China Entertainment 1997

On July 15th, "Stars of Tomorrow" will begin the competition for the top 50 to advance to the top 20.

The competition system has changed a bit from the previous top 100 promotion to the top 50.

There are two rounds in total. The first round is more like the previous division finals. 50 groups of players are divided into ten competition divisions through drawing lots and go through two rounds of competition.

In the first round, the on-site judges and audience voted to eliminate two of the five groups competing that day, and the remaining three competed again, and then held an off-site popularity vote.

The person with the highest number of votes will advance, and the remaining two will enter the undecided area together with the previous two.

In a total of 10 days of competition, 10 groups of players can be promoted, and the remaining 40 groups will proceed to the second round, a more brutal knockout round.

40 groups of players compete in pairs, 20 groups are eliminated first, and then the remaining 20 groups compete again. 10 groups advance to the top 20, and 10 groups are eliminated.

It seems troublesome. It is better to directly advance the two highest-ranked players in the first round and eliminate all others.

But the troublesome format means it will take longer.

The first round takes 10 days, and the second round will take 4 to 5 days no matter what, which adds up to half a month.

These half-month advertising and sponsorship fees are a lot of money, and the bits and pieces of each round of voting add up to a lot of money.

If it weren't for the fear of being too verbose and the purpose of collecting money being too obvious, Jingcheng TV would be eager to play another two rounds.

This is understandable. After the top 20, the number of players has been greatly reduced. Even if some competition formats are added, there are only a few live broadcasts.

Therefore, taking advantage of the top 50 to advance to the top 20, it is the right way to make more money.

After reaching the top 20, the program duration will not be as good, but you can try harder on the popularity ticket.

The previous live popularity votes were basically tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands. Except for strong competition, there were very few cases where players could get hundreds of thousands of votes, and they were not even as good as the previous regional finals.

It can be seen that the audience and fans are also the masters who will not let go of the eagle when they see the rabbit.

The intensity and content of subsequent competitions have increased. Sometimes there is a strong showdown, and if you are not careful, you may face elimination. Therefore, fans may not dare to pay attention, and the votes will rise sharply if they don't.

I dare not say that each game will receive hundreds of thousands of votes, but most of them should have hope. A duel between strong and popular players may even exceed one million.

Especially in the finals, the voting on that day will probably be very crazy.

In the original 2005 "Super Girl" finals, the top three received nearly 10 million votes.

Nowadays, the popularity and influence of "Star of Tomorrow" is even greater than that of "Super Girl" in the original time and space, so the number of votes in the finals that day is also likely to be more.

Therefore, Cao Xuan has specially negotiated with the three major operators to open a special voting channel for "Star of Tomorrow" to prevent fans and viewers from not spending their money.

………

The competition for the top 50 to advance to the top 20 in "Stars of Tomorrow" is in full swing, attracting a lot of media attention and is extremely popular.

But on July 16, "Star of Tomorrow" was still robbed of the limelight.

Lao Mouzi's new movie "House of Flying Daggers" held a world premiere ceremony + concert at the Workers' Stadium.

Speaking of which, although the boss Zhang in the new picture is a bit strange, he is indeed a master of hype and knows how to find gimmicks.

The last movie "Hero" premiered at the Great Hall, and this time the premiere of "House of Flying Daggers" was held at the Workers' Stadium.

I don’t know about other places. In the mainland film field, "House of Flying Daggers" is definitely the first to hold a premiere ceremony + concert in a stadium. It is said that an extra 20 million yuan in production fees were added for this purpose.

If you don't brag, a premiere can match the production cost of a small-to-medium-budget movie.

That night, Liu Tianwang personally led the performance, and well-known singers and groups such as Catherine Battle, Li Zongsheng, Tong Ange, Zhang Xinzhe, Adu, Chen Huijin, S.H.E, Pu Shu, Han Hong, and Women's Twelve Band were all present.

It is worth mentioning that Daolang from Fanxing also participated in this ceremony.

