Chapter 246: Girls, Scream

The great philanthropist Chen Nuo has once again shown his kindness; this time his target is Apple.

Will Apple overcome its difficulties and regain its glory with his help? Hmm, that's an unknown.

However, the previous target that made the philanthropist Chen feel pity and extend a helping hand finally ushered in its grand moment on this day.

November 28, 2008, the entire cast and crew of "Twilight" gathered in New York to attend the premiere held at the AMC Lincoln Square theater.

A large number of "Twilight" book fans gathered on both sides of the red carpet. It could be seen that most of them were adolescent girls, each holding signs high, shouting the names of one actor after another.

From Kristen to Luo Bote, from Mike to Ashley, almost every appearance of a handsome man or beautiful woman would cause a burst of screams and cheers from the girls.

And many of the actors, big and small, in "Twilight" were experiencing such a magnificent scene for the first time. Wearing various gowns they had rented, they were so excited under the grand scene that they didn't know what to do.

The hosts and cameras invited by Summit Entertainment wandered around the venue, each facing the lens, talking in high spirits about how wonderful their current feelings were and how optimistic they were about this movie.

There were also some reporters from entertainment magazines or newspapers on the sidelines, but there weren't many people who could interest them. Currently, besides director Catherine, only one man and one woman were being interviewed on the sidelines.

Kristen Stewart, as the girl among them, was dressed very fashionably today, with smoky makeup and messy hair like fireworks, making her look like the lead singer of some punk band, facing an interview from a reporter from "The Hollywood Reporter."

Facing this mainstream media, Kristen wasn't nervous. She spoke quickly and answered the series of questions raised by the red-haired female reporter in an orderly manner.

"Yes, I haven't seen the finished film yet, but during the filming process, I knew this movie would definitely become a masterpiece."

"Chen, he is naturally an extremely excellent actor. I learned a lot from him during the filming process."

"How is that possible? He never acted like a big shot on set; he was very kind."

"No, I don't think what he said is right. This movie is really good, even if his name is Luo Jie Ebert."

"Those critics and commentators might have their views, but I reserve my opinion. I think this movie is worth everyone walking into the cinema for. Thank you, thank you for your interview, goodbye."

Kristen Stewart tried hard to keep a smile on her face, but as soon as she turned around, the expression on her face became a bit ugly.

Just then, not far from her, Luo Bote Pattinson, who was being interviewed by "Variety," also finished his Q&A with the reporter. Similarly, his expression was a bit gloomy.

The two pretended to be ordinary friends, walked over and hugged, and then waved to the fans on both sides together.

This was also something every small actor would do.

They often hoped that the media photographers present would take a fancy to their proper and elegant demeanor, take a few more photos of them, and perhaps they could be chosen by an editor to appear on the inside pages of some magazine or newspaper the next day, increasing their exposure.

Although they were smiling, the conversation between the two wasn't so pleasant.

"Luo Bote, did those reporters ask you?"

"Ask me what?"

"What else could it be?"

Luo Bote Pattinson's smile was a bit stiff, "........ They asked me. What do you want to say, Kristen? Want to know how I praised your dream lover?"

Kristen Stewart paused and asked, "What are you talking about, Luo Bote?"

Luo Bote Pattinson put away his smile and said, "What do you think?"

He suddenly sharpened his voice, imitating a woman speaking: "'Excuse me, dear Luo Bote, how do you feel about being replaced by Chen as the male lead? Do you feel humiliated? I heard Stewart and Chen dated while filming; did you notice anything unusual? What kind of person is Chen usually? Does Chen mention his performance at the Oscar ceremony... blah blah blah.'"

After speaking, Luo Bote Pattinson returned to his normal tone, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile that Kristen found a bit creepy, "It's always Chen Chen Chen Chen Chen. Do you know how many questions that bitch asked about me? The answer is zero. That slut even called me Robertson at the beginning!"

