System in Hollywood

There was no way he could show up to a party in such a rugged and wild bulletproof SUV. It would definitely make him the joke of the circle by the next day.

"Alright, alright, I'll take the Silver Angel, okay?" 

Only then did Meda's smile return. She gently said, "Alright, sir, I have the car and the driver prepared for you."

Wayne silently rolled his eyes.

Fortunately, Meda was used to his somewhat rude "little habit" and continued smiling as she said, "By the way, I've investigated the 'Beverly Hills Women's Club' as you requested. It's not some kind of feminist organization. So, for the party invitation Mrs. Tavoman sent, which lady do you plan to have attend? Or will you just decline directly?"

Wayne paused and frowned slightly.

"Let's decline," Wayne said after thinking for a moment. "But we can invite Jill Tavoman over to the house, in the name of Mia or Jessie. That way, she should understand my stance."

In America, there are just too many clubs, societies, and even cult-like organizations, just like Scientology, which Tom Cruise joined.

He wasn't really into these things and was always quite wary of them. So, even after knowing that the "Beverly Hills Women's Club" wasn't some feminist organization, he still didn't want Mia or Jessica to attend their party.

However, the club's president, Jill Tavoman, was somewhat influential and considered an upper-class socialite in Beverly Hills, so he couldn't easily offend her.

It's worth mentioning that Jill Tavoman's daughter is the Hollywood starlet Lily Collins. Wayne suspected that the invitation was likely to promote her daughter.

Although Lily Collins' father is the legendary British singer Phil Collins, her parents divorced when she was five.

The reason, naturally, was that Jill Tavoman, once stunningly beautiful, lost her looks as she aged.

Since then, Lily moved with her mother from the UK to settle in Beverly Hills, so Phil Collins couldn't do much to help her break into Hollywood.

"Okay, I'll respond to Mrs. Tavoman and notify the two ladies," Meda nodded, not asking why Hannah wasn't being informed. She knew all too well that Hannah, whose head was filled with muscles and Wayne, couldn't handle such matters.

About twenty minutes later, the eye-catching Silver Angel finally arrived at Harvey's villa.

"Haha! Wayne, you made it!"

As they say, "business is business, but friendship remains." The insiders could clearly see how fast Wayne and his Hemera Pictures were rising. So, even though the previous deal for "The Dark Side" didn't go through, Harvey rushed out with great enthusiasm upon being notified by the doorman.

Wayne responded with a warm smile and started chatting with him.

After all, Harvey had a lot of resources in this regard—both in quantity and quality.

For years, Miramax has been actively participating in international film festivals, acquiring North American rights for art films, and has built quite a network outside Hollywood.

However, the most high-profile beauties at this party were not some European arthouse goddesses, but Jennifer Connelly, who amazed countless people in "Once Upon a Time in America," and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who barely entered the A-list with the box office success of "Traffic."

In addition, there was Alicia Silverstone, who shot to fame with "Clueless," and Rachel Weisz, known for her role as "Evelyn" in "The Mummy."

Also present was Liv Tyler, with whom he had had a more in-depth exchange.

Wayne also noticed Sarah Michelle Gellar at the party, as well as Rachel McAdams, who played "Regina" in the original "Mean Girls."

Of course, at 19, Rachel McAdams had just entered Hollywood and wasn't even a D-lister. If it weren't for her agent being very optimistic about her potential and bringing her to crash this party, she wouldn't have been qualified to be here.

However, Wayne's gaze lingered on Catherine Zeta-Jones, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

If he remembered correctly, Catherine Zeta-Jones married Michael Douglas, who was 25 years her senior, just last year, and they had a son together, right? He recalled receiving an invitation back then, but he was in Europe filming, so Sera went on his behalf.

Now, less than four months later, Catherine Zeta-Jones showed up at Harvey's "infamous" party. Was this really okay?

You have to know, Michael Douglas isn't a small fry.

Thanks to his father, Kirk Douglas's achievements, the Douglas family had a notable influence in the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also known as the Academy.

You could say that while the Douglas family wasn't powerful enough to decide who wins an award, they could definitely block someone from winning if they wanted to.

Unless the contender was like Cameron, who forced the Oscars to award him thanks to the jaw-dropping box office and influence of "Titanic."

"Hehe, May-December romance; it's pretty normal~" Harvey seemed to see through his thoughts, lowered his voice, and said slyly.

"Michael's already 57; who knows if he can still perform? I even doubt if that son is his."

Wayne couldn't help but roll his eyes and asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid of trouble?"

Harvey sneered dismissively, "Others might fear the Douglas family, but I don't~"

Wayne was stunned for a moment, then realized that Harvey's influence within the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was likely greater than that of the Douglas family.

Although the Douglas family had its own production company, after Kirk Douglas gradually left the entertainment industry in the 1980s, the company had long become just a facade. Its current scale and reputation were no better than that of an average medium-sized production company.

Even last month, the movie "Traffic," which starred Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and became a box office hit, was produced by another company. Their own production company didn't even qualify to participate in the investment.

So, the Douglas family nowadays was just an actor's family with some influence in the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

*(End of Chapter)*