Chapter Summaries

Aaron attended a Beverly Hills dinner for The Clintons, then discussed basketball and the NBA draft with Jennifer Connelly. After Universal’s Twister opened strongly, he reviewed Universal Studios construction plans and asked Lloyd Bentsen Jr. to help him build ties with Jeb Bush.

• Aaron met prominent Jewish business and political figures at a dinner for The Clintons, where Les Wexner praised Victoria’s Secret’s growth.
• Aaron and Jennifer Connelly discussed the NBA Finals and upcoming draft prospects, including Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, and Stephon Marbury.
• Twister opened in 2,450 theaters and earned $41 million in its first weekend, boosting confidence in Universal’s upcoming Independence Day.
• Aaron told Aislin Beckett that Orlando’s Islands of Adventure had to be completed on schedule and said he was concerned about construction issues at Universal Studios.
• Aaron asked Lloyd Bentsen Jr. about Jeb Bush’s Florida connections and told him to visit George W. Bush and support Jeb Bush.

Aaron discussed Universal Studios’ prospects and the mixed reception of Eraser compared with The Nutty Professor, then spent the night with Nicole Kidman, who worried about keeping his attention. Their conversation ended with Aaron reassuring her as she fretted about getting older and Hollywood’s new pretty girls.

• Aaron planned to seek tax breaks and government support for Orlando Universal Studios, anticipating Jeb Bush’s run for Florida governor.
• The Nutty Professor opened strongly and earned better reviews than Eraser, whose box office was aided by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s star power.
• Aaron and Nicole Kidman kissed and danced together at a West Hollywood bar.
• Nicole Kidman pointed out Dawn’s run of summer hits and asked Aaron about recommending Naomi Watts for a PolyGram film.
• Nicole Kidman offered to vacation with Aaron, then worried that Hollywood’s younger actresses might draw his attention away.

Aaron Anderson discussed Village Roadshow Entertainment’s move into Hollywood production with Nicole Kidman, then encountered Keanu Reeves and witnessed Robert Downey Jr.’s arrest for suspected drug possession. After returning home, Aaron learned that a scaffolding collapse at Orlando Universal Studios had killed two people and ordered the incident investigated.

• Nicole Kidman told Aaron that Village Roadshow Entertainment had signed production agreements with 20th Century Fox and entered Hollywood film production.
• Aaron ran into Keanu Reeves, who said he was filming The Devil's Advocate with Al Pacino while promoting Independence Day.
• Aaron and Nicole saw police arrest Robert Downey Jr. after he recklessly sped past them, and Nicole said he had recently faced drug possession charges.
• Ethelind Beckett called Aaron to report that a scaffolding collapse at Islands of Adventure had killed two people and injured three others.
• Aaron told Ethelind to manage public relations and investigate the collapse, then asked Nicole for whiskey.

Aaron dismissed concerns about the Islands of Adventure construction accident while Dawn prepared for a huge summer release. Independence Day broke the record for reaching $100 million at the North American box office, leaving Hollywood wary of Dawn’s growing dominance.

• Aaron told Tom Williams to keep construction at Islands of Adventure going and to handle the accident through the press office.
• Aaron and Rupert Murdoch discussed Titanic’s ballooning costs and the prospects of their media businesses, while Murdoch proposed jointly operating USA Network and AMC.
• Christiana Yeri told Aaron she would travel to Brazil to judge a modeling competition, and Aaron reassured her that the construction accident should not cause lasting trouble.
• Independence Day opened across North America and earned more than $100 million in its first six days, breaking Jurassic Park’s record.
• Critics praised Independence Day’s effects and action, and Hollywood began taking Dawn’s box-office dominance seriously.

Aaron and Jennifer Connelly discussed the Houston Rockets’ plans to pursue Shaquille O’Neal and whether the team should trade Hakeem Olajuwon. The Rockets had not decided what to do with Olajuwon, but Aaron was determined to secure O’Neal.

• Aaron watched Atlanta’s nightscape with Jennifer Connelly and explained that he had come to observe the Olympics.
• Jennifer Connelly raised the possibility of the Rockets trading Dennis Rodman to acquire Charles Barkley, but Aaron criticized the idea of adding more aging players.
• Aaron said the Rockets needed a young core and had little chance of signing Michael Jordan, while expensive contracts for players such as Juwan Howard and Alonzo Mourning complicated the market.
• Jennifer Connelly noted that Shaquille O’Neal wanted a seven-year, 115 million US dollar contract and that signing him could force the Rockets to give up Hakeem Olajuwon.
• Aaron decided the Rockets should first secure O’Neal, leaving the decision about Olajuwon for later discussions with Ray Patterson and Rudy Tomjanovich.

