China Entertainment 1997.

Chapter 616 Welcome to my Hollywood

Beijing, International Airport

A Gulfstream G550 business jet with a star pattern printed on its tail landed at the airport. Under the arrangement of the flight attendant, several people got off the plane.

"Gentlemen and ladies, welcome to China."

Cao Xuan smiled and hugged the main creators of "You Now You See Me", and Mr. Tao, who was more familiar with him, glanced at the private jet behind him.

"Cao, if the traffic is like this during the publicity period, I have no problem with flying."

"At least until you go back to America, it should be fine."

Cao Xuan told the truth, everyone flew around together in the early stage, and there were not many main creators, so they sat down easily.

However, several groups were scored in the follow-up publicity, and Cao Xuan had to fly back and forth, so it was difficult to meet the needs of other people's private jets.

In fact, it is possible to charter a flight, and private jet rental is also very common in the United States, but this budget is quite overrun.

It's not that it's so expensive to rent a plane, but it's a bit flashy compared to a simple check payment.

Even if Cao Xuan agreed, Warner didn't agree. First class is already a pretty good arrangement. Many production crews directly let the actors do economy class, and even a few stingy production crews simply didn't reimburse the reimbursement and let the actors pay for it out of their own pockets.

Mr. Tao and the others didn't pay much attention.

To be honest, Cao Xuan sent his own private jet to pick up several main creators, which is already very face-saving.

Before that, they promoted or participated in activities, but they did not enjoy the treatment of taking a private jet.

Cao Xuan and the others exchanged some pleasantries, left the airport, and got into a commercial vehicle.

Gal Gadot asked curiously: "What about Yang, isn't she with us?"

"She is currently participating in an event, and she will come over in the evening, and we will meet tomorrow."

Damimi is the main force of promotion in the Asian region, how could she be missing, but there is still some finishing work, and after the completion, I will concentrate on following the crew to run the promotion.

Cao Xuan sent everyone to the arranged hotel, and there were a total of five main creators of "Shocking Demon Dao Group".

Tao Zong, Gal Gadot, Juan Fu, Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) and director Wen Ziren.

Counting Cao Xuan and Da Mimi, these people happen to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse plus the two police detectives who are their obvious opponents.

As for the real villain, Oscar-winner Forgester Whitaker, he asked for a leave of absence because of a family matter. If it is resolved, he will rush over. If it cannot be resolved, he will wait for the next stage of publicity.

Everyone got off the plane around [-]:[-] p.m. and rested in the hotel all afternoon. In the evening, Cao Xuan invited everyone to have a meal to cleanse the dust.

back sea, fly on grass
When they learned that this restaurant was opened by Cao Xuan, they looked at the plaque at the door curiously.

"Cao, what does this mean?"

"Uh."

Cao Xuan hesitated for a moment, and then explained: "This is the name of the restaurant, and the literal translation means green grass flying in the sky."

"Wow, what an artistic scene."

Gal Gadot's praise for face-saving, several other people also echoed, and speculated about the special meaning of this word, they had heard some Chinese allusions from Cao Xuan before they were filming with Cao Xuan.

In the past few years, only Wen Ziren, who is of Chinese descent, looked a little strange.

Although he grew up abroad and is not very proficient in Chinese, he still knows some basic words, at least he knows the three characters "flying on the grass", and he has a general understanding of what it means.

However, as a half-baked Chinese, he didn't know whether the word had other meanings, so he felt strange, but because he was afraid of showing cowardice, he didn't ask.

Cao Xuan fooled a few people, and then led them into the store. The building with Chinese elements amazed everyone.

Caoshangfei opened its store earlier in the summer of 1999, and it has been regarded as a ten-year-old store so far.

Coupled with commercial reasons, Cao Shangfei carried out a comprehensive rectification and construction very early, and continued to supplement and optimize during the period.

As a private high-end restaurant, Caoshangfei does not have many dilapidated old courtyard houses. Instead, it is very clean and exquisite, full of Chinese classical style, with fine workmanship, magnificent temperament and great aesthetic feeling.

In such a restaurant, some Chinese people have a high chance of being shocked when they enter the door, let alone foreigners who know little about it.

They may not be able to understand the value or preciousness of these furnishings, but the aesthetics are not lost, and it looks like a very high-end restaurant.

