American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 100 The Queen Visits North America

Once a person gets excited, their ability to execute becomes incredibly strong.

The first episode of the first season of "The Voice of China" has just finished airing.

Over there, on the internet, there was only one voice: "The Voice of China".

The vast majority of posts were complaints about the program being too short.

"How can there be such a short person in this world!"

The vast majority of comments were requests for the production team to add more episodes.

"Short ones are cute, but too short ones aren't cute!"

On the surface, the above public opinion will bring a lot of trouble to "The Voice of China" because when the public reviews of an entertainment program are full of emotions, it is not easy for casual viewers to pick out the specific highlights of the program from the reviews and thus decide whether to become fans.

But on the other hand, aren't short complaints and requests for more chapters the best kind of recommendation?
When the vast majority of viewers want to catch up on new episodes, isn't that desire more useful than spoilers and praise?
Not to mention, you can't spoil music variety shows because their selling point is the sound, and sound is hard to describe in words. You only know if the show is good or not, and whether it suits your taste, after you listen to it yourself.

The public can vent their emotions, but professionals cannot.

With the official premiere of "The Voice of China," almost everyone in the industry has turned their attention to ABC tonight.

then……

new York.

Rockefeller Center.

The NBC headquarters was brightly lit at 11 p.m.

In the conference room, NBC President Kevin Reilly leaned back in his chair.

He rested his chin on his hand and said, "I've finished watching 'The Voice of China.' What are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present exchanged bewildered glances.

Riley sighed when no one responded and leaned back.

Feeling a little down.

Kevin Riley is a veteran in the entertainment industry. He entered the industry in 84, joined Universal, and moved to NBC in 88. He then led NBC to develop "Law & Order" and initiated the production of "ER".

Two hit TV series made him an overnight sensation in the industry.

But, this is just the beginning.

After gaining fame, he was recruited by Brad Gray to Brillstein Entertainment.

That's an extremely famous production company in the television industry, specializing in providing content for major television stations.

Then, Riley developed hit shows there such as News Broadcast, The Sopranos, and Shoot Me.

This fact greatly increased his value, and he was poached once again.

In 2000, Riley officially joined Fox.

And then, the legend continued.

In the past three years, he has produced two more hit dramas, one called "Nip/Tuck" and the other called "The Shield".

Anyone who watches American TV shows should know "The Shield," which has the highest viewership ratings in television history.

Riley's phenomenal performance made him a highly sought-after talent!
It's no exaggeration to say that Riley is the undisputed king of television today!

His words are the key to success in the television industry!
The breath he exhaled was enough to blow a pig away!
Because Riley's performance was so outstanding, in June of this year, NBC offered him an unprecedented offer in the television industry: an annual salary of $2000 million plus stock options, bringing him back from Fox.

At the same time, the NBC board of directors also pledged not to make any demands or provide any guidance on Riley's day-to-day work.

Because they believed Riley had the ability to lead them to the top.

When Riley accepted the invitation, he was actually very confident. This was not only because he had produced a bunch of hit shows and knew with his eyes closed what the audience wanted to see, but also because talent shows were very popular at the time.

When the average viewership of the second season of "American Idol" reached 2400 million, he also wanted to try doing a variety show. He had even found a project called "America's Got Talent".

Then, just as he was preparing to launch the project...

Snapped--

The Voice of China has been officially announced.

This fact made him completely speechless!

Because anyone with a brain knows that "The Voice of China," with its built-in audience, is bound to succeed!
So, when the audience for talent shows is only so big and the market is only so large, how can "America's Got Talent" continue to operate?

Right?

That's right!

he!
Kevin Riley!

A man regarded by his peers as a god in the television industry!
Nobody knows how to deal with "The Voice of China" now!

That's why, when he discovered that there were people in the world who wanted "The Voice of China" to die even more than he did, he was actually a little excited. The fact that "The Voice of China" didn't die made him very regretful.

