Chinese entertainment, from radio love songs to superstars

Chapter 179, Let the Bullets Fly for a While [ Words Asking for Monthly Tickets]

The value of the Billboard charts has been declining year by year since 2012.

Prior to this, songs on the chart had to be played on demand and the albums purchased in the United States to count.

This year's evaluation data has added Streaming, which is a move to adapt to the trend of online dissemination of music works.

In other words, in the past, album sales had to be competed with real swords and guns, but nowadays, you just have to take out your mobile phone and click.

We all understand how much water there is in it, but that’s a story for later.

Shen Lang is also looking forward to the announcement of the list because he has invested a huge amount in this album.

10 classic English songs, several of which are Grammy award-winning songs.

The publicity cost is 3000 million RMB, which is a rare time in music history when such a large amount of money is spent on publicity.

Being on the list is not only a recognition of his ability and an enhancement of his influence and popularity, but also a recovery of his costs.

Because the United States, including the entire West, has a complete royalty system and very strict copyright protection. This includes playing music in restaurants and cafes, and using music anywhere else, and royalties must be paid.

So there has been a saying that as long as a song is ranked in the top 40 of the Billboard chart, its author and singer can basically retire. Although it is a bit exaggerated, it shows that the income is considerable.

But there is no point in being anxious. The list is released once a week, and the results for the first week of July will not be counted until the 7th or 11th.

Before this, Shen Lang's other identity - actor, was also not idle.

Just when he was holding a book signing event in New York, CCTV began broadcasting "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", kicking off the summer TV drama ratings battle.

When Liu Shishi and Xu Weiwei tuned into all the cable TV channels, even though there was the mainland idol drama "Red Apple Paradise" which tried to replicate the success of "Meteor Garden", the third part of the "My Fair Princess 3: Heaven and Earth" series dominated by Qiong Yao in the summer TV series, and the fantasy drama "Young King" which was jointly launched by Wu Qilong and Zhouyi Film and Television for the second time, the new version of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" was still the most eye-catching.

It’s true that the two of them are Shen Lang’s die-hard fans, but ordinary passers-by without filters also feel so.

"It's obviously a clone of Meteor Garden, but Red Apple Paradise doesn't have a dedicated production team, so it seems very stiff. The main character's acting is childish and doesn't look like he's acting at all. He can't be called an actor. It's the worst TV show of the summer."

"In Huanzhu 3, except for Zhou Jie as Erkang, Wang Yan as Qing'er, Zhao Minfen as the Queen Mother, Wen Haibo as Fulun, and Liu Fang as Fujin, all other major roles have been replaced by new actors. The actors were unable to get rid of the shadows of their predecessors and were unable to show their own acting qualities. Instead, they ended up with something worse than what they had hoped for. This has become the biggest flaw of the entire series and it is simply incomparable to the 12th series."

"As the first mainland version of Wesley, Young King surpasses all previous Wesley versions in terms of actor performance, storyline and production. However, the hype of tying Shen Lang and Gao Yuanyuan to the film ruined its popularity. They didn't even say a word after the contract was terminated."

"The new version of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is pretty good. The performances of all the actors are remarkable and on point. In addition, the music, scenes, actions, and props are all very impressive!"

"I like it. Liu Yifei's Wang Yuyan is calm and beautiful. Shen Lang's Duan Yu is handsome and suave, with an aristocratic aura. Liu Tao's Ah Zhu also did not disappoint, gentle and virtuous."

"It is the only one in Zhang Jizhong's series that is not inferior to the Hong Kong version. It has great momentum and artistic conception, and the scenery and people are beautiful. The vast exterior scenes set off the vastness of the world and the heroic spirit. It is the charm that "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" should have."

……

What’s interesting is that before the broadcast of “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils”, there was a lot of criticism online, with everyone saying that Zhang Jizhong was the first person to ruin Jin Yong’s dramas. But once the show was broadcast, the criticism subsided.

A fresh survey by Sina.com shows that among the 38853 people who voted, 74.24% thought "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" was good, 17.22% thought it was average, and less than 9% thought it was bad or very bad.

In a previous survey on "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" involving 205537 people, 71.09% of them thought it was very bad.

What’s interesting is that after being praised, Zhang Jizhong’s attitude towards the Internet changed 180 degrees. He said that the voices on the Internet are nameless and profitless and are worthy of serious consideration. He completely forgot about his "Internet toilet theory" from a few months ago.

