Chapter 921: An Unlikely Reunion

After Leigh Steinberg’s simple explanation, Lu Ke understood that for any guest or host in front of the camera, grooming was a necessary process.

Grooming, as he now understood, wasn’t just makeup, as a layman might define it. Makeup was only one part of it.

For Lu Ke, he didn’t need makeup, foundation, or anything else.

But he did need to style his hair. He couldn’t appear on a TV show with messy hair. He needed to get rid of oil because the studio lights were very bright and hot. If a guest’s face was shiny with oil, it would create a glare in the camera, affecting the picture quality. He also needed to change his clothes, choosing an outfit that was perfect for the show.

All of the above was considered part of grooming.

Of course, Lu Ke’s grooming preparations were the simplest, taking only twenty minutes. But for women, it was much more complicated. They often needed to arrive three or even four hours early to prepare for the show from head to toe.

The "beauty" that was shown on TV required time and effort.

This was why Leigh was in no hurry to get Lu Ke to the studio. He didn’t have to worry about being late. In fact, Leigh had them arrive twenty minutes early, as it was Lu Ke’s first time on a TV show, and they had to be careful with the etiquette.

Lu Ke looked up, curiously examining the studio. It was his first time in a place like this.

Lu Ke was standing on an open stage. On the opposite side of the studio was a tall, reddish-brown door, which was open. He could see staff members walking back and forth in the hallway behind it, looking very busy.

To Lu Ke’s left was the guest interview stage, with a background that looked like a Los Angeles cityscape at night. A dark red square table and a dark gray sofa were placed side by side. To his right was a tiered audience section. In the distance, he could see a small stage for a band, with a keyboard, guitar, drum set, and other instruments on it.

That was all there was.

It looked very simple and elegant, even a little bit crude, but this was the format of most talk shows in the United States. The hosts and guests were the essence of the show, not the fancy stage props.

Walking down the left-hand side, he went behind the stage and saw a completely different scene. People were coming and going, making a lot of noise. In front of him was a T-shaped hallway, with wooden partitions separating different rooms. He could see staff members walking in and out of the rooms, a scene of organized chaos.

Lu Ke didn’t forget that this show’s permanent recording location should be in Los Angeles. This trip to San Francisco was specifically to accommodate his schedule, so the studio must be temporary. Even if it wasn’t temporary, it wasn’t the show’s usual venue, so the chaos wasn’t surprising.

Today, Lu Ke was going to record a talk show called The Tonight Show.

In the United States, talk shows are one of the most classic and popular types of TV shows.

Since the first talk show appeared on TV in 1954, it has evolved over half a century to become one of the most important components of American entertainment and social culture. Almost every TV station has a signature talk show that has been on the air for over thirty years.

For example, NBC’s Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show, CBS’s The Late Show, and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, which has been a staple in the top ten daily ratings for the past fifteen years. Of course, there’s also The Oprah Winfrey Show, which officially stopped airing last year.

American talk shows are a very special form of television. They can be divided into a few parts. First, there’s the monologue at the beginning, where the host talks to the camera and the live audience. Then, there are live musical performances, guest interviews, special segments, and skits. They even interact with the live audience.

But the most special thing about talk shows is that all the topics discussed are related to current events. They criticize politics and politicians, which is a long-standing tradition. This has made talk shows an important part of the social fabric.

According to a survey, during the 2008 presidential election, almost half of Americans aged eighteen to twenty-nine got their political information related to the election from political talk shows. More than a quarter of adults said that talk shows influenced their voting decisions. Among them, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the most famous late-night talk show, was rated as the most trusted news source by Americans, surpassing traditional and authoritative media like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

This set of data shows the special status of talk shows. In Rolling Stone’s list of the one hundred greatest TV shows, two spots in the top ten belong to talk shows: Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.

Generally, American talk shows are divided into daytime talk shows, late-night talk shows, and online talk shows.

Leaving out online talk shows in the age of personal news sources, daytime talk shows are broadcast on weekday mornings, so the main audience is the elderly, women, and students. The topics are focused on health, relationships, and family life, and they are generally more gentle.

Most late-night talk shows are broadcast late at night, and the main audience is the middle class and working professionals. Thanks to the special time slot, the style is mainly sharp, witty, bold, direct, and humorous. Political topics are always at the core, and in many cases, there are no taboos.

In the past half-century, countless former presidents, presidential candidates, and politicians have appeared on talk shows. Barack Obama was even nicknamed the "talk show president." In 2009, he became the first sitting president to appear on a late-night talk show.

Unlike Asian leaders, who try to maintain a mature and rational image, the American public cares more about a politician’s demeanor and sense of humor. Therefore, politicians choose talk shows to win over voters.

During the 2000 election, Al Gore’s campaign team admitted to the media that they spent time every day studying the content of a few important talk shows, analyzing their jokes, insults, and hot topics, and then adjusting their policies and plans accordingly. This shows how influential they are.

It’s no exaggeration to say that talk shows are an indispensable part of understanding American culture.

In the past ten years, many professional NFL players have also appeared on Saturday Night Live. Peyton Manning and Eli Manning even hosted the show after winning the Super Bowl, showcasing their sense of humor. This is one of the best platforms to show fans the players’ personalities off the field.

This time, the league chose a talk show as its promotional platform to expand its influence. They chose one of the most popular shows in the United States, The Tonight Show.

As NBC’s flagship show, it is even known as the "king of talk shows." From former host Johnny Carson’s undisputed status in the industry to his successor Jay Leno’s uninterrupted nineteen-year reign as the ratings champion in the same time slot, it’s clear how dominant the show is.

In modern American society, The Tonight Show, along with Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show, is considered one of the most iconic late-night talk shows in America. Its ratings and influence far surpass those of daytime talk shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Just by this one action, you can see how much the league values this promotional campaign.

After the game ended yesterday, everything happened so fast that Lu Ke didn’t have much time to process it. Now, it was all becoming clearer and clearer. He couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. After all, everything was new, and it wasn’t what he was best at. He had watched many TV shows on the small screen before, but now he was suddenly a part of one. He was nervous, but also a little amazed.

Under the guidance of a staff member, Lu Ke entered the dressing room to rest. He saw staff members carefully holding clothes and walking back and forth, assistants loudly confirming the show’s schedule, an agent pacing back and forth to confirm interview questions, and a second assistant carefully checking the fruit and drinks.

It was dazzling, truly dazzling. He didn’t know where to look.

The team’s locker room was much simpler and more organized than this dressing room. When Lu Ke came to his senses, he realized he was holding his breath. This clumsy action made him chuckle, and his nervousness eased a little.

Then, Lu Ke saw Emma Watson, who was the center of attention.

Just then, Emma looked up and met Lu Ke’s gaze in the mirror. She smiled broadly—the kind of smile that wasn’t sincere. You could see the curve of her mouth, but there was no genuine joy in her eyes. Without waiting for Lu Ke to react, her smile disappeared, and she looked back down, bored, at the magazine in her hands.

Lu Ke raised his right hand, ready to say hello, but it froze in place. He frowned, full of questions. He had no idea what he had done to offend this "princess," but... they hadn’t been friends since the first time they met, so it wasn’t surprising, was it?

Hesitating, a punk girl with wine-red hair walked up to him, blowing a pink bubble gum bubble. She had a big smile on her face. "So you’re Bambi? Cool. You’re even hotter than I imagined. I like you."

Is that what the entertainment industry is like? So... direct?

In the first game of the season, who would have thought that the defense would take over the game? And the number of penalties even broke the all-time record. Well, the new season started in an unusual way!

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