Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Chapter 6 Fame

Taking the big and small bags, we returned to the artist's apartment. I happened to meet a Jewish violinist walking up the stairs to my apartment.

He seemed to have just returned from performing on the street, and he still had a violin case in his hand. Seeing the two of them making a big purchase, he took the initiative to help Ronald and Meg carry a few items upstairs.

After opening the apartment, Ronald asked the Jew to wait for a while, then went into the kitchen to share a piece of sausage he had just bought from a Ukrainian restaurant, wrapped it and gave it to him.

"Thank you for helping us, this is a gift for you."

"Thank you, my friend, and may the Lord bless you."

…

After tidying up the room and laying out the newly bought tablecloths and napkins, Meg put the deli takeaways from the Ukrainian restaurant into the white porcelain tableware bought in Chinatown.

"boom!"

Ronald opened a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses.

"May your dreams come true and become famous! Meg."

"May your dreams come true too, Ronnie."

Ronald did not turn on the light, but lit a candle. Meg gave him a sweet look, very satisfied with this little surprise.

In the dim candlelight, Ronnie and Meg clinked glasses and slowly tasted the red wine.

Bought deli takeaway from a Ukrainian restaurant and it tasted good. Meg fed Ronald like a child.

"Open your mouth, Ronnie." Meg took a piece of sausage with her hand, dipped it in the sauce, and fed it to him.

"Aww..." Ronald ate the sausage and pretended to bite Meg's finger.

Meg giggled and shrank back.

Ronald suddenly grabbed his hand and ate the sauce.

Meg didn't expect this move, and a cloud of cloud climbed up her cheek.

After a while, Meg forcefully pulled her stiff fingers out of Ronald's hand. She rubbed her hands nervously, as if to prevent the sauce from sticking to her fingers for a long time.

Ronald took out his handkerchief, soaked some water in the glass, grabbed Meg's hand, and carefully wiped the fingers clean one by one.

The two of them seemed to be speechless for a moment.

Meg's face seemed to turn redder, like a colorful cloud covering the setting sun. He didn't know whether it was the reflection of the candlelight or the reaction of the red wine. Ronald couldn't figure it out under the dim candlelight.

Ronald just stared unblinkingly into Meg's eyes, the only thing clear in the candlelight.

He was intoxicated by her gentle gaze.

There was a faint sound of a violin coming from outside the wall. It was the Jewish violinist upstairs playing the "Meditations" by Jules Massenet.

With a "whoosh", Ronald blew out the candlelight.

…

An hour passed.

Turn on the floor-standing bedside lamp in the bedroom, and the lampshade emits warm light.

Ronald stood up and made a pot of black tea bought from Chinatown. He finally got over the cheap taste of teabags.

Pour the Chinese black tea into two warm and delicate white porcelain cups, put them on the tray, and carry them into the bedroom.

The rich tea has some red reflections and a warm and restrained fragrance. It is not the gaudy artificial flavor, but the natural tea fragrance.

The tea leaves are picked from tea trees that are less than 20 years old, and the tender buds before Grain Rain are specially selected, carefully roasted, and fermented.

Not the kind Ronald drank in Los Angeles, cheap old Darjeeling tea, tea bags made from mixed tea stems, which could be said in the same breath.

The natural taste is completely different.

The restrained tea aroma, paired with warm tea, makes your stomach feel warm after drinking it. It seems that the whole person is full of vitality and full of youthful power.

Meg asked for another drink.

Meg adjusted her posture, leaned into Ronald's arms, and put Ronald's arms under his neck to cushion him.

"I feel safe, Ronnie."

"Me too."

After lying down for a while, Meg was a little shy and still refused to stay in Ronald's apartment. She insisted on walking back to the apartment she shared in the next block to sleep.

Ronald had no choice but to send her to a place and then go home by himself.

Reminiscing about all the things he had spent with Meg on the bed, Ronald fell asleep contentedly.

…

"I borrowed a blockbuster movie to watch today." A strange male voice spoke in Chinese.

"What movie?"

"I don't know. That bastard refused to say anything. He only said that the girls from the drama school were crying when they saw it."

There was a bang, and a box of tapes was eaten into the VCR. The snowflakes on the TV receded, and red letters on a black background appeared again, with familiar subtitles:

"FBIWarng"

After the copyright information, a lion appeared on the TV screen. It was an MGM lion roaring.

This time it's an MGM film, Ronald said to himself while half asleep.

On the black screen, the title of the film appeared:

"FAME"

The subtitles below also show the Chinese translation, four big characters:

"Famous all over the world"

By the way, Meg's dream is to become famous all over the world (Fa).

A noisy sound came from the inferior TV sound system. Many people were talking and making noise.

A cafeteria scene appeared on the screen, which was somewhat similar to the high school cafeteria I attended. It was small and lively.

A student began to beat neat jazz drum beats on the table with drumsticks, then tambourine, then piano, then saxophone, then violin, cello...

Various musical instruments belonging to different musical styles were added to the ensemble one after another, but they were surprisingly harmonious.

Ballet dancers, jazz dancers, modern dancers... one by one began to twist their bodies.

The dancers danced more and more happily, jumping onto the piano and dancing with the dining table.

The cafeteria lady also began to dance to the rhythm.

Then a black girl sat next to the pianist and began to sing with a strong voice with a metallic tone:

"Macaroni and salmon,

Our favorite dishes.

She got a hot lunch,

The same is true for everyone.

..."

"Hot lunch?" This name is so familiar.

After a moment of confusion, Ronald saw another dance scene:

To be precise, it was a practice scene.

A group of ballet girls were doing daily exercises such as leg stretching in the practice room.

"Circle, bend over, and get back to square!" The teacher was shouting commands.

The two girls in the front of the camera were talking while practicing.

"I like your training suit. I saw it in the window of Bandos Department Store."

"My stepmother bought it for me."

"Really? I don't mind having such a stepmother."

"She didn't buy it for me. She just wanted my father to think she cared about me. And she loves shopping. She feels so happy every time she goes shopping."

"That sounds good. I think I like your stepmother."

"Hmph, I can give her to you."

"Pay attention, pay attention. Why aren't you sweating? Pay attention!" The teacher began to verbally remind one of the girls.

The girls' movements were very elegant.

Hey, the girl behind her, wearing a green training suit and a sky blue skirt, looks like Meg Tilly.

No, she is Meg. Ronald saw the girl's face clearly in the camera.

Did she also act in this movie called "Famous"? It seems to be an extra.

Ronald was about to fall asleep after another period of confusion, half asleep and half awake.

Suddenly, a burst of passionate disco music broke out on the TV.

A man who looked a bit like the big-foreheaded taxi driver I met at the airport drove a yellow taxi of the same model and stopped at the school gate.

There were two large speakers on the top of his taxi. The driver plugged in the power and turned up the volume. The disco music came from the two large speakers.

"Baby, look at me...

Tell me what you see?

You haven't seen the best of me yet.

Give me time

I will make you forget everything..."

The taxi driver began to shout:

"This song was written by my son, Bruno Martelli."

"It's playing on 46th Street today, and there will be a concert at Madison Square Garden tomorrow, hahahaha..."

All the students heard this moving song and rushed out of the school one by one.

Jazz dance, ballet, modern dance, ... everyone started dancing.

They used the street as a stage and started dancing.

They occupied the street, blocked the traffic, and kept dancing.