Chapter 71: Attending Saturday Night Live with Taylor Swift!

Compared to SNL, also known as "Saturday Night Live," which he attended with Taylor Swift,

Xu Can paid more attention to Warner's invitation.

The moment he heard the news, he thought he had misheard.

Whether between DC and Marvel, or between Warner and Sony, there existed a certain competitive relationship.

Warner actually wanted him, an actor branded with the Marvel label, to play a DC character?

He didn't know what they were thinking.

Xu Can estimated that the Warner executives must have been envious of the success of "Spider-Man."

Their "Superman Returns" this year flopped; it wasn't even fit to polish the shoes of "Spider-Man," and the media didn't even like reporting on it.

Warner probably wanted to re-extract the value of DC and set their sights on Batman.

Coincidentally, Nolan was a rising new-generation director in recent years, and his "The Prestige" was very successful.

Warner finding him to film "The Dark Knight" trilogy was a historical trend.

But finding him, they probably just wanted to ride the hype.

After all, in the 21st century, only Xu Can's live-action comic book adaptation movies had succeeded.

However...

Competition aside, what did it have to do with him, an actor, when Hollywood companies fought?

Money that can be earned, one shouldn't leave it unearned!

"Sure, but before filming starts, I need to talk to the Nolan brothers."

"No problem, I'll convey it to Warner."

"By the way, what role are they asking me to play?"

"It should be Batman, Bruce Wayne."

"Emmm... I'm a bit reluctant to play this. Never mind, let's talk to Nolan first when the time comes."

"Mm, remember to attend SNL; recording is tomorrow. Go to NBC headquarters tomorrow afternoon; I'll have Vanessa take you there."

As Xu Can's agent, general manager of Star River Pictures, and one of the producers of "John Wick," Happy Hogan was quite busy and hung up the phone quickly.

The company recently hired a white intern, Vanessa Perry, a young Miss in her early twenties, the same age as Xu Can.

She was responsible for taking care of Xu Can's daily life and helping him handle miscellaneous matters.

The next afternoon, Vanessa drove a car provided by Sony to the set to pick up Xu Can.

The young Miss had long, straight black hair, and her appearance was somewhat like Anne Hathaway.

"Mr. Xu, it's about time; let's go to NBC."

Vanessa wore black-rimmed glasses and spoke in a slow, deliberate manner, like a model student addicted to books.

"Did you buy the coffee I asked for? Filming too much has made me a bit sleepy."

"Bought it, it's in the car; extra-strong iced Americano, no sugar, no milk."

"Good, let's go."

Drinking coffee and replying to emails on his phone in the car, after experiencing New York's heavy traffic, he finally arrived at the Rockefeller Center building in Manhattan, the location of NBC headquarters.

As a perennial variety show in North America, SNL attracts viewers across the entire United States every Saturday broadcast, with ratings consistently ranking among the top.

As a late-night variety show, "Saturday Night Live" has a relatively broad scope.

It often uses funny sketch performances to satirize current politics, criticize social ills, and roast the entertainment industry.

The guests for Xu Can's episode included Xu Can, Taylor Swift, Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, and others.

The production team originally wanted to invite Emma Stone; she and Xu Can formed the "Spider-Man Gwen" couple, which should have given the ratings a step up.

Unfortunately, Emma Stone was busy filming "Twilight" and couldn't come for now.

The production team found a recently rising country folk singer,

currently Taylor Swift's status wasn't high enough; there was a certain gap between her and female singers like Beyoncé, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, and Kelly Clarkson.

But she had gained a large number of fans among the youth and was considered somewhat famous.

Entering the building, under the guidance of the staff, Xu Can first met the variety show's main creators and exchanged pleasantries.

Afterwards, he was taken to the dressing room; after getting ready, he had to go directly into rehearsal and recording, as time was tight.

Not long after sitting down for makeup, another person entered the dressing room.

"Xu! You really came~"

No need to turn his head to look; he knew it was Taylor Swift just by the voice.

She ran over with her high heels clicking, clucking, clucking, and affectionately rushed to Xu Can's side.

Unfortunately, the makeup artist was busy, so hugging wasn't very convenient for her.

"I heard the production team invited you; do you know how happy I am?"

At first glance, Taylor Swift seemed a bit like a celebrity model, but once familiar, one knew she was a goofball, an cheerful and straightforward little silly goose.

She was somewhat different from the girls around Xu Can, like Emma Stone and Emma Roberts.

Emma Stone seemed like a good buddy at first, more straightforward; privately, she was more feminine, a bit willful, and very emotional.

Emma Roberts was just more lively towards Xu Can, mostly giving the feeling of a gentle little Princess, speaking in a soft voice.

Taylor Swift was like this no matter who she met; when not high, she was quite active, and when high, she was even more of a crowd-pleaser with thick nerves.

While the two were getting their makeup done, Taylor Swift kept chatting about recent daily life events.

Even a small spark of inspiration while writing songs, or some interesting story from attending an event.

Most of the time, she was talking, and Xu Can listened with a smile.

After the makeup was finished, there was still some time before going on stage; the makeup artist temporarily took her leave, leaving the lounge to the two of them.

After the person left, Taylor Swift let out a light sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"After we talked last time, I had a fight with Scott."

Scott is the boss of Big Machine Records, and he holds the rights to Mei Mei's albums.

"I think I've seen through him. He says he respects my creativity, but in reality he just treats me like a cash cow."

"So what are you thinking?"

"I don't know. It wouldn't be great for me to go somewhere else right now either — the big labels have even more restrictions."

Mei Mei's expression was crestfallen; she had thought that making music meant she could create whatever she wanted.

In reality, record label bosses, chasing the market, often push singers to make music in styles they don't like.

"If it really comes to that, I'll just have my dad invest and secure some say in the matter."

"Absolutely not."

Xu Can hurried to dissuade her.

If Mei Mei kept releasing albums on Big Machine Records, she'd just repeat the path of her past life and trigger a whole string of rights disputes.

Right now the other side only has one album, so she can cut her losses in time.

"Since you've seen him clearly, his character definitely won't change. Later on he'll cause you even more disputes. No matter how many sweet things he says, don't believe him."

"Sigh, then what do I do? I really do need to put out a new album, otherwise the popularity I've just built up will eventually fade."

Mei Mei understood this perfectly well herself, but she was simple-hearted and willing to believe the other side would change.

"How about this — you sign with our company, and I'll handle things for you."

"Huh? Is that okay?"

Mei Mei suddenly looked up, her eyes lighting up.

"I can set up a studio exclusively for you, in partnership with Sony Records."

Xu Can had already had this idea before; as long as Mei Mei was willing, he could let her go independent.

"Really? You'd do all that for me?"

Mei Mei could hardly believe it — Xu Can doing all this brought him no benefit at all, and he might even lose money.

"Of course, because I like you, I-really-like-you…"

Xu Can looked earnestly at the Taylor Swift standing before him.

"Wait, wait… wait!!"

Xu, why did he suddenly confess to her?

Xu Can's direct approach caught Taylor Swift completely off guard, and her heart immediately started racing.