Wannabe: A Would-Be Player's Misadventures In Hollywood [Paperback]

Everett Weinberger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1997

Everett Weinberger has an Ivy League education and an MBA, but what he really wants to do is produce.

He's willing to start at the bottom-even if it means being Alec Baldwin's personal assistant-but after tapping all his L.A. connections, he still can't land a job. He even blows one interview by forgetting to compliment a studio exec on his car.

When Everett gets work as a "power temp," life gets even weirder. He becomes second assistant to everyone from Frank Wells to Leonard Nimoy, trying to cope with the incessant phone calls and invisible protocols that keep getting him fired.

Wannabe is a scathing and laugh-out-loud funny portrait of a world where even the assistants are political barracudas, by a guy with no bridges left to burn. A real-life Swimming With Sharks, it should be required reading on the Hollywood syllabus.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Weinberger left a high-paying Wall Street job to try to break into movie making in La-la Land, where he worked as a temp in the offices of some of the best-known figures in the industry. He found them almost universally autocratic and vicious in dealing with subordinates; their chief assistants behaved the same. Disillusioned with Hollywood, Weinberger returned to New York City and got a job at Miramax only to discover that the staff were no different from their West Coast counterparts. Now he's working for a bank and considers his film days a "vision quest," a career detour. Weinberger's memoir makes much ado about virtually nothing.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Behind-the-scenes looks at the wacky world of "Hollyweird" are nothing new, of course, nor are young-college-grad-entering-the-world-of-work tales, but put the two together and you have Weinberger's entertaining look at how things get done in the fantasy capital and how hard it is, first, to get started in the biz and, then, to stomach yourself thereafter. Weinberger used his MBA to get a foot in the door as a "power temp" for power brokers at Disney, Columbia, and Paramount. He recounts his observations and experiences cheerfully and straightforwardly, subtly building to the ironies of his story rather than slapping the reader in the face with wry anecdotes and telling observations. Eventually, he left show biz, but you get the feeling that his life was enriched by his strange sojourn among the lotus-eaters. Sharing his experience is highly entertaining. Mike Tribby --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312157088
• ISBN-13: 978-0312157081
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So accurate it hurts., November 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Wannabe: A Would-Be Player's Misadventures In Hollywood (Paperback)

Mr. Weinberger's book should be a "must read" for anyone contemplating a career in the entertainment industry. As head of development for a major feature film production company, and having worked with some of the people detailed in this book, I can honestly say that WANNABE is painfully accurate. From the copy room, to the board-room, Hollywood is filled with people acting richer, more powerful, and bigger than they really are. It's a fun, informative read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable Account of the World's Sleeziest Business, January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Wannabe: A Would-Be Player's Misadventures In Hollywood (Paperback)

Wannabe is a truly remarkable portrayl of a world guarded with gold screens and littered with fallen bodies. Mr. Weinberger's laces this book with violent wit and insight that will enchant and amaze the most skeptic of readers.

As a Hollywood producer, I was amazed at the take-no-prisoners accuracy Mr. Weinberger's work. Wannabe is a behind-the-scenes look at the underside of the world's sleeziest business. It is story that has been told exceedingly well in this remarkable work.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spirited review of life in Hollywood..., January 13, 1998

By 

Robert Wellen (CHICAGO, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wannabe: A Would-Be Player's Misadventures In Hollywood (Paperback)

Everett Weinberger must be commended on an excellent book. It is a quick read, but that by no means it is one without much merit. His odyssey through Hollywood reflects the craziest hopes of many readers. His honesty, humor, and pursuit of his dreams are to be admired. We certainly learn much about how Hollywood works. As I look back, I see Weinberger as a lone man holding a flashlight to the darkness behind the bright illusions that Hollywood projects. Even more, it is a diary of one man's ability to chase his dream and finally come to terms with where his life is headed. His ability to accept his destiny (not one he had imagined when he headed to LA) in life and embrace it just may be the most valuable lesson his book teaches.