Not long after the news of the General Administration of Press and Radio's ban on the炒作of "pseudo-girls" emerged, Liu Zhuo was eliminated (see yesterday's B04 edition report in this newspaper). Last Saturday, the Chengdu district of Happy Boy held a 35 to 25 competition. This was the finals of the Chengdu singing area. That night, contestant number 4, Liu Zhuo, appeared in a white top, black straight-leg overalls, and dark high heels, but was put on hold after two rounds of singing. He was eventually eliminated by judge Ding Wei. The Southern Metropolitan Daily reporter contacted Liu Zhuo and his parents again yesterday. Liu Zhuo remained calm on the phone: "It's okay, 'The Palace Scheme' was accused of plagiarizing 'Dae Jang Geum', yet its ratings did not drop but instead rose. It's really okay, I just don't know what to do next."
Because the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television once again became embroiled in a "ban", this time Liu Zhuo's departure was both expected by most netizens and caused resentment among many "bamboo". Reactions from all sides were quite different. The general director of the Chengdu singing area, when interviewed by the Southern Metropolis Daily, believed it was impossible due to a ban. Liu Zhuo himself remained calm, while his father believed it was "absolutely" due to the ban. Regarding whether Liu Zhuo could be revived, the general director of the singing area believed that the possibility of Liu Zhuo entering the "neglected talent" phase was not great. It is understood that Liu Zhuo has already left Chengdu with his family, "currently discussing the future direction together".
On the night of his elimination, Liu Zhuo showed great strength. He told the Southern Metropolis Daily reporter that he had already heard about the ban before, but it did not affect him, "Even if I didn't know (about the ban), I would still face it very calmly, because everyone will be eliminated anyway, except for the champion and runner-up." As for the emotional reactions of his fans, Liu Zhuo said he could understand.
According to him, indeed, several satellite TV stations have extended olive branches to him, including Jiangsu Satellite TV and Star World Entertainment, but he hasn't decided to accept them yet, "They should be within the scope of variety shows, I don't know what exactly, I'm still investigating."
Currently, Liu Zhuo's biggest concern is that no company can sign him, and his future path seems somewhat unclear. As for whether he would participate in other talent shows, he gave a negative answer, "I originally participated to become famous, now that I am, I probably won't participate in talent shows anymore."
He is currently discussing the future direction with his family. Although this 19-year-old boy says he is fine, he still cannot hide his disappointment inside, "Originally, if I had advanced, I would be preparing for the next match now."
Why was he eliminated?
Chengdu District Chief Director Hong Xiao: Not making it into the top 25 was due to insufficient music skills.
Why was Liu Zhuo eliminated? There were rumors beforehand that Hunan Satellite TV had received warnings, believing that the "pseudo-girl phenomenon" goes against the principle of reflecting mainstream social voices in talent shows. Yesterday, the Southern Metropolis Daily reporter connected with Chengdu Singing Area Chief Director Hong Xiao of "Happy Boys." According to his analysis, the main reason for Liu Zhuo's elimination was poor performance. "The first song 'Legend' was indeed good, but the second original song 'Drift' exposed many of his deficiencies, such as pitch accuracy, feeling while singing, and state. Perhaps his expectations for himself were too high, so his performance was unstable."
As for the widely rumored ban, Hong Xiao denied it outright: "Impossible, I haven't heard of it. Liu Zhuo made it to the top 35 because of his music, and he couldn't make it to the top 25 because his music wasn't enough. Now many TV stations are contacting him. If the SARFT really banned him, he wouldn't be able to appear on other satellite programs. So if he does appear, it just means the SARFT didn't ban him." Moreover, regarding Liu Zhuo's future, he also had high hopes, "He has room for improvement, the brand new stage has just begun!"
Hunan Satellite TV Publicity Staff: No ban order received, hoping contestants mainly display positive and healthy qualities.
As for whether Liu Zhuo will participate in the revival competition? It is known that Happy Boys still have a "overlooked talent" phase, but Hong Xiao believes that his chances of entering are not great, "His strength may not be enough to enter the top 25, our overlooked talents are selected from each region, choosing a total of 8 to go to Changsha, but Liu Zhuo's performance that day wasn't even in the top 26 out of 35 contestants, he should be around 28th or 29th."