At the beginning of the year, Daolang's first album in Fanxing was released, which was extremely popular. In just six months, the official sales volume has exceeded 1.5 million+, making it unbeatable in the mainland record market in the first half of the year.

The title song of the album "The First Snow in 2002" is even more popular all over the country and resounds in the streets and alleys.

Not long ago, Cao Xuan's "Chasing Dreams" was released, knocking Daolang from the top of the rankings. Taking advantage of the popularity of "Tomorrow's Star", it only dominated the rankings for two weeks and was replaced by "2002's First Snow" overtaken.

Nowadays, Daolang is really popular and is known as the most popular singer in the mainland.

When Cao Xuan was interviewed, he said that the singers he most wanted to sign were Daolang and Jay Chou.

At that time, most people's attention was focused on the acquaintance between Cao Xuan and Zhou Jielun. Not many people in Daolang paid attention to it. Even if they noticed, they thought Cao Xuan was deliberately helping his artists to gain popularity.

Only today, when Daolang became famous, did everyone realize the foresight of [Cao Bole].

Cao Xuan's interview has been mentioned repeatedly by the media, and some people even regarded Daolang as a mainland singer comparable to Jay Chou.

This also set off a small wave of scolding on the Internet. Daolang's songs have become popular again, but many people think that Daolang is unscrupulous, especially fans who like Jay Chou. Their musical literacy is much more fashionable, and many people look down on Daolang.

When Dao Lang is said to be on par with Jay Chou, Jay Chou's fans think that he is trying to show off, and they will definitely be unhappy.

As for fans of Daolang, their music aesthetics are relatively simple, and they are generally not that interested in Jay Chou's songs. They also look down on Jay's "high profile" and immediately turned back.

There were some minor conflicts, but in reality it was mainly the fans.

The two parties involved didn't pay any attention to it, and they probably didn't even know about it.

Daolang, in particular, has kept a very low profile since he became famous. He basically doesn't show up except for necessary book signings and attending business events.

Even when the program team of "Tomorrow's Star" invited him to be a judge, he declined and planned to step down as the lead singer of "I Love to Remember Lyrics".

This is also the meaning of Fanxing Music Department. When "Tomorrow's Star" begins, Fanxing will sign new singers and specialize in albums if they develop well. Those who do not develop well can go to shows to gain recognition.

Otherwise, letting singers like Daolang and Phoenix Legend sing on the show would be overkill.

It was precisely when Dao Lang was so low-key that "House of Flying Daggers" spent 800,000 before Dao Lang showed up.

The reason why it is so expensive is because this is the first time that Daolang performs in public and there are gimmicks.

In fact, Boss Zhang originally wanted to invite Cao Xuan, but Cao Xuan was busy with the release of "Xiu Chun Knife". On the one hand, he had no time, and on the other hand, the two movies were somewhat competitive.

The most important thing is that in "House of Flying Daggers" Liu Tianwang is here and Cao Xuan is gone, there is a problem.

Liu Tianwang is the leading actor, and the premiere is his home venue, but in terms of status in the music industry, Cao Xuan is better than him. It is difficult to say who is the C-position between the two of them.

Of course, if you really have a good relationship, you don't have to worry about these trivial matters.

If Liu Tianwang personally invites him, Cao Xuan will definitely sell his face. If Lao Mouzi speaks, Cao Xuan can also help.

Even if it is the International Chapter, seeing that she has always been so sensible and has an old friendship with the East and West Palaces, Cao Xuan can still stand up for her.

But it was New Picture Boss Zhang who came forward to invite people, and Cao Xuan didn't forget that there was still friction between the two.

Boss Cao has always been narrow-minded. Even if he can't argue with the other party because he is quick to intimidate, it doesn't mean that the other party has not made it into the small book. It is already good not to cause trouble, so why would he go to support him personally.

Although there is no Cao Xuan, Liu Tianwang's influence cannot be overshadowed, let alone a program to commemorate Mei Yanfang.

"House of Flying Daggers" has a close relationship with Queen Mei. One of the producers of the film is Anle Pictures in Hong Kong, and the boss of Anle, Boss Jiang, and Mei Yanfang are close friends.

