Chapter Summaries

Aaron discussed CBS's falling ratings with Eric Ober and later considered BET's sale and MGM's struggles with Edgar Bronfman Jr. At a reception, Jack Valenti sought Aaron's support for Internet film and television copyright legislation, but Aaron warned that Silicon Valley's influence in Washington would make passage difficult.

• Aaron told Eric Ober that CBS should pursue bolder programming to improve its ratings, while he would not interfere with its news coverage.
• Dawn announced production of Erin Brockovich, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Nicole Kidman, as Viacom announced its acquisition of BET.
• Aaron discussed BET's sale and MGM's financial troubles with Edgar Bronfman Jr. at a business reception.
• Jack Valenti asked Aaron to support the MPAA's effort to lobby for Internet film and television copyright legislation.
• Aaron backed copyright protection but warned Jack Valenti that Clinton and Congress supported the Internet Economy, making new legislation difficult to secure.

Aaron discussed Hollywood’s successes and the growth of Universal Studios Resort while moving between Los Angeles, Florida, and New York. The Sixth Sense and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace were major box-office hits, and Aaron looked ahead to Universal’s Japan opening and upcoming films.

• Aaron and Christiana Yeri discussed the Lakers’ playoff loss, the Houston Rockets, and the strong box-office results of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Sixth Sense, and Chicago.
• Aaron learned that Universal Studios had withdrawn from negotiations for a Hong Kong theme park while Disney continued talks with the Hong Kong government.
• Aaron inspected Universal Studios Florida with Tom Williams and said Universal could build a park in mainland China, while prioritizing the upcoming Universal Studios Japan opening.
• In New York, Aaron and Monica Bellucci discussed The Sixth Sense’s unexpected success and the upcoming releases Entrapment, Toy Story 2, and Rush Hour 2.
• Aaron recalled that he had arranged Bruce Willis’s $20 million upfront salary for The Sixth Sense, avoiding a potentially much larger earnings deal based on box-office profits.

Aaron reflected on Hollywood profit-sharing, discussed Monica Bellucci’s dramatic role and Dawn’s plans for Harry Potter, then received an invitation to Rupert Murdoch’s wedding. He asked Christiana Yeri to prepare a gift and accompany him to the ceremony.

• Aaron noted that Bruce Willis had made the right choice by not taking a profit-sharing deal and read that Disney had dismissed Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein from Miramax.
• Monica Bellucci asked Aaron about the script for Under Suspicion, and he encouraged her to take the dramatic role while discussing her Hollywood career.
• Aaron told Monica that Dawn planned to adapt J.K. Rowling’s seven Harry Potter books, with Chris Columbus directing the first film and a future London set becoming a theme park.
• Aaron read that Rupert Murdoch had divorced Anna Maria Torv and was planning to marry Wendi Deng aboard his yacht in Manhattan.
• Aaron asked Christiana Yeri to prepare a wedding gift and accompany him to Murdoch’s ceremony.

Aaron attended Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng’s private wedding in New York and decided to commission a much larger yacht and a luxury Boeing business jet. The chapter left Aaron preparing to congratulate the newlyweds.

• Aaron reviewed the box-office results for several summer releases, noting the surprise success of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
• Aaron visited Winona Ryder, who discussed editing Girl, Interrupted and promoting Shakespeare in Love at the Venice Film Festival.
• Aaron brought Christiana Yeri to Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng’s private wedding aboard Morning Glory.
• Aaron asked Christiana Yeri to visit European shipyards and arrange an ultra-large luxury yacht of at least 300 feet.
• Aaron also decided to commission a Boeing BBJ business jet and then congratulated Rupert Murdoch at the wedding.

Aaron discussed the NBA Finals, the Rockets’ roster, and the difficulty of bringing Wang Zhizhi to the United States. He also heard how Michael Jordan had joined the Washington Wizards’ ownership and management, while reflecting on major sports-business deals.

• Aaron and Jack Wells discussed the Spurs’ championship and criticized Shaquille O'Neal’s effort, while praising Tracy McGrady’s progress.
• Jack Wells told Aaron that the Rockets had drafted Wang Zhizhi, but Bayi Team would not let him play in the United States.
• Aaron urged Jack Wells to work with the NBA to lobby for Wang Zhizhi, noting that basketball in China was tied to politics.
• Jack Wells said Michael Jordan had bought stakes in the Washington Wizards and Monumental Sports & Entertainment and would become the Wizards’ president of basketball operations.
• Aaron discussed the Yahoo acquisition of Broadcast.com and the planned American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Aaron reviewed the summer box office, noting the success of Toy Story 2 and The Sixth Sense alongside Wild Wild West’s failure and Fight Club’s weak North American performance. In Los Angeles, Joey Wong told him Crescent Moon Pictures was co-producing Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh, while Jet Li planned to focus on Hollywood.

