[Chapter 24: Album Recording]
With the funding secured, it was time to secure film rights. He notified Mira to contact ABC to purchase the movie rights for the television adaptation of Mission: Impossible. He also instructed her to find out which company held the film rights for Ocean's Eleven so they could acquire those rights as well. Finally, he wanted her to reach out to the Tolkien Estate to secure the rights for the well-known franchise, The Lord of the Rings.
He felt a bit conflicted about The Lord of the Rings. He loved that film series and wanted the chance to produce it himself. However, the characters were an ensemble cast, and he doubted how much his popularity would increase by participating.
After all, none of the roles were particularly suited to him. Who could he even play? Legolas was too strikingly handsome and didn't fit his rugged cool image; his charm leaned towards a more tough and gritty look, not a pretty boy.
As just a director, spending three years or at least two to shoot a film that would be monumental in history seemed limiting for his rising fame, especially considering the increase in his popularity would have been too limited and would have been seriously inconsistent with his aspirations.
So, he decided to first secure the rights. If nothing else worked out, he thought he could consider investing himself and hiring Peter Jackson to direct, which would still be a smart investment. He remembered that the elf princess Arwen and the elf queen were extremely popular characters, they could increase his level.
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On the last day of July, his assistant Bella returned, looking quite worn out as she reported on the progress of the fan club's formation.
After two months of effort, the Linton Fan Club had been established in the top ten economic cities across America, with each chapter boasting no less than thirty core fans, and total membership in each city exceeding a thousand. Through team-building activities, the fans had begun to form a strong sense of community.
Next, they planned to replicate this success in other cities. "Oh, we also crowd-sourced your cheer slogan 'Linton takes flight, Stars follow bright.' Get ready for an enthusiastic reception when you visit these cities for events!"
Linton was very pleased with Bella's work and instantly wrote her a check for $20,000 as a bonus. He requested her to prepare a second-phase plan and budget promptly, and then called in Goodman to handle her onboarding at the studio. They also signed a confidentiality agreement, while she continued her work with Universal and drew two salaries.
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Starting from August 1st, Linton dove wholeheartedly into recording his album, aiming to complete ten songs in two months amid substantial pressure.
The ten songs he selected spanned two different styles, from blues to rock, featuring significant variety, alongside a few tracks that were remarkably challenging to perform.
Fortunately, Linton was no longer the inexperienced artist he once was. Having advanced his ability to a level where each part of his body had significantly improved, his vocal range and tone surpassed that of the average singer. After months of systematic vocal training, he had reached a level where he could compete with top-tier artists, and even his vocal coach exclaimed, "Incredible!"
...
With the full cooperation of Lisa, Bella, Al, and Dick, the recording sessions went smoothly. Although there were initial hiccups where certain phrases needed to be re-recorded several times, noticeable improvement soon followed.
The first song, Free Loop, took seven days to finish, but subsequent tracks were recorded in about five to six days each. They even wrapped up the last five songs in just four days, prompting continual exclamations of, "Perfect! Unbelievable!" from the team. Even with a one-day break each week, they completed the entire recording by September 27th.
...
During the recording process, by the end of August, Cameron Diaz wrapped up her filming for the movie The Town and returned to Los Angeles. Thanks to the wide exposure from the Baby music video and her rumored relationship with Linton, she secured a notable role as the third lead, marking a great starting point for her film career.
That evening at Linton's villa, Cameron donned a light blue, low-cut dress accentuating her curvy figure. With a sweet smile and sparkling eyes, she radiated youthful beauty. As soon as the door closed, the two reunited eagerly.
"Linton, you've been amazing! I've missed you so much!"
"Baby, you're incredible too!"
They popped open a bottle of red wine and shared experiences from their respective work.
Linton recalled the music video shoot, saying, "I'm recording my album now, and I need to film a music video in October. Are you interested in joining?" Linton was keen on nurturing Cameron's career.
"Forget it, I've started filming movies now. My agent has a backlog of projects for me, and she's busy connecting me with new productions. After two months of continuous shooting, I can only take a two-day break before my next commitments start up!"
Linton understood, knowing Cameron had already surpassed the novice stage and no longer needed to do music videos as they wouldn't contribute significantly to her career development. However, he reminded her not to neglect acting classes to improve her skills.
As they indulged in wine, Cameron took a generous sip and licked her lips, lowering her gaze. "Good red wine needs to be paired with special dishes to make it more intoxicating."
Linton reclined in a lounge chair, holding his glass. "What type of pairing are you thinking of?"
Cameron tilted her face and licked her lips. "Just sit back and enjoy the wine."
He complied, sipped his drink, and observed as Cameron knelt down, slowly moving closer. She seemed confident that he enjoyed this approach.
After a while, taking a comfortable breath, he finished his glass of red wine, "Michelle, I'm really curious about something."
Cameron looked up at him, puzzled due to their current position.
"I'm curious," Linton continued, watching her closely. "Is your neck powered by an engine? How about your waist?"
Cameron nodded eagerly, her expression showing a mix of intrigue and excitement.
...
The following day, Linton suggested Cameron rest at his place for two days, considering it a vacation while he got back to completing his album. Before leaving, he called Mira and instructed her to buy a few outfits matching Cameron's size from Dior, along with one of Dior's latest bags, plus some essentials for her.
...
After a couple of wild yet wonderful nights, Cameron gleamed with energy as she left on the fourth day to make her rounds for her upcoming projects, understanding well that every opportunity counted in an actress's career.
...
Thanks to the expansion into overseas markets and possibly due to Bella's fan organization starting to bear fruit, Linton's popularity kept increasing, and his ability continued to advance quickly. On the evening of August 27th, Linton's skills surprisingly broke through to sixth level.
...
By mid-September, Naomi Watts had also wrapped up filming and returned to Los Angeles. Likely influenced by her taste of success, when Linton asked if she would like to film another music video,
Naomi hesitated; her career was still in its early stages. Although she had a steady role in a television series, it was a minor part, and she felt her character lacked impact. The show's airing hadn't particularly helped her career.
After much consideration and discussions with her agent, she decided to take on a music video role. Given Linton's current popularity, she believed that participating could considerably boost her exposure, though she aimed to only commit to one song, prioritizing her entrance into film.
Linton agreed with Naomi's decision, noting that her low popularity did not add much to his training. He selected her as the lead in the music video for You're Beautiful.
The lead actress ideally suited this song's music video and could be shot beautifully, making it the perfect fit for Naomi. He asked her to get her agent to coordinate with Carson to finalize contracts and schedule.
He also had Mira purchase the latest bag from Hermes for Naomi.
After satisfying her cravings, Naomi left revitalized, setting off for her acting commitments as planned.
...
Subsequently, Linton alerted Carson and Zack that Naomi had been cast as the lead in You're Beautiful while they could choose the other cast members. However, there was one requirement: the main actors had to possess high visual appeal. They agreed to start filming officially by October 1st, beginning with the song You're Beautiful.
With two lovely companions and successful training sessions, Linton's recording progress had improved remarkably, and he completed all songs at an unexpected pace by September 27th.
*****
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