At the beginning, through Boss Jiang, Lao Mouzi wanted to invite Queen Mei to play the role of the eldest sister of Feidaomen.

At that time, the contract between both parties was signed. Even though she was ill, Mei Yanfang always stated that she would star. It was not until Mei Yanfang's condition worsened that her body could no longer support her, and she finally had no choice but to terminate the contract.

Lao Mouzi has always felt deeply regretful. In gratitude for the help and support given by Mei Yanfang during the preparation of the film crew, he temporarily changed the script and left the eldest sister of Feidaomen to Mei Yanfang forever.

There is even a special note at the end of the film that says, "This film is only used to remember Miss Mei Yanfang."

Later, the biographical movie "Mei Yanfang" was released in 2021, and Lao Mouzi personally participated in interviews and helped support the platform.

Although the premiere of the "dead" was considered by many to be a bit of a gimmick, some people thought it was a way of commemorating the event.

The benevolent sees benevolence, the wise see wisdom!

But it has to be said that Mei Yanfang occupied a lot of space in subsequent reports about the premiere of "House of Flying Daggers".

In 2002, "Hero" made Lao Mouzi the most popular commercial director in mainland China and even in the Chinese film industry, with amazing box office appeal.

After the premiere, "House of Flying Daggers" was officially released, with a first-day box office of 16 million, breaking the first-day box office record of "Hero" of 13.5 million.

In just one week, "House of Flying Daggers" took in 55 million box office, once again breaking the mainland first-week box office record of 53 million for "Hero".

At the same time, although the overseas release data of "House of Flying Daggers" is not particularly strong, it is still quite good.

Especially in Japan, the box office in the first week exceeded US$10 million, which translates into more than 80 million yuan, and the total box office directly surpassed that of the mainland.

However, behind the crazy box office, the reputation of "House of Flying Daggers" also completely collapsed.

After the movie was released, Cao Xuanzeng and Empress Xigong quietly went to the Star Cinema in Beijing to watch it.

Cao Xuan knew very well that it was just for fun. Empress Xigong went in happily and came out with a troubled face.

To say that the movie "House of Flying Daggers" is a bad movie is not particularly fair.

This movie has a lot to offer. The graphics, shots, beauty, scenes, and colors are all of top quality and can be called a visual feast.

But in terms of plot, it's really hard to call it a good movie.

The plot of this movie is not bad, but it is a bit inexplicable, or it may not resonate with most viewers at all.

The story of "Ambush from Flying Daggers" is very simple. It tells the story of the late Tang Dynasty, when the current situation was chaotic. There was an organization from the Feidao Sect that was doing evil everywhere, and the Yamen was preparing to destroy it.

There was a local brothel in Mudanfang, and a blind dancer (International Chapter) came. The informant came to report that she was very suspicious.

The government sent two arresters, Liu Tianwang (Liu Tianwang) and Jin Chengwu (Jincheng Wu), to investigate. The two went to test the situation, and the blind girl really showed her flaws, so they arrested the blind girl.

After the arrest, the Yamen suspected that the blind girl was the daughter of the boss of the Feidao Sect, so he planned to fish for a big fish in a long way and catch all the Feidao Sect in one catch.

As a result, Capt. Jin pretended to be fascinated by beauty and rescued the blind girl. Capt. Liu led his men to kill her, forcing the two to seek help from the Feidao Sect. They found traces of Feidao Sect's headquarters and then wiped it out with heavy troops.

Eventually we did find the Throwing Knife Gate, but again there were a few errors.

This blind girl is not the eldest daughter at all, she is just an ordinary little girl.

What's even more damning is that Capt. Liu is actually an undercover agent of Feidaomen, and he is an old friend of the blind girl. He proposed this plan just to get the blind girl out of the Yamen.

There was collusion between inside and outside, and Jin Captou was arrested.

Feidaomen asked the blind girl to kill the golden catcher, but he didn't expect the blind girl to fall in love with the golden catcher in just three days. The two had a wild fight and released the golden catcher.

