Jared didn't know what happened, but considering Kanye's status, he could only keep smiling.
But Kanye kept spraying, showing no intention of paying attention to the director.
Until Leon snapped his fingers and called his name: "Kanye!"
Kanye shut up immediately as if struck by a silencing spell, and trotted over. "Bro, we made it! Black communities all over America are discussing our show; I think it will surpass The Voice to become the best talent show!"
Jared's expression couldn't hold anymore, and a bitter smile rose on the corner of his mouth.
He is one of the members of the directing team of The Voice and a good friend of the host Carson Daly.
Since the show aired in late April, it quickly became the most popular talent show, suppressing the ace talent variety show American Idol of the neighboring Fox TV station as a latecomer.
The premiere attracted 11.8 million viewers, and the rating in the 18-49 age group reached 5.1. NBC unanimously believed that the talent variety show track would be their world in the next few years.
Until The Rap of America was born, not only not losing in playback rate but also creating a new gameplay for online variety shows.
A sense of crisis spread throughout the traditional TV industry.
"Only one episode has been aired; no one can guarantee the subsequent views." Leon straightened his collar and patted his hair in the mirror. In fact, compared to the fierce material in the later episodes, the pilot episode can only be considered an appetizer.
Including revealing the behind-the-scenes of the shooting case, Kanye's infatuation with Kardashian, and the premiere of Panda, all are big killers for the continued rise of subsequent program views.
"Hehe... so I often mention to JAY-Z that you are the most modest person I have ever seen, and also warm-hearted." Kanye said, "You two shouldn't have reached this point. Hip-hop is a business; everyone is good homies; making money together is the hard truth... We can unite to rule this era; we can kill everyone, including those old guys in the AMA (American Music Awards)."
Speaking of the AMA, he couldn't help but curse. In this year's MTV Video Music Awards nominations, he received seven nominations like Adele, ranking second.
This is why he is full of resentment towards Katy Perry.
"Have you heard Katy's live performance? Without post-production tuning, she is a pile of sht!"
"This woman is completely a product of the music industry assembly line; her blood is full of industrialized additives..."
"Candy-colored wigs, MVs with no artistic value, highly repetitive melodies, plus extremely stupid leftist remarks... I can write four kilos of such broken songs a day!"
Kanye chattered endlessly, and Director Jared dared not make a sound listening to it.
The show was going live in three hours, and he hadn't even had time to tell the other party the basic process.
Looking at the entire entertainment industry, Kanye is a very unique and alternative existence; no one knows what is in his head.
He is one of the few conservatives in the entertainment industry. Saying conservative is actually just opposing immigrants and woke people.
His views on other aspects are not conservative at all, and his dressing concept is an era ahead of others.
He once advocated for states across the US to pass legislation allowing nudity in public places and promoted this behavior.
The slogan he shouted was "God created Adam and Eve without clothes, so the less you wear, the closer you are to God."
"Tell you good news, Bro..." Kanye was spraying vigorously, suddenly seemed to think of something, hurried over, and smiled quite wretchedly.
"What good news?" Leon always felt his smile was strange, not looking like something good.
"Kim is completely my woman now..."
"I don't understand what you mean." Leon frowned. "Haven't you slept in the same bed long ago?"
Maybe several mattresses have collapsed from sleeping.
Kanye and Kim Kardashian started as friends with benefits, and their feelings warmed up rapidly during the recording of The Rap of America.
The two had reached an unscrupulous level at the shooting site. At first, they just sneaked into each other's lounge during breaks.
Later, they directly lifted the venue restrictions; prop rooms, conference rooms, and even the main stage of the studio left traces of their battles.
"I mean, Kim no longer plans to marry Humphries. She is considering delaying the wedding date and finding a suitable opportunity to end this absurd engagement with Humphries face to face!"
"Okay."
Leon didn't take it seriously at first. Speaking of which, he was the gravedigger of Kardashian and Humphries' engagement.
Without his interference, Kanye wouldn't have taken advantage of the emptiness so easily.
Except for this relationship, even if these three live happily together in the future, it has nothing to do with him.
But he suddenly smelled traffic from this matter, patted Kanye's shoulder, and said: "Congratulations on finding true love, buddy..."
Kanye couldn't hide his smile, his mouth almost crooked with laughter. "She is the best woman I have ever seen, independent, confident, simple... I think men all over the world will envy me."
Whether men all over the world envy him might be questionable, but at least 100 million people worldwide have watched that wonderful video.
Leaving aside independence and confidence, there is no doubt that Kardashian's technique is master-level.
"When do you plan to announce this relationship to the outside world?" Leon asked.
"I haven't thought about it yet; this matter needs to seek her mother's opinion. Kris's authority in the Kardashian family is like Queen Victoria."
