China Entertainment 1997

"Baby, baby, baby, oh..."

At the closing banquet of "Now You See Me", Cao Xuan was booed by everyone and played "Baby", the most popular song in the United States.

How popular is this song? Justin Bieber, a 16-year-old Canadian boy, has become a top-notch singer in North America. His album has topped the Billboard album chart and is very popular.

There has always been a tradition in North America for newcomers to become famous, and Cao Xuan alone has seen several of them in the past few years.

For example, Britney and Avril Lavigne back then, and Rihanna, Taylor, and Lady Gaga in the past two years all became famous within one or two years. Strictly speaking, even Cao Xuan himself can be considered an example of short-term popularity.

But even among the top names mentioned above, few can match the momentum that Justin Bieber has today.

A large part of the reason is that this young singer has become popular with the help of a lot of Internet power. He has many hot spots, strong discussions, and a sense of familiarity among netizens. In addition, he is young. He was only 16 years old in March this year. He is definitely a "music prodigy".

Of course, Avril was not very young when she became famous, and Taylor was just a teenager when she debuted, so Jia is not alone.

But the key point is that the European and American pop music scene has been somewhat prosperous and declining in recent years.

Taking the three years from 2008 to 2010 alone, we can count on one hand the number of male singers who have been able to maintain a top position in Europe and the United States.

The late Michael Jackson counts as one, Cao Xuan counts as one, Eminem counts as one, Usher counts as one, Jace Timberlake counts as half, and the rest are gone.

If you expand it a little bit, you can include Linkin Park, Coldplay, and the Beatles. There are only so many that can really be considered top-notch.

Some other singers may have good reputations and status, but their popularity and exposure in recent years are really not top-notch.

By analogy with female stars of the same level, Beyoncé, Madonna, Taylor, Britney, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Fruit Girl...

The ratio is almost 3:2, including the male singer and the band.

What's more important is that there are almost one new female singer every year. Last year, Lady Gaga, and next year, as expected, Adele will emerge again.

In contrast, European and American male singers have not had a new talent that can carry the banner for several years. Cao Xuan, a Chinese, has almost become the mainstay of male singers in the European and American music circles.

So at this time, both the industry and the market, and even fans and the outside world, need a new top male singer.

Therefore, Xiao Jia's rise can be regarded as arising at the right moment.

He has lived up to the expectations of the outside world. It is difficult to evaluate his music, but he certainly cannot be ranked first.

But when it comes to overall traffic, Xiao Jia almost succeeded Britney and was the absolute top one in the years from 2010 to 2015. Even after 2015, she was also the top figure in the pop music world that cannot be ignored.

For now, Xiao Jia is still a well-behaved and introverted child in the public mind.

But the market, the Internet, and the public worked together to push Xiao Jia to the altar, and at the same time pushed many people to the opposite side?

Many Americans are wondering why this kid is so popular.

After all, the song "Baby" that became popular all over the world is frankly just an English song, not as deep as Cao Xuan's song "You are beautiful" back then.

Some people praise it, and some people hate it, especially if you don't have enough capital.

Now it is on the rise, and many things have been covered up. Once the decline is revealed or other negative news occurs, there will be overwhelming backlash.

These are also the exact words Cao Xuan used to persuade his apprentice to be Taylor.

The sudden appearance of a young Jia made the little girl feel a bit off guard. After all, she debuted back then, and even with the support of Cao Xuan, she was not as popular as she was.

Even compared to Xiao Jia and Lady Gaga, she is relatively steady. Within two or three years, she has become more and more popular step by step. Maybe for ordinary artists, she becomes popular very quickly, but when she encounters a monster star like Xiao Jia, she is also more popular. You need to stabilize your Taoist mind.

"It doesn't matter if you become popular quickly, but the key is to be popular for a long time. Persevere, continue to accumulate influence, and make others survive, and you will be number one in the United States."

Cao Xuan even did not hesitate to use Avril Lavigne as an example to make up for his sister.

Although Avril Lavigne still maintains her first-line position in the past two years, she has obviously declined significantly compared to her peak period.

Of course, there are many reasons why she has not released a new album for several years, focusing on concerts, has a relatively low-key personality, and has little exposure, but it is still undeniable that she has gone downhill.

