Celebutantes

by Amanda Goldberg, Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper

Prepare to enter a world of what fashion designer Michael Kors has called “stylish intrigue, glamorous machinations, and such juicy fun.”  Take a wild ride with Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Hopper, who have culled their insider’s purview to peel back Oscar’s legendary curtain and reveal what really goes on under the sheets of Young Hollywood. Do Happy Hollywood Endings really exist, or does everyone end up on the cutting room floor sooner or later?  It’s a shocking, entertaining race to the end of the red carpet…

Twenty-six-year-old Lola Santisi, daughter of an Academy Award-winning mega-director and a former cover model, is Hollywood Royalty without a kingdom—or even a condo—to call her own.  This “Actorholic,” who also suffers from “Career Deficit Disorder,” is looking for more from life than what her famous last name has offered, namely her mother’s last-season Chanel hand-me-downs and the lurking shadow of her father’s fame. In her latest gig as a Hollywood ambassador, Lola’s stepping out of her Louboutins and into fashion’s ultimate combat boots to engage in LA's cruelest blood sport: convincing celebrities to wear an unknown designer's gowns to the Oscars.

Providing advice, emotional support, and even a new mantra or two are her BFF (Best Friend Forever) Kate Woods, an obsessively ambitious talent agent desperate to go from unter to über, and her BAF (Best Actress Forever) Cricket Curtis, a struggling up-and-comer trying to surpass her role as a coma victim on Grey’s Anatomy and overcome one rejection after another to become the next Cameron Diaz or Nicole Kidman, or the next anybody.  Together, they dodge fashion roadkill while navigating General Motors’ Annual Fashion Show, the Gagosian dinner at Mr. Chow, and more.  Ultimately, the week culminates at the über-exclusive Vanity Fair Oscar party, where the allotted time slot on your invitation marks how far in or out you really are.  But who will be left standing with job, heart, and stilettos still intact at the after-after-Oscar party?

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Young Adult, Beach Reads, Adult Fiction

308 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2008

About the author

Amanda is the daughter of legendary Hollywood producer, Leonard Goldberg. CELEBUTANTES is her first novel.

Reviews

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hotchpotch of "too many" and "too much"...
- too many characters, real or fictional ones
- too many commercials
- too much soapy feminism
- too much fuss

Not to mention that I've only smiled twice or thrice, and I've never laughed reading this (sub)product...

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definately a mindless read! Although, I will warn that if you have no idea about who is who in hollywood and are not at all interested in current actors and actresses, don't even attempt this book. There is so much name dropping that if you don't know who they are, you'll be lost! I had a hard time keeping up at times, myself, and I'm very into actors and actresses! One thing that REALLY REALLY irked me was that Goldberg would reference an actor or actress once, and then refer to them by their initials. Renee Zellweger became R.Z. and sometimes I found myself so completely and utterly lost that I had to back up and re-read what I had just read to see who she was talking about! But the story was cute, a little frantic at times, but definately enjoyable. If you want something light, this is for you!

[Liana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zero stars, zero stars, zero stars! Three pages in and already spewing celeb and dropping designer names like they drank WAY too much at the Ocsar party then tried to run a marathon. GAG. If I hear another thing about a broken Louboutin *boo hoo* or how someone is consistently rubbing shoulders (or bodies, or other parts) with celebrities I'm going to puke myself. DON'T read it, your time will be better spent scrubbing toilets in Attica.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful....I only liked the champagne bottle on the front, that was the highlight of the book.

[Učitaj se! | Martina Štivičić · Rating 2 out of 5]

Donekle zabavan chick-lit koji ismijava Hollywood i uobražene, plitke i površne filmske i modne zvijezde. Ništa posebno, ali ima svojih trenutaka duhovitosti.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a lot raunchier than I anticipated, and it took a bit to get into, but once I passed the halfway mark I couldn’t put it down. The ending was a perfect full-circle for the book. I look forward to the follow-up novel!

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mneeea, nașpa! Nu o recomand. Doamne ce m a plictisit. Atatea nume si detalii inutile...

