Chapter 440: The Rabbit Magic Trick

Adam Scott had meticulously planned everything but overlooked the most crucial element:

Jay Leno's pride and professionalism.

Sony Columbia's worries and panic, from another perspective, were a form of doubt and provocation, completely infuriating Jay Leno. Even NBC quickly expressed their support, firmly standing behind their talk show superstar and eagerly appeasing him.

NBC's stance completely changed the situation.

"The Tonight Show" aired smoothly.

Not only that, but when Sony Columbia's executives learned about it, they immediately ordered Adam to apologize to Jay Leno and repair the relationship at all costs.

After all, Sony Columbia had a series of upcoming movies that needed promotion. Although the late-night talk show competition was fierce, and Jay Leno wasn't the only option, other shows weren't "The Tonight Show." This particular talk show had firmly held the ratings championship in the 11 p.m. slot for a whole decade.

Ten years!

Indeed, there were many other talk shows, as well as radio programs, magazine interviews, and so on, but none of them could match the promotional effect of "The Tonight Show."

"The Tonight Show" was irreplaceable.

Since Jay Leno took over the show in 1992, it had also experienced a series of challenges and shocks. After all, he wasn't Johnny Carson, and it took some time for the audience to accept him.

In those years, "The Tonight Show" consistently held the top spot in late-night talk show ratings, but it was mainly due to the lingering influence of Johnny Carson. The competition from other shows was still very intense.

The turning point came on July 10, 1995.

The guest for that day's interview was Hugh Grant.

Just a few days before the show's recording, to be precise, on June 27th, Hugh Grant was arrested by the Los Angeles police for receiving oral sex from a prostitute in a car on Sunset Boulevard. Caught red-handed, he faced potential jail time and was engulfed in a Hollywood scandal.

Almost everyone thought Hugh Grant wouldn't appear on "The Tonight Show," but Jay Leno personally stepped in and persuaded him.

And after Hugh Grant took his seat, Jay Leno uttered the classic line that shook the entire North America, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Although it wasn't exactly profanity, it was close enough.

That episode completely changed Jay Leno's position on "The Tonight Show," completely erasing Johnny Carson's influence and establishing his own prestige and reputation.

Since then, "The Tonight Show" had truly become Jay Leno's show, with viewership consistently staying above four million.

The highest viewership for other talk shows might be four million, usually hovering around two million; but even the worst viewership for "The Tonight Show" was four million, and it could easily surpass five million every now and then, even reaching higher numbers wasn't surprising.

For the 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. time slot, the stability and dominance of "The Tonight Show" was undoubtedly an incredible legend.

Even David Letterman's show in the same time slot, who had a deep-seated feud with Jay Leno, could only compete for the second place in ratings while looking at the back of "The Tonight Show." There was an insurmountable barrier between them and "The Tonight Show," even a desperate and clear gap.

Similarly, the ratings figures that advertisers and sponsors cared about the most, as well as the main consumer group aged 18 to 49, were also firmly locked onto "The Tonight Show."

While the ratings of other late-night talk shows generally hovered below 3.0, with every breakthrough to 3.0 being a cause for celebration, the average rating of "The Tonight Show" had long surpassed 4.0. Anything below 4.0 might require a meeting for review, and 5.0 was the working goal.

Simply put, the competition wasn't even on the same level.

Sony Columbia naturally didn't want to offend Jay Leno.

To be precise, no Hollywood film studio wanted to offend Jay Leno. It wasn't a matter of whether they could or not, but there was simply no need to.

Moreover, even in the eyes of Sony Columbia's executives, Adam Scott's handling of the matter this time was questionable. They had no excuse.

Adam: So, this is what it feels like to be a scapegoat.

To make matters worse, Jay Leno proved himself right.

His worries were unnecessary. How could Jay Leno risk his own brand?

After this episode of "The Tonight Show" aired, it ignited a wave of enthusiasm.

In the first half, the "Star Wars Episode II" crew, led by Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor, appeared.

In the second half, an unknown indie band took the stage.

If someone hadn't watched the show and only read the first paragraph of the "Los Angeles Times" report the next day, they might have the misconception:

The show was a hit, wasn't that a given? It was "Star Wars"! Anything related to "Star Wars" instantly became a hit, right?

Even if they knew nothing about movies or talk shows, it wouldn't prevent them from being amazed by the influence of "Star Wars" on the North American continent.

Of course, this was indeed the case.

In the first half, although the interview with Natalie and Ewan wasn't as interesting as imagined, and the show even seemed a bit stiff, relying on the appeal of "Star Wars," the show still easily attracted 5.5 million viewers, and the ratings effortlessly reached a high of 4.5, undoubtedly becoming the focus.

The North American market was ready to welcome "Star Wars Episode II."

However, as one continued reading the "Los Angeles Times" report, they would immediately notice something amiss. Things were taking a strange turn.

"...While everyone was immersed in the joy of the upcoming release of 'Star Wars,' Jay Leno, like a magician, pulled a rabbit out of his hat. No one knew how it happened, but the surprise came nonetheless, whether the audience was mentally prepared or not.

A band, a street performance, an internet sensation. And, Anson Wood."

Readers: ???

Clearly, things were different from what they had imagined, completely different.

Who would have thought that "Star Wars" would one day play a supporting role for someone else?

Thanks to Natalie and Ewan's warm-up in the first half, although the show wasn't as exciting as expected, "The Tonight Show" effortlessly retained most of the audience. A habitual action prevented the audience from picking up the remote and changing the channel. Then, they witnessed the show kick off with a stunning and shocking band performance.

Surprise!

An absolute surprise!

In the words of the "Los Angeles Times," "A cello appearing in a pop band was already a gimmick, a novelty. However, this wasn't the band's true adventure. The spectacle of four band members playing one cello was just the beginning of a journey."

The talk show interview hadn't even properly started, yet "The Tonight Show" had already ignited curiosity in the late-night hours.

The ratings climbed steadily.

According to Nielsen statistics, after the band started performing, the viewership saw a slow increase, with the upward trend not being particularly obvious. However, the ratings experienced a significant and steep surge.

The data showed that the main consumer group aged 18 to 49 was immediately captivated. The curiosity and excitement of young people were easily ignited and widely spread, creating a rare and unique scene in the late-night time slot.

And all of this was just the beginning.