After Jin Captou experienced this incident, he suddenly felt that the world was dangerous and planned to go into seclusion with the blind girl.

The blind girl declined, and when the golden hunter left, she figured it out again, and hurriedly chased him, waiting until she saw the lovers finally get married.

Liu Captou came, and his head was as green as a bamboo forest. In the end, the three fell in love and killed each other. The blind girl died, leaving Huang Mao and the suffering master looking at each other.

It can be seen that the director wants to discuss love. For example, there is nothing wrong with falling in love, but love is so sudden.

The highlight of the whole movie is actually Liu Tianwang's words, "I waited for you for three years, but it's not as good as him spending three days with you."

But it is worth emphasizing that the [concept] of this movie cannot be wrong, but it is definitely not in line with the public's psychology.

To put it bluntly, Cao Xuan even made up a story about Liu Bei while watching this movie.

The male protagonist and the female protagonist have been in love for many years. Later, they went on a business trip and were caught because of the female protagonist's mistake. The male protagonist came out to save people regardless of the danger. As a result, the female protagonist "degenerated" after spending three days with another male colleague. The Lord's kindness is cut off.

Look, a standard cuckold plot...

Of course, the movie's interpretation is better, and Jincheng Wuhe International Chapter even has a sense of CP, but it still cannot dilute the shortcomings of logical flaws and a weak plot.

There is also the grudge between the imperial court and the Feidaomen. It has been paved the way for so long, but the ending was not mentioned at all and left alone.

The audience thought it was a big fight, but it ended up turning into a love triangle. The gap was so great that no one was annoyed.

It can be said that the only thing that is eye-catching in the plot is a few twists and turns, not including many smart people who have guessed it in advance.

Others don't know, at least as far as Cao Xuan is concerned, he doesn't like this movie. The Empress of the West Palace is even worse than his impression, and his evaluation is only seven words.

"The old man has exhausted his talents!"

This is also the evaluation of Lao Mouzi by many media and film critics.

Of course, it’s not that there were no relevant people to help praise, and even Lao Mouzi himself talked about a lot of his own ideas.

He said a lot, with various sublimations of profound meaning, but it did not convince most of the audience.

In fact, in commercial films, there is often a key factor that professionals ignore.

That is, the plot must be understood and resonated by the public.

You can’t kidnap the public’s thoughts, nor can you expect everyone to instantly match your brainwaves.

Many film critics and even senior movie fans can see things that ordinary viewers cannot understand or do not have the level of appreciation.

A layman's perspective is that even if there are many metaphors in the movie, you should at least come up with some superficial things to impress the audience.

For example, "Let the Bullets Fly" was a box office hit, not because of its many metaphors. Many of them were slowly researched later.

In the early days of its release, what impressed ordinary audiences was that the story was so exciting. The bandits used various means to defeat the bullies with the weak and the strong.

While it is simple and straightforward, everyone can also taste some profound meaning from the lines and part of the plot. They think this movie is very interesting.

Therefore, "Let the Bullets Fly" can be understood by ordinary audiences and deconstructed by professionals, so it has gained both box office and word-of-mouth success.

As for "One Step Away" after Jiang Wen, the various analyzes by professionals were particularly enjoyable, but ordinary viewers found it baffling.

Maybe a small group of people have very high evaluations, but there is no need to worry about the box office and public reputation.

Of course, what we are talking about here are some films with controversial quality. Purely bad films do not include this category, they are just pure bad...

"House of Flying Daggers" is one of the more controversial. The color of the picture is top-notch, and some other aspects are also remarkable. The plot can be understood by ordinary people, but the logic and conception are awkward and there are too many contradictions, making it uncomfortable for the audience to watch. , the reputation is naturally not high.

The movie seems to be doing well at the box office, but in fact it's all about resting on its laurels.

"Hero" had a minimum of 250 million. Now two years later, the total box office market in the mainland has increased, and Lao Mouzi's influence has also increased. If "House of Flying Daggers" is good enough, the minimum is 200 million.

