America 1982

"You always make unique choices like this, Tommy. Just like the last time you chose Bob to help you sell goods, Delia obviously helped you arrange several second-tier interview shows in big cities, and then you succeeded. Among them, I selected a third-rate interview program in Chicago. I know Chicago is also a big city, but the ratings of that program are really not high, and the main audience is black people." Sophia has already taken over Tommy Hawke's hand with great skill. Before pulling down the blindfold, he complained to Tommy who took out the book to read:

"Even if you choose to do the interview in San Francisco, at least you don't have to take the red-eye flight with me."

After complaining quietly, and knowing that Tommy would not pay attention to her complaints, Sophia obediently pulled down her blindfold, put her head on the other person's shoulder, adjusted it a few times, and fell asleep quickly.

Listening to Sophia next to her making a slight sound of sleeping, Tommy seemed to be talking to himself and opened the book in his hand: "Because that is Chicago, the old black revolutionary district in the United States, and because the host of the third-rate interview is called Oprah. , I didn’t go there for the show, I just wanted to kidnap her into my hands, and that’s a goose that only lays golden eggs.”

While Tommy was on his way to Chicago late at night, Ray Peabody, the producer of WLS-TV's "AM Chicago," was calling from his hometown of Marseille, France, to talk to the 29-year-old who had just taken over the show. Black female host Oprah-Winfrey quarrel:

"I need you to understand that this is my show! My kid! Don't think that just because Mr. Swanson brought you from Baltimore to Chicago, you became a big star at WLS! This show is still mine and you don't Qualified to tamper with the program schedule!"

Oprah turned on the hands-free button on the phone and flipped through a large amount of text materials without raising her head. She responded with an indifferent but sharp voice: "You should be grateful that the Chicago Department of Child Protection did not send you to prison for abusing your children. , Mr. Peabody, hosts the lowest-rated talk show news in Chicago, do you think this is like the treatment of a talk show celebrity?"

"The only ratings are contributed by black viewers, and you are actually going to talk to them about computer software? They are not interested, and you will lose the only viewers of this show!" Ray Peabody said loudly and fiercely .

"AM Chicago" is a daytime talk show. Because it is broadcast in the morning, its main audience is housewives who get up early to help their families prepare breakfast. They turn on the TV to the loudest and listen to the host. Talking about the latest social hot spots, while busy in the kitchen.

Oprah looked at the phone and said: "It's not that black people are not interested in technological development, but you have to give them a topic they are interested in getting involved in. Mr. Peabody, believe me, this topic will interest them." "If I hadn't chosen topics better than you, the boss, Mr. Swanson, wouldn't have paid a high price to call me from Baltimore to Chicago to save this show."

"Black women versus computers..." Peabody seemed irritated by Oprah's tone and wanted to roar, but before he could finish speaking, Oprah cursed directly and hung up the phone:

"I've had enough of your stereotypes, Mr. Peabody, go fuck your French girl and wait until you get back from France to see which one of us the boss will fire."

Then she continued to devote herself to preparing the company, and began to read a large amount of information faxed in advance by the Actor company, as if contradicting the producer was just a trivial matter that was not worthy of her attention.

From the first time she saw this information, she felt that this topic was very interesting. Just reading the information made her curious about Tommy Hawke.

His experience was somewhat similar to his own. He came from a poor family and lost relatives, but in order to get ahead, he used any means to get ahead. He first increased his popularity by working part-time at a radio station, and then participated in radio debate contests and speeches to get college letters and scholarships. Tommy relied on How can a person who can do these things like go to an international summer camp and get admission to college be a boring person?

Listen to the name he chose for his company, Actor, Actor, he has already told the world frankly about his real profession, why should he worry about his acting skills.

…

The reception room of WLS Channel 7.

"It's an honor to meet you, Ms. Winfrey." Tommy took the initiative to extend his hand to Oprah who walked in, and said with a smile: "I turned down four or five programs that had ratings more than ten times higher than yours. I flew here to see you."