From an objective point of view, the success of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" is mainly due to the casting, rather than the so-called beautiful mountains and rivers and tens of millions of special effects productions.

"The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" also have beautiful landscapes, but they only make the misplaced characters look even more clumsy.

When it comes to special effects, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" has a quantitative change rather than a qualitative change compared to the previous two films.

As for the actors, Linghu Chong in "Swordsman" is not cool enough, Ren Yingying is too worldly, and Yi Lin is a bit of a flower maniac;
In The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Guo Jing's tone of voice, Huang Rong's hoarse voice, Huang Yaoshi's sorrow, and Yang Kang's poverty were all the focus of audience criticism;
When it comes to Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, in a Sina.com survey of 121 million people, Shen Lang, Liu Yifei, Liu Tao, Chen Hao, and Hu Jun all had very high support rates, with Shen Lang's version of Duan Yu being liked by over 85%.

"With such a team that is so close to the characters, there is no need for acting skills at all." Liu Shishi said with a smile.

"Acting skills are still necessary, otherwise it will look out of place. And acting in your true self is also a kind of acting," said Xu Weiwei.

"Are you talking about Brother Lang?" Liu Shishi stared at her.

"Uh...what did I say?" Xu Weiwei pretended to be dumb.

Acting in one's truest character usually means that an actor shows a side of himself or herself in the work that is closer to his or her own personality and temperament. Although it seems that he or she is interpreting himself or herself, it actually requires certain skills and expressiveness.

Everyone thinks that Shen Lang is playing true to himself when he plays scumbag roles like Zhang Wuji and Duan Yu.

After all, his characters as "playboy", "prodigal son" and "carefree and unrestrained" have been established.

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An apartment in Yanjing.

In the room, Liu Yifei and Shu Chang were surfing the Internet to read netizens' comments on "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and themselves.

Shu Chang said enviously: "You are happy, everyone is praising you, you are as beautiful as a fairy, dignified and elegant, both in appearance and spirit."

Liu Yifei, who first entered the film and television industry at the age of 15, was exactly the same age, temperament, and beauty as Wang Yuyan. Everything was just right.

Although as a newcomer, her acting experience is very limited, but because she is highly compatible with the role, in fact, her version of Wang Yuyan is quite successful and the degree of completion of the role is also relatively high.

She portrays Wang Yuyan's obsession with her cousin Murong Fu and her indifference towards her die-hard fan Duan Yu throughout the story. Even though she is an infatuated person, she is also a heartless person. However, even so, she is still moving.

Liu Yifei's face was filled with a happy smile, and she said, "Ah, the comments about you are also mostly praiseworthy."

Shu Chang also looks very young, with a baby face that fits the setting of the Tianshang Tonglao child very well, and his words and actions are just like in the book, perfectly interpreting the domineering and inner kindness.

Shen Lang deserves half the credit for this, because the look of the Tianshan Tonglao designed by Zhang Jizhong and others for Shu Chang is hard to describe, with blush on her face and a pigtail on her head, it is as shocking as it can be.

He intervened directly as an investor, changing his appearance to one that looked vicious but not weird.

"Brother Lang is still the best, with a likeability rating of 85%!"

"Because Brother Lang's Duan Yu is really good, both in appearance and temperament."

"Xixi, good friends don't tell lies. Do you like Brother Lang?"

"Who doesn't like Brother Lang, you say?"

"I don't mean this kind of liking, I mean that kind of liking."

"You like it?"

"Oh, I'm asking you!"

"Don't change the subject, Xiaochang. Tell me the truth. Do you like Brother Lang?"

"Oh my, you are so rebellious, who is trying to change the subject!"

"Hahahaha, stop tickling me."

……

It’s time for happy time among best friends again, with non-stop play and fighting.

The setting sun shines into the house through the window, instantly illuminating the entire room with golden light.

But in this hot summer, the bed presents an alluring picture of infinite spring beauty.

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The next day, the ratings of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" in the mainland were far ahead of others, with the first broadcast reaching 10.11%, making it the only TV series this year with a rating of over .

With the development of the Internet, people can obtain various information and entertainment content through the Internet. The convenience, diversity and interactivity of the Internet have attracted more and more users, especially the younger generation, who can watch videos, play games, interact socially, etc. online, which has gradually diverted the audience group of TV programs.

From now on, it will be impossible to achieve the 7% or 80% ratings of "Journey to the West" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" or the 3% or 40% ratings of "My Fair Princess" and "Legend of the White Snake".

