Kapitel 196: Talent show
If we elevate the issue to a battle between men and women, any topic will become intense. Hugo noticed Oprah's excited expression and realized he had stepped on a landmine. He quickly explained, "No, that's not what I meant. I know that any relationship requires effort, and certain special occasions can be a catalyst for both partners' emotions."
"But what I mean is, why does it have to be a specific day like February 14th, or the 100th day of our relationship? These days don't actually hold any special meaning." Hugo clarified, increasing his pace to avoid being interrupted by Oprah again. "I've heard this saying that as long as you meet the right person, every day can be Valentine's Day."
Before Oprah could interrupt, the screams from the audience overwhelmed Hugo's voice. Oprah's face was filled with delight. "Wow, Casanova! "Every day can be Valentine's Day when you meet the right person", what a beautiful sentiment."
Hugo burst into laughter, realizing that wasn't his intention. How did it turn into this? Suddenly, he felt like a romantic icon, loved by the masses. "I just mean that if a man is willing to make an effort for a woman, any day can become a commemorative day. For example, if today I planned a fantastic surprise, like taking my girlfriend on a hot air balloon ride to see the sea, then every December 28th in the future can be a symbol of that memory. There's no need to strictly arrange it on February 14th, right?"
"Great idea! Did someone write it down?" Oprah teased Hugo before looking at him and saying, "I understand what you mean. But many times, it's because men are unwilling to plan special activities that we save you time for enjoying special activities on specific occasions like Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, or wedding anniversaries, right?"
"But the problem is, on these days, everyone gathers together, and it loses its original meaning, doesn't it? For example, on Valentine's Day, it's so difficult to make a dinner reservation. Countless people are scrambling for a table on that one night. But if we enjoy it on February 13th or 15th, does it lose its significance?" Hugo tried his best to explain. In fact, this had always been one of his shortcomings. His memory was a bit fuzzy, just like his sense of direction and name recall. He often lacked awareness of special holidays like birthdays, which led to confusion. "Also, men may not remember all these commemorative days. So if we are willing to make up for it on other days, there's no need to fuss, right?"
After Hugo finished speaking, he looked at the audience, and the men among them immediately cheered and voiced their agreement.
Oprah raised her voice, suppressing the cheers, and said, "If it were you, perhaps everything would be forgivable. "Every day can be Valentine's Day", who could have imagined such a romantic phrase? But the problem is, our lives can't be Valentine's Day every day. Most men just use excuses to avoid commemorative days, so Valentine's Day should still be celebrated on February 14th. As for the issue of booking restaurants, we will attribute it to whether men are putting in effort."
Hugo remained silent, only clutching his chest and mimicking being shot in the heart, a comical act that made people chuckle. Then he continued, "Perhaps from the beginning, men and women have different ways of thinking."
"That's why love is so unpredictable," Oprah added with a smile. She was satisfied with the conversation they just had, even though she didn't dig deeper into Hugo and Uma's situation. That was enough because her talk show was not known for gossip. On the contrary, she had engaged in a simple exchange with Hugo about the thought processes of men and women, which would likely spark further discussion when the show aired.
"Returning to the previous topic," Oprah said, and Hugo hesitated for a moment. "Do you have many ideas when planning surprise activities?"
Hugo breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they would go back to talking about Uma. "No, I don't actually have many ideas. So, I often think it would be better if we didn't celebrate Valentine's Day."
"But if you're single on Valentine's Day, you'll envy others," Oprah continued with a smile.
Hugo nodded. "People are contradictory creatures. Men complain about the troubles of Valentine's Day, while women complain about unmet expectations. But if they don't celebrate Valentine's Day or find themselves single, they experience a different kind of sadness."
"When you plan surprise activities, have you ever tried playing the guitar for a girl?" Oprah finally steered the conversation in the direction she intended. Hugo, upon hearing this topic, was momentarily stunned. In the time he traveled from, he did indeed try this several times, which reminded him of the past. But Hugo's momentary lapse in response was seen as evasive by Oprah, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Come on, don't play dumb. You're such a talented singer, and girls always get captivated by the guitar or piano."