Oprah was amused by Tommy's expression, thinking that he was just teasing, and shook hands with Tommy: "Thank you for your unique vision, Tommy. I guess your secretary or assistant should have told you that the ratings of this show Ratings and viewership groups.”

"Don't you want to know why I flew here all the way?" Tommy asked Oprah with a bright smile.

Oprah made a thoughtful expression, then looked at Tommy: "So, what's the reason?"

"I hope I can help you start this show so that you can go back to college and continue your studies and get your college diploma. I have read the information and it says that you got the admission letter and full college diploma from Tennessee State University ten years ago. You will receive a scholarship and after you complete the admission process, you will go to work in a television station to make money to support your family, right?" Tommy said with a smile:

"It's similar to me. After I got admission to Stanford, my love for knowledge was no longer as pure as it was in high school."

Oprah looked at this guy who showed a keen interest in her as soon as they met, and didn't understand why he was so enthusiastic about her. Although she had won the Miss Tennessee beauty pageant when she was young, she was now twenty-nine years old and had a poor figure. She has been busy with work and neglected to exercise, and has gradually gained weight and gotten out of shape. There is no reason for the other party to have physical intentions towards her, but she can't think of any other reasons to attract her.

At this time, I could only say polite greetings: "Actually, when I saw you, in addition to reminding you of the precautions before the program started, I also have a curious question. Is Lincoln High School in Warwick, Rhode Island, also a bad school?"

"It's as bad as your Lincoln High School in Milwaukee." Tommy said with a smile.

Oprah nodded: "It sounds like you have some knowledge about the program before, at least you have a good understanding of my experience as the host. Let's talk about the precautions. This program is not directly sold by advertising, so you cannot promote it. Product, this is a half-hour interview show where you talk about your experience, your sense of social responsibility, and the troubles you have encountered. Of course, we will also let the audience know in the middle that your company sells software, but it cannot be like advertising. That’s as direct as direct selling.”

"Where's the script book? I mean, have you prepared some answers for the guests to deal with some difficult questions." Tommy asked after listening.

Oprah shook her head slightly: "There is no script book. I made new rules after I came here. The host can hold cards with questions and information written on them, but the guests have nothing. I just want the audience to see When the guests are confused by my questions, their real reactions will be more attractive."

"Are you sure?" Tommy was stunned for a moment: "Without a script book, aren't you worried about the rhythm of the show?"

Oprah looked at Tommy with some confusion, wondering why he was not worried about being embarrassed, but worried about the rhythm of his show: "Sure, don't worry, because I will control the rhythm."

"Ms. Winfrey, you didn't sign a contract with a production company, right? You just work as a host on a TV station." To Oprah's surprise, Tommy's next question didn't even consider what he should be worried about, but asked own work situation.

Although she didn't know why the other party was curious about her job, Oprah still said truthfully: "No production company is willing to sign a black female talk show host. This industry is currently dominated by white men."

"Ms. Winfrey? Can you give me a chance to cooperate with you?" Tommy asked with a smile on his face immediately after getting the definite answer.

Oprah looked at Tommy, who was smiling like an alien: "Tommy, I remind you, you'd better care about your performance in front of the camera. Also, I like the job of TV hosting, no. I plan to change my career to become a software salesman.”

"No, no, no, it's not about selling software. I funded the establishment of a TV program production company. You have a stake in the company. You don't need to contribute money. You just need to continue to do this talk show well. I will raise the money to buy you out as soon as possible. National distribution rights for this show." Tommy rubbed his hands together excitedly and looked at Oprah with burning eyes.

God still favored him. Although Perot's investment was gone, at least he met Oprah, who had not yet made a fortune. This was an opportunity like picking up money for nothing. He couldn't miss it. Oprah didn't have to do anything. He just needs to simply host the show that will later be renamed "The Oprah Interview". He doesn't need to do anything. He buys the national distribution rights and waits for this eldest woman to make the show the number one in Chicago ratings first. Just be responsible for counting the money when the TV station comes to purchase.

