Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 147: Abrupt News

On September 6th, a typical Monday, North America was calm and quiet.

Just last Saturday, the Emmy Awards had concluded, and the new TV show season was about to follow suit. However, even before the media could catch a breath, they hurried off to Italy because this year's Venice Film Festival had opened on September 1st and would last until the 11th. This marked the end of the three major European film festivals for the year and also served as the opening salvo for the North American awards season. Naturally, no media outlet wanted to miss out.

Not only that, but on September 9th, this Thursday, the Toronto International Film Festival was also set to kick off. It aimed to showcase works that would make a splash during this year's awards season. Whether it was Venice or Toronto, and with a few productions appearing at both festivals, the busy holiday season was just beginning.

So, on this Monday, the domestic scene in the United States was relatively quiet.

William Taylor was feeling somewhat melancholic. A few days earlier, the Toronto Film Festival had announced the lineup of films competing this year, and "Buried" was prominently listed. This made William restless; he wanted to go to Toronto and see Renly's work as soon as possible.

However, having just started college, he was still in the adjustment phase. He didn't even know where his classrooms were. If he started skipping classes now, it would probably cause trouble later—or should he take advantage of his professors not knowing him yet and sneak off to Toronto? Otherwise, he might not get another chance.

William scratched his head in frustration. It was a real headache. He sighed deeply. "Why isn't there a way to have the best of both worlds?" With his head drooping, he opened his phone. Out of habit, he clicked on his music app and scrolled through the daily recommendations. Then he noticed a prominent name:

Renly Hall.

William was startled. He jumped up, hitting his head hard on the bedpost. Grimacing, he rubbed his head but didn't have time to cry out in pain. He looked at the screen of his phone earnestly. The first notification read, "Ophelia - Renly Hall," and the fourth one was, "Cleopatra (Arranged Version) - Renly Hall."

"Ah!" William couldn't contain his excitement. Clenching his fists, he looked up to the sky and let out a long howl. This was definitely an unexpected surprise!

It had been a full week since the Emmy Awards, and the discussion about "Ophelia" on YouTube not only hadn't died down but had intensified. The daily average view count remained at a staggering 700,000, even surpassing the performance of "Cleopatra" during the airing of "The Pacific." It was rapidly climbing the charts, stabilizing in the top twenty daily views on YouTube for seven consecutive days, far exceeding expectations.

As a folk song, the discussion sparked by "Ophelia" far exceeded expectations. No one had anticipated this.

Initially, people only cared about this single because of the gimmick. Whether it was the street performances after the Emmy Awards ceremony or the actor's crossover as a singer, it was all remarkable topics. Coupled with the unexpected success of "The Pacific" in winning the Best Actor award, it fueled gossip—where did this newcomer come from?

Some even speculated whether Renly was related to some big shot or was a love child of sorts. Otherwise, how could he, as a newcomer, gain so much attention? First, he got the opportunity to act as the lead in "The Pacific," then he won an Emmy, and now he captured headlines with a folk song performed on the streets?

Wasn't all of this too coincidental?

People started digging into Renly's family background, but unfortunately, with little success. No Facebook, no Twitter, not even his own YouTube account. Information on Wikipedia and IMDb pages was scarce, seeming to disappear after "The Pacific" and "Cleopatra." In this age of information explosion, netizens didn't even know where Renly hailed from. Was this normal? It seemed highly abnormal!

Then "Buried" surfaced quickly. This Spanish independent film, with a budget of less than three million, suddenly became the focus of attention. Moreover, all the crew members were completely unknown. Even outsiders knew that this production had no future. This contradiction arose: If Renly had a strong background, why would he appear in such a low-budget film?

Amidst such controversy, a voice emerged online, claiming that all speculations about Renly were false. He was just a regular actor with no significant family background.

Firstly, if there were no actor details, wasn't it because no one cared? Even after "The Pacific" aired, HBO hadn't updated Renly's information, indicating they didn't consider him significant. Secondly, before the Emmy Awards, there was little information about Renly, nothing like the promotion of a background to win awards. The surprise win seemed more like professional recognition by the judges.