Because "The Voice of China" posed a real threat to them, he took the lead in working overtime tonight and watched "The Voice of China" with his team. As he watched, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"The appearance of The Voice was so unexpected."

"Its blind selection design and mutual selection mechanism are unparalleled in talent shows and even in the television industry."

"Although I don't know where Robert Iger got the idea from, he couldn't possibly have had that kind of inspiration, nor could Barry Mayer, but tracing the source is no longer important, is it?"

"Because I personally feel that the emergence of 'The Voice of China' makes other talent shows unnecessary to produce."

Riley's words echoed throughout the NBC conference room.

His summary was somewhat harsh, but everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.

There's nothing we can do about it; there isn't a single idiot among us.

These people had already sensed something was amiss while watching "The Voice of China".

But they dared not say it, because it was Riley's idea to produce the variety show.

When a god wants to do something, mortals have no right to interfere.

All endings can only be brought about by God himself.

"Kevin, I don't think we need to be so pessimistic."

Now that the most taboo topic had passed, the people below began to speak one after another—

"The Voice of China is just a music variety show, but talent shows are not limited to music variety shows."

"Yes, the 'Talent Show' we want to make isn't a music variety show; it's a comprehensive competition!"

"Personally, I think 'China's Got Talent' is still a viable project, and it's worth trying."

As soon as the words of comfort were spoken, Riley, who was leaning back in his chair, immediately laughed.

He also worked his way up from the bottom.

He understood what these people meant.

Just as he was grinding his teeth, wanting to say that all these people were fucking sycophants, a knock suddenly sounded at the door. After saying "Come in," the figure who pushed open the door was his second secretary.

"The data is out?"

Upon seeing the other party, Riley knew that the viewership statistics were already available.

"Yes, boss."

The second secretary nodded.

"How much?" Riley asked.

“Uh…” the second secretary hesitated for a moment, then said, “3117…”

"Seize the young man???"

Riley, who was lounging lazily in his chair, suddenly jumped up.

His eyes were as wide as fists the size of sandbags.

He stared intently at his second secretary.

"Gudong-"

The second secretary swallowed hard and reiterated the fact that had been confirmed multiple times: "3117 million."

"The premiere of The Voice of China had a viewership of 3117 million."

wow——

The NBC meeting room erupted into chaos!
Everyone gaped in disbelief!

Because this data is just too damn astonishing!
Because since the beginning of the new century, no broadcasting company has been able to produce a project that breaks the three-digit mark!
The highest-rated show of 00 was CBS's "Survivor," which averaged 2980 million viewers per episode!
The top-rated show in 01 was NBC's "Friends," with an average of 2450 million viewers per episode!
Last year, the highest-rated show in 02 was CBS's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," with an average of 2612 million viewers per episode!
That's right!

The last TV show to break 3 was "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" in 99!
Further ahead lies the legendary "Song Fei"!
Then, neither "Million Dollar" nor "Seinfeld" ever got a 3 in their first season!

And now, he got 3 in the first episode of the first season of "The Voice of China"?
Although everyone present had long been mentally prepared for "The Voice of China" to be a hit, and many even thought that the first episode might break 3, they still found it hard to accept when it actually happened.

While everyone was still in surprise, Riley suddenly laughed again.

"Ah--"

He slowly turned his head and looked around the venue.

He licked his lips and said, "Now, who among you still thinks 'Got Talent' can continue?"

"uh-huh?"

The sudden nasal tone brought a hint of helplessness to Riley's upturned lips.

This situation silenced everyone present.

Meanwhile, next to NBC headquarters, the CBS headquarters, also located in Midtown Manhattan, fell silent.

Like NBC, CBS executives also watched "The Voice" at the company tonight. After watching, they held a meeting, and then the sudden appearance of 3117 made Les Moonves, the CBS chairman who was chairing the meeting, furious.

Munvis's situation is similar to Riley's.

