Hollywood Undercover
Encyclopedia
Hollywood Undercover: Revealing the Sordid Secrets of Tinseltown is a non-fiction
book about the culture of Hollywood society, written by investigative journalist
and author Ian Halperin
. Halperin poses as a gay man trying to become a successful actor in Hollywood, and informs individuals he is from the non-existent "Israeli royal family". He investigates rumors that the Church of Scientology
reportedly claims to have a "cure" for homosexuality
through "auditing
", and speaks with a former Scientologist
about his experiences. He also explores the casting couch
phenomenon, the pornography
industry, and the Oscars. Halperin meets with famous actors and celebrities, successfully obtains a talent agent
, and a role in the film The Aviator.
The book was published in 2007 in the United Kingdom
by Mainstream Publishing
, and on January 15, 2008 in the United States
. Hollywood Undercover received generally positive reviews in The Herald
, New York Daily News
, The Saturday Star
, and Contactmusic.com; and a critical review in The Independent
. Halperin later released a documentary film
on the same topic, His Highness Hollywood, which premiered in New York City
in April 2008. His Highness Hollywood is a companion documentary to the book.
, and gains access to exclusive celebrity parties. He informs individuals in the entertainment industry that he is a "member of the Israeli royal family" (which does not exist).
The book takes a critical look at the Church of Scientology
and its influence in Hollywood. Halperin posed as a gay
man looking for a "cure" for homosexuality
from Scientology
in order to expose what he felt were inherent prejudices in the organization. He investigates rumors that Scientology claims to have a cure for homosexuality through a special "auditing
" process. Halperin interviews former Scientologist Michael Pattinson, who sued the Church of Scientology claiming fraudulent activities after spending US$
500,000 over 18 years in attempts to cure his homosexuality.
Halperin states that he told a Scientology official he wanted to have a successful career in Hollywood but was afraid that if his homosexuality was revealed it would stymie his career. He states that the Scientology official said the organization would "cure him of his sexuality through auditing". According to Halperin the Scientology organization has arranged "cover" marriages as part of a "cure" for homosexuality, and notes that actor and Scientologist John Travolta
married Kelly Preston
two days after a male porn star told the National Enquirer of an alleged relationship he had with Travolta. According to Halperin, Anna Nicole Smith
had wanted to become a Scientologist, but decided against it after she was informed by a friend of the organization's stance on homosexuality.
Halperin concludes that the Scientology organization is more focused on money than on other issues: "I pretty much found that everything about the church is about making as much money as possible, which doesn't really make them much different from most other religions. I have to be honest and admit I also met some nice people in the church. It's just that I have a huge problem with their discriminatory attitude toward gays." Halperin disputes Andrew Morton
's claim in his book Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography
that actor Tom Cruise
is second in command of the organization, instead asserting Cruise is actually in the top position of leadership.
Halperin also explores the pornography
industry, the Oscars, and the travails of the casting couch
phenomenon. Links to YouTube
videos by Halperin are given throughout the book, to illustrate encounters he had with various entertainment personalities. Halperin meets with famous actors and celebrities including Barbra Streisand
, George Clooney
and Leonardo DiCaprio
, and asks them to share their advice with him about the workings of the entertainment industry. Halperin eventually lands a talent agent
, and a role in the film The Aviator.
, and describe Halperin's experiences in the book as "certainly entertaining, and at times scandalous". Ben Widdicombe of New York Daily News
notes Halperin "received the most offensive response imaginable" when he asked a Scientology official who Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard
would have voted for in the 2008 United States presidential election; according to Halperin, he asserted he spoke with a recruiter for Scientology, "He said, 'I can tell you who shouldn't be President - Barack Obama, Condoleezza Rice and the Rev. Al Sharpton. They should not be allowed to run for office, they should be sweeping the office.'" A review of the book in The Independent
comments that the YouTube links provided throughout the book "have the effect of making virtually everyone who tries to help him seem nice while presenting Halperin as an unscrupulous creep".
