In When Hollywood Had a King; the distinguished journalist Connie Bruck tells the sweeping story of MCA and its brilliant leader; a man who transformed the entertainment industrymdash; businessman; politician; tactician; and visionary Lew Wasserman. The Music Corporation of America was founded in Chicago in 1924 by Dr. Jules Stein; an ophthalmologist with a gift for booking bands. Twelve years later; Stein moved his operations west to Beverly Hills and hired Lew Wasserman. From his meager beginnings as a movie-theater usher in Cleveland; Wasserman ultimately ascended to the post of president of MCA; and the company became the most powerful force in Hollywood; regarded with a mixture of fear and awe. In his signature black suit and black knit tie; Was-serman took Hollywood by storm. He shifted the balance of power from the studiosmdash;which had seven-year contractual strangleholds on the starsmdash;to the talent; who became profit partners. When an antitrust suit forced MCArsquo;s evolution from talent agency to film- and television-production company; it was Wasserman who parlayed the control of a wide variety of entertainment and media products into a new type of Hollywood power base. There was only Washington left to conquer; and conquer it Wasserman did; quietly brokering alliances with Democratic and Republican administrations alike. That Wassermanrsquo;s reach extended from the underworld to the White House only added to his mystique. Among his friends were Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa; mob lawyer Sidney Korshak; and gangster Moe Dalitzmdash;along with Presidents Johnson; Clinton; and especially Reagan; who enjoyed a particularly close and mutually beneficial relationship with Wasserman. He was equally intimate with Hollywood royalty; from Bette Davis and Jimmy Stewart to Steven Spielberg; who began his career at MCA and once described Wassermanrsquo;s eyeglasses as looking like two giant movie screens.The history of MCA is really the history of a revolution. Lew Wasserman ushered in the Hollywood we know today. He is the link between the old-school moguls with their ironclad studio contracts and the new industry defined by multimedia conglomerates; power agents; multimillionaire actors; and profit sharing. In the hands of Connie Bruck; the story of Lew Wassermanrsquo;s rise to power takes on an almost Shakespearean scope. When Hollywood Had a King reveals the industryrsquo;s greatest untold story: how a stealthy; enterprising power broker became; for a time; Tinseltownrsquo;s absolute monarch.From the Hardcover edition.
#257190 in eBooks 2003-06-03 2003-06-03File Name: B000FBFNRO
Review
104 of 104 people found the following review helpful. Excellent info on shopping and styleBy Lady AtanaThis book is a wonderful guide on how to dress for success without taking out a second mortgage. Tips are given for everything from cheaper skin care to mixing high end and budget items. The listing of websites to visit are worth way more than the price of the book itself.True; there are some subjects that are useless to me because of where I live; such as Sample Sales. And in my area of the country; I could dress from head to in Prada; Gucci; and Dolce Gabbana carrying a $7000 Louis Vuitton handbag; and everyone would assume that I went on a shopping spree at Sears. The fine points of Couture is not very well known in small agricultural communtities. However; the discussions on quality of clothing; developing your own style; and especially what to splurge on and what to go "budget" on are great for anyone; no matter where they are.The basic top ten articles of clothing are a good guideline for wardrobe building and her tips on shopping are priceless.Because of this book; I now visit her website EVERYDAY to see whats new; where the sales are; and who has special offers going on.As a harried; occassionly overstressed working mother of 3; reading this book has also helped my presentation of myself and my self confidence. After reading this; I realized that I do not have to look as frantic and stressed as I am. I work in a very casual workplace; but I no longer show up to work in a t-shirt and a baseball cap with no make up (well maybe only once a week now; instead of everyday). I have begun getting my hiney out of bed; fixing my hair; putting on full make up and jewelry and almost strutting into the office every morning. This in turn has helped my self confidence; which has helped my performance (which was pretty good to begin with); and guess who got Employee of the month for July?! Also after trying to make myself look good with clothes and make up; Ive been inspired to begin the exercise routine my husband has been trying to get me to do for 3 years. I feel better and have more energy after only 2 weeks.Now; Im not saying that this book will change your life or anything; but for some people like me; it just might inspire you to try new things; which will then snowball into great things.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Frugal Fashionistas Look No FurtherBy Judy OberhausenI have been reading and enjoying Kathryn Finneys blog [...] for some time now so I thought it was time to finally buy her book since it was high time I stop talking about looking better and actually do something about it. I also wanted to support her fantastic entrepreneurial spirit. This woman never stops finding ways to engage; educate; and delight her many readers in print and on-line.I found this book to be every bit as helpful and fun to read as her blog is. It is just chock full of helpful fashion; beauty; shopping; and budgeting advice all done in a way that makes you feel you like you are sitting down with Ms. Finney for a long chat at some trendy restaurant...or better yet going shopping with her!The book answers many mysteries like "How to Figure out Your Bra Size"; "How to Find Your Own Personal Style"; "What the difference between Style and Fashion"; and many more.Whether you are already a fashionista or just an aspiring one it would be hard NOT to find lots of helpful info contained in this 200 page gem. Actually it is taking me quite a while to work my way through the book because is is so dense with fun facts and shopping strategies.Yes; it would be nice if the book had color photos but it is well-laid out and the information is presented in an attractive/accessible way.Bravo; Kathryn! Youve managed to make me less afraid of shopping; more knowledgeable about the design/fashion world; and on the way to looking better!4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. CharmingBy Tobias WrightIm a guy; and with some trepidation I picked up a copy of How to be a Budget Fashionista; thinking that because of the subject matter- shopping; something Im not too interested in; it would be a book Id set down after a couple of chapters.Well I was wrong.This charming quick little read immediately captured and held my interest. I think thats saying something about the author. I have a feeling if she were writing about the mating habits of the Oriental Rat Flea she could transform it to a must read.You can see echoes of her blogging background; as each section does not waste a lot of words; gets quickly to the point; and always has a payoff. Unlike your run of the mill blog-turned-into-a-book; which tend to be a little fluffy and bloated; every section in this book is a complete fully fleshed out thought; making it more than worthy as a standalone book; and not just some poorly thought out extension of her web log.While some of the sections are specific to women (I know more about bras; than I EVER needed to know). A lot of the tips are general and can be applied to both men and women...and there a tons of them. Everything from tips on saving to how to care for clothes.So my advice to the men. This would make a great gift for the woman in your life. Whether it be a mother; wife or daughter. I also challenge the men to take a crack at it as well; you might surprise yourself.