Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 67 Slaughterhouse-style auditions

"Hey, you can't encroach on the road. We are old acquaintances, and the line can't be on 43rd Street. Keep your line within the porch of the Ambassador Hotel and turn around the building." A New York police officer, towards the hotel The doorman shouted.

"Sir, I've been queuing around the hotel twice. If I don't relieve myself, I'm worried that something will happen." Concierge, the concierge manager in the lobby, walked out of the hotel, shook hands with the police officer, and quickly and covertly hid The $20 in hand was handed over.

   "Okay, I'll call the other cops to help maintain order. But the Knicks game next week?"

   "It's all arranged, take the front seat." said the concierge manager.

   The hotel's concierge manager is a distribution center for various resources in short supply, as well as a distribution center for gossip. He quickly got the cops in to help keep the **** cast in order.

   "What kind of activity are you doing? Why are there so many people."

   "An audition for a film crew." The concierge manager maintained a smile, but there was already some resentment in his heart. At that time, the manager of the Commerce Department didn't tell him that so many teenagers would come. It seems that all the handsome and beautiful people from New York high schools are concentrated here.

"Call the headquarters, call the headquarters, this is the police officer... Near the Ambassador Hotel on 43rd Street, a large number of people gathered for the movie audition event, and more police forces are needed to maintain order, over." The police officer turned on the radio on the police car and began to call support.

  The crowd was still gathering in large numbers, and the two circles of people around the hotel finally flicked their tails onto 43rd Street. The number of people who came to audition continued to increase, eroding the streets layer by layer, and finally at nine o'clock in the morning, the streets were blocked.

"God, there are nearly 2,000 people looking at the posture. Except for those who accompanied the audition, almost 1,000 people came to audition. David, where did you find so many boys and girls who auditioned?" Director Alan Parker said in the Looking down from the window in the hotel room.

   "Crooked? Where did these auditioners know about us? Is it a newspaper? Or a message from an agent? Neither? The biggest source is acting majors? Why do they have so many people auditioning?"

  Producer David Da Silva was on the phone with audition director Howard Fehr, who was downstairs at the audition scene.

   "Let's go down and have a look." Director Parker came up and switched off the phone, pulling producer Da Silva downstairs.

"Everyone, listen to me, the audition is divided into four departments. Musical instruments and singing go to the hall on the left, dance and performance go to the right, where there is a dressing room for changing dance attire. Everyone will be treated equally, and we guarantee fair treatment. ."

  Ronald was standing on a table in the lobby, holding an electric horn and speaking the rules to the auditioners.

"After you go in, there will be professional audition directors to interview you. Just do as they say and show your talents to your heart's content. Anyone who gets a green ticket, please go to the second floor from the front to continue the second round of interviews. Please leave through the back door of the hotel when you get it."

   "Those who participate in more than two project interviews can queue up again, and each project can only be interviewed once..."

   Producer Da Silva stopped a student-like auditioner, "Hey, how did you know about the audition here?"

   "Have you not received the gospel of art school students? Here, go and call your friends. This is the best news in the New York entertainment industry in 10 years." The student who was stopped handed over a letter.

"Here is the biggest good news in 10 years of New York show business! New Oscar-winning director's film, 47 signed roles, 600+ group performance opportunities, if you consider yourself a talented actor, dancer, singer, performer, Please bring your talents to the Ambassador Hotel, 43rd Street, time..."

   "Shxt, Ronald did it. How many people did this guy get? Ronald! Ronald!" Producer Da Silva began to shout.

   "Don't be silly here, go and audition for singers with Phil's subordinates. Remember not to look for actors who obviously don't match the script"

   "But Margaery and I... ok, ok" Seeing the producer start glaring at him again, Ronald raised his hands in surrender and went to the interview room.

   "Don't sigh, let's go to the second floor and wait for the candidates who pass the initial test." Director Parker was very satisfied with all this and took the producer upstairs.

"Next!"

   greeted Margery and Ronald also entered the singer's audition room.

   Today he has a beard, wears a suit and tie, giving the impression that he is a big Hollywood figure who can decide the fate of the candidates.

Ronald sat with a middle-aged female manager from the "Fair and Lizel" casting company, and a young man who learned to sing filed in, each with 30 seconds of singing time, waiting for fate 's ruling.

   "Next!" the female manager called again.

