordered their meals one by one, the manager turned to Naomi, who was sitting beside Nicole, wanting to fade into obscurity. "And this lady?"

Naomi Watts realized the manager clearly misunderstood her relationship with Eric; God knows, this was her first time meeting her good friend's rumored lover.

However, given the current situation, while the guy was indeed rather flirtatious, he genuinely seemed nice to his women...

Power and wealth often made people more willing to accept things that ordinary folks would find unacceptable. Naomi was completely unaware of her own mindset.

When the manager inquired, everyone's eyes turned to her, and Naomi suddenly felt a little embarrassed and unaccountably guilty. "No, it's not like that. I'm just..."

The manager looked confused, while Nicole gazed at her best friend's blunder with an amused smile, finally telling the manager, "Anything is fine for Naomi, just like me."

The manager, having no idea what was going on, took Nicole's word for it and hurried away to prepare.

Even though it felt satisfying to eavesdrop on the boss's potential romantic escapades, it seemed risky; who knew if the big boss harbored thoughts of retribution that would make things difficult for the manager?

...

Once the manager left, the atmosphere in the small restaurant grew awkward.

The women fell silent, each absorbed in their own menus, flipping through them.

When Naomi realized she was unknowingly mimicking the other three, she quickly set down the menu. But afterward, she found herself at a loss for where to look.

As if on cue, she noticed Eric glancing in her direction, making her feel more flustered and regretful for not leaving immediately, even if it might have seemed rude.

"So, Nicole said you've been in Japan for the past few years?" Eric finally broke the silence.

Naomi nodded eagerly, "Yeah."

Eric continued, "What were you doing in Japan, modeling?"

Naomi sensed the sudden shift in Drew Barrymore's and Jennifer's expressions, with both of them looking at her with newfound caution.

However, she gathered her composure and replied, "Not exactly, well, sort of. I went there wanting to model, but ended up getting a job at a fashion magazine as an English translator."

Eric felt like Naomi was his saving grace in that moment and continued, "So what made you decide to come to Hollywood?"

"I... I wanted a change of life," Naomi hesitated, feeling that her reason sounded overly grandiose. She added, "Actually, I've always wanted to be an actress -- that way, I might have a better life."

As they spoke, Drew who had mostly stayed quiet suddenly chimed in, "Naomi Watts, well, maybe you could come to MGM; I have quite a few roles that would suit you."

Upon hearing her, Jennifer and Nicole shot wary glances at each other while Eric shot the girl a warning look to signal her to cut it out.

The girl pouted, lowering her head, and began absentmindedly folding a napkin.

Naomi caught on to everyone's reactions and became unsure about how to respond to the girl's comment. It was only when Eric said to ignore her that she finally relaxed, realizing as she did that perhaps only Eric Williams didn't have any reservations about her.

*****

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