America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 282, Section 281: I'll blow you all away!

"It's pretty good, the action scenes are exciting, but I feel like the style is somewhat different from the first one. Do you feel the same way?"

In the movie theater, Eric and Charlize Theron hid in a corner watching the newly released "The Bourne Legacy," and Matt Damon's performance was still quite brilliant.

As a commercial blockbuster, it's quite competent, with plenty of popcorn appeal, and it's above average.

Universal invested $7500 million in this film, so they seem very confident. No wonder it was pushed to compete with Frozen, because it is indeed of high quality.

But there's no chance of beating Frozen; Universal's plan is doomed to fail, and the sniper may turn into a counter-sniper.

"The disconnect is normal because the director has changed. This film is directed by Paul Greengrass, while the first film was directed by Doug Liman. Of course, the styles are different."

"However, from a viewing perspective, I think this one is more sharp and more suited to the style of commercial films, and its box office performance will definitely be much stronger than the first one."

"Your intuition is usually right. Will it threaten Frozen?"

Eric chuckled: "How could that be? Even if you combined the two Bourne films, they still wouldn't be a match for Elsa and Anna."

"Even if you gave me another James Bond, the big screen rights to 007 are in my hands."

"If it weren't for the fact that it's not finished filming yet, it would be quite interesting to have Casino Royale compete with The Bourne series in a spy war, right?"

Theron looked at her man with interest: "Darling, why do I feel like you're not worried at all? Aren't you panicked about the encirclement by the Six Greats?"

"Even excluding the despicable tactics in reality, aren't you worried that 'Million Dollar Baby' is being so heavily overshadowed by 'The Polar Express' and 'The Day After Tomorrow'?"

"Worried? Anxious? What's the use? You don't understand my personality. I'm the kind of person who would rather laugh than cry, and I don't like to keep worries to myself."

"Anyway, it's not like MGM is losing money on its own; they'll pay the price for targeting me too."

"Right now, everyone is going down the same path of hurting the enemy a thousand while hurting themselves eight hundred. It's a matter of who can't hold on any longer. Even if MGM loses $10 billion this year, I'll still stick with it."

"I have to thank them, because after this incident, Lionheart.com's membership surged by more than ten million, all because they came to watch the live streams and were then drawn in by the content."

"The membership retention rate in the first month reached 86%. If this number of new members continues to maintain this level, the number of paying members next month will be at least 2500 million, which means that I have achieved my goal six months ahead of schedule."

"I can earn over $2 million in cash from Lionheart every month, so what if MGM loses money?"

"Don't even mention $10 billion, I'll fight them to the bitter end, even if it means losing $20 billion!"

"Hey bro, we're in a movie theater, you'd better keep quiet." He raised his voice a bit when he got excited, which immediately drew the ire of the guy in front of him.

Eric waved his hand and made an apologetic gesture.

However, seeing her man being criticized made Theron a little unhappy, and she immediately had the idea of ​​teasing him.

She leaned close to Eric's ear and whispered, "Darling, seeing you so radiant makes me feel a little smug."

"Hmm? Now?"

"Right now, don't think I don't know, you and Nico have slept together in the movie theater many times."

"Really? She told you these things?"

"Hmph! You bastard, you bought a house right next to mine, you've been planning this all along, haven't you? That bitch was bragging about it the other day when we were playing mahjong."

"Uh, is it necessary to brag about something like this? And can you please stop calling me a bitch? We'll all be good sisters from now on."

"Stop talking nonsense, are you coming or not?"

"Hmph! You want war? Then let's fight!"

The adulterous couple began whispering sweet nothings to each other, occasionally letting out soft humming sounds, not loud, but just loud enough for the young man in the front row to hear.

The other person quickly couldn't take it anymore, turned around sharply and glared at him, then slunk out of the movie theater.

The next day, when the opening day box office figures for "The Bourne Identity" were released, Universal Pictures was unsure whether to be happy or sad.

The $2300 million box office is quite good, clearly indicating its box office potential, and it also received good reviews with high audience satisfaction.

However, it falls far short of "Frozen," and like "National Treasure," it was a failed attempt to undermine its opponent.

When the box office figures for the first three days of the opening weekend were released, it further confirmed this speculation, with "The Bourne Identity" taking in $3500 million.

Under its impact, its sister film "National Treasure" suffered a 50% drop in box office revenue, with only about $17 million in three days, a near precipitous decline.

This is the consequence of large-scale film releases crowding together: they squeeze and crush each other, harming others without benefiting themselves.

Frozen, however, remains a hit, with many children dragging their parents to the cinema for a second viewing as the weekend approached, demonstrating the immense power of word-of-mouth marketing.