There is no need to do other work, because the production company in the previous life did not invest much in packaging or publicity. At that time, I thought that this black female host seemed okay and worth signing. I didn’t expect that this black eldest sister would rely on His eloquence made the program the number one talk show in the United States, and the company made a lot of money by selling the program to other TV stations across the country.

Oprah frowned and looked at Sophia next to her in confusion: "How long has he been suffering from mental illness? Do you want to send him to the hospital first and then change someone to be the guest?"

"Don't worry, he will return to normal when he gets in front of the camera." Sophia said habitually.

Oprah thought for a while and then looked at Tommy who was staring at her: "Tommy, do you bite strangers when you see them?"

Tommy shook his head.

"Very good. Let's see you on the show. You may need to take some medicine first." Oprah stood up.

"We will talk about cooperation after the show is finished." Tommy sighed, why is it so difficult to get a bargain? If he is a little more enthusiastic and eager, he will be regarded as mentally ill.

The problem is, who can not be excited when they see the opportunity to make tens or even hundreds of millions by reselling program videos?

…

In the studio, Oprah sat on the sofa and said her opening words in a relaxed tone to the audience and the camera:

"Welcome to "Good Morning Chicago." I am the host Oprah Winfrey who has just moved here and needs to introduce myself every time she starts the show. Today's guest makes me a little excited because he is a troubled young man. Of course, he is not the young black artist you are familiar with who got into trouble for holding a gun or smoking cigarettes. He is a white young man. Do you understand why I am excited? White men rarely appear on our show. In it, not a single troubled white man appears. They may feel that they don’t want the black audience to see his embarrassment, but only want to see his gentlemanly side.”

Most of the extras at the scene were black. When they heard Oprah's words, they all laughed out loud.

"Well, let's welcome this troubled white young man, Tommy Hawke."

With blond hair and a monotonous suit, Tommy Hawke walked into the studio nervously. He politely leaned over and stretched out his hand to shake Oprah's hand. Then he sat on the guest sofa next to him and looked at the guests below who gave him some sporadic applause. The audience waved, then put their hands between their thighs, looked at Oprah with some confusion, and smiled shyly.

Oprah cursed in her mind that this bastard was really good at acting. Even though his reaction backstage was a little unusually excited, he was definitely not shy. As a result, as soon as he appeared on the show, he immediately became very uncomfortable with the gaze of black people. Pure white people.

She picked up the card in her hand and briefly introduced Tommy's identity to the audience, such as Stanford University student, founder of Actor Company, etc. After the introduction, the few applauses disappeared completely, and Tommy even noticed The extras who arrived at the scene looked at each other in confusion, their eyes full of curiosity, and they almost asked directly:

"Why bring a white nerd like this to a show that black people watch?"

When Oprah saw Tommy's appearance, she directly clicked the questions in her hand and started asking random questions. She smiled and asked: "So, how nervous are you now? Tommy?"

"I'm not nervous, ma'am." Tommy flexed his shoulders slightly and looked at Oprah blankly. Then he immediately withdrew his gaze and looked at the deserted place. He nodded vigorously into the air and said, "That's right, no. nervous."

The audience below burst into laughter. They seemed very satisfied with Tommy's reaction of not being nervous while talking and avoiding the audience's gaze. As expected, this guy will become the target of Oprah's teasing in this episode.

"Which one makes you more upset, your company's litigation troubles or you sitting here?" Oprah asked with a smile.

Tommy lowered his head and thought for a while, then raised his head and looked at the other party again: "I'm not in trouble, Ms. Winfrey, and my company is not in trouble either. I'm not uneasy. I just don't know... I don't know how to communicate with my black friends. , you just mentioned when you introduced me, I am from Rhode Island, where there are very few black people. I have almost no black friends around me since I was a child. I have always been thinking about whether I want to play the role in "The Cosbys" Like that, now stand up and complete high-fives and fist bumps with the black people in the audience using a set of complicated postures. I think those moves are cool. I have learned them in front of the TV for a long time, but I have not found any black friends to try... "

"Is there anyone here who knows how to shake hands when the black brothers in the Cosby family meet? Let's see if he is lying." Oprah saw that Tommy was pretending to be friendly to black people, and she immediately became angry.