His career was also very illustrious, as his most famous work was "Friends".

The immense popularity of Friends brought him from Warner to CBS—well, he used to be a Barry Mayer guy, but he couldn't stay at Warner because the infighting was just too damn bad.

When he first joined CBS, he was the president of the entertainment division, which was not a high position. However, after he produced "Survivor" and "CSI" in succession, his wild success led him to become the chairman and CEO of CBS this summer.

Yes.

He was the top-rated TV personality in both 00 and 02.

That's how the television industry works; those who can't create content won't rise to the top.

Moonwiss was very happy after his promotion, but all the excitement only lasted for a short while before it dissipated, because at that time, the benchmark figure in the North American television industry was Robert Iger.

They're already preparing to challenge for the chairmanship of Disney!

But he's still excited about getting the same position as the chairman of CBS as the chairman of ABC?
Isn't this embarrassing?!

You should know that CBS, like ABC, also has a parent company!

Although the chairman of CBS will only be Sumner Redstone, it doesn't matter, does it?
Viacom also has a CEO, whose power is greater than that of the chairman of CBS!
However, just as he was trying to make a breakthrough, his base of support and stronghold was about to be destroyed by Robert Iger.
“Oh—Shit—that damn Egg—”

"How can this beast be so lucky!"

"Back in 99, creating a hit product could lead to a promotion! Can you still get a promotion by creating a hit product now?"

"M-FXXK!"

Muenvis slammed his fist on the table!

With a wave of his hand, he adjourned the meeting!
It's not that he doesn't want to think of a solution!
It's not that he's out of options!

If The Voice of China breaks 3 in its first episode, then it must reach 4 or higher in the future.

Then, in the finals, will they break 5, 6, or 7?

Admittedly, a strong start followed by a strong finish is a common occurrence in American television history.

Furthermore, many of the records are not from many years ago.

The hugely popular series "Seinfeld" had an average viewership of over 3000 million per episode, with the finale in 98 reaching 7630 million viewers.

There was also the hugely popular "Cheers," which had a slightly lower average viewership per episode than "Seinfeld," but its finale in 93 reached 8050.

But even though these figures are still relatively new, they are still among the top ten records in American television history!

It doesn't count as the Super Bowl.

And then, The Voice of China had just started airing!

Is it aiming for the top ten in history?

Now!

Even if Moonwiss leaves CBS!

He no longer wants to figure out how to deal with "The Voice of China"!

Because there's absolutely no way we can beat them!

After the ratings data for "The Voice of China" were released, many people went into a frenzy.

But at the same time, many people simply fell silent.

Take Steve Case, for example. He glanced at the report and sent his assistant home to rest. He couldn't help it; he knew the data was simply unbeatable.
For example, Ted Turner, after hearing the report, simply responded with a light nod and hung up the phone.

Having come from a television background, he understood that "The Voice of China" was no longer just a phenomenon; it was an epic phenomenon.

For example, Michael Eisner and Edgar Bronfman Jr., after receiving the report, immediately closed their eyes.

Michael Eisner knew that his plan to win over Disney shareholders might face an even greater challenge in execution.

And Edgar Bronfman Jr....

"Warner Music can't buy it anymore."

"Richard Parsons will not allow Ted Turner and his team to sell Warner Music for $20 billion."

"so……"

"Shall we try a different approach?"

"Is Sony planning to acquire BMG? We could get involved."

“Go call them now. I can accept anything under three billion.”

"If it's over three billion, we'll quote EMI."

Upon hearing this, the assistant immediately nodded.

With a wave from Bronfman Jr., the other party also left the boss's mansion.

Although Bronfman Jr. is seen as a spendthrift by the public, he genuinely loves music. He released songs in his early twenties, and his biggest dream in life is to own the world's largest music group. When his love for music is so pure, and his father allows him to do so, it's really hard for the people around him to persuade him to stop being so stubborn.

