Rex, one of a group of dinosaurs living at the Museum of Natural History, loses his place as the center of attention when a film director invites them all to sunny California. Lively narration by Fred Berman (The Lion King on Broadway)

They led sometimes scandalous, oftentimes tragic, and completely fiery lives in the glitzy world of show business-and their stories shatter all the stereotypes about people from the American Midwest... Going Hollywood: Midwesterners in Movieland is the first book of its kind to chronicle the story behind the story of twelve Hollywood legends: Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Anne Baxter, Jean Seberg, Jane Russell, Dorothy Dandridge, Rock Hudson, Marilyn Maxwell, Jane Wyman and Louella Parsons - all from America's Heartland. Using rare archival sources and first-hand accounts, the book provides an inside look at how being from the Midwest influenced their lives, how they emerged on the Hollywood scene, and what their legacies look like today, years after their deaths.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower comes “an utterly necessary story” (The Wall Street Journal) that pulls back the curtain on the church of Scientology: one of the most secretive organizations at work today. • The Basis for the HBO Documentary. Scientology presents itself as a scientific approach to spiritual enlightenment, but its practices have long been shrouded in mystery. Now Lawrence Wright—armed with his investigative talents, years of archival research, and more than two hundred personal interviews with current and former Scientologists—uncovers the inner workings of the church. We meet founder L. Ron Hubbard, the highly imaginative but mentally troubled science-fiction writer, and his tough, driven successor, David Miscavige. We go inside their specialized cosmology and language. We learn about the church’s legal attacks on the IRS, its vindictive treatment of critics, and its phenomenal wealth. We see the church court celebrities such as Tom Cruise while consigning its clergy to hard labor under billion-year contracts. Through it all, Wright asks what fundamentally comprises a religion, and if Scientology in fact merits this Constitutionally-protected label.

What do films such as The Breakfast Club, Dead Poets Society, and Freedom Writers have to teach us about American culture? Robert Bulmans Hollywood Goes to High School takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the high school film genre. Skillfully blending sociological theory and film analysis, Bulmans always accessible writing delightfully challenges the reader to think critically about American individualism and class inequality. Bulmans insightful sociological analysis of 177 new and classic high school films explores the complex ways in which Americans make sense of social class, education, gender and adolescence. Suitable for the beginning and advanced student, Hollywood Goes to High School is an essential piece of reading for a variety of courses in sociology, education, communication, anthropology, American studies, and film studies. For more from Robert Bulman read his analysis of McFarland USA starring Kevin Costner on Sociological Cinema here: http://www.thesociologicalcinema.com/blog/is-kevin-costners-mcfarland-usa-a-white-savior-film-well-yes-and-no.

The little-explored story of how politics, propaganda, and profits were combined to create the drama, imagery and fantasy that was American film during World War II. 32 black-and-white photographs.

So you wanna be in Pictures? Where to begin?! Hollywood is a complicated maze of people, politics, ambition and desire. How do you navigate it without succumbing to the dark side? Going Hollywood is a guide to building a career, and a life, in Hollywood. The book details the process of getting an entertainment career started, from making the decision to move to Hollywood, landing the first job, through the various stages of successes and setbacks in pursuit of an ultimately successful career. You'll find in-depth, detailed, insiders-only listings of job sources, temporary employment options, apartment-finder services, and rules of work conduct specific to the industry. The book also features maps, helpful websites, local move-in resources, and recreational opportunities. How do you survive the tough times? Get first-hand advice from some of Hollywood's most successful young talent. Take a look, and enjoy your journey...Going Hollywood.

A chronologically arranged reference book on the Hollywood musical, with each entry including pertinent facts about a film and a brief essay about the plot and production. Includes hundreds of black & white stills.