Aaron decided the Rockets would trade Hakeem Olajuwon to clear salary space and sign Shaquille O’Neal, then Houston reshaped its roster around O’Neal and Charles Barkley. The moves stunned the league and left the Lakers regretting that they had failed to land O’Neal.

• Aaron ordered the Rockets to trade Olajuwon and Dennis Rodman, clear salary space, and offer O’Neal a seven-year, $120 million contract.
• Aaron told Jennifer Connelly that Olajuwon had to go so Houston could sign O’Neal.
• The Rockets traded Olajuwon to Phoenix for Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, and other players, sent Rodman to Chicago, and acquired Steve Kerr.
• Houston signed O’Neal to a seven-year, $120 million deal, forming a Big Three with Barkley and Clyde Drexler.
• Jerry West and Jerry Buss reacted to the Rockets’ moves and lamented that Los Angeles had missed its chance to sign O’Neal.

Aaron defended the Rockets’ offseason trades to NBA Commissioner David Stern, then discussed the team and recent film successes with Monica Bellucci. The chapter ended with Matt Damon receiving an offer to star in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rainmaker.

• David Stern questioned Aaron about the Rockets’ trades after the Orlando Magic complained, and Aaron maintained that the contracts and deals were legal and necessary to build a championship team.
• Aaron returned to his East Hampton villa, where he and Monica Bellucci discussed the Rockets’ roster and the strong box-office performance of Twister and Independence Day.
• Sony Columbia and Disney partnered to produce Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, while Universal began filming Air Force One and To Die For opened to mixed reviews.
• Francis Ford Coppola invited Matt Damon to play the lead in The Rainmaker after Damon impressed him with his performance in To Die For.

Aaron discussed Monica Bellucci’s European film work before learning that the Rockets had traded Hakeem Olajuwon for Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. After news of the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing, Aaron decided to leave the United States and vacation in Europe.

• Aaron talked with Monica Bellucci about Stealing Beauty, The Apartment, and her plans to focus on Hollywood films.
• Aaron and Jack Wells discussed the Rockets’ trade for Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley and the Lakers’ interest in Hakeem Olajuwon.
• Aaron and Jack Wells heard that a bombing at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park had killed two people and injured at least a hundred.
• Aaron told Jack Wells he planned to vacation in Europe instead of returning to Los Angeles or New York.
• Aaron flew to Saint-Tropez on his private jet.

Aaron and Joey Wong discussed China's VCD market, film industry, and Hollywood releases during their time in France before Joey returned to Hong Kong. Aaron then visited Cate Blanchett in London and brought her to Ibiza, where she told him about her role in Road to Paradise and prepared to travel to Malaysia for filming.

• Aaron and Joey Wong drove along Marseille's seaside boulevard and discussed the Atlanta Olympics bombing and the growing Chinese VCD market.
• Joey Wong told Aaron that Xinke VCD shipments had surged and that she planned to sell her shares if DVDs threatened the business.
• Joey Wong discussed Media Asia Films' projects and China's imported films with Aaron while they stayed in Saint-Tropez.
• Joey Wong returned to Hong Kong after three days, and Aaron traveled to London after receiving a call from Cate Blanchett.
• Cate Blanchett told Aaron she had been cast as an Australian nurse in Bruce Beresford's Road to Paradise and would film in Penang, Malaysia.

After returning from the Atlanta Olympics, Aaron discussed new film releases and Hollywood projects with Catherine Zeta-Jones, then spoke with Lakers owner Jerry Buss about Shaquille O'Neal and the team’s prospects. Aaron promised Catherine one of the lead roles in his planned Chicago adaptation, while considering Charlize Theron for the other.

• Aaron and Catherine Zeta-Jones discussed Universal’s Dragonheart, the success of Scream, and the upcoming filming of Scream 2.
• Catherine told Aaron that The Phantom had flopped, and Aaron offered her a role in his planned Chicago adaptation.
• Aaron met Jerry Buss and discussed the Rockets signing Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson’s retirement, and the Lakers’ future arena.
• Aaron and Catherine returned to his Beverly Hills villa, where he reassured her that she would play one of Chicago’s two major female roles.

