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CNN Entertainment: "TROY ARMITAGE SWEEPS THE GRAMMYS IN UNPRECEDENTED FASHION"

 "History was made at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards last night, as 18-year-old Troy Armitage not only took home 12 trophies—including Album, Record, and Song of the Year—but also became the youngest artist to complete an EGOT. The British actor-turned-singer-songwriter stunned the world with a jaw-dropping medley performance and an unexpected onstage reunion with Rihanna that sent the internet into a collective meltdown. Armitage now holds the record for the most Grammys won in a single year, overtaking Michael Jackson's longstanding milestone from 1984.

 From his emotional thank-you speech to his genre-spanning live set, Armitage's night was a perfect blend of authenticity, showmanship, and history-making brilliance. The music world may never be the same again."

Rolling Stone: "The Night Belonged to Troy Armitage"

 "It was truly a performance for the ages. Yesterday, Troy Armitage was kind enough to let the Grammys attend his concert. It's amazing to see a young man take the stage and shake everything we thought we knew about award show performances.

 The emotional opening of Someone You Loved transitioned into a high-energy Bad Guy, rocked the crowd with Radioactive, and topped it off with an unexpected duet of We Don't Talk Anymore—with none other than his ex, Rihanna.

 Everything about the night—from the vocals to the theatrics to the raw vulnerability in his acceptance speech—was masterful. If anyone doubted his historic win, he proved exactly why he deserved every one of those awards."

Billboard: "Troy Armitage's Grammy Domination: What It Means for the Industry"

 "Troy Armitage didn't just dominate the Grammys—he redefined them. [Echoes of You] was the kind of album execs aren't brave enough to greenlight anymore. And yet, here we are. Storytelling won. Honesty won. Troy won.

 Until a few years ago, no one was interested in making movie musicals anymore. But in the past year alone, we've seen three musicals from major studios. None could come close to the success of [Echoes of You]—and that was expected, because none had the star power Troy does."

The New York Times: "A New Icon Is Born"

 The Times ran a minimalist yet elegant front-page photo of Troy backstage, arms full of Grammys, smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. Beside him stood his adoptive brother, Evan Spader, carrying half his load. The accompanying sub-headline read:

 "...He Wrote From Heartbreak. The World Answered…"

 "Troy Armitage made his debut in showbiz at the age of 9, acting in his father's directorial. Everyone assumed it was just another case of nepotism—and to some extent, it might have been. But if this is what nepotism becomes when nurtured, we don't mind it at all."

 "Yesterday, Troy showed the world that he isn't just another actor or singer—he's something more. He's the kind of person who will go down in history as a legend of this era. At 18, he's achieved more in entertainment than people five times his age."

 "The biggest reason behind Troy's success in music is the relatability of his songs. Whether it's We Don't Talk Anymore, Someone You Loved, or All of Me, each track captures an emotion deeper than what any other artist is currently delivering. Knowing that such an album was written during a period of personal struggle makes it all the more empowering for anyone going through something similar."

TMZ: "Troy and Rihanna Back Together? Fans Think So After THAT Performance"

 "Troy Armitage and Rihanna SING TO EACH OTHER—Look at that hug at the end!!!"

 Fans are LOSING IT! They sang a breakup song like they were still in love—and then hugged like it was the end of a movie. Don't lie—you felt it too. Is Troyanna BACK?!

A short video clip of their duet was already trending at #1 on YouTube by morning, with the comments section flooded with cries of "GET BACK TOGETHER!" and "This is the real Grammy win!"

Good Morning America opened its broadcast with a live segment from outside the Staples Center.

"We haven't seen this kind of hysteria since Beatlemania," their anchor said, holding up a newspaper with Troy's face on it. "Twelve Grammys. A historic duet. An EGOT. What's next for Troy Armitage? The Olympics? Or maybe he'll declare himself the king of the world? Are we heading towards a dictatorship?"

BBC News called it a "British invasion reborn," celebrating his success as a source of national pride. "From child actor to international icon, Armitage's meteoric rise has been nothing short of miraculous."

(Break)

"Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest just won twelve—yes, you heard that right—twelve Grammys. That's so many trophies that he's now contractually required to be carried everywhere in a reinforced wheelbarrow. Please welcome the incredibly talented Troy Armitage!"

I waved at the audience as I walked onto the set of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The ginger-haired host shook my hand enthusiastically before gesturing to the seat.

"Okay, first of all," Conan said after exchanging the usual pleasantries, "I love what you're wearing. Are you vacationing here?"

I chuckled, glancing down at my outfit. I hadn't wanted to wear a suit or anything fancy, so I'd opted for a casual, loose-fitted white T-shirt paired with denim shorts that fell just past my knees. I'd accessorized with a thick metal chain around my neck, a matching wristwatch, and white sneakers to finish the look.

"I might as well be," I joked. "If this were Jay Leno or Letterman, I might've dressed up a bit. But since it's just you…" I shrugged, earning laughter from the audience at the jab.

Conan gave me a mock-scandalized look before grinning. "Is that so? I have a clip here that tells me something else. Wanna see?"

Before I could respond, a video from last year's award season played on a nearby screen.

"Conan O'Brien is the best talk show host in America," I announced on the Golden Globes stage. "Please do watch his show. He's amazing and hilarious."

"So," Conan said, grinning like the cat who got the canary, "you were saying?"

"I was coerced to say that," I replied with complete seriousness, drawing laughs from both Conan and the audience.

"Moving on," Conan said, chuckling, "are you tired of carrying around all those Grammys, or have you just fused them into some kind of award-mecha-armor at this point?"

I chuckled. "Funny you say that. I was going to show up in a Grammy-shaped mech suit, but my stylists said it was too much work for one night, so I settled for this." I motioned toward my clothes.