[Angel · Rating 1 out of 5]

A good friend lent this to my sister who was in town, knowing that I would not be interested in reading it. What she didn't know is that my sister would forget it and I'd be meandering about my house Sunday morning looking for something decadent and brainless to do - hello Celebutards! This book is terrible - I'm serious. US Weekly in novel form with a "all the main characters get a happy ending!" kind of ending, and I should mention one of the main characters is a dress. I should also mention the narrator was not as interesting as the dress.

To sum it up, if it's lying on your table and you want to really, really relish in your last vacation day of "nothing to do" and you don't mind name/brand dropping in every sentence then...well I can't really say you should read it. But I'm going to fess up and admit I did on a lazy, decadent sunshiny Sunday.

[Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was good plane reading because the plot is well constructed. The conclusion brings together all the strands of the narrative in a satisfying way. One thing that bugged me a little is that most of humor absolutely relied on celebrity name-dropping. I enjoyed that aspect of the book (I know a lot of movie-star names), but it also seems like the authors weren't doing the full work of constructing wit out of the out of control world of Hollywood. A lot of the work of humor and atmosphere was done by simply inserting names. That being said, I loved the portrait of a crazy actress who refers to herself in the third person, and there is an aspect of roman à clef here that is gossipy and compelling.

[Marnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I anticipated Celebutantes to be along the lines of The Devil Wears Prada, which I admit I thoroughly enjoyed. It wasn’t. That’s not to say that there were not enjoyable parts. I laughed out loud a couple of times, which always counts for something.

Celebutantes provides satirical insight into Hollywood and the shit show that is Oscar week. Personally knowing nothing of its accuracy, I can only assume that celebrities are indeed as absurd as this book reveals based on the acclaims it has received from some of Hollywood’s insiders. People more “in the know” may find a closer connection with this book. I think it could be entertaining as a movie…

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not ashamed... I read crap (Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, etc.) But, this book is really fun for a summer read. For anyone addicted to the tabloids, you will love this! The authors both happen to be children of very famous actors/directors so they really have a feel for Hollywood, and all the superficial stuff that goes with it. Also, they did some pretty funny trailers for this book that you can google, I could see it turning into a movie sometime soon.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just read this, it is a bit dated, but for those of us better versed in the pop culture of 15 years ago, it is fun. Many of the stars and current events mentioned are ones I remember. The main problems was the free use of opiate drugs, (no wonder we have an epidemic in this country today) the easy sex (plus casual acceptance of extra marital affairs), the casual yet desperate need for psychologists and the stereo typical characters (actually were a bit one dimensional).
Why three stars---it is meant to be a superficial, light read. So I took it that way and that is the argument I had to use to finish it--despite my reservations explained below. About 2/3rds of the way through, I was ready to stop because of the tedium of our heroines disasters in her superficial world. No tension was built using the continued almost success and then just missing it adventures. It began to feel as if there was a page limit that the authors needed to fulfill and they obligingly pulled out rumored stories they had heard about Hollywood stars and put them in the book.

But, who cares? It was a fast read and even if part of the anecdotes are genuine, it rather explains how much money is really out there in the movie industry (and collateral industries such as fashion) and what stars can get. Of course, I was prompted to think about the $20 shoes I bought and wore for over a decade that were so durable and comfortable verses the $20,000 gowns someone wears once and complains about---I can only hope that one gown did employ a lot of people in its construction and they were paid more than the three immigrant seamstresses who came to the rescue in this book and we were told by our heroine they would never earn what they deserved.

Okay, maybe it wasn't as light for this reviewer as it should have been--guess with the state of the country I am taking somethings seriously as the reason for many attitudes we are now facing--even if it is in a witty, original novel.

[Veronique Pietjouw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pff wat is het moeilijk om dit boek door te komen. Er staan echt veel te veel namen en afkortingen van namen in. Als je over al die namen heen leest is het best een komisch verhaal, maar helaas overschaduwd al die namen het verhaal. Het zijn overigens veel namen van beroemdheden van bijna 20 jaar terug, dus veel namen zeiden mij ook niets.