• Toy Story 2 opened to $80 million over the Independence Day weekend, while Wild Wild West earned only $27 million and received terrible reviews.
• Aaron told Ethelind Beckett to have Barry Sonnenfeld focus on preparing Universal’s Men in Black 2 after Wild Wild West’s failure became clear.
• Joey Wong told Aaron that Crescent Moon Pictures and Good Machine were co-producing Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with Chow Yun-fat replacing Jet Li in the male lead.
• Joey Wong explained that Jet Li had declined the role because he wanted to care for his pregnant girlfriend, Nina Li Chi, and focus on his Hollywood career.
• Aaron advised Joey Wong that Jet Li was unlikely to return to Hong Kong filmmaking in the next few years.

Joey Wong discussed Media Asia’s plans to expand in Mainland China with Aaron, who said he would visit Shanghai after Universal Studios Japan’s opening. Meanwhile, The Blair Witch Project became a box-office sensation, and Aaron reunited with Penélope Cruz at a Los Angeles ball.

• Joey Wong told Aaron about Media Asia’s investments in Mainland Chinese television and its plans to sign and train local artists.
• Aaron told Joey Wong he would visit Japan for Universal Studios Japan’s opening and then stay in Shanghai for the Fortune Global Forum.
• Joey Wong returned home after spending three days in Los Angeles.
• The Blair Witch Project became a hit after expanding from a limited release, earning far more than its production and acquisition costs and receiving mixed reviews.
• Dawn Twilight Pictures planned to produce the horror-comedy Scary Movie, while American Pie was set for release later in the summer.
• Aaron met Penélope Cruz at a ball, and she invited him to take her for a drink.

Aaron discussed Penélope Cruz’s Hollywood roles and career prospects, then reviewed currency and investment plans with Edgar Owen. The chapter ended with Aaron reading a newspaper report about Jackie Chan promoting Rush Hour 2 in Los Angeles.

• Aaron and Penélope Cruz talked about her roles in Women on Top and All About My Mother, and Aaron said Sony might still move ahead with All the Pretty Horses.
• Penélope Cruz told Aaron Warner Bros. had once approached her for Wild Wild West, and Aaron remarked that missing the film was fortunate because it had bombed.
• Aaron told Edgar Owen to monitor the Euro and close Tianhai Fund’s leveraged positions if the rate fell below 0.9 US dollars.
• Edgar Owen reported on China’s economic difficulties, and Aaron discussed expanding his investments there.
• Aaron instructed Edgar Owen to withdraw South Korean investments by October, except for TriStar shares, and transfer the proceeds to Hong Kong.
• Aaron read a newspaper report that Jackie Chan had been spotted promoting Rush Hour 2 in Los Angeles Chinatown.

Aaron considered Washington’s request to use CBS to publish damaging reports about Madeleine Albright, then directed CBS News to handle the material as it saw fit. He also planned the star-studded opening of Universal Studios Japan and anticipated a future boost from Harry Potter.

• Aaron reviewed negative reports about Madeleine Albright and learned that Washington wanted CBS to publish them to divert public pressure.
• Aaron told Lloyd Bentsen Jr. to pass the material to CBS News chief Eric Ober, leaving the coverage decision—and its consequences—to him.
• Aaron reflected that political forces were treating him as a tool and vowed to take full control of CBS.
• Aaron told Tom Williams to invite Hollywood and Japanese stars, as well as Governor Gray Davis, to the Universal Studios Japan opening.
• Tom Williams reported that preparations in Osaka were complete and that Euro Disney planned a nearby Disney Village park.
• Aaron predicted that Universal Studios would benefit from a future film adaptation of Harry Potter.

Disney’s animation leaders worried that Pixar and DreamWorks were threatening the studio’s dominance, while Dawn Twilight Pictures celebrated the success of American Pie and Rush Hour 2. At the celebration, Aaron discussed Jackie Chan’s rising popularity, the challenges of making Rush Hour 3, and adapting Dawn’s works for the stage.

• Roy Disney and Peter Schneider compared Tarzan’s box office with Toy Story 2’s success and worried about Pixar and DreamWorks; Roy decided to speak with Mr. Eisner.
• American Pie opened to $18.7 million on an $11 million budget and drew mixed reviews as young audiences embraced it.
• Christiana Yeri told Aaron that his customized Boeing BBJ2 was due in two years and that Ferretti Shipyard was designing his yacht.
• At the Rush Hour 2 celebration, Aaron and Christiana discussed her joining Scream 3, Kate Beckinsale’s return, and Jackie Chan’s popularity as the film succeeded overseas.
• Aaron and Christiana discussed the cost challenges of Rush Hour 3 and the possibility of adapting Dawn’s works into stage plays, inspired by Disney’s The Lion King musical.

