From Publishers Weekly
Not since Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons have two journalists (Breitbart feeds stories to Internet scandalmonger Matt Drudge and Ebner wrote for Spy) gathered more mean-spirited gossip about celebrities they condemn as sick and depraved. This diatribe is so unrelentingly negative that it loses all power to persuade. Breitbart and Ebner cover a variety of subjects they stand against, among them celebrities voicing their political views, a woman's right to choose, single motherhood and celebrities adopting children. In a chapter devoted to anonymous nannies discussing disrespectful kids of anonymous movie stars, the authors suggest mandatory Norplant and vasectomies for Hollywood parents. Hugh Hefner can't win for being wild or conservative; the authors blast the "fossilized relic embalmed in nostalgia and Viagra" for watching a bestiality video 30 years ago, and then condemn him for his intolerance of illegal drugs. Peculiarly, the authors adore gay porn director Paul Barresi, who paid off the "she-males of the night" that Eddie Murphy frequented so they'd change their stories. But when Murphy's lawyers didn't compensate Barresi, he turned all his records over to the authors. Barresi went on to warn Michael Jackson that his latest videographer was also a gay porn director. But when Jackson wouldn't pay for the information, Barresi leaked the story to the tabloids. Instead of calling Barresi a blackmailer, the authors announce that "he has a code of ethics emphasizing loyalty and respect." Most of the gossip isn't new (e.g., Greg Allman was an uninterested father; Whitney Houston, Nick Nolte and Robert Downey Jr. have had drug problems), and without any illuminating backstories, this is a sour and joyless read.
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Review
" Literary assassinations don't come any more vitriolic than Hollywood Interrupted... fascinating stories and explosive revelations... " ("Daily Record, 24 April 2004)
" ... capitalises on our base interest in the more scandalous antics of the showbusiness elite... " ("Birmingham Post, 17 April 2004)
" ... makes for a riveting read." ("Hotdog, May 2004)
" ... lifts the lid on some of Tinseltown's weirdest and most notorious celebrities... " ("Western Daily Press, 3 April 2004)
..."the industry has never been without a scandal, as this jaw-dropping book reveals..." ("Hot Stars, 3 April 2004)
"has appeal and certainly it has shock value" ("The New York Post, Liz Smith, March 15th, 2004)
"terrific book, both snappy and snappish...." ("The Wall Street Journal)
"The next best thing to a Los Angeles friend with a nose for juicy gossip." ("The Wall Street Journal)
"A Hollywood horror-fest. Celebrities are skewered like shish kabobs in Andrew Breitbart and Mark Ebner's.... "Hollywood, Interrupted "Entertainment journalism...[is] a stampede of A-list a**-kissing...this bracingly impudent expose...declined to pucker up."("Penthouse, February 2004)
"Shockingly delicious!" ("Star magazine)
The entertainment industry ...takes a beating in [this] scathing collection of revelations about ... scores of luminous entertainment med ia personalities. ("Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
"This is a fun book!" ("Jon Stewart, The Daily Show)
..."a wildly... entertaining jeremiad against the entertainment industry...against the perverts, flakes, egomaniacs, junkies, bullies andcriminals..." ("Rick McGinnis/Metro Toronto)