Cao Xuan watched Avril Lavigne become famous with his own eyes back then. The battle and momentum were no more impressive than what Xiao Jia is doing now.

At that time, many people thought that she might become a big sister in the music industry, but unfortunately, Avril's career started high but failed.

Although she can be regarded as the queen of rock and roll now, she is not even a little bit worse than the most popular sister Beyoncé. She has even been surpassed by her juniors Rihanna and Miley Cyrus in North America.

Even Taylor's current popularity and traffic in North America are not impossible to compete with Avril Lavigne.

Being fat first is not fat, and being fat later is overwhelming!

Cao Xuan poured chicken soup, which finally allowed Taylor to regain her confidence, and even geared up to compete for a sister, so much so that Cao Tianwang wondered if he had gone too far.

As for the singing of "Baby" at the wedding banquet, on the one hand, everyone has fun together, and on the other hand, the behind-the-scenes of the wedding banquet will be released when the movie is released, which can create a wave of popularity.

Make money, don't shiver.

Cao Xuan's family is not the only one enjoying the popularity. Moreover, when Xiao Jia first debuted, Boss Cao attended the Grammys and made a few comments, with many complimentary words.

With his status in the international music scene, a few words of praise for Xiao Jia is considered a compliment for a newcomer like him.

Now that he is enjoying a wave of popularity, he should let Xiao Jia return the favor, and this is just a trivial matter. Cao Xuan also plans to ask Xiao Jia to sing a promotional song or something, and also let Taylor sing one.

After all, "Now You See Me" is a new IP, and as long as it can be used for publicity, it can be used as much as possible.

In addition to Xiao Jia and Taylor, Cao Xuan also had to go into battle himself, and the songs were all ready-made——

"Now You See Me"

The Chinese can be translated as "Supernatural". The original time and space is the theme song written by Xiao Zhou for "Now Now 2". It contains Chinese and English and can be used directly at home and abroad.

Another song "Hustler" translated as "The Deceiver" or "The Liar" is also good.

However, the lyrics have to be changed a lot, and Cao Xuan plans to record them and turn them into an interlude for inclusion in the movie.

Just imagine, when the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse appear or work together quickly and tacitly, such a rhythmic and dynamic rock song will definitely be very touching.

………

"Now You See Me" took about 80 days to shoot, from early April to late June.

A large part of the time was mainly due to the fact that there were too many big scenes, and the crew wasted a lot of time on group performance coordination and on-site scheduling, which slowed down the progress. Otherwise, the completion time could be at least two weeks earlier.

After the wrapping banquet, the actors dispersed, and Da Mimi quickly returned to China to film. The crews of "Laughing in the River" and "God of Wealth Inn" have been waiting for her.

Hu Jing is more optimistic about Fanxing's new movie "Love Is Not Blind" and plans to contact her about it.

If she is confirmed to star in three movies plus miscellaneous business activities and announcements, Damimi can be busy until next year, even during the Spring Festival.

The Empress of the East Palace couldn't bear it, so she advised her to take a break and put down "33 Days of Love".

But Damimi was reluctant. She heard Cao Xuan talk about this drama in the United States. Although it was a small-budget film, it had a good script and good characters, so it had a certain chance of becoming a dark horse.

The most important thing is that the heroine of "33 Days of Love" is Ichiban, which is what Damimi values ​​​​more.

Although the few movies she has made are lively, they are basically the icing on the cake.

"Wulin Gaiden" is a group portrait, "Laughing Rivers and Lakes" has Xiao Shen Yang and Lao Zhao in the C position, "God of Wealth Inn" has the dual male protagonists Chef Xie and Zha Zhahui, not to mention "Now You See Me".

Therefore, Damimi still attaches great importance to the movie "33 Days of Love". If it becomes popular, it will be her sole success.

This is something that even Liu Tianxian has not done, and even in Fan Xiaopang's "The Wind", the C position is Mr. Zhou.

Cao Xuan knew this well and did not persuade him.

In his opinion, "33 Days of Love" is not only a dark horse at the box office, but more importantly, it has become a masterpiece of domestic chick flicks.

At present, Damimi is more suitable to take this route. This is a rare opportunity for her, even as good as participating in "Now You See Me".

