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Nicky blushed: "Then, last time you said..."

Before Nikki finished speaking, Paris said, "Simon said last time that she likes you a little more than me, that is, just a little more than me."

The girl suddenly looked at Simon pitifully.

Simon smiled and said, "Your sister is annoying, right? Let's drive her away."

"Ah."

Paris imitated her younger sister's appearance and hugged the arm of the man beside her, pretending to be rude: "I'm not leaving."

Immediately, another voice came: "Simon, are you starting to change your tastes and like little girls?"

The three of them looked together, and it was Madonna.

As representatives of rebellious girls and pop queens who have been popular for many years, the two sisters originally liked Madonna, but Queen McGregor's words at this time immediately lost two fans.

Madonna didn't care, stepped forward and grabbed Paris's chin, quickly leaned over to kiss her, and said, "Sweetheart, make room for me, or I can only sit on Simon's lap and compete with you guys." gone."

Paris was bewitched at once, and since Madonna is a pop queen after all, she still has a lot of prestige in the little girl's heart, so she subconsciously moved inside to make room.However, when Queen Madonna sat down, Paris immediately began to regret again, angrily thinking that she must find all the Madonna records at home and throw them all in the trash can.

Simon waited for Madonna to sit down next to him, took a look, and said with a smile: "Maggie, your eyes seem to be different from before."

"Is it more beautiful?"

"Well, it's a little more charming."

Madonna proudly raised her hand and wiped the corners of her eyes: "I just had it done recently, a very powerful plastic surgeon."

Her Lady Queen has always been calm about plastic surgery.

Simon didn't care, and looked at Queen Mai's lips.

Madonna got it right, and said with a smile: "I didn't do lips, and now I advocate natural lips. It's because of you, Simon, when I chatted with my plastic surgeon privately, he said that he had worked with a well-known company for many years. The lip augmentation needle makers all went bankrupt in the last year and it's all your fault lol."

Simon smiled and said, "I won't be responsible for this."

Madonna smiled heartlessly, and stretched out a white arm exposed outside the sleeveless dress to Simon: "Also, Simon, do you think I am very white now?"

"Ah."

"Although I'm already very fair, I recently tried whitening injections, and the results are pretty good. It's all because of you. Whitening injections are becoming more and more popular now," Her Lady Queen said, leaning closer to Simon's ear : "However, the effect is most obvious in my place, Simon, how about we find a place for you to appreciate, whatever you want."

Madonna didn't lower her voice at all, so that Nikki, who was still sticking to Simon on the other side, blushed suddenly. The girl knew that Queen Madonna had always had a good time, but it was still a little unexpected.

Simon immediately refused: "Not interested, I think it's better for us to be pure boyfriend and girlfriend."

The longer he has been in the fashion circle, the more Simon understands that the so-called fashion trends are never determined by the public, but are dominated by brands, media and even individuals who have the right to speak.

Similar to the phrase 'what is good at the top, the bottom must be very good'.

Just like now, Simon's preferences alone dominate the female aesthetics of the entire fashion and entertainment industry. In recent years, fewer and fewer women have received lip augmentation injections in the circle, and many people have also changed their tanning problems. This aesthetic style continues to grow. Sinking has gradually become a popular trend in the whole society.

Madonna made a few jokes, and turned to a serious matter: "Simon, my "Madame Peron" is about to be finished recently, can you help me to see the sample film?"

"It's not necessary. I've read the script. It's a tailor-made project for you. The director is Alan Parker. The quality is guaranteed. Maybe you can get an Oscar nomination this time."

Queen Mai was dissatisfied: "Then why did you refuse to invest?"

"The price/performance ratio is too low," Simon said honestly, "If it's only 2000 to 5000 million, I will definitely invest. A budget of [-] million is already a blockbuster level. Maggie, to be honest, you played a bit big this time. If you screw it up, you won’t be able to work in Hollywood in the future.”

There was a rare flash of worry in Queen Mai's eyes, and then she said carelessly: "Isn't there you? Someone said just now that we are good friends."

"Good friends can't cheat each other, right?"

"Tsk, Simon, you are so rich, 1.5 trillion, why does it sound more stingy."

"A friend is a friend. If you are short of money, I will definitely lend it to you. But you must follow the rules when doing business, otherwise, even the best company will go bankrupt."

"Okay, okay," Her Lady Queen obviously didn't like listening to Simon's rationale, and she returned to the previous request: "Anyway, Simon, you can help me take a look and give some opinions, it only takes you two hours. Or, You don’t have to watch it, just say a few good words and ask Paramount to give me more publicity resources.”

