Hugo sat slouched in the reclining chair of the salon, yawning repeatedly. The hairstylist beside him, Troy Cole, chuckled as he towel-dried Hugo's hair.
"Rough night?" Troy teased. "You've been asleep for half an hour already."
Hugo blinked his heavy eyelids, still half-asleep. "If you'd gotten up at seven this morning, gone for a thirty-minute run, and then driven an hour from Malibu into the city, you'd look like this too."
"Oh, Malibu?" Troy grinned. "Don't tell me you bought a place there and didn't invite me to your housewarming party?"
The two spoke like old friends, though they hadn't known each other long. Hugo had started coming to Troy's salon in November, when the Scent of a Woman press tour began. Over the last two months, the endless schedule of premieres, radio interviews, and ribbon-cuttings meant Hugo needed constant grooming, so he and Troy had gotten to know each other well.
This morning, Hugo had come in early to get ready for the Golden Globe Awards that evening at the Hilton Hotel. With so many stars needing appointments that day, he had booked his slot well in advance.
Hugo laughed at Troy's playful jab. "I'm not that rich. Buying a house in Malibu? That's still a dream. The villa I'm staying in costs five million dollars and apparently that's considered mid-range for Malibu."
"Well," Troy said cheerfully, "if you knew you had work today, you should've cut the vacation short."
"Yeah, I thought the drive would only take forty minutes," Hugo replied, yawning again. "But the traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard was insane. I almost showed up late totally ruined my mood."
Just then, the familiar sound from the television caught Hugo's attention. He looked up and saw The Oprah Winfrey Show playing on the screen. "Didn't this episode air a couple of days ago?" he asked. He and Uma had watched it live at the villa.
"Four days ago," Troy corrected him, making Hugo laugh — he had completely lost track of time while on vacation. "It's been such a hit that this is already the third re-run in four days," Troy continued, clearly amused. Hugo was genuinely surprised. He'd heard from Joseph that the interview had gone well, but he hadn't realized it was that successful.
Troy noticed Hugo's curious look and smiled. He nodded to his assistant to turn up the volume. "You don't know the ratings yet, do you? The whole of Los Angeles went wild — actually, probably the whole country. I can't say for sure, but from what the ratings and magazines are saying, my friend, you're the hottest topic in America right now."
That woke Hugo up instantly. "Ratings? Joseph mentioned them, uh…" His memory was foggy. He vaguely remembered how excited Joseph had been uncharacteristically so, almost shouting with joy. "Fifteen million viewers?" Hugo guessed.
Troy rolled his eyes dramatically. "You're unbelievable. Try twenty-three million! That's the best viewership The Oprah Winfrey Show has had in the past year."
Now it came back to Hugo no wonder Joseph had been so thrilled. The show's usual average was around twelve million viewers, but his episode had nearly doubled that number. It was staggering. That meant roughly twenty-three million people across America had watched his interview. Troy's earlier words "the whole country went wild" didn't sound like an exaggeration anymore. Considering the U.S. population was only about 250 million, almost one in ten Americans had tuned in!
"You should really check the papers," Troy suggested.
Hugo smiled. Joseph had told him the same thing. But being in Malibu, cut off from the world no newspapers, no subscriptions meant he'd missed the buzz entirely. This wasn't the twenty-first century yet; there was no internet connection keeping him updated from home.
"So, do you have any?" Hugo asked, now fully awake, looking around for anything he could read.
Troy gestured to his assistant. "Grab whatever's lying around newspapers, magazines, anything from the last week."
Moments later, a small stack landed in Hugo's hands. He started flipping through them quickly and soon spotted an article in Rolling Stone.
Rolling Stone, originally a music-focused magazine, had by now become one of the most popular and respected entertainment publications in the U.S., branching out into film and pop culture while maintaining its authority in music criticism.
"Sunburn, a purely acoustic guitar piece, presents a refreshingly simple and heartfelt style that blends elements of folk and pop. Using only the bare strings of the guitar, it captures the true essence of music — raw and sincere.
The composer avoids flashy technique or complex arrangements, instead returning to the guitar's most authentic sound. The clear, slightly fragile tone evokes the image of a wandering bard singing the story of some nameless heartbroken soul, his song carried by the wind, echoing softly in every listener's heart.
It takes real skill to express such quiet melancholy through simplicity. Even the lyrics, which appear plain at first glance, carry a subtle, lingering charm — like the scent of mint leaves in the air — perfectly complementing the melody to create a timeless piece.
It's hard to imagine that such a masterpiece came from Hugo Lancaster—an outstanding actor whose greatest musical achievement until now was adapting the ending theme for his film A Few Good Men. Yet this time, Lancaster composed this song right on the set of the show in just seven steps. His musical talent was astonishing—enough to make everyone rise to their feet in applause."
After reading the article, Hugo was stunned. Although he loved Sunburn, he never expected Rolling Stone magazine to give it such high praise—it was far beyond anything he had imagined. Until now, songwriting had been a personal pastime for him. Even when he performed with "Glory or Death," his work only circulated within a small audience. His ability had never been formally recognized by any authority. But this time, after displaying his creative talent before 23 million viewers, receiving such glowing acclaim from Rolling Stone—a magazine respected not only across America but worldwide—Hugo was overwhelmed with emotion. His excitement ran so deep that he didn't even know how to express it; he could only sit there, trembling slightly, unsure how to show his joy.
The next few newspapers he checked were from the wrong dates, so he found nothing more about it. Still, the faint tremor in his hands betrayed his excitement. Finally, he found another music magazine—Spin.
Spin is a professional music magazine with enough authority to rival Rolling Stone. Founded in 1985, its early issues focused primarily on non-mainstream music and gave serious attention to the emerging hip-hop scene at the time.
The magazine's editorial choices were bold and unconventional, unlike the relatively conservative Rolling Stone. This could be seen in its frequent coverage of underground rock bands—many entirely unknown—some even featured on Spin's cover, showing how daring its approach truly was.
When it came to genres, Spin covered a wide range: hardcore, country, reggae, experimental, and underground music all had a strong presence. The magazine even played a decisive role in promoting hip-hop's rise to prominence. In the underground music world, Spin's influence was enormous—sometimes even greater than Rolling Stone's.
Hugo opened Spin and found the review inside:
"To interpret folk music in a pop style is a bold experiment. More importantly, it doesn't feel forced—it's effortlessly enjoyable. This alone proves Hugo Lancaster's talent. With the simplest arrangement, he subtly conveys deep emotions, hitting listeners straight in the heart. Sunburn lingers on the skin of every listener."
"Even more than Lancaster's songwriting, what impressed me was his performance. A great composition can be interpreted in countless ways, yet only the right approach can bring out its full brilliance and Lancaster has undoubtedly found that path. In his effortless singing, every slide, lingering note, and breath reveals exquisite technique. On the first listen, you might not even realize why, but the song pierces straight through you. It fills you with turbulence and melancholy before you can think. On repeated listens, you begin to sense the layers of emotion hidden within his seemingly calm voice—like cream meeting strawberries—perfectly amplifying the song's beauty."
"No one can deny it—Hugo Lancaster has amazed us all."
As Hugo finished reading Spin's review, the feeling finally sank in.
His musical talent had truly been recognized.
....
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu