Bridge Journal

Irene's hand paused briefly as she cut her steak, then continued moving as if nothing had happened.

"How come I've never seen this novel in a bookstore?" Irene had actually considered adapting the movie herself. The plot was simple, the story heartwarming, and most importantly, it had made a lot of money at the box office—exactly the kind of movie she liked to make.

Back when she'd been at the bookstore, she hadn't found any related source material and had almost written the script herself. In the end, though, she'd chosen Legally Blonde and Mean Girls as her starting point, since they cost less to make.

"I heard it hasn't been published yet, but the author is friends with director Marshall, so he got to read the story ahead of time and decided to adapt it. The novel and movie will be released at the same time."

Now she was glad she hadn't jumped the gun. Otherwise, she might have been accused of plagiarism, though Hollywood directors didn't seem to care much about that.

But did The Princess Diaries have a role suited to Julia Roberts? At her age, would she have to play the heroine's mother? A single mother? That would certainly be a bold choice. Irene let her imagination run wild without a care.

"So who got the role?"

"They're still holding open auditions, apparently. I wonder who'll hit the jackpot." Jessica's voice was full of longing.

One was a well-known lead, the other an obscure supporting character. Everyone knew there was a difference.

But Jessica wasn't stupid. Showing a little envy was enough. It wasn't as if she could abandon the role she already had to gamble on some vague promise of a brighter future.

"You're all still young. You'll be leading ladies in movies someday, too."

She wasn't just saying that. Aside from Edward Nelson, whom she'd discovered herself, every one of the people at the table was a future Hollywood star.

Even Edward—if he kept treating Britney well, Irene could always find a place for him, even if no other director thought much of his acting.

Dinner came to an end amid everyone's gossip and chatter.

After returning to the hotel and washing up, Irene took out the notebook she carried with her. She found the line for The Princess Diaries and crossed it out.

This time, she'd learned her lesson: she needed to be more careful when choosing movies. Relying on bookstore visits to check whether a source novel existed was too risky.

She hadn't had money before, but now she did. She could easily hire a team to conduct more thorough research for her.

The internet was developing rapidly, and online astroturfing was still an untapped market. She could get in early and use it to promote her movies.

But where could she find the right people?

The evening breeze drifted in through the window. Relaxed in her lounge chair, Irene let her gaze wander aimlessly around the room until it suddenly stopped at the desk.

Looking more closely, she saw a stack of entertainment newspapers she didn't recognize.

"Entertainment newspapers?!" Irene stood and picked them up. They were full of the usual Hollywood news, but one paper, called the Bridge Journal, had an article that read: "Hollywood in October 1999 stands at the crossroads of a new era and an old one.

"On one hand, traditional dramas like American Beauty are being hailed as masterpieces. On the other, provocative, subversive films like Fight Club are challenging the limits of mainstream audiences.

"At the same time, cable television is poised to rise, while the entire industry presses forward amid the excitement and anxiety of technological change and the approaching millennium."

The paper's name didn't sound like that of a gossip rag, and it was rare to find such forward-looking commentary in an obscure newspaper. Perhaps acquiring a newspaper could be the start of her astroturfing business.

After all, it already had staff and premises, and its feel for Hollywood was pretty good.

She wrote down the paper's name and asked Vera to gather everything the Bridge Journal had published in the past few years and look into its background to see whether it might be possible to buy it.

The following evening, the set was tense. They were about to shoot one of the most dramatic scenes in the film: Regina ran into Cady in the hallway after Aaron had just invited her to a party. With her trademark "plastic smile" and carefully crafted lies, Regina would try to ruin Cady's excitement at being invited.

"Everyone, get ready. We're shooting Scene 137: Regina's 'friendly warning.'" Irene announced over the walkie-talkie, her voice steady.

The set was the familiar hallway. Rachel, playing Regina, was already in character, a sweet smile on her lips. But when her eyes swept over Cady, they were cold.

"Action!"

Regina affectionately linked arms with Cady. "Hey! I just saw you talking to Aaron. Did he invite you to the Halloween party?"

Cady blushed, then nodded with shy delight. "Yeah, he said all his friends would be there..."

"Oh, honey." Regina immediately interrupted her in a tone full of "sympathy," as if she were about to share an uncomfortable secret. "Listen, as your best friend, I feel like I have to tell you... Aaron invited every girl to that party. I mean, every girl. Even Susie, the girl who takes out the trash in the cafeteria, got an invitation last week. It's really nothing special."

The close-up stayed fixed on Cady's face. The light in her eyes quickly dimmed. Her budding joy gave way to embarrassment, disappointment, and a flicker of anger at being toyed with.

"Cut!"

Irene stood up from behind the monitors. Instead of commenting on the performance right away, she hurried over to the two actresses.

"Reese, the shifts in your emotions are really good, but you went from happy to disappointed too quickly. There needs to be some doubt in between," Irene explained carefully. "In that moment, you shouldn't believe Regina right away. You'd instinctively look in the direction Aaron went, hoping to find some confirmation. Then your trust would crumble, and the self-doubt would set in. Let's do another take, with a little more thought in the middle."

Then she turned to Rachel. "Rachel, your emotional shifts are good too, but that last line, 'It's really nothing special,' could be a little more flippant, with a hint of casual cruelty. Say it as if you're talking about something trivial. That'll make it sting more for Cady. Understand?"

"Understood, director!"

"Action!"

Just as expected, everyone's performances had more depth this time. After hearing Regina's words, Cady instinctively looked into the distance, perfectly conveying her inner struggle and doubt.

Regina's subtle, condescending mockery was spot-on, too. When she delivered the improvised, unspoken line—"The game has begun"—Irene's lips curved into a satisfied smile behind the monitors.

"Cut! Excellent!" Irene said, her voice tinged with excitement. "That's a wrap for today! Thank you, everyone!"

After 54 days of shooting, they'd finished all the school scenes and location work before winter arrived. Tomorrow, they'd move to the final location—the mansion—to film the Halloween scenes.

"Tomorrow we're shooting night scenes, so everyone can get some rest tonight and tomorrow during the day. The stylists will need to put in a little more work tonight. Before you leave, make sure the actors have the right outfits for tomorrow."

Before wrapping up, Irene assigned the last task of the day.