If she really comes up with something and becomes a representative character in chick flicks, then Damimi will really have the ability to compete with Liu Tianxian.

Damimi can leave, but Cao Xuan, the producer, stays to finish things off. In addition, he also has to work on the business in the United States.

Cao Xuan's scattered assets in the United States are not a small amount. If they are added up, they must be more than a billion dollars, if not billions. Cao Xuan usually doesn't have time to come here, but now that he can spare some time, he should show it off. under.

However, Cao Xuan had not been shopping for two days when he was blocked by a person - Marvel President Kevin Feige.

New York, a coffee shop

Cao Xuan took a sip of coffee, then silently added some milk and sugar cubes, and then looked at the other party helplessly.

"Kevin, I've already said that I don't want to participate in Marvel movies for the time being."

"Cao, I know your principle is not to play a villain, but Loki is by no means a simple villain. He is a character who is both good and evil. In our setting, he has many shining points... "

Kevin Feige said it without hesitation, even revealing some details about the subsequent filming plans.

In addition to convincing Cao Xuan, it was also because Cao Xuan himself was a shareholder of Marvel and had the right to know about this.

However, Cao Xuan remained unmoved and reiterated that Loki was a Norse god and he was Chinese.

"This is not an insurmountable obstacle. In many classics, Loki's image is not strictly fixed. They just say that he is handsome and noble, or that he is a strange evil god.

There is no Chinese with black hair and black eyes who cannot play Loki. In mythology, Loki is Odin's brother, so we changed it to his son. "

Kevin Feige did not take this seriously. The standards accepted at home and abroad are completely different.

If a foreigner with blond hair and blue eyes played the role of Erlang Shen, the director and screenwriter would kill him.

Although there will be controversy abroad, there are too many similar situations, and the myths of many film and television works have been magically modified.

Even God can turn into an old black man or a woman, let alone a Nordic evil god who can make the Chinese people. Most people have already tempered it, and they will be criticized, but as long as the plot and actors are brilliant, it will not affect the overall situation. .

Even Marvel is happy to stir up a wave of popularity.

Why did Kevin Feige hire Cao Xuan? In addition to pleasing the mainland and Asian markets, it was also because the leading roles in "Thor" were not enough and he wanted Cao Xuan to take over.

"Kevin, let me make it clear, your contract is too much and I'm not very satisfied with it."

Seeing Kevin Feige's entanglement, Cao Xuan raised the key point.

Playing a villain is not a problem. Although others don't know it, Cao Xuan still understands the role of Loki.

It cannot be said that he is a complete villain, he is even a bit likeable, and he is a Nordic god, which does not affect the image of the Chinese people.

He is just a bit unlucky and weak, and gets beaten up frequently. This is why Cao Xuan preferred Hawkeye before, because the latter is more handsome and deeper.

However, he is not an image-only person. In the past two years, he has played a lot of handsome and deep characters, and even his acting style has become a bit solid. Playing a hapless guy with a comedic tone can also break through the limitations.

Having said that, who says Loki is not handsome? Most of his charm is very online.

Marvel's remuneration is quite sincere. A movie for "Thor" is US$10 million. "Avengers" is currently undecided, but according to the contract, there will be an increase in line with the market.

Although this price is not as high as the US$15 million claimed by Cao Xuan, it is normal for the external bid price to be different from the actual transaction price.

Considering the influence of Marvel IP and the fact that he has to renew his contract for multiple dramas, this salary is still barely acceptable to Cao Xuan.

You know, Robert Downey Jr.'s salary for "Iron Man 2" was only US$10 million. For Marvel, which is very careful about salary, it is considered a huge investment.

But what he couldn't accept was that Marvel asked him to sign a 10+1 contract, during which he had to cooperate with the filming of Marvel movies, and there would be certain non-compete clauses.

In other words, if other films and TV shows invite Cao Xuan to play Loki or similar roles, Cao Xuan cannot play the role.

Of course, this is not Marvel's deliberate targeting of Cao Xuan. The main characters in the first phase of the Marvel Universe all have similar agreements.

Cao Xuan knew Captain America Tao, and he had been hesitant to participate in the role. This was largely because of the contract, and he was afraid that he would be completely tied to the role.

Cao Xuan also has this concern. At the same time, he personally values ​​freedom, otherwise he would not be his own boss, and he certainly does not want a rope around his neck.

