America's Top Player

Chapter 99 The Bigger the Better
Robbie couldn't contain his excitement and rubbed against Leon's arms like a female cat in heat.

"Actually, I've been nominated for two categories, Best Rock Song and Best New Artist." Li Ang smiled and puffed away his cigarette.

"Really? That's great, then we can stand on the podium together!" There were stars in Robbie's eyes and his voice was trembling.

"I don't think it's a big problem. The competition on the shortlist isn't very strong. The Grammys' rock awards are becoming increasingly marginal."

The era of post-millennium rock music is already half dead.

Apart from the Best Singer of the Year and Best Album of the Year, the most popular awards are only concentrated in pop music and hip-hop music.

Of course, there is also the country music that has become very popular in recent years. Taylor Swift almost single-handedly brought country music, which is known as the cornerstone of American music, back to life.

"After the Grammy Awards, I will devote more energy to my singing career. Maybe one day I can become a superstar like Madonna!"

"That day will come for you." Leon scratched Robbie's nose, but that was not what he thought in his heart.

Although she is a standard blonde beauty like Madonna, her musical talent is completely different.

Li Ang firmly believed that Robbie, with his empty head, was unable to write a song on his own.

Robbie put on his gauze pajamas and took out a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet. "You know, Honey, there's been a lot of talk about you in Hollywood lately."

"Why are you discussing me?"

Li Ang was very confused, as he was not even a marginal figure in Hollywood.

"A lot of people know that you're going to make a movie, and they firmly believe that your box office will be a disaster."

"Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan and other great directors all think so."

Li Ang tilted his head and wondered how these Hollywood celebrities knew that I was going to make a movie?

It's not surprising that Robbie knew that he wanted to make a movie. Kendrick's big mouth can't hide anything.

As for the fact that those Hollywood actors know about it, it is mostly thanks to James Wan.

It seems that this guy just looks introverted and low-key.

Robbie said proudly: "I immediately refuted it. I knew you would succeed. Straight Outta Compton will become a historic black film!"

"You trust me so much? I don't even know the process of filming a movie."

"Of course, because you are a born winner, I believe you can do anything!"

After saying that, Robbie turned over and suppressed Leon again.

The next morning, Leon didn't even have time to eat breakfast before he hurried back to New York, fearing that Robbie would ask him to hold another morning meeting.

As soon as he got off the plane, he bought a sandwich at the Subway restaurant at the airport, had a few bites, and then hurried to downtown Manhattan, the North American headquarters of Reckitt Benckiser Group.

"Hey~ Let's see who's here~" When Kelly saw Leon, a bright smile immediately broke out on her face and she went forward to hug him.

Beautiful and successful mature women in their forties usually have no resistance to young men in their twenties.

With the nickname "Brother Bai Ni", Li Ang can support himself through other careers instead of singing.

"Ms. Kelly, you are still as radiant as ever." Because the other party was hugging her too tightly, Leon had to exert a little force to keep a little distance.

Fortunately, Phil and Mike have already paid the "money" for him, otherwise he would have to go through some unspoken rules to get such an endorsement opportunity.

"Leon, let me introduce you. This is Nancy, our head of product development." Kelly took Leon's hand and pointed to another woman in the office. "Nancy, this is Leon, the popular star who sang 'Demons'."

Li Ang looked her up and down. The woman in front of him, named Nancy, was probably in her thirties. She was wearing a white shirt and a black tight skirt, a typical working woman.

He half-jokingly asked, "Are all the employees in your company beautiful women?"

Kelly responded with a smile: "Most of them, because although our products are men's products, our ultimate goal is to serve women."

Under Kelly's guidance, Li Ang took a tour of the Reckitt Benckiser Group.

The entire company is like one big adult museum.

Their products are not limited to small umbrellas of various sizes, but also include lubricants, toys and other peripheral products.

"You have so much lubricant? No wonder that bastard Didi often promotes this brand."

"Why are there little umbrellas with thorns? What a genius idea."

As Li Ang looked around, he marveled at human creativity and all sorts of quirks. Most of the products in the exhibition hall are hard to find on the market.

Nancy murmured softly, "Does this white guy's image even fit with our product? I've suggested to you many times that we invite black actors like Diddy or Will Smith, but you just won't listen."

