American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 82 Screams of Joy and Conspiracy

It is perfectly normal for cinemas to play commercials during the intermission between two movies.

The purpose of movie theaters is to make money; refusing to accept advertisements is idiotic.

Not to mention, in this day and age, advertising during movie theater breaks is still very valuable.

Because the mobile internet has not yet taken off;
Because in Europe and America, good seats in cinemas have to be fought for by the audience themselves;
So, after getting a seat, won't the guys without phones to play with be bored?
At this time, giving them a little something sweet will immediately capture their attention!

And advertising?

The effect will be absolutely amazing!

Therefore, when Disney put ads for "The Voice" in theaters, the feedback was very rapid.

Hernandez had barely run out of the theater when there were already quite a few people at the front desk asking about The Voice.

Once they received the promotional brochures and learned that "The Voice" would be co-hosted by Disney and Warner Bros., and that registration would take place at Disney fan clubs in major cities, they immediately sprouted wings and flew there.

I'm so anxious!

Then, the ever-appearing crowds, seemingly refreshing like in a game, demonstrated Isabella's terrifying influence—

When they arrived at the Disney fan club in Los Angeles, there was already a line of people waiting at the entrance.

The pre-arranged guidance further alerted them to the pervasive sense of legitimacy in the air—

Disney staff were directing traffic at the entrance of their premises using loudspeakers.
"We welcome Americans of all ages to apply for The Voice. All applicants should line up in an orderly manner under the guidance of staff. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent."

"Then, please note that all applicants must not have a record deal or artist management contract when registering."

"Because contestants have the opportunity to receive record and management contracts from professional companies. For example, the champion's prize is a 100% chance to release an album with Warner Music, and the production cost of the album will not be less than ten million US dollars."

"Secondly, there is no fee for registration or participation in the competition."

"We only want to find the most beautiful sounds of this summer. Anyone who asks you to pay is a scammer. If you find anything unusual, please inform us immediately. If it is confirmed, the person who reports it will receive a special reward."

"Finally, Ms. Isabella Heywood is currently filming 'Azkaban' in the UK, so if any of you are here because of her, please try your best to make it to the national competition."

"The format of 'The Voice of America' is roughly similar to that of 'The Voice of the World.' If you have any questions, you can refer to Isabella Heywood's films. Thank you for your cooperation..."

The staff's shouts excited Hernandez and his friends!
Because they all dream of making music!
Because they all love to sing!
Because they all want to be on the glamorous stage!
Since the opportunity is right in front of us, then...

The two exchanged a glance, instantly reached a consensus, and plunged into the crowd.

Perhaps the announcement was just made? The news hasn't spread completely yet? That's why there were people at the scene, but not many?
It's also possible that Disney has prepared a large number of staff.

After waiting for only ten minutes, Hernandez met the registration officer.

After exchanging greetings, the staff member smiled and said, "Welcome to audition for 'The Voice of America.' Now we have a few questions for you to answer. First question, do you like music?"

"I like it." Hernandez nodded decisively.

"Okay, second question: Have you watched American Idol? Or have you ever participated in American Idol?"

"I watched it but didn't participate."

"Oh? Can you tell me why?" The staff member asked, looking curious.

The interview questions were set by Robert Iger himself.

The reason for asking these questions is that "The Voice of China" and "American Idol" are competitors.

When "American Idol" had a first-mover advantage, those who participated in "The Voice of China" at that time might have participated in "American Idol".

It's not that this kind of behavior is wrong.

Disney welcomes everyone, but at the same time, they also need to carefully review the unsuccessful applicants for other programs.

Unless the other party is exceptionally outstanding, they will be rejected.

The fact that someone who failed to win a talent show on another program was selected by "The Voice of China" seems like they're eating someone else's leftovers.

Robert Iger didn't want to make things difficult for anyone, but operating an IP is essentially about building a reputation.

"Oh—there are two reasons for this problem."

Hernandez shrugged and said, "Because I'm from Hawaii and only came to Los Angeles at the beginning of this year, and American Idol doesn't have an audition center in Hawaii, I didn't have the opportunity to participate."

"Then, I want to say that even if American Idol sets up an audition point in Hawaii, I will not participate, because American Idol is about selecting idols, while what I like is music, and what I want to be is a singer."