[K Riquena Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the audiobook of this novel, & I would say that this book was very entertaining in a ‘Clueless 90s era’ kind of way. I truly enjoy this novel, & am looking forward to reading other books that these authors write

[Melania Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t hate the book, but didn’t love it. It was a mindless read that I felt I needed with all of the craziness of life. But then it started to drag on and on. I feel like 50-70 less pages could’ve made this book a lot better.

Great beach read when you want something light.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked this book up several times over two years. Started anew and just can’t do it. Also tried audio version, listening while walking outside on a crisp, sunny day. Felt like I was losing little gray brain cells. Doesn’t compete with all the great books shelved for reading.

[Joann · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun easy breezy chic lit. Narrator for audiobook was good; made the drive pass by quick.

[Manon · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre, car on ressent l'envie de Lola, qu'elle veut vraiment réussir ses objectifs. Et malgré son nom, elle essaye de réussir sans l'aide de personne!

[TJL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Dragged here and there, but had some genuinely funny moments.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me much longer than usual to get through this book. Nothing really stood out

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was gossipy, yes, about wealthy movie stars, yes, but not over the top. It was like a frothy glass of champagne and exactly what I was in the mood to read.

[Marie Salt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read a few chapters, half the time I didn’t know what I was reading.

[Lisa Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I waited too long to read this, but the cultural references were stale, and way too many. I felt like I was with some insecure D lister whose only way to be relevant was to name drop

[Sarah]

It's like the Temu version of Devil Wears Prada.

[Leah Rehman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was more concerned about namedropping celebrities than having a plot

[Claudia Croitoru · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nu merita timpul pierdut, dar o carte inceputa trebuie terminata.

[Elizabeth (Thoughts From an Evil Overlord) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished Celebutantes the first novel from Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper. It was a quick, fun read, in most ways standard chick-lit, yet it was not predictable in many ways.
Lola Santisi is a Hollywood princess. Daughter of an Oscar-winning director and former supermodel, the twenty-six year old has what she calls a chronic case of CDD, Career Deficit Disorder. Hopefully that's about to change. It's the month before the Oscars and her BGF, Best Gay Forever, Julian has asked her to be the ambassador for his small clothing line and find someone attending the Oscars to wear one of his gowns. Lola is a true fashionista, and knows that dressing people could be her perfect career. With her father nominated for Best Director, she could just ask her mother, who is also close to Julian. But Bianca is already promised to the internationally famous designer she always wears.
Lola's month of driving around Los Angeles for fittings with crazy musicians and actresses is hilarious! From an actress who speaks about herself in the third person, to the rock star who slices up a gown and then passes out, Lola is at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Chateau Marmot, and driving all the way out to Malibu, determined to find the right star or stars so this will not be another failed career. With support from her shrink, her brother and two best girl friends. Lola follows every possible lead but is constantly thwarted by her long standing nemesis, Adrienne Hunt, who is in LA working for Prada.
In addition to her rocky career path, Lola does not have a great track record with men. Dr. Gilmore has diagnosed Lola as an "actorholic". She chooses handsome, charming actors who are either in love with themselves or their careers. Since People's Sexiest Man in the Hemisphere dumped her, she is 153 days sober when the story begins. Being on movie sets and luxury hotels is for Lola what visiting a bar is for an alcoholic. There are too many handsome actors in these places! Just another speed bump on Lola's red carpet adventures.
Written by the daughters of Leonard Goldberg and Dennis Hopper, the satirical novel is chock-full of cut-throat agents, aspiring actresses, sycophantic entourages, Yoga masters, and big name celebrities. Each section of Celebutantes is a count down to the Ocars, so the reader knows exactly how much time Lola has left to fulfill her mission.
Director/Producer McG (Charlie's Angels, We are Marshall, and my favorite show, Supernatural) made a series of 4 short films to promote the book when it was released last year, and they're all on YouTube.
Celebutantes recently came out in paperback for those of us who are a little behind on fun new authors. Definitely try it if you need a good laugh.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

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