From the Monty Python legend: the film/TV comedian delays writing his Hollywood reality novel to accept a TV assignment. Part One and Part Two. 2,642 words. Illustration by John Donald Carlucci. Los Angeles – 2003 My writing partner Sam and I are in an early morning meeting at the Disney Executive block. Execution block more like. Over the main […]
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A showbiz journo goes Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole and ends up at a hellacious party. 3,477 words. Illustration by John Donald Carlucci. As I lay down, I remembered thinking that I would only close my eyes for a moment. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how intensely I stared, I couldn’t see my way through the […]
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A hot mess Hollywood starlet provokes a bar fight with the hot tempered manager. 3,778 words. Illustration by John David Carlucci. The bar went silent as the jukebox changed songs. At that moment, just as a popular song blasted through the speakers, the door opened and she walked in. The regulars had a habit of […]
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The studio counsel ponders a future without the law or the neighbor. 2,787 words. Part One. Illustration by Thomas Warming. Jeffrey couldn’t accurately assess how his job search was going. He made calls — all of them taken. He’d sent emails — all of them answered. This was a relief. All the usual players from gym were still […]
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A laid-off studio lawyer hangs around home and discovers a new neighbor. 3,443 words. Part Two. Illustration by Thomas Warming. It wasn’t just a job you left but a way of life. Lunches at a certain grade of restaurant expensed, and many colleagues and celebrities. It came to Jeffrey that he had been fired from the collective us, […]
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Is he a fierce Hollywood mogul or a fearsome studio zombie? He’s still deadly. 2,476 words. Story and illustration by Mark Fearing. Mo Merkleman was buried at Forest Lawn on an unusually warm and rainy day. Funeral guests got mud on their shoes, but that didn’t stop the throngs of agents, producers, real swear-to-god movie stars […]
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A family member imagines the Epstein brothers’ screenwriting process for Casablanca. 3,673 words. Illustration by Thomas Warming. July 1942 Hedda Hopper I went over to the Warner’s lot yesterday morning and right away ran into Ingrid Bergman, my favorite sexy Swede, on the set of Seas Of Sand. I should say Casablanca, since that is the […]
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A P.I. is asked to investigate the reigning box office champ for an endorsement deal. 2,412 words. Illustration by John Donald Carlucci. McNulty didn’t look anything like what he was. And what he was was one of the best private eyes in Hollywood. Sure, others in the profession preferred confidential investigator, but McNulty liked the […]
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Part Two of a book excerpt from the Monty Python legend: the film/TV comedian tries for a Hollywood kiss-and-sell publishing deal. Part One. 2,352 words. Illustration by John Donald Carlucci. Los Angeles – 2003 I’m very good at bullshit. It’s what I do best. And that’s not just me speaking. My writing partner Sam says I have dropped more […]
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Will an accident victim let big-time movie producers butcher and bastardize her story? 2,418 words. Illustration by Thomas Warming. This was the long anticipated day that Hollywood would hear my story. I had moved to Arizona from Aspen. Loved it there, but the weather really bothered my leg. I finally had to hang up my hat, gloves […]
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A Hollywood writer-producer goes on a short but strange drug trip. Part One here. 2,701 words. Illustration by John Donald Carlucci. Bender woke up and remembered where he was, flailed his arms and legs like a child making snow angels but he was alone in the bed. He sat up and saw Annette curled under her makeup table, […]
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Did Hollywood’s coke frenzy ever go away or just go underground? First of two parts. 3,081 words. Illustration by John Donald Carlucci. On the patio of Stazuzzi’s Trattoria on Sunset Boulevard, Bender dipped his bread into a bowl of pale yellow olive oil and realized his drug dealer’s complexion was the same color. Such was the effect […]
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EXCLUSIVE: Bruce Wagner debuts an excerpt from his new Hollywood novel about secrets hidden beneath the glamour of a couple’s lavish celebrity life. 2,899 words. Illustration by Thomas Warming. On Saturday, Dusty threw a dinner party in Trousdale. The dislocation between the Oscar-winning actress and her wife Allegra was still profound but the renewal of physical vows had kindled […]
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A newly promoted movie exec must meet the big boss who may want sex with her. 2,541 words. Illustration by John Donald Carlucci. “What’s the matter, broke your finger?” Saul Desh barked into his iPhone. “Dad? Everything OK?” asked Amanda Desh, a surge of apprehension rising in her voice. “How did your annual physical go? I was […]
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When a notable director’s movie bombs, he expects his estranged family to console him. 2,756 words. Illustration by John Donald Carlucci. For most of the ride home, Harry Lewiston and his daughter chose to ignore the annoying truth perched in the back seat and breathing down their necks. The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds filled the uneasy […]
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