"It's so beautiful here, it feels like entering an ancient palace."

"Where is this? If you want to see the palace, I will take you there the day after tomorrow. It will be restored one by one. There are several dynasties."

Cao Xuan called the waiter to order, basically taking care of the tastes of these foreign friends.

He has spent one or two years scattered in the United States these years, visited many Chinese restaurants in the United States, and communicated with many foreigners and Chinese, so he still has a certain understanding of the tastes of these old Americans.

I prefer a sweet and sour taste, such as the well-known North American Chinese dish "Zuo Gong Ji", which is a bit like sweet and sour chicken nuggets.

In addition, Americans prefer sweeter and spicy tastes, and they pursue strong and exciting tastes. Of course, some people like to eat light ones, and even many American Chinese dishes have a lot less salt than domestic ones. They don’t like salty food. .

In addition, there are some taboos, such as offal, which Americans do not eat, but they rarely eat.This group of people will definitely not be able to enjoy such a nine-turn large intestine.

Although Cao Xuan sometimes likes to promote Chinese food, he will not force people to accept it, especially when entertaining guests, he will take care of people's tastes.

Otherwise, you would be very happy, and if people are not used to eating it, you have to bite your teeth and eat it hard. Isn't this bullying people?

Therefore, most of the dishes are mainly based on the tastes of these people, and a few special ones are added. During the meeting, I will introduce them emphatically. Everyone has a try, and you can eat if you want to eat. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to force it.

"These are the purest Chinese food. The head chef has worked for a state banquet. I can't say it is the highest level of Chinese food, but it can represent one or two."

Cao Xuan is really not bragging. The master chef back then has retired, and now his apprentice is in charge of the chef. He joined the state banquet team three times in 2009 and 2010.

If it wasn't for lack of ambition, with his level, he could work as the head chef of a high-end chain hotel or well-known restaurant in the capital.

Cao Shangfei has been able to stand tall all these years, and has even made a certain name in the catering industry in Beijing. The courtyard house and the owner of Cao Xuan are just a gimmick, and the real core selling point is the master and apprentice.

Of course, Boss Cao didn't treat him badly. With a high salary every year plus a certain amount of dividends, in terms of income and treatment alone, he was no worse than being a chef in a big hotel.

When Tao Zong and the others heard the words, they also clumsily tasted them with chopsticks. Because the dishes were biased towards their taste, coupled with their good craftsmanship, they received a lot of praise.

Mr. Tao raised his mobile phone high, turned his back to the dining table, and took a group photo of himself, Cao Xuan and the others and the dishes on the table, plus a few internal photos of Caoshangfei taken earlier, and then tweeted.

[Beautiful building, delicious Chinese food, Cao treated us to an unforgettable dinner in his restaurant, happy]

After the tweet was sent out, it attracted the attention of many netizens. At this time, "Captain America" ​​is still in theaters, Tao Zong can be said to be popular, and with Cao Xuan's appearance, everyone is very curious.

[I saw Cao, will the Avengers be filmed in China? 】

【Didn't you read the news, this is Cao's new movie "Now You See Me", Chris Evans is one of the leading actors】

[Haha, Hawkeye, the US team, and Mark Ruffalo who was revealed to be the Hulk, is the Avengers going to assemble in advance?]

【This movie is definitely making money, Evans is really popular】

[Gal Gadot is also good, she is really strong in "Fast and Furious 5"]

[Face is pretty, figure is average, too small]

[What a beautiful place, is this Cao's restaurant]

[Look at the one in the upper right corner, it seems to be Detective Charlotte]

【Those dishes look delicious, are they available in New York】

[I am a Chinese student studying abroad. I know that restaurant. It is a very famous restaurant in Beijing. It is difficult to find Chinese food of the same level in New York]

[I'm going to Beijing next month, can you tell me the address and how much it will cost]

[This restaurant only accepts reservations, and it is difficult to queue up. If you want to go, it is best to gather a few more people and eat a lot of dishes. If you don’t order any particularly expensive dishes, it will cost around US$50-80 per person]

【It's so expensive】

[This is not a top-notch restaurant in the capital, but it is also a well-known restaurant, and the price is definitely not cheap]

【…】

Soon, the news on Twitter crossed the wall and returned to China, without even crossing the wall. After the meal, Cao Xuan took a group photo with the main creators in the box and posted it on Weibo.

