King of Hollywood
Chapter 441 - 163 Theme Song

Chapter 441: Chapter 163 Theme Song

"...Tell me what you feel, don’t try to control me, all women are independent..." The clear and passionate singing came through the headphones. Adrian nodded his head in agreement and gave a thumbs up to his producer, Eric Norton, who nodded back in approval.

Christina’s voice was indeed very good, and her singing skills were outstanding. Since her days in the MMC, she had been one of the best singers among the children, and with years of professional training now under her belt, her singing had naturally improved significantly. Since Adrian had promised her a lot early on in her training, he decided it was time to deliver on those promises.

She originally debuted with the theme song for "Mulan." At present, Disney was experiencing some setbacks, having lost Pixar and ABC. After Katzenberg and Spielberg formed DreamWorks and began to challenge Disney in animation, Disney announced that it would produce an animation based on "Exodus." With Eisner not very attentive to animation production, it was uncertain whether "Mulan" would still be produced.

Moreover, the relationship between Disney and AC Media was not good, so even if there was a theme song, they wouldn’t entrust it to an unknown singer from a record label under AC Media. Therefore, Adrian decisively gave Christina the chance to perform the theme song for "Charlie’s Angels."

Of course, this version of the "Charlie’s Angels" theme song was completely remade, specifically tailored for Christina. The original theme song was performed by Destiny’s Child, but it would be a few years before that happened, and the R&B style of the song didn’t completely suit Christina. The record company had designated her debut image as pure, passionate, yet sensitive, initially relatable to the general public before highlighting her uniqueness.

The new theme song combined the elements of dance and ballad music, but leaned more towards dance. It had a very lively and upbeat rhythm, and also included some quirky elf-like elements, which suited the personalities of the three female leads well. However, because it was a brand-new song, Adrian couldn’t be sure it would be an instant hit, so he added a completely lyrical insert in the movie, which she also performed.

Adrian not only constantly inquired about this insert, just like the theme song but occasionally gave some suggestions based on the style of "Mulan," wanting to utilize as much as possible. However, this made producer Eric Norton quite troubled, although Adrian had initially said that his suggestions were just for reference and that the final decisions were up to Norton, a professional.

Adrian had also given suggestions on some songs before, and some songs that sold well were composed based on the tunes he hummed, so Norton paid quite a bit of attention to his opinions. However, this time Adrian’s suggestions and occasionally hummed tunes, though decent, didn’t have much connection with the movie, so Norton put a lot of thought into what to accept or discard.

"You need to give me a raise, Ed. I almost went several days without sleep because of this song," Eric Norton joked more than once with Adrian.

"No problem, as long as Kristen’s performance meets our expectations, I promise you a raise!" Adrian replied. Norton was indeed worth the investment, and a raise was justified.

Although the production of both the theme and insert songs required a lot of effort, the results were very satisfactory, and he believed they wouldn’t fall short of what Destiny’s Child would have offered. Besides, female groups from Western bands weren’t very popular; Christina alone might attract even more attention. Also because of this, Adrian wasn’t interested in female groups like Destiny’s Child or M2M, but Beyoncé was still impressive. Although he remembered that half of her grand fame was due to packaging, planning, and marketing, having that level of talent was essential, and this Black Pearl seemed promising too.

Speaking of Black Pearl, the fact that he hadn’t yet experienced it was a bit frustrating. This was partly because he hadn’t found the opportunity, but also because he had ignored some factors; otherwise, with his skills and current status, he wouldn’t have let it slip away. But perhaps this year he might fulfill that wish, as according to the information he gathered, it seemed possible in the next few months, and he was trying to change the fortunes of a certain tragic movie.

Well, regardless, that was a matter for the future. After Eric indicated that he was done, Adrian raised his hands and vigorously applauded the people behind the glass.

"Very good, ladies, you performed excellently!" Adrian opened the door to the booth and said to the four women inside.

"Really? Really? I want to listen first," Drew Barrymore ran out in front, playfully bumping into Adrian.

Cameron, following behind her, giggled and intentionally bumped into Adrian. Next up was Kelly Hu, who was relatively reserved, merely brushing past his shoulder with an apologetic shrug before rushing to the recording equipment to compete with Drew and Cameron for the headphones, causing Norton to dejectedly and irritably exclaim, "Alright, everyone, there’s more than one pair of headphones here, and even if you want to listen, you have to wait for me to rewind the tape first!"

"What a lovely group of girls," Adrian said with a smile, then turned to the last one who came out, Christina, "How are you feeling, Kristen?"

"Not bad," Christina smiled, her eyes continuously evaluating Adrian.

"What’s the matter? Is there something on me?" Adrian noticed her gaze, chuckled inwardly, and deliberately asked.

"No, nothing..." Christina suddenly snapped out of her daze, turned her head away, and muttered something in an attempt to cover up, unsure of what to say next.

Fortunately, understanding Adrian didn’t dwell on it and promptly returned to the initial topic, "As long as you’re feeling good, that’s great. Eric and I are both very pleased. Even if the movie gets a lukewarm reception, this song will still be cherished."

"So, you think our movie is going to flop?" Drew’s voice suddenly chimed in from the side.

She had walked over unnoticed and was now standing with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised, looking dissatisfied with Adrian’s comment.

"It’s a metaphor, dear Drew," Adrian immediately shrugged, "How could this movie possibly receive a lukewarm response? Don’t forget, this is a project I have faith in."

"But, you said having us do backup vocals for Kristen would sound great, yet I can’t seem to hear it at all." Drew then pointed towards the recording equipment and spoke assertively with her chin raised.