As a result, just after the box office exceeded 100 million, the box office growth began to wane. Compared with the original box office trend of "Hero", the difference is not even a little bit.

But this is good news for Cao Xuan.

If "House of Flying Daggers" is as long-lasting as "Hero", even if there is a half-month interval, it will be a big challenge for "Xiu Chun Dao".

But now it's better. Half a month later, the box office of "House of Flying Daggers" has plummeted. Although it still has some potential, it basically poses no threat to "Xiu Chun Dao".

Instead, it is the crew of "House of Flying Daggers" that have to worry now.

The box office growth is not ideal, and with the release of two blockbuster movies, "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 2", the film schedule of "House of Flying Daggers" may be greatly reduced, which will also be a blow to the overall box office.

It just happened that Lao Mouzi was planning the closing ceremony of the Athens Olympics, and there was no road show at all.

No matter how anxious Boss Zhang was, he could only watch helplessly as Cao Xuan brought the "Embroidered Spring Sword" soldiers to the border.

………

August 2, Beijing Chaoyang Star Cinema

This is one of the few five-star theaters under Fanxing Cinemas, which can also be regarded as half of the headquarters.

A special auditorium + movie hall has been opened inside the cinema that can hold press conferences for more than a thousand people. The premiere ceremony of "Xiu Chun Knife" was held here.

Compared to "House of Flying Daggers", "House of Flying Daggers" is relatively low-key, but only a lot more media and film critics came than when "House of Flying Daggers" premiered.

The host of Fanxing was busy hosting "Stars of Tomorrow", and even the lead actress Liu Yan was absent. Cao Xuan had to ask Zhu Jun from CCTV for help.

The first brother from CCTV came on stage, and the level immediately went up.

Cao Xuan chatted with several of the leading actors about interesting things during filming and shared his thoughts about the characters. Reporters began to ask questions.

"The box office of "House of Flying Daggers", which was released in the same period as "Spring Blade", has exceeded 100 million, becoming another box office milestone for mainland Chinese films. What do you think?"

"This shows that our country's economy is rising and the film market is getting better and better, which is a good thing for all film practitioners."

"Last year, the box office of "When Men Fall in Love" exceeded 50 million, ranking second in the annual box office list. Do you have any expectations for new movies this year? After seeing "House of Flying Daggers", do you have the idea of ​​hitting 100 million?"

"Whether I am a starring role or a producer of the film, I definitely hope that the box office will get higher and higher, but this is beyond my control. Compared with the box office, I care more about everyone's evaluation of the film."

"You emphasize word-of-mouth over box office. Do you mean that "House of Flying Daggers" has a bad reputation?"

"Don't sow discord. I have a pretty good relationship with Brother Hua and Director Zhang (laughs). What I mean is that I hope that everyone will like me."

"Have you seen "House of Flying Daggers"? What is your evaluation of this movie? Do you agree with the various controversies from the outside world?"

"I'm sorry, I'm too busy with work, so I haven't taken the time to see it. I'll appreciate it when I have some free time."

Cao Xuan told lies with his eyes open. Although he knew that firing a few cannons at this time would be more conducive to hype for both parties, he was not that kind of character and had no intention of starting a war of words.

"This is the premiere of our "Xiu Chun Knife". Let's ask more questions about the movie and the starring role."

The host Zhu Jun also realized that the topic was a little off topic, so he picked up the microphone and hurried back to the original scene, changing the topic again.

"Excuse me, why did you choose Gao Yuanyuan to play the heroine instead of Hu Jing, who you had a better collaboration with in the last movie?"

"The main reason is that Gao Yuanyuan fits the role better. The actor selection should still be based on the role."

Seeing that the reporter seemed to be trying to instigate the female artists of Fanxing, Cao Xuan made all kinds of moves, and Old Monster Xu also stood up to speak for Gao Yuanyuan.

"Cao Xuan, first of all, congratulations on your nomination for this year's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards. Are you confident that you will win the Best Actor Award?"