Compared with North America, domestic audiences react differently to these people.

Tao Zong, who is popular in North America, is actually not very popular. So far, the box office of "Captain America" ​​in the mainland is less than 4000 million, and many people don't know him at all.

Even if they know each other, the team logo may not be Captain America. Everyone has more impression of him as the Human Torch in "Fantastic Four".

Mark Ruffalo is not very well-known in China, and the director Wen Ziren is even more transparent. Only a very few people who are familiar with European and American film circles or horror film lovers know him.

Juan Fu's "Detective Charlotte" is very popular in Europe and the United States, and is also well-known in China, but it has not been out of the circle, and its main influence is among fans of American or British dramas.

Among the few people, the only one who may cause waves is Gal Gadot.

On the one hand, she is a girl, and on the other hand, the first two words of "Fast and Furious 5" have just been released, and they have won a box office of 2.5 million+, which can be regarded as a small hit.

As one of the leading actors, Gal Gadot still left an impression on many audiences with his eye-catching seduction scene.

Of course, the most important thing is that she is the actress who is cooperating with Cao Xuan, and she sits next to her when eating. With Cao Xuan's reputation in China, Gal Gadot basically concluded that "he was murdered".

Even though Cao Xuan's gossip has been numerous, everyone has even become numb.

But he can't stand his high popularity, the overall popularity is still considerable, especially as a foreign girl, with the aura of "winning the country", she is always more attractive than other scandals.

Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, and now a Gal Gadot.

Many people have discovered this pattern, Cao Xuan, this is a movie series for a Hollywood beauty.

Where is the morality?
Where is the conscience?
Where is Jessica Alba?
Where is Keira Knightley?

Where is Kristen Stewart?

They were very dissatisfied with Cao Xuan's efficiency, why there was only one at a time, and they couldn't have more, so that every time there was one, everyone thought he was very innocent.

Cao Daguan has long been lying flat and ridiculed, and he doesn't care about it.

On the contrary, Gal Gadot opened a Weibo account at the invitation of Cao Xuan. Seeing the crazy and soaring number of fans, she was somewhat confused.

Is she so popular in China?

.........

After the clean-up, the big honeys who rushed back gathered together, and the crew of "You Now You See Me" started to promote.

The movie is expected to be released on August 8th, and there are probably less than two weeks left, so the publicity plan is still a bit tight.

First, I will participate in a few interviews and activities in the mainland, then fly to Japan for two days, and then go to Europe, and visit several countries such as Britain and France. If there is enough time, I may also arrange for Australia.

The last stop is North America. The crew will hold a premiere ceremony in New York and then a week-long road show.

There is no way, North America is the first ticket warehouse, and it must be the focus of publicity. Everyone will split up according to the previous arrangement after a week of the roadshow in North America.

Of course, Cao Xuan still attaches great importance to the mainland, otherwise he wouldn't be promoting the first stop in the mainland, which is his base camp.

With Cao Xuan's current resources and popularity, 99% of domestic programs and interviews will be open to him.

But most programs are not suitable. After all, he is not the only one to participate, but also several foreign friends. It is not soy sauce that he sent a private jet to bring these people here.

Therefore, some entertainment programs were specially selected, and when Da Mimi came back from North America, he could meet a few popular ones, Cao Xuan and others were fine.

They first participated in a film forum lecture given by Six Princesses, and then accepted an exclusive video interview with Penguin & Fengyun Studio.

Afterwards, I set off to Fanxing Film and Television City to record "There is a show tonight", which is currently very popular on the Internet.

"A Show Tonight" has been on the air for several years now, relying on the two popular hosts of Liu Yan and Little Black Fatty, it has already produced a steady stream of high-quality guests, and it has become one of the most popular talk shows.

Basically, it keeps pace with "A Date with Luyu" and "A Very Quiet Distance", and even surpasses it occasionally.

Its popularity on the Internet even surpassed "Qiang Qiang Threesome", and the related broadcast volume and discussion degree were almost crushed.

This is not surprising. Although "Qiang Qiang Threesome" has an excellent reputation, it is actually somewhat niche. Most of the people who like this program are young netizens who like some in-depth topics.