Thirdly, before starring in "Buried," Renly had a blank period of half a year. If we trace back to the end of "The Pacific," this gap exceeded nine months. It didn't look like the behavior of someone with a family background; he seemed more like a struggling actor. Fourthly, the casual street performances were the most realistic evidence. People with backgrounds wouldn't need to perform on the streets.

This voice garnered support from many netizens, seemingly gaining the upper hand in this controversy.

Initially, people only paid attention to "Ophelia" out of curiosity. But soon, genuine folk music enthusiasts began to emerge, recalling the recommendation before "The Fader," which was undoubtedly the best affirmation of Renly's talent. First, "Cleopatra," then "Ophelia," both folk songs were exceptional and easily won over many fans.

Meanwhile, Billboard's official magazine produced a feature in this issue, listing the folk songs worth listening to over the past year, including "Cleopatra." Journalist Jordin Nicole commented, "This is a refreshing song. The flowing melody bursts forth with powerful strength amidst the poetic lyrics. The subtle sadness and regret, like cold spring water, merge into the soul. A noteworthy newcomer's voice."

The article recommended twelve folk songs in total, with "Cleopatra" being just one of them. Nevertheless, it once again brought attention to "Ophelia." First, "The Fader," then "Billboard," it was more than enough!

Word of mouth began to spread, even among fans who had no interest in folk music, they stumbled upon this song and gave their approval. Unfortunately, they couldn't download the song! It was a real letdown!

People have a mentality that rarity increases value. Even the most ordinary thing, when turned into a limited or rare edition, immediately increases in value. If one can't obtain it, the desire grows stronger. This gave rise to the well-known marketing strategy of "scarcity marketing." Now, inadvertently, "Ophelia" had become the object of people's desires.

Why couldn't they download it? Why was there only one video uploaded? Why wasn't there a full version of the song? Why wasn't there any promotion? Why did even "Cleopatra" have an unarranged version? What was the trick behind

Underneath this curiosity, "Ophelia" not only maintained its vigorous viewership and discussion on YouTube but also saw an increase in cover videos. Some artists even reinterpreted the song with their arrangements, adding to the fervor among fans. Additionally, passionate fans began to emerge, sharing a strong interest in Renly's work. Surprisingly, some internet users managed to extract the audio tracks from YouTube videos, repaired them, and then shared them online as music files.

Such actions were rare in the heavily regulated copyright environment of the United States. After the audio files were shared, they were deleted within twelve hours. In the US, sharing and distributing such files was illegal, except for on hacker websites.

Yet, despite this, the popularity of "Ophelia" remained high, just scratching the surface.

Everyone was discussing when Renly would release his singles. Renly's delay in uploading the singles led to speculations about what he was planning. Some even guessed that this was a meticulously planned publicity stunt. From the street performances after the Emmy Awards - regardless of winning or not, it was a gimmick - to the upload of the "Ophelia" video, all part of a promotional plan. Next, Renly might release a third single or collaborate with a radio station to further pique the public's interest. When curiosity peaked, he would emerge again as a singer.

At this critical moment, the single for "Ophelia" was uploaded, without any warning, so quietly that it could almost be said to be stealthy. There was no publicity, no news, not even a whisper. It dispelled all the conspiracy theories, extinguishing all suspense while simultaneously quelling all expectations. It seemed like all the buildup before this moment had come to an abrupt halt, making people excited yet somewhat regretful—

If they had let the buzz ferment for another two to three weeks, maximizing the effects of scarcity marketing, releasing the single then would undoubtedly have been more effective. But releasing it now, just after a week, was rushing it, completely undermining the potential.

However, for true music lovers, this was excellent news. They could finally enjoy the music they liked without any gossip or controversy, just pure music. Like William.

William eagerly clicked on the download button, not only for "Ophelia" but also for "Cleopatra (Arranged Version)," each song priced at just ninety-nine cents. When he hit play, the wonderful sound quality made William break into a broad smile—perhaps not being able to go to Toronto wasn't such a bad thing after all.

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Yesterday we were close to 200 powerstones... Hopefully this time we actually reach 200 powerstones... 200 powerstones for a bonus Chapter cause I have to fill the stomachs of my children - ego and pride ;)