China Entertainment 1997.

Chapter 505 Friends of the South African People and Crazy Racing

Africa, Johannesburg
Nicknamed "City of Gold", the largest city in South Africa is also the economic, cultural, and tourist center of the entire country, even second only to Cairo, the capital of Egypt, in the ranking of African cities.

Moreover, Cairo is only superior because of its population and city size. Considering the city's economy and prosperity alone, Johannesburg is even better.

Cao Xuan's African station concert was held here.

In fact, at first someone proposed to go to Cairo, which is the largest city in Africa after all. However, the official language of Egypt is Arabic, while that of South Africa is English. Cao Xuan has more fans and influence in the latter.

And to put it bluntly, in Africa's general environment, very few can hold commercial concerts, and South Africa's experience and conditions are relatively more mature.

Comprehensive comparison, Cao Xuan finally chose South Africa.

On August 8, Cao Xuan arrived in South Africa by private plane.At Johannesburg International Airport, I was dazzled by the sight in front of me as soon as I got off the plane.

Hundreds of citizens/fans cheered enthusiastically, and "Cao, Cao, Cao" with an accent resounded across the land of Africa.

If it's just that, Cao Tianwang is well-informed, and he has seen a number of fans that are several times higher than this number.

But he had seen many fans, but the mayor personally led a team to greet them, and a few children came to present flowers, the gongs and drums were loud, and the ceremony and music were singing together. There were two military honor guards beside him. Cao Xuan raised his gun to salute.

Tsk~
Cao Xuan's first reaction was whether he had run into a head of state.

But thinking that the slogans and cheers of those fans are not fake, it should not be an oolong.

So, Cao Xuan's second reaction was to ask the photographer who followed him to turn on the camera immediately.

Cards!
It is not new for him to have a concert with tens of thousands of people, but this is the first time for him to be treated like a head of state.

If I don't take pictures of this scene and save it for later pretending, Cao Xuan can't sleep well at night...

Although it is still unclear why this is the case, Cao Xuan immediately entered the role.

Watching "News Lianbo" is not for nothing!
Cao Xuan shook hands with the mayor and others, thanked them for their warm welcome, talked with the children kindly, smiled and waved to greet the fans and citizens who greeted him, and signed dozens of autographs for everyone.

After struggling for more than half an hour, Cao Xuan got into the courtesy car.Proceed to the arranged hotel.

When he arrived at the hotel, he finally met Gray, the person in charge of his African concert, and finally asked about the situation.

As a singer with a concert, isn't this scene a bit too grand?

Gray was very calm and said with a smile: "Cao, there are many overseas leaders who come to this country, but there are not many world superstars who hold concerts here. You are too underestimating the sensation you caused when you came to Africa this time."

With Gray's explanation, Cao Xuan gradually understood what was going on.

As I said before, the economy in Africa is relatively poor. Most of the common people don’t have much to squeeze out, and the basic food and clothing are good, but they have little spending power in terms of cultural, spiritual and entertainment.

Wanting to make a fortune from entertainment and culture in Africa is equivalent to selling toilet paper in India, down jackets in Equatorial Guinea, and small blue pills by guarding the Han River in South Korea...

Of course, that's what I said, but in a bustling city like Johannesburg, it's still no problem to hold a few concerts.

But the point is that it is not necessary. Africa has been excluded from the world culture. The average singer has limited influence in Africa and cannot hold a venue. Even if he can hold a concert, it is difficult to realize it.

Africa is far away and people are poor. No matter how many fans there are, it will not bring much commercial benefit to the singer itself. To hold a concert in Africa, the investment cost may be greater than the benefit.

99% of the singers hold concerts to make money, who will do the money-losing business...

Even Cao Xuan, on the one hand, is he particularly concerned about the income of the concert, on the other hand, he has an obsessive-compulsive disorder, coupled with a bit of a pretentious mentality, and wants to gather six continents, so he deliberately holds a concert in Africa.

Warner originally disagreed, but later considered not only commercial accounts, but also publicity accounts.