"So, this movie is actually unconventional, at least in my opinion," Ellen DeGeneres said.

"That's right. After all, audiences are probably tired of the same old formula that they've been watching for decades. The animation market needs innovation."

"Wow. I hope you're just talking about the movie, and not something else."

"Of course, I'm not talking about Disney!"

Hahahaha

The audience below the stage burst into laughter.

Today, Eric and his entourage appeared on the Ellen Show to promote Frozen. This is the second time he has appeared for a movie since Transformers, demonstrating MGM's high regard for Frozen.

It just so happens that The Ellen Show is a CBS program, and since CBS and NBC are television networks with the Newhouse family involved, some executives are not opposed to Eric.

The show started airing its first episode last year, and its popularity has continued to rise since then, quickly taking steps to catch up with established talk shows.

The television station also hoped to leverage the influence of "Frozen" to boost the show's popularity, so the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

"I have a few questions that viewers are interested in. Would you mind answering them?"

"mind."

"ha?"

"Haha, go ahead and ask."

Ellen looked at the Olsen twins: "Ashley, Mary, did you feel that the lines were strange when you were doing the voice acting?"

"Strange? In what way?" Mary looked over.

"It's a bit embarrassing, like in 'Blue Is the Warmest Color,' you know."

The two sisters looked up at the sky at the same time: "OMG! This question again? Of course not, it's just a normal line."

Ellen DeGeneres nodded, but the vacant look in her eyes betrayed her.

In her experience, the relationship between the Olsen sisters was a bit strange, which was reflected in their occasional unintentional glances and small gestures.

Seeing Allen's expression, Eric knew what the other was thinking.

What audience problem? It's nothing! It's just the TV station creating hype and choosing topics to generate buzz.

How could he not know if others didn't? Ellen DeGeneres is a lesbian, and later came out as gay and got married.

Thinking of this, he picked up the conversation: "Allen, have you seen 'American Beauty'?"

"Of course I've seen it. It's an Oscar-worthy masterpiece. I still remember several classic scenes, like the fluttering petals. You remember them too, right?"

Yeah!

Many male viewers started making a fuss.

"Whose performance did you like the most?"

Allen, unaware of why Eric was bringing up the movie, casually remarked, "Kevin Spacey, his acting was superb; I remember he won an Oscar for Best Actor."

"Yes, I also like Kevin Spacey, which is why I asked him to direct 'House of Cards,' but the character that impressed me the most in this movie was actually Frank, played by Chris Cooper."

Ellen was even more confused about what the other person was trying to say, but her comedian instincts told her she had to end the conversation.

"Do you know why? Because Frank plays a gay character, but he's constantly suppressing himself."

"He hated gay men and portrayed himself as a straight man, but in reality, he longed for liberation more than anyone else, to the point that he eventually killed someone."

"Alan, he clearly reflects a phenomenon I call homophobia, or being deeply closeted, understand?"

The phrase "homophobia is closeted homosexuality" struck Allen like a heavy blow.

She instantly felt as if her deepest secrets had been seen through, a feeling that was very unsettling and gave her a strong sense of crisis.

As a stand-up comedian, Allen instinctively wanted to fight back.

Eric continued, "I want to tell everyone that the core message of Frozen is actually about unleashing and accepting your true self."

"We are depicting family affection, but when the film is presented to the public, it may be interpreted in countless ways."

"This is the audience's freedom and right. I have always welcomed everyone to exercise this right and respect any interpretation."

Bang bang bang bang

The Olsen sisters led the applause, and the audience below also applauded with admiration.

Eric Cooper's rhetoric is remarkably eloquent, almost flawless, and always persuasive.

However, Allen, who had been outmaneuvered, was clearly determined to get his revenge. This was his show, and he couldn't let someone else take the lead.

She smiled and said, "Eric, I agree with you, and I really love the song 'Let It Go,' I've listened to it at least a hundred times."

"Not only am I listening, but my family is listening too, and you can hear it wherever you go."

"And I noticed that you wrote this song. People in the music industry are saying you're a genius. Did you know that?"

"It was Celine Dion who leaked it, I know she wanted to pay less in royalties."

Eric shrugged, his humorous reply immediately eliciting laughter from the audience.

"Hehe. As far as I know, this has almost become a consensus. You helped Michael Jackson win a Grammy, and it seems you'll have to help Celine Dion win one too."

"How about you perform a piece? Let everyone experience the charm of a musical genius, would you like to hear it?"

Yeah!

The audience, eager for a good show, immediately started making a fuss.