"Tonight's Show" is undoubtedly a popular line, focusing on celebrity gossip and parents' gossip, and is aimed at audiences of all ages.

Coupled with the poor mouth of the little black fat man and Liu Yan's professional ability and appearance, he gathered a large number of diehard audiences.

At present, although "Tonight's Play" is still cooperating with TV stations, the main battlefield has gradually shifted to the Internet, and at the end of last year, it officially moved into a professional studio located in Fanxing Film and Television City.

This is a new section launched by Fanxing Film and Television City in the past two years. The studio has been remodeled and several fixed studios have been built to match the variety shows of the Fanxing system.

Many star-studded variety shows such as "A Show Tonight", "The Voice of China" and "If You Are the One" moved their headquarters to this place.

There are advantages and disadvantages to moving several programs here.

The advantage is that it saves money. If it is a long-term program, the annual studio rental and renovation costs are not a small sum.

And there is no need to compete with other program companies for studios, and rely on others, and use your own studio for as long as you want, and use it as you want.

At the same time, the studio is located in Fanxing Film and Television City, directly protected by the base, and the security and confidentiality are greatly enhanced.

And it’s easy to find an audience. There are nests of college students who come to travel and work part-time on weekends, and they can directly pull strong men.

If it's not on weekends and there are not enough people, you can hire a group of professional group performers for a little money. The show is well organized, and it doesn't matter what kind of effect you want.

The disadvantage is that Fanxing Film and Television City is a bit remote after all, so it's not as convenient as being directly in the capital.

But then again, Fanxing Film and Television City is a mature scenic spot and film and television base after all, with well-developed transportation and various configurations, and it is not too far from the capital and Jinmen, which can offset this disadvantage as much as possible.

After comprehensive comparison and calculation, the company decided to move the program to Fanxing Film and Television City, so that the already lively film and television base will have a bit more stars and selling points.

During the recording of "A Show Tonight", Fatty Little Hei rarely "asked for leave", and Liu Yan hosted it alone.

This is also understandable, the little black fat man hardly understands English, others can't understand what he is saying, even if he shakes his burden, others can't understand, this occasion is too embarrassing, so it's better for Liu Yan to come alone.

As a professional host, Liu Yan has studied English, so she can't say she is very good, but she can handle it.

It really didn't work, and Cao Xuan and Da Mimi were passing the word among them, speaking in both Chinese and English, so the whole interview went smoothly.

Let's talk about interesting things during the shooting, some thoughts about the film, and some feelings in China in the past two days. Not to mention full of dry goods, the amount of information is quite sufficient.

After the recording was over, Cao Xuan took "You Now You See Me" to Fanxing Film and Television City. Mr. Tao and the others were quite curious about this place.

Cao Xuan acted as a guide and took them to visit scenic spots such as Tang City, Spring and Autumn and Warring States City, Chaoge City, Millennium Street, and Southern and Northern Dynasty City in batches. The palaces, street scenes, and cities made several foreign actors couldn't help taking pictures.

When the shopping was almost over, Juan Fu couldn't help feeling: "It's really unexpected that there is such a large-scale shooting base in China."

Wen Ziren also nodded: "Besides Hollywood, this is the largest film and television base I have ever seen. Although the film technology may be a bit inferior to Hollywood, there are still many bright spots."

Listening to the remarks of several people, Da Mimi was proud to be beside her. Back then when she was in Hollywood, she only asked them to give her lessons, and this time she finally seized the opportunity to take advantage of it.

"Chris, Director Wen, do you know who owns this film and television city?"

"It can't be...Cao?"

Mr. Tao and the others knew that Da Mimi had mentioned this incident for no reason, so they had a faint guess in their hearts, but they still couldn't believe it.

Even if they had expected Cao Xuan's financial resources, the pure figures would not be as shocking as seeing a film and television city the size of a town belong to one person.

Looking at the bewildered people, Cao Xuan smiled slightly and opened his arms slightly.

"Everyone, welcome to my Hollywood!"

Many years later, Chris Evans wrote in his autobiography that although Robert Downey Jr. has good acting skills, whenever he thinks of the word billionaire, the first thing he thinks of is Cao Xuan who plays Hawkeye.

Because no matter how good Robert Downey Jr.'s performance is, it's just a performance, and Cao Xuan made him feel what it means to be a real rich man...

(End of this chapter)