In a review in The Saturday Star
, Angelique Serrao writes that Halperin "interviews insiders who spill scandalous information that will leave you gasping at the audacity of the movie world". Adam Adshead of Contactmusic.com writes: "Hollywood undercover is a candid and intelligent look at the fame game from an insider's point of view." Marc Weisblott reviewed the book for Eye Weekly
, and comments: "Cynical reporting about the Hollywood system isn’t hard to come by, but Halperin has the audacity to get involved with his subjects, attracting empathy even while claiming that he’s a royal scion craving fame that his homeland cannot facilitate."
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book about the culture of Hollywood society, written by investigative journalist
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
and author Ian Halperin
Ian Halperin
Ian Halperin is a Canadian investigative journalist and writer from Montreal, Quebec whose 2009 book, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson was a #1 best-seller on the New York Times list on July 24, 2009. He is the author or coauthor of nine books including Celine Dion: Behind the...
. Halperin poses as a gay man trying to become a successful actor in Hollywood, and informs individuals he is from the non-existent "Israeli royal family". He investigates rumors that the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
reportedly claims to have a "cure" for homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
through "auditing
Auditing (Scientology)
Auditing was developed by L. Ron Hubbard, and is described by the Church of Scientology as "spiritual counseling which is the central practice of Dianetics and Scientology".-Description:...
", and speaks with a former Scientologist
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
about his experiences. He also explores the casting couch
Casting couch
The casting couch, casting couch syndrome or casting couch mentality is a term which involves the trading of sexual favors by an aspirant, apprentice employee, or subordinate to a superior, in return for entry into an occupation, or for other career advancement within an organization...
phenomenon, the pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
industry, and the Oscars. Halperin meets with famous actors and celebrities, successfully obtains a talent agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
, and a role in the film The Aviator.
The book was published in 2007 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Mainstream Publishing
Mainstream Publishing
Mainstream Publishing is a publishing company in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1978. It is associated with the Random House Group, who bought Mainstream in 2005....
, and on January 15, 2008 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Hollywood Undercover received generally positive reviews in The Herald
The Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
, New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, The Saturday Star
The Star (South Africa)
The Star is a daily newspaper based in Gauteng, South Africa. It has a readership of 840 000 and is owned by Independent News & Media. It gained worldwide attention in 2006 when it published survey results according to which about twenty percent of South African men have raped a woman in...
, and Contactmusic.com; and a critical review in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. Halperin later released a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
on the same topic, His Highness Hollywood, which premiered in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in April 2008. His Highness Hollywood is a companion documentary to the book.
Contents
Halperin pretends to be an individual trying to become a successful actor in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and gains access to exclusive celebrity parties. He informs individuals in the entertainment industry that he is a "member of the Israeli royal family" (which does not exist).
The book takes a critical look at the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
and its influence in Hollywood. Halperin posed as a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man looking for a "cure" for homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
from Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
in order to expose what he felt were inherent prejudices in the organization. He investigates rumors that Scientology claims to have a cure for homosexuality through a special "auditing
Auditing (Scientology)
Auditing was developed by L. Ron Hubbard, and is described by the Church of Scientology as "spiritual counseling which is the central practice of Dianetics and Scientology".-Description:...
" process. Halperin interviews former Scientologist Michael Pattinson, who sued the Church of Scientology claiming fraudulent activities after spending US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
500,000 over 18 years in attempts to cure his homosexuality.
Halperin states that he told a Scientology official he wanted to have a successful career in Hollywood but was afraid that if his homosexuality was revealed it would stymie his career. He states that the Scientology official said the organization would "cure him of his sexuality through auditing". According to Halperin the Scientology organization has arranged "cover" marriages as part of a "cure" for homosexuality, and notes that actor and Scientologist John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
married Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston is an American actress and former model.- Early years :Preston was born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center, and her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when Preston was three years old...
two days after a male porn star told the National Enquirer of an alleged relationship he had with Travolta. According to Halperin, Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith
In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
had wanted to become a Scientologist, but decided against it after she was informed by a friend of the organization's stance on homosexuality.
