Chapter 218 217. I am Jay Chou

"Eric, I just found out that China has a mascot every year."

"Tiger, snake, rabbit, cow, sheep, turtle, cheetah."

"Wait! Who told you that, Turtle or Cheetah?"

When Eric heard Michael waving his fingers to explain science to him, his eyes went dark.

"Ah? Aren't they turtles and cheetahs? I can't remember clearly, but they said there were twelve kinds of animals, and each of these twelve animals had one year, so they would reincarnate every twelve years."

"And there are dragons. Can dragons be considered animals? Aren't dragons fantasy creatures?"

"First, tell me where the turtle and the cheetah came from?"

"No turtles and cheetahs? What about cats and dogs? It seems I remembered it wrong."

Eric waved his hand. "There are dogs but no cats. The twelve animals are mice, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs."

"They are arranged in a fixed order, using a very ancient counting method that I cannot express in English, called the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches."

"Eric, you have a deep understanding of Chinese culture. Can you help me calculate what my mascot should be?"

Michael was born in 1958, but Eric didn't know how to use the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches algorithm. Although his junior high school teacher taught him how to do it, he neglected to use it and had long forgotten it.

He used the dumbest method. This year is the Year of the Monkey, so he just deduced forward one year at a time.

A super-rich man and a world pop king, the two of them were sitting in the car and counting on their fingers for fun.

After thinking for a long time, Eric finally said with certainty: "Dog, Mike, your mascot is a dog."

Hearing this, Michael nodded with a smile: "Dogs are great too, although I think gorillas are better."

Eric chuckled. He knew that Michael loved gorillas very much. He even left several million dollars for the pet gorilla in case no one would take care of it if something happened to him.

"What's its name?"

"What?"

“What’s the name of the mascot dog?”

"It doesn't seem to have a name, but it must be a good dog."

"Um."

As they were talking, the car arrived at the Spring Festival Gala rehearsal site.

At this time, there are still three days left before the broadcast of the Monkey Year Spring Festival Gala. Several rounds of rehearsals have already been carried out, and various actors have also participated in several rounds.

Some were successfully selected, while others were screened out after finally passing several rounds.

So the real program list has not been announced yet. It still follows the old tradition and will not be announced until New Year’s Eve, a few hours before the party starts.

Some shows would have been taken down just hours before.

So this evening party that brings laughter to audiences across the country actually has an extremely difficult and tough process behind it.

Those who managed to hold on until the show was broadcast were already exhausted despite being excited.

It's a live broadcast, so any mistake will be magnified infinitely, and the actors are under a lot of pressure.

In language programs, there is often controversy over who goes on stage first.

Firstly, it was because being the first one to go on stage was stressful, and secondly, many people had not yet finished their meals at that time and were not in the mood to focus all their attention on the TV.

It’s not easy to get a chance to perform on the Spring Festival Gala, so naturally I hope to get the greatest attention.

And this heavy burden often falls on the shoulders of veteran artist Feng Gong.

The reason Feng Gong gave was that he had a good mentality and could withstand pressure, and that he wanted to finish the performance early so that he could go home and spend the New Year with his elderly mother.

Outside the venue, a large number of media were waiting. Since the program list was not announced, they could only judge the program based on the stars who came to rehearse.

There have been rumors for a long time that an international superstar will be invited to participate in this year's Spring Festival Gala, but it is unclear who it will be.

Some say it was Leonardo Dicaprio, others say Michael Jackson, and there are rumors that it was Celine Dion's.

The more outrageous rumor is about Beckham. Many people on the Internet are wondering, are Beckham invited to play football on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala?

Thinking about that scene, it seems too weird. At most, it is just inviting people to send blessings.

Until the last few days, the rumors about Michael Jackson were getting louder and louder, but CCTV never responded.

Seeing several cars with unfamiliar license plates, the reporter keenly realized that there was a new situation and perhaps the mystery should be solved. Everyone's eyes were focused on the car door.

The car door opened and Eric stepped out.

"Hmm? Foreigner, come and identify which celebrity this is."

"What a young, handsome foreigner."

"Who is this? Does anyone know him? He looks familiar, but I can't remember his name."

"Xiao Zhang, aren't you known as an expert on Europe and America? Now it's time to use your hobbies. Look who this young man is. Is he a singer or a movie star?"