Aaron considered entering the gaming industry and ordered Dawn to acquire Blizzard Entertainment. Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg agreed to pursue DreamWorks' involvement in Saving Private Ryan, and the chapter ended with Aaron examining an invitation to a DreamWorks gala.

• Aaron discussed the gaming industry's absence from Dawn's businesses and told Ethelind Beckett to arrange Dawn's acquisition of Blizzard Entertainment.
• Richard Lovett brought Steven Spielberg the Saving Private Ryan screenplay, and Spielberg decided DreamWorks should join the project and make it a major film.
• Richard Lovett left to help secure DreamWorks' participation and North American distribution rights for Saving Private Ryan.
• Aaron read the DreamWorks gala invitation and considered Jeffrey Katzenberg's importance to the studio.

Aaron attended a grand ball at DreamWorks’ headquarters, where he discussed Dawn’s market dominance and MGM’s James Bond plans with Edgar Bronfman Jr. He mingled with Hollywood figures, including Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and left Catherine encouraged to build connections.

• Aaron told Edgar Bronfman Jr. that Dawn’s exceptional performance came from the simultaneous hits Independence Day and Twister, while Edgar discussed MGM’s James Bond series.
• Aaron saw Michael Ovitz, whose influence at Disney had dwindled and whose former agency CAA was losing people to competitors, but chose to greet Tom Hanks instead.
• Aaron asked Tom Hanks about his directorial debut, That Thing You Do!, and reflected that Tom refused to make a sequel to Forrest Gump.
• Catherine Zeta-Jones told Aaron she had spoken with Michael Mann, and Aaron praised Mann’s ability to develop thriller-action ideas.
• Aaron kissed Catherine Zeta-Jones and encouraged her to meet more people at the ball, and she thanked him for giving her the opportunity.

Aaron discussed the escalating costs and tensions on James Cameron’s Titanic and considered Dawn’s prospects for partnering with other studios. The chapter left Dawn poised to rely on its growing distribution and theater network as DreamWorks faced a difficult rise in Hollywood.

• Ethelind Beckett told Aaron that James Cameron had ordered Titanic’s historically inaccurate tableware and props destroyed and replaced, adding to the production costs.
• Ethelind Beckett reported that producer David Vogel and James Cameron had fought over the film, with each threatening extreme consequences if production went wrong or Cameron’s demands were ignored.
• Aaron proposed that Dawn collaborate with Paramount on Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, but Ethelind Beckett said studios assumed Dawn-backed films were guaranteed hits and would not want to share distribution rights.
• Aaron decided that DreamWorks would retain North American distribution for Saving Private Ryan because Spielberg was making the film on DreamWorks’ behalf.
• Aaron noted that Dawn’s theaters and distribution network gave it strength, while DreamWorks would struggle against established Hollywood distributors and their theater chains.

Aaron reunited with Salma Hayek, then celebrated the success of Dawn’s Rush Hour as Jackie Chan’s fame rose in Hollywood. Joey Wong discussed Hong Kong’s growing unease with Aaron before leaving with the crew to promote the film in San Francisco.

• Aaron met Salma Hayek near Santa Monica Beach, and she thanked him for guiding her career and promised to be there whenever he needed her.
• Rush Hour premiered in Universal City and opened across North America, earning $30 million in its first weekend and winning praise for Jackie Chan’s performance.
• Aaron told Joey Wong that Rush Hour was projected to surpass $100 million in North America and that Jackie Chan’s Hollywood profile was climbing.
• Joey Wong told Aaron that emigration from Hong Kong was increasing as 1997 approached, and Aaron said he would visit her there.
• Joey Wong left with the Rush Hour crew to promote the film in San Francisco while Aaron promised to meet her in Hong Kong.

Aaron and Sophie Marceau discussed Leonardo DiCaprio’s rising profile after Romeo + Juliet and Sophie’s desire for a more demanding role. Aaron offered her the female lead in Dawn’s planned City of Angels, which was still being revised and was expected to film next year.

• Aaron and Sophie Marceau discussed the strong reviews for Romeo + Juliet and Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance.
• Sophie Marceau said she was returning to France to film The Mistress of Louis XIV and wanted a role that would challenge her acting.
• Aaron described Dawn’s developing romantic film City of Angels, about an angel who gives up immortality for love.
• Sophie Marceau agreed to prepare for the female lead after filming in France, while Aaron said production would likely begin in the second half of next year.