“Okay, that’s a great answer, thank you.” The staff member nodded as he wrote Hernandez’s answer on the registration form, and then asked, “So, what is your name?”

"Peter Hernandez".

"Wow~ That's a great name, exactly like our superhero Peter Parker, but it's also a bit too common because your names are the same. Do you have a stage name? If not... I suggest you choose one that's unique."

"I have a stage name."

"what?"

"Bruno Mars, Bruno is my nickname, given to me by my dad."

"Bruno? The same name as that philosopher? Very good, that's a very unique name..."

It took Bruno Mars about five minutes to successfully register.

After leaving his phone number, the staff told him that the first round of auditions would begin on June 21.

Then, although the audition was not broadcast live, and the audition is actually a preliminary screening, a preliminary stage of the city competition, the staff still hoped that he would prepare well, because only by respecting the stage, respecting the music, and respecting himself will he gain the respect of the audience.

These words of advice excited Bruno Mars even more!

The staff's words made him feel that "The Voice of China" was incredibly professional!
He felt he had made the right decision to come!

How can someone who doesn't respect the stage claim to like music?
How can someone who doesn't like music gain an audience?

Yes!
Everyone dreams of fame! And playing music can make a lot of money! But the audience's affection for you isn't fake!
If you try to manipulate the audience's feelings, you will definitely be abandoned by them!

"Oh—Peter—you're done too?"

Excitedly leaving, Bruno Mars had barely stepped outside when he discovered his friends were already waiting for him.

After giving a thumbs-up with a smile to show his approval, the other person exclaimed loudly, "Disney is so professional! I just signed up, and then I had a feeling that 'The Voice' might become a huge hit..."

“I feel the same way,” Bruno Mars nodded in agreement.

"Oh right, you know the audition process, right?"

While expressing his feelings, his friend asked, "You have to sing during the auditions, so what do you want to sing?"

As he spoke, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Because of copyright issues, Disney even drew up a range of songs for us to choose from, and Isabella is number one. This is really... Anyway, I won't choose her. What about you?"

"Me? I want to sing 'Love Story'..."

Three hours later.

Katherine Hudson also emerged from the Disney fan club in Los Angeles.

Like Bruno Mars, she also came with friends.

Unlike Bruno Mars, she didn't see the Voice trailer in a movie theater, but heard the news on the music radio that Disney had advertised on music radio stations across the United States.

After successfully registering, she shared her joy with her friends. Then, her friends asked her what song she would sing for the audition.

Her answer surprised her friend: "Love Story? Why would you want to sing it?"

“Catherine, I’m telling you, this song really can’t be sung, because I swear, countless people will sing it.”

Katherine Hudson understood what her friend meant, but didn't care.

“I know that countless people will sing ‘Love Story’ because Isabella was the initiator of ‘The Voice’.”

"but……"

"It's ok."

"I have confidence!"

Since Catherine had already said that, her friend couldn't offer any more advice.

She pursed her lips and changed the subject, "Okay, then good luck. Oh, by the way, did you use your real name when you registered? The registration officer said my name wasn't unique and suggested I choose a stage name..."

“Oh, I encountered this too. The staff member who processed my paperwork said my name sounds a lot like Kate Hudson, so they suggested I change my name. I thought it was fine, so I accepted it and gave her a stage name.”

"Huh? You've already chosen a stage name? What is it?"

Katherine Hudson smiled and said, "Katy Perry."

"What? Why did you give yourself this name?"

At the same time, in New York.

Elizabeth Grant has also registered.

She saw the promotional video for "The Voice" on ABC and, after learning that audition registration had opened, she immediately rushed to the Disney Club in the Big Apple, where there were already quite a few people.

She waited in line for half an hour before she was finally able to register.

Because the name Elizabeth is very common in the United States, the registration officer suggested that she choose a stage name. She then submitted the name Lana Rey. As for the reason…

"This is the name a Cuban friend I met when my sister and I went to Miami gave me."

Lana Draco said to her uncle, "I think this name is quite nice, it has a very exotic feel to it."

"The mere mention of it reminds me of the winds along the Florida coast."

This explanation makes sense.

The older man accepted, "So from now on, your life will revolve around preparing for the competition?"

"Of course~"

"So what song do you want to sing in the preliminary round?"

"I'm looking for a Baroque piece."

Is it on the range list provided by Disney?

