The opening of China Entertainment Group gave Jay Chou a head-on confrontation

Chapter 917 An Undiscovered Gem in the Dance World
Anne Hathaway has her reasons for having such doubts—

She simply didn't believe that Zhou Yi would actually start dating after turning 18, as he wrote in his book "Baby" back then. Even Zhou Yi's own fans couldn't be fooled by this statement.

Judging from the behavior he's been photographed in so far, he probably just suddenly changed after he turned 18.

If you think about it that way, Michelle Obama's Catwoman in the Batman movie might actually be a possibility...

"Was she your first on-screen romance?"

"of course not."

While chatting casually with the woman, Zhou Yi quickly spotted Li An, who was beaming with pride, as he stepped out of the elevator after arriving at the banquet hall floor. Surrounded by a group of Hollywood filmmakers, he certainly looked radiant.

After all, he's a man who just won the Oscar for Best Director. A big director who can bring profits and won't cause trouble is a highly sought-after guest in Hollywood.

Edgar Jr., who also received an invitation, dressed impeccably and appeared refined and courteous in front of the Universal executives, showing none of the dissolute behavior he usually displayed, who would frequently criticize Universal.

"Hey Spike, you're really late—oh, never mind that."

A quick glance revealed Edgar Jr., beaming with delight. His exaggerated tone confirmed that he was still the same Hollywood playboy he always was. Facing Anne Hathaway, who was holding Zhou Yi's arm, he forced a flamboyant smile and said, "Dating is the most important thing."

"Ed, you're now the global president of Warner, can't you maintain a good public image?"

"If you, the number one artist at Warner, are already like this, what am I supposed to maintain? Hasn't Warner's reputation already been set by you?"

The two men, who had been exchanging punches, smiled at each other and continued to banter.

Everyone knows that Warner Music's two giants have a good relationship, but this is the first time Anne Hathaway has seen just how good it is.

"What's going on over there? Why has it suddenly become so lively?"

"It seems like Spike has arrived."

Spike?

"Yes, Spike has arrived..."

The shifts in regional trends are often the most sensitive. When they learned that the pop god who single-handedly broke through the entire European and American record market had arrived, all the ambitious people, including the Sony executives who had lost Shakira to NTR, were moving there.

Since ancient times, film and television have been inseparable, and Spike's track record speaks for itself, not to mention his current political correctness and popularity.

Anne Hathaway considers herself to have met many popular Hollywood stars, producers, and musicians, but she's never seen anyone like Zhou Yi who managed to turn an away game into a home game before.

No wonder he chose not to attend the press conference where Shakira officially announced her joining the company.

Zhou Yi himself had little interest in such social engagements. If it weren't for Zhang Yimou and Cheng Long bringing in Li An and others to put pressure on him through the American Artists Association when he was shot last year, he wouldn't even be here today.

After all, Li An himself does seem honest, but his methods behind the scenes are anything but honest.

One film, "Lust, Caution," was enough to land this internationally renowned director, who had won the Academy Award for Best Director twice, on Zhou Yi's blacklist.

If you want to film human nature, then film it properly. Instead, you distort the original historical events. It's no wonder that the mainland excluded him after "Lust, Caution." Even when "Life of Pi" won the Oscar for Best Director, the mainland gave him little attention or praise, and even treated it coldly.

There's a saying that goes something like this—

If you have the atomic bomb but can't bring your aircraft carrier in, then we'll dismantle your national spirit from within, causing your values ​​to become confused and your moral order to collapse.

By subtly altering the perceptions of a generation through film, literature, and music, the actions of those national heroes who resisted aggression are transformed into incomprehensible contradictions. By meticulously analyzing a minority of individuals, the conclusion is drawn that the majority actually violate human nature.

This tactic is commonplace; Li An is neither the first nor the last to do it.

How could Ann Lee, a world-class director, not know the meaning behind this?
Don't make trouble.

Including Guan Hu, Lu Tailang and others, this group of directors did not believe in their very nature that there were really a lot of people in that era who would embark on a difficult path that could lead to death at any time for an ideal with no future in sight.

Therefore, when it comes to this aspect, their films always have an undeniable peculiar odor.

Just like the saying that netizens in the mobile internet era generally agree on—if all the propaganda officials were executed, there would definitely be wrongful convictions, but if eight out of ten were executed, there would definitely be some who escaped.

It's so rotten it's shocking.

The only saving grace is that even with the so-called fifth and sixth generations almost completely ruined, there will still be a continuous stream of new talents that can bring surprises.