   "This seems to be a good song, shouldn't we choose?" Ronald was a little puzzled.

The female manager was Joanna Merlin, she whispered in Ronald's ear, "The producer has already favored a black girl to play CoCo, we just take the form, hear it is very good, give her another one Pass, to the choir's group performance."

   Ronald nodded in understanding, and said to the girl who was interviewing: "Did you bring an accompaniment tape?"

  The girl put the tape into the recorder and sang Olivia Newton John's "You Are The One That I Want".

  The popularity of the movie "Grease" hasn't completely passed. There are many singers who auditioned for this song.

   "Next." The female manager, Joanna Merlin, interrupted the girl who was halfway out of tune without hesitation.

The    girl burst into tears on the spot, picked up her accompaniment tape, and ran out of the interview room.

   Ronald felt like a butcher, auditioning like an assembly line in a slaughterhouse. My job is to kill one girl's acting dream after another.

   Ronald doesn't want to be the villain who kills his dreams, and generally leaves Joanna to judge. After half an hour, he still couldn't bear it any longer, and asked:

   "What kind of singer can be selected?"

   "It's hard for me to describe, you know it when you hear it." Joanna, the female manager, shrugged.

   Finally waited for a singer to be selected, Ronald understood a little what Joanna meant. A really good voice does not need judgment, and it is naturally different when it is sung.

   is like a swan calling among crows, you know it when you hear it.

"What's your name?" Ronald wrote down her name on a piece of green paper, wrote the singer's name next to it, and handed it to her, "Go upstairs and turn left, there is a sign, and follow it to the second round interview room. Wait outside."

   The black girl happily took the green note. He shouted "Yes" and ran up the stairs.

"Next person."

   After a long time, Ronald heard another voice that stood out.

   This time it was a white girl. He is not tall, with neat short hair, long and powerful eyelashes, a bit like a doll. The fly in the ointment is that there is a wide gap between her front teeth.

   But when she opened her mouth, everyone forgot her appearance and focused on singing.

   This girl didn't play the accompaniment, but sang a cappella song "Just One Look" by Linda Ronstadt

   This song is difficult to sing acapella. The original singing relies on the bass to bring out the rhythm, and there is no very clear melody line.

  The girl can sing acapella, not only the rhythm is on point, but also the charm of the original song.

   "Next" female manager Joanna called Pass.

   "Wait a minute" Ronald stopped the girl who was about to go out, tilted his head and asked Joanna, "Why, doesn't she sing very well?"

  Joanna leaned over and said, "She's white, and the producers don't want CoCo to have too strong a white candidate." She gave Ronald a "you know" look.

   "But she's more than enough to sing chorus performances?"

   "The director may like her, don't you want to be fired?" Joanna heard about Ronald's support for the black Jean.

   "Okay, I'll report to the producer first and see what he means." Ronald picked up his notebook, put a green note in it, and said to the girl, "Come with me".

  The girl didn't know why, so she followed Ronald upstairs.

   "By the way, what's your name?"

   "Madonna, two n."

   "Madonna, wait for me here, I'll ask the producer to come out and see if I can give you a choir role."

   Ronald asked Madonna to wait at the top of the stairs, and went to confirm with the producer Da Silva.

   Madonna nodded in agreement, and a pair of restless eyes began to look around at all kinds of people passing by.

  Ronald walked into the room for the second test, walked up to Mr. Da Silva who paid him salary, talked about Madonna's strength as a singer, and asked him if it was suitable for her to pass the primary.

   Producer Da Silva smiled, this time Ronald finally remembered who was the boss.

  "This is Madonna", Ronald introduced the girl to the producer, "She sings very well, like a young..."

   "Yes, like young Barbra Streisand." Da Silva continued.

   "I wanted to say it was Linda Ronstadt, but you're the boss, say whatever you want." Ronald complained secretly.

   "Are you Jewish?" Da Silva asked suddenly looking at Madonna's big nose.

   "No, I'm Italian." Madonna brushed her hair impatiently.

   "Also, you can play the role of Jewish people, and your nose has passed." The producer gave Ronald an admiring wink, as if to say, Little Ronnie, you did a good job this time.

   "Come in with me, Madonna sings a song about Barbra Streisand's The Way We Were."

   "That's what you said? It's not my fault that the director wants her to play CoCo." Ronald thought.

   (end of this chapter)