American Entertainment 1978: New York Night Fever

Chapter 97 The Eve of the Live Broadcast

Back in Los Angeles, everything seemed to have returned to normal. Zeke and Judy continued their lives, attending school, taking vocal and music theory lessons...

The routine of going home.

The popularity of "Pretty Baby" continues to grow, and occasionally, persistent paparazzi still stake out the area near the French school. However, after watching Judy for a long time, they can't dig up any exciting news. Their attempts to provoke and stir up trouble are all in vain, and eventually, they lose interest and disappear from the couple's sight.

Michelle was put up in a small apartment about a 20-minute drive from the cliffside cabin by Zeke. Her rent, vocal and physical training fees were all reimbursed through the accounts of Rossi Brothers Trading Company, and Zeke even gave her the title of "East Coast Promoter," so that she could be paid a salary legitimately.

This expense is negligible for a company whose revenue is steadily increasing. Michelle focused wholeheartedly on her studies, honing her skills and steadily progressing towards her goal of becoming a singer and backup dancer, rarely bothering Zeke when she had nothing else to do.

Time flies, and it's already mid-May. Casablanca Records' long-awaited "The Murphy Griffin Show" is about to begin.

The TGIF special is finally about to start recording.

That day, in a dressing room backstage, Zeke, Marco, and the entire Spider Band, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, gathered with Tino.

Today is the first part of a two-part series, featuring artist performances and interviews with film creators, with a focus on promotional purposes.

Almost all of Casablanca's top artists were present, including disco queen Donna Summer, Village People, and others.

Top disco stars such as LoveandKisses, Pattie Brooks, and KC & The SunshineBand all made an appearance.

In addition, there was Neil Bogart, the director, lead actor, and producer of Friday Night Fever, as well as Giorgio Morodel, the producer of the soundtrack album—this episode of The Moroes Show almost turned into a large-scale promotional event for Casablanca.

Marco whistled as soon as he entered, casually tossed the canvas bag on his shoulder onto the sofa, slumped into the soft chair next to him, and stretched out his leg to kick Zik's shin.

"Madonnamia (My Holy Mother) ————" He exaggeratedly clutched his chest, his eyes wide open, "Look at this carpet! I don't even have a place to sit in that lousy office in the mailroom, but you can lie down right here! Let me tell you, I just passed by Donna Summer's place, and her room is ridiculous enough, but it only looks a tiny bit bigger than yours."

"I just delivered water to LoveandKisses, and their dressing room is about the size of a toilet! It's nowhere near as impressive as this place!"

"Of course, we're way more popular than them now." Holly raised an eyebrow smugly, toying with Amanda's signature short cane in her hand.

Spiders' stage style continues the theme from the "Sweet Dreams" music video: all members are in black suits, Amanda has a short orange haircut, wears black leather gloves that reach her wrists, holds a short cane, and stares blankly into the void, exuding a cold and powerful aura.

Through continuous live performances and radio promotions, she even earned the title of "gender subversion icon." Amanda responded frankly, "I'm not the kind of female singer you're looking for." This attitude, in turn, garnered her a large following among feminists.

"But now most people in America think I'm a man or a lesbian," Amanda joked with a laugh, without the slightest hint of unease. "Zick, now I know how amazing your visual identity design is."

"I told you this would definitely work," Zik said with a smile, eating a grape. He was in a great mood.

The other half, the music video for "YMCA," has already been filmed. Jacques Morali not only copied the dance moves verbatim, but also didn't change the promotional strategy. He has already sent the music video to the UK for broadcast. Now that Alan Brugman's law firm has solid evidence, once the show is finished, he can confront Jacques and reclaim his share of the profits and credit.

With the rise of the Spiders, Tino is currently riding high, holding an unlit cigar in his hand, seemingly having rediscovered the feeling of being in charge of things alongside the Sinatra father and son back in the day.

He cleared his throat: "I'll say something honest, don't take it lightly. Remember three things."

"Today on stage, Spider Band is the lively front, while Zeke is the backbone behind the scenes. Amanda, you guys are responsible for singing, for getting the energy up, and for keeping the stage buzz going; Zeke is responsible for being steady, for being sophisticated, and for making everyone remember who wrote and produced this song."

Jimmy sank into the sofa and exhaled a smoke ring: "Tino, this isn't our first time performing live, what's there to worry about?"

Tino glared at him: "Murphy's show is broadcast live across the US, with tens of millions of viewers. We're just supporting characters this time, so we don't need to steal the spotlight or try to look cool. Just maintain your current image."

Although we're not the main focus, we're not here tonight to ride the wave of popularity; we're here to establish our brand. We want the entire American music scene to see that we're not just a small band with only one hit song, but someone who's creating a style and becoming the absolute core of this genre.

Tino's words reminded Zik of Seymour Stan, whom he had met at a recording studio in New York.

He added, "I heard Seymour Stan from Siren Records say that he's been promoting something called New Wave."

Seymour himself couldn't quite articulate the concept of "Wave," but it was roughly something cooler, trendier, and cleaner than punk. He felt that "Sweet Dreams" had that vibe. "Why don't we use that to name the Spiders' musical style?"

Tino stroked his chin, paced around the room a few times, and frowned slightly. "Seymour Stan? Punk? Getting involved with that stuff isn't a good sign. Zeke, are you sure this idea is feasible?"

Zeke shrugged. "Worth a try. Why not use an existing name? Siren Records is backed by Warner, and they've invested heavily in punk. They might promote this concept a lot in the future." He turned to the band members. "Besides, don't you guys want to do rock? Naming it after this word will blur your disco label."

"After all, rock music can be freely combined with other music genres, but if disco is combined with rock, it will definitely be criticized."

"Then you can discuss this later, Zeke. We don't know anything about the New Wave." Amanda and the others now trusted Zeke completely, so since he said so, it was settled.

Tino sat down next to Zik and gave him a private talk: "I know Mof too well. He doesn't like arrogant newcomers; he only likes professional, humble, and substantial performers. If he asks about songwriting, talk about inspiration, arrangement, and the overall production strategy for the song; if he asks about the band, praise the team and talk about their teamwork. Absolutely no self-promotion or empty platitudes. Tone down your sharp edges, hide your brilliance, and let your professionalism shine through."

Qi Ke shrugged, looking completely innocent: "This is just my true personality~ I don't even need to act."

These words drew laughter from everyone, instantly easing the tense atmosphere of preparation.

Just then, Susan, Casablanca's publicity director, pushed open the door and urged them on. Murphy had just finished interviewing Neil Bogart, and their segment was about to begin.

Tino clapped his hands, his expression turning serious: "Go for it. As long as we don't make any mistakes or get cocky tonight, from now on no one will dare to treat us like amateur street newbies. Remember, this isn't a nightclub performance; this is the mainstream screen."

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