When Bronfman Jr. could do whatever he wanted, Sony simply shut up.

"What did you say? Bronfman Jr. wants to bid against us for BMG???"

Howard Stringer, chairman of Sony North America, was stunned when he heard the news.

He'd been eyeing BMG for a long time, and just when Bertelsmann was starting to soften its stance and seemed willing to sell its music division to Sony, Bronfman Jr. suddenly jumped in with a bid? What's going on? They don't seem to have any grudge against each other, do they?
After he learned that Bronfman Jr.'s bidding was related to his inability to acquire Warner Music...

He felt a terrible pain in his head.

"So, in other words, 'The Voice of China' slapped the outside world in the face, and then the mere gust of wind it created overwhelmed us?"

He organized his thoughts and gave what he considered a suitable summary.

But his words made the secretary who came to deliver the message shake her head. "Boss, I personally think your description is not accurate enough, because 'The Voice' didn't specifically target anyone. Barry Mayer, Robert Iger, and others don't harbor hatred towards any particular group like Michael Eisner and Ted Turner do. They just..."

"I want to crush all my competitors on equal terms."

"..." Howard Stringer was constipated.

It wasn't that he thought his secretary was wrong; on the contrary, she was absolutely right.

He didn't even know how to respond.

Howard Stringer has the freedom to be silent right now because he's not the head of a media company.
But others, especially those in the media, had no time to remain silent.

As soon as "The Voice of China" achieved phenomenal success, various media outlets rushed to report on its phenomenal viewership.

Of course, ABC was the first to make a move. If their own show became a hit and they didn't brag about it, wouldn't that be like wearing a brocade in the dark?
So, the next morning, ABC's anchors reported on their station's achievements on the morning news—

“万众期待的音乐竞技类节目《好声音》已于东部时间2003年9月20日晚8点正式开播！平均收视人数达到3117万人！创综艺之历史！破行业之记录！”

Following closely behind are NBC and CBS.

Although executives from both companies wished they could kill ABC.

However, the news and entertainment sections of all media groups are separate.

So, the people in the entertainment group are depressed?

So, without them speaking up or asking for help.

NBC and CBS news teams will still treat all news fairly, impartially, and transparently.

"The Voice of China, which has been in the works for three months, officially premiered yesterday!"

"The premiere episode attracted 3117 million viewers!"

"Isabella makes history again! The sheer number of people chasing after her is astonishing!"

In terms of information delivery, television media has a speed advantage that print media cannot match.

However, because all news programs have time limits, television media cannot report news as extensively as print media, since print media can simply reprint the reports.

That's why newspapers were sold as the sun rose higher.

The wafting scent of ink carried countless excited shouts and endless sentiments to the people of North America!

The Washington Post published an article stating—

[The Voice may become the best music competition program in television history!]

"People who enjoy watching TV should all have this feeling: in the past, no matter what kind of music program it was, no matter how much the program team expressed their love for music, when the program was broadcast, we could always feel that it was just an entertainment stage."

"Because music is an art of sound, while television programs are visual presentations, in order to attract viewers' attention, the production team will have contestants and judges perform some clumsy acts on stage."

"For example, in 'American Idol,' the judges and contestants on stage are like puppets, following the show's requirements to talk about their love for music and the difficulties they faced on their journey to pursue their dreams."

"To be honest, American Idol feels like a storytelling competition."

"The stories in this show are even better than the music."

"But the first episode of 'The Voice of China' yesterday was completely different. The blind audition mechanism allowed us to immerse ourselves in the music!"

"When mentors and contestants never meet, music can truly become the sole criterion for judging good and bad!"

"This design surprised us! It truly allows the contestants to showcase their talents!"

"..."

The Los Angeles Times published an article stating—

After last night, we can be completely certain that Isabella loves music!

"The selection process of 'The Voice' is truly a revolutionary change!"

"Only those who truly love music will go to great lengths to select talent through music!"