Touring six continents + African concerts are full of gimmicks, which can be used to make a fuss and expand Cao Xuan's status as a global superstar to a certain extent.

Even if you still have to lose money in the end, it won't be a lot of money for just this one game. If you coax Cao Xuan well, it won't be a loss no matter what.

For South Africa and Johannesburg, it is rare for a world-class superstar to hold a concert here. It is an exaggeration to say that it is rare in decades, but it is definitely a rare event that is rare in several years.

Just like before, South Africa desperately strived for the 2010 World Cup to settle here, in order to expand its popularity and spread its influence.

Especially Johannesburg, like Dubai before, as a city with tourism as an important pillar, naturally hopes to catch the heat and borrow a celebrity superstar effect.

In addition, the regional leadership in South Africa is an electoral system, and officials habitually show off to win votes.

For example, this time, the mayor directly took the credit for inviting Cao Xuan to hold a concert here. It was so grand at the airport that it was actually a publicity show.

Damn, it's all a routine!
When Cao Xuan learned the truth, he couldn't help complaining. He almost thought that his prestige in Africa was comparable to that of overseas leaders.

Time was tight, and after a few hours of rest in the hotel, Cao Xuan went directly to the concert site to step on the stage.

The concert was held at Ellis Park, also known as Coca-Cola Park.

That's right, it was named after Coca-Cola.

Cao Xuan, a Chinese who is the spokesperson of Pepsi, held a concert at the Coca-Cola Park Stadium in Africa. The whole incident sounded full of disobedience and black humor.

Ellis Park Stadium has a capacity of about 6 people. It is the home field of the South African Rugby Federation and the South African Super League leader Orlando Pirates. It is also one of the venues for the 2010 World Cup.

Cao Xuan is still very satisfied with the venue, after all, it is one of the best big cities in Africa, not much worse than those stadiums in Europe.

But when the concert started, Cao Xuan was dumbfounded.

Unlike the middle stage at Old Trafford, this time the stage is backed by the west stand of the stadium.

The 4 spectators are arranged in an orderly manner, and about 2.5 spectators are sitting on the north and south sides of the stands.

The auditorium, which was originally expected to be loose and orderly, was full at this moment. The north and south stands were densely packed with people, and even the due east stand, which was far away from the stage, was now occupied by countless fans.

The open field in front of the stage was even more crowded, full of people, and the sound was overwhelming, which looked particularly shocking.

Cao Xuan saw this scene in the background, and someone dragged Gray, "Didn't they only sell 4 tickets? That's 8 people, right?"

Gray smiled wryly: "Sir, this is Africa. Even in South Africa, which has a relatively high level of civilization, sometimes it is not so polite. After all, everyone wants to witness the demeanor of world superstars with their own eyes."

Ignoring Gray's flattery, the concert was not profitable, and Cao Xuan didn't particularly care about being prostituted for nothing, but with so many people, he was afraid of accidents.

No matter from which point of view, Cao Xuan is unwilling to have a tragedy in his concert.

Gray also understood this, and hurriedly comforted him: "Don't worry, we're already in contact with the city government. It is strictly forbidden to let anyone in again, and we will increase security and logistics work to ensure the smooth progress of the concert..."

Before he finished speaking, someone came in with a mobile phone. It was the mayor of Johannesburg who personally called Cao Xuan to apologize and promised that they were making up for the mistakes.

Cao Xuan didn't particularly trust the officials who were matched in the African region, but he couldn't leave now.

"Emotionally, I also helped them train ahead of time for the World Cup acceptance work."

Cao Xuan had fun, putting aside safety considerations, although facing so many people, he was not particularly nervous.

After all, there have been concerts with 10 people, and there have been more than 30 concerts with tens of thousands of people before, and they have long been as stable as old dogs. Not to mention him, even Zhang Jie, who followed him to Africa, did not look nervous. .

This group of people followed Cao Xuan around Asia and Europe. It's hard to say how much their fame has improved, but their mentality has definitely been honed enough to be strong enough to forget what stage fright is.

Even if Gray came to report, according to rough statistics, there were probably nearly 9 spectators at the scene, and they were only slightly taken aback, and then they prepared silently.

