Changing the Norm

The 62nd Emmy Awards have concluded, and for most viewers, the outcome of the ceremony isn't a significant concern. Typically, people just check the list of winners the next day and that suffices.

Andy Rogers felt the same way. He isn't particularly interested in television shows; his focus is primarily on movies. However, last night Renly gave everyone a huge surprise, including Andy. The entire "The Pacific" crew hadn't anticipated that Renly would take home the Best Actor trophy. Therefore, Andy had to pay attention to the Emmys as well, following protocol.

Andy wasn't in a rush to read the newspapers. Once he got to the office, his assistant would have collected and organized them on his desk. At home, he decided to turn on his computer and browse the web.

As per his habit, Andy first opened the websites for "Variety" and "The Hollywood Reporter." These two magazines are the most authoritative in the industry. The general public might find them too serious and professional, but for industry insiders, they are the best platforms to gauge the industry's trends.

Then Andy noticed something unusual. The most popular news on "The Hollywood Reporter" for the past 24 hours wasn't about the Emmys or Jim Parsons, but about Renly?

Although it was a good thing, Andy was puzzled. He didn't like feeling out of control. As an agent, he needed to have all situations in hand. He clicked on the news link and quickly scanned the article, which mentioned that Renly had celebrated his first Emmy win in an unconventional way—a street performance that had become the hottest video on YouTube.

After catching the key points, Andy traced the source of the exclusive news back to "US Weekly."

At this moment, the news that "US Weekly" exclusively broke had already surpassed a million hits in just seven hours. The traffic data was explosive, making Andy's heart race.

Last night, after they met up, Renly briefly mentioned that he and his friends had performed on the street. Andy didn't take it seriously and even joked, "I haven't even seen your live performance yet." Who knew this casual remark would lead to such a sensational outcome?

If Andy were an outsider, he might have thought this was all prearranged. But he knew it wasn't. If it had been planned, there would have been more follow-up steps, including contacting PR companies to push the event to its peak.

Now, Andy felt a pang of regret. Such an excellent opportunity, missed just like that! He felt like crying. Why hadn't Renly mentioned the paparazzi? Why didn't he mention the fans recording videos? Andy was more upset than if he had lost weight.

Switching to work mode quickly, Andy hurried out of the house, drove to the Sunset Tower Hotel where Renly had stayed last night, and knocked on Renly's door aggressively, "Renly!" Andy still had his usual smile, but his words were squeezed through gritted teeth, almost breaking his facade.

"Renly Hall!"

The knocking echoed in the hallway, with no response. Andy then remembered:

Last night, Renly was the center of attention at the after-party. Winning an acting award was the greatest reward for the "The Pacific" crew. Although HBO didn't say much and wouldn't openly argue with the two top producers, their dissatisfaction was clear, weighing heavily on everyone.

Now, with an Emmy acting award, all their efforts paid off, and the crew celebrated wildly. Even Steven Spielberg toasted Renly three times. They treated Renly like prey, offering whiskey, brandy, red wine, beer, vodka, tequila, and more, until he was drunk—

Renly lay on the couch in the living room, asleep and unresponsive to any shaking. Later, with the help of Rami and James, Andy managed to get Renly back to the hotel.

It was just past nine in the morning, and Renly was likely still hungover, impossible to wake up.

Andy realized his mind was overheated, took a breath to cool down, showed his ID at the front desk, and got another room key, allowing him to enter Renly's room.

Sure enough, Renly was still lying in bed, wearing his Burberry suit, now wrinkled. Despite the urgency, Andy found it amusing. Renly had always been mature and composed, so seeing him lose his composure was rare.

"Renly? Renly?" Andy shook Renly's arm, trying to wake him. Unexpectedly, Renly turned over, covered his head with the blanket, mumbled something, and continued sleeping. Andy found it both amusing and exasperating but had to push Renly harder and shout, "Fire! Fire!"

Renly remained unresponsive. Andy was at a loss, considering other ways to wake him, when he heard a muffled voice from under the blanket, "If there's a fire, shouldn't you be running for your life?" The lazy voice was calm.

Andy didn't know how to respond. Then he saw Renly lift the blanket, sit up with tousled curls, his eyes still closed as if unwilling to give up a single second of sleep. "What's up?"

Andy was momentarily stunned but quickly regained composure. He sat on a chair next to the bedroom, "Your performance last night was recorded and posted on YouTube." Renly didn't react. "It has already hit 800,000 views in just seven hours." Still no reaction from Renly.

"Renly?" Andy called out.

"And then?" Renly responded.

Andy's smile stiffened, "Do you know what this means?" Knowing Renly wouldn't answer, he continued, "After the Emmys last night, you are the hottest topic, even more so than 'Glee' and Jim Parsons. You've stolen the spotlight from everyone."

After the Emmy winners were announced, major media outlets inevitably mentioned Renly's surprise win, increasing his exposure. "The New York Times" and "Vanity Fair" both focused on him. This set the stage for "US Weekly" exclusive, and the YouTube video of "Ophelia" fit perfectly.

In short, Renly was the biggest beneficiary of this year's Emmys.

Did Renly nod just now? Or was it Andy's imagination? Andy continued, "'Cleopatra' is now in the top five on iTunes' instant download chart." A bombshell.

Renly slightly raised his chin, seeming a bit suppressed but still not opening his eyes, "Wasn't it the Emmys last night?"

Finally getting a response, Andy wiped a sweat off his brow. "Yes, that's what makes it so incredible!" After the Emmys, Renly's emergence as a singer was unexpected, the development curve was so surprising that even a veteran like Andy was stunned. "Now, 'Cleopatra' is ranked fourth. If this momentum continues, it might enter the Billboard Top 50 next week."

Since the first week of July, "Cleopatra" surprisingly made it onto the Billboard singles chart. Contrary to all expectations, the song didn't immediately drop off. Given all the adverse conditions, it would have been normal for it to disappear after one week, as there was no promotion or media support. It was only sustained by a temporary spike in downloads.

But surprisingly, both iTunes download data and streaming data on YouTube and Spotify showed steady performance over the past eight weeks. Although it never surged, with a peak position of 83rd in the third week of July, it never dropped off the chart, consistently hovering at the bottom.

This in itself was a minor miracle.

Now, "Cleopatra" was unexpectedly gaining attention again, with hot instant download numbers on iTunes. The fourth place was a confirmed ranking before Andy left home. If this momentum continued, reaching number one wasn't impossible—whether it stayed there for a few hours, 24 hours, or longer made a significant difference, depending on future developments.

This urgency drove Andy's anxiety—he'd already missed the initial prime promotional opportunity and didn't want to miss any more.

"Renly, I need you to go to the recording studio now and complete the recording of 'Ophelia,' preferably re-record 'Cleopatra,' maybe a remix or re-arranged version, or a cover. Just get the recording done immediately." Andy was impatient, barely having taken over Renly's management, and everything was happening at once. But it was good.

Renly paused, eyes still shut, "Aren't you a talent agent? Do you handle singers too?"

Andy was speechless, "…" That's not the point, okay?

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200 powerstones - 1 bonus chapter