He has not seen all Marvel movies, but he has seen most of them. In the impression, Loki has appeared in the "Thor" series, and "Avengers" has also appeared several times, which means that Cao Xuan will be involved. Less schedule and energy.

Even after the first phase of "Avengers" ended, Captain America and other characters were offline, while "Thor 4" was still being filmed, and Loki's story continued.

Maybe Cao Xuan will be tied to death by Marvel. This is what Cao Xuan cannot tolerate the most.

The Marvel Universe is really awesome, and it has even produced a dozen Hollywood superstars in one go, which is of great help to the actors.

If the conditions are right, Cao Xuan naturally wants a piece of the pie, but that doesn't mean he wants to be bound to Marvel. For this reason, he would rather choose a supporting role.

One of the reasons why Cao Xuan prefers Hawkeye to Loki is because after "Avengers", Hawkeye can retire with success.

In addition, Cao Xuan thought that he could make a guest appearance as Gu Yi. Although she is a bald woman in the movie, she is an old Chinese man in the comics. Cao Xuan is suitable for the role.

He has shown his face, his character status is also good, he is one of the top combatants on earth, and he will not be bound by Marvel yet.

Cao Xuan had his own ideas, and Kevin Feige scratched his head in worry.

He did underestimate the resistance of some actors to the contract.

Previously, Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) signed the contract happily because he was in a difficult situation. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) was unknown and was also willing to sign such a contract.

The widowed sister is special. She is a popular star, but she would rather lower her salary to star in Marvel movies. There is no obstacle to a long-term contract.

The one who was most resistant to this contract was Captain America. Kevin Feige persuaded him for a long time and finally got him after all the hard work.

As a result, Cao Xuan was blocked from the door because of this contract.

Kevin Feige wanted to give up. After all, the role of Loki did not really have to be played by Cao Xuan, but he couldn't bear to think about it.

Marvel's casting of Cao Xuan to play Loki was not just a matter of inspiration.

In addition to the Asian market that is concerned about Cao Xuan, there is also the current Marvel Universe series. Although the slogan is loud, only the "Iron Man" series is actually successful.

"Captain America" ​​and "Thor" are still in production. Although I am very confident, there is really no guarantee that they will be a hit.

In particular, Thor and Loki in "Thor" are directly related to "Avengers", the first climax of the first phase of the Marvel Universe. This is an important step for Marvel to conquer the world.

Therefore, Marvel needs the help of a superstar with great global appeal like Cao Xuan to launch "Thor" and "Avengers", otherwise they would not spend 10 million US dollars to hire Cao Xuan.

After hesitating for a moment, Kevin Feige couldn't help but ask Cao Xuan for his opinion on the contract. After all, the contract can be changed and everyone can discuss it slowly.

Cao Xuan didn't hesitate and made two demands. First, the contract has no time limit and the film should be signed one by one. The second is that the role of Rocky should not be filmed for too long and should be released when the opportunity arises.

Upon hearing these two requests, Kevin Feige's brows never softened.

There is no time limit, and film contracts are signed on a project-by-moment basis, so things can easily go wrong. If an agreement cannot be reached on a new film, the risk is high.

As for the direction of Loki's character, Marvel's plot has not yet been sorted out that far. I don't mind if it is offline sooner or later, but Cao Xuan's behavior is undoubtedly suspected of interfering with Marvel's creation.

"Cao, I can't answer this matter. I need to discuss it with my colleagues and the board of directors."

"No problem. Whether I play Loki or not, I am still a shareholder of Marvel. We are our own people and we will have opportunities in the future."

Cao Xuan simply didn’t think Marvel would agree to these two requests.

Especially the second request, because of the creative rights issue, Marvel broke up with several famous directors, and Marvel is very sensitive to this aspect.

So Cao Xuan felt that this matter was basically a failure.

These two requests are equivalent to a different kind of polite refusal. It is impossible for Marvel to agree to it. They will turn around and say that they have differences of opinion. It is not possible to say who rejected whom. Everyone is decent and leaves room for leeway.

Cao Xuan put the matter behind him, checked for two more days, packed his things and returned to China to see his wife and children, and then flew to South Africa to watch the World Cup finals.