"How about announcing it right in the show?"
"What?" Kanye's eyes widened. "Would this be too sudden?"
In fact, he wished he could let the whole world know immediately that he owned the sovereignty of this "public bus," but this matter was not that simple.
The problem lies with Kardashian.
This woman's path to popularity is an extreme use of black traffic. First, she became a globally known loose woman through the tape.
Then, through hype of tearing each other apart again and again, she painstakingly created the image of a victim betrayed by a scumbag.
After Keeping Up with the Kardashians aired, her mother Kris tailored a persona for her.
Strong, independent, smart, ambitious representative of women in the new era—Kardashian transformed into the incarnation of positive energy.
At this time, if the engagement is torn up due to cheating, the just-established positive persona will suffer a heavy blow.
"Not sudden at all." Leon raised his index finger and shook it. "I know what Kris can't refuse; I'll talk to her."
"Okay Bro, I await your good news."
---
An hour before the live broadcast started, Jared's team was still explaining the program recording matters to the guests.
"For a live program, accidents are inevitable." Jared held the script with a serious face. "If you can't find topics you want to talk about, we will give some hints offstage; in short, your mouths must not stop."
"Can we talk about any topic?"
Robbie asked the question she cared about most; she didn't want to talk about anything related to feelings at all.
"Of course, talk about anything—adult topics, racial issues, views on the woke movement... these sensitive issues can be discussed in our program." Jared was full of pride when talking about this. "We are the only talk show in the US without restrictions; only NBC has true freedom of speech."
"Can we talk about Jews?" Kanye suddenly interjected.
As soon as he opened his mouth, it was a silence spell.
Jared's mouth twitched slightly, wanting to say something but swallowing it back.
"I'm kidding, Bro. I'm not a fake American; I know where the real red line is." Kanye said with a smile.
As early as 2009, he got into trouble for reposting and commenting on a soft article revealing Jewish financial groups on social media.
His Jewish manager Braun quickly ordered him to delete this post and temporarily confiscated the operating rights of his social media account.
Jared laughed dryly twice and quickly skipped this embarrassing topic. "Although the topics are freely played by you, I still hope you can talk about some interesting issues, such as Mr. Leon's street life before debut, details of the beef with Diddy, and relationship issues with Miss Robbie..."
"Enough, I know what to do." Leon waved his hand to interrupt the other party, and Robbie cast a grateful look.
At 11:30 pm, the program live broadcast officially started.
The stage lights turned on, and the three sat on the sofa around a round table.
Cigars, whiskey, and snacks were placed on the table, and the atmosphere was very cozy.
"Bro, I heard Columbia Records is fully producing a new album for you; can I ask the theme of this album?" Kanye asked.
Even Leon himself didn't know this question.
Use whatever the cheat refreshes; how can he have the mind to consider the unity of album tonality?
He whispered mysteriously: "This is a secret."
"Can't even tell me?"
"You will understand on the day of release; this album is worth your collection." Leon said, "It will be a brand new style... a subversive album!"
"You say so, I look forward to it even more..."
In the first half of the live broadcast, almost all were Leon and Kanye chatting, basically having nothing to do with Robbie.
Occasionally mentioned topics were all about new songs, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.
As glasses of whiskey went down, Kanye gradually lost language management, and the scale of topics also became larger.
"Bro, talk about music. do you think the current music industry is a paradise for artists or a slaughterhouse for capital?"
Leon shrugged. "I don't think what they say counts; good music is what the public loves to hear and see."
"This is a perfect answer!" Kanye patted his thigh excitedly, obviously drunk. "Art belongs to the people. If completely controlled by capital, then even a cow can get on the podium and even win ten award nominations!"
Jared offstage had a complicated expression. Although Kanye didn't mention names throughout, everyone knew the sarcasm was directed at Katy Perry.
This explosive speech is indeed conducive to program ratings, but Katy Perry is an artist under Universal Music, which is a family with NBC.
She has to show her face on NBC at least a dozen times a year, and her fan base is mostly left-wing woke people.
"Damn Je..." The words were swallowed back by Kanye just as they reached his mouth, which showed that he still retained some sobriety.
He continued to ask: "I'm curious how you and JAY-Z got to this point. I believe everyone is as curious as I am. You are my good homie, JAY-Z is too, but neither of you has ever talked about this topic."
"You should ask JAY-Z about this." Leon spread his hands. "Didn't you just collaborate with him on a new album? Has he never talked about these things?"
"Never. He is a busy man, never staying in the recording studio for more than two hours each time. He has to fly to the UK every week to watch Premier League games, manage his winery in France by the way, visit Silicon Valley to inspect projects, meet with many investors..." Kanye lit a cigar, smoke spurting from his nostrils.
