Chapter 107: Twinkling Stars
Lion's Gate Entertainment Christmas party today.
As the most recent Hollywood movie company with a big name, Lionsgate can be said to have "a reputation that precedes it". Many Hollywood stars and entertainment industry heavyweights all came to support it.
Lion's Gate Entertainment rarely has such a glorious time, it must be a grand and magnificent occasion.
As a result, the area around his company became lively, with all sorts of luxury cars lining up from one end of the street to the other. Moreover, many big stars gathered together, and the media rushed to report on it. The whole scene was as grand as an awards ceremony.
It can be said that in Hollywood, every dinner party is an opportunity for fame and fortune. Whether male or female, everyone hopes to take advantage of this opportunity to show off themselves and make a big impression.
Outside the banquet hall, the valet parking attendants widened their eyes one by one, with sparkling eyes and deep envy in their hearts, admiring the slowly arriving vehicles of different brands.
But what appeared were Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Rolls-Royce, stretched Lincoln, gradually forming a long dragon, as if holding an extraordinary exhibition of famous cars.
"Oh my god, am I seeing things? This is a limited edition Porsche sedan, there are only three in all of Hollywood and today I get to see one, what an eye-opener!" said one of the shorter service staff. "I wonder who's so lucky to have helped him park."
A Porsche sedan slowed down and came to a stop, from which emerged a stylish young white gentleman.
The white young master tossed the car key to a tall and handsome waiter, saying "Hey, buddy, park it for me!" and casually threw out a $10 tip.
In the United States, a tip of $2 to $3 is generally given for parking services. A higher amount would be $5. Nowadays, if someone gives $10, it's already considered a lot.
The saliva of the little buddies next to me almost flowed out. The tall waiter, with a swagger, put the tip into his pocket and waved his hand, saying: "Hey, buddies, I'm going to park my car!" He looked like the car was his own.
Watching the other person drive away, others withdraw their saliva, and everyone is praying for the arrival of the lucky god. Come on, come to me! I will seize this opportunity well, yes, I must! May God bless me! Amen!!!
Soon, a more stylish Ferrari drove slowly into the sight of everyone. A middle-aged couple with a radiant aura got out of the Ferrari.
The short waiter shouted in his heart: "Choose me! Choose me!"
The middle-aged couple took a look around and handed the car keys over to another attendant, along with a $10 tip.
Not long after, except for the short and unimpressive waiter, everyone else had a great harvest, happily talking about their experience driving luxury cars, and how they would spend their tips on drinking, coffee, dating beautiful women, and going to casinos.
The guests have almost arrived, and the short service staff's heart has already cooled down by more than half.
At this time, a car drove over slowly with its horn blowing. The service staff were about to rush up and grab the last fruit, but the short service staff had already darted over like a bullet.
Everyone took a closer look and found that it was a white minivan, and it was the lowest level of the large cargo van style.
This "large belly" minibus is generally purchased by the crew for the convenience of pulling actors and props, with a large interior space that can hold a bed, so it's often used as a temporary bedroom.
Although it's also a car, this low-end minivan is not comparable to the high-end cars in front, and even ordinary people with average social status wouldn't want to drive something like this. So when these valet parking attendants took a closer look, they immediately stopped in their tracks, thinking: "Oh damn! This crappy car must not have any money-making potential, it's better to take a break instead!"
The short service attendant ran over, took a clear look at the car's appearance, and couldn't help but feel disappointed in his heart. Although he knew he might not receive much of a tip, the professional integrity that had been deeply ingrained in him wouldn't allow him to slack off on serving the customer. So he stepped forward first and said: "Hello sir, I'm delighted to serve you!"
Others stood by and laughed, one of them jeered: "Look, buddies, this guy is so hungry that he's not picky about his guests!"
"Right, a jinxed guy! I reckon he doesn't even have money to buy gas, let alone give him any lousy tips!"
The short service staff's face turned red, pretending not to hear the mocking sounds. He quickly walked forward and opened the car door of the stroller, then saw someone get out from inside.
This is an Asian man with black hair and eyes, tall and slender, with a warm smile, and most importantly, his bright eyes seem to see through your heart.
That Asian man gave a glance at the short service staff, his eyes gleaming with electricity, and a smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. He thought to himself, "I didn't expect that I, Yi Feiyang, would be ridiculed as a poor devil who can't even afford gasoline!"
That's right, the person in front of you is Yi Feiyang.