If Tommy was just lying, what awaited him would only be more embarrassing.

A black man stood up at the scene. Tommy looked at Oprah, who was making a gesture to him. In full view of the public and the camera, he walked up to the man, stretched out his hand, and completed the six-seven-seven-minute set with him. A process for meeting black brothers that includes high fives, handshakes, fist bumps and other actions.

After shaking it, Tommy carefully asked the other party: "Did I do it wrong? This is my first time."

"You did a very good job. If you put on street clothes and darkened your skin, I would be ready to call you Nig." The black audience praised Tommy.

This time everyone gave Tommy a round of applause. Tommy walked back to the sofa and sat down amidst the applause. Then he returned to his posture with his hands between his thighs and his eyes looking at the air. Seeing his virtue, the audience couldn't bear it. Stop laughing.

"Want to say something?" Oprah asked, smiling at Tommy.

Tommy turned his head towards her at this time, his eyes gentle but powerful, allowing everyone to hear: "I want to say, I didn't lie, whether here or elsewhere."

"Wow~" These words that suddenly became full of power, combined with Tommy's gaze on her, made Oprah lose her mind for a moment, and then she immediately realized that this bastard wanted to take over my show!

She almost blurted out her compliments under pressure and asked a regular question that should have given him a chance to break into the company's lawsuit. Instead, she wanted to see Tommy's reaction ability, so she paused for two seconds and asked another question:

"You were on a direct-to-TV show in Florida before, and you were a completely different person than you are now. Let's see what you looked like back then. To be honest, if you continue to do this, it makes me think you're a little hypocritical, Tommy. But it’s normal, after all, most white people are hypocrites.”

As she spoke, Oprah signaled to turn on the TV at the scene, which played the highlights of Tommy's direct marketing in Florida. Tommy was so high-spirited on the TV that the audience stood up, applauded, and cheered loudly.

"Going back to the question just now, do you want to say something?" Oprah pressed the pause button on the remote control, freezing the scene at the moment Tommy threw his suit towards the audience, and asked.

I asked Oprah countless times in my heart. How much do these black people hate white people? When they see a white person appear on the show, they want to use embarrassment to kill him on the spot?

Of course, Tommy still had that kind of confusion on his face. He looked straight at Oprah: "What? I don't understand what you want me to say, what should I say."

"Tell me why you looked one way on other shows and now you look like a different person." Oprah asked.

Tommy stared: "Ms. Winfrey, are you kidding?"

"No." Oprah nodded and said, not realizing the problem yet.

"Then you should hurry up and go back to college to study. Normal people should understand this problem." Tommy looked at Oprah with a surprised expression:

"Look at the audience on the TV. They are all white. There is no difference between when I was on that show and when I was standing outside my home in Rhode Island. But I ask you to look at the scene. They are all black. I don't know what words will be spoken. I won’t let them feel that I am arrogant or discriminatory..."

"Since you guessed that you were going to be seriously unwell, why did you come here? Is it to sell your products?" Oprah asked Tommy.

Before Tommy answered, he couldn't help but smile. Seeing that smile, Oprah's first reaction was that she had asked the wrong question, or that this guy was deliberately waiting for her to ask a similar question!

Tommy looked at the camera and the audience, and said: "My assistant Sophia really suggested that I go to New York, Boston, and Los Angeles to participate in more in-depth and higher-rated talk show interviews. Those shows also have a positive impact on me." I'm interested in trouble, but I insisted on choosing Chicago as my first stop. It was not to advertise and sell products. You have never thought about buying software on a talk show, right? In fact, I chose Chicago as my first stop because I My mother’s idol, Bernice Fisher, fought in this city, and I want to come for my mother to see this city where this great woman fought.”

When Oprah heard Bernice Fisher popping up from Tommy's mouth, her first reaction was terrible. The young man was more prepared than she thought.

