Wayne noticed something interesting, despite not having many real fans present.
He spotted one particular person.
"Is that... Bruno Mars?!"
The afro, the mustache, and that tan skin.
At first glance, this man looked exactly like the Bruno Mars Wayne knew from his previous life.
But then, he realized something was off.
The man who looked almost identical to Bruno Mars was in his thirties, whereas if Wayne remembered correctly, Bruno Mars was born in 1985, meaning he should only be 16 years old now.
Don't ask why Wayne remembered Bruno Mars' age so clearly.
Who didn't get into the arts a bit in college? Songs like "Just the Way You Are," "Uptown Funk," and "The Lazy Song" were classics Wayne was all too familiar with.
Too bad Bruno Mars' unique voice was impossible for Wayne to imitate.
"Right, I remember Bruno Mars' parents were both musicians, though they weren't very famous."
With that thought, Wayne shifted his gaze to the teenager standing next to the Bruno look-alike, sporting a similar hairstyle.
"Of course, that's the real Bruno Mars!"
Wayne examined the young Bruno Mars, and a sudden idea popped into his head—should he try to sign Bruno Mars before anyone else?
Without a doubt, Bruno Mars became one of the hottest singers in North America after 2010.
And unlike many rappers who only became popular within the Black community, Bruno Mars' music truly conquered the globe.
Among male singers, aside from Justin Bieber at his peak, no one was bigger than Bruno.
And unlike Justin Bieber, the multi-talented Bruno Mars never lost his popularity after his rise to fame, keeping it up for over a decade.
Unlike other artists who fizzle out after three or four years—or even just a year or two—Bruno Mars remained relevant.
It's no exaggeration to say that Bruno Mars, as a "money tree," is worth at least $1.5 billion!
"Even though Hollywood doesn't allow production companies to also manage talent, companies like Sony or Universal just create or buy a record label, and they can indirectly sign artists through that."
Wayne's mind began racing with calculations.
A billion and a half! Even for someone with Wayne's advantages, that's no small sum!
And Bruno Mars isn't the only valuable artist—Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift are also huge money-makers!
What would it take for him to get in on that?
All he needed was to own a record label or a management company, and then he could sign these artists early.
And if a label or management company had Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, and Taylor Swift under its wing, it would wield immense influence in the global music industry!
"I definitely need a record label!"
Wayne made the decision almost instantly.
"But not right now," he thought, his eyes flashing with determination.
For one, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, and Taylor Swift were all still too young. Even the oldest, Bruno, still had two years of high school left, and it wouldn't be until late 2003 that he'd come to Los Angeles to chase his dreams.
Additionally, the music market was currently dominated by big players like Sony and Universal.
If anyone else tried to buy a small label and enter the music industry, it might not draw much attention. But Wayne was different.
Not to boast, but if he suddenly bought a record label, it would definitely catch the attention of the major companies that were already watching him.
Especially after Avril Lavigne's rise to fame.
So, the timing to enter the music industry had to be just right.
"Hello everyone, I'm Avril Lavigne."
While Wayne was lost in thought, Avril finally took the stage.
Wayne, who had been chatting with a few nearby ladies, immediately sat up straight and focused on Avril's performance.
In addition to "Firework" and Avril's own "Complicated," Wayne had 'written' another very fitting song for her: "California Girls."
Originally performed by Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg in 2010, this pop anthem topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and sold 8.369 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling single of the year.
It even outperformed Bruno Mars' iconic "Just the Way You Are," released that same year.
With "Firework," "Complicated," "California Girls," and the soon-to-be-hit "Sk8er Boi," Avril's debut album was bound to be a massive classic.
Selling less than five million copies would be ridiculous.
Back at the concert, some of the audience, who had planned to rest and wait for Britney Spears' return due to Avril's lack of fame, were soon blown away.
The song "California Girls" instantly ignited the crowd, and more than 80% of the people couldn't help but move their bodies to the infectious beat, their legs and feet almost moving uncontrollably.
Next to Wayne, Cameron Diaz and others, who initially thought Avril was only chosen because of her looks, began to reconsider their views as they were taken by surprise.
Even though they came to the concert mainly to meet Wayne, they could still tell whether a song was good or not.
And looking at the audience's reaction...
It was clear this song was something special!
After all, the audience was full of Britney Spears fans.
Getting this kind of reaction from them was much harder than from regular passersby!
On stage, Avril saw the reaction and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally letting go of the last bit of worry in her heart and getting more into the performance.
Thinking about how Wayne had written this song specifically for her and had even taken time out of his busy schedule to rehearse with her and attend her concert, she felt incredibly sweet inside. Her mood lifted, and she shone like a little sun, radiating endless energy.
"Thank you, darling!"
As soon as the concert ended, and they got back in the car, Avril eagerly wrapped her arms around Wayne's neck and sat on his lap.
Unfortunately, although the back seat of the Silver Angel was spacious, there wasn't enough time for Wayne to do much, so he just kissed her for a moment before gently pushing her away.
"The performance went even better than I expected, so I think we should cut down on the remaining shows."
"Why?" Avril asked curiously.