This was another of Adrian’s efforts for Christina’s two songs, having Drew, Cameron, and Kelly Hu do the backup vocals, which could serve as a promotional gimmick. Although they had no experience, singing backup vocals wasn’t difficult and just required a bit more practice.

"That’s right," Cameron also took off her headphones and walked over, "I admit, Kristen sings beautifully, but you really can’t hear our voices at all, Kelly can vouch for us."

Then, with a swift motion, several pairs of eyes shot towards Kelly Hu, who being older than Drew and Cameron, simply smiled and spread her hands, "Generally speaking, I tend to side with the crowd."

Adrian burst into laughter immediately, stretched out his arms, and pulled Drew and Cameron closer, shaking them vigorously, "Alright, you two, if you want to hear the backup vocals, wait for Eric to mix them. There’ll be tracks with just the vocals, and you can listen all you want then, right, Eric?"

"Yes, that’s right..." Norton shrugged, then lowered his head, avoiding looking his way, with a barely noticeable shake of his head.

Adrian hadn’t paid much attention, wrapping his arms around Drew and Cameron, playfully jiggling them back and forth several times until they pleaded for mercy among the giggles of Kelly Hu.

"Kelly, you’re really making us angry, not only did you not come over to help, but you actually laughed loudly," Cameron complained, covering her mouth.

"Do you really think I’d be of any help?" Kelly shrugged, then Drew put on an angry face, looking at Adrian, "You hurt us, Ed. Don’t you feel ashamed?"

"Um... well, as an apology for my rudeness just now, I will invite a lady to dinner," Adrian said after thinking it over.

"Just one?"

"Whom do you plan to invite?"

Amid the women’s questioning, he smiled cheekily and leaned toward Kelly Hu, "Beautiful Miss Kelly, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"Why?!" As soon as he finished speaking, Drew and Cameron exclaimed.

"It’s simple, you two are too noisy," Adrian said nonchalantly, then continued smiling at Kelly, "Is that okay?"

"This... I think we should take a vote," Kelly blinked and tried to lighten the mood, but before she could finish, Drew and Cameron threw punches at Adrian.

After some playful fighting in the studio, things settled down, and they gave some instructions and the three ladies left first. Adrian exchanged a few words with Christina and discussed with Eric before leaving with Christina. He had planned to take her home, but she declined. Adrian didn’t insist and just called a taxi for her, waving goodbye as she got into the car.

Watching as her figure faded into the distance, Christina turned and sighed deeply, closing her eyes in frustration. The scene in the studio played back in her mind. It was evident from Adrian’s ambiguous demeanor with Drew and others. Moreover, during these days of recording, whether it was Drew, Cameron, or Kelly Hu, they weren’t looking at her with any suggestive gaze.

Although she’d also flirted with Adrian during this time, they had deeply kissed several times, and he’d comforted her more than once. She’d even playfully pinched him once—it was really big... Christina’s cheeks turned slightly pink. Besides, his kissing skills were excellent, always exciting her inexplicably, and most importantly, he was very respectful. Whenever she felt uncomfortable, he would definitely stop.

Okay, you’ve already decided, haven’t you? Christina consoled herself. Look at Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz, look at the two actresses you like. Since he has hardly missed the mark, why would this time be an exception? Moreover... The girl opened her eyes, unconsciously biting her lip, her mind imagining her rival.

Just wait and see, this time he must have gone on a date with that Kelly Hu. Next time, I won’t miss my chance, Christina hummed to herself. But if she knew what Adrian was really up to, she probably wouldn’t be so relaxed.

Yes, it was still early, and Adrian did indeed have a date, but not with Kelly Hu. He had spent a wonderful afternoon with her at the Hilton Hotel just a few days ago, so...

Britney was undoubtedly the best Lolita he had conditioned so far. From the moment she had approached him, she was destined to be caught. Gradually brainwashing, sweet talk, and understanding, Britney now obediently followed Adrian’s orders, and the physical interactions had expanded from just the lips to the whole body.

Honestly, her clumsiness added a lot of points, making her seem very cute and obliging a lot of the time, and that school uniform added even more allure. Although teacher and student was just role play, Britney always played her part well. If he hadn’t yet fulfilled his promises and let her taste more sweetness, Adrian would have consumed all of her by now. After having consumed Natalie and Kirsten, he had gained more understanding of Lolita’s delights.

However, waiting too long wouldn’t do—it might expire, and the promised reward was already prepared.

"Do you want me to tidy you up, or will you do it yourself, Britney?" As the breaths of the girl in his arms evened out and her eyes regained some spirit, Adrian asked after carrying her into the bathroom. There aren’t many rooms in American houses, but bathrooms are certainly innumerable.

"I... I’ll do it myself..." Britney said shyly, struggling out of his embrace.

"Can I watch you tidy up?" Adrian teased intentionally.

"No... you can’t..." The girl lowered her head, her blush not fully faded, suddenly surging again.

"Why not, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before, and..."

"Ed!" Britney softly chided with shyness, reluctantly looking at him after a while, "Okay... if you insist..."

"I guess I’d better go out," with a laugh, Adrian didn’t wait for her to finish, quickly leaving the bathroom before she could chide him again.

Britney was different from Kirsten after all. Kirsten was bold and explicit, whereas Britney, although somewhat clever, had a negative EQ. She knew she had to please him and took the initiative to please him, yet didn’t quite know how to please properly. Like just now, letting her sit on the desk, but then becoming hesitant while tidying up.

But it was no big deal—it just showed she was highly malleable._HANDCRAFTED_BOUTIQUE_CONTENT_END.