"Boss, your script has been registered with the Writers Guild, but there are some issues with the music. Michael Jackson and Barbra Streisand have both turned you down."
"Tsk, that's something. It's understandable for that old woman since her ties with Warner are strong, but what's up with that black kid? I thought my reputation was pretty good among the brothers!"
"Boss, maybe they're just too big-shot to need an opportunity like this."
"Tsk, let's leave it for now. I'll think of a way."
Honestly, someone was being a bit too ambitious. The two he intended to invite were at their peak now. No need to talk about that black kid; he's already hit it big. And as for Barbra Streisand, she's a big star with over ten million in sales from just one album.
A movie theme song?
Ha!
Well, William White was looked down upon. Musicians are actually quite proud, and they certainly look down on this nouveau riche. Just because he made a few decent films?
Still a bumpkin!
He wasn't too surprised by Michael Jackson's refusal. The guy's talent was all in music; he wasn't great in other areas and was basically like a big kid.
Sigh, he's already had it tough enough, let's just let him be.
As for Barbra Streisand, that's where things got fishy. It's okay to refuse, but usually, you need to be a bit more tactful. This attitude wasn't right. Could it be Steve Ross stirring the pot again?
You got kicked out of Warner and still don't know when to quit? Do you really think I've got unlimited patience?
Oh right, MTV was established this year; I doubt they'd mind if I cut in on this.
"Suzuki, get Filson over here, and bring the person in charge of cable TV with you."
"Yes, boss."
MTV eventually went to Viacom; Warner and General Electric should also have shares. This was one of Sumner Redstone's best acquisitions.
Heh, competitors are rivals; MTV's mine now.
For singers, the charts were obviously important, yet the promotional power of MTV was even greater. Madonna and Michael Jackson were among the beneficiaries.
...
"Boss, it's a call from Jobs."
"Mm."
"Hey, Steve, what do you want now?"
"William, are you sure IBM will have products this year?"
"Duh, I have my sources. They'll probably launch in the first half; their board of directors has already lost patience. With your sales target of five hundred million this year, it's impossible they're not rushing."
Jobs was at a loss for words. There really wasn't much he could say. Everyone was taunting the Big Blue, and now it had had enough and decided to teach this bunch of ants a lesson.
"William, what's your assessment?"
"Steve, if you're asking about price, I can tell you clearly, below five grand, with a hard drive, and the CPU should be an 8080 series, a 16-bit chip similar to our 6700."
Whether it was appropriate to say this or not, William White didn't care about Jobs's choice anyway. After that guy's Lisa computer comes out, he'd unload all his stock.
...
"Markkula, our pricing might be an issue. If William White's assessment is correct, our value-for-money isn't high."
"Yeah, there's no fundamental difference between the 6800 and 6700. Just like William White said, unless one megabyte of memory becomes standard, the differences are very limited."
"Why don't we come up with a basic model with the 6700 chip?"
"Sure, but I feel like William White did this on purpose. This 6700 chip, the pins are exactly the same, there's really no visible difference."
Because of William White's interference, it made life tougher for the Big Blue. Being invincible was nothing but a pipe dream.
...
William White had registered a new script.
In just a day, almost everyone in Hollywood knew about it. Of course, they also knew about the issues with the movie's theme song.
Judging by the theme song choice, it's clearly a big production. Before this, his films were never so particular.
Now, William White couldn't keep a low profile even if he wanted to. Who exactly was pushing this undercurrent? He could figure it out with his behind -- just a bunch of disappointed folks.
He didn't care, but the two who rejected him were feeling awkward. Wanting not to work together was one thing, but blindly provoking someone was another.
In this era, original movie soundtracks didn't have the status they would in the future, and even if it was good, it wouldn't be found in a comedy.
*****
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