It is far ahead in the mainland and has no rivals in Formosa Province.

The show's premiere on CTS achieved a viewership rating of 5.04%, ranking first in its 8pm time slot.

It also broke the highest ratings record set by Qiong Yao's drama "My Fair Princess 1" that year, and is the only mainland TV series to have won the ratings championship in Taiwan Province so far.

The first battle was a success. In order to maintain the popularity, Zhang Jizhong brought the four main actors of the play, Shen Lang, Hu Jun, Liu Yifei and Liu Tao, to Taibei to promote the play.

At the promotional meeting, several leading actors sang and danced.

As a non-professional, Hu Jun sang a bel canto song, so Liu Tao had to go for the "affectionate" route to show off his sweetness.

Professionally, Shen Lang sang "Red Dust Inn", the ending song of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", and Liu Yifei sang "Persian Cat" from her new album.

After the promotion, Liu Yifei and Liu Tao, who came to Baodao Province for the first time, walked around the streets of Taibei under the leadership of Shen Lang, Hu Jun and Zhang Jizhong, ate some snacks and bought some small gifts to give home.

"Brother Lang, does this hairpin look good on me?"

"Brother Lang, do I look good in this dress?"

"Brother Lang, can I buy this for my mother?"

Shen Lang became Liu Yifei's personal escort, accompanying her in eating, drinking and playing.

The relationships between the two seem to be reversed on and off the screen. In the play, Duan Yu likes Wang Yuyan, while outside the play, Liu Yifei likes Shen Lang.

Liu Yifei didn't care about anyone else and dragged Shen Lang in and out of various small shops, looking here and there. The girl was innocent at this time and her love for someone was written all over her face.

Liu Tao was so jealous that her teeth were itching. She, Hu Jun and Zhang Jizhong followed behind and had no shopping experience at all.

"Wow, this musical instrument store is so big. Let's go in and take a look." Liu Yifei said, and pulled Shen Lang in.

This is the most famous musical instrument store in Taibei, Atongbo Musical Instruments Store. It has a complete range of musical instruments and is like a treasure house of music.

Whether it is traditional folk musical instruments, such as guzheng, erhu, pipa, etc., or modern Western musical instruments, such as piano, violin, guitar, etc., you can find them here. Whether you are a professional musician or a music enthusiast, you can satisfy your needs for musical instruments in Atongbo Musical Instruments Store.

"Welcome, may I ask what you two need..." The clerk came over with a smile. Before he finished his opening remarks, he widened his eyes in surprise and pointed at the two people excitedly, "Shen Lang! Liu Yifei!"

This is not the first time I have been recognized while shopping today. I almost blocked the entire street ahead.

Needless to say, Shen Lang is the most famous and popular star in Baodao Province. He is the most famous star of the contemporary era.

The 87 girl group formed by Liu Yifei and Shu Chang is very popular here. Their two EPs have surpassed SHE, which debuted two years earlier.

Fortunately, there are relatively few customers in this kind of store on weekdays, but it still attracted attention, so autographs were inevitable.

"Well..." After finishing her work, Liu Yifei looked around and said in a long tone: "We want to see the guitar."

"Please follow me." The clerk led the way.

When we came to the guitar area, we saw a wide variety of guitars.

"This is a Martin D-01 DF Dan Fogelberg produced in 41, limited to 141 pieces, with rose print on the back and special snowflake inlays..."

"This is also a limited edition from 01, only 100 of them, Martin D-41GJ George Jones 100..."

"This is the Gibson J-45 Rosewood. Its uniqueness lies in the rosewood back and sides it uses. This material is not only beautiful, but also has a significant effect on improving the sound quality..."

The clerk took them directly to the high-end area, where guitars cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of RMB.

Liu Yifei was dazzled by what she saw. She knew nothing about this, so she asked Shen Lang: "Brother Lang, which one do you like?"

When she chose to come in, Shen Lang guessed what she was going to do.

When filming "The Story of a Noble Family", Bai Xiuzhu had a very beautiful pearl necklace. On the day of wrapping, Liu Yifei told her that she wanted to take the necklace away as a commemoration of her first role in her life. Of course he agreed, as it was just a worthless prop. However, he lost it at the wrap-up party and was depressed for a while.

Later, he went to Hong Kong to shoot an advertisement for Luk Fook Jewellery. When he saw the jewelry in the store, he remembered this incident and bought a similar real pearl necklace for Liu Yifei.

