Unboxing, Director!

Chapter 144 Shattered, Ascended!
Since the sixth anniversary gala of Hunan TV, public opinion has continued to explode. After a few days, the industry has basically concluded that Yanzi will definitely not be able to be high-profile in the short term.

Lying dormant for a period of time is the best option.

The swallows hibernate, and their reputation collapses.

This created a brief situation where the fall of a whale gave rise to countless other creatures.

It's unclear how long this period will last; it could be six months, or it could be a year.

Regardless, the actresses under her command reaped the greatest benefits, with Fan Binbin being the one who benefited the most.

These days, many resources that prioritize swallows have been extending olive branches to us.

Many of them have access to resources within the Hong Kong film industry.

Although most of them are second or third lead roles or even cameos.

But this is normal for mainland actors, so it doesn't affect Fan Binbin's increasingly good mood.

Besides, whether or not to act in it is another matter.

Fan Binbin values ​​her current status more.

Now, she has replaced Yanzi and become the most popular female star in mainland China.

Although she has many more people above her in terms of status, popularity is sometimes more important for celebrities.

With such an advantage, the difficulty of taking another step forward will be greatly reduced.

The change in status not only brought benefits to his career, but also greatly boosted Fan Binbin's confidence.

After all, Fan Binbin still has a golden treasure on her head: to become a Heavenly King's wife in a respectable way.

What kind of woman can rightfully become a Heavenly King's wife?

Of course, it's about having both beauty and intelligence, and having both popularity and good character.

Only by being number one in every aspect can one be worthy of being the current number one, Lu Jiang—that's what Fan Binbin himself believes.

Before this, she only surpassed Xiao Yanzi in terms of beauty, and many people even felt that she did not surpass her in this respect.

As for the other points, even if Fan Binbin doesn't admit it, in the eyes of the public, she doesn't have much of an advantage over Yanzi.

Now, apart from "wisdom" which still needs to stand the test of time and be recognized by Lu Jiang and everyone else as the best helpmate, she has gained tremendous recognition for the other three aspects in comparison to Xiao Yanzi!
A landmark event was the online poll on "Who is the best match for Lu Jiang?" where Xiao Yanzi was removed from the list by netizens, and Fan Binbin remained firmly in second place, second only to Jia Jingwen, who was currently the subject of heated rumors about her relationship with Lu Jiang.

How could she not know Jia Jingwen's situation?

If it weren't for promoting "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," Alyssa Chia would have left long ago.

So Fan Binbin is actually number one right now.

Of course, even so, they are still a bit far from being a "perfect match".

But it's still much better than before.

Therefore, Fan Binbin has also started the next stage of his "strategy plan".

The plan is simple.

She and Lu Jiang have been together for nearly two years, and it is still a matter between the two of them, without formally involving their parents.

For example, Lu Jiang and Fan's parents have never officially met.

So now that the time is ripe, Fan Binbin feels it's time to find an opportunity to slowly bring this up.

It doesn't need to be too formal; she's not in a hurry.

But at the very least, a foundation needs to be established for the relationship between the two parties.

Just like her relationship with Uncle Lu, she hopes that within a year or two, Lu Jiang and her parents can have normal conversations about everyday things in private, instead of acting like strangers.

So, for more than a week after the TVB gala, Fan Binbin started talking about his family, intentionally or unintentionally.

What did Dad do that made Mom happy/unhappy?

Funny or embarrassing stories about my mom and brother.

My younger brother did something really funny, etc.

Lu Jiang listened with a smile, showing no impatience whatsoever. In fact, he recently said, "When are you going to bring your brother over? I want to see just how cute he is!"

This made Fan Binbin overjoyed, and his confidence continued to soar.

Then, after filming wrapped up late the next night, Fan Binbin finally mustered up the courage to say, "Lulu."

"what happened?"

My parents want to visit me on set.

However, before he could finish speaking, Lu Jiang's phone rang. It was Zhou Jianhui.

"It's Lao Zhou."

“It must be very important, you can take it first.” Fan Binbin was very good at understanding the situation.

Lu Jiang was directly connected.

Judging from the purple treasure chest that had appeared in his mind, he already knew what Zhou Jianhui was going to say.

The highlight moment should be played aloud, of course.

"Hey Lao Zhou, what's up?"

"Lu Jiang, oh Lu Jiang!!"

"What's wrong? Why are you so excited?"

"Lu Jiang, we've been nominated!!!"

"Really!"

Lu Jiang feigned surprise.

Fan Binbin, standing to the side, seemed somewhat bewildered.

Nomination?

What music award these days can Zhou Jianhui value so much?

She didn't know about the Grammys because Lu Jiang had never mentioned it.

So Zhou Jianhui's current excitement piqued her curiosity.

Zhou Jianhui quickly revealed the answer: "And three nominations! Lu Jiang! Not one or two, but three! Best Recording, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Male Vocal Performance! Lu Jiang, three Grammy nominations! We've struck gold, no, we've made history!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden treasure chest appeared on the phone: [Zhou Jianhui wants to witness the historic moment of the first Chinese person winning a Grammy]

Lu Jiang, on the other end of the phone, frowned after hearing this.

Only three?
Oh, right.

The original version received five awards for the entire album.

The album contains more than just the song "You".

Among them, "you" received three, so three is normal.

As for whether he will win the award, Lu Jiang has no expectations. The probability of winning is extremely small. It would be best if he could win, but if he can't, it would still be worth it!

That's a Grammy, after all.

Having three nominations is already pretty impressive.

Zhou Jianhui spoke excitedly, while Fan Binbin beside him looked completely shocked.

Grammys?!

She wasn't unaware of the Grammys.

This award is like the Oscars of the music industry!

Look at Zhang Ziyi, her performance in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" won awards, not the Oscars, but the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Chicago Film Critics Circle Award for Best Newcomer, among other second-tier awards.

But she also gained Hollywood's attention through these experiences.

She later starred in Jackie Chan's "Rush Hour 2," and even though it was just a minor role, it earned her a remarkable status in mainland China.

So, while Fan Binbin might compete with someone like Xiao Yanzi, he currently has no intention of competing with someone of Zhang Ziyi's status.

Of course, she also imagined that one day she would suddenly be favored by a big Hollywood director and then play an important role.

So when she returns and faces Lu Jiang again, things won't be as cautious and gradual as they are now.

To be even bolder, if she could win an Oscar, or even just a nomination, when she saw Lu Jiang again, she'd probably sit down right in front of him, tapping the table with her finger: "Little Lu, put everything else aside and get engaged to me. From now on, I'll take care of you."

However, Fan Binbin's imagined moment of glory has not materialized, while Lu Jiang has quietly reached the threshold of becoming an international superstar.

Three Grammy nominations!
Oh my God!
She could already foresee how the news would shake the media in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, how shocked the Chinese music industry would be, and how Lu Jiang's status in the music scene would change.

Besides, the biggest impact on Fan Binbin was the blow to her confidence.

I thought I had finally reached the threshold of "being on equal footing".

As a result, just like the previous times, Lu Jiang quickly slipped away and left her behind.

Moreover, the gap this time is different from the previous times.

This time, they're separated by the entire Pacific Ocean!

At this moment, an unprecedented sense of powerlessness enveloped Fan Binbin's heart.

"The awards ceremony is on February 27th, right? Okay, I got it. Don't worry, my visa is being processed, I should be able to make it. You go ahead and get busy."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Jiang looked at Fan Binbin again: "What did you just say?"

"nothing."

Fan Binbin immediately shook his head, then suppressed his emotions and changed the subject, "I just heard about the Grammys."

"Oh yes, I just wrote a random English song, and I never expected to win the prize."

"You wrote an English song?"

"Didn't I tell you? It's that song, 'You Are Beautiful'. Oh right, you left the recording studio early that day and didn't hear it, but don't worry, no one else knows either."

As he spoke, Lu Jiang sat up. "Want to hear it? I'll play it for you now. It's the first time in the country that you'll hear a song nominated for three Grammy Awards."

"Okay."

Fan Binbin smiled and agreed, but she really wasn't interested in appreciating a song right now.

Besides the despair brought about by the sudden widening gap, there are also many stories about "parents".

Lu Jiang didn't ask any further questions about the set visit, which might mean he wasn't actually that concerned.

Although she mentioned it casually, it's understandable that Lu Jiang didn't take it seriously.

However, considering his current emotions, Fan Binbin does indeed experience an unusual sense of loss.

Sigh, even just one more mention would be better.

Then the melody of "You" began to play.

Good to hear.

But it is precisely because of this that Fan Binbin's feelings are complicated at this moment.

She immediately sensed the deeper emotion in "You" upon first listen: "love that is unattainable."

The shared sentiment only made Fan Binbin feel worse.

The career gap widened again, and he felt neglected once more.

The outline of Fan Binbin's hunched figure under the covers on the bed looked utterly aggrieved.

"How is it? Does it sound good?"

After the song finished playing, Lu Jiang looked at Fan Binbin.

Fan Binbin was in a bad mood. He just sat on the bed, hugged his knees, and simply hummed in response.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly so down?"

"No, I was listening to music."

Fan Binbin shook his head as if nothing was wrong, but Lu Jiang had already seen through him.

Fan Cui Cui broke again!

Lu Jiang didn't directly call him out, but instead asked, "How long do you think it will take your mother to learn?"

"what?"

"Didn't you say your mom always sings my songs in front of your brother?"

"She probably can't learn English songs."

"It doesn't matter whether you learn English songs or not, but you still need to learn English. Lao Lu is learning English now because he says he doesn't want to be mute when he travels abroad."

"Uncle Lu is still as ambitious as ever."

"You should also remind your parents. When the whole family goes on a trip together, if Lao Lu translates everything, it might cause a lot of laughs." Fan Binbin finally stopped being dejected. She looked up at Lu Jiang, and her eyes lit up again.

Lu Jiang chuckled and tapped Fan Binbin's forehead with his finger: "Your name is really bad, it's so fragile!"

"No way~" Fan Binbin buried himself completely in the blanket.

"Isn't it obvious? I think you should just change your name to Fan Tiezhu. It's hard as a rock and will never break."

"You are Tiezhu, you are Lu Tiezhu!"

Fan Binbin suddenly threw off the blanket, pouting and laughing as she scolded Lu Jiang.

"Yes, that's it! That sense of brokenness is amazing!"

Just looking at Fan Binbin's face, with his messy, disheveled hair, the sense of disarray was truly amazing. Lu Jiang quickly took out his camera: "Don't move, hold on!"

There was a click.

Fan Binbin was captured on camera.

But it's not the stunningly beautiful broken photo that Lu Jiang described.

Instead, it's an ugly photo taken from a peculiar angle.

There's no sense of brokenness.

She's just a crazy woman!
"That's amazing! Show it to your parents when they come to visit the set!"

Lu Jiang laughed and showed Fan Binbin the finished product.

Fan Binbin exploded upon seeing it: "Ah~ Lu Jiang, delete it now!!"

"Don't rush, tell me first when your parents are coming to visit the set, and then you can delete it after they've visited."

"Lu Jiang! I'll bite you to death!!!"

Fan Binbin completely broke down.
With just a few words, Lu Jiang transformed Fan Suisui back into Fan Binbin.

The first thing Fan Binbin did after getting up the next day was to arrange for his parents to visit him on set.

Lu Jiang's attitude is clear: he still loves her!

At this moment, all differences in status and career have been forgotten.

Of course, she also knew that she still had to catch up.

But it's not so urgent anymore.

Who told Lu Jiang to be a freak? No, a super genius!
Fan Binbin has fully come to terms with reality, but on that day, people from all walks of life across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong had just witnessed something "surreal".

At this time, regarding the Taiwan Golden Melody Awards...

With the arrival of the new year, the judging panel also held its first meeting to prepare for the 2002 Golden Melody Awards.

The judges participating in this meeting represent not only the Golden Melody Awards, but also the leading group in the Taiwanese music scene.

In other words, their attitude almost represents the overall attitude of capital within the Taiwanese music scene.

When everyone gathered together, in addition to discussing this year's Golden Melody Awards, they also discussed the development of Taiwanese music in the mainland market.

One of the topics involved Lu Jiang.

How should we treat Lu Jiang this year?

Everyone was in agreement: Warner Bros. should stop registering Lu Jiang.

Now that the Golden Melody Awards and Lu Jiang have completely severed ties, it is natural to completely sever ties with Lu Jiang.

This is not over yet.

Newcomers to the Taiwanese music scene are gaining momentum.

For example, Jay Chou has demonstrated exceptional talent, Wang Leehom has entered his mature phase, and emerging groups and singers like S.H.E. have also shown unexpected popularity in mainland China.

So the matter is quite simple: on the surface, maintain Taiwan's dominant position in the music scene, continue to allocate resources to its own artists, and strive to create another king, or even multiple "kings" and "queens" in the entire Chinese music scene!

Privately, they continued to suppress the development momentum of newcomers from outside.

Therefore, Lu Jiang's main task this year is to see if he can be forced to step down!
So far, things are developing very well.

Public opinion has already formed a trend that "the era of Lu Jiang is coming to an end".

Combined with a group of promising newcomers.

Even if Lu Jiang continues to produce high-quality work this year, the rewards he receives will likely be less.

Of course, the idea is wonderful, but the actual operation is very difficult.

This requires strong cooperation from Hong Kong.

The collaboration with the Hong Kong singers was quickly finalized.

Who can blame them when Hong Kong's film and television industry is so powerful?

Taiwanese singers who want to develop in film and television, especially movies, currently have to rely on the Hong Kong film industry.

With such cooperation, it is believed that within one or two years at most, the Golden Melody Awards will fully recover and once again become the most prestigious award in the Chinese music scene, and the ultimate say will naturally remain on our side.

By then, when we say that Lu Jiang's era is over, that's it! You won't be able to stay even if you want to!
As for Lu Jiang's abilities in the film and television industry?
This doesn't seem to be a big problem at the moment.

Lu Jiang's directing skills are just so-so. The two dramas he directed were both idol dramas. He is still filming a martial arts drama, but based on the current script information, the final result is estimated to be just so-so, and it is unlikely to create another phenomenon.

Meanwhile, various production companies in Taiwan are currently developing multiple idol dramas. Once they enter the mainland market, they are expected to compete with Lu Jiang's works on an equal footing, similar to the situation in the music industry.

As for movies?

Lu Jiang has no chance of making it big if he can't get into the Hong Kong film and television industry!

Is Lu Jiang allowed to enter?

He's good at acting, but Hong Kong won't give him top billing.

To become a director?
Forget it. So many directors in Hong Kong are just waiting to make a living, how could it be his turn?
Of course, with the rise of the mainland film market, he might create a miracle.

But the mainland market is taking forever to rise.

Besides, if we really want to be stubborn, are we Hong Kong and Taiwan capital just sitting around doing nothing?

After such a discussion.

Everyone was very satisfied and full of confidence.

Immediately after the two-day meeting concluded, various media outlets began to mobilize public opinion.

Suddenly, the marketing efforts of Hong Kong and Taiwan singers in mainland China became fierce.

For people in mainland China...

As soon as 2002 began, many Hong Kong and Taiwan singers and artists confirmed their schedules in mainland China for the year.

what is this?
This is a grand event!

If artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan are paying this much attention, then the mainland has indeed become powerful!

As a result, fan groups of both new and established singers in the music industry were extremely excited.

Subtly, everyone's abilities and strengths were exaggerated in various ways.

Meanwhile, the voices of mainland singers have gradually decreased.

The key is that many people don't realize this, and only feel that mainland singers' songs are not as "advanced," "trendy," "cool," or "fashionable" as those from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
However, under the subtle influence of Hong Kong and Taiwan capital...