"Keep your voice down, Nancy! Don't you usually read entertainment news? Leon's nickname in the entertainment industry is [Brother Bai Ni]. It is said that he has had relationships with hundreds of women!" Kelly turned around and rolled her eyes.

Even though their conversation was quiet, Li Ang still heard it.

He immediately reminded the two women: "P. Diddy is no good. I went to his party and he was just a funny gay guy who was being chased by people for links."

"Really?!" The two ladies showed incredible expressions.

"Of course, why else do you think Nico needed so much lube?"

Nancy and Kelly looked at each other and quickly believed the rumor.

Diddy frequently posts on social media to help Durex promote its products.

In return, he receives a check from Reckitt Benckiser every year and several thousand bottles of lubricants, including various new products.

Even if you drink this stuff as a beverage, one person can't finish thousands of bottles of lubricant.

After Kelly took Li Ang on a brief tour of the corporate culture, they went to the conference room.

The advertising director also came here, and the two sides briefly exchanged ideas about the advertisement.

After chatting for a while, the door of the conference room was pushed open.

Miranda Kerr walked over in sharp high heels, escorted by two assistants and her agent.

She walked to Li Ang very naturally and put the red shoulder bag on the table. "Long time no see, Li Ang~"

"Hello Miranda, you seem to have become more beautiful after not seeing you for a few days."

"Are you serious? More beautiful than Robbie?"

Li Ang smiled awkwardly and didn't continue talking.

"So you two know each other? No wonder Mr. Leon chose you among all the beautiful women." Kelly couldn't hide her smile. "You two look like a perfect match made in heaven."

"I think so too. Did you hear that, Leon?" Miranda's eyes were like a fox that had found its prey, and she kept winking at Leon.

His abnormality aroused Li Ang's vigilance.

Why is this woman so attentive?
As one of the world's most sought-after supermodels, Miranda is widely regarded by the industry as someone whose commercial value is most likely to rival that of top-tier supermodel Charlize Theron.

First of all, she not only has a hot body, but also has an angelic face that is different from the cold supermodel face.

The wealthy and famous people who pursued her could line up from Fifth Avenue to Brooklyn Heights.

After a brief meeting, the group took a Reckitt Benckiser Group business car to Leo Burnett Advertising Company.

This advertising company was founded in the 1960s and has created many world-famous advertisements.

Among them, the "I Want to Buy the World a Coke" advertisement they shot for Coca-Cola in 1971 is considered by many to be the best advertisement in history.

At the same time, this company is also the prototype of the story of the popular American TV series, the Emmy Award-winning drama "Mad Men".

There's no difference between filming a commercial and a music video; all you have to do is stand in front of the set and constantly change your poses according to the director's instructions. Li Ang is already very familiar with this.

The only difference is that you have to read the lines to the camera, which is usually not necessary for MV shooting, and sometimes you just lip-sync according to the lyrics.

The advertising industry is very averse to shooting first and dubbing later, believing that this will affect the actors' best condition.

This is especially true for Leo Burnett Company, which has extremely demanding requirements for its works.

Li Ang could only memorize the script while putting on makeup.

"Honey, I feel like my energy is being held back."

"Fuck, this isn't right! Come on!"

"Dear, I feel like something is limiting my energy."

"Shxt, what idiot wrote such a stupid line."

Li Ang cursed as he recited, it turned out that being an actor was not that easy.

The amount of dialogue in an advertisement is less than one percent of that in a movie. If he really wants to cross over to make a movie in the future, the lines will be a very troublesome problem.

"It won't work if you don't put yourself in the situation." Miranda said with a smile at the dressing table nearby.

"I'm sorry, I don't have much experience in acting. I hope it won't affect your performance later."

Miranda blinked her big eyes and raised her hand to signal the makeup artist to take away the curling iron. "Look into my eyes and say your lines again. Maybe it will be different."

“Will this work?”

"Of course, the most important thing about acting is immersion. First, you have to immerse yourself in the role so that the audience can also feel involved!"

Although Leon was a little hesitant, he still walked to her side as Miranda asked and stared into her eyes.

"Honey, I feel like my energy is being tied up, and it's making me feel terrible."

As soon as he finished reading his lines, Li Ang regretted it.

