Misadventures in the (213) - Hardcover

Hensley, Dennis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688154522 ISBN 13: 9780688154523

Publisher: William Morrow, 1998

Synopsis

What Armistead Maupin did for San Francisco, Detour columnist Dennis Hensley does double for Los Angeles in a tale of a struggling screenwriter, his circle of urbane celebrity-seeking friends, and their madcap attempts to make it in the biz.

"(213)?" you may ask.

Well, the area code, of course.

"Misadventures?"

Just the usual crazy high jinks underemployed Tinseltown wannabes usually get up to. Like making off with fish from Tina Louise's koi pond. Or calling Leeza Gibbons via Airfone to ask who does her headshots. Or harassing Alicia Silverstone with tales of watermelon-loving porn stars. Or auctioning off Andrew Shue's chicken wing and Heather Locklear's lip print for charity. You know.

And the wannabes themselves? Well, there's Craig, the aforementioned struggling screenwriter. And Dandy Rio, his best friend and star of her own hit sitcom, That's Just Dandy. Miles, their superpublicist friend, and Ulysses, a noble but unsuccessful musician from Craig and Dandy's college days. Oh, and a whole slew of love slaves.

Packed with Hollywood life lessons and more B-level celebs than you can shake a casting sheet at, Misadventures in the (213) is a brilliantly witty romp through the L.A. entertainment machine. And just wait till you come out the other end.Because, of course, money, fame, and glamour aren't everything.

About this title

Review:

Dennis Hensley's Misadventures in the (213) is like the best kind of gossip--something you might hear from a friend who heard it from a friend who knows someone who does Tori Spelling's hair--and it's just bitchy enough to be very, very funny. Aspiring screenwriter Craig Clybourn arrives in Hollywood and is soon sucked into a series of giddy escapades involving a phone book full of B-list celebrities and enough scandal to keep the most rabid "Melrose Place" fan happy (including a shocking case of watermelon abuse!) Craig's adventures were originally published as a monthly serial in Detour magazine, and the episodic structure that this lends to the book only serves to keep the laughs coming thick and fast. From AIDS dance-athons to champagne glasses bearing Heather Locklear's lipstick, Misadventures in the (213), paints a picture of life in L.A. that is both bizarre and true to life, thanks to Hensley's unique insider perspective. It's a fluffy, sugar-dusted, chocolate-dipped dessert of a novel with a cherry on the top, and if you have a sense of humor and an open mind, its charms are irresistible. --Simon Leake

About the Author:

Dennis Hensley is a writer, journalist, and sometime friend to the stars. For two and a half years, he wrote the column "Misadventures in the (213)" under the pseudonym Craig Clybourn for Detour magazine. He is also a regular celebrity profiler for Detour and has contributed articles and profiles to Cosmopolitan, Out, and Movieline. He lives in Los Angeles.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0688154522
• ISBN 13: 9780688154523
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288