Aaron spent time with Sophie Marceau in Las Vegas, visited his growing Angel International operation in Texas, and returned to Los Angeles as Dawn's films posted major box-office successes. After discussing a film adaptation of the Bourne Trilogy, he took notice of Adam Sandler's new comedy, Happy Gilmore.

• Aaron discussed the Venetian Resort investment with Sophie Marceau before she returned to France, then met with Sheldon Adelson before leaving Las Vegas.
• Aaron visited Houston as the 1996–97 NBA season began, then toured Angel International's Texas training base and spoke with Jack Wells about its mercenary work.
• Aaron returned to Los Angeles as Dawn's films reported strong North American and worldwide box-office totals.
• Dawn Steel suggested developing Dawn's Bourne Trilogy rights after Mission: Impossible's success, and Aaron approved starting preparations for a film adaptation.
• Aaron noticed Universal's Happy Gilmore because it starred Adam Sandler, whose previous comedy Billy Madison had earned decent reviews.

Michael Ovitz was dismissed as Disney’s president and left isolated after Michael Eisner refused to support him. The chapter ended with Aaron picking up Cate Blanchett at the airport and taking her to his Malibu villa.

• Ransom opened to strong box-office results, while Aaron Anderson’s Rush Hour had already passed $100 million in North America.
• Michael Ovitz learned from Tewak that Disney’s board had dismissed him as president.
• Michael Ovitz confronted Michael Eisner, who insisted the board’s decision was final and suggested Sony as a possible destination.
• Disney announced that Michael Ovitz had resigned by mutual agreement, shocking Hollywood.
• Aaron picked up Cate Blanchett after she finished filming Road to Paradise and drove her to his Malibu villa.

Aaron discussed Michael Ovitz’s departure from Disney with Cate Blanchett, who shared news of her upcoming art film, Oscar and Lucinda. At DreamWorks, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen predicted that Disney would pay dearly for Ovitz’s exit, though Michael Eisner’s position would likely hold.

• Aaron read news about Michael Ovitz leaving Disney and discussed Cate Blanchett’s recent filming experience with her.
• Cate Blanchett told Aaron that she had accepted a role in Oscar and Lucinda, a Fox Searchlight-backed adaptation starring Ralph Fiennes.
• Aaron encouraged Cate Blanchett to rest in Los Angeles before he left for work, anticipating turmoil at Disney.
• At DreamWorks, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen discussed Disney’s conflict with Michael Ovitz and the likely cost of his severance package.
• Jeffrey Katzenberg argued that the Ovitz incident would weaken Michael Eisner’s authority but would not dislodge him, and he pointed to Dawn’s film strength and DreamWorks’ television success.

Michael Eisner attacked Michael Ovitz in a leaked email as their dispute continued, while The English Patient built Oscar-season momentum and Universal Studios Hollywood opened its Waterworld attraction. At a Beverly Hills ball, Aaron spoke with Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Liv Tyler, whose flirtation with him ended the chapter.

• Michael Eisner accused Michael Ovitz of being mentally ill and incapable in an email published by Fortune magazine.
• Universal Studios Hollywood opened its popular Waterworld stunt attraction and held nightly fireworks displays.
• Crescent Moon Pictures gave The English Patient a limited release, and critics praised its visuals, performances, and emotional story.
• Aaron met Bruce Willis and Demi Moore at a Beverly Hills Hotel ball and discussed their film roles and business partnership.
• Aaron greeted Liv Tyler, praised her performance in Stealing Beauty, and flirted with her.

Aaron continued his relationship with Liv Tyler and advised her on pursuing an Oscar, while Hollywood reacted to Michael Ovitz’s Disney payout and Michael Eisner’s new contract. Aaron later discussed the incoming Clinton administration with Leon Panetta, who said he would keep working in public service.

• Aaron advised Liv Tyler that she needed experience, roles beyond her pretty-face image, and a strong film campaign to pursue an Oscar.
• Disney’s $140 million severance payment to Michael Ovitz and Michael Eisner’s new ten-year contract drew fierce criticism from shareholders.
• The Institutional Investors Committee sought to persuade Disney shareholders to reject Michael Eisner’s contract at the next annual meeting.
• Clinton nominated William Cohen as Secretary of Defense and Madeleine Albright as Secretary of State.
• Aaron met Leon Panetta in Los Angeles, and Leon Panetta said he would continue working in the domestic public sector, including offshore oil.