The mocking smile on Miranda's face actually made him, who had a thick skin, feel a little embarrassed.

"Fuck, I think you're kidding me~"

"That's not what I meant. Never mind. Let's wait for the filming and I'll help you get into the right state. We might have to do a lot of NGs."

In between putting on makeup, Miranda always chatted with Leon intentionally or unintentionally, basically about things in daily life.

Until Miranda changed the subject and talked about Robbie, "Robbie told me she's going to the Grammy Awards next month?"

"Yes, 'Faded' has a good chance of winning the Best Dance Song of the Year award, and the bookmakers' odds back it up."

"I suddenly feel a little envious of Robbie for having such a talented boyfriend like you." Miranda's eyes sparkled.

It’s more like jealousy than envy.

The two are fellow countrymen from Australia, and Miranda has always been better than Robbie in their careers.

When she became a world-renowned supermodel and walked the Victoria's Secret catwalk, Robbie was still a third-rate vase actress in Australia.

Now, Robbie, who is seven years younger than her, is not only filming a movie with Leonardo, but is also about to win the Grammy Award, the highest honor in the music industry.

I am afraid that my best friend will suffer, and I am even more afraid that my best friend will only enjoy sex and not suffer.

This made Miranda suddenly realize that even if she was surrounded by many wealthy men like Jho Low, her career advancement would be far less than that of a talented creator like Li Ang.

Li Ang saw through the other party's thoughts and teased him, "Maybe you can ask Liu to pay for you to release an album. He's rich enough to use the money to cover his expenses. Even a big company like Sony can mobilize top-level resources for you."

"Liu?" Miranda shook her head. "He and I no longer have any relationship... Actually, nothing ever happened between us. It's just that Liu had some misunderstandings about our relationship, and I couldn't bear to hurt him."

What a bxxch.
Li Ang almost blurted out a curse.

This woman should not be a green tea girl even though she is married.

Jho Low has spent tens of millions of dollars on this woman, but it is really questionable whether he will be successful.

"If there is a chance in the future, I hope we can collaborate on music. I think my voice is no worse than Robbie's."

"There will definitely be this opportunity, Miss Miranda."

Li Ang said this on the surface, but he was thinking something else in his heart.

Maybe one day I can really use a piece of rubbish inspiration to exchange for a pass to this woman's tunnel.

Inside the studio, the crew and set are already in place.

The setting is a typical detached house in a middle-class community, with Leon and Miranda playing newlyweds.

"Action!" With the director's command, the shooting officially began.

The young stock trader played by Li Ang returns home from get off work and warmly embraces his young wife played by Miranda.

"Honey... I've been waiting for you at home all day." Miranda leaned on Leon's shoulder, looking shy.

"I miss you too, I can't wait!" Leon threw Miranda to the ground, and the scene changed to the bedroom bed.

The sound engineer played the background music, which was a clip from Li Ang's work "Radioactive".

[I am awakening, and the energy seeping from my bones is enough to restart me! ]

The BGM just started to become powerful and then instantly became weak.

In the corresponding shot, Leon is looking worried and saying to Miranda: "Dear, I feel like my energy is being restrained and I feel very uncomfortable."

Miranda gently stroked Leon's face, her eyes full of tenderness, "It's okay, Honey, it's not your fault!"

When this line was spoken, both sides laughed at the same time.

The director quickly called for a stop and the two had to do it again.

"No, dear! It's not your fault!" After saying this, Miranda turned around and took out a new box of small umbrellas from the drawer, "Let's try the new products from Durex!"

"Will this really work?" Leon looked at Miranda seriously.

"Of course, it's designed for plus-sized men, so you won't have to endure feeling restricted anymore!"

The dialogue ended, and Leon and Miranda hugged each other again.

The languid BGM started up again, the volume cranked up to the maximum.

[I am awakening, and the energy seeping from my bones is enough to restart me! ]

【Welcome to the new era! 】

The scene switched again, and in the last shot, Leon and Miranda were snuggling together with happy smiles on their faces.

They both picked up the small umbrella at the same time and said an advertising slogan to the camera.

“The bigger, the better!”

When the director called for a stop, Li Ang's expression immediately changed to a dead look.

"Shxt, this line is so stupid"

(End of this chapter)