"His song Niggas In Paris was used to DISS me; didn't you know?"
"Bro, how is this possible..." Kanye pondered the lyrics carefully; it seemed indeed to have a bit of Diss meaning. "Okay, I just want to figure out the whole thing..."
"I never provoke anyone actively, but if someone provokes actively, I will definitely respond." Leon turned his head and shouted to the main camera, "Remember to keep paying attention to The Rap of America; I will respond in the show."
Advertising for a competing product on the TV station producing The Voice—this operation dumbfounded the director.
But unfortunately, this is a live program, and this part cannot be cut out through editing.
In the last ten minutes of the program, Leon intentionally talked about movie topics, and Robbie gradually felt involved.
"I heard Straight Outta Compton made you a billionaire; is this money really so easy to make?" Kanye's eyes lit up.
Although he is a first-line superstar, even adding up album sales, tour income, streaming revenue, and commercial endorsements, he can't make so much money a year.
In the past 2010, even Lady Gaga, who received endorsements until her hands were soft, had an income of only $60 million.
Excluding investment income, such income was already in the first tier of the music scene last year.
"Just good luck. At first, I just wanted to make a positive energy movie recording N.W.A., but it unexpectedly became a hit." Leon bragged seriously: "Just as people often say, do positive things, and good luck will always come to you."
Kanye nodded thoughtfully, obviously taking his toxic chicken soup (BS advice) seriously.
Leon took the opportunity to chat with Robbie about the Skyfall movie, promoting it for her.
Generally speaking, except for a few hardcore movie fans, few viewers know the main cast during the movie shooting stage.
Only after the movie is released can they understand.
After this episode aired, many viewers realized that the blonde Barbie doll singing Faded was the new generation of "Bond Girl."
Just when the chat was getting exciting, Leon suddenly popped out a speech that caught everyone off guard: "Although Robbie and I have ended, we will always be good friends. She will also become a phenomenal figure in Hollywood."
Robbie's smile froze, and her eyes turned slightly red.
Host Kanye didn't know how to continue the conversation. Rumors of the two breaking up were already known to everyone in the circle.
But this is a different matter from official announcement. "Keeping secret without mourning" is a common routine in the entertainment industry; some couples even announce it to the media a year after divorce.
Director Jared's mouth couldn't help grinning to his ears. "Awesome... this episode's topic will explode..."
At this time, the program was just about to end. Leon acted as if nothing had happened, took Robbie's hand, and started the premiere of We Don't Talk Anymore according to the procedure.
According to the initial stage design, the two stood back to back holding microphones.
We don't talk anymore
We don't talk anymore
The prelude sounded, and Leon squinted immersed in the rhythm. "We don't talk anymore, like we used to do..."
The staff on site had already heard this song during the rehearsal, and his performance was as stable as ever.
Next, Robbie's singing was even more amazing. To avoid the camera, she untied her hair tie, let her hair down, and covered her eyes with blonde hair.
I just hope you're lyin' next to somebody
Who knows how to love you like me
There must be a good reason that you're gone
Every now and then I think you might want me to come show up at your door
But I'm just too afraid that I'll be wrong
Her technique couldn't be said to be amazing, but the listening experience was much better than during rehearsal. The singing voice seemed gentle but filled with strong emotions.
In the context of the official breakup announcement, this song seemed particularly fitting.
According to the script, the two should exchange positions back and forth, but Robbie never moved her position, keeping her back to the main camera.
"We don't talk anymore, like we used to do..."
At the end of the song, her voice trembled a little.
After the performance, the live broadcast was cut off here.
"Your performance tonight was awesome; I think you won't need to plug in (use autotune) at all in the future." Leon turned around, held Robbie's shoulder, and teased.
Her body seemed to have no strength at all, as if her soul had been sucked out.
Her head was also hanging down all the time, and her features couldn't be seen clearly under the cover of messy blonde hair.
"Robbie?"
"Listen to me, it's fine..."
While comforting her, Leon muttered in his heart.
He originally thought the other party had grown up and wouldn't have an emotional breakdown because of this matter. Now it seems that might not be the case.
Twenty seconds later, Robbie slowly raised her head. Except for her red and swollen eyes, there was no tear on her face.
But the tear marks flowing through the foundation could not be covered.
Leon whispered in her ear in a playful tone: "You look like you cried again?"
"I didn't cry; I just yawned. It's very late now."
"Okay."
Leon put his arm around her body and patted her back gently, the corners of his mouth couldn't stop rising, and the topic stopped here.
Last time he asked Robbie the same question, the answer was "Wasabi is too spicy, choked."