The Hollywood Connection

The Hollywood Connection argues that celebrity politics may matter in broader settings than previously understood. The questions presented in this collection are compelling and timely; the diverse methodologies and robust theoretical applications show the effects of fictional media on consumer audiences and implications for American politics.

Readers will feel they are actually there partying in L.A.'s top clubs as Rayce reveals the dark side of Hollywood's rich and famous: Rod Stewart, Charlie Sheen, Billy Idol, Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, and more. Second serial to The Globe. Photos.

It is 1965 in Palo Alto, California, and drama teachers Ted and Excy Wallace are thrilled to finally receive an insurance settlement that will allow the rebuilding of their fire-ravaged Shakespearean Theatre and Learning Centre. With plans to celebrate the Centre's opening with an event for the entire community, the Wallaces begin to unite all those behind the scenes who will help make their dreams a reality. After Ted leaves for Los Angeles to secure a deal so his troupe can work during the rebuilding, Excy learns from her sister-in-law that his trip may not be about business after all. While a powerful and seductive woman tries to destroy their marriage, Excy turns her focus to an upcoming meeting with Hal Sonderson, an independent movie studio owner and family friend. Hal wants Ted to help write and Excy to act in his next movie, a retro musical of the Roaring Twenties in Hollywood. Only time will tell if the twists and turns in the Wallace's life together will divide or unify them and their family. In this intriguing tale set during the turbulent sixties in America, four generations of a wealthy California family are unwittingly intertwined by their love for Shakespearean theatre and the Roaring Twenties.

In the first half of the 20th century, the movie business was considered the richest prize in America. Little wonder, then, that the industry attracted the attentions of some of the most notorious names in criminal history. For Mafia boss Lucky Luciano and Chicago syndicate boss Al Capone, the fight for control of Hollywood was the culminating conflict between two men who had hated each other since their early days on the streets of New York. Yet, at the moment of their triumph, each was caught, leaving the ensuing war to be fought out on the streets of Los Angeles by Willie Bioff and George Browne for Capone and "Bugsy" Siegel for Luciano. Complete with first-hand accounts from Hollywood luminaries, this is the first comprehensive examination of that power struggle.--From publisher description.

Now in trade paperback with a new afterward, The Power and the Glitter draws on archival sources and candid interviews with leading players in both Hollywood and Washington to explore the mutual attraction between movie stars and politicians. Brownstein reveals what motivates these "arrangements" and examines their effects on contemporary politics. 8 pages of photographs.

The power and importance of storytelling is now widely accepted, but this book goes further to focus on storymaking. CONNECTION brings together a former scientist, a story consultant, and an improv actor to give you the critical thinking of science combined with a century of Hollywood knowledge in the creation and shaping of stories. The material is relevant to lawyers, politicians, public health workers, educators, activists-- everyone. In today's "Twitterfied" world, CONNECTION provides the narrative tools for effective communication.

"This book is a celebration of nearly a century of images of Italians in American motion pictures and their contribution to popular culture." "Hollywood Italians covers the careers of dozens of stars including Rudolph Valentino, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, James Gandolfini, and many others. In addition, the book reviews the work of such Italian American directors as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese." "In all, Hollywood Italians discusses scores of films with a concentration on the most important, including their literary and European-cinematic roots. The book is capped by a comprehensive examination of The Godfather and its two sequels, as well as the international television phenomenon The Sopranos."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved