Upon hearing this, Sandra noticeably moved closer to Simon, yet feigned curiosity and asked, "What is Jenny doing in France?"
"I plan to purchase some properties in Europe", Simon explained, and seeing Terry Semel approach, he rose with some surprise and shook his hand, saying, "Terry, I didn't expect you to come tonight, it's a pleasant surprise".
"Mel is here too; he's chatting with Pascal", Terry Semel said with a smile, shaking Simon's hand, then greeted Sandra, "Good evening, Miss Bullock, you look truly beautiful tonight".
"Thank you, Mr. Semel".
Sandra also stood up with Simon, and seeing that Terry Semel clearly had something to discuss with Simon, she gave Simon a look and then politely stepped away.
Terry Semel and Simon sat down again, and he said, "I heard that the rating for 'Scream' isn't going so smoothly?"
Simon picked up his cutlery, looked at Terry Semel's sincere expression of concern, nodded, and said casually, "It's not a big problem".
Unlike the Producers Guild of America, which is joined by hundreds of film and television production companies, the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) has always been controlled by a few major film companies, with its board members primarily being the heads of these companies.
It's hard to say whether Warner Bros. had a hand in the obvious suppression that 'Scream' encountered this time.
Terry Semel sensed the casual tone in Simon's voice and understood that it was impossible to treat this young man as an amateur, but he still added, "If there's anything you need help with, feel free to contact me anytime".
Simon smiled and said, "Of course, I will".
Terry Semel suddenly felt that he had just used the topic of 'Scream' as an opener, so he simply moved on and started talking about 'Batman': "Regarding the studio, Simon, I know you're renting from Fox Studios because it's closer to where you live in Malibu, but Warner's lot can offer you more cooperation and support".
Daenerys Entertainment did not yet have its own studio. During his time back, Simon had rented a dedicated soundstage at Fox Studios for 'Batman' filming tests, actor rehearsals, and other work.
Upon hearing this, Simon also seemed to forget about 'Scream' and began discussing the preparations for 'Batman' with Terry Semel. A moment later, Mel Gibson and his wife, Robyn Moore, came over to say hello, and they all started discussing 'Look Who's Talking'.
Engaging in such constant socializing, Simon quickly filled his stomach.
Once Terry Semel and the others left, Sandra sidled back over, unceremoniously reclaiming her position as Simon's companion for the evening.
Having just chatted briefly with Robert Iger, who had flown in specifically from the East Coast, Madonna, dressed in a white low-cut evening gown, appeared by Simon's side and quite directly pitched herself: "Simon, I heard you're preparing Lawrence Kasdan's 'The Bodyguard'. How about me for the lead role?"
Simon nodded to Robert Iger, then very directly told Madonna, "Not good".
Madonna was quite displeased: "Hey, it's very ungentlemanly of you to refuse a lady so bluntly".
Simon looked left and right, then smiled and asked, "How come I don't see Sean?"
When Madonna heard Simon mention Sean Penn, her tone was clearly devoid of the former intimacy, and she said, "He certainly has his own things to do; we're not glued together".
Calculating the time, Madonna had just signed an acting contract with CAA in the past few months. It was likely she had already connected with Warren Beatty, Hollywood's number one playboy, and might even star in his next film, 'Dick Tracy', as in the original timeline, which would lead to the end of her marriage with Sean Penn.
Hollywood relationships come and go, and Simon wasn't bothered to pay too much attention, saying, "Maggie, I'm truly sorry, but we already have a leading lady for 'The Bodyguard'".
"May I know who it is?" Madonna clearly thought Simon was fobbing her off, glanced at Sandra beside him, and said, "It wouldn't be Sandy, would it?"
"Of course not", Simon shook his head and, without hiding it, said, "Whitney Houston".
Although a few years earlier, Whitney Houston, who debuted around the same time as Madonna in 1983, had also reached the peak of her career in the past two years, and she also intended to develop in Hollywood.
Upon hearing this, Madonna was somewhat dismissive, blurting out without concealment, "Simon, Whitney Houston is Black. Even if you don't plan to let me try the lead role, there's no need to find a Black person, is there? I've read the script; 'The Bodyguard' is a romance film".
Racial discrimination was deeply ingrained in this country, and Simon was not surprised by the obvious racist tendencies in Madonna's tone. Sandra, beside him, also didn't show any alarm upon hearing these words; instead, she displayed a similar inquisitive expression to Madonna's.
"Whitney Houston's current fame is enough to compensate for her skin colour disadvantage in Hollywood", Simon said, then patiently explained, "Moreover, the romantic scenes in this film are of the 'hint at it' kind, so having Whitney Houston isn't inappropriate at all".
"Alright, it's not my money making the movie anyway", Madonna shrugged, about to leave, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, by the way, Simon, do you still remember our agreement from back then? The condition you promised me on the set of 'Pulp Fiction'?"
Simon, of course, remembered that to get Madonna to cooperate with the filming, he had promised to be a guitarist for one of the Queen's concerts: "You don't seem to have any concert plans lately, do you?"
"No, not really, just reminding you so you don't forget", Madonna smiled, reaching out to touch Simon's chest, and said, "A super-rich guy coming to be my concert guitarist, just thinking about it makes me a little excited".
Simon helplessly swatted away Madonna's little paw and said, "If you're too excited, there are many rooms in the villa; you can find one to touch yourself".
Madonna didn't mind Simon's teasing at all; instead, she winked at him and said, "Do you want to see? Find a room, and I'll touch myself for you".
Simon shook his head very firmly: "No".
"Oh, what a man who says one thing and means another".
Madonna rather narcissistically labelled Simon, pouted her red lips to blow him a kiss, then smiled and turned to walk away.
Simon watched Madonna walk away, just about to take Sandra to greet other guests, when three beautiful women in splendid evening gowns approached with a waft of perfume. These were three of the six main actresses from 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'. Due to Simon's personal preferences, the "Housewife" actresses chosen by Daenerys Entertainment did not have the excessively plastic surgery-altered faces seen in the original timeline; at least on the surface, they all looked very normal.
Because it was to be broadcast on public television and American society in the 1980s had not yet reached the openness of a decade later, Simon made significant adjustments to the positioning of the new 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'. He reduced the catfighting among the housewives, leaning more towards showcasing the daily lives of upper-class American women.
America has a very large group of housewives, and Simon's ultimate goal was to make 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' and other potential 'Housewives' series that might follow into role models for North American homemakers in terms of clothing, recipes, and various lifestyle habits.
Before this, Simon hadn't discussed these details much with the project leader, merely outlining this concept in the project proposal. He actually harboured significant doubts about whether 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' would succeed.
Now, since the show had achieved good ratings, and although CBS was very disappointed that "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" ranked last among the four reality shows in terms of viewership, they had still announced a renewal. Simon could therefore delve deeper into the show's potential.
Speaking of which, although 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' had the worst viewership data among several reality shows, its syndication potential for distribution to other local and overseas TV stations was the greatest. Audiences might watch 'Survivor' or 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' once, and once they knew the final outcome, they wouldn't be interested in reruns, but 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' was clearly not like that. To more deeply imitate the exquisite lives of these upper-class housewives, audiences would even pay to buy video tapes, which was something the other three reality shows could not compare to.
Few women who could enter the Beverly Hills circle were simple-minded. Hearing Simon elaborate on the idea of building 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' into a brand, their eyes grew even more eager. The women clearly realized that if this could be achieved, they could not only create their own businesses outside of this reality show, but even their families would benefit from it.
Noticing the enthusiastic conversation on Simon's side, the other three housewives also left their husbands and joined in with great interest.
After a full half hour, the women finally walked away, satisfied.