That's why two hours feels so short! It makes you eager to watch the next episode!

"..."

To be honest, right now, even a normal person would feel a surge of heat churning inside them after reading articles in The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.

Because the wording and descriptions in the articles from both newspapers were too exaggerated.

It's so extreme that even if a septic tank truck passes by them, they'll scoop up a spoonful to taste how salty it is!
Nonsence--

It's so exaggerated that even people who haven't watched "The Voice of China" want to watch it right away!
Let's verify the truth or falsehood of what the two newspapers say!
But compared to The New York Times, the reporting in The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times today is nothing, because The New York Times' front-page headline on September 21, 2003, was this—

North America, your queen has returned!

The content is even more like this—

"As anyone familiar with world history knows, the first country in the world to be called the 'Empire on which the sun never sets' was Spain. At that time, King Charles I of Spain declared, 'On my territory, the sun will never set.' Thus, the name 'Empire on which the sun never sets' officially appeared on the world stage. However, the empire was not built in a day, and the person who laid the foundation for Spain's empire was Charles I's ancestor, Isabella I."

"As Queen of Castile and Queen of Aragon, her rule over the Iberian Peninsula laid the foundation for the emergence of Spain, while her patronage of the great navigator Christopher Columbus marked the beginning of Spain's rise to empire. We could even say that her decisions changed the trajectory of human development, bringing the rich land of North America to the world's attention."

"But unfortunately, even though she changed the world, she did not live to see it all, because she died in 1504, when the world's shipping industry was not even half as developed as it is now."

"Although we don't know whether she had any intention of setting foot on the New World five hundred years ago after learning that there was one, we do know that she may have returned today, five hundred years later."

"Even the evidence is very clear—"

"In 1999, Warner Bros. officially decided to bring the bestselling novel Harry Potter to the screen."

"In the spring of 2000, Warner Bros. officially hired Chris Columbus as director."

"That same summer, Isabella, who was born in Europe, came into our view..."

"Many people might want to laugh at this point. But we want to say, please don't laugh yet."

"Because four years ago, when the Harry Potter project was first launched, we knew that the movie would be a success, because it had countless book fans, because Chris Columbus was a renowned director in the industry, and because Industrial Light & Magic was in charge of the special effects. We simply couldn't think of any reason why the Harry Potter movie would fail."

"Although the final result was as we expected, Harry Potter did exceptionally well, but no one expected that the box office would be the least important thing in the whole movie. What was truly amazing was the appearance of Isabella."

"This girl, who shares the same name as Queen Isabella, has brought us countless miracles over the past three years."

"At present, she is the youngest person in human film history to have a box office of two billion!"

"At present, she is the youngest person in the history of human music to hold an empty crown!"

"After last night, she created the best program opening in the history of television!"

"The Voice of China broke 3 points in its premiere episode! This is an achievement that countless programs have not been able to reach!"

"Or rather, this is data that countless professionals wouldn't even dare to dream of!"

"But Isabella got it so easily!"

"And she achieved her third all-time best while already holding two all-time best records!"

"To be honest, it's understandable for someone to achieve a historical best in one industry! It's also acceptable for someone to achieve two historical bests in one industry in their lifetime! But when someone continuously achieves three historical bests across different industries, and may even achieve more in the future, this is something that cannot be explained by normal logic!"

“In the past, we could say that Isabella’s success was due to her role in Harry Potter, but now, even something as powerful as Harry Potter can no longer be the reason for her widespread popularity. We can only say that Isabella’s emergence and success, perhaps like many historical figures, is because the world needed her to win.”

"As for why her miracles frequently occur in North America?"

"That's because the great navigator, after five hundred years, finally welcomed his queen on the new continent he discovered."

boom--

The New York Times article caused an uproar across North America!

Because their views are just too... too... too crazy!
It's so crazy that people have to talk about it!
There was something shocking—

"OMG! Is The New York Times comparing Isabella to Isabella I? That's incredibly audacious!"

