Hollywood, Interrupted

Hollywood, Interrupted

Cover of the 2004 edition
Author Mark Ebner,
Andrew Breitbart
Cover artist Getty Images
Country United States
Canada
Language English
Subject Celebrity
Publisher John Wiley & Sons
Publication date
 February 24, 2004
Media type Print
Pages 416
ISBN 978-0-471-45051-1
OCLC 54774468
791.4302/8/092279494 22
LC Class PN1993.5.U65 B678 2004

Hollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon - The Case Against Celebrity is a book and website authored by Mark Ebner, with co-author Andrew Breitbart. The book was published in 2004 by John Wiley & Sons. The writing focuses primarily on what Ebner sees as the disconnected, self-indulgent nature of Hollywood culture. The book was on the New York Times Best Seller list, and was also a Los Angeles Times bestseller. The title references the 1999 film Girl, Interrupted.

Contents

Hollywood, Interrupted takes a look at the culture of celebrity, discussing the mannerisms of celebrities such as Barbra Streisand,[1] Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Eddie Murphy and Angelina Jolie.[2] The work discusses some of the more scandalous of these and other celebrities, as well as their effects on society.[3] Ebner writes about a woman who was employed by AOL, used their database to acquire private information about Hollywood celebrities, and then utilized this illicit information to later create a career for herself in the entertainment industry.[4][5] Trey Parker, one of the creators of South Park, is interviewed in the work, and was quoted commenting on the vices of individuals in the entertainment industry, such as prostitution and drug addiction.[6]

Part of the book is devoted to Crossroads School, a private high school in Santa Monica, California whose students largely come from families involved in the entertainment industry, and various scandals associated with the teenagers who attend that school.[7]

The book also includes an analysis of the Church of Scientology and its effects on the culture in Hollywood,[1] and has a chapter on Tom Cruise and John Travolta's relationship to Scientology.[8]

Reception

Hollywood Interrupted is a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller.[9] The book received a positive review in Britain's Telegraph, in an article entitled: "How we fell in love with 'insanity chic'".[2] CNET News characterized the work as "..a humorous nonfiction account on runaway depravity in the entertainment industry."[10]

An article in the Irish Independent was less positive.[8] The article stated that though the book was witty and showed that the authors understood the material they were writing about, there was also a sense that they left out evidence in certain parts.[8] A review in The Wall Street Journal stated that the work was: "... a terrific book, both snappy and snappish", however the reviewer went on to note that the work went into exhaustive detail to get across the point that: "People in Hollywood are nuts."[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Walker, Jesse (May 2004). "Switch and Bait". The American Spectator. Vol. 37 no. 4. pp. 60–61. Archived from the original on 2008-11-30.
  2. 1 2 "How we fell in love with 'insanity chic'". Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. February 26, 2004.
  3. ↑ Jones, Allison (April 17, 2004). "Books: Soured account of Hollywood's scandalous A-listers; Hollywood, Interrupted by Andrew Breitbart and Mark Ebner". The Birmingham Post. Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd.
  4. ↑ Jardin, Xeni (April 29, 2004). "Hack Your Way to Hollywood". Wired. Condé Nast.
  5. ↑ Brand, Madeleine; Jardin, Xeni (May 5, 2004). "Analysis: Former AOL employee uses company's database to access the accounts of celebrities, forms relationships with them, and sells the story of her life to Hollywood". NPR.
  6. ↑ "'South Park' creators see through Isaac's haze". Los Angeles Daily News. March 21, 2006.
  7. ↑ Digiacomo, Frank (March 1, 2005). "School for Cool; A formerly gritty alternative school founded in 1971, Crossroads has become the elite, anti-prep mecca for entertainment-industry offspring.". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast.
  8. 1 2 3 "Thrills, spills, perverts 'n' pills: catching Hollywood in the act". Irish Independent. May 8, 2004.
  9. ↑ Jean Lopez, Kathryn (January 14, 2005). "The Heart of the Blues". National Review Online. Jack Fowler. With co-author Mark Ebner, he recently told some tales out of town on how the Hollywood set lives, what they think, and what they think about the rest of us; it's all in their book Hollywood Interrupted. The book hit the New York and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and will be released in paperback next month.
  10. ↑ Sandoval, Greg (November 30, 2005). "Breitbart.com has Drudge to thank for its success". CNET News.
  11. ↑ Long, Rob (February 26, 2004). "Books: The Perfect Oscar-Night Side Dish". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company.
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