“Brother Wang, it seems to be Eric Cooper.”

"What pants? What does he do?"

"It's not pants. It's Eric Cooper. He won the Best Screenplay Award at the Golden Globe Awards some time ago."

"Screenwriter? Someone from the film and television industry? No, why would CCTV hire a screenwriter? Write scripts? Perform calligraphy on the spot?"

"Brother Wang, screenwriting is just his hobby. His main job is the boss of MGM, a top Hollywood boss. Do you know Oriental MGM?"

"I know. They're not going to make a movie about the Megalodon. The choice of the heroine has caused a lot of controversy. Wait, MGM and Oriental MGM are the companies jointly established by this guy and China Film?"

Xiao Zhang nodded: "That's him. Even though he's only in his 20s, he's worth more than 5 billion US dollars, ranking 77th on the world's richest list. He's a real super tycoon."

"Brother Wang, strictly speaking, those celebrities you just mentioned are only worthy of carrying shoes for him."

"Fuck! So cool!"

"That's awesome! But if he shows up, then I can be sure that Michael Jackson will show up too."

"Why?"

"Because everyone who follows the European and American circles knows that these two are close friends, and their relationship is so good that they can even be like one pants."

Ah! Ah! "Michael Jackson!"

"Michael Jackson!"

"It's really Mike!"

"CCTV really invited Jackson, my God!"

"Oh my god, it turns out the rumors are true. CCTV is really awesome this time, they actually invited Michael Jackson to the Spring Festival Gala. Oh my god!"

When Michael got out of the car, the reporters who had been waiting and watching rushed over.

Xiao Zhang and Brother Wang lowered their heads and said a few words. When they looked up and realized the situation, there were no empty seats left for them to squeeze in.

"Brother Wang, please hold me and lift me up. I will take the photo."

"You little brat, I'll let you take advantage of me this time."

"Hehe... I would say it's Michael Jackson. This year's Spring Festival Gala has something to look forward to. Besides Zhao Benshan, there's another hot topic."

A group of reporters surrounded them, taking photos and asking questions in Chinese.

Unfortunately, Maikou didn't understand a word they said and could only smile and nod at them.

Eric could understand, but he was too lazy to answer. As soon as he answered one question, questions would come one after another.

If you really want to be interviewed, it’s not too late after rehearsal.

Seeing the boss being surrounded, a dozen tall and strong dancers wanted to come over to rescue him.

Eric waved his hand to signal them not to worry about it, as they couldn't do anything about it. In this small piece of land, CCTV was the only choice.

Sure enough, a moment later, several men and women with work badges rushed over.

"Make way, everyone, make way!"

"Everyone, stop crowding and let people out first."

"Which newspaper are you from? It's so crowded!"

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

But Maikou’s popularity and status are so huge that for many people, the chance to see him live may only come once in a lifetime.

So the reporters simply ignored the instructions and continued to shoot wildly with their cameras.

Seeing that speaking in a gentle manner didn't work, the man with glasses who was leading the group yelled.

"Everyone, get out of the way! Otherwise, you will never be able to set foot on CCTV again. Think carefully about this!"

After these harsh words were spoken, order at the scene was gradually restored.

"I'm wondering why you don't understand the rules. We're busy rehearsing. Do you know how tight the schedule is? Who will be held responsible if things get delayed?"

Some people smiled along, some nodded and bowed.

"Teacher Zhou, I'm so excited! CCTV is so generous this time. I never dreamed that I would be able to stand face to face with Michael Jackson one day."

"Yes, yes, that's Michael Jackson, not a Chinese star. We never get excited when we see Chinese stars."

"I am impulsive, Mr. Zhou. Please bear with me."

Teacher Zhou thought to himself, I never thought I would get to meet Michael Jackson one day. He is the king of pop music in the world. How did they invite such a big name? It is said that he only spent 100,000 RMB. It is incredible, absolutely incredible.

Under the leadership of Teacher Zhou, the group finally left smoothly.

As a result, as soon as he entered the building, he attracted countless people's attention.

"Michael Jackson, it's Michael Jackson!"

"The rumors turned out to be true. He even brought dancers with him. It was really a show."

"Come on, go, go get an autograph and take a photo with me, why are you still standing there like an idiot?"

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control again, Teacher Zhou hurriedly shouted: "Teachers, the leaders are very anxious. Can we talk about our requests later? Don't delay things!"

Hearing that the leader was anxious, everyone stopped and looked at Eric and Michael as they left.

"Michael, see? Wherever you go, there will be riots."

Maikou stroked his hair and said, "I also want to visit the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. The Internet says that you must visit these two attractions when you arrive in Yanjing, but now it seems that there may be trouble."

Following Teacher Zhou to the studio, a children's program was being rehearsed.

Dozens of children dressed in colorful festive clothes danced to the songs.

On the big screen behind him, a medley of theme songs from "Shuke and Beta", "Journey to the West", "Legend of Nezha" and "Black Cat Sheriff" played, immediately bringing back Eric's childhood memories.

"These children are dressed so beautifully." Maikou's love instantly overflowed.

"When you go back, buy some traditional Chinese clothing as a gift for Paris. She will definitely like it."

“That’s good advice.”

After the children's performance ended, the leaders and judges sitting below said a few words to the choreographer, and then dozens of children left the stage.

When passing by Maikou, he looked at the group of foreigners in front of him shouting with great curiosity, some of them even opened their mouths in surprise.

"Mr. Jackson, Mr. Cooper, it's our turn."

Led by Teacher Zhou, Eric and Michael came in front of the group of leaders. Several young people in their thirties and old people in their fifties hurriedly stood up to greet them.

In front of ordinary people, they are leaders and bigwigs of CCTV, but in front of Eric, they are all small fry who are not up to the standard.

After a few words, another wealthy man in his fifties came over. When the others saw him, they made way for him.

"Mr. Cooper, this is Director Chen from CCTV."

Teacher Zhou whispered a reminder, and when Eric heard the man's last name was Chen, he couldn't help but think of Chen Ou.

Could it be that the two were relatives? Otherwise, why would Chen Ou beg for him?

Director Chen shook hands with Eric and Michael respectively.

"Mr. Cooper, nice to meet you. I have heard of you for a long time and finally met you today. I must thank you very much for inviting Mr. Jackson this time."

"Mr. Jackson, I'm a fan of yours. I often listen to many of your songs at home. After all these years, I finally get to see you in person. Hahahaha."

"I'm hosting tonight. I'll invite Lao Han, Lao Zhou and the others. Please be a good host."

After chatting with Director Chen for a while, Maikou's rehearsal began.

Eric was not familiar with what was happening on the stage, so he watched for a while and then stopped participating. He turned around and walked around the studio.

Several groups were rehearsing at the same time, it was very busy and lively.

However, many people, especially women, could not help but stop and take a closer look at this young and handsome foreigner.

He also noticed many familiar stars, including Jie Xiaodong who was not yet out of the limelight, Mei Ting who was not yet in the mood to talk to strangers, Sun Li who was not yet a big star, and Huang Yi who had not yet had a scandal with Huang Yiqing. They sang a song together.

I didn’t notice it when I watched it as a child, but it turns out that unprofessional actors started singing on stage so early. Fortunately, skits have not yet become too prevalent.

He also saw singing performances from last year's popular dramas such as "Sex and the City", "The Story of a Noble Family" and "Liu Laogen". When he saw Yan Xuejing, he smiled helplessly. It turned out that her acting style had been determined since the beginning of the millennium.

There are also many comedians, including Guo Da, Guo Donglin, Yan Shunkai, Hong Jiantao, Hou Yaowen, Shi Fukuan, and of course the iron triangle of Zhao Benshan, Fan Wei and Gao Xiumin.

The skit they performed was called "Renting a Companion". Eric looked at the name for a long time, but he couldn't remember that the three of them had collaborated on this play before.

It took me two takes to understand what "Rent an Old Partner" was. I guess they thought the name was tacky, so they changed it to "Water Delivery Man" on stage.

"The moonlight shines brightly in front of the bed, and the glass is frosted. If I don't wipe it quickly, it will get dirty!"

Eric can still recite the jingle.

Uncle Benshan probably never imagined that after he left the Spring Festival Gala stage, skits would collapse to such an extent.

"Hello, is this Mr. Eric Cooper?"

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind, a young man's voice.

The mandarin he spoke had an accent that was unmistakably from Taiwan, and it sounded so familiar that Eric could already guess who it was.

"Hello Mr. Cooper, I'm Jay."

(End of this chapter)