Aaron discussed Jennifer Aniston’s next career move and offered her the lead role in Traffic, which she accepted. He also planned the film’s release for the year after next and prepared to visit Universal Studios Japan, while weighing Dawn’s theme-park competition with Disney.

• Aaron told Jennifer Aniston that Steven Soderbergh had a Traffic script with a challenging role for her as a drug lord’s wife.
• Jennifer Aniston agreed to star in Traffic, and Aaron reserved a supporting female role for Penélope Cruz.
• Aaron said Dawn would schedule Traffic for release the year after next so Steven Soderbergh had more time to prepare.
• Jennifer Aniston asked whether Aaron considered Disney Dawn’s biggest competitor, and he compared Disneyland with rival theme parks.

Aaron proposed expanding Dawn Universal’s rights library by acquiring smaller genre-film distributors and encouraged Norika Fujiwara to grow Media Asia Japan. He then left the company’s cramped Tokyo office with plans to invest in a larger headquarters and acquire talent agencies.

• Tom Rothman reported DVD sales growth to Aaron, who suggested that Dawn Universal expand its library with rights from independent genre-film companies.
• Tom agreed to watch for film companies worth acquiring for Dawn Home Entertainment.
• Aaron traveled to Japan with a group to attend the upcoming opening ceremony of Universal Studios Japan, whose construction costs had risen to 180 billion yen.
• Aaron visited Norika Fujiwara at Media Asia Japan and learned that the company had acquired Nanako Matsushima’s agency, Seventh Avenue Agency.
• Aaron urged Norika to sign more talent, find a better office, and consider building a headquarters of her own.
• Norika explained that Japan’s agency competition made recruiting difficult, and Aaron suggested acquiring smaller talent agencies.

Aaron and his partners opened Universal Studios Japan and discussed ways to make the park sustainable by incorporating Japanese entertainment IPs. After Disney signed an agreement with the Hong Kong SAR Government to build Hong Kong Disneyland, Aaron doubted the project’s prospects and explained why Universal was not ready to build a park in Hong Kong.

• Aaron and Norika Fujiwara discussed the Japanese box-office performance of Dawn’s films before traveling to Osaka for Universal Studios Japan’s opening.
• Aaron, Tom Williams, and Tsuyoshi Narita attended Universal Studios Japan’s September 2 opening ceremony, which drew more than 40,000 visitors.
• Aaron urged the park’s managers to incorporate Japanese cultural elements, including Mario and Godzilla, and suggested involving Sumitomo Group if negotiations with local companies proved slow.
• A week after the opening, the Hong Kong SAR Government and The Walt Disney Company signed an agreement to build Hong Kong Disneyland, with the government taking a 57% stake and Disney taking 43%.
• At his Hong Kong villa, Aaron told Yuki Law the park would take five or six years to open and said Universal should focus on Japan before considering a Hong Kong resort.

Aaron discussed Yuki Law’s work at Media Asia and received news that Haihua Investment had recovered another $2 billion from South Korea. He visited Joey Wong in Taipei, talked with her about his Shanghai investments and the decline of VCDs, and planned to attend the Fortune Global Forum after visiting Universal Music.

• Aaron asked Yuki Law about the Hong Kong box office success of Rush Hour 2, and she explained that Media Asia had acquired cinemas and could distribute its own films.
• Aaron learned that Edgar Owen had transferred another $2 billion in cash from South Korea to Haihua Investment.
• Aaron visited Joey Wong in Taipei after she had an allergic reaction at the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon set.
• Aaron told Joey Wong he planned to attend the Fortune Global Forum in Shanghai to meet internet company founders and pursue investments in China.
• Aaron advised Joey Wong to sell her Xinke VCD shares the following year because DVD adoption would bring VCDs into decline.
• Aaron agreed to visit Universal Music in Taipei and travel with Joey Wong to Shanghai for the forum.

Aaron met Jack Wells in Taipei, then spent the evening with model Lin Zhiling before returning to Joey Wong. He proposed that Media Asia establish headquarters in Hong Kong or Japan and in Mainland China, with Haihua Investment funding a Beijing building.

• Jack Wells told Aaron he was in Taipei to accompany a senior Department of Defense official discussing weapons sales, while Aaron explained he was going to Shanghai for the Fortune Global Forum and the AOL–Time Warner merger talks.
• Aaron met Lin Zhiling at the hotel bar, learned she had studied art history and economics at the University of Toronto, and told her about his entertainment businesses.
• Aaron and Lin Zhiling danced, kissed outside the hotel, and agreed to stay in touch while he traveled to Shanghai and she prepared to attend the Taipei Saks Fifth Avenue opening.
• Aaron returned to Joey Wong’s villa and suggested Media Asia build a headquarters, with Joey proposing to sell Newco shares to fund it.
• Aaron urged Joey to establish another Media Asia headquarters in Beijing, and she agreed to consider the plan with Haihua Investment funding it.

