Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 239: Live TV Broadcast]

The next morning, in a luxurious hotel suite in Los Angeles, the curtains were tightly drawn, allowing only a sliver of outside light to seep through. The bedside lamp cast a warm glow in the room, and there was a messy pile of used tissues, multiple phones, and a pillbox on the nightstand.

Beneath the covers, four heads were poking out: Ryan lay between Alexandra Daddario and Anne Hathaway, while Teresa was squished up against Anne. Underneath the blankets, the four people were entangled together. Anne's hand rested on Ryan's chest, her body turned towards him, one leg draped over him, while Alexandra was in a similar position on the other side.

Teresa hugged Anne from behind, her arms wrapped around Anne's slender waist, blissfully unaware that she might have mistaken her partner, wearing a content grin. Ryan's arms were wrapped around both women's necks, his hands almost cupping their chests. It looked very intimate, but in fact, everyone was very uncomfortable. Being too close made it too hot, and the sweat made the places where they touched become sticky.

Suddenly, the silence shattered with a rapid ringing -- a ringtone Ryan had set up specifically for one person.

...

Ryan bolted awake, quickly flipping off the covers and getting out of bed. He grabbed his phone and stepped outside the bedroom, answering the call.

"The discussion with Jimmy is done... he agreed to the terms... Was it difficult? Not really, I just told him about some things I had done before, and his expression changed right away... I've already filled him in on everything... Alright, I'll head back to Florida this afternoon, just wait for me at home... This morning I need to go to the CW Network headquarters; we're four episodes in, and I need to discuss the renewal contract, goodbye." Ryan hung up and padded back to the room.

In that brief moment he had stepped out, the three women had once again formed a tight cuddle. If today was clear of events, Ryan would definitely have wanted to luxuriate in the precious morning moments. However, Taylor was waiting at home, and as a good husband, he couldn't let her wait too long.

...

Ryan approached the window and pulled back the thick curtains, allowing sunlight to flood in, while the sheer outside curtains remained closed, creating a barrier yet letting some sunlight in.

Teresa struggled to open her eyes, Anne adjusted her position to avoid direct sunlight, while Alexandra lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the brightness.

"It's ten o'clock, ladies," Ryan announced as he began to get dressed.

Teresa was the first to rise, knowing well from past experiences that Ryan must have work obligations; otherwise, he wouldn't have left the bed. Anne was next to get up, and finally, Alexandra, who seemed reluctant, asked, "You're leaving already?"

While fastening his shirt buttons, Ryan shared a long kiss with both Anne and Alexandra.

"Taylor is waiting for me at home," he reminded them.

"Then hurry back," Alexandra nodded, fulfilling her promise of friendly competition.

Anne sat half on the bed, adjusting Ryan's collar with a slightly reluctant expression.

On the other hand, Teresa dressed herself and quickly freshened up.

...

Twenty minutes later, a fully dressed Ryan and Teresa left the room. Alexandra lay back, ready to steal a few more minutes of rest, while Anne, with her bright, fairy-like eyes, reached over and gently caressed Alexandra's arm. They had grown closer over the last night.

They began chatting about their recent work. Anne mentioned an upcoming romantic comedy called Wedding Crashers, which she would be starring in alongside Kate Hudson. Their conversation then shifted to Ryan's performance from the previous night, which Alexandra, having witnessed multiple times, was familiar with, while Anne was more astonished.

"I'm so thirsty; I feel like I'm about to dehydrate," Anne cleared her throat, clearly in need of some hydration after last night's events.

"The cups are outside; I should remind you..." Alexandra began but then saw Anne hopping off the bed from the other side.

Before she even took a step, Alexandra noticed Anne wobbling, her legs visibly trembling, and then suddenly she fell, accompanied by a distinctive yelp.

"Thud!"

"I was just about to remind you," Alexandra smirked.

...

The CW Network headquarters was situated in Burbank, very close to Disney's headquarters. Ryan and Teresa walked out of the elevator, and were quickly led to a small conference room by the receptionist.

After a short wait, two middle-aged women in suits entered. One wore a cream-colored dress suit, had fine lines at her eyes, and platinum blonde short hair. She immediately extended her hand to Ryan.

"You can call me Dawn, the current CEO and Executive President of CW Network," she said with a smile -- the same woman who had sat at the center of their earlier screening.

Next to her, a woman dressed all in black with black-rimmed glasses shook Ryan's hand. "It's great to finally meet you in person, Ryan. I'm Gaye Hirsch, in charge of program development."

Ryan recognized her as a familiar face; they had spoken several times over the phone and she also handled product placements for the show.

Their presence alone indicated how much the network valued the show, and the negotiations went smoothly. Dawn generously stated they would order an entire season, that is, 24 episodes.

"By the way, Ryan, your carnival is set to attract many big-name stars, have you considered a television broadcast?" Dawn asked, smiling.

"You didn't come all this way just for that, did you?" Ryan caught on.

"You're right. I think you could use a traditional media platform for exposure, which would also bring you a lot of added revenue," Dawn elaborated. "Of course, it's also a rare opportunity for the network."

"CW could reserve an entire weekend for a full-day broadcast," Dawn continued, mentioning how CW had no premiere shows on weekends and was even considering outsourcing those time slots.

CW had always maintained a youth-oriented strategy, with the lowest average viewer age among major networks, and all their programming targeted young audiences. Music festivals, after all, were among the most appealing live events for this demographic.

"Well, that works for me," Ryan replied, smiling -- having CW's national network backing would make the music festival a definite hit.

"In that case, you'll have to give us a friendlier price for the broadcast rights; our budget is rather tight this year," Dawn said with mock annoyance.

As the network head, she was old enough to be Ryan's mother and here she was playfully pouting. If it weren't for seeing it with his own eyes, few would believe it.

The reality was, the American entertainment industry had become highly commercialized and efficiency-focused after all these years. Put another way, it was quicker to turn on you than to turn a page. If a star was highly marketable, many people would come crawling to them, letting them do whatever they wanted. But if a film suddenly flopped, they would be left behind overnight.

Here, someone who was your buddy yesterday could easily become a stranger today. Similarly, even if it was their first meeting, if Ryan made any requests beyond work, Dawn would surely comply. 

Ryan addressed some issues he hadn't managed to finalize: "Our collaboration has been quite smooth, and I don't want to pull any fast ones, but you know there are quite a few stars joining this time, and they don't come free; I have to pay them."

"Why not team up with sponsors?" Gaye chimed in instantly.

"Or do you not know who to collaborate with? You should have called me sooner," Gaye hinted, suggesting her advertising company could help Ryan out.

Ryan glanced at Dawn beside her but didn't respond immediately.

"No need to hint; I also have shares in an advertising company," Dawn shrugged, getting straight to the point.

"We could help you find sponsorship; in return, you give CW Network a better price on the broadcast rights. How about that?"

"Provided you can get the sponsors to sign on," Ryan folded his hands and rested them on the table.

"Don't worry about that. With all these stars showing up, it will be easy for us," Gaye replied confidently.

Unbeknownst to Ryan, the two women were effectively solving his biggest problem -- budget constraints.

"All you need to do is reach out to your contacts and find as many big names as you can to join the festival," Dawn added.

This sparked a few new names in Ryan's mind. For instance, alongside Taylor, who was already a confirmed participant, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Adele were often tossed around as the new DIVA contenders.

Adding Lady Gaga, the lineup would be a major talking point if he could pull it together. However, from Taylor's perspective, would these other talents overshadow her? Ryan wanted her positioned front and center, fearing that too many stars might create conflict later.

"I'll consider some male singers as well, including bands," Ryan thought aloud.

The possibilities were wide open; for example, popular punk band Green Day was set to release a new album this year and wouldn't miss a chance at exposure. Coldplay had had quite a moment at the Grammys, though he wasn't sure of their availability.

What about the Republican era? They could also be extended an invite.

There was also Maroon 5, who had just begun to rise last year, and Ryan guessed their asking price would likely be reasonable... He was also considering inviting boybands.

As for Imagine Dragons, they were still relatively unknown this year, and Ryan completely overlooked that band.