"British and sarcastic—my favorite combination!" Conan laughed before shifting gears. "Let's talk about that insane opening number at the Grammys. Thanks to you, nearly 36 million people tuned in to watch the show."

The audience erupted in cheers.

"Your performance was the only thing anyone could talk about afterward. Man, you're seriously giving me a complex." Conan turned to the audience. "Although you probably watched the show already, here's a little clip I want to show you."

The screen lit up with a clip from the Grammys—specifically the chorus of Bad Guy, ending with me landing a perfect backflip.

"How did you do that?" Conan asked, incredulous. "Was that a body double who took over for a few seconds?"

I laughed. "I love doing backflips. I did a show on Broadway when I was young called [Billy Elliot]." Someone in the crowd shouted at the mention. "I learned it during that, and ever since, I've been able to do them pretty easily. I can do one right now if you want."

The crowd went wild at the offer.

"You can't back down now," Conan said, giving me a mock-serious, expectant look.

Not needing more encouragement, I got up and stretched a bit, the audience egging me on. I stepped forward to avoid hitting the sofa chair behind me. With a grin, I bent my knees, arms swinging forward—and jumped.

By the time I landed, the audience was on its feet, clapping like their lives depended on it. Conan, his sidekick Andy, and even the producers and crew off-camera were joining in.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Nothing had been planned—I just went for it. And seeing the crowd's reaction, it was totally worth it. I gave a quick bow and blew a few kisses to some girls I spotted in the audience.

"Oh my God!" Conan exclaimed, delighted. "Man, you're on fire."

I returned to my seat beside him. "Thank you. I wanted to do a backflip so badly during my concerts, but I was on such a tight schedule that if I got injured, I'd have to postpone the tour, so I didn't do it. When they asked me to perform at the Grammys, I told them I'd do it on one condition—that they let me do a backflip."

"And the rest is history," Conan said with a grin. "Let's get serious for a second—twelve Grammys. Youngest EGOT in history. All your films are blockbusters. When do you not win at life?"

I almost said "relationships," but changed my answer at the last second.

"Parallel parking," I said, completely serious. "I'm convinced it's a conspiracy against me. I don't understand why it was even invented. Why can't we all just reverse park all the time?"

"Thank you! Someone finally said it!" Conan shook my hand like I had just spoken gospel truth. "With the Grammys done, you've got the Oscars coming tomorrow, with a nomination for the biggest indie film of the year, [Little Miss Sunshine]."

The audience cheered loudly at that.

"Care to make another bet?" I asked eagerly. "Same terms as last time. I lose, you go bald."

"No, thanks," Conan said quickly—way too quickly. "Lightning rarely strikes the same place twice, and this time, you don't have a million nominations like you did last time. Which reminds me, some people were very vocal about you not getting nominated for [Order of the Phoenix], which they think was overlooked because it's a fantasy film. How do you feel about that?"

"Oh my God! I didn't know the world was ending just because I didn't get nominated for one more award," I said dramatically, making Conan and the audience laugh.

When the laughter died down, I turned serious. "I personally think that [Order of the Phoenix] was my career-best performance. That said, my dad once told me that getting nominated is an honor, but not getting nominated is not a dishonor. There are way more talented people than me in the world. The fact that my fans argued for my nomination was enough for me."

Conan gave me a look of genuine surprise at my answer. I had prepared something else entirely for that question, but in the moment, I'd improvised—and clearly, he liked it.

"So what's next for you?" Conan asked. "Any new albums or movies we can look forward to?"

I smiled. "Yes. My new album, which is called 2006, is releasing exactly a month from today."

The audience erupted. Shouts, cheers, and applause filled the studio, and I had to wait a few moments before continuing.

"The pre-sales will begin sometime tomorrow on my personal website for the first one million records. And the first thousand people will get hand-signed copies from me. Not just in the U.S., but in twenty more countries. Those albums will be delivered before it opens for sale to the rest of the world."

Conan looked at me in disbelief. I hadn't told him about the album drop beforehand, so the announcement was as much of a surprise for him as it was for the audience. The reason he'd been hinting at my next project was that I had actually come here to promote something else.

"I heard you also had a film releasing soon," he said casually, steering us back to the topic he was prepared for.

"Not for two more months, but yes," I said. "It's called [Disturbia], and it's a suspense thriller. I brought a trailer with me that the studio has agreed to air right here on the show."

Conan turned to the audience. "Stay tuned for the trailer right after this, but for now, give it up for Troy Armitage!"

The trailer wouldn't be shown to the studio audience, but it would air for viewers at home, since Paramount didn't want it getting leaked before tonight's official broadcast.

As soon as we heard the "cut," Conan turned to me. "Why didn't you tell me about the album?"

I laughed. "I wanted to see your genuine reaction, and it was funny. Don't worry though, my team will have already released an announcement video on YouTube by now, so it's not like people won't know about it."

Conan shook his head before saying, "By the way, that backflip is going to boost my ratings like crazy."

"Glad to be of service," I grinned.

Conan suddenly got a curious look in his eyes. "If you don't mind me asking—why did you choose me? I'm sure other talk show hosts would be dying to interview you."

"True," I nodded. "I got calls from everybody. Ellen called me three times. Since she's hosting tomorrow, she wanted to do a pre-Oscar session with me, but I declined. I didn't really want to go on any show right now, but I was free, and since it was you—so I came."

Conan smiled. "Glad you think so."

"Now, if you don't mind, I have some fans to meet." I motioned toward the group that was getting antsy with every passing moment.

"Go ahead."

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AN: Visit my Pat reon to read ahead, or check out my second Hollywood story set in the 80s.

Link: www(dot)pat reon(dot)com/fableweaver