“Of course! Warner Music owns the rights to Paul McCartney’s songs, so he owns Baroque…”

Since Robert Iger's core objective is to seize Michael Eisner's power at Disney by recreating the glory of "Millions," his efforts in promoting "The Voice" cannot be small.

Theatrical releases, radio advertising, and television bombardment—these are things that Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Lana Dre, and others have seen, but there is much more that they haven't seen.

For example, print media reports and online promotion.

The former involves directly bribing newspapers like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times to ensure that news of The Voice's official launch appears on their front pages.

[Dreams become reality! Movie transforms into talent show! "The Voice" will officially premiere this summer!]

[A multi-million dollar prize awaits you! The winner of "The Voice of America" ​​will receive a multi-million dollar film contract!] [...]

The latter involves directly paying Yahoo, CompuServe, and Google—the three internet giants of our time—to have the official Twitter account of "The Voice" featured on their websites' front pages.

[Love Story has officially become Music Story! Isabella Heywood has extended an invitation today to everyone who loves music: if you love music and if you love singing, you can participate in The Voice!]

Do you want to be as successful as Isabella Heywood? If so, sign up for The Voice!

【…】

When Robert Iger launched his silver bullet campaign, almost overnight, news related to "The Voice" spread throughout North America, and a wave of excitement swept into everyone's lives, sparking countless discussions.

Some were excited—

"The Voice of China has turned into a talent show? Isabella is the initiator? Ahhhhh—Little Beaver is amazing!"

"Have you guys seen the promotional video? Wow—it's incredibly well-made! Every scene transition is so well done!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Especially when Isha transforms into Hermione, the special effects are just so cool!"

"I think the best scene was the last one! Isa on stage was like a princess!"

Some feelings are expressed.

"When 'The Voice' was released, I thought it could be turned into a variety show! And now it really has? I'm a genius!"

"Wow—The Voice of China is going to make a variety show? And Isabella is the initiator? This is probably the most successful crossover in history! Isabella went from actress to singer in just one movie! This is truly amazing!"

"Why do I feel like Isabella's life is like it's been cheated? It's one thing to become an instant sensation after her debut, and it's another to cross over into a new field without any risks, but she just transitioned from actress to singer and started doing music variety shows? What the heck is that? The point is... it all makes perfect sense!"

Anyone interested in participating?

"What? The contestants have a chance to meet Isabella? Mom—Dad—I want to go—"

"Disney Club, here I come—nothing can stop me from hugging the little beaver—slurp—hahahahaha—"

The online buzz and offline frenzy have delighted Disney and Warner Bros.

Or rather, all of the above made Robert Iger and Barry Mayer very happy.

Because they placed a heavy bet on "The Voice of China".

Promotional videos with special effects were all rushed out in the past month.

After the contract was signed, they started thinking of a plan, and then used a shift-based shooting method to get Isabella to finish the project within three days. This is why Robbie said Isabella didn't get much rest.

Shift changes take up HP's time, but that thing can't be taken up.

Next, the special effects for the glass house were done by Industrial Light & Magic, while all other effects were handled by Pixar.

To meet the deadline, they spent nearly five million US dollars on just one promotional video.

They will be very disappointed if the results are not as expected.

What pleased them even more was that, with the release of the call for participants for "The Voice of China," there wasn't much opposition in the market, and most of the public opinion was positive and supportive...

Isabella's reputation in the eyes of the world is self-evident.

"Hermione Granger is such a great character."

"So good that whatever Isa does is right."

California.

Los Angeles.

At that moment, Robert Iger was having dinner with Barry Mayer.

Dinner for the victors.

But his words made Barry Mayer shake his head. "Personally, I think Isa's success is related to Hermione Granger, but not to much, because Hermione can only make her famous, and how she maintains that fame is her own business."

"I think you already know the original plot of 'The Voice.' If Isha had acted in a beauty pageant movie, then..."

"Everything in the present moment ceases to exist."

"So, Isa's reputation today is all thanks to herself."

"Hermione Granger earned it herself; she won J.K. Rowling's favor through her own abilities."

"She produced 'The Voice' herself. If she didn't perform well on a regular basis, why would Chris Columbus, who already had a conflict with J.K. Rowling, help her avoid trouble? Right?"

"Then the music..."