Sure enough, when they heard this name coming out of the mouth of a white young man, there were already black people applauding. Although the applause was for Tommy who could say this name, part of the reason was also because of this great name. At least the audience understood that this White boys are different from those stereotypical white people who talk about being friendly to black people but don’t want to know black people at all. Except for Martin Luther King, they almost don’t know which black great figure to praise when chatting with black people.

"I'm curious that your mother would know this name in an area like Rhode Island, where more than 90% of the population is white." Oprah immediately asked another question that aroused suspicion in the audience.

That’s right, living in Rhode Island, a state with few black people, why would you know the name of a black female social activist? White people would never promote such a figure.

"My mother is Italian, Ms. Winfrey. Let me remind you that Italians are called European Negroes in Rhode Island. Not all white people are as arrogant as Irish or British people. At least Italians are not. We are not qualified." Arrogance. When there were no black people in Rhode Island, it was not as you imagined. White people coexisted peacefully. Without black people, white people discriminated against European black people. Before she got married, my mother found a job as a department store salesperson, but Because she is an Italian woman, she is not allowed to sit down to work. Do you understand, all pure-blooded white salespeople of Irish and British descent can have a chair and sit in front of the counter to work, but my mother can only wear high heels? Standing nearby, guess what makes her able to sit and work like other white people?" Tommy asked a question, but he was not prepared for Oprah to answer, but looked at the camera and the audience:

"Because of Ms. Bernice Fisher, because of this great black woman, because she fought for various rights for black women in Chicago, in the end, all sales clerks in department stores, regardless of skin color, had seats. From then on, Bernice Fisher Nice Fisher became my mother’s idol. She always told me that Ms. Fisher fought for all women regardless of color. She was a great woman, much greater than those hypocritical politicians. , so I am coming to Chicago to send a bouquet of flowers to the statue of Ms. Fisher, to say thank you, thank you, for my mother, for my mother's children, and for all the Italians who are humiliated as black Europeans. She changed everything."

Tommy's voice was calm, not as impassioned as when he was selling software live in Florida, but it was deep and powerful, and his eyes were penetrating.

The black people at the scene had begun to cheer themselves up. They clapped hard and were excited that white people could know the name of this black woman. Finally, there was a white young man who had not been assimilated by hypocrisy. Under the influence of his mother, he understood what black people had done for this country. everything of.

"And I, as my mother's son, from my deceased mother..." Tommy said lightly.

"Your mother has passed away?" Oprah finally gave up her resistance. At this question, she cleverly switched back to the question prepared on the question card.

As for the rhythm, leave it to this actor. In the early stage, a battle of wits and a little trouble with the other party may make the audience shine, but if they keep pestering, it will only make the audience feel bored by the host, and it is obvious that the situation they are worried about has not happened. , Tommy captured the attention of these viewers very well.

As the question was asked, Tommy nodded, feeling a little sad: "That's why I came to Chicago for her instead of accompanying her. She died of manslaughter, but the court ultimately convicted her of a hit-and-run. The murderer was Two white Irish men accidentally killed an Italian and only had to pay three thousand dollars. In fact, we didn't get a penny. So everyone, can you imagine the miserable life of black Europeans in Rhode Island? Right? Not much different from everyone in Chicago?”

Some in the audience covered their mouths, while others exclaimed quietly.

"It seems that your mother's death had a great impact on you?" Oprah looked at Tommy and remembered her own experience. Her mother threw her into her father's house countless times, and she was almost absent from most of her childhood.

"It's very big, it made me mature from a playful child. Without my mother, I can only try to recall what she said to me before she was alive. Maybe Ms. Bernice Fisher's influence on my mother, with the Her passing really started to affect me, and that's when I decided to do the right thing."

Oprah continued: "What you're saying is correct is what some software companies believe is illegal, and a major software company is suing your company because of it."

“When Bernice Fisher, Martin Luther King, Whitney Young, and James Farmer founded the American Congress for Racial Equality, President Kennedy at the time also felt that they were troublesome and accused them of breaking the law and punished them for trying to Caught and thrown in jail, but in the end we all know who is right and who should be remembered forever." Tommy looked at Oprah with a smile and said.