A string of names ran through Ryan's mind. With nearly two months until the festival's commencement, time was proving to be quite tight for preparations.

"The only thing for sure is... this can no longer be called an electronic music festival, it should be more akin to a pop festival like Coachella," Ryan stated.

...

That evening, Ryan returned to his Florida residence, where Taylor was waiting for him.

Right away, Ryan shared the updates.

"You want to invite female singers other than Lady Gaga?" Taylor deduced what Ryan was hinting at.

"I'm fine with it. This is my husband's festival and my husband's stage, and I'm half a host too; of course, I welcome them as guests," Taylor nodded vigorously. Her tour was still going strong.

Before Ryan could speak again, she continued, "The key closing act position, I won't let them take that from me. They can fight among themselves for the rest."

Taylor downplayed it, showing she was willing to make some sacrifices for Ryan's music festival.

"I can't let you sacrifice for this; it's those women who are extras; you should be the star," Ryan shook his head. The closing act had to be Taylor.

The closing performance, while seeming trivial, signified a lot. The artist chosen to close the show was always predetermined by the organizers and was typically the biggest draw.

The more noteworthy the event, the more critical these details became. The lineup order and stage position hold significant weight. Unless the organizers are powerful enough -- such as the Oscars featuring Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston together, or the annual Grammys -- Ryan's festival clearly wouldn't reach that level.

Forcing other female singers to concede the closing act position would mean having them admit in front of everyone that they couldn't outshine Taylor, which was a tall order.

Still, Ryan prepared to give it a shot.

"Will they really agree to that?" Taylor pondered aloud, already knowing it was unlikely.

"Lady Gaga will open the show in prime time; she's already agreed. For the remaining three, I'll start with the easiest..." Ryan said.

"Do you have her contact?" Taylor speculated who Ryan might be reaching out to first.

Ryan shook his head. "That's not important."

...

Ryan then connected with Marvin and tracked down an agent who had dealings with Katy Perry through William Morris.

"If you want to speak to Katy Perry directly... you'll have to wait for her response. If she's willing, she'll call you back," Marvin informed Ryan.

...

Ryan didn't have to wait long. Within half an hour, Katy Perry called him back.

"Hey there, darling. What's up?" Katy's voice was light and playful, laced with giggles.

Ryan pulled the phone away for a moment to verify the number, confirming it wasn't someone else he'd invited.

"Do we know each other? Starting off with 'darling'?"

"Is there something you needed from me? Or is your music festival looking for me to perform? I certainly have the time!" Katy chirped into the phone, her voice melodic and somewhat magnetic. But among the five DIVA, Katy's singing prowess was consistently considered the weakest.

Taylor, while known for her soft vocals, didn't try to hit high notes, understanding her limits.

Seeing Ryan not deny the request, Katy let out a triumphant squeal.

"Luke, $500! I won the bet. Ryan personally invited me."

Ryan caught a snippet of her exclaiming on the other end.

Katy put the phone back to her ear. "About your festival, I know Taylor is going to close the show, but you have to give me a prime spot before her."

Just as he expected, she was already pushing for a specific position in the lineup.

Ryan started leading her on, "Well, as you know, the final list has not been determined yet. We will be able to give you the exact number of performances later."

"You're lying! That monster already confirmed she's going on first in prime time!" Katy retorted.

"Well... because she's really popular right now," Ryan replied, feeling cornered.

"You mean I'm not as good as her? Or am I not as hot as your country sweetheart? If you're thinking of putting me in a mediocre spot, I might as well watch you guys play," Katy added with a hint of sass.

"Don't worry, I'll put you in the best position possible, and let you know ahead of time," Ryan reassured her.

"That's more like it!" Katy huffed playfully, then continued, "Looks like you're starting to care for me."

Ryan glanced over at Taylor, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch, a giant tub of ice cream in her lap. He smiled and said, "Taylor is right next to me. Do you want to talk to her?"

Just as he said that, Taylor scooped a spoonful of ice cream and brought it to her mouth.

"Forget it; I won't interrupt your little moment. Just don't forget to call me about the performance order," Katy replied with a bit of playful annoyance before hanging up.

*****

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