Cao Xuan smiled at Gray, he has elite soldiers and strong generals under his command, so who are you scaring?

"Anywhere you are, I am near
Wherever you are, I'll be with you

Anywhere you go, I'll be there
Wherever you go, I'll be with you
Anytime you whisper my name, you'll see
Whenever you whisper my name, you'll see

......"

The affectionate and sad song "What are words" sounded, and Cao Xuan appeared on the stage.

Whether it was Cao Xuan's real fans or the free-for-all crowd who came to join in the fun, they were all moved by the atmosphere of the scene and gave deafening cheers.

Although it is Africa, due to the special situation in South Africa, most of the people who came to the concert were white people.

Although there is no specific data, but roughly speaking, at least 60% of the white people at the scene, there is a large group of Chinese and Asians in Johannesburg.

South Africa is originally the country with the largest number of Chinese in Africa, with a population of at least 20. Most of them gather in cities, and Johannesburg is the main gathering point.

The rest is easy to understand. Cao Xuan’s influence among Chinese and Asians is definitely at the ceiling level. If there is a chance, everyone will definitely be willing to go to the scene to watch.

This was the case in Europe before. There were a lot of Chinese and Asians in Europe who came to support the scene. In Paris, Munich, Rome, Moscow and other cities with a relatively large number of people, the peak proportion even reached 1/3.

Many European fans of Cao Xuan couldn't help complaining that it was rare for Cao Xuan to hold a concert in Europe, but the tickets were all bought by Chinese and Asians.

Except for whites and Chinese Asians, the remaining 20-30% are basically blacks.

Europe has not been "blackened" at this time, and Cao Xuan's music style is not black mainstream, and his white fans in Europe are far more than black.

Even in the United States, whether it is the Super Bowl or other fan clubs, he has never seen so many black fans today, and it feels very fresh.

Apart from other aspects, the old blacks are indeed more outgoing, love to sing and dance, and they are all good at creating atmosphere, which is of great help to the live atmosphere of the concert.

Especially when Cao Xuan sang more passionate and cheerful songs, they twisted their bodies crazily, infecting the surrounding audience and making the atmosphere of the scene even more enthusiastic.

The biggest climax of the whole concert was Cao Xuan's singing of the theme song "Waving Flag" for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

This song originally has some African colors, and it is also the theme song of the World Cup. It is very popular in Africa, which is passionate about football. It can be said that Cao Xuan is the most popular and widely sung song in Africa.

"WE ALL SAY
let's talk
When I get older I will be stronger
When I grow up, I'll be stronger

They'll call me freedom Just like a wavin' flag
They set us free like that flag flies

......"

When Cao Xuan sang passionately on the stage, the whole stadium hummed along with him. Cao Xuan simply pointed the microphone at the audience, and then the whole audience sang in chorus.

"Ahhhooo ahhhooo ahhhooo
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh~"

Cao Xuan raised his hands, facing the audience, and motioned for everyone to follow his own beat and the drumbeat of the band. Nearly 9 people in the entire scene followed suit, and even the audience in the stands stood up to cooperate.

At first everyone was a little messy, but when they found the rhythm, everyone clapped and stomped along with Cao Xuan, and roared every few seconds along with the melody.

clap~

bang bang

Roar!
clap~

bang bang

Roar!
The movement produced by nearly 10 people in a uniform manner can only give people the impression of two words - shocking.

Even Cao Xuan, who had been acting casually, couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle, and his whole body aroused goosebumps, and the atmosphere at the scene was even more exciting.

Many people roared in a venting style, and some even fainted from excitement, and were transported out by a sea of ​​people.

According to statistics afterwards, a total of 21 people in this concert fell into a coma or became unwell on the spot, and more than half of them were in this stage. Fortunately, there was no life-threatening.

What is even more exaggerated is that according to satellite and earthquake detection afterwards, a slight earthquake occurred near Ellis Park Stadium during the same period.

The success of this concert, even after the concert is over, there are still nearly [-] fans who are reluctant to leave, spontaneously practicing and singing Cao Xuan's songs.

