Log:Kingmaker, Scene 1

Kingmaker 2011/01/08 	 Lorelei Toni Daniels|Toni 1

Lorelei takes advantage of a lull in her schedule to practice some magic her mother taught her over Christmas. So far, she hasn't got it to work on this world. To make it simple, she's wearing a backless dress.

Lorelei's phone rings. It's Toni, Lorelei's Hollywood agent.

Lorelei, seeing who it is, says "Phone, Jeeves," so the building computer can display visual (if any) on one of the living room walls. "Hey Toni!"

Toni's in her office, standing by her desk. Behind her, a panoramic window offers a scenic vista of a trendy section of LA. Toni's dressed conservatively in a skirt suit that flatters her build. "Lorelei, darling! How are things on the East Coast?"

Lorelei grins. "Quiet. No supervillain's tried to destroy the city even once this week." She realises that Colonial Bay's reputation for such things exceeds the reality. Her own camera angle shows the window to the great balcony and the scene beyond.

Toni smiles, "Well, Saturday isn't over yet -- it could still happen." She walks about the room a little as she speaks, the camera following her as she moves. "I still haven't given up on convincing you to move to LA. Yes, we have capes, but it's not as bad as Colonial Bay. But I digress... I have good news and I wanted to inform you as quickly as possible."

Lorelei smiles. "Oh yes?" She goes and sits in an armchair. "Do tell!"

Toni nods. "Just got the numbers back from the advance screening of Kingmaker. The audience loved the most recent cut. I think we have a winner on our hands."

Lorelei says, "Well, I guess we'll see once the real audiences come to see it...."

Toni raises a finger to make a point. "It's not to early to start shopping a second home out here," she jokes. "On the back of the Rift movies, if Kingmaker succeeds, you'll have this town eating out your hand." She takes a moment and walks back to her desk, to check something on her computer. "How is Jonathan doing? I heard he had a little incident this week."

Lorelei says, "He's fine - nothing hurts him much! It was an outright trap for him they'd laid, and you'd never have known something was wrong by the time I talked to him."

Toni nods, looking up to Lorelei again. "That's good to hear. The studio is looking at increased security at the premieres, just in case. There are some concerns though, mostly concerning a second and third Kingmaker movie."

Lorelei says, "Is that really on? When I came on board no one was talking in terms of possible sequels. In fact I was widely advised it wasn't a smart step in my career!"

"When Kingmaker hits the theatres," Toni says, "The question will be become /when/ will the sequels be released. I'm that confident in the project. It's just..." She pauses a moment. "I'll lay it out for you straight. Some of the financiers are concerned about the possibility of another Next Generation attack on Titan. The insurance people are starting to balk, and the security costs might sink the deal. Kingmaker II will happen. It just won't happen with Titan in it."

Lorelei frowns. "You know I only came on board in the first place because Johnathan was in it? Well, that and it sounded like a bit of fun."

"The Klein brothers are the chief financiers," Toni says. "If they pull out, then there won't be a sequel. It's not a personal slight against Titan; it's just show business."

Lorelei says, "It's crazy. He's much *harder* to hurt than most people. Not chance of his missing a day of shooting for a sprained ankle or anything!"

Toni says, "But there are lot of people working on the movie set who aren't bulletproof..." "I'm sorry that this is happening, kid, but honestly - I'm your agent, not his. I'm here to offer my best advice for your career, and this is what I think."

Lorelei says, "Do you think I should even go this way? People were already saying it was a mistake to do this if I ever wanted to be taken seriously as an actor - let's face it, a lot of my role in Kingmaker is a matter of wearing various interesting outfits, more so than Rift..."

Toni says, "Which 'people', Lorelei? In my thirty years in this business, I've learned two things. One, never listen to 'they', 'them', or 'those people'. You have to trust in yourself, especially in this industry. Two, never leave money on the table. You're hot now, and it's best to strike the iron now."

Lorelei says, "I've never been so good at trusting myself in such things - or at least in making up my mind."

Toni says, "Well, you have some time to think about it. The Klein brothers are out of town this week, though when they get back, they'll want to lock up the details. I'll give David's people a call as well, to see how they are taking the news."

Lorelei says, "They want to close this even before they know if the first one does well?"

Toni says, with mock innocence, "Someone might have given them the impression that you were looking at the script for the new McTiernan project. I think they wanted to lock up the details as quickly as possible."

Lorelei grins. "So why aren't I? Or more seriously, are there any other likely projects on the cards?" I'm guessing not, if she wanted to nail this one so quickly.

"Because no one has seen the McTiernan's script," Toni says. "He's bunkered up at his ranch in Montana, claiming to have written the next Citizen Kane. Believe me, if I though the project had legs, you'd have a copy in your hands now. I've got my people looking for scripts for you. I may have one or two to send you next week."

Lorelei nods. "See how it goes, then."

Toni says, "Alright. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!"