Early morning on January 5th, Beijing time.

A thunderclap suddenly streaked across the sky.

"Lu Jiang's new song receives three Grammy nominations!"

Everyone paused for a moment.

Then the pupils trembled.
What? There are Chinese singers at this year's Grammys?

What? That Chinese singer is Lu Jiang?
What?! Lu Jiang got nominated for a Grammy, and three at once?!

The Chinese music scene is in shock!

The Asian music scene is shocked!

The entertainment industry is in shock!
Just as Lu Jiang had predicted.

In this day and age, the grass is always greener on the other side, especially in the US, where even the air smells sweet.

This is why awards like the Oscars and Grammys hold extra weight in the hearts of Chinese people.

Actually, in the eyes of Chinese people, the Grammys were not as significant as the Oscars.

the reason is simple.

Chinese people have never had any connection with the Grammys.

Just like a certain Olympic event where no Chinese athletes have ever participated, not even in the preliminary rounds, the public naturally won't report on it, and therefore, people won't pay much attention to the event.

This was the case at the Grammys before today.

And what about the Oscars?

The situation was pretty much the same before the 90s.

It wasn't until 1990 that Zhang Yimou's "Ju Dou" became the first mainland Chinese film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

From that time on, Chinese mainland films began their journey to win the Oscars.

At the same time, the public and industry insiders have finally become familiar with the Oscars, and everyone has begun to pay massive attention to them.

With the added support of the superpower, the United States, the Oscars quickly became one of the most prestigious film awards in the hearts of Chinese people.

In the years that followed, mainland Chinese films made several attempts to win the Oscars, but failed each time. This, to some extent, increased the prestige of the Oscars in the minds of the Chinese people.

So when Ann Lee won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," there was a lot of shock in mainland China, which was more or less influenced by the accumulated emotions from the past.

Now, news has emerged that Lu Jiang has received three Grammy nominations.

The Chinese people have also embarked on a path of understanding, becoming familiar with, and taking pride in it.

At first, most people were trying to understand what the Grammys were.

The pace of popularizing science is very fast.

In the global music industry, the Grammys are far more prestigious than the Oscars.

Therefore, the phrase "the Oscars of the music industry" is enough to make all uninformed Chinese people pay close attention.

Besides the Grammys, You's performance on Billboard is also widely known.

Lu Jiang got second place on his first try?

This so-called billboard in the US looks exactly like these shady billboards in Asia.

Next comes "familiarity".

Various media outlets began digging into the Grammys' past.

Then it was discovered that there were nominations and awards for Chinese people before Lu Jiang.

But most of them are in the field of classical music, such as Yo-Yo Ma, an American of Chinese descent, who has been nominated for a Grammy more than ten times.

Tan Dun, the composer for this year's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," is a Chinese-American who has won two awards.

Countless people then realized that Chinese people did not have zero Grammy achievements.

At the same time, the actual situation of the notice board was also revealed.

Soon, everyone entered the "pride" phase.

When a Chinese person wins a Grammy, they are, after all, Chinese.

Lu Jiang is a true-blue Chinese!

This is truly history-making!
Moreover, classical music is not very universal, and its popularity and competition are far less than those of popular music.

As a result, Lu Jiang has not only been nominated, but he has been nominated three times.

In addition, Billboard took second place within a few months, and even won the championship for two weeks.

This is equivalent to a native-born American defeating a group of talented Chinese poets in a poetry competition!

How can this not be shocking and then a source of pride?
As a result, the news of the Grammy nomination instantly dispelled the earlier public opinion that "the Lu Jiang era is coming to an end".

A few months ago, the gloom that had been brought to the mainland music scene by the rise of Hong Kong and Taiwan singers such as Jay Chou and Wang Leehom was swept away.

Lu Jiang also became an international singer overnight.

Countless industry insiders on the mainland laughed at those people from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

This doesn't mean his era has passed.

This is practically ascension!
(End of this chapter)