In terms of performance quality and personal performance alone, Cao Xuan dare not say that this is his best concert this year.

But the atmosphere and emotional contagion of the scene definitely ranks in the top three, not to mention the fans, even he himself has a little aftertaste.

After the concert, Cao Xuan did not leave Africa immediately, but was invited by the South African government to attend an event and met Nelson Mandela, the founding father of South Africa.

This person who can be called a national treasure in South Africa has a lot of controversies, from praise in the early years to mixed praise.

But these have nothing to do with Cao Xuan, because of his age and some achievements, Cao Xuan still gives him enough respect.

It is said that there was no Mandela in this event, he asked to see Cao Xuan on his own initiative. Cao Xuan didn't know if it was true or if he was trying to save face, but Mandela was really enthusiastic about him and praised him for his performance in the previous concert. Performance.

"Cao, you are a friend of the South African people. I hope to visit South Africa more in the future. We welcome you anytime."

Hey, why does this sentence sound familiar?
Cao Xuan shook his head, and replied with the same standard sentence: "I like South Africa and the enthusiastic South African fans very much. If I have the opportunity, I will definitely come again. I also welcome you to visit China. I look forward to the Beijing Olympic Games. South African friends The presence of..."

After dealing with Mandela, Cao Xuan hurriedly slipped away. If he stayed like this, he might soon become a diplomatic spokesperson.

But there is one thing to say, as the publicity ambassador of the Beijing Olympic Games, Cao Xuan is qualified to welcome all guests on behalf of the Olympic Games, and it is not out of line to say these words.

Leaving from Africa, Cao Xuan rushed to Australia, the last battle of the second stage, and was also welcomed. Unfortunately, there was no grand treatment from Johannesburg.

However, it is worth mentioning that because the previous segment similar to "Viking Cry" worked well, Cao Xuan also repeated this segment in two concerts in Australia.

Also received good feedback, especially in New Zealand, many people adapted to local conditions and changed the "Viking War Cry" into a "Maori War Dance". Although the performance was different, the effect was the same shocking .

On August 8th, Cao Xuan finally finished the second stage of his global concert tour and returned to China.

.........

Changping Villa
Cao Xuan carefully hugged his daughter, the little Cao Li who is about to be three months old is gradually growing up, with a pouty little face and big ignorant eyes, the heart of the old father who hasn't seen his daughter for a month is about to melt .

"Girl, do you miss Dad?"

Cao Xuan sucked his daughter's face, leaned in front of her, and asked expectantly.

Little Cao Li wiped the saliva from his face, and pushed Cao Xuan's face away in disgust, but his strength was too weak to push, and he was about to howl as soon as he curled his small mouth.

Fortunately, Empress Xigong kept staring, and before she could cry out, she took the child back, shook her arms lightly, and coaxed him twice, Xiao Cao Li burst into tears and laughed.

Only now did Zeng Li look at the disappointed Cao Xuan, and said a few words of comfort: "I haven't seen you for a month, I've forgotten you a long time ago, as long as I'm familiar with you."

Cao Xuan also understood this truth, but seeing his daughter not recognizing him, he still couldn't help muttering: "It's boring to do a bad job, it's better to coax the children at home."

"If you don't work, where will our daughter's milk powder come from?"

Nishigong Niangniang couldn't help but joked that Cao Xuan used to do everything in the name of buying milk powder and clothes for his daughter, but now he is almost becoming a stalker at home.

The child sleeps a lot and gets sleepy after a while. Zeng Li puts her to sleep, and comes to the living room to watch Cao Xuan who is making tea.

"When are you going back to the set?"

"Please assume it's the end of the month, just these two days."

"It must be tiring to hold so many concerts in one breath this time, so let's go at home after a while."

"have a look."

Cao Xuan was noncommittal, he knew that Empress Nishigong loved him, and he wanted to rest at home more, but thousands of people in the "Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff" crew were waiting for him to film, so he couldn't be willful.

"By the way, what about your "Taken" movie? It's been almost a year, and there is no mention of its release."

Zeng Li sat cross-legged on the sofa, and after several months of hard exercise after giving birth, her figure was restored to a slender state, and she could not be seen as a mother who had given birth.

He casually picked up an orange and pushed it open, stuffed two pieces into Cao Xuan's mouth, ate one piece himself, and asked about "Taken".

"Well, this orange is not bad, very sweet."

Cao Xuan asked the teapot to boil water, took another orange, and replied while peeling.

"The New Line originally planned to release in the summer, but in May there will be "Spider-Man 5", "Shrek 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", all of which are Hollywood masterpieces.

No matter how good the quality of "Taken" is, it is impossible to compete with these Hollywood blockbusters in North America.

The three masterpieces teamed up, accumulatively taking almost 10 billion domestic box office in North America, directly draining Hollywood's box office in May.

The fourth-ranked "Surprise" has a box office of less than 3000 million U.S. dollars, and it is the No. 5 worst North American summer vacation in May in recent years. "

Cao Xuan was a little embarrassed when he said this, and I don’t know if he was unlucky. This year’s North American Summer Party can be said to be one of the strongest summer festivals in recent years.

In addition to the three blockbusters listed above, a super dark horse "Transformers" was also released in July.

The box office in North America was 3.19 million US dollars, ranking among the top three in North America this year, and the box office in mainland China also got 2.81 million yuan, which is currently the number one box office in the mainland in 2007.

At that time, New Line wanted to release "Taken" in July, but was blocked by Cao Xuan.

Otherwise, if they face "Transformers" head-on, they won't dare to say they can win in the mainland, and they will only be beaten in North America.

After all, blockbuster movies with special effects can attract the audience the most. No matter how good-looking Cao Xuan plays, it’s not as good as two Autobots fighting each other...

The summer vacation in North America is the most important schedule in the United States, and the fight is really brutal. After all, Cao Xuan is still a rookie in Hollywood, and his box office appeal is limited, so safety is the priority.

"Now they are still looking for a suitable schedule, at most no later than the end of the year or early next year."

"That's okay, it would be embarrassing if it was released together with "Three Kingdoms: Chibi"."

Zeng Li nodded, and couldn't help laughing: "Speaking of which, Fanxing is really lucky. Your "Taken" postponement, I thought it would affect Fanxing's reputation as the overlord of the summer show, but I didn't expect Ning Hao to make a "Crazy "Racing Car", I was holding up my face in a daze."

Cao Xuan couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

The month he went out to hold a concert happened to be the end of the 2007 summer vacation.

Since 2003, the mainland summer file champion, which has been monopolized by the stars since [-], changed hands for the first time, and was won by "Transformers".

There is no way, this kind of blockbuster popcorn special effects, ordinary domestic films can't really do it, even if Cao Xuan is the top, it may not be able to win.

But Fanxing is not ashamed. The second film "Crazy Racing" of its director Ning Hao was released. With the strong support of Fanxing Cinemas, it finally won 1.5 million box office and won the runner-up of the summer film.

Ning Hao and the lead actor Huang Bo fought to become famous.

The former stepped into the director club with a box office of [-] million yuan and became a well-known ghost director in the industry.

The latter's accumulation, coupled with the accumulation of the previous film and television works and the outstanding performance of Zhao Gao in the TV series "Mythology", completely became popular and became another dazzling star under Fanxing.

And the success of "Crazy Racing" also proved one thing, without Cao Xuan and those Xiangjiang directors, Fanxing could still come up with blockbuster movies.

Perhaps "Crazy Racing" is not as influential as "Painted Skin" and "New World", but the far-reaching value behind it is immeasurable.

Cao Xuan has already thought about signing a new contract with Ning Hao. In the future, Ning Hao's status in Fanxing will skyrocket and he will become another director of Fanxing after Xu Laowai.

Huang Bo's contract can also be included as a candidate for modification, and a movie or TV series tailored for him is also considered.

According to Fanxing's unspoken rules, artists who receive such treatment are regarded as the company's key training targets.

(End of this chapter)