"My goodness! Columbus greeted his queen on the new continent he discovered? This metaphor is truly..."

"Oh! A triple win in film, music, and television? Isabella is that amazing? No, wait! Isabella has set records in all three fields? If she makes a breakthrough in animation, won't she dominate the entire industry? Wow—this girl! This girl's achievements! That's just too incredible!"

There is joy—

"So last night's 3117 million was a historical record in the television industry? So I'm a record maker too?? Oh~ I'm awesome! I'm just as awesome as Miss Beaver! Hahahaha—"

"Finally, someone has reported on Isabella's groundbreaking crossover! Miss Beaver's success is finally being recognized!"

"Although the title 'Queen' sounds nice and powerful, I still prefer to be called 'Miss Beaver'!"

There were also screams—

"I know Isabella is amazing! I knew it from the beginning! So can't you media outlets do something productive? Like, get ABC to do an extra episode! I fucking want to see a second episode right now!"

"Yes! The success of 'The Voice' is obvious to everyone! Everything Isabella does is a victory after she wakes up, isn't it? So, can't you media outlets just stop hyping her up and start encouraging her?"

"ABC! Please! Please give me just one more episode! I feel like ants are crawling all over my body! Just one episode! Just one episode... Ah... I can't take it anymore..."

"..."

To be honest, Robert Iger and Barry Mayer jumped for joy the moment the ratings for "The Voice" were announced. Even the most composed person would be incredibly excited to see the premiere rating break 3.

After North American media went wild with coverage and the public discussed it intensely, their mouths practically twisted into Nike logos. Because given the current market expectations, if "The Voice" breaks a 3% viewership rating, that's truly just the beginning.

Going forward, breaking through 4, reaching 5, and even touching 6 are all possibilities.

but--

No matter how much the public expects it, they can't possibly add more episodes~
This is not only because the show's schedule has already been arranged and cannot be easily changed.

Furthermore, each episode is recorded live.

If they themselves don't know what the next episode will be about, how can they possibly add extra episodes if they can't follow the script?
However, just because they can't do extra chapters doesn't mean they can't do other things.

For example, do people in North America want to watch "The Voice"?
Let's discuss this: you vote for monthly tickets and we'll release a side story.

On the evening of September 21, 2003, The Voice program team expressed their gratitude to the North American public through ABC television.

They thanked everyone for their support and appreciation of the show, and announced that to help the public better understand the contestants, the special program "Growth" of "The Voice" will officially premiere on ABC starting September 23.

'Growth' is a compilation of all the contestants' matches before the national competition.

Each episode focuses on one or two people and lasts about 30 minutes. Of course, the specific number of people and the specific time will be adjusted according to the total number of contestants who advanced in the previous episode. The broadcast time is 7 pm on both the East and West sides every Monday to Wednesday.

When this fact came to light, people in North America were immediately excited!

Even if ABC doesn't add any more chapters, it's still good to have some extra chapters to read!
After all, previous national competitions were only broadcast regionally. The internet isn't as crazy as it will be in the future. When the public's understanding of the players is relatively limited, watching behind-the-scenes footage can help them learn more.

Uh……

People in North America can be really crazy when they're chasing something.

Or rather, the reason Hollywood DVDs can release bonus feature versions, full bonus feature versions, final bonus feature versions, all bonus feature versions, and ultimate bonus feature versions... is simply because someone is willing to pay for them...

Then, at 7 p.m. on September 23, the special episode of "The Voice of China," titled "Growth," aired as scheduled.

Katy Perry was the first contestant to appear on the 'Growth' stage.

The 25-minute program flew by, and as the end credits rolled, Katy Perry realized she had become famous.

Oh no, she was already famous when "The Voice of China" aired, but she became a huge star after "Growing Up" aired.

As for the reason?

It's very simple, 'Growth' had 2103 million viewers.
-
(End of this chapter)