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Hollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon -- The Case Against Celebrity

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But why is America still obsessed with them?
They're Only Human
Dreck: but fascinating for all the wrong reasons
My True Confession
Don't waste your time or money!!!!!

Hollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon -- The Case Against Celebrity
Andrew Breitbart , and Mark Ebner
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471450510
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Book Description

Hollywood, Interrupted is a sometimes frightening, occasionally sad, and frequently hysterical odyssey into the darkest realms of showbiz pathology, the endless stream of meltdowns and flameouts, and the inexplicable behavior on the part of show business personalities.

Charting celebrities from rehab to retox, to jails, cults, institutions, near-death experiences and the Democratic Party, Hollywood, Interrupted takes readers on a surreal field trip into the amoral belly of the entertainment industry. Each chapter âÂ€Â” covering topics including warped Hollywood child-rearing, bad medicine, hypocritical political maneuvering and the complicit media âÂ€Â” delivers a meticulously researched, interview-infused, attitude heavy dispatch which analyzes and deconstructs the myths created by the celebrities themselves.

Celebrities somehow believe that it's their god-given right to inflict their pathology on the rest of us. Hollywood, Interrupted illustrates how these dysfunctional dilettantes are mad as hell... And we're not going to take it any more.

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These are some of the reasons why Hollywood's misbehaving stars do what they do, but over the past few years, their stories have become so outrageous that it's hard to tell what they're actually thinking-if they're thinking at all! In this entertainment industry exposé, Andrew Breitbart and Mark Ebner pull back the curtain to reveal the twisted culture of Hollywood and the preposterous penchants of today's high-profile celebrities. From John T, Tom Cruise, and Ann Heche to Eddie Murphy, Oliver Stone, and Courtney Love, Hollywood, Interrupted presents the mind-altered behavior of the most reality-challenged celebrities from all walks of life and every genre. Hollywood, Interrupted explores how the pathological behavior of celebrities has destroyed comedy, snuffed relationships, and demeaned family values. Each chapter delivers a meticulously researched, interview-infused, attitude-heavy dispatch-which analyzes and deconstructs the myths created by celebrities and their way-too-protective handlers. You'll enter a world where: Celebrities and Hollywood power players engage in "cyber," "off-line" sex and subterfuge with a young America Online customer service agent "Young Hollywood" swing clubs and "porno-tainment" become mainstream diversions Statutory rapist Roman Polanski can win a Best Director Oscar, but can't collect it because of the criminal conviction against him in the United States Some of the most famous stars send their children to an elite high school with a curriculum that includes extracurricular cross-dressing and a mandatory pseudo-therapeutic program called "Mysteries" Celebrity nannies get so stressed they've formed a Beverly Hills support group Mathew Perry, Robert Downwy Jr., and Ben Affleck, among others, vacation atarm's "five star" rehab resort centers Hollywood Madame Heidi Fleiss can emerge from prison a born-again celebrity, ready to cash in

Customer Reviews:

But why is America still obsessed with them?.......2007-06-07

I wasn't really impressed by this book. I understand that many celebrities are narcissists, shallow people who *think* they are profound and mirror the actions of profound people, all the while craving adulation, money, and prestige, while not thinking about anyone else (they also lack true empathy and conscience, somewhat in the sociopathic style). I understand that they are annoying and shouldn't be representatives of our politics; however, I see nothing wrong with vegetarian celebrities promoting vegetarianism or something of that nature because having compassion towards animals is actually a positive thing. I work with adolescents, some of who have shown cruelty towards animals, and we already know that people who are violent towards animals are then violent towards other people. Also, vegetarianism is good for the health. Anyhow, back to my review. In sum, I think the book really should have explored why the average person, the common man or woman or child, adulates and supports Hollywood. It's our money that feeds the machine. Is it because we have low IQs? I for one never watch television because I realise exactly what it is -- cheap entertainment with boring and repetitive storylines, and don't even get me started with reality shows, I've never kept up with any of them. But in the end the fault is that of America's citizens -- what is the fascination with celebrity and why does America support it? Perhaps there is a hidden narcissism in the regular person who aspires to live like a celebrity, or perhaps the average person, lacking a modicum of IQ, really admires wealth and power and can only see the trappings of wealth and power set before him or her, and is blindsided to everything else? This to me would mean there is also something very wrong with the average American. A book like this, if already using "clinical" terms like narcissism, should have in turn had opinions of more psychiatrists or other professionals and also analysed America's own narcissism and preoccupation with celebrity.