"Are you satisfied now, Kristen? What else do you want to know? Do you want to know how I feel about you right now? Fuck you! Kristen, fuck you!"

After Luo Bote Pattinson finished speaking, he showed an elegant smile to the fans again and, without waiting for Kristen Stewart to reply, walked directly to the other side of the red carpet.

If they weren't on the red carpet right now, Kristen felt she would definitely have a good cry.

But at this moment, even facing her boyfriend's groundless scolding and misunderstanding, she could only suppress the sadness in her heart.

Ashley Greene walked over with a smile, and the two women performed a cheek-kissing greeting.

Ashley Greene whispered in her ear, "What's wrong? Did Luo Bote lose his temper at you again?"

"Mm."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kristen shook her head, "Ashley, you look beautiful today."

Ashley Greene did look very good today; she was wearing a backless black long dress, outlining a sexy and wonderful figure.

The front was V-shaped, revealing deep cleavage, and the slit of the skirt almost reached the root of her thigh, standing in place and revealing a slender, fair leg.

While facing the baptism of the flashbulbs, she opened her mouth and said, "Thank you, Kristen, you too. By the way, have you seen Chen?"

Kristen Stewart couldn't help but look around the venue again, still not seeing that man's figure, and shook her head, "I haven't seen him. I think he might not have come yet."

Ashley Greene sighed and said, "I've been here for half an hour, and I'm almost frozen to death. I just wanted to wait for him and take a photo with him."

Me too. Kristen said silently in her heart.

However, the premiere had started for so long, why hadn't he arrived yet? Could it be...

"Could it be that he's not coming?" Kristen Stewart couldn't help but speak.

Ashley Greene was stunned, "Why?"

"Didn't you read today's reviews?"

"Ah! You mean..."

"Fuck, fuck, I'm so stupid. Why, I'm a damn pig through and through."

Summit Entertainment CEO Luo Bo Friedman showed deep regret on his face, "I really should have listened to you, Chen. I really shouldn't have gone to hold any media screenings."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Will Richardson beside him with resentment.

If it weren't for this person constantly saying that this movie was unexpectedly good, how could he have been so confident as to do such a thing!

Holding those damn screenings in a dozen cities across the U. S., inviting all kinds of critics online and offline, as well as members of some film associations, to watch the movie for free, and even giving away small gifts at the end.

It cost hundreds of thousands in promotion fees.

But what was the result?

"Has some entertainment value, that's all," "Target audience might like it," "Not rotten enough to make people hate it," and other comments were considered polite.

"Absurd, fell asleep watching it," "Not interesting at all, forgotten quickly," "Completely without any new ideas," "Vampires don't suck blood, the movie lacks flesh and blood," "Youth film that leaves no impression, lacks real emotion," "Flashy, useless," "Beautiful vampires, ugly plot"—these evaluations were the tune those damn critics sang in unison the next day.

Look again at the mainstream ratings of public evaluation,

Rotten Tomatoes 21% freshness, media score 34/100, Yahoo! score D+.

Not a single indicator didn't explain one problem:

"Twilight" is a thoroughly rotten movie.

Thank God, the number of IMDb ratings wasn't enough, and the score hadn't been released yet, otherwise Luo Bo Friedman suspected that if he saw that number, his blood vessels would burst.

Moreover, what was spreading online wasn't just bad reviews for the movie,

there were also... for the actors.

Will Richardson looked at Chen Nuo's expressionless face and whispered, "Chen, if the reviews make you feel bad, how about we go find some fun after the premiere ends today?"

Luo Bo Friedman glared at Will Richardson fiercely. This tactless old man from the Lone Star State—under these circumstances, how could anyone be in the mood to seek pleasure?

"Chen, your performance in the movie isn't as bad as they say. Really."

Luo Bo Friedman blinked his gray eyes, trying hard to figure out how to comfort this heartbroken young man, "In fact, I have never seen a man look so... shiny in a movie!"

