Chapter 120: Chapter 120 What Has the Most Magic
In the villa's living room, Louise sat at the bar, slowly savoring her drink, occasionally glancing at Warner Television Network's live broadcast.
Presenter Jamie Lee Curtis laid down the card in her hand and read, "The winner of Best Young Actor is Martin Davis from 'Zombie Stripper'!"
Applause erupted.
Louise raised her glass towards the television set, "Congratulations."
She set down the glass and with her other hand, took the notepad Martin often used to jot down formulas and swiftly added a new entry.
Having recorded it, Louise laughed. It seemed that rascal had already paid his bill, didn't it?
But who cares, from getting roles to winning honors, it was all new debt he owed her.
He must repay with new formulas until he's completely squeezed dry.
As for what to do after he's dried up, a female drunk and a female lech wouldn't consider matters so far ahead.
Atlanta, Clayton Community.
Upon hearing the announcement of the winner's name, Lily's face contorted. She wanted to jump up and cheer but felt inexplicably choked up.
Was Martin winning the award a good or a bad thing?
She glanced at Holle, carefree and clueless; it was all his fault.
Lily's body had grown, and with years of Elena's personal example, she raised her fists and started pounding.
Holle, her brother, screamed repeatedly as he was beaten.
Lily's mood improved, and she suddenly understood why Elena enjoyed using violence to suppress.
It was not just a release; it also made her feel better.
Lily quickly decided, whenever something upset her, she would just hit Holle.
Feeling better and no longer twisted up, Lily slipped into her room, found the phone she'd secretly bought, and sneakily sent a text message.
"Congratulations on your award!"
The entire Marietta Community Theater, including Captain Jerome and Robert, was filled with over a hundred people gathered to watch the Saturn Awards ceremony.
The moment Martin's name was announced as the winner, Jerome was the first to stand up and applaud.
Robert also shouted his approval, standing up to grab a bottle of cola and guzzling down half of it in one go.
The 2003 vintage cola tasted superb.
The community theater was filled with applause.
Jerome took to the stage, standing in front of the TV to recruit new members.
"See that? Martin Davis, Hollywood's rising superstar, started out from the Marietta Theatre Company!" he declared, waving his arms and speaking with seductive enthusiasm, "Do you want to be the next Martin Davis? It's simple, join the Marietta Community Theater and the opportunity is right in front of you!"
He wasn't just making empty promises: "Gray Film Industry signed a contract with Warner Bros. Numerous movie projects will be shot in Atlanta, including the 150 million US Dollar 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. Marietta Theatre Company will provide priority acting roles to its members, whether small parts or extras.
Don't underestimate yourselves; Martin Davis started out just like you, as an extra..."
A large number of extras requested to join the company.
Robert climbed to the second floor alone, entered the office, and, looking at the desk and the cola on it, meticulously recorded every detail in a notebook.
This was the experience of success!
Los Angeles, Avalon Theater.
In the third row, Martin and his agent Thomas high-fived in celebration before Martin stood up to walk towards the stage.
At that moment, all eyes in the venue were on Martin, and all cameras and video lenses were focused on him.
On the live broadcast from Warner Television Network, the screen showed only a close-up of Martin.
Martin took the stage, accepted the trophy from Jamie Lee Curtis with a thanks, and stood in front of the podium, saying, "A year ago, I was fixing roofs in Atlanta, and now, I stand here holding this trophy, like a dream. Thank you to the Science Fiction and Horror Academy, and thank you to those who have helped me."
He delved into his primary thank-yous: "Thanks to my friends in Atlanta, the Carter siblings from Clayton Community, Captain Jerome and Robert from Marietta Theatre Company, thank you Gray Company, thank you Lionsgate Films, and thank you to my agent Thomas!"
Martin knew who he was, always pushing his agent to work hard, and specifically pointed towards the seats, "Thomas is over there, he's my golden partner!"
The camera panned to Thomas, who raised his hand with a smile, feeling immensely pleased internally.
An agent needed fame too.
Martin hurriedly continued, "I also want to thank the Male Model Group, Hart, you guys are the best dancers, and my brother Old Cloth, who's a real gentleman. And yes, Miss Mel from Pacific Pictures who gave me the opportunity to act in movies..."
As time was running out, Martin quickly made his key acknowledgments, "But most importantly, I want to thank the House of Beast Club in Atlanta; Vincent and Sophia provided filming locations and various conveniences for us. 'Zombie Stripper' was shot at House of Beast, thank you all!"
Martin didn't waste a second of his allotted 45 seconds for the acceptance speech, speaking up until the cue sound signaled time was up, then he moved backstage.
He arrived at the door of a dressing room, handed the trophy to Bruce at the door, and Bruce handed him his phone.
After receiving several messages, Martin quickly scrolled through them, replying briefly to a few.