After the new version of "Mrs. Peron" was passed by Simon, Disney, the former producer, also chose to reject it under the prudent operation strategy of Vivendi. In the hands of Ramon Films.

In fact, what Simon just said was too playful, and Queen Mai knew it well.

Over the years, she has been constantly hitting Hollywood, with repeated defeats and repeated battles. The resources that the film industry can give her have reached their limit.This time "Mrs. Veron", the investment of 5000 million US dollars is considered a big gamble. In addition, this is a song and dance film in which the heroine fights alone. Once it fails, Queen McGrath has no reason to shirk. There is basically no place to stand.

On the other hand, due to the impact of the Internet, the physical record industry shrank rapidly, and Madonna's singing career also began to decline.

If both sides fall rapidly, next, what greets her will be eliminated.

This is something that Queen Mai cannot accept anyway.

Therefore, whether it is "Mrs. Peron" to give it a go, or even the recently mentioned plastic surgery that was actually very cautious, it is Queen McGregor who is trying to continue her career.

For "Madame Peron" this time, Madonna first thought of Daenerys Entertainment. However, although she has a good relationship with Simon in private, business is business. Simon actually knows about this project. 5500 million, and the global box office is about 1.4 million, which is not a loss. Coupled with Madonna's Golden Globe Award heroine, the follow-up channel profits are actually good.

The problem Simon also said just now is that the price/performance ratio is too low.

After all, it’s not just a matter of making less money. Simon doesn’t mind investing, but once he accepts this project, it will definitely occupy a considerable amount of time and resources, and the annual film schedule and publicity resources are limited. Yes, Daenerys Entertainment has decided to promote "Good Will Hunting" this year. The production budget of this literary drama is only 1000 million US dollars, and the global box office has exceeded 2 million. There is no need to choose between the two.

However, at this time, Madonna hugged his arm and swayed and begged, thinking that this film is not a failure, Simon finally nodded: "Okay, it's just, Maggie, my two hours are actually very precious of."

Madonna leaned over and wanted to kiss Simon, but unfortunately, the man who had made her covetous for so long didn't give her a chance at all, and just kissed him on the palm of his hand. Her Lady Queen was not discouraged, and once again she winked and seduced: "Simon , I'm all yours tonight."

"..."

The Hilton sisters who were in the audience slandered: It's too shameless.

Simon resolutely refused again, and finally agreed that if there was a chance next time, just like today, Her Majesty the Queen could give a free compliment to some brand under Melisandre, as a favor.

Having achieved her goal, Madonna lingered on chatting for a long time before reluctantly leaving. Before she left, she did not forget to grab Paris's face and kiss her.

Simon didn't stay at the party for too long, staying for more than half an hour, and then left with Sophia. Instead of staying in Manhattan, he returned to Greenwich, upstate New York. Sofia made an appointment to have breakfast with his family tomorrow morning

The next day is Tuesday, May 9th.

Sofia left in the morning and flew to Los Angeles to watch her children. Simon also returned to Manhattan. Today is the second season of "American Idol". Simon has already watched the first two episodes of this week on the plane yesterday. Most of the time is also spent discussing various detailed modifications with the project team.

As a golden hen that brought Daenerys Entertainment $6 million in pre-tax income in one season, this emphasis cannot be overstated.

The second season of "American Idol" is finally determined to be 40 episodes, 8 more than the first season. It will start broadcasting on September 9th. The 17th period is the audition stage, the 8th period of the winter break is a special program for the winter training of the finalists, and the official competition stage after the year is 10 periods.

In terms of budget, the first season was a big success, and the second season will inevitably rise.

However, because several judges have signed long-term contracts, and the length of 40 episodes has a dilution effect, the total cost of the second season is estimated to be about 2.6 million, with an average of 650 million per episode, which is only a 30% increase from the first season.

On the other hand, due to the great success of the first season, the price of inserted advertisements in the second season has also increased significantly.The TV department predicted that compared with the first quarter's revenue of US$6.3 million, if all goes well, the second quarter's pre-tax profit will reach an even more terrifying US$8 million.

Not surprisingly, this level of profit is enough to last for two to three seasons before it starts to decline.

Chapter 1033 Privatization of the World Trade Center

"After a year of hard work by our team, the operation of the three casinos in Atlantic City has begun to improve. Frankly speaking, Simon, although Atlantic City is not as good as Las Vegas, the reason why the previous three casinos were so bad is that I think the biggest problem is that guy over there."

On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a reception is being held in the Levison family's mansion.