"Her talent in this area wasn't given by J.K. Rowling, was it? Nor was it corrected by Chris Columbus?"

Robert Iger smiled broadly at his old friend's words.

They nodded in agreement.

When some are happy, others are sad.

If Robert Iger and Barry Mayer are happy, then many people in the world will be unhappy.

Uh……

Let's not even talk about the people in Hollywood.

To be honest, do people in Hollywood really like Isabella?

Do the actors who share the same background as her hate her to the core?
No one cares about this except for themselves.

And then there's the music industry...

There's not much to say.

The reason is simple:
1. The music industry is inherently more independent than the film and television industry. When all musicians are individuals, they don't need to care about the behavior of their peers, because as long as their songs are good, fans will pay for them.

In the music industry, there's no such thing as forming alliances when you can't win a fight.

In the music industry, only solo careers exist.

2. At least Disney and Warner Bros. are legitimate companies; their strength has been proven over time.

When they want to work together on something, anyone who thinks they can just take on the challenge is a fool.

However, no matter how powerful Disney and Warner Bros. are, they can't silence everyone.

Therefore, after discovering that the announcement of the appearance on "The Voice" had an explosive effect, Michael Eisner, Rupert Murdoch, Ted Turner, Steven Keyes, Edgar Bronfman Jr. and others started cursing.

And now, they are gathered in New York—

"So, Michael, you really have no other options?"

Ted Turner looked at Eisner with disappointment, "Can't you influence the preparation and direction of 'The Voice'?"

The question made Eisner sigh, shake his head, and say, "Aeger's actions are too righteous right now. When he's doing things for the company, it's hard for me to stop him..."

"Then why did you let Iger produce variety shows in the first place?"

Before Eisner could finish speaking, Steve Case, realizing his 'limited abilities,' couldn't be bothered to listen any longer and interrupted, "If you hadn't let Iger produce variety shows, none of this would exist today!"

These words made Eisner frown.

He glanced sideways at the founder of AOL, whose aggressive demeanor prompted him to scoff and speak rapidly: "Steve, no wonder your AOL failed, because your brain is full of shit!"

"Do you think 'The Voice of China' came about because I got Iger to do variety shows?"

"forget it!"

"Even if I don't let Iger do variety shows, someone will still develop the 'The Voice' project! Because it's truly excellent!"

"After Fox made a fortune from 'American Idol,' even if Iger doesn't see 'The Voice' for the time being, do you think NBC and CBS won't notice it? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Then, as long as Iger can see The Voice, The Voice will become his again!"

"Because he and Isabella were wearing the same pair of pants!"

"If he wants to, he can definitely get the copyright!"

"you idiot!"

"You—" The merciless curse made Steve Case's nose twist in anger.

Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, Rupert Murdoch suddenly coughed lightly and said, "Steve, now is not the time to argue. We should unite and think about how to take down The Voice."

Murdoch's words made Case glare at Eisner fiercely, then shut his mouth.

On the surface, it seems he was considering the bigger picture and giving Murdoch face, but in reality...

Everyone knew that he didn't dare to confront Eisner head-on.

Yes, Eisner has someone backing him up; he's a rich kid.

His mother's family is the founding family of the American Safety Shaver Company. Although the company was acquired as early as 1960, it was done through a stock swap, and they still hold the shares to this day.

The company was called Altria.

The owner of Marlboro, the world's largest tobacco dealer.

His father's family was once the largest clothing manufacturer in the United States. During World War I, they supplied more than 60% of the clothing and equipment for the U.S. military. Later, due to the shift in the industrial chain, his family did not continue manufacturing, but everyone of them smoothly entered politics. His father, for example, joined HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The department he once managed is known to everyone.

That's a two-room apartment.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

That's why he became 'good buddies' with people like George Mitchell.

To put it bluntly, the person Eisner looked down on the most during the meeting was Steve Case, the founder of AOL, because he was the only one among everyone present who had started from scratch.

Well, in the business world, "new money" is actually a derogatory term.

Because it means you have no one above you.

You have to shoulder everything on your own.

In a shopping mall, this is fatal.

"Okay, shall we re-examine the current situation?"

Seeing that Eisner and Case had stopped arguing, Murdoch smiled and made another suggestion.

His words were met with agreement from everyone present, and so—

The Anti-Good Alliance officially launched a meeting.

(End of this chapter)