On September 19, Snow and Greenwich, the two little ones, were brought to Los Angeles. Sophia didn't come to North America, and it was Jennifer who traveled to Rome. Simon understood Sophia's feelings—she didn't want to seem too reluctant, but only hoped that the two kids could truly integrate into the Westeros family.
When Jennifer went to pick them up, Janet arranged for a small team from Boeing to accompany her.
The two Boeing 767s the Westeros family ordered earlier in the year were about to begin interior renovations. Janet had entrusted one of the designs to Sophia and even had her assistant pass along the message that this plane would become Sophia's personal jet. She could often come to Los Angeles to see the children.
It was an unspoken understanding.
Sophia didn't refuse.
On another front, while Happy Ranch sparked nationwide excitement over the weekend, Simon was in New York, personally overseeing the post-production of the first episode of American Idol to ensure everything was flawless.
September 25, a new week began.
As the end of September approached, several hit shows and reality series produced by Daenerys Entertainment had already premiered new seasons, including Survivor, Friends, Seinfeld, Desperate Housewives, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. In the final week of the month, two new projects were set to premiere: American Idol on September 26 and Sex and the City on September 28.
At the same time, on the morning of Tuesday, September 26, following a series of acquisition and merger announcements, Daenerys Entertainment and Metropolitan ABC Group held a press conference in New York. They officially declared that the merger between the two companies had been approved by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission, moving the deal to the next stage.
Later that evening, at 8 p.m., American Idol premiered.
The first episode ran for 86 minutes, essentially two back-to-back episodes. This was a common strategy for new shows to attract viewers quickly and gauge audience feedback.
As usual, Simon did not list his name in the production credits of American Idol. However, those in the industry were well aware of his significant involvement in the reality show, prompting widespread attention. Many entertainment media outlets predicted that American Idol would draw over 20 million viewers for its first episode.
But the reality exceeded expectations.
Half an hour into the broadcast, Nielsen, the real-time monitor of U.S. TV ratings, published the first set of data on its website.
34.7 million.
This was the viewership for the premiere of American Idol. It leaped from the predicted ratings of a hit show to a phenomenon.
Igreat Media quickly pushed the news to their front page, and American Idol became a trending topic on Facebook, further boosting interest from potential viewers.
Simon, who had rushed to New York the previous Thursday to complete post-production on the first episode, couldn't yet return to the West Coast. With the Daenerys-Metropolitan ABC merger having passed federal scrutiny, there was still much work to be done.
As American Idol aired on ABC, Daenerys and Metropolitan ABC hosted a cocktail party at a hotel on the Upper West Side to celebrate the approval of their merger. News of American Idol's spectacular debut arrived quickly, and the entire ballroom raised their glasses in celebration.
It's common for new shows to start strong due to pre-launch promotion, and viewership often drops as some viewers switch channels if the content doesn't suit their tastes.
However, with a starting viewership of 34.7 million, even if there was a slight decline, maintaining an average above 30 million would guarantee success.
The original American Idol also premiered to around 30 million viewers and became FOX's flagship show. This time, Simon's expectation was for the first season to achieve an average viewership of over 20 million, which would already be a great success.
But he had underestimated himself.
At someone's suggestion, when news of the ratings success came in, hotel staff quickly set up a large-screen TV in the corner of the ballroom, naturally airing American Idol. Everyone knew what a 30 million-viewer show meant, and many guests curiously gathered to watch.
Simon didn't join the crowd. Instead, he stayed with a few high-level executives from both companies, discussing the next steps of the merger.
With the merger approved, the first task was settlement.
Since a flexible payment option had been offered, Metropolitan ABC shareholders could freely choose between stock and cash. It would take about two weeks to process the registrations and calculations. This was more complex and costly than simply cutting a large check after approval, with additional accounting expenses reaching millions of dollars. However, since it was promised, it had to be executed.
Once the settlement was completed, Daenerys Entertainment would officially take over Metropolitan ABC Group.
Next, personnel adjustments and asset restructuring would follow. Metropolitan ABC's former chairman and CEO, Tom Murphy, would officially retire after the transition. The TV assets of Metropolitan ABC and Daenerys would merge into a new entity called Daenerys Television Company, with Robert Iger serving as CEO. He would oversee ABC, ESPN, USA Network, AE Network, Fashion TV, ABC Radio, and all other TV assets under Daenerys Entertainment.
In addition to its TV network, Metropolitan ABC owned a portfolio of newspapers and magazines valued at over $1 billion.
Initially, Simon planned to sell off these assets, but after reconsideration, he scrapped that idea.
Daenerys Entertainment didn't need the extra $1 billion in cash. Instead, having more newspapers and magazines would increase its media influence. Therefore, Simon decided to integrate these assets with the print media inherited from MCA. While the decline of the print media industry was inevitable, even if these assets eventually became worthless, it would have little impact on the colossal scale of Daenerys Entertainment.
After completing these adjustments, the next step would be to spend one to two years realizing the full synergy of Daenerys Entertainment.
Synergy—it sounds like a simple term.
But for many merged companies, it's challenging to achieve.
When Time Inc. merged with Warner Brothers, they heavily promoted the idea of synergy between the two companies. However, internal conflicts continued, with executives from different factions vying for power. Instead of synergy, the company suffered from severe infighting.
Had this not been the case, Time Warner's stock wouldn't have remained so sluggish.
Simon, however, was confident that Daenerys Entertainment would achieve synergy because the company had only one brain—his. Moreover, since its founding, Simon had always promoted inter-departmental collaboration, which had become a part of Daenerys' corporate culture.
Naturally, with a large company, disagreements are inevitable.