This answer drew thunderous applause from the audience, and Oprah couldn't help but applaud Tommy's answer. He successfully instilled in the audience an idea. If President Kennedy is not a good person, then his family can only be as bad as him. .

After the applause subsided, Oprah continued to ask: "So, you don't think your company will be ruled illegal by the court?"

Tommy looked at the camera:

"I would be deeply honored that they gave me the same treatment as those black civil rights activists."

After he finished speaking, he raised his hands to stop the black audience who were about to burst into another round of warm applause:

"No, no need for applause. I know you may now feel that Tommy, a white boy, seems different from other white people you have seen. He is not hypocritical, and he is not stereotyped."

"But what is there to applaud? As a white man, even if I show some equality and respect for black people, everyone can applaud him enthusiastically. Isn't this sad?"

"This just means that there are still countless white people who don't understand black people, and they don't understand the suffering years that belong to black people? It just means that you are still prepared for the gap between you and white people due to the income and social status caused by the social environment, so A little recognition from white people makes you ecstatic.”

After saying this, the black people fell silent, and Oprah's face became a little serious.

Tommy looked at the audience with sad eyes: "This is a bad world. Human beings should be born equal, not like they are now. Look at Ms. Winfrey, dressed in well-dressed women's clothes and exquisite makeup, looking at the camera. She seemed to be an elite representative of black women, but in fact? On the day she came to Chicago to host the show for the first time, six talk shows across the United States ridiculed the news. They laughed at Ms. Winfrey and said Although she is tall and looks like a man, it does not mean that she can do what a man can do. How can a black woman host a talk show that requires flexibility and depth? Go back to Baltimore and read the press release, that job It suits her better.”

Oprah was stunned. She stared at Tommy, and Tommy looked back at her sincerely:

"A black woman who is already considered an elite in everyone's eyes has just earned the right to be ridiculed by her white peers. But just to have her name appear in the ridicule of those arrogant people, Ms. Winfrey has to pay twice." During the nineteen long years, she was born in a poor single-parent family, went to a crappy high school like me, worked hard to get into a state university, received a full college scholarship, and then studied at a TV station in a small city for ten years. press release to get to Chicago.”

"In order to get to where she is now, she ran away from home when she was a teenager and left her bad family of origin."

"In order to get to where she is now, she needs to study hard, get the only UP spot at Milwaukee Lincoln High School, receive tuition subsidies, and give herself the opportunity to transfer to a high school with better education quality."

"In order to get to this point, she had to endure all kinds of unfriendly questions asked by her classmates on the school bus, such as why you were classmates with my servant, and why you came to study instead of being a servant."

“To get to this point, she practiced interviews with crows in the yard and rag dolls in the room.”

"Then, she has just gained the qualification to be laughed at by them. This is what I said, this is a bad world. The world should not be like this, and people should not be like this." Tommy's voice was always calm, But Oprah couldn't hold it any longer and was trying to breathe.

Tommy glanced at her and continued:

"What about those people who are not laughed at? It's not that they respect us, but those who are arrogant and think that we are not even qualified to be laughed at. It is God's decision to let people be born in such a world, but at least we should do something right. Things like listening to mom.”

"Martin Luther King had a big dream, but I didn't. My dream was small. I just wanted to listen to my mother and do the right thing within my ability. I studied computer science in college, not to make money to put in my wallet. , I just want to give those who are not qualified to be laughed at, those who have not gone to college to study computers, have one more chance to change their destiny. Going back to the question that Ms. Winfrey asked me just now, why do I not think that I Is the Actor Company violating U.S. law?”

"I want to say, Ms. Winfrey, if knowledge and technology are spread cheaply, so that more people with lower incomes have the opportunity to change their lives, so that they can find a decent job, and they will also be convicted..."

"I should die immediately."

Eight thousand five hundred words~~ Mainly because I wasted time watching Oprah's show. Her talk show is not like a funny talk show. I need to study it. Sorry, so the update is a bit late.