American Entertainment 1978: New York Night Fever

Chapter 108 Nightclub Premiere

Leaving the law firm, Zeke and Tino headed straight to Club 54. It was Zeke's first time at this legendary nightclub. Casablanca had booked the entire place for the night.

“This used to be a Broadway theater,” Tino told him, standing at the entrance. “It has a complete stage and projection equipment. Club 54 also has the best nightclub sound system in the world, more than enough to host a premiere.”

"It looks like a pretty big operation—" Zike remarked. A red carpet was laid out at the entrance, and the entire set of promotional materials for the movie stood on both sides, with huge posters that were particularly eye-catching in the night.

A large number of reporters arrived, and flashes of light went off constantly.

"Yeah, if I had known it would be such a big event, I should have let you bring a female companion, so you could have gotten more exposure on the red carpet."

"Forget it, I'm not the main character anyway..."

Zeke didn't intend to linger on the red carpet and walked quickly, but several astute reporters still recognized him: "Zek, what's your opinion on the Rolling Stones' new song 'Miss You' released today?"

"It's undoubtedly a good song. I think it's a great piece of work," Zik replied with a smile, slowing his pace slightly.

"Some say that the Rolling Stones' single and new album are their response to the punk wave. What do you think? Would you incorporate punk into your music?"

"I don't understand what punk is." Zeke was too lazy to delve into this question and gave a casual reply.

"Comeon, Zeke, stop playing dumb. Aren't you supposed to be a pragmatist? Or do you just look down on punk? Like how rock fundamentalists look down on slickers—" This reporter clearly wanted to stir up trouble.

Zik quickened his pace again, too lazy to pay attention.

"Sorry, I won't be answering questions today." Tino blocked the reporters who still wanted to pester him and escorted Zeke through the door with the invitation.

The invitation was a card designed like a disco ticket, with a movie poster and "Thank you" printed on it.

The slogan "GodIt's Friday".

"I heard that this movie is about a night in a Los Angeles disco, and Club 54 is the ultimate disco sanctuary in the real world. Premiering a movie about a nightclub in a nightclub is, in itself, a brilliant marketing idea," Tino remarked after entering the theater.

"That's Casablanca style... Let's grab something to eat, I'm starving." Zeke headed straight for the cold buffet.

The premiere was supposed to start at eight o'clock, but it was actually cocktail party time. Guests were freely chatting in various areas of the club, enjoying champagne and exquisite appetizers.

Artists from Casablanca Records, film crew members, and regulars of Studio54 arrived one after another.

The film's creators include Donna Samantha, Jeff Goldblum, Deborah Winger, and the entire band of Commodore —

Village people also came.

As Zik was stuffing a mini sandwich into his mouth, he was suddenly bumped into from the side.

He turned around and saw Gene Simmons, the bassist of the band KISS, with the famous female singer Cher nestled beside him.

"Hey, Zeke." Gene's outfit was as extravagant as ever, but there was a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

"Gene, long time no see." Zeke swallowed his food, greeted him with a smile, and then looked at Cheryl, "And this is..."

"Hi, Zeke," Cherrie greeted him warmly.

"Cher, my girlfriend." Gene put his arm around her waist, but his movements seemed somewhat distracted. "Listen, Zeke, I need to talk to you privately for a bit."

Zeke recalled Gene's signature flicking tongue and the "Lion of the Hunting Grounds" style of behavior, and then looked at the sweet-faced Cher—inwardly thinking: Good luck to Cher.

Gene brushed aside a waiter who tried to approach, pulled Ziklar aside to a quieter pillar, and lowered his voice, saying, "It's about Peter. I know you're close to him, could you find an opportunity to talk to him?"

Zeke frowned. "What happened to Peter? I didn't see him come."

"It would be better if he came!" Gene couldn't help but roll his eyes, his tone full of anger. "This guy has completely fallen into a rut lately. I don't know what he's been into, he's just floating around. We're filming a new movie on set, and he's either hours late or he shows up but just stands there spacing out, unable to even deliver his lines properly. If this keeps up, the band might as well give up."

Zeke's heart sank; he hadn't expected Peter's condition to be so serious.

"I understand, Gene." Zeke nodded, his expression turning serious. "I'll contact him and see if we can bring him back."