Although the atmosphere was very solemn, hearing the word "shiny" from Luo Bo's mouth, Will Richardson still almost laughed out loud. If it were in the Lone Star State, if someone dared to describe a cowboy like that, what awaited him would definitely be a fierce fight.

However, Chen Nuo clearly didn't even have the mood to fight. He said with sadness, "Don't comfort me, Luo Bo. I know, this participation is indeed a Waterloo in my acting career. I didn't expect it, really... completely didn't expect... at least, I thought, at least Mr. Luo Jie Ebert wouldn't... wouldn't say that about me."

Before he could finish, Chen Nuo covered his face with both hands and made a sound similar to crying. Luo Bo and Will looked at each other.

Almost at the same time, they let out an almost inaudible sigh.

Indeed, being counter-attacked by Luo Jie Ebert, who was originally his number one fan, would indeed lead to a breakdown.

As the number one critic in the U. S., Luo Jie Ebert was naturally on Luo Bo Friedman's invitation list for this "Twilight" screening.

Inviting Luo Jie wasn't just because of the influence of this film critic veteran,

more importantly, filmmakers across the U. S. and even the world knew,

this elderly American man was a supporter of Chen Nuo, this young Chinese actor.

From the moment Chen Nuo debuted until now, every film had been highly praised by Luo Jie Ebert.

Terms like "genius," "miracle," "once in twenty years" were thrown at Chen Nuo for free.

Ask yourself, under these circumstances, how could Luo Bo Friedman not invite Luo Jie Ebert?

He was waiting for this old man to finish watching the movie and then blow Chen Nuo up on his blog, which had over ten million followers, to pull in some popularity for them.

As it turned out, after Luo Jie Ebert finished watching the screening that night, he went back and spent only three hours concocting a super-long masterpiece.

The title alone was a blow to the head for Luo Bo Friedman, who had happily logged onto the blog site, making him see stars.

"Genius is dead."

——A genius is dead.

This was the old man's title.

It formed a wonderful tribute and echo to Nietzsche's "God is dead," which could be called interesting.

However, Luo Bo Friedman didn't have any intention to like it.

He wiped his sweat while reading the following text.

At the same time, he had to admit that although Luo Jie Ebert was already a candle in the wind, the old man still had his style from back in the day when he scolded people.

"Bullshit movie, dog-shit performance."

"If you haven't been to a garbage dump, then walking into a cinema to watch this movie will immediately increase your knowledge."

"The plot is garbage, the photography is garbage, the director is garbage, the special effects are garbage, and the actors are garbage among garbage."

"Kristen Stewart, she didn't smile once throughout the whole movie, always with her mouth half-open, looking like she was out of character. Luo Bote Pattinson lost the magic he had in 'Harry Potter,' with only a stiff handsome face, so that everyone wouldn't feel like vomiting at his performance."

"And those actors in the Cullen family, sorry, I can't remember your names, because I'm not a professional garbage sorter."

"Catherine Hardwicke is undoubtedly an outstanding female director in Hollywood, however, the only thing she shared in this movie is her 40-plus-year-old girl's heart."

"The novel-adapted script is so childish that it leaves one speechless. During the viewing process, I even doubted whether the screenwriter was an adult; otherwise, how could he write the whimsical idea that vampires would glow in the sun!?"

"It's simply a retarded setting!"

"It wasn't until I saw the end of the film that I suddenly realized that the screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg, is a woman."

"So, the original author, the director, the screenwriter, they are all women. It is precisely these women who used their pink, childish thoughts to kill a genius."

"Is this Chen? During the viewing process, I asked myself countless times."

"That idiot who is always showing off his hard chin in the film, every time he turns his head he wishes he could throw his thick hair into the air, and when he talks to people he is always looking sideways or looking down on others,"

"is he really the genius actor from China who played the mute, Jeremy, and the Joker?"

"What made him become such a shallow appearance?"

"He seems to have become a machine without any emotion, and his only task is to let the audience in front of the screen appreciate his pretentious, depthless performance."