"Me? A singer?" Hugo was still relatively unfamiliar with that title and laughed. "I often play the guitar, but I don't have that many singing performances."
"Why?" Oprah clearly didn't understand. "Your rendition of the ending theme song for "A Few Good Men" showcased how talented of a singer you are."
"Because I'm an actor, and there aren't as many opportunities for singing? And I'm obviously not a karaoke enthusiast," Hugo could only use this excuse to pass it off, as he couldn't come up with a better answer at the moment.
"I think you should give singing a try more often. It could become one of your talents. You know, in the entertainment industry, almost everyone has some unique skills. Besides acting, you could become a good singer. That would be great," Oprah enthusiastically suggested. "Maybe today, right here on the show, you can showcase your singing skills for us."
"What? No, you didn't mention this to me before," Hugo immediately froze. While he had performed on the street and in recording studios, appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show was different. It was a program watched by over ten million people. Hugo wasn't prepared to sing in front of such a large audience alone. If it was with the band Death or Glory, Hugo would gladly do it, but just him? It was an enormous challenge.
"A talent showcase, that's your talent showcase. Why not?" Oprah looked at Hugo's troubled expression and then turned to the audience for support. "Friends, does anyone want to hear Hugo perform live?"
"Yes!" The response from the audience was deafening, followed by a wave of cheers. The program had been recording for half an hour now, and this was the most exciting moment.
In fact, Oprah had considered many options, and having Hugo perform live was the ultimate goal. After the release of "A Few Good Men", although the ending theme song became a temporary topic of discussion, the media had different opinions about it. Some people thought Hugo was just playing around, and it was merely a gimmick for the movie promotion, nothing special, just a cover song. Some believed it was a studio recording that couldn't showcase Hugo's talent, considering all the discussions were just for publicity. Of course, there were also people who didn't underestimate Hugo's musical talent.
So, Oprah had thought about how to unearth the biggest highlight of this episode. It wasn't about personal journeys or gossip, but to have Hugo perform live on stage. Regardless of the quality of the performance, at least it would be the first platform for Hugo to showcase his singing talent. That would be enough.
Hugo anticipated that singing would become a topic of discussion but didn't expect this turn of events. "Oh, Oprah, I didn't bring my guitar," Hugo tried to make an excuse.
But Hugo forgot that this was Oprah's territory. Since she had opened up the topic, she naturally came prepared. So, the guitar was brought up on stage. Hugo realized then that he was indeed a newcomer to the entertainment industry. Today, he had fallen into Oprah's trap multiple times. A lesson learned, he would have to be more cautious next time.
Helplessly, Hugo looked at the guitar being handed to him but hesitated to reach out and take it. Oprah observed the situation and turned to the audience. "Guys, it's time for you to scream."
Sure enough, the live audience was cooperative, collectively starting to cheer. Some even began clapping and shouting in unison, "Hugo! Hugo!" Then, the 150 audience members and other staff in the studio joined in, clapping and cheering, encouraging Hugo.
Joseph stood beside them, witnessing the scene, and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. This trap was clearly carefully arranged, and Hugo, lacking experience, had stepped into it. Now he was in a difficult position. Unless Hugo wanted to play the diva card and refuse directly, but obviously, Hugo hadn't reached that point, and his personality wasn't like that.
Indeed, Hugo's personality wasn't like that. Hearing the shouts from the audience, Hugo couldn't help but smile and silently tell himself, "I've already taken on the challenge of Rock Night. Now I'm just singing in front of ten million viewers, no big deal. But... how many is ten million again? Whatever, he can't see them anyway. Those are just the viewers sitting in front of their TVs. Right now, in his line of sight, there are less than two hundred people. There's nothing to be afraid of!"
So, Hugo extended his right hand and took the guitar. The collective cheers from the audience erupted immediately.
Hugo sat down on the sofa with the guitar, moving to the front half of the sofa. He placed the guitar on his lap and skillfully explored the strings with his fingers. "So, uh... What kind of performance are you all expecting?"
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein