New York 2006

Chapter 127 Excellent People

At the Hilton Garden Inn in Los Angeles, Luo Ji, Taylor, Fiona and manager Braun were sitting in the living room chatting.

Fiona held up Forbes magazine and sighed: "Among artists, singers are the most profitable."

Braun said: "It is true that singers have many advantages over other professions in the entertainment industry."

Among the top [-] of this year's Forbes World Celebrity List, sports athletes occupy three places.Football player David Beckham.Golfers occupy two seats, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Golf is a white sport in the United States. To play golf, one must not only have money, but also have leisure time, because golf is extremely time-consuming, with the average game lasting four hours.

Golf has always been a sport for the middle and upper class. Many top luxury goods are endorsed by golfers, which can achieve precise positioning.Therefore, many golfers enter the Forbes celebrity list every year.

Television hosts occupy four seats, Oprah, Howard Stern, David Reitman and Turner.

The television industry in the United States is very developed, and the production costs of talk shows and variety shows are all maintained by the host.Therefore, these types of TV hosts have very high annual salaries, and sometimes they also receive a certain share of advertising. Oprah is the top one.

Hollywood actors and directors occupy six seats, namely Brad Pitt, John Depp, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie and director Steven Spielberg .

Sports, TV programs and singing all have regional language limitations, but movies are different. Hollywood movies can be marketed around the world with their powerful film industry.Therefore, top Hollywood stars can accept advertising endorsements all over the world, and their ability to attract money is very strong.

Singers alone occupied seven seats.Ranking from high to low are Logic, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, famous LGBT representatives Elton John, Jay-Z, Bon Jovi, and Celine Dion.

Luo Ji said: "Singers can actively earn income by holding concerts, which is something other artists do not have. Even if many singers are out of fashion, people will still buy them when they go to concerts. However, actors, hosts, and athletes are different. Once they are past the peak of their career, there are very few endorsements for movies or programs coming to them.”

"Indeed." Manager Braun said: "Just like the Rolling Stones, their new album sales are not good and they are considered outdated. But their concerts still made 8800 million US dollars last year."

"That's it." Fiona nodded.

Braun pointed at Madonna and said: "Her global tour last year had a box office of 1.9 million US dollars. For a veteran superstar like her, she can estimate a quarter of the net income after deducting costs. What do you think of our live performance?" The performance company, is there any chance of signing her up?"

"I want to eat shit!" Luo Ji said: "Madonna's signing fee alone requires at least 5000 million US dollars. Can we afford it?"

"I'm just thinking about it."

Luo Ji asked, "How is the location selection for our SB Live Performance Company going?"

Manager Braun then said: "I have reached an agreement with New York City Councilman John Liu, and SB Live Performance Company will move to Queens by the end of the month."

Luo Ji boasted, "Okay, you can settle the relationship with the local government when the time comes. John Liu is my man and he will take care of you."

Braun did not question this time. He vaguely knew that Luo Ji had some connections in the political world: "Okay, don't worry."

"By the way, why did you come all the way to Los Angeles to see me and Taylor?"

"good news!"

Braun said with a smile on his face: "Some time ago, I was interested in looking for you and Taylor to endorse the ski equipment Lefes. Now we have reached an agreement. The endorsement is 170 million US dollars a year, you 120 million US dollars, and Taylor 50 Thousand-meter knife.”

"When was the filming?"

"The sooner the better. It was shot in a Los Angeles studio. They want to attract young users through you."

Luo Ji looked at Taylor and said, "Are you busy during this time?"

"No, haven't you arranged all my schedule?"

"Okay, Braun, you go make arrangements."

After saying this, several people started chatting again, and while chatting, they talked about No. 1 Oprah on the Forbes celebrity list.

Fiona said with admiration: "Oprah is a role model for all women."

Taylor also agreed: "Yes, she is indeed a role model for most women in the United States."

Oprah, a black aunt, has a great influence on American women, especially housewives.

Her daytime talk show launched nationwide in 1986 and is currently broadcast in 127 countries/regions, attracting 4800 million viewers each week.She is the king of selling products in the United States. She makes a lot of money by recommending various products to everyone on the show.

She is one of the few self-made female billionaires in the world, with a net worth of more than $15 billion and income of $2.6 million last year.More than double that of No. 2 Luo Ji.

Not long ago, she even directly supported Senator Barack of Chicago's presidential campaign on television. This allowed Barack, who was originally lagging behind Ms. Clinton in the polls, to catch up a lot in the polls.

A FOX spokeswoman even said: "Oprah recently said that she would support Senator Barack of Chicago to run for President of the United States. With Oprah's strong financial resources and her long-lasting influence in the minds of the American public, She will have a great influence on next year's US election."

"She has too much influence among middle-aged women in the United States." Luo Ji thought for a while and said, "Braun, when will you schedule me? The last time she had a talk show, the age of the people who watched her show was skewed. Big, it can broaden my fan base.”

"Let me give it a try. You are very popular, so it shouldn't be difficult."

"Looking forward to your good news!"

Speaking of net worth, although Oprah's $15 billion is a lot, she is not the most valuable person on the Forbes Celebrity List. The most valuable person is Turner, who is worth $30 billion.

Turner's job is not a TV host. He is a famous real estate businessman in New York.

He himself is very popular in the United States because he often participates in various TV programs and guest stars in movies and TV series.He also has many famous remarks, and has stated in the media more than once that he will participate in the US presidential election.

In 2004, Turner served as the producer and host of the NBC reality show "The Apprentice". In the show, several competitors compete and cooperate with each other to complete commercial projects. At the end of each episode, there will be at least one A player was eliminated, accompanied by Turner's iconic line: You're fired! You're fired!, the show ends.

The winner of the show will receive a one-year work contract with Turner Enterprises and receive an annual salary of more than 25 yuan.

In the first year, the show paid Turner $70 per episode, and the first season totaled about $[-]. After the show's success, he now gets $[-] million per episode. This makes him one of the TV personalities with the highest appearance fees.

Therefore, this billionaire with a net worth of 30 billion US dollars, relying on the reality show "The Successor", has earned 3200 million US dollars in entertainment this year, becoming No. 19 on the Forbes Celebrity List.

Not long ago, Turner even received a star of his own on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to television on "The Apprentice."

Fiona said: "This billionaire is a famous palyboy."

Braun said: "His three wives are all models. He has also hosted the Miss Universe selection. He is usually surrounded by all kinds of beauties. It is indeed easy to give people the image of a playboy." "He He's a playboy to begin with," Fiona retorted.

Luo Ji and Braun looked at each other and smiled without any rebuttal. The men probably understood each other.

Men's aesthetics are different, but top models have the greatest common denominator. Most men will find them beautiful. There is no doubt about it.

However, the modeling industry relies on youth, and a girl’s most beautiful years are limited to a few years, especially for white girls. The competition in the industry is very fierce.In addition, places with many beauties are bound to have a mixed bag of people, making the modeling world particularly chaotic.

Taylor looked at the two of them strangely: "Why are you two laughing?"

Luo Ji quickly said, "It's nothing."

Taylor didn't hesitate, pointed to the magazine and said, "Feili, there are people your age in the celebrity list."

"Are they the two male and female protagonists of Harry Potter?" Luo Ji asked.

"Yes, ranked 48th is J.K. Rowling, the author of the "Harry Potter" novels, and Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, who star in the "Harry Potter" series of movies. Ranked 79th and 97th respectively."

"As expected."

Harry Potter is the most valuable intellectual property IP in recent years. Even among the famous IPs in history, it can still be ranked high.

The only ones ahead of Harry Potter are Pokémon Pikachu, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse Universe, Disney Princesses, Star Wars and Anpanman.

Luo Ji said with envy: "These two are famous all over the world. With the blessing of global sales of Hollywood movies, they should be able to become the youth idols of a generation. Although I make more money than these two, my popularity is not the same. The public’s impression is much worse than these two.”