"Thanks, Zeke." Gene patted him on the shoulder, a rare look of fatigue on his face. "I don't want to lose this teammate, at least not to see him ruin himself."

He sighed, put his signature cold mask back on, and turned to leave with Xue'er in his arms.

Back at the dining table, Zeke quickly ate his fill while Tino introduced him to the celebrities who kept arriving, all regulars at Club 54: Andy Warhol, Lisa Minnelli, Mick Jagger, Bianca Jagger, Calvin Klein, Elton John —

Tino remarked, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to get into this kind of event. Don't you want to get to know these people?"

Go talk to the Jaggers; the Rolling Stones unintentionally did you a huge favor.

Zik shook his head. He wasn't very interested in these so-called socialites right now; having enough to eat was more important, and he was still growing.

"Forget it," he mumbled through his food. "These two look like they're really into it."

At this moment, Victor Willis walked over, his eyes filled with a complex mix of envy and regret: "Zick, I heard about you and Jacques. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Victor. You have to fight for what you deserve." Zeke wiped his mouth and smiled, but inwardly he shook his head.

If Victor hadn't chickened out back then, this matter could have been resolved much more thoroughly. Now that he's successfully reclaimed the profits and copyrights, it's too late for Victor to regret it.

"Hey, Victor!"

After a brief chat, a beautiful Black woman in a red evening gown approached. Zik recognized her immediately, even without Tino's introduction. She was Diana Ross, Motown's leading female singer, and considered exceptionally beautiful for a Black woman.

Beside her was a somewhat shy-looking black boy with an afro, who looked to be around 20 years old. Zeke felt he looked familiar, but couldn't quite place him.

"Diana!" Victor went up and hugged her. "How's filming going?"

"How interesting. Didn't Felicia come tonight?" Diana asked with a smile, clearly already acquainted with Victor.

"She's working on the album in the recording studio," Victor said, his face softening as he mentioned his wife. "By the way, Diana, this is Zeke Rossi, the songwriter and producer of 'YMCA'." Victor introduced her.

"You look beautiful tonight, Ms. Diana."

"Hello Zeke," Diana said with a smile, shaking hands with Zeke before introducing the boy beside her, "This is Michael—"

"Michael Jackson? Hello," Zeke suddenly remembered that this boy was the youngest member and lead singer of the Jackson 5. "My family loves listening to your songs."

The Jackson 5 is a very famous black singing group; they were five brothers.

Michael was one of the most popular, and although he was young, he was a veteran. He released four solo albums with Motown Records. However, Zeke heard that the contract termination was not very pleasant, and even the band name was lost because it was a registered trademark of Motown. After switching to Epic Records, they could only change their name to The Jackson Band.

"Hi Zeke, I watched your interview on 'The Murphy Show,' and I really liked your musical philosophy." Michael was excessively shy, his voice as delicate as a little girl's, and he avoided looking Zeke in the eye. Zeke felt that his girlfriend Judy and he, both child stars, were complete opposites.

"Really? You also think integration is the general direction?"

Zik was quite proud of this, as it was a future trend in the music industry that he had analyzed from his divine insights. This interview not only greatly enhanced his fame but also elevated his status within the industry.

Today, after the news of Rolling Stones releasing a single came out, some media outlets commented that he is incredibly talented and has a keen eye for talent.

My development of the Apocalypse cheat is far from complete, but today's new Apocalypse has brought a brand new way of singing and even a new musical style. Maybe I can create a brand new genre.

"Yes, I want to make more urban, more adult pop, R&B dance music, and I also want to try disco—" Michael's voice was soft, but his eyes were quite determined when he talked about music.

"Michael is a true musical genius; he'll become a great man in the future," Diana said, hugging him affectionately.

"Speaking of which, I've seen a lot of reports saying that the Jackson Five parted ways with Motown after their contracts expired—I didn't expect you two to still be so close," Tino interjected, keenly sensing the subtle relationship between them.

Diana Ross picked up the conversation, her smile radiant and poised: "Oh, the kids have left Motown, but Berry Gordy watched Michael grow up." She gently patted Michael on the back, and he pursed his lips slightly, looking a little awkward. "We're currently working on a new movie, a big production, *The Wiz*, which is basically a new *Wizard of Oz*. I'm playing Dorothy, and I even strongly recommended to Berry that Michael play the Scarecrow."

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