The final day on the set of A Beautiful Mind.
"Cut!" A minute later, Ron Howard's voice rang out again. "Wrap!"
The entire crew broke into warm applause.
Landon hugged Russell Crowe in farewell and received a solemn evaluation from Ron Howard when shaking hands: "The future belongs to actors like you." Finally, under the deep gaze of Jennifer Connelly's azure eyes, he gently kissed her lips; everything was understood without words.
At the same time, the crew broke into an even more enthusiastic round of applause.
The character of Charles Herman, along with this period of professional challenge spent at the university, was officially archived. As for whether his private moments of passion with Jennifer Connelly would continue, who could say for sure.
With almost no time to breathe, Landon was thrown into the center of a two-week "saturation promotion storm" tailored for him by Universal Music Group.
The epic sales of 2.51 million copies in the first week were like a giant booster rocket ignited behind him, pushing him toward the hottest spotlight of pop culture at an even more startling speed.
And today's destination was the ultimate sanctuary for measuring popularity—"Total Request Live" (TRL), located in the MTV headquarters' live studio in New York's Times Square.
"Why does it feel like music is my actual 'home turf'?" Sitting in the car heading to Times Square, Landon looked at the familiar street scenes outside and joked to Zoe beside him.
In the music field, compared to the serious atmosphere of a movie set, everything here was more direct, with success measured in decibels and screams.
Zoe was quickly checking the schedule, not looking up:
"Today's host is Carson Daly. Pay attention to his questioning style; it's closer to young people than Letterman's, but also sharper. Lil and the others are already backstage, and Eliza Dushku's styling team arrived half an hour before us."
With Landon's success, Zoe had also adjusted her position. Although she would still take liberties, she mostly maintained a businesslike expression, as if that "gentle as water" appearance from a few days ago had never existed.
Arriving at the MTV headquarters building, a crowd of young music fans had already gathered at the entrance, holding signs and looking around excitedly. The signs read "Landon Williams!" and "Yeah! KING!".
Screams erupted the moment Landon stepped out of the car. Bruce and two newly added security personnel quickly formed a human wall.
Landon wore sunglasses, waving and smiling at the crowd without stopping. He had gradually grown accustomed to this feeling of being surrounded by fanaticism after several weeks of it brewing.
The backstage was noisier and felt younger in atmosphere than the the david show.
Staff members were hurrying about, and various music clips drifted out from different monitors.
Just as Landon walked into the designated artist dressing room, a figure pounced over with a familiar, boisterous laugh.
"Look who's here! Our Mr. Record-Breaker!" Lil Jon gave Landon a powerful hug.
Ludacris stood to the side, beaming, and bumped fists with him: "It's crazy, man. How does it feel? Shouldn't you give us 'contributors' some kind of special bonus?" he joked.
"It feels like... I have to keep working hard to be worthy of those numbers," Landon replied with a smile, but his eyes involuntarily drifted to the other side of the room.
Eliza Dushku was sitting in front of the vanity mirror, letting a Makeup Artist touch up her makeup.
Today she was wearing a sequined crop top and low-rise jeans, dressed even more hotly and boldly than her last time backstage at the Late Show, fully catering to MTV's visual style.
Through the mirror, her gaze met Landon's in the air.
Without the impatient approach from last time backstage at the Late Show, there was something more complex in her eyes—appreciation, a sense of shared pride, and a bit more admiration.
She curled her red lips, giving him a provocative smile, then turned back to focus on the mirror.
Landon chuckled inwardly.
This was Hollywood; the temperature of a relationship adjusted subtly with the trajectory of one's career.
He wasn't surprised, and even felt somewhat relieved. This was fine—a more pure professional relationship.
"Everyone, get ready to enter the studio in five minutes! The audience is already in!" a floor director wearing a headset pushed open the door and shouted.
The studio was located in the heart of Times Square, with world-famous billboards and a constant flow of people outside the giant glass curtain wall. The interior was relatively compact, brightly colored, and filled with MTV logos and various music props.
When Landon walked into the studio surrounded by Lil Jon, Ludacris, and Eliza, the roughly one hundred young audience members who had entered through a lottery immediately erupted into screams and applause that almost blew the roof off.
Many girls were jumping with excitement, and various shouts and screams filled the studio.
Host Carson Daly, the young anchor who had become a national teen idol thanks to TRL, came forward with his boy-next-door handsome smile.
"Welcome! Welcome Landon Williams, and all the collaborators from 'Yeah!'" He shook hands with Landon with great force. "Look at this scene, Landon. Your popularity is about to shatter our glass."
"I have to thank MTV and all the fans who support me." Landon took the microphone, smiling brightly and waving to the audience in every direction, triggering a new wave of noise.
The live broadcast soon began.
Carson Daly's hosting style was indeed more direct and interactive, and he knew exactly how to mobilize the emotions of a teenage audience.
He didn't dwell too much on sales data, but instead focused on "experience" and "resonance."
"Let's talk about the song 'Yeah!' itself first," Carson said, standing next to Landon and facing the camera.
"I heard the inspiration for this song came from seeing a group of people shouting 'Yeah!' in unison, so you wanted to create a feeling where, no matter where you hear it, people can immediately forget their troubles and just want to dance? How did you capture that pure joy?"
Landon sat on a high stool, leaning forward slightly, looking relaxed and sincere: "Yes, Carson. Sometimes music doesn't need a complicated story. It's just a surge of energy, a switch.
I thought at the time, if I could make a sound that felt like your best friend putting an arm around your shoulder at the peak of a party and shouting 'Yeah!', that would be enough. Lil's opening 'Yeah!', Luda's verse, the visual impact brought by Eliza and the dancers... all of these added together to form that'switch'."
Lil Jon let out a low "Yeah!" toward the audience at the right moment, drawing laughter and imitation.
Ludacris used his smooth rap to quickly spit a freestyle verse, praising New York and TRL. The atmosphere was electric.
Carson took the opportunity to lead the topic toward the record-breaking EP. "So, this history-making EP, 'Landon Williams',"
He used an emphatic tone on purpose, and the audience immediately responded with screams. "Besides 'Yeah!', it contains completely different songs like 'Burn'. Many people were surprised by this transition. What was your thought process? Weren't you afraid that fans who like 'Yeah!' wouldn't accept it?"
This was a key question.
Landon was well-prepared: "I think people who like my music like authentic emotions. Just as people have moments when they want to go wild, they also have moments when they need to process their thoughts alone.
'Burn' is that kind of thought. It might not make you want to dance, but maybe it will accompany you through a night when you need to be understood. I hope my music can cover a wider spectrum of emotions, not just be a party soundtrack."
The answer showed both his musical ambition and closed the distance with those young listeners who might be going through emotional fluctuations.
Carson nodded and turned to the audience: "What do you guys think? Those who like 'Yeah!', raise your hands!"
Almost everyone raised their hands.