Liu Yifei was both happy and touched. She had always remembered his kindness, and when she saw the musical instrument store just now, she thought of giving him a guitar.

However, Shen Lang pointed to a guitar in a glass cabinet and said, "This one has a nice shape, and it's unique yet domineering."

Liu Yifei took a look at the price and was petrified. How could a guitar be sold for 100 million RMB?

The clerk's eyes lit up and he introduced excitedly that this was something the boss brought back from an auction abroad.

Shen Lang had already noticed that there was a signature of a legendary American country singer on it. In fact, what was being sold was not the guitar, but the signature.

He was just teasing Liu Yifei. When he used musical instruments, he only cared about practicality and technical skills.

When you reach the master level, even the flick of a fire stick can produce a divine taste.

After the clerk finished introducing the guitar, Shen Lang picked up the Gibson J-45 Rosewood and said, "Put this one away for me. I just happen to be in need of an acoustic guitar."

After Liu Yifei realized that Shen Lang was teasing her, she wrinkled her nose at him cutely, then rushed to pay with the clerk.

Shen Lang didn't argue with her. He had given her so many songs and roles, so what was wrong with accepting a guitar from her?

The two men walked out of the musical instrument store and called Liu Tao, Hu Jun and Zhang Jizhong, who were sitting on a bench in the middle of the street to enjoy the cool air, and then returned to the hotel.

The three of them were not in a very good mood today, but they felt much better the next day because the publicity of this trip worked. That night, the ratings of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" on CTS soared to 6.07%.

The Taiwan provincial newspaper compared this with the 4.39% of the hit drama "The Sun at Noon" on FTV and the 4.37% of the hit drama "Heaven and Earth" on Sanlih, and described CTS's "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" as "breaking the % mark and dominating the martial arts world."

"Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" did add a touch of color after the end of SARS this year, and it can be regarded as a TV feast for the summer vacation.

As the plot progresses, various comments also change accordingly, and various BBS forums on the Internet are debating which one is better, the new version or the 97 version.

Each has a lot of supporters. Netizens who like the new version believe that the overall production surpasses any ancient costume martial arts drama, marking an overall improvement in mainland martial arts dramas; while netizens who hold opposing views say that it is still incomparable with the 97 version, and the soundtrack alone kills the new version.

Gradually, the debate turned into a war of words, with one posting receiving hundreds or even thousands of replies.

In comparison, the support rate among netizens in Formosa Province is much higher than that in the mainland. Some even do not quite understand how picky mainland netizens are about the new version.

But no matter how controversial it is, it cannot stop the new version of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" from becoming an instant hit. Therefore, all the people related to it have gained a lot of fame, and their pay has been rising, which can be said to be both fame and fortune.

Zhang Jizhong also put "The Return of the Condor Heroes" on the agenda, and the male and female protagonists were locked in on Shen Lang and Liu Yifei, but he has not yet talked to them about it.

After leaving Taipei, Liu Yifei returned to Yanjing to prepare to join the crew to film "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

Shen Lang went to Hong Kong, where he received a call from Zhang Guorong, saying that Mei Yanfang's condition had worsened and she was hospitalized.

At that time, Anita Mui was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Fortunately, it was in the early stages.

She told Zhang Guorong and Shen Lang immediately, and they both advised her to get treatment.

She said, "I am very lucky to have you two good friends in my life. One is my elder brother and the other is my younger brother. I know you care about me a lot, but this time I want to make this decision by myself. Life is just like this, it is all hard. I will accept the treatment, but if I have to suffer a lot, then I don't want to, because I think I have suffered a lot. I want to try Chinese medicine first. I believe in Chinese medicine, and Chinese medicine treatment is not that hard."

This is because two years ago, her sister Mei Aifang died of this disease. This incident left a big shadow on her. Her sister had been seeing Western doctors from the beginning. She felt that her sister had a hard time and she didn't want that to happen.

Moreover, she was worried that the surgery would damage her vital energy and affect her singing. She was also worried that electrotherapy and chemotherapy would cause a lot of hair loss, affecting her appearance and making her unable to work.

This year, SARS broke out suddenly again. She concealed her illness and devoted herself to organizing the Hong Kong entertainment industry's "Operation Thrive" and "1:99 Charity Concert", raising more than 2300 million in donations. Such a workload would be strenuous even for a healthy person, not to mention that she was suffering from a serious illness, which eventually led to her body being completely broken down, cancer cells spreading rapidly, and her condition worsening.

(End of this chapter)