Notable actors include Lu Yang, who directed "Brotherhood of Blades"; Wen Muye, who directed "Dying to Survive"; Guo Daji, who directed "The Wandering Earth"; Shen Ao, who directed "Nanjing Photo Studio"; and Jiaozi, who broke records.

Aside from Guo Daji and Jiaozi, the other three are all trainees trained by Ning Hao's Bad Monkey Director Training Program.

It can only be said that although Ning Hao's talent waned in his later years, his contributions to the domestic film industry are still undeniable. This is probably why, despite widespread criticism of the sixth generation of directors in online articles, his reputation remains relatively positive.

Although Ning Hao has always been reluctant to categorize himself as a sixth-generation director.

"Spike, would you be interested in teaming up with Ang for a movie?"

After exchanging a few words with Li An, who came over to greet him, Zhou Yi made an excuse to slip away to the side. Little Edgar, who was watching the commotion, came to him and said, "It seems like Global is planning to do this. We'd like to ask for your opinion."

"I'm not interested. Find someone else." Zhou Yi, munching on a dessert, didn't care at all.

He was more interested in Anne Hathaway's private party than Li An.

Ann Lee is getting old and isn't part of the same generation as the younger generation, so she can't have a second party after the celebration. But Anne Hathaway, Heath Ledger, and their group are different; they're all young, and Hollywood's party culture is extremely popular.

"Don't rush to refuse. It's a Chinese-language film, directed by Ann Lee, and Universal Pictures says it's a big-budget Chinese production. They want to invite you to produce the soundtrack for global distribution, and they can offer you six million US dollars plus global revenue sharing."

"?"

Universal Pictures, Universal's soundtrack, directed by Ann Lee, a major Chinese-language production...

Isn't that "Lust, Caution"?
"Global Times asked you to be their middleman?" Zhou Yi glanced at this good-for-nothing spendthrift.

"No, not at all. They just let me know so I could test your attitude beforehand. Universal is quite confident in this new movie, after all, it's Ann Lee's first film after winning the Oscar for Best Director. It's a good opportunity to create some buzz with you."

"No interest, I'm busy with the soundtrack for another movie."

Zhou Yi, seemingly lost in thought, flatly refused.

It's hard to say that there wasn't a driving force behind Ann Lee's decision to make "Brokeback Mountain".

After all, the prevailing social trends in the United States at that time were still relatively conservative. While gay films were openly made and won awards and media praise, public opinion was not so one-sided.

Right after Ann Lee won Best Director for "Brokeback Mountain," she turned around and went back to China to make "Lust, Caution," leveraging her Oscar-winning director status...

Sometimes you really can't blame those who write about Chinese entertainment in later generations for having conspiracy theories, after all, it just seems too coincidental.

"A soundtrack to another movie? Disney's? I've never heard Robert mention it before?" Ed, the spendthrift, was instantly drawn to the soundtrack that Zhou Yi was talking about.

"The Chinese film, 'The Sun Also Rises,' directed by Jiang Wen. I'd like to help out at a friendly price." "Oh, I've heard of him."

Edgar nodded as if he understood, but in reality, he had no idea who Jiang Wen was.

......................................................

"What did you say? Spike refused to work with Ang?"

"Yes, according to Ed, Spike's schedule for writing soundtracks is full. He has a Chinese film soundtrack to write, called 'The Sun Also Rises,' directed by Jiang Wen."

"Jiang Wen? I've heard of that name, but can she compare to Ang in terms of international standing?"

After the celebration banquet, the senior executives of Global, who couldn't discuss the matter directly at the banquet, were finally able to sit down and exchange information, and then received the news that Zhou Yi had refused.

As the person directly in charge of the "Lust, Caution" project, Li An also participated in this closed-door meeting.

Perhaps because he had drunk quite a bit at the celebration banquet tonight, when he learned that Zhou Yi had rejected him for a movie that hadn't even officially started filming yet, he unusually lost control of his expression, which was quite incomprehensible but deeply shocking.

He was no stranger to Jiang Wen, and even more so to the film "The Sun Also Rises," which has yet to be filmed. After all, Jiang Wen's activities couldn't be kept secret from people in the industry.

But now he's an Oscar-winning director...

Logically speaking, no matter how loyal Zhou Yi is, shouldn't he at least try to make contact first?

How could you reject a film project so readily without even knowing anything about it?
An executive from Focus Features, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, looked at Ang Lee: "Ang, what do you think?"