They're Only Human.......2006-07-21

It just goes-to-show what we should have already known; celebrities, like everyone else, are only human. That includes politicians too. Both major parties. Just because someone skyrockets into the limelight, doesn't now make them the experts on what to believe, morals, or who to vote for. Most of these people don't even know what they believe themselves, only the "politically correct" trends-of-the-day. We may enjoy the movies they make, or maybe that beautiful song they just put out, but when it comes to being a spokesperson for today's issues, use your brain and think for yourself.

Dreck: but fascinating for all the wrong reasons.......2006-06-24

It's been a heck of a long time since I've bothered to write a review, but after finishing reading this book, I felt compelled to.
"Hollywood Interrupted" opens with chatroom correspondence between the two authors, who despite one of them being "liberal" and the other "conservative" they both find they have an apathy for celebs and their lifestyles. Conservative Breitbart and Liberal Ebner then have a classic bright-lightbulb-materializes-above-the-head moment! Why not WRITE A BOOK full of rehashed gossip, unfunny attempts at humor and stupid moralistic posturing but also rants about THEIR free speech being trampled on!
Throw in constant unfunny references to "the heterosexual Tom Cruise" (Sure, I make fun of TC, but I try to come up with new stuff, and though I disagree with his views on psychology, I don't HATE the guy.), an entire chapter dedicated to Courtney Love and her problems. Sure she's messed up, but Hole were a good band.
However, the chapter on Scientology is amusing. In fact, this book could have been a 13 page booklet consisting of that chapter alone. That said, you can't put the damn thing down- that is if you can stomach all the arrogance and mean spiritness of the writers. It could have been helped by a healthy leavening of satire, but Breitbart and Ebner appear to be too dim-minded and/or overcome by psychotic rage to be genuinely funny.
By all means read this book. It's not for everyone, but if you are one of those people fascinated by the gory scenes on websites such as rotten.com and the like (and I'm one of them) you may find this worth a look. Although chances are you'll know most of the "news" here: Eddie Murphy and the tranny, Whitney Houston's "Crack Is Whack" schtick and of course the Arquettes, the Phoenixes and the Baldwins -though no Wayans'es- it could be that there's just too darn many of them, or the "authors" may just be racists as well as moralists and homophobes. As the title song in Herschell Gordon Lewis's "2000 Maniacs" (and the remake "2001 Maniacs") goes: "The South's gonna rise again! Yee haw!". I give it an extra star for the sheer sleaziness of it all. If two morons can keep me glued to my chair and entertained for a couple of days, then it can't be all that "bad".(And no, I am not talking about me sitting and amusing myself with a couple of hand puppets). Bad is a relative term.
My next review due sometime in 2007. Those of you with no lives mark it off on your calendars. :-)

My True Confession.......2006-02-25

I'm embarrassed to confess this, but I actually bought this book by way of co-author Mark Ebner's urging in an AOL authors chat room. He shamelessly directed me to his blog, http://www.hollywoodinterrupted.com, and I click-through purchased the paperback here on Amazon. I then read Hollywood, Interrupted in one sitting, and now I feel less embarrassed being comforted by the fact that the book begins and ends with silly instant message sessions conducted by the authors.

In between their late night online chats, the authors composed an uncompromising pastiche of passages (How's that for alliteration?)devoted to exposing the town that they clearly love to hate. The result? I loved it!

Then I went back to Ebner's blog and discovered why this guy seems so desperately egotistical about getting noticed. His journalism rocks!

So, Ebner... Now that I've read and reviewed your work, you are forgiven for being such a shameless self-promoter.

Don't waste your time or money!!!!!.......2006-01-14

I checked this out of the library & only read about 1/3 of it. That's about all i could take of this mean-spirited, one-sided, repetitive diatribe.

Please read the Pub Weekly review above. It gives a fair picture of this crappy book.

I have no problem w/ criticism of hollywood & celebrity, as long as it's fair & intelligent criticism. This book is neither. It's just a biased, unoriginal rant.

The worst thing i can say about it is that the tone is that of a smug, intolerant, finger-wagging, self-righteous hypocrite of the worst kind. Of course the authors, while condemning these celebrities, have no problem making money off of them (& their misfortunes). These guys are the worst kind of blood-sucking insects.

If you're really curious, leaf through it at the library & then put it back. Please don't give these narrow-minded idiots your hard-earned money.

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