The main reason is that the Levison Group has just completed the relocation of its headquarters from Miami, Florida to New York during this period, which also declares that the Levison Group has completely got rid of its status as a corner of the United States and is once again moving towards an international real estate group.

Simon was discussing with Francis Levison, the owner of the mansion and the head of the Leveson Group, the operating conditions of the three casinos in Atlantic City after merging a certain Golden Retriever real estate company. In the distance, a certain golden retriever who was chatting happily with the current New York mayor Rudy Giuliani smiled and said, "Don't let Donald hear this."

Having said that, Simon actually agrees with Levison.

In my memory, Atlantic City has been declining since the new century. Five of the 12 casinos in this west coast casino have closed their doors, and 5 of the 5 closed casinos are from the company of a real estate developer. All 3 casinos owned by the opponent.The former Golden Retriever paid a lot of money to take pictures of the three casinos with the largest number in Atlantic City. He once wanted to become the gambling king of Atlantic City, but ended up being completely out of the game. Such a fiasco can hardly be attributed to the problems of the operator itself.

"One more thing, Simon, the Taj Mahal Casino took over the right to host the National Poker Championship this summer, and the effect is very good, but I don't think it's enough," Levison said quickly: "So, I'm thinking, Dan Can Nellis Entertainment make a movie to promote our three casinos there?"

When Simon heard Levison mention it, a series of movies related to the casino immediately appeared in his mind, but most of them were Las Vegas, and then he shook his head and said: "It's just one or two movies, it's not enough at all, and it's specially shot for promotion." The movie in our casino is even more deliberate. Frank, the key to the problem is to increase the overall popularity of Atlantic City. Just like Las Vegas, Hollywood has hundreds of movies about this city, which makes the whole world famous. Impressed with that city."

Compared with Las Vegas, Atlantic City, which is located on the coast of New Jersey and only two hours away from New York and Washington DC, actually has a great geographical advantage. The problem is that this city lacks popularity, and even people who don’t know much about the United States , I don't even know where Atlantic City is.

Therefore, the key to boosting the gaming industry in Atlantic City is to increase the overall popularity of Atlantic City.The increase in popularity will naturally attract gamblers from all over the world.

Simon thought so, and before Levison could speak again, he said, "I will pay attention to this problem. Next, I will arrange for at least one or two Hollywood blockbusters to be filmed in Atlantic City every year. Of course, if there is a good idea If so, Daenerys Entertainment will also shoot a special film."

Francis Levison showed a joyful expression: "In this case, I will find time to talk to the owners of other casinos in Atlantic City. Since they are promoting the entire Atlantic City, they can't just enjoy the results."

The two of them said this, and Simon had actually thought of a movie that couldn't be more suitable.

Ah!

Although the story of the story is a bad trip of three unlucky guys, it seems that on the surface it will not have a good publicity effect on the shooting city, but it is not the case. For a blockbuster movie with a global box office of more than 4 million US dollars, even according to the The average ticket price of around US$2009 a year is also equivalent to the fat Zach in the film amwaying 's, Vegas' to more than 8 million viewers around the world.

The deep-rooted impression of Las Vegas in the hearts of gamblers around the world is actually how it came about.

If you replace 'Vegas' with 'AtlanticCity' in the film, well, it's not as short and easy to remember, but it's bound to have the same effect.

The two were chatting when George Pataki, the current governor of New York State, walked over with a glass of red wine in his hand.

Whether it is George Pataki or Rudy Giuliani not far away, they are both Republicans, which means that the current state of New York is regarded as the world of the Republican Party.

Of course, the current Simon, or the Westeros system, will definitely not simply bet on one side of the two parties in the United States. The Levison family was a supporter of the Republican Party when they were still in Florida. Now the Levison Group has moved to New York , Francis Levison chatted with Simon in private. According to Simon, the Levison family will still maintain support for the Republican Party.

That's why there will be a group of Republican politicians headed by Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudy Giuliani at this reception tonight.

This is actually a deliberate arrangement under Simon's instruction.

Of course, Simon did not change the meaning of the overall leaning of the Westeros system to the Democratic Party, but it would not hurt to communicate with the Republican Party occasionally. Even if it spread, the Democratic Party would not have any backlash. Here, betting on both sides is taken for granted by either side of the two parties. It would be foolish to stick to one side.

Simon chatted familiarly with the equally enthusiastic George Pataky about the ongoing general election and the booming Internet industry. At the end of the topic, the Governor finally brought up a serious matter: "Well, Simon, actually I shouldn't have said this in advance, but we're planning to privatize the world trade center towers as part of our plan to cut the New York State budget deficit, and if you're interested in that, maybe you can try it out, it's definitely a good deal business."