But Simon's stance was clear: anyone within Daenerys Entertainment who attempted to build their own kingdom would be shown the door. Though many of the executives were veterans who had been with Simon since the beginning, he had no hesitation about taking drastic measures if necessary. He was willing to be ruthless, like Zhu Yuanzhang.
The cocktail party, after all, wasn't the place to handle business matters.
After a brief ten-minute discussion, everyone dispersed to mingle with other guests.
Simon had just taken a fresh glass of champagne from a passing waiter when two petite women in black evening dresses approached him. They were Kim Richards and Kyle Richards. Simon greeted them with a raised glass, glanced around the room, and noticed Richard Hilton and Kathy Hilton nearby. Seeing Simon's gaze, Kathy Hilton quickly looked away, having been glancing in their direction.
The Richards sisters gave Simon an entirely different impression than when he first met them.
Mostly because they were small.
Among the three sisters, the tallest, Kathy Hilton, stood at only 160 cm, while Kim and Kyle were around 155 cm.
Simon gave a small smile, withdrew his gaze, and casually greeted them, "Kim, Kyle, how've you been?"
"Not bad," Kyle Richards responded first, though her tone carried a hint of frustration. Since that night, the sisters had been trying to reconnect with Simon, hoping he could help them revive their acting careers. However, they soon realized how difficult it was to even get a word in with the seemingly omnipresent man.
Last time, they had practically forced their sister to get them tickets to the Jurassic Park 2 premiere. But at the after-party, Simon, accompanied by Janet Westeros, stayed only briefly, leaving them without a chance to speak.
Kyle Richards had even tried to audition for a role in Sex and the City, premiering this week. She went as far as to get Robert Iger's phone number from her sister, hinting during their conversation about her close relationship with Westeros, hoping to get a shortcut.
But she didn't even make it past the first round of auditions. The feedback she received was blunt—she was too short to act alongside the other cast members. The casting director, after several conversations, finally grew frustrated and sarcastically remarked that they couldn't cast a bunch of five-foot-tall women to play fashionable urbanites. Furious, Kyle had hung up the phone.
As two of Hollywood's most successful gold diggers, the Richards sisters weren't about to give up easily.
So tonight, they forced their way into the party again, leveraging their sister's connections.
They had a prepared script, ready to chastise Simon for his coldness before subtly asking for an opportunity. But standing in front of him now, looking at his deceptively charming face, they suddenly felt meek.
Ignorance breeds bravery.
But the Richards sisters, groomed from a young age to be socialites, had a deep understanding of the upper echelons of society. Having seen the glamour, they were also well aware of the immense power that lay behind these seemingly simple
identities. And the young man before them was undoubtedly someone who commanded that kind of power.
The simplest fact was that if he didn't give them what they wanted, they had no recourse. Worse, if they offended him, he could easily take everything from them, leaving them with nothing in this industry.
That's power.
Humans inherently fear power because it can grant life or death. It's easy to laugh off the authority of those who don't affect you, like a foreign president.
At their first meeting, Simon had seemed so young and approachable that they had dared to be more open. But after months of realization about how out of reach he truly was, they had grown far more cautious.
In a tone filled with flattery, they chatted casually about American Idol playing in the corner. They had intended to ease into the conversation, but soon forgot about the setting. Another woman approached—one whom they could only look up to in more ways than one.
At 183 cm tall, Jerry Hall, especially in heels, towered over the Richards sisters, making them feel like children.
When she arrived, she didn't bother hiding her intentions, immediately taking Simon's arm and pretending to be curious about the identity of the two women.
It was common knowledge by now that Simon Westeros had many lovers, even publicly acknowledged ones.
Ordinary people tend to be more forgiving of those in power.
So, the fact that Simon Westeros had many women in his life seemed almost expected. Though some might mock the women involved, many secretly envied them.
Seeing Jerry Hall holding Simon's arm and looking down at them, the first emotion the Richards sisters felt was jealousy.
Of course, they didn't show it.
After a brief, friendly exchange, there was no follow-up. Jerry Hall proudly led Simon away, saying she had something to discuss, leaving the Richards sisters behind, staring daggers at the taller woman.
In recent years, Jerry Hall had been thriving in the television world thanks to Simon's help. Her show, Fashion Workshop, remained a popular program on Fashion TV, and she had no plans to leave. After noticing the bodyguard-maid duo that served Simon's inner circle of women, she had even asked Simon for a set of her own.
It was a mutual understanding.
Simon never forced any woman to stay. Those who wished to remain his long-term lovers were granted the privilege of having both a maid and a bodyguard. These attendants could serve as assistants but also acted as a form of surveillance. If the woman wanted to leave, she would send the maid and bodyguard back to the Westeros family. Before that, if she cheated, Simon wouldn't hesitate to act.
Jerry Hall was a smart woman.
After securing a $5 million home from Simon and receiving her maid and bodyguard, she wisely refrained from asking for more. But with Simon's backing, her ventures had flourished. Aside from Fashion Workshop, she had launched her own production company and fashion brand, enjoying considerable success.
She led Simon to a corner of the ballroom and sat with him on a sofa, asking for two glasses of red wine to replace his champagne. After snuggling up to him, she playfully asked, "Are you into that type of woman now?"
Simon wrapped his arm around her waist and teased, "You know me—I'm a man who's always willing to try new things."
Jerry Hall rolled her eyes lightly and gestured toward the TV still playing American Idol on the other side. "This show is quite impressive, premiering with 30 million viewers. The average should be at least 20 million, right? But you gave away 5,000 iPlayer devices in just one episode. I think that's the real secret to the show's success. What if you stop giving them away? Do you think people will still watch?"
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