Hollywood, Interrupted
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''Hollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon – The Case Against Celebrity'' is a book and
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authored by Andrew Breitbart, with co-author Mark Ebner. The book was published in 2004 by
John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Publishing, publishing company that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company was founded in 1807 and pr ...
. The writing focuses primarily on what Breitbart and 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 The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''
bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...
. 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 Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
,
Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born ), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention playing quirky characters in the late 1980s, she achieved success with her more dramatic performances in the 1990s. Ryder's L ...
, Robert Downey Jr.,
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...
and
Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...
. The work discusses some of the more
scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...
ous of these and other celebrities, as well as their effects on society. 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. Trey Parker, one of the creators of ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
'', is interviewed in the work, and was quoted commenting on the vices of individuals in the entertainment industry, such as
prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
and
drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
. Part of the book is devoted to Crossroads School, a private high school in
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
whose students largely come from families involved in the entertainment industry, and various scandals associated with the teenagers who attend that school. The book also includes an analysis of the Church of Scientology and its effects on the culture in Hollywood, and has a chapter on
Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
and
John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...
's relationship to Scientology.


Reception

''Hollywood Interrupted'' is a ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' bestseller. The book received a positive review in Britain's ''Telegraph'', in an article entitled: "How we fell in love with 'insanity chic'". '' CNET News'' characterized the work as "... a humorous nonfiction account on runaway depravity in the entertainment industry." An article in the ''Irish Independent'' was less positive. 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. A review in ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' 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."


References


External links

;Official sites
www.hollywoodinterrupted.com


at
John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Publishing, publishing company that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company was founded in 1807 and pr ...
, publishing ;Media
Interview
with Andrew Breitbart about the book, ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
'', January 14, 2005. {{Authority control 2004 non-fiction books Books critical of Scientology Popular culture books Collaborative non-fiction books English-language non-fiction books