"First, to keep things fresh for your fans. Second, to ride the momentum and get your first album out as soon as possible," Wayne explained.
"So, two shows in Los Angeles, one in San Francisco, two in New York, and one each in Houston, Seattle, and Miami should be enough."
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say!" Avril agreed without hesitation.
Although the original plan of dozens of concerts had suddenly been reduced to just eight, she wasn't upset at all, as she trusted that Wayne's decisions were in her best interest.
Plus, fewer shows meant more time to stay in Los Angeles.
For someone in love, things like releasing albums and becoming a big star weren't as important as being with Wayne.
"Good girl."
Wayne, seeing how obedient and sweet Avril was, couldn't resist kissing her smooth forehead again, liking her even more.
However, he didn't accompany Avril to her next concert the following day, as he had work to do.
After gifting her another lavish present worth millions, Wayne had breakfast the next morning and headed to the office.
Today was the audition day for the American remake of "The Ring." Aside from Naomi Watts, who had already been cast in the lead role, the rest of the cast was still undecided. Since he was one of the writers, he naturally had to attend.
"Boss!"
"Mr. Wayne."
When Wayne arrived with Hannah, as expected, producer Mary Parent and director Gore Verbinski were already waiting for him at the entrance.
What Wayne didn't expect was that there were over a hundred actors waiting to audition, even more than for "Taken" or "Resident Evil."
Keep in mind, the budget for the American remake of "The Ring" was only $30 million, and $20 million of that was already taken up by the rights and Wayne's adaptation fee.
On top of that, Naomi Watts' $2 million salary and Gore Verbinski's $1.5 million directing fee left only about $3-4 million for the actual filming.
But after scanning the room again and seeing that 80% of the actors auditioning were young, attractive, and relatively unknown actresses, Wayne wasn't surprised anymore.
First of all, just by showing up to the audition, they got a chance to showcase themselves in front of him and might even catch his eye.
Secondly, Wayne's adaptation mostly followed the original version of "The Ring," so the two teenage high school girls at the beginning, who introduce the story and the cursed videotape, had about six to seven minutes of screen time and 20-30 lines.
Plus, since the scene takes place in a bedroom at midnight, the costumes could be designed to be more revealing, allowing the actresses to better showcase their figures and attract the audience. This made these two roles quite appealing to the relatively unknown actresses.
In addition to the two girls who die and go crazy at the beginning, the movie also has a few of their classmates, all of whom have speaking roles, though with slightly less screen time.
But for many struggling actresses in Hollywood, these roles were still quite attractive.
In fact, just being sent to audition by their agents meant they had already beaten out countless competitors.
So, looking around, Wayne noticed that the overall appearance of the auditioning actresses was quite impressive.
What really surprised him, though, was the list of actors auditioning for the male lead.
"Tom Hardy, who played Venom. Chris Pratt, who played Star-Lord. Ryan Reynolds, who played Deadpool. And Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye. Is this some kind of Marvel meeting?!"
Looking at the audition list with their names and headshots, Wayne couldn't help but show a strange expression.
Although there were 11 actors auditioning for the male lead, seeing these four names together was quite surreal.
But after thinking about it, it made sense.
They all went on to become stars, so they were clearly talented, and they must've been good at networking to be sent to audition. It was only logical that their agents would push them for this role.
Still, it left Wayne with a bit of a dilemma.
"Who should I pick?"
The male lead in "The Ring" only had about 15 minutes of screen time, compared to the film's 105-minute runtime. Most of his scenes were with the female lead, so the role didn't require outstanding acting skills, just someone who could portray fear and tension convincingly.
For most actors who've taken acting classes, this wasn't difficult. And with Tom Hardy and the others being so talented, any of them could do it.
So the choice really came down to Wayne's personal preference.
After thinking for a while, Wayne suddenly realized something.
Why stress over this? Just leave it to the director to decide.
In the original film, aside from Naomi Watts, who was barely a B-list actress, there weren't any big-name actors, yet the movie still grossed $249 million worldwide.
With Naomi Watts now being more famous and the story unchanged, plus Hemera Films' strong box office track record, there was no reason to expect the box office to be any lower this time around.
As for the male lead, it didn't really matter.
"What? You want me to choose the male lead?"
"That's right."
Director Gore Verbinski was visibly surprised when he learned that he would be selecting the male lead. But soon after, he felt the weight of the responsibility.
Although he was set to direct the massive blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" next, he was still not that well-known or accomplished at this point.
Wayne entrusting him with the casting decision was something he didn't expect.
It took him three whole days of careful thought before finally choosing Ryan Reynolds, who had just wrapped up filming "Resident Evil 2" as the male lead.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
After the male lead auditions, it was time for the auditions for the five high school students, four girls and one boy.
These roles hadn't been specifically assigned yet. After the auditions, five actors would be chosen based on their performances.
"I'm Michelle Trachtenberg. I starred in the movie 'Harriet the Spy' and played Buffy's sister in the TV series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'"
The first to audition, Michelle Trachtenberg, had been acting since she was a child. She started appearing in commercials and TV shows at the age of three, and at 11, she starred in her first movie.
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