Hollywood Undercover: Revealing the Sordid Secrets of Tinseltown [Paperback]

Ian Halperin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2009

Ian Halperin is no stranger to undercover investigations. He posed as a model in 2001 to expose the fashion industry, his resulting in the exposé Shut Up and Smile. In Hollywood Undercover, he gives us a unique and scandalous glimpse behind the scenes of the movie business. This time he poses as an aspiring actor and soon finds himself with an agent, a job offer (admittedly in a hard-core porn film) and ultimately a part in The Aviator, directed by Martin Scorcese. In the interim, he is surprised to uncover anti-Semitism in Hollywood; infiltrates the Church of Scientology, whose celebrity stable includes Tom Cruise and John Travolta; and meets numerous A-listers, including Brad Pitt, Barbra Streisand, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who give him the inside track on what life in Hollywood is really like.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ian Halperin is a bestselling author and journalist who specializes in undercover investigations of the pop-culture world. He is a recipient of the prestigious Rolling Stone magazine Award for Investigative Journalism and is a regular correspondent for Court TV. His books include Bad and Beautiful: Inside the Dazzling and Deadly World of Supermodels, Best CEOs: How the Wild, Wild Web Was Won, Fire and Rain: The James Taylor Story, and Who Killed Kurt Cobain?  

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Mainstream Publishing (April 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845963210
• ISBN-13: 978-1845963217
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ian Halperin is also a former winner of the Rolling Stone magazine Award for Investigative Journalism. He is the author or coauthor of five books, including the bestsellers Fire and Rain: The James Taylor Story, and Celine Dion: Behind the Fairytale, as well as a number of exposes on the modeling industry. He coauthored Who Killed Kurt Cobain? with Max Wallace. Ian is a regular correspondent for Court TV and has contributed to 60 Minutes 2.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of money, June 4, 2008

By 

Shelley Shelley (Fayetteville, Arkansas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hollywood Undercover: Revealing the Sordid Secrets of Tinseltown (Hardcover)

I was expecting a great, juicy exposé of insider news and gossip in this book and was sorely disappointed. Mr. Halperin's writing style is weak, he never mentions names when disclosing supposedly sordid secrets, and his facts are often inaccurate. In one section, he mentions how Debbie Reynolds stole Eddie Fisher away from Elizabeth Taylor, when quite the opposite is true. The information that is in this book is basically what one can read in any People magazine--and People has far better photos. The photos in this book are amateurish and feature the author in his ridiculous sequined coat and bow-tie. I hate to be mean, but this is one book that you shouldn't waste your time on. I bought it because of the two positive reviews--I was misinformed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Slightly interesting, but grows tiresome after a while, February 13, 2011

By 

Filmfan (Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollywood Undercover: Revealing the Sordid Secrets of Tinseltown (Paperback)

As someone else called it, the book is an aimless mishmash. Interesting
at the start, but it becomes so light and silly towards the end of the book,
with the author writing about himself and his
presenting himself as "His Highness from Israel," and other nonsense, that I decided it's a waste of time,
and tossed it. Read the other one-star
reviews - I agree with them.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Aimless mishmash, April 3, 2010

By 

Dela1970 "Dela1970" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hollywood Undercover: Revealing the Sordid Secrets of Tinseltown (Paperback)

I bought this book hoping for an amusing or engaging nonfiction narrative, but it's an aimless and tedious mishmash. The author, whose writing style is competent rather than absorbing or witty, careens inconclusively from one subject to the next in Hollywood (ex. homophobia, Scientology, anti-Semitism), not getting anywhere with any of them. His narrative relies primarily on rehashing media reports, magazine articles, and common gossip. Most of the people whom the author interviews or meets seem to be as low on the credibility meter as they are on the Hollywood success ladder, and much of his book is based on repeating unsubstantiated and/or anonymous gossip about unidentified studio executives and unnamed celebrities.