Strange Hollywood

More like Hollyweird, right? Unearth fun facts from Bryan Cranston’s body hair double to the Martha Stewart vs. Gwyneth Paltrow Goop feud, and much more. Hollywood stars may be accustomed to the limelight, but there are some things they may wish had never seen the light of day. Scandals, stunts gone wrong, off-camera feuds, eccentric lifestyles, it’s all here in Strange Hollywood. Dozens of entertaining articles about the world of showbiz will amuse you and make you realize that being a celebrity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at: · Celebrity gaffes, online and off · Diva demands · Jeopardy’s most annoying contestants · Rotten reviews · Star Trek tidbits · Spooky set locations · Showbiz slang And more

Strangeness abounds in every corner of the United States—read all about it in this entertaining compendium of real-life stories! Americans may think of themselves as the most normal people in the world, but that assumption will be turned on its head when you dig into the contents of Strange USA. From political scandals and dumb crooks to oddball roadside attractions and the history of Florida Man, the country is teeming with weirdness in all 50 states. Dozens of the most amusing and entertaining articles from previous Bathroom Readers about the strange goings-on in the land of the free and the home of the brave—plus 40 new pages—will keep you turning the pages for hours.

Presents strange, interesting, and unique landmarks found in Hollywood, California, including celebrity cemeteries, haunted movie theaters, and local personalities.

Hollywood columnist and author John Austin takes readers well beyond the prepared and doctored statements of studio publicists to expose omissions and contradictions in police and coroners' reports. Includes information on the deaths of Elvis, Marilyn, Jean Harlow, and more.

Every city has its urban legends, its tall tales, and even its outright lies, and Hollywood and Los Angeles have enough to fill a book--and Paul Young has done just that. L.A. Exposed includes the facts behind the myths surrounding everything from the tall tales of tinsel town, to the legend and lore of LA landmarks, to rock n' roll rumors, to Southern California's unnatural history, to the city's crime lore, to tales of corruption and conspiracy in the land of sunshine and health; LA Exposed dares to ask the hard questions. Does L.A. really have earthquake weather? Did Alfred Hitchcock ask Grace Kelly to do a strip teast in her front window? Is there treasure buried in the Watts Towers? Are there still opium dens in Chinatown? Was Barbara Streisand ever in a porn film? Young gives readers the lowdown on the city's most enduring myths, exploring their origins, and whether there is an ounce of truth to any of them. L.A. Exposed, inventive, witty, and addictive, is sure to be a hit in L.A. and beyond.

Ivor Maddox and his men of the Hollywood police department face, as ever, a formidable load of tricky and puzzling cases. An unknown woman walks into a lawyer's office and shoots him dead: who is she and what is her motive? A housewife in a reputable neighbourhood is found slaughtered. And, perhaps oddest of all, a woman uses her alleged psychic powers to reveal that a missing schoolgirl is being held captive in the Hollywood area. 'My favourite American crime-writer' New York Herald Tribune

American filmmaker Ray Dennis Steckler may forever be remembered for his cult classic The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!? but his career path is even more fascinating than his strange signature film. Between 1962 and 1986, Steckler wrote, directed, edited and occasionally acted in nine more underground feature films. After his live oddities roadshows helped propel the director to even greater cult infamy, Steckler turned his camera towards the adult film world. Between 1970 and 1984, Steckler directed no fewer than three dozen of these explicit genre pieces. This book covers Steckler's nearly 50 movies, including several lost, incomplete or experimental films. Each entry includes a full list of cast and crew credits, along with a plot synopsis, plenty of images and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Transcriptions of the author's interviews with Steckler's ex-wife Carolyn Brandt, his daughter Laura H. Steckler, actor Ron Jason and stuntman and actor Gary Kent are included along with an homage chapter and an overview of the director's collectable memorabilia.

Comic Book Movies explores how this genre serves as a source for modern-day myths, sometimes even incorporating ancient mythic figures like Thor and Wonder Woman’s Amazons, while engaging with the questions that haunt a post-9/11 world: How do we define heroism and morality today? How far are we willing to go when fighting terror? How can we resist a dystopian state? Film scholar Blair Davis also considers how the genre’s visual style is equally important as its weighty themes, and he details how advances in digital effects have allowed filmmakers to incorporate elements of comic book art in innovative ways. As he reveals, comic book movies have inspired just as many innovations to Hollywood’s business model, with film franchises and transmedia storytelling helping to ensure that the genre will continue its reign over popular culture for years to come.