Allen pointed to the excited audience and then made an inviting gesture to Eric, clearly trying to get him to speak.

It's no secret that Eric can't read sheet music; many people in the industry have heard the rumor.

Allen naturally seized on this point to attack, though it wasn't really an attack, since this was a stand-up comedy show.

While stand-up comedy shows don't usually involve as much slapstick humor as "Roast Conference," it's still normal to crack jokes and play around.

The blond guy from back then, who was about to become president, still got his hair messed up and teased on a talk show.

It might be a campaign strategy to build rapport, but that's just how it is, and it's harmless.

However, if you act recklessly, it might become a black mark on your past. For example, Tom Cruise's sofa-jumping scene will still be brought up and ridiculed even 20 years later.

Seeing the audience startling up, Ashley and Mary tugged at Eric's clothes, signaling him not to fall for it.

But this is America, where people are taught from a young age to be confident and to dare to try even if they can't do it, otherwise it's shameful.

Eric's mind raced, and after a moment he got up from the sofa.

Upon seeing this, Allen was taken aback.

To her surprise, Eric actually took the challenge. She had expected him to refuse, so she could give him a way out and move on to the next part.

Seeing that the audience was already emotional, she could only try to salvage the situation: "Eric, what do you need?"

But Eric doesn't know how to accompany music or read sheet music. What do you ask him if he needs anything?

How could he know what he needed!

"Just follow my pace."

"Huh?" The Olsen sisters exchanged a glance, looking completely bewildered.

"OK, you want to hear me sing, so I'll sing a short a cappella. It's a very relaxing piece of music, just enjoy it. That's my attitude towards music."

As he spoke, he took a few steps forward, picked up the microphone, and pointed it at his mouth.

Just when everyone was wondering what he would sing, what came out was a whistling sound.

wu~~~wu~~~

wu~~~wu~~~

wu~~~wu~~~

wu~~~wu~~~

A clear and melodious whistle resounded throughout the venue, instantly reaching the ears of every audience member, causing them to pause in surprise.

So you said it was a cappella, but it turns out you were just accompanying yourself?

But why doesn't this whistle sound like a hooligan at all? On the contrary, it sounds quite nice.

That's right, Eric is singing the catchy tune "Whistle," which is the best choice when you don't have any accompaniment.

Can you blow my whistle baby whistle baby

Can you whistle like me, baby?

Let me know

Let me know you can do it

Girl I'm gonna show you how to do it

Girl, I'll teach you how to blow it.

And we start really slowly.

Let's learn slowly.

You just put your lips together

You just need to press your lips together.

And you come really close

Then you can do it.

Can you blow my whistle baby whistle baby

Can you whistle like me, baby?

Here we go!

Feeding dogs black!

The simple lyrics and catchy melody immediately caught the eye of many people.

After singing a few lines, Eric found the feeling from back then, when he and the girls on the sidelines would play around in the room and he would often whistle this tune to flirt.

Hey! This is what it means to apply what you've learned.

However, he usually stops singing here, and then the intense artillery battle begins.

In addition, he had no interest in rap, so he didn't remember much about the later part.

But it doesn't matter. The reason why the song "Whistle" became a legend is because of this short intro. He can just shout randomly in the rap part.

So Eric swayed back and forth on stage, reciting lyrics incoherently with forced rhymes.

If you really can't suppress it, just use onomatopoeia like "um," "ah," or "hum" to get through it.

Surprisingly, the effect was quite good, because it made the scene seem more realistic. The audience then realized that it wasn't a pre-planned plot, but just something Eric said offhand.

Soon, the entire scene began to sway gently with him, like a small boat bobbing on a lake.

Can you blow my whistle baby whistle baby

Let me know

Girl I'm gonna show you how to do it

And we start really slowly.

You just put your lips together

And you come really close

Can you blow my whistle baby whistle baby

Feeding dogs black!

When Eric sang back to the whistling intro, he became even more relaxed, making a trumpet shape with his hands and whistling as he swung them.

wu~~~wu~~~

wu~~~wu~~~

The audience was completely captivated, swaying and dancing along, some even pouting.

After Eric recited a bunch of rap lyrics that even he didn't understand, the audience realized that it was time for that relaxing and pleasant whistling sound again.

By this time, the mood had been sufficiently aroused. Eric beckoned to Ashley and Mary, and the two immediately stood up and started whistling together.

Looking at the audience again, after saying "Here we go," the entire studio was filled with a joyful chorus of whistles.

wu~~~wu~~~

wu~~~wu~~~

wu~~~wu~~~

wu~~~wu~~~

(End of this chapter)