Aaron attended the Fortune Global Forum in Shanghai, discussed his media holdings and real estate expansion, and later traveled to Beijing to meet Lin Zhiling. The chapter left them preparing to explore the city together.

• Aaron spoke with Gerald Levin about the planned America Online and Time Warner merger and his decision to sell his America Online shares.
• Aaron and Kristy Yang discussed her move to mainland China and Haihua Real Estate’s plans for projects in Shanghai and Beijing.
• Aaron reviewed the Shanghai International Film Festival’s screening of The Legend of 1900 and expected it to receive no awards.
• Aaron skipped the opening of the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Taipei and arranged to meet Lin Zhiling in Beijing.
• Aaron picked Lin Zhiling up at the airport, and she praised his accomplishments before they planned to explore Beijing.

Aaron and Lin Zhiling visited Beijing’s Heaven on Earth nightclub before returning to the hotel, where they discussed her modeling career and opportunities through Aaron’s companies. Lin Zhiling planned to study in Japan and build her career at home, while Aaron offered her training and future acting roles through Media Asia.

• News spread about America Online’s planned merger with Time Warner, which faced antitrust scrutiny amid a speculative Internet boom.
• Aaron and Lin Zhiling visited Heaven on Earth, where they talked about her work as a model and former dance teacher.
• Aaron and Lin Zhiling returned to the Beijing Hilton and discussed his real estate investment and her plans to study modeling and fashion in Japan.
• Aaron offered to arrange Lin Zhiling’s training through Media Asia Japan and said Media Asia could provide her with opportunities to act.
• Lin Zhiling said she was uncertain about pursuing a career in the United States and preferred to build her career at home.

Aaron discussed major Beijing real estate projects with Wu Yufeng and talked with Joey Wong about film investments and the Mainland Chinese market. He proposed a Hong Kong-Mainland co-produced action film, and Joey agreed the idea could work.

• Wu Yufeng proposed an integrated commercial complex near Jianguomenwai Avenue, and Aaron approved the project while committing at least 500 million US dollars to Beijing developments.
• Joey Wong told Aaron she had handled the Shenzhen matter and visited Shinco, and they discussed the limited returns from releasing Hollywood films in Mainland China.
• Aaron and Joey Wong discussed Not One Less, Chinese-language films, and Media Asia's new agency department in Mainland China.
• Aaron suggested producing a 20-to-30-million-yuan commercial action film with a Hong Kong director and lead actor alongside Mainland Chinese supporting actors, and Joey considered the plan feasible.

Aaron and Joey Wong discussed Hong Kong filmmakers’ struggles in Hollywood and plans to build Media Asia Entertainment around stars from Mainland China and the broader Asian market. After Aaron met with China Film Group and China International Television Corporation, Han Sanping arranged a dinner to discuss film production.

• Joey Wong told Aaron that Peter Chan’s Hollywood film Love Letter had failed, and Aaron discussed the mixed fortunes of Hong Kong filmmakers and actors in Hollywood.
• Aaron advised Joey Wong to cultivate stars from Mainland China and expand Media Asia into South Korea and the wider Greater China cultural sphere.
• Aaron asked Joey Wong to join his meeting with China Film Group and China International Television Corporation about Dawn’s film and television imports.
• Aaron met with executives from both organizations at the China World Hotel to discuss film cooperation and television drama imports.
• Joey Wong told Aaron that Han Sanping, China Film Group’s vice chairman and deputy general manager in charge of production, wanted to meet him, and Aaron agreed to dinner.

After “American Pie” became a global hit and inspired imitators, Aaron Anderson discussed the crisis facing Chinese cinema with China Film Group Vice Chairman Han Sanping in Beijing. He argued for commercial filmmaking and industry training, while Media Asia announced a 30-million-yuan Mainland-Hong Kong action co-production.

• “American Pie” earned 235 million US dollars worldwide, and its success prompted other companies to develop similar teen sex comedies.
• Han Sanping hosted Aaron Anderson and Joey Wong at dinner and asked Aaron for his views on the struggling Chinese film industry.
• Aaron said investors needed the prospect of returns and described films as both art and commodities.
• Joey Wong told Han Sanping that Media Asia would invest 30 million yuan in a commercial action film made as a Mainland-Hong Kong co-production.
• Aaron recommended training behind-the-scenes professionals and developing commercial genres such as action, romance, and comedy.