His phone vibrated, a message from Vincent, "Congratulations on the award, your speech was great."
Martin handed the phone back to Bruce and said, "The sponsor is very satisfied. Inform Thomas to keep up with the follow-up publicity. It's going to be hard to find such a generous sponsor again."
He opened the door and entered the dressing room, where only six of the handsome men were present.
Martin asked, "Where are the others?"
Bryan replied, "They went to the bathroom."
No sooner had he finished speaking than three others stood up: "We'll go to the bathroom first." experience-NovelFire
Martin checked the time. They had half an hour before going on stage and he urged, "Make it quick!"
He went into the changing room and put on the custom-made performance costume.
When he came out again, Annie knocked and entered, saying, "They're too nervous."
Hart and Carrington and others came back one after another.
Martin's gaze swept over their faces. They were all excitement during the dress rehearsal, but now, most of them were extremely nervous to perform.
If it weren't for their experience performing on a circular stage for a long time, they'd probably be stiff as boards.
"Hey! Hey! Guys, what's the matter? Got the jitters?" Martin prepared for the worst scenario in his mind. If they stayed like this, he'd have to go on stage alone. Without the back-up dancers, the effect would certainly be worse.
They couldn't give up after rehearsing for more than half a month.
Once everyone was back, he clapped his hands: "So it's television. You've all done movies; are you afraid of television?"
Hart said, "No, boss, it's just that thinking about the live broadcast, I couldn't help wanting to pee."
Martin raised his voice: "Guys, what haven't you seen? Did you get nervous when facing so many customers in the club? Did you get nervous during group performances for parties of hundreds? Did you get nervous when those customers filmed you with their smartphones?"
"No!" He knew how to inspire their spirit: "Tonight, you'll be on the stage of the Saturn Awards. Do you know how many millionaires are seated below the stage? How many millionairesses and billionairesses are sitting in front of their TVs? Hmm? Tonight, if you perform well, your future clients will be them. Do you know how deep their pockets are?"
Martin's tone softened: "I spent half a year in Los Angeles and found that many wealthy women are lonely and empty. They have money and nothing else; they can only trade money for happiness. Tonight, if you make it through, you will become the top male dance group in America. People will fly to Atlanta to find you, and you can name your price."
Hart and Carrington and the others all started laughing.
Martin's words had no magic, but the money mentioned over and over again held the terrifying power to make a god kneel and sing 'conquest'."
Seeing that his old buddies were feeling better, Martin softly uttered the most motivating sentence: "For the MONEY!"
The eighteen handsome men slowly came back to their senses, chattering: "For the MONEY!"
After fifteen minutes, an assistant came to notify them to get ready to take the stage.
Martin led his team of eighteen to the entrance of the stage. Following the assistant director's command, they stepped onto the stage.
The music exploded, laser lights flickered, and the Zombie Machine Gun Dance, evolved from MJ's Zombie Dance, began to thrill.
The Zombie Dance wasn't anything new today, and as for hip thrusting and gyrating movements, countless male and female celebrities had performed them.
But few could maintain the fast and fierce rhythm like Martin did for an extended period.
It was as if he had an electric motor attached to his waist.
Sitting in the front row closest to the stage, Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman, Jennifer Connelly, and Kate Beckinsale were so astonished that their eyes widened.
This was too exaggerated!
The camera turned to capture the scene, which was switched to the live TV broadcast.
Most viewers watching the awards remembered this dance routine and the name Martin Davis.
The dance reached its final segment, and Martin revived the Machine Gun Dance.
The eighteen handsome men charged in from the perimeter, sliding to their knees in unison, surrounding Martin like stars around the moon.
As the performance concluded, the venue erupted in enthusiastic applause.
The female stars in the front row knew how to attract the camera, each standing up to clap and cheer.
The live feed camera turned to them once more.
The atmosphere at the venue was instantly electrified.
Martin led the male dancers in taking a bow before heading backstage.
Excited, Hart said while walking, "Did you see Nicole Kidman? She blew me a kiss!"
Another person said, "She was clearly blowing it to me."
Carrington added, "I only want Jennifer Connelly. Have you seen her ride a wooden horse... Oh God, if only she rode me."
Martin looked at his overly excited gang and said, "Guys, many people will come backstage. After the awards show, there's a grand party. It's up to your skills who you can hook up with."
At the dressing room door, Martin returned his clothes and retrieved his phone from Bruce, sending a text to Thomas: "Let our partners start."
Thomas quickly replied, "I've notified them. You hurry up."
Winning an award and performing live were just parts of Martin's Saturn Awards plan. Using the ample sponsorship funds, he had Thomas contact many entertainment and online media outlets to build momentum.
Additionally, he wouldn't be idle backstage; he was going all out to network.
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