Recaps

Aaron expanded Dawn’s film and business plans while navigating Hollywood relationships, political connections, and a fatal construction accident at Islands of Adventure. Independence Day broke Jurassic Park’s opening record, and Aaron ended the arc weighing a major Rockets bid for Shaquille O’Neal.

• Aaron acquired a Bordeaux wine estate for Joey Wong, backed Media Asia’s investment in The God of Cookery, and considered bringing Jet Li to Hollywood.
• Aaron urged Dawn Steel to make The Truman Show, approved Dawn’s role in Blade, and discussed developing Spider-Man and X-Men films.
• Aaron supported Allie Phillips’s political ambitions, offered Naomi Watts a recommendation for The Game, and gave Charlize Theron a future opportunity after visiting her in the hospital.
• Aaron backed John Woo’s Face/Off, invested $200 million in Sheldon Adelson’s Sands Entertainment Group, and discussed rebuilding the Rockets after their playoff loss.
• Aaron rejected a proposed romance for The Mummy and pushed for a large-scale action-adventure film, while Disney’s Michael Ovitz lost support from Michael Eisner and other executives.
• Twister opened strongly, Aaron pursued government support for Orlando Universal Studios, and a scaffolding collapse at Islands of Adventure killed two people and injured three.
• Independence Day earned more than $100 million in six days and broke Jurassic Park’s record, prompting Hollywood to take Dawn’s box-office success seriously.
• Aaron decided the Rockets should pursue Shaquille O’Neal before determining whether to keep Hakeem Olajuwon.

Aaron reshaped the Rockets, advanced Dawn’s film and music projects, and watched Michael Ovitz’s departure from Disney shake Hollywood. He then turned his attention to Asia’s markets, beginning a cautious attack on the Thai Baht while warning Joey Wong that DVDs threatened Xinke VCDs.

• Aaron traded Hakeem Olajuwon and Dennis Rodman, signed Shaquille O’Neal, and formed a Rockets Big Three with Charles Barkley and Clyde Drexler.
• Aaron met David Stern to defend the Rockets’ trades, then traveled to Europe and discussed film and business projects with Monica Bellucci, Joey Wong, and Cate Blanchett.
• Aaron backed DreamWorks’ North American distribution of Saving Private Ryan and continued developing Dawn films, including The Bourne Trilogy, The Mummy, and City of Angels.
• Rush Hour became a major hit, Britney Spears signed with MCA Records, and Aaron helped advance projects including The Truman Show and Shakespeare in Love.
• Michael Ovitz left Disney amid public criticism, while Aaron met filmmakers, actors, and business figures as Dawn’s films entered awards season.
• Aaron instructed Edgar Owen to raise billions using Tianhai Fund shares as collateral and to borrow Thai Baht through Deutsche Bank as Thailand’s real-estate market weakened.
• Aaron met Joey Wong in Hong Kong, warned her that DVDs threatened Xinke VCDs, and had his group sell about 5 billion Thai Baht after the Quantum Fund began shorting the currency.
• Aaron celebrated Chinese New Year with Kristy Yang, encouraged her to accept a Media Asia Films role, and told Edgar Owen to preserve funds for a later attack after South Korea.

Aaron expanded his investments and film projects while pursuing an NFL team and stadium for Los Angeles amid the Asian financial crisis. The stretch left his Hollywood plans advancing and his bid still dependent on winning approval for a stadium site.

• Aaron confronted Chris Patten over Hong Kong’s security and film-set harassment, then returned to the United States and established Dawn Capital while pursuing media and publishing investments.
• Aaron backed projects including The Truman Show, Life Is Beautiful, and The Man in the Iron Mask, and guided preparations for Armageddon and Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World.
• Aaron sought to punish Woody Allen through the Academy and pushed Jack Valenti to expand Hollywood’s international reach as DVDs entered the American market.
• Aaron abandoned plans to buy a Premier League club and focused on securing an NFL team for Los Angeles, proposing a stadium at Hollywood Park and enlisting Roger Mahony and Preston Hawke to help.
• Titanic’s rough-cut test screening exposed pacing problems, while Men in Black opened strongly and Batman & Robin’s poor reception worried Aaron’s team about superhero films.
• Aaron’s investments benefited from the collapse of the Thai Baht as he prepared to target South Korea, while Charles Johnson reported that Saks Fifth Avenue was willing to sell.
• Aaron approved M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense, backed David Fincher’s Fight Club proposal, and continued planning projects including Chicago and Rush Hour 2.

Aaron profited from South Korea’s financial collapse while securing an NFL expansion team and pushing ahead with a Los Angeles stadium. As Titanic became a global hit, he pursued control of Saks Fifth Avenue and CBS, while the Clinton scandal and NBA labor dispute threatened to reshape his political and business plans.

• Aaron warned Inglewood leaders about the economic impact of the Lakers and Kings leaving, then pursued land development and a new stadium.
• Aaron backed Peter Jackson’s plan to adapt The Lord of the Rings as a trilogy and watched Harry Potter’s early word of mouth before promoting it.
• Aaron targeted South Korea during the currency crisis, negotiating stakes in Samsung companies and TriStar while declining to bet against the Hong Kong dollar.
• Aaron secured the NFL’s Los Angeles expansion team, named it the Los Angeles Starlight, and promised Paul Tagliabue a Hollywood Park stadium.
• Aaron’s South Korean investments brought in more than $3 billion as Titanic surged at the box office and earned fourteen Oscar nominations.
• Aaron acquired control of Saks Fifth Avenue through Tianhai Fund and directed Cicero Wilson to prepare an IPO and expand internationally.
• Aaron urged Hillary to investigate Monica Lewinsky discreetly and pursued Westinghouse Broadcasting/CBS as he sought a national television network.
• Aaron prepared Dawn’s release of The Mummy while the Clinton scandal, the coming NBA lockout, and the sale of Seagram’s assets continued to affect his plans.