Taylor smiled and said: "I agree that the actor who plays Hermione can become a youth idol, but the actor who plays Harry Potter cannot. He is disabled."

"Hahaha."

Fiona, Braun and Luo Ji all laughed when they heard this. Indeed, Harry was so cute when he was a child, but he has become more and more disabled as he grows older in the past few years.

Agent Braun smiled and said: "Our good friend Paris Hilton is also on the list. With her own reality TV show, she ranked 1230rd with an income of 83 million US dollars."

"You are actually good friends with Paris Hilton?" Taylor's eyes widened in surprise.

Luo Ji and his manager Braun burst into laughter. Taylor and Fiona looked at them with blank expressions.

"What's going on? Why are you laughing?"

So Luo Ji told them his experience of posting rumors about Paris Hilton on a forum to attract traffic for his video, and then being exposed by Paris in person.Fiona and Taylor burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, Fili, you are so talented! Let Braun take the blame for you."

"Is this what ordinary people can think of? The thoughts in your head are so dirty!"

Luo Ji spread his hands with a look of pride on his face: "I was broke at that time. I didn't want to think about how to attract traffic to my videos. This is not called a dirty mind. It is a proficiency in Internet culture and the way media operates. You should praise me for being smart. .How could I be where I am now if I hadn’t had an idea at that time?”

Three days later, at the Burbank Studio in Los Angeles, Luo Ji had finished filming the Pepsi commercial and was now filming the LeFace ski equipment commercial with Taylor.

"Tyler, come closer and put your hands on Logic's shoulders."

"Taylor, your smile is not natural. Smile more naturally and brightly."

"Taylor, your movements are a bit stiff. Pay attention to your body movements."

Taylor was only 17 years old, still young, and relatively thin-skinned. After the director said a few words, his self-esteem was a little frustrated and he almost cried.She wanted to be strong, but she kept holding on, but the shots got worse and worse.

With a serious look on his face, Luo Ji walked up to the advertising director and asked in a commanding tone: "How about we take a break?"

"Can……"

The director was about to retort, but when he saw Luo Ji's serious face, he immediately realized that this was a billionaire who had earned 1.02 million US dollars in the past twelve months, so he hurriedly said: "Okay, everyone, let's take a rest. Filming later!”

Luo Ji and his group came to the lounge, and Taylor looked depressed and remained silent.

Luo Ji stepped forward, put his arm around her shoulders, and said, "You're too nervous. Is this your first time filming a commercial? Didn't you perform very well when filming the MV?"

Taylor rested his head on Luo Ji's chest and remained silent, feeling a little depressed.

"Don't be mentally burdened," Luo Ji advised, "I feel like you're putting pressure on yourself and relaxing, just like you did with me before."

Taylor still didn't say anything, so Luo Ji joked: "I feel like your relationship with me is not as natural as before. Are you in a different relationship?"

"Freeze said."

"Then what happened?"

"I feel a little pressured to be with you. I want to prove myself so much."

Taylor raised his head and looked at Luo Ji and said some of his inner thoughts: "Your singing career is better than mine. You have your own career and you can invest. Now you have become No. 2 on the Forbes Celebrity List. Now the media Some people on the Internet said that I am with you because of your money, and some people said that you have a problem with choosing women, and some of your fans even attacked me, saying that I am not good enough for you."

"Then why did we get along so well before?"

Taylor lamented: "That's because we were both young singers at the time, and we didn't have to think about so many material reality issues. I feel that our relationship now is not as pure as before."

"You are just too strong and independent, thinking about proving yourself all day long."

Luo Ji hugged Taylor tightly, stared into her eyes and said, "If other girls had an excellent boyfriend like me, they would have shown off everywhere, but you put pressure on yourself. Anyway, I feel that our relationship is still very pure. Don’t think too much about it, okay?”

"it is good."

Taylor finished speaking in a low voice, then buried his head in Luo Ji's chest and fell silent. The two of them just cuddled together quietly, enjoying the quiet time.

(End of this chapter)