How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less [Paperback]

Melissa De La Cruz (Author), Karen Robinovitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

2 WOMEN, 14 DAYS. THE GOAL? ACHIEVE BOLD FACE STATUS

SIGHTINGS: Spotted last night at a giant bash at Nobu: fashionista cuties Karen Robinovitz and Melissa De La Cruz. Karen was heard saying she’s “still exhausted” from her recent Bungalow 8 birthday party that would have made P. Diddy jealous. Apparently, she was wearing two million dollars’ worth of Harry Winston diamonds (including the 22-carat ring Whoopie Goldberg wore to the Oscars) and was constantly shadowed by a bodyguard named Lou who was straight out of a Scorsese film. Melissa, also fatigued from the fast track, just hosted an intimate dinner party at a swanky Upper East Side restaurant attended by trend-setting journos from New York magazine, The Observer, Allure, “Page Six” as well as the indefatigable Michael Musto–and as part of the gift bag giveaway, the whole crew is being flown to Miami to stay at a five-star resort favored by the likes of Will Smith.

Asked how they managed to go from barely-known freelance writers to A-list celebrities in just fourteen days, they coyly spilled the beans: Marie Claire called with the assignment, and they simply begged, clawed, cried, borrowed, cheated, lied, stole, and bribed their way to fame. Their how-to tips to stardom include “Pick an M&M color to hate, and stick to it.” And they’re writing a book, daaahlings, so whether you live in New York or Nebraska, you too can have the goods to claim your own fame and become legendary.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Charged with making themselves famous in two weeks for a Marie Claire article, New Yorkers de la Cruz and Robinovitz figured "how hard could it be?" They soon learned that becoming the latest It girls was not as easy as strapping on a pair of Manolos and giving in-depth interviews about the contents of their wardrobes. In this sassy and shamelessly shallow guide to landing in the limelight, the authors-de la Cruz wrote the novel Cat's Meow and Robinovitz writes for Harper's Bazaar and Elle-explain the ins and outs of the fame game, covering everything from exposure ("there's no such thing as bad publicity, darling") to gaining entrance to happening nightclubs ("start dropping names"). Although the authors realize they're not exactly staples of the Page Six set, they do have plenty of anecdotes to share about media manipulation and snagging goody bags at parties. It makes for a pointless yet entertaining look at the often frightening world of fame.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Karen and Melissa capture the zeitgeist of American pop culture perfectly. Consider
this ‘the rules’ to gaining popularity and fame for the generation raised on the Real
World. Plus, it’s a riot.” –MOLLY SIMS, MTV host, actress, supermodel

“For anyone who has ever stood before a bathroom mirror and secretly thanked The
Academy, a hilarious guide to becoming ‘It’ in an age where the line between fame
and infamy is as fine as a Manolo Blahnik stiletto heel.” –BONNIE FULLER, Editor-in-Chief, US Magazine

“Some are born famous, some achieve fame, and some have fame thrust upon them. For the rest of us, this book is essential reading.” –TOBY YOUNG, Author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345462947
• ISBN-13: 978-0345462947
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #788,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat's Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney's, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Here is the secret!, September 9, 2004

By 

Rebekah Krause "RLK" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less (Paperback)

I hate to type this because I know from the book Melissa (the infinately more likable of the two) reads the reviews on Amazon.com, but this is tripe. This is a hideous vanity project and here is the secret of the book:
You need to be HUGELY connected. No matter what they tell you this is how they became (very marginally) famous: They know famous gossip columnists, famous publicists, famous models, famous producers, pop culture icons, you name it, and THIS is what they use to get famous. No average person in (lets just say)Suburban Nashville or Montana could possibly get remotely famous following their advice because they do not have friends who can get them HUUUGE free parties, slip their names into New York Magazine, etc. They went to whealthy private schools where they made connections, worked for national publications, and OVER AND OVER they use those connections to get (very marginally)famous. DO you know Molly Sims? Would she come to your party? Would famous artists paint your portrait? Major gossip columnists return your call? The head of one of the biggest PR firms in the country joyfully throw a sponsored party for you because you have been good friends for six years? Could your friends introduce you to some of the biggest movers and shakers in Hollywood? No? this book will be worthless to you.. Unless somehow you are unaware famous people are butt kissers with entourages and assistants. There, I gave away all the secrets: Connections, connections, connections (Oh, lots of butt-kissing and an assistant and entourage). There are no secrets here, and by stating in the begining they are normal, average, nobodies, they are pretty much just.. lieing.. Though in the forward they come off as horribly deceptive talking about how they met (Uh huh, both desssperate to meet eachoter, and obsessed. Right) and never regain credibility. I *want* to like Melissa (Cat's Meow is GREAT) and she seems really nice and self-effacting, but by participating in this book, I just can't.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Have you ever heard of the authors? I haven't., July 5, 2003

By 

Heather Wallace (Pennsylvania USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less (Paperback)

The fact that I have never heard of either of the authors should have been my first clue as to how ineffective their techniques are.

Throughout the book so many names are dropped that the reader nearly trips over them at every turn. How are those of us who don't know Michael Musto and the like supposed to apply the advice of these two authors? The fact that they do have friends in high places and still couldn't become well-known speaks volumes.

There is, in truth, very little advice contained in this book. It is mostly filled with anecdotes of the authors' exploits with very few practical tips for fame-seekers.

In the authors' quest for fame they missed the mark. It wasn't fame that they achieved, but rather the ability to be anonymous free-loaders.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars True Confessions from a co-author, February 3, 2005

By 

golden comet - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less (Paperback)

My true confession is that I have not read this book; however, I saw Melissa on television talking about it. She stated that one of the things she did was give the book an effusive review right here on Amazon. I appreciated her honesty. It confirmed my suspicions regarding a lot of the book and music reviews here.
An amusing lady. Look to the other reviewers for opinions on the book and be a little wary of five star reviews.