"If he doesn't want to come, so be it. We're not on the same wavelength anyway." Li An shook his head, resuming his usual demeanor.

Does Universal Music lack musicians?
That's definitely not bad.

The initial decision to approach Zhou Yi was simply because "Lust, Caution" is a Chinese-language film, making it easier to generate buzz. After all, Ann Lee is arguably the most successful Chinese director, and Zhou Yi is the most successful Chinese pop singer.

A strong alliance.

However, since Zhou Yi rejected the project without even listening to its details, there was no need for him to shamelessly continue pursuing it—he was joking, after all, didn't he, an Oscar-winning director, have any pride?

Zhou Yi will regret it sooner or later.

"Regret? Why should I regret it?"

Outside the deafeningly loud dance floor, Zhou Yi, standing close to Anne Hathaway, asked in response to her surprised gaze, "I simply chose to help my friend."

“Well, you’re really being capricious. Ang is the newly crowned Oscar-winning director.” Anne Hathaway exclaimed in genuine amazement.

"I'm still the newly crowned legend who swept the Grammys."

"That's true."

Anne Hathaway, who successfully transformed her image with "Brokeback Mountain," has no financial ties to the I Ching; her appreciation for it is purely platonic.

I appreciate it even more now.

Who would refuse to be friends with a loyal person, especially when such loyalty involves a significant financial loss?

Although she didn't know who Jiang Wen was, she knew that this person definitely couldn't offer Universal's offer of six million US dollars plus global revenue sharing from the soundtrack.

This is truly a case of "spending a fortune".

"Can you jump, Spike?"

"That depends on how you define it."

Listening to his club anthem "Yeah" and being frantically tweaked by the DJ, Heath Ledger, the future best Joker in the DC superhero universe, was headbanging wildly with his girlfriend. Zhou Yi smiled and said, "I'm already tired of this kind of traditional clubbing."

"uh-huh?"

Anne Hathaway clearly didn't believe it.

"Really, I can teach you another way to dance." Under the guise of being a teacher, Zhou Yi naturally began swaying to the rhythm of the dance floor music, his feet moving as if he were frantically hitting the beat. His dazzling steps left Anne Hathaway mesmerized—

What the hell is this?
"What kind of dance is this?"

"Huh? You don't know shuffle dance?"

"Shuffle dance? What's that? I've never heard of it before. Did you create it yourself?" Anne Hathaway looked at the man with astonishment in her eyes.

Now it was Zhou Yi's turn to be stunned.

To be fair, he just wanted to use the guise of "teaching" shuffle dance to touch her legs—after all, Anne Hathaway's legs are indeed quite attractive.

In this kind of celebratory party filled with frenetic music, both parties are well aware of what they want to do; they just need a reason to break the ice.

"Of course not, it originated in Australia—"

Oh right, shuffle dance probably hasn't made it onto the world stage yet.

Zhou Yi paused for a moment, his eyes gradually becoming thoughtful...

Shuffle dance, also known as ghost dance in China, is a type of modern dance that originated in Melbourne in the 1980s. It is a dance full of power, beauty, and rhythm – its signature move is the dragging of the feet.

Its signature features are fast and powerful movements and strong, impactful music, making it highly effective at creating a live atmosphere.

In December 2002, an Australian local newspaper first published a report on the dance, but it didn't make much of a splash.

In 2005, which was last year, the shuffle dance was first printed on DVD and circulated in small quantities in cities around Melbourne.

It wasn't until 2008 that an Australian television station featured the dance on its news program for the first time. At the same time, videos showcasing shuffle techniques began to appear on YouTube, gradually giving this branch of modern dance, which had only begun to revitalize in the new century, greater influence.

In 09, its influence began to spread to Europe and America.

Until 2011, the phenomenal single "Party Rock Anthem" propelled the shuffle dance trend to the entire world—

This "American national anthem," nicknamed "dirty and messy," ranks second on Billboard's ten-year total chart, second only to Bruno Mars's invincible "Uptown Funk."

"hiss……"

It seems I have another avenue to explore besides improving and advancing auto-tune technology...

Suddenly realizing this possibility, Zhou Yi's eyes narrowed slightly.

Since he was once known as the "Little Dance King" when he debuted, it's quite reasonable for him to promote and develop a modern dance genre, right?
At that time, songs will have auto-tune, dances will have shuffle dances, all of which will be innovative and groundbreaking new styles within the already saturated branches of the pop music scene...

(End of this chapter)