Off the Record: A Reporter Unveils the Celebrity Worlds of Hollywood, Hip-hop, and Sports - Hardcover

Samuels, Allison

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061137669 ISBN 13: 9780061137662

Publisher: Amistad, 2007

Synopsis

Off the Record is an insightful, funny, and oftentimes moving behind-the-scenes look at the boldfaced names of Hollywood, hip-hop, and sports. Featuring celebrities such as Whitney Houston, Eddie Murphy, Lil' Kim, Tyra Banks, Alex Rodriguez, Shaquille O'Neal, Whoopi Goldberg, Snoop Dogg, and Denzel Washington, Off the Record goes beyond the red carpet with stories that capture who they are as people—sometimes vulnerable, sometimes inspiring, but always human.

Moved by a Barbara Walters interview that she saw as a young girl, Allison Samuels began her journalism career as a college student, with an impromptu interview of Francis Ford Coppola while visiting the film set for Gardens of Stone. She has since evolved into an esteemed reporter at one of the top news magazines in the world. Samuels's stories have received national attention, including her cover feature on Kobe Bryant's alleged rape charges, and a dialogue-provoking cover story on the state of black women in America that featured then rising international superstar Beyoncé and controversial former daytime talkshow host Star Jones.

About this title

About the Author

Allison Samuels is an award-winning Newsweek correspondent who has covered sports and entertainment since 1996. Samuels is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Big Sisters of America, and the UCLA Black Studies Department board of directors. She lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

On the evening following the 1996 acquittal of Snoop Dogg on charges of murder, Newsweek entertainment writer Samuels attended a party thrown by the rapper, where an "obviously drunk fifty-something white male took the microphone... and began to deliver an ill-advised and unfortunate freestyle rap." Upon closer examination, she identified the man as one of the jurors who had granted the musician his freedom that morning. Moments like this abound in Samuels's casual, honest rumination on her career reporting on black Hollywood. Her short chapters include profiles of athletes, actors and musicians such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Angela Bassett, Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston and the artists of Suge Knight's Death Row record label, a group with which Samuels established a close, long-running relationship. The challenges of fame, success and journalism are touched upon, though only superficially. While the issue of race is given attention, the collection's main draw is the insider observations and anecdotes, which range from telling (in response to being told that an article featuring him is no longer front-page material, a precomeback Eddie Murphy asks, "But don't they remember?") to bizarre (Mike Tyson showing off the letters JFK Jr. wrote him during his incarceration). (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

As a reporter with Newsweek, Samuels' coverage of stars in sports and entertainment has more than the requisite adoration of entertainment journalists. In this behind-the-scenes look at celebrity coverage, Samuels reveals as much about her techniques and thoughts on celebrity journalism as about the subjects themselves. As a black reporter, often covering black celebrities, she reveals the drawbacks and benefits of her sex and race--the disdain of white executives and the access afforded to lower-level behind-the-scenes workers from secretaries to janitors. She recalls coverage of the short life of rap star Tupac Shakur and the impact of her hip-hop coverage on her own career in other venues. Samuels recounts the difficulty of getting to know L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant, even before the rape allegation that threatened his career, and the contrasting charm of Bryant's nemesis, Shaquille O'Neal. Among the other stars Samuels has interviewed are Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, and Whitney Houston. Readers interested in celebrity journalism will find this an appealing look at the stars and one reporter who covers them. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Amistad
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061137669
• ISBN 13: 9780061137662
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208