After George Pataki finished speaking, he raised his glass to the two of them, then turned and left with a smile.

Simon didn't pay much attention to it before, but now he realized what Pataky said. He didn't expect that the World Trade Center was still a state-owned asset.However, looking back at my memory carefully, I remembered that in the original time and space, the transfer lease of the World Trade Center seemed to be completed in early 2001, and then 911/[-] happened.

There have also been various conspiracy theories.

Now, things seem to be ahead of schedule. However, George Pataki just said that it was just a plan. It is definitely not possible to realize this matter in a year or so. After all, the scale of the World Trade Center is very large, and privatization will inevitably involve various It is not impossible for disputes to drag on for several years.

Of course, Francis Levison also heard what the Governor said just now, and asked with obvious interest: "Simon, what do you think?"

Simon shook his head directly, dispelling Levison's thoughts: "We don't participate in this matter, Frank, the next development focus of Levison Group is in China. In New York, Levison Group maintains the operation of the existing properties, The focus is still on the soon-to-be-completed towers of Westeros."

Speaking of this matter, Simon couldn't help but feel a sliver of haze that actually started floating very early in his heart.

About the mansions of Westeros.

If the 911/911 incident still happens this time, there is no doubt that the Westeros Tower, the tallest building in the world, will be more attractive than the Twin Towers.On the other hand, Simon doesn't want his big butterfly to blow away such a big event that affects the world structure like [-].

Perhaps, now must start thinking about how to solve this problem.

Seeing Simon's veto without hesitation, Francis Levison hesitated a little, but still did not raise any objections.Levison Group moved to New York not to enter the New York real estate market, but to facilitate international operations.As for New York, as a super metropolis with a century-old history, the real estate industry in this area is very mature, which means that the profits are definitely not as good as those in emerging markets like China.

The two continued to chat for a few words, and then separated to entertain other guests.

This continued until after ten o'clock, when the reception began to end. Grace, who had been among the female guests, came to Simon and bid farewell to the host together.

The Levisons and some other guests personally sent Simon and the two out. Watching Grace get into Simon's luxury car, Bryce, who was obviously fighting at a distance from her husband, felt a little resentful, but it was impossible to follow Get in the car together, you can do whatever you want in private. After all, this is the roadside in front of the villa, and there are other people around. If you get in the car together at this time, the face of the Levison family will be completely lost. Become the laughing stock of New York's upper class.

Bryce didn't mind making her husband a laughing stock, after all, it was the man next to him who personally 'asked' her to beg Westeros for help.

However, always think about the son who will inherit the family business in the future.

Thinking about it makes me even more depressed.

Grace had divorced Bill Spurte some time ago and changed her surname back. Now, as a single woman, she has no scruples.As for a certain guy, because he was standing too high at this time, in the eyes of everyone looking up, what he did seemed to be taken for granted.

Two black Mercedes-Benz luxury cars left the Levison family's villa. In the car, Grace felt a little hot on her cheeks.

Just leaving together, in fact, also declared that the relationship between her and Simon was officially made public.

She didn't expect to be his wife at all, just like this, Grace was already very satisfied, but she couldn't help being shy and apprehensive.After all, there is a big gap between her and him.

Simon noticed the strangeness of the woman beside him, reached out and put his arms around Grace's waist, felt the woman leaning on him obediently, rubbed his head against her ear, and asked with a smile: "By the way, what is your original surname? remember?"

Being hugged by a man, Grace's shyness and apprehension became a bit more. She always felt that she didn't deserve the feeling she had now, so she said softly, "Krepp, Grace Krepp."

Seeing the woman trembling when she spoke, Simon simply pulled Grace into his arms, lowered his head and kissed her on the lips, and looked at the woman's green eyes against the light in the car: "Why, regret it?"

Grace shook her head subconsciously, as if she was worried that Simon would misunderstand, and then explained in a low voice: "It's just that I, than you..."

I don't want to mention my age.

But, saying so, Grace's body gradually softened.

I suddenly realized that in the final analysis, I still had greedy thoughts. There are so many women around him, it is impossible to have anything forever, or, in a few years, when he loses interest in himself, he will return to his own life The middle point is, after all, I am not a little girl who cannot live without love. Without him, I have children and a career, so there is nothing wrong with it.

Holding the woman in his arms, Simon could actually understand her thoughts. He lowered his head and kissed the woman's lips, and said, "There is something I don't know if you want to."

Grace looked up quickly, as if worried that he would misunderstand her reluctance.

Simon smiled again, looked at the woman, and said, "Give me a baby."