"New Star Show" is a talk-variety program aired on Capital City Television's second entertainment channel. Launched in 2010, the show mainly invites rising newcomers from the fields of literature, performing arts, and entertainment.
Capital City is famous throughout the nation, the country's cultural heart and a gathering place for real talent. Every industry here sees new faces emerging every day, and the entertainment circle is no exception.
That's why New Star Show never runs short of eye-catching guests. Since its premiere, the program has invited hundreds of industry rookies and consistently maintained solid viewership ratings.
Precisely because of its reputation, getting on New Star Show isn't easy. The show airs only once a week, competition for a single episode slot is fierce.
Sister Li had to pull quite a few strings before Little Tiger Group finally landed their debut appearance on New Star Show.
Like most variety programs, New Star Show isn't live, it's recorded a day in advance. This week's episode was scheduled to air on the 28th, so Lu Chen, the special guest for this episode, returned to Capital City on the 27th for the taping.
In fact, Little Tiger Group's smooth entry onto New Star Show owed a lot to Sister Li's ability to invite Lu Chen to appear. These days, Lu Chen has an excellent working relationship with Capital City TV.
The recording began at 1 p.m. on the 27th, held in Capital City TV's Studio T2.
Studio T2 isn't as large as the newly built Studio T1 from last year, it seats only about 700 people, and its stage backdrop is smaller. But that makes it just right for a talk-style program like this.
For Little Tiger Group, led by Zhang Junzhi, stepping onto the T2 stage is the first step toward their rise, because, by tradition, the grand T1 Studio is where the Singing China – Capital City Division Finals are broadcast live!
"Now, let's welcome three handsome young men, please give it up for Little Tiger Group!"
As the host's voice rang out, cheerful music began to play. Three boys dressed in T-shirts and jeans appeared together on stage, greeted by enthusiastic applause from the live audience.
In the past, audiences for this kind of talk or variety show were mostly "plants", either extras hired by the TV station or even its own staff members.
That made it easy to hype up the mood, audience interactions were prearranged, and even the reactions and facial expressions were choreographed.
But TV viewers aren't fools. At first, they didn't notice. Yet after seeing the same routines again and again, something started to feel off, everything looked fake.
Soon, comparison photos began circulating online, exposing the staged "audiences" of various variety shows. Viewers grew increasingly fed up.
As a result, most TV stations don't dare to fake it so blatantly anymore. Today's studio audiences come from a much wider mix of sources, while there are still some "plants," the number has dropped significantly compared to before.
Today, over a hundred Little Tiger Group fans were in attendance.
Although the group hasn't officially debuted yet, their official blog and fan clubs have long been established, Sister Li's agency assigned dedicated staff to handle online publicity.
Because their leader Zhang Junzhi already had a decent following, and the trio's youthful, wholesome image was carefully crafted, simply posting daily-life and training photos was enough to attract a large fanbase online.
Most of these fans are born after 2000, teenagers, mostly girls, who came to the studio to cheer their idols on.
When the handsome members of Little Tiger Group stepped onto the stage, the girls instantly raised their placards and burst into loud cheers.
Of course, most of the screams were for Zhang Junzhi.
The atmosphere immediately grew lively, brimming with the fresh, youthful energy of adolescence.
After the three boys sat down, the host smiled and said:
"It looks like our Little Tiger Group is quite popular! But I'm sure there are still many viewers who don't know much about you yet. Why don't you introduce yourselves first?"
Zhang Junzhi smiled and said, "Hello, host, hello everyone! I'm Little Tiger, Zhang Junzhi!"
Hu Yiran: "Hello everyone, I'm Little Flying Tiger, Hu Yiran!"
Yue Yang: "Hi everyone, I'm Little Gentle Tiger, Yue Yang!"
Then the three of them said in perfect unison: "We are, Little Tiger Group!"
The audience burst into applause, laughter, and shrieks all at once. No matter whether these three would go on to become real stars or not, their very first appearance on television was sure to leave a lasting impression.
The recording of New Star Show began with a relaxed round of conversation.
Of course, both the host's questions and the boys' answers had been carefully scripted in advance. But since the show wasn't broadcast live, the host would also throw in a few spontaneous questions to keep things lively, a real test of how well these "new stars" could think on their feet.
Naturally, if someone fumbled badly or said the wrong thing, those parts would be edited out later. Even so, slip-ups could still have consequences; after all, there were plenty of fans watching in the studio audience!
Fortunately, Zhang Junzhi and his teammates handled themselves well. Their performance might not have been dazzling, but for boys their age, it was already quite commendable.
Then the host asked, "You've chosen this path, and so far, your debut seems to be off to a great start. Who would you say you're most grateful to?"
As she spoke, her gaze naturally rested on Zhang Junzhi.
He thought for a moment, then answered earnestly:
"The first person I want to thank is my mom. It's because of her support and encouragement that I was able to take this road and do something I truly love."
Then, turning toward the camera, he added, "Mom, I love you!"
This wasn't in the script. The host froze for half a second, then smiled warmly and began to applaud.
"That's such a wonderful answer, the person you're most thankful for is your mother!"
At that very moment, Sister Li was standing backstage beside Lu Chen. When she heard her son's words, her eyes immediately reddened, yet she was smiling, a deeply content, tearful smile.
Lu Chen gently placed both hands on her shoulders in quiet comfort. Her story was something of a legend in the showbiz community.
The host continued: "You said you're most grateful to your mom, is there anyone else you'd like to thank?"
Zhang Junzhi nodded.
"Yes, there's one more person, Teacher Lu Chen. Without him, there wouldn't even be a Little Tiger Group!"
The host gave an exaggerated gasp.
"So Lu Chen is your teacher!"
The three boys replied in unison, "Yes!"
The host grinned.
"Well, we're very lucky today, because we've invited this very teacher to join us! Please welcome Lu Chen!"
As the familiar accompaniment of "My Old Classmate" played, Lu Chen walked from backstage to the front of the stage.
The cheers and applause in the studio instantly reached a new peak!
(End of Chapter)
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