He had left the crew and rushed to attend the banquet, but his newly purchased Mercedes-Benz temporarily served as a dedicated car for picking up the female lead Stormy. Unfortunately, in order to save time, he had to make do with driving over this nanny car from the crew. However, just as he arrived here and hadn't gotten out of the car yet, he heard these parking attendants mocking the short service staff.
"Then trouble you, it's best to stop in a more spacious place, so I can back up when I go back." Yi Feiyang smiled and handed the key to the short service staff.
"Don't worry, sir, I'll definitely take care of it!" The short servant replied.
"Thanks a lot!" Yi Feiyang handed over the tip with a flourish.
Unexpectedly, there was still a tip to be had, and the short service staff couldn't help but feel a thrill in his heart. It wasn't until Yi Feiyang walked towards the entrance of the banquet hall that he came back to himself.
The guy next to him laughed and said, "Hey buddy, take a look at how much tip this guy gave you. Is it $1? Or is it $2?"
"Yeah, maybe it's just a thank-you note or a gas station receipt. God, what kind of tip can such a poor devil give you?!"
The short waiter's face turned bright red, and he very reluctantly pulled out the tip. Under the dim light of the lamp, everyone gathered together to see how much it was...
Gradually, everyone's eyes all turned green, and it was a 100-yuan bill!
$100!
This might be the highest tip received by anyone tonight!
……
At this time, the celebration hall of Lion's Gate Films was packed with people.
The gentlemen all had shiny wax on their heads, wore glossy leather shoes on their feet, and were radiant from head to toe, like a gentleman with elegant demeanor and polite manners.
The young ladies are chirping and chattering, dressed up in a resplendent manner, wearing expensive evening gowns, with fashionable hairstyles on their heads, one more beautiful than the other, one younger than the other.
The entire hall was set up in the form of a cocktail party, with long tables filled with exquisite delicacies, colorful and shiny silverware sparkling under the lights, and privately colored cocktails elegantly placed on the buffet table, like an enchanting maiden, showing off her most beautiful posture, waiting for people to taste.
The real selection of fine wines and juices for guests to choose from was placed on silver trays, carried back and forth through the crowd by waiters dressed in tailcoats.
As an invited guest, Yi Feiyang arrived at the banquet scene on time. Compared to those big stars, his appearance can only be described as "negligible".
Yes, who would notice a Chinese-American director?
Who would have known that this young man in front of me is actually the mysterious Yi who has been making headlines recently?!
No fans, no reporters, and no one bothering him, Yi Feiyang was carefree.
If you look closely, you can find many superstars that are usually only seen in movies at tonight's party.
For example, on the male star side, there are Brad Pitt and Edward Norton who are currently working together to film "Fight Club", as well as old-time male stars like George Clooney who have starred in "Friends" and "From Dusk Till Dawn".
In fact, these three Hollywood male stars cover the idol type, character type and acting type. Their appearance almost occupied half of the evening party's limelight.
Even the later-to-come female stars, such as Famke Janssen, the heroine of "Deep Freeze", Russian star Milla Jovovich who rose to fame with "The Fifth Element" and the controversial American Hilton heiress Paris Hilton, who is now trying to break into Hollywood, cannot steal the spotlight from these old men.
Hollywood has always been male-dominated and female-devalued, it's just like this.
In the future, you can see Stallone go from "First Blood" to "The Expendables", Schwarzenegger go from "Terminator" to "Total Recall", when have you ever seen a Hollywood female star go from being popular in the 80s to still being popular today?
From sexy goddess to top-notch mother, no female star can escape the passage of time. After being popular, they gradually hide their flaws and disappear behind the big screen.
Of course, as the big stars invited to this dinner party, they are unwilling to be with small people and spontaneously form a circle - "high-end circle", gathering around some big bosses and directors in the center of the stage.
Near them on the other side is another circle, known as the "second-rate circle", which consists of some second-rate directors and second-rate stars in Hollywood. These people have been struggling in Hollywood for many years, but unfortunately, they are not lucky enough. The movies they make either have good word-of-mouth but no box office or have box office but no good reputation, and they are at a bottleneck in their lives. Who knows, maybe one of them will get lucky and suddenly become a big hit, squeezing into the first circle.
Further away, in a remote corner of the banquet hall, there were mostly minor celebrities and directors invited by Shimeng Film, who made films that had neither box office nor reputation, belonging to the authentic "street goods". Therefore, this circle was also called the "Street Circle". In this circle, there were also some uninvited "filler" stars, because of the large number of people, it seemed particularly lively.