A Hunan Satellite TV staff member who wished to remain anonymous told the Southern Metropolis Daily reporter that the "Overlooked Talent Selection" allows each singing area's director and judges to recommend one candidate for revival, accepting "Online Revival Votes for Eliminated Contestants". The eight candidates with the highest popularity can revive and advance to the national top 300. This staff member stated that the recommended candidate from the Chengdu singing area has not yet been determined, and whether Liu Zhuo can be revived from the overlooked talents is still unclear. He also stated that relevant parties deny having received any ban orders, but some people at the station still expressed the hope that Happy Boys contestants mainly display positive and healthy qualities.
Interview with Liu Zhuo's Parents
Liu Dad: Ban? Absolutely.
Since Mr. and Mrs. Liu graduated from Chongqing, which is conveniently close to their hometown of Nanchong, their entire family is currently in Chongqing. Compared to Liu Zhuo, Liu Dad's emotions were a bit more agitated. He and Liu Mom accompanied Liu Zhuo throughout the 35 to 25 competition. In his view, that was Liu Zhuo's most perfect performance, so the SARFT's ban was "absolute." After the Southern Metropolis Daily reporter informed him of the director's opinion, he said he would first check the video online and the opinions of netizens before making a conclusion.
"Under such difficult circumstances, we're currently negotiating some future situations." Liu Dad indicated that they are still unclear about how Liu Zhuo's future path will unfold, everything is under consideration.
Liu Mom: Kids who succeed the first time are still few.
Liu Zhuo initially registered for the Nanchong district of Happy Boys, and it was his dad who signed him up. Liu Mom explained to the Southern Metropolis Daily reporter that it was to fulfill Liu Zhuo's desire to participate in Happy Boys, "We think competitions are one aspect, but mainly focus on studying hard. In the future, to stand firm in society, one must learn more skills. After all, this is very difficult, and being selected is very rare, but since he has this wish, we must support him." That time, Liu Zhuo didn't even pass the preliminary selection, and felt very upset, wanting to rest at home for a week to avoid classmates asking questions. At that time, Liu Mom told him, "How can things go smoothly right away? If you rest at home for a week, people will still ask you these questions when you return."
Talent shows are inherently cruel competitions, but Liu Mom, who used to be a kindergarten teacher, always encouraged Liu Zhuo, telling him to face each failure with an open heart, including this time missing out on the opportunity to enter the national top 300, "We always tell him not to worry, he isn't a professional singer, but rather a professional creator. Work hard on improving his own creations, and his future livelihood will be in creating. Even if he doesn't succeed and has to step down, there are still many opportunities in life. Kids who succeed the first time are still few, we've been educating him about setbacks since he was young, because life isn't always smooth."
He remains a controversial focal point
Rare or genuine? Opinions are sharply divided
● Judge Wu Qixian: Many people find you fresh, that's because they rarely see something like this. Actually, in China's cultural history, there was a period when female roles on stage were all played by men, like Mei Lanfang. But why has Mei Lanfang been made into a movie and set as an example until now? Because he didn't just dress up as a woman; he also had solid singing skills and solid acting abilities. You should take him as a role model and study hard, then your future path will be full of sunshine and hope.
● Xie Na: Liu Zhuo was eliminated?? Regrettable! We continue to support you, walk your own path, sing your own songs...
● Sun Guoqing: Why can Mei Lanfang, Leslie Cheung, and Xiao Shenyang gain public approval, but pseudo-girls don't have such good luck? I think his piano and singing skills are still pretty good, at least there's no problem with pitch and rhythm, and self-accompaniment on an electronic keyboard is quite challenging. Why can't there be a little tolerance? Shouldn't someone born this way be unfortunate? If pseudo-girls aren't allowed, dressing up as pseudo-girls might work, which would inevitably lead more people to dress up as "fake pseudo-girls"?
● Wei Ai: The elimination of the "pseudo-girl" Liu Zhuo, who makes people shiver, indicates that removing falsehoods and preserving truth is a worthy philosophical proposition.
● Jiang Jiangyun: Wearing women's clothing is his freedom, but showcasing male competitors and male voices, wearing women's clothing and singing in a female voice is inappropriate.