"First of all, thank you. If I say that I have no idea about the actor, you won't believe me either.

But for me personally, I am still young. Regardless of whether I win or not, it is already an honor and success to be nominated alongside many seniors. "

There was applause. Cao Xuan nodded slightly in thanks.

Just two days ago, the nomination list for this year's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards was announced.

"When a Man Loves" was nominated for four Hundred Flowers Awards. Cao Xuan, Hu Jing, and Li Xuejian were all nominated for the Actor Award, and the film itself was nominated for the Feature Film Award.

As for the Golden Rooster Award, only Cao Xuan was shortlisted for "Best Actor" in "When Men Are in Love", and all other awards were rejected.

But even so, Cao Xuan was nominated for the best actor in three authoritative film awards: Golden Rooster, Golden Horse, and Hundred Flowers for his role as the male protagonist Gu Chao in "When Men Are in Love".

Regardless of whether he wins the award or not, his acting skills have been recognized by the mainstream film field.

Of course, having said that, Cao Xuan definitely wants to win the award more.

The Golden Horse Award cannot compete with Liang and Liu who are in their prime, but the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers from the mainland still have a chance to win.

The biggest rival of Baihua Best Actor is Uncle Ge from "Mobile Phone".

But to be honest, if Baihua really followed the popular vote, Cao Xuan would beat Uncle Ge completely.

In terms of professional reputation, although Uncle Ge and "Cell Phone" are great, the results and performances of "When Men Are in Love" and Cao Xuan are not much different.

Both of them have their own advantages. The odds are about 40 to 60, with Cao Xuan having a slight advantage.

The Hundred Flowers Best Actor Award is also the award that Cao Xuan most hopes to win. Although there are only two opponents for the Golden Rooster Award, Liu Wei for "Mysterious Case" and Liu Huohua for "Beauty Grass".

In terms of personal fame and the influence of their works, Cao Xuan and "When Men Are in Love" are way ahead of them.

However, the Golden Rooster Awards are known to favor literary and artistic films, and the influence and high box office of "When Men Are in Love" are actually disadvantages.

The chance of Cao Xuanqian defeating Uncle Ge is much greater than that of defeating Liu Huohua...

Of course, Cao Xuan is not without a chance. Behind Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers is the China Film Association.

Cao Xuan himself just joined the Filmmakers Association last year and became a representative of young film talents.

At the same time, his master Li Xuejian and his cheap relative Tian Zhuangzhuang were well-connected in the Filmmakers Association, and Cao Xuan had a good relationship with the Chinese Theater Company.

Li Xuejian was born in the army, and now he is a pillar of the National Theater and has a wide range of contacts.

Tian Zhuangzhuang is the 78th-level eldest brother of Nortel, a fifth-generation director who is in charge. The others at Nortel are all his juniors and juniors, and even a certain Zhao has to cry and beg for support.

Not to mention Chinese dramas, whoever comes out of a Chinese drama doesn't have a little bit of incense.

In the original time and space, this year's Golden Rooster Best Actor and Best Actress winners are Liu Huohua and International Zhang, both members of the 96th class of China National Television. If there is no face-saving feeling from China National Television, that may not necessarily be true.

Most of the above-mentioned people are members of the Film Association, even judges of the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards, or their relatives, friends, and colleagues.

It seems inconspicuous at ordinary times, but it stands out at critical moments.

This is why Cao Xuan of "When Men Are in Love", both commercial films, was shortlisted for the Golden Rooster Best Actor, but Uncle Ge of "Cell Phone" was not even nominated.

Because Cao Xuan is considered half one of our own, Feng Pengtang is not welcomed by the Golden Rooster Award at all...

Jianghu is not a fight, it is a matter of human relations.

This is why Cao Xuan clearly knows that the Golden Rooster Awards favors literary and artistic films, but still retains his confidence.

Cao Xuan and other main creators answered questions for half an hour, barely satisfying most of the reporters present.

The next process is the premiere of the movie.

So what? It’s the last two days. Please give me a monthly ticket.