In the mansion courtyard, Sandra watched the departing figures of a group of graceful women. Noticing Simon casually trying to put his hand into his pocket, she reached over and snatched the few business cards he had hidden in his palm. She didn't dare to be too ostentatious to attract the attention of other guests, so she directly stuffed them into her clutch bag, then glared fiercely at Simon.
Simon smiled and reached out to try and get into Sandra's clutch: "At least leave me one, right?"
"Don't even think about it", Sandra raised her clutch and playfully tapped Simon's hand. Then she suddenly realized that even if she 'confiscated' these business cards, it would be incredibly easy for him to get those women's contact information. So, she huffily chased after him and slapped his shoulder again, saying, "You little rascal".
The lively party time flew by, and from ten o'clock onwards, guests began to depart in succession.
By the early hours of the morning, most of the guests had already left.
Sandra patiently stayed until the very end, even directing the party company staff to clean up the mess like a hostess.
After sending off the party company team, it was almost one in the morning, and the mansion was completely empty.
Very satisfied with her work, Sandra surveyed the now tidy mansion as she walked to the backyard, where Simon was standing by the railing at the edge of the cliff. She lightened her steps and walked over, silently standing beside him, looking out at the significantly sparser city lights on the dark bay side, and unconsciously began to enjoy the quiet and serene atmosphere.
After a few minutes, Sandra couldn't help but speak first: "Hey, are you thinking about how to get rid of me?"
Simon heard Sandra's voice, came back to his senses, turned to look at her face, which, though not exceptionally beautiful, was absolutely captivating, reached out to touch it, and said with a smile, "Of course not. As a man, I certainly hope more women like me, the more the better".
Sandra felt Simon's fingertips gently caress her, and after a moment, she leaned closer to him, somewhat moved.
Simon obligingly leaned down and kissed Sandra on the lips, but it was just a light touch. After separating, he smiled and said, "Alright, that's enough, don't be too greedy".
"It was your words just now that were greedy", Sandra said, a little displeased, but she didn't cling to him again. She leaned back against the railing with Simon, holding up her clutch bag and saying, "Those business cards are still here. Do you want to take them?"
Simon smiled and shook his head, saying, "I'm not used to being the object of a hunt".
Sandra paused, then understood, and snorted a few times in amusement.
In the eyes of those housewives, a young man like Simon, who had already accumulated vast wealth and fame at just twenty years old, was undoubtedly a super alluring target for a romantic conquest.
Thinking this, she quietly stayed by his side for a while, then Sandra said, "So, what are we going to do tonight?"
Simon said, "Have you seen 'When Harry Met Sally'?"
"Of course!" Sandra nodded, "It's a film you chose, how could I not watch it?"
"Perhaps, we can be good friends, like Harry and Sally. If we actually sleep together, we might not even be able to maintain the relationship we have now".
Sandra was a bit troubled, but then she realized that it was indeed true.
If something really happened between them tonight, she wouldn't mind, and she believed he wouldn't mind either. However, she also knew that she couldn't just snatch him away from Jeannette because of it; instead, she would become at a loss due to this kind of relationship between them.
However, Sandra quickly became dissatisfied again: "Like Harry and Sally, but you have a girlfriend, and I don't have a boyfriend".
Simon nodded: "Hmm, that is indeed a problem".
Sandra glanced at him and said, "Why don't you recommend me finding a boyfriend?"
Simon honestly shook his head and said, "I don't have a habit of suggesting women who like me go find other men".
Sandra reached out and pinched his arm, though not hard, and said, "You really are a jerk, you little rascal".
"Or", Simon said with a smile, turning his head, "you could try finding a girlfriend?"
Sandra was confused for a moment, then reached out and pinched his arm again, this time noticeably harder: "You jerk, why don't you find a boyfriend?"
"Of course not, two men together are simply too savage, but two beautiful girls together, imagine that scene", Simon described seductively, and seeing Sandra about to explode again, he quickly blocked her, smiling and saying, "Don't rush, I think this is a great idea, you really should try it".
"Get lost".
"Alright, be a lady".
"Jerk".