Halperin concludes that the Scientology organization is more focused on money than on other issues: "I pretty much found that everything about the church is about making as much money as possible, which doesn't really make them much different from most other religions. I have to be honest and admit I also met some nice people in the church. It's just that I have a huge problem with their discriminatory attitude toward gays." Halperin disputes Andrew Morton
Andrew Morton (writer)
Andrew David Morton is a former British Fleet Street journalist, a notable writer and biographer.Before moving into a career in journalism, he attended grammar school, then studied history at the University of Sussex....
's claim in his book Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography
Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography
Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography is a biography of actor Tom Cruise, written by Andrew Morton. The book was published in the United States in hardcover format on January 15, 2008 by St. Martin's Press, with a first printing of 400,000 copies, and an audio format on five CDs by Macmillan Audio...
that actor Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
is second in command of the organization, instead asserting Cruise is actually in the top position of leadership.
Halperin also explores the pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
industry, the Oscars, and the travails of the casting couch
Casting couch
The casting couch, casting couch syndrome or casting couch mentality is a term which involves the trading of sexual favors by an aspirant, apprentice employee, or subordinate to a superior, in return for entry into an occupation, or for other career advancement within an organization...
phenomenon. Links to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
videos by Halperin are given throughout the book, to illustrate encounters he had with various entertainment personalities. Halperin meets with famous actors and celebrities including Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
and Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
, and asks them to share their advice with him about the workings of the entertainment industry. Halperin eventually lands a talent agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
, and a role in the film The Aviator.
Reception
Cheryl Caira, Rosemary Goring and Anne Johnstone reviewed the book for The HeraldThe Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
, and describe Halperin's experiences in the book as "certainly entertaining, and at times scandalous". Ben Widdicombe of New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
notes Halperin "received the most offensive response imaginable" when he asked a Scientology official who Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
would have voted for in the 2008 United States presidential election; according to Halperin, he asserted he spoke with a recruiter for Scientology, "He said, 'I can tell you who shouldn't be President - Barack Obama, Condoleezza Rice and the Rev. Al Sharpton. They should not be allowed to run for office, they should be sweeping the office.'" A review of the book in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
comments that the YouTube links provided throughout the book "have the effect of making virtually everyone who tries to help him seem nice while presenting Halperin as an unscrupulous creep".
In a review in The Saturday Star
The Star (South Africa)
The Star is a daily newspaper based in Gauteng, South Africa. It has a readership of 840 000 and is owned by Independent News & Media. It gained worldwide attention in 2006 when it published survey results according to which about twenty percent of South African men have raped a woman in...
, Angelique Serrao writes that Halperin "interviews insiders who spill scandalous information that will leave you gasping at the audacity of the movie world". Adam Adshead of Contactmusic.com writes: "Hollywood undercover is a candid and intelligent look at the fame game from an insider's point of view." Marc Weisblott reviewed the book for Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid.-...
, and comments: "Cynical reporting about the Hollywood system isn’t hard to come by, but Halperin has the audacity to get involved with his subjects, attracting empathy even while claiming that he’s a royal scion craving fame that his homeland cannot facilitate."
See also
- Cinema of the United StatesCinema of the United StatesThe cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
- Hollywood, InterruptedHollywood, InterruptedHollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon - The Case Against Celebrity is the title of a book and website authored by Mark Ebner, with co-author Andrew Breitbart. The book was published in 2004 by John Wiley and Sons. The writing focuses primarily on what Ebner sees as the disconnected,...
- Homosexuality and ScientologyHomosexuality and ScientologyScientology views of homosexuality are based on the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology. His statements about homosexuality have given rise to assertions from critics that Scientology promotes homophobia...
- Investigative journalismInvestigative journalismInvestigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...