Recaps

Aaron expanded Dawn’s influence across television, film, and news while navigating Hollywood deals and political alliances. As he prepared for a tech-stock collapse and pursued a Las Vegas retreat with Jennifer Connelly, AOL and Time Warner announced their merger and Lloyd Bentsen Jr. asked Dawn to help George W. Bush’s campaign.

• Aaron traveled to South Korea after Daewoo Group declared bankruptcy, discussed the country’s recovery with Lee Kun-hee, and debated TriStar’s future with Lee Boo-jin.
• Aaron went to Japan and asked Norika Fujiwara to help Lin Zhiling build a career, while Joey Wong backed film projects with Chong Ching in Hong Kong.
• Aaron traveled to London to oversee Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, insisted its young leads sign contracts for all seven films, and discussed the edits to Eyes Wide Shut with Catherine Zeta-Jones.
• Aaron directed Ethelind Beckett to cast Jude Law in The Bourne Identity, considered a newspaper deal for Forum Company, and discussed international film opportunities with Sophie Marceau and Penélope Cruz.
• Aaron appointed Mel Kamins as CBS president and prioritized news and a financial channel, while telling Lloyd Bentsen Jr. that CBS would support George W. Bush.
• Aaron directed Edgar Owen to sell Tianhai Fund’s America Online and Yahoo shares and retain about $2 billion in cash as he anticipated a tech-stock collapse.
• Aaron discussed Las Vegas casinos and a vacation villa with Jennifer Connelly, then learned that America Online and Time Warner had agreed to merge and withdrew his profitable Euro short.
• Leon Panetta told Aaron that Lloyd Bentsen Jr. wanted Dawn to help prepare a campaign commercial for George W. Bush.

Aaron expanded Dawn’s media and film ventures while navigating Hollywood projects, celebrity relationships, and the approaching tech-market collapse. The stretch ended with Ocean's Eleven moving forward and Jennifer Aniston weighing a Tomb Raider audition.

• Aaron prepared George W. Bush’s campaign strategy with Lloyd Bentsen Jr. and later discussed the tech bubble with Leon Cooperman as Tiger Management faced mounting losses.
• Aaron arranged major media deals, including the CBS Business Channel, and Dawn integrated CBS, AMC, and Starz while America Online and Time Warner announced their merger.
• Aaron backed film and television projects including Band of Brothers, urged Marvel to build a connected superhero franchise, and guided Jessica Alba toward roles in The Fast and the Furious and a Scary Movie sequel.
• Aaron sold Tianhai Fund’s Yahoo stake for $12.5 billion, shifted toward cash, and watched the Nasdaq plunge as tech stocks began to falter.
• Aaron’s relationships with Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Winona Ryder, Liv Tyler, Joey Wong, Christiana Yeri, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jessica Alba, and Sophie Marceau continued alongside discussions of their careers and plans.
• American Beauty won Best Picture, Hilary Swank won Best Actress, and Aaron comforted Winona Ryder after she lost the award.
• Aaron and David Fincher planned to replace Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in Hannibal, considering Cate Blanchett and Naomi Watts.
• Ethelind Beckett reported that Steven Soderbergh was launching Ocean's Eleven, Jennifer Aniston said she had been invited to join it, and she considered auditioning for Tomb Raider.

Aaron steered film projects, business deals, and political alliances while Spider-Man and other releases dominated the box office. The stretch ended with Hollywood’s writers on strike, tensions over DreamWorks, and Aaron weighing the limits of another monster-film franchise.

• Aaron ordered Haihua Investment Company to buy PetroChina shares and picked up Britney Spears, who told him about her upcoming album and world tour.
• Aaron pursued DirecTV for Dawn and discussed film projects including Ocean's Eleven, The Others, and Harry Potter with his associates.
• Spider-Man opened to $110 million in North America, and Aaron later reported that it had surpassed $330 million domestically and $250 million overseas.
• Aaron vacationed in Europe with Joey Wong, Norika Fujiwara, and Lin Zhiling, while The Mummy Returns and Chicken Run opened to strong box-office results.
• France beat Italy in the European Championship final, and Aaron attended the Rockets’ championship celebration before discussing the tech-stock bubble and the coming election with George W. Bush.
• Aaron backed Las Vegas Sands’s bid for a Macau gambling license and later met with Michael Eisner, who considered ways to suppress DreamWorks films.
• Writers began striking after negotiations with the AMPTP failed, and Aaron told Dawn Steel to monitor the disruption while Hollywood studios managed its effects.
• Aaron increased his Berkshire Hathaway holdings, watched Scream 3 and What Lies Beneath open, and told Charlize Theron that Hollow Man’s poor reception could hurt Paul Verhoeven’s career.

Aaron expanded his hotel and media interests while navigating Hollywood, politics, and personal relationships. The arc ended with Florida’s contested recount still unresolved, delaying George W. Bush’s presidential transition.

• Aaron pursued Macau gambling licenses with Sheldon Adelson and began acquiring Regal Hongkong Hotel and seeking control of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
• Aaron visited the Harry Potter set, supported Dawn’s film and media ventures, and learned that Christiana Yeri was pregnant with his child.
• Aaron backed George W. Bush, expanded Dawn’s political influence, and saw Richard Gere badly injured after Jack Wells arranged a car crash.
• Aaron spent time with Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba, and Ivanka while Dawn acquired Netflix and its films earned strong box-office results.
• Aaron watched the presidential election swing between Al Gore and George W. Bush before early reports declared Bush the winner and were overturned by Florida’s recount.
• Florida’s recounts and ballot disputes continued as Aaron returned to Los Angeles, while the two campaigns battled over manual counts and the Florida Supreme Court’s deadlines.
• The Florida Supreme Court allowed recount results to be included if announced by November 26, but Bush’s camp rejected the ruling and the presidential transition remained in limbo.