Huayu: Starting from managing the Mahua FunAge Theater Troupe

Tuesday, May 1th, early morning.

Newspapers in many parts of the country published the ratings for the fourth episode of "Chinese Comedians" simultaneously provided to them by Joy Media.

This viewership rating was still calculated by CSM using the "people meter method".

The viewership rating in Liaoning Province steadily increased to 28%. Ratings in other major cities saw slight increases. Across the rest of the country, the average viewership rose to 9%.

It has been the champion of provincial satellite TV variety shows in the same time slot for four consecutive weeks.

Shen Teng (Happy Twist)'s latest work, "Catering to One's Tastes," has once again received reviews from major official media outlets.

……

The power of comedy lies in confronting reality.

Recently, a skit called "Playing to One's Tastes" has attracted attention on Liaoning TV's "Chinese Comedians" program.

The work uses satirical strokes to depict the unhealthy trends of "sycophancy" and "playing to one's own tastes" in the workplace, and behind the humor is a sharp critique of these malpractices.

It's worth noting that this skit didn't stop at just being funny. The ending line, "Don't always think about what the leaders like, think more about what the people need," elevates the entire work from satire to a message of "construction."

"Using art to convey positive social values, 'Catering to Popular Tastes' provides a noteworthy example." — People's Daily

……

When Comedy Rediscovers Its "Thorns"—Starting with "Playing to the Crowd"

"From Chen Baichen's 'The Road to Officialdom' to Zhao Benshan's 'Uncle Niu Gets Promoted,' the satirical tradition has never been broken in Chinese comedy. However, in recent years, there have been few comedic works that dare to confront reality directly."

The value of "Playing to Your Tastes" lies in its rediscovery of the "thorn" in comedy.

"This guy likes fishing, so I dive down to the bottom of the sea one by one and put the fish on the hook for him"—exaggeration reveals reality, absurdity reveals resonance.

Comedy, if it only offers superficial, ticklish laughs, loses its core power: leaving the audience with something to think about after the laughter subsides. In this sense, "Catering to Tastes" is more than just a "funny" skit. — Guangming Daily

……

Why do young people love watching this "workplace comedy"?

"After our newspaper published an interview with comedian Shen Teng last week, many young readers have recently written to us mentioning the same name, 'Catering to One's Tastes'."

One reader said, "After reading it, I talked to my colleagues all night. We have people like that in our workplace too." Another reader said, "I used to think it was something that only happened in the news, but after reading this, I realized it happens all around us."

A significant proportion of the audience for "Catering to Tastes" is young people.

They are no strangers to figures like "Section Chief Ma." In the workplace, in schools, and in various organizations, the phenomenon of sycophancy has never disappeared.

A skit can resonate with young people not because of its sharp satire, but because it speaks to what they want to say but dare not say. — China Youth Daily

……

In addition to print media, many news programs also reported on reviews of "Catering to One's Tastes".

The fact that official media outlets are giving such concentrated coverage to this topic is undoubtedly due to the efforts of departments such as the All-China Women's Federation.

This is the advantage of being backed by the mainstream.

Artistic works are essentially a form of propaganda. As long as the values ​​of a work conform to the mainstream ideology and the content is innovative and has the potential to spread, it is easy to obtain support from official forces.

Before his rebirth, Shen Feiyang had seen many similar examples, such as Coach Liu, who led the nation in home fitness.

That's the principle.

Besides his works, Shen Teng has another advantage that others don't have: his alma mater is the PLA Academy of Arts.

……

6 month 4 day.

Yang Yi's apology statement was published in the newspaper.

Yang Yi admitted that he was the one who recently impersonated a crosstalk performer in the newspapers to criticize the crosstalk troupe and Guo Gang. However, he has now reached a reconciliation with Guo Gang and will hold a reconciliation banquet at the Beijing Hotel on June 7, welcoming the media and the public to witness it.

The news is out.

The BJ crosstalk circle was shaken.

The Tianjin crosstalk circle was also shaken.

Although Yang Yi does not have a specific generation name, he is theoretically a generation above him. In the crosstalk circle where seniority is paramount, such a thing is truly rare.

Many viewers who follow 㯖允社 wanted to support 㯖允社, but when they found out that tickets were impossible to get, they gave up.

Insiders felt that things were not simple, and after further investigation, they dug up the recent conflict between Yang Yi and Guo Gang on the set of "Chinese Comedians".

Digging further, they uncovered rumors that Shen Feiyang, the big boss behind the Yunshe, had forced the Yang family father and son to apologize and admit their mistakes, and that Zhao Benshan had tried to reconcile them.

If there's such a rumor, then there must be something to it.

As word spread, Shen Feiyang gained some dubious fame.

Guo Gang even went so far as to relentlessly throw in impromptu jokes about "our General Manager Shen" in the small theater, of course, portraying him in a positive light.

……

On June 5th, the fifth episode of "Chinese Comedians" aired, and Shen Teng (from "Happy Twist") continued to win the episode championship with his work "Goodbye".

"Goodbye" is adapted from the skit "Goodbye Lao Zhang" from the variety show "Annual Comedy Competition".

The story tells of how, before the wedding rehearsal, the groom made a wish to an angel, hoping that his deceased father could witness his wedding. The angel granted his wish, placing Old Zhang's soul into the body of the best man, allowing him to briefly return to the human world, thus triggering a series of farcical and heartwarming events.

The whole story can be summed up in an old saying: "The child wishes to care for his parents, but they are no longer there."

Many viewers across the country have experienced similar regrets.

Unsurprisingly, the skit "Goodbye" once again received reports and comments from print and television media in many places.

If we categorize celebrities by their future popularity levels, Shen Teng is already a top-tier phenomenon.

As a rising star, Shen Teng now has a problem...

……

July 6, Friday, afternoon.

Shen Feiyang, who had just signed a contract with Hunan TV and received a planning fee of 100 million yuan, landed in Beijing when Shen Teng called him and invited him for drinks.

The two brothers were sitting in a private room at a Northeastern Chinese stir-fry restaurant.

"How so?"

Shen Feiyang looked at Shen Teng, who had a melancholy expression, and poured him a glass of beer.

Shen Teng picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp, then said, "Next week is the recording of the semi-finals and the finals, right? If I win the championship, Wang Qi wants me to tell the national audience on stage that she is my girlfriend."

Next week, episodes 11 and 12 of "Chinese Comedians" will be recorded. Episode 11 is the semi-final, eliminating five groups of contestants. Episode 12 is the final, where the five groups of contestants will perform two rounds of shows, and the national champion will be determined based on the combined scores of the two rounds of performances.

Although the show is being recorded faster than it is being broadcast, Happy Twist is now showing all the makings of a champion, and there is a strong call for them to win.

Shen Teng is somewhat opposed to linking his career and private life.

Shen Feiyang raised an eyebrow: "What, you're two-timing too?"

"Bullshit, I only love your sister-in-law." Shen Teng rolled her eyes at Shen Feiyang.

Shen Feiyang smiled, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Go ahead and announce it if you want, but remember, never let your emotions get the better of you. That's the foundation for achieving great things."

"Let me think about it."

Shen Teng nodded thoughtfully.

drip...

Shen Feiyang heard his phone ring and took it out to look at it.

Jiang Yan: See you tomorrow at 2 PM in room 1226 of the Hilton Hotel.

Since their last encounter in Tianjin, Shen Feiyang and Jiang Yan have maintained a weekend routine of having sex first and then going on dates. This way, Jiang Yan doesn't have to worry about coming home late and making her mother anxious.