"As a romance movie, I can't even feel a trace of true emotion from his eyes."

"Remember 'My Blueberry Nights,' friends?"

"Facing Emma Stone, he could use eyes full of deep love to make everyone in the world sink into it."

"But here, his eyes are just two spotlights looking for angles."

"They will only blind your eyes."

Luo Bo Friedman didn't continue reading when he saw this, because he really couldn't bear to look anymore.

He looked at Luo Jie Ebert's recommendation index again.

A lonely big thumb.

Plus a sharp and mean comment: "18+. As long as you are 18 years old, you shouldn't walk into a cinema for it."

He didn't finish reading it himself, but Luo Bo Friedman believed that Chen Nuo must have finished reading the review. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so painful that he didn't even want to walk the red carpet.

Seeing the other party's sad and decadent appearance, he couldn't help but sigh again.

However, that was still the same saying: as the CEO of Summit Entertainment, Luo Bo Friedman had to be responsible for his position and say some very cold-blooded things that made him feel very sorry.

"Chen, I understand your feelings. This movie is ruined, it might make us lose money, and I'm just as uncomfortable as you. However, according to the contract, you still should... walk the red carpet and do your job."

Chen Nuo raised his head in pain and said, "Luo Bo, tell me the truth, am I really acting that badly?"

Luo Bo Friedman said, "Maybe, maybe not... but, it's too late to pursue these things now, isn't it? If you really want to talk about it, actually every link has responsibility. Including Will, he as the on-site producer, but didn't stop all this in time, is also hard to blame."

Will Richardson opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say a word.

As a tough guy, he didn't want to argue either.

Back on set, actually he and Catherine were both influenced by this big-name actor who had just won an Oscar, and followed the other party's rhythm from beginning to end.

He watched helplessly as this Chinese man, in adjustment after adjustment and retake after retake, in every shot, pursued the best angle, making his face look impeccable and full of charm, but didn't think about whether this was what this romance movie needed.

Luo Bo was right; this was indeed his dereliction of duty as a producer.

And Catherine Hardwicke...

Will Richardson swore that as long as he was alive, this woman would never appear in any project he produced in the future.

Never mind director, even a production assistant wouldn't do.

This love-struck woman who was fascinated by her own male lead and forgot what she should be doing was simply not worthy of being a film director!

"Luo Bo is right. Chen, I also have faults. I was on the scene at the time, and I didn't stop you; this is my problem," Will Richardson said with a dim face.

Chen Nuo's expression was a bit excited, "Will, no, this is not your fault, it's all my fault. God, I feel humiliated. Since I debuted, I have never had this feeling. I absolutely cannot admit defeat, I must prove myself again."

Looking at Chen Nuo's excited expression, Luo Bo Friedman comforted him, "Chen, you are still young, you still have plenty of opportunities, don't be discouraged, really."

Chen Nuo nodded and said, "Okay Luo Bo, thank you. Hmm, as far as I know, the film and television adaptation rights for Vampire 2 and 3 are also in your hands. Right?"

"Vampire? What vampire?" Luo Bo Friedman was stunned, then reacted, "You mean 'Twilight'?"

Chen Nuo patted his forehead and said, "Yes, yes, sorry, I'm too excited."

Under emotional excitement, saying the wrong name of a beloved novel?

OK, it seems there's no problem.

Luo Bo Friedman nodded and said, "Yes, after you agreed to star, Meyer had already transferred the rights to all the first three parts to us. What do you want to say, Chen."

Chen Nuo clenched his fists and said, "Let's sign a few more, Luo Bo. How many you plan to shoot in the future, we will sign for that many. Anyway, you can't change people now, can you?"

"We will still follow the previous contract terms; I won't change any of them. Although this time, I should only be able to get an economy class ticket back to China..."

"But, it doesn't matter, I have never touched money, I am not interested in money."

"What I want is dignity!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 247 =====