The Celebutantes: On the Avenue


Book Description

The Hamilton Triplets—Madison, Park, and Lexington—are accustomed to living in the public eye. Heiresses to a billion-dollar media empire, they have been raised in New York's most elite social circles and, at 16, know firsthand the demands of being celebutantes. There are people to impress, appearances to make, and paparazzi to outrun. Not to mention high school to finish. But when fashion editor Zahara Bell is found dead in a one-of-a-kind frock from Lex's unreleased clothing line, and then the priceless Avenue Diamond goes missing, getting to class is as far from the triplets' minds as their first pair of Manolos. One of the girls is a suspect, and the sisters find themselves in the middle of a scandal that could sink their reputations and their father's companies for good. And the press is ready, willing, and able to lend a hand. The Hamilton sisters need to stick closer than ever before. The killer is still out there, and if they don't solve the case their threesome could become a twosome quicker than you can say Cartier.




The Celebutantes: To the Penthouse


Book Description

IT’S SUMMER IN the city for Madison, Park, and Lexington Hamilton. Only, these triplet heiresses have more on their plate than hot-tubbing and the Hamptons. The Royal Crown Society of America is one of the most exclusive private clubs in the country and the triplets have secured membership. Even more exciting is that pop-art It girl Tallulah Kayson will unveil her newest masterpiece at their very own inaugural luncheon. But when they run into Tallulah’s mysterious boyfriend, Elijah Traymore, hitting on their friend Coco McCaid, something doesn’t feel right. And when Elijah plunges to his death from the hotel penthouse, that feeling is confirmed. Elijah was pushed, and judging from the limited edition pink cell phone found at the scene of the crime, Coco McCaid needs a very good lawyer.




The Celebutantes: In the Club


Book Description

The school year’s almost over, and Madison, Park, and Lexington Hamilton are ready to trade in their Birkin bags for bikinis. But before vacation comes work, and the triplets have plenty of it. Cleopatra, the newest, hottest, and most expensive club in Manhattan, is opening–and it just happens to also be Hamilton Holdings’ latest business venture. The girls must throw the party to end all parties. But this is one opening the sisters won’t soon forget. Before the night ends, the body of a classmate is found with a bloody wound on the side of his head. At first glance, the case appears to be open-and-shut. But the girls smell trouble. They know the murderer is still out there, and they’re willing to bet their sizable inheritance that the police won’t be able to unravel the mystery. Murder is so out, but until this crime is solved, it’s arrivederci Italia. And the Hamilton sisters simply won’t accept that as an option.




Celebutantes


Book Description

Two "Hollywood Kids" have written a name-dropping, scandal-wielding romp through Hollywood during Oscar week




Sexism in America


Book Description

"The news in 2008 was that women had taken huge strides forward. Feminists' decades-long struggle finally seemed to be paying off, not only in boardrooms, classrooms, and kitchens but also at the very top-in presidential politics. But what is the truth behind the headlines? In Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future, renowned feminist author Barbara J. Berg debunks the many myths about how far women have come and the pervasive belief that ours is a post-feminist society. Combining authoritative research and compelling storytelling, Berg traces the assault on women's status from the 1950s-when Newsweek declared "for the American girl, books and babies don't mix"-to the present, exploring the deception about women's progress and contextualizing our current situation. All women are hurt by a society lauding their attributes in speeches while scorning them in public policy and popular culture, and the legacy of the women's movement is being short-circuited in every aspect of their lives. Passionate, extensively documented, humorous, and persuasive, Sexism in America is simultaneously enlightening, frightening, and revitalizing. Berg, an ardent optimist, helps women understand where they are and why and how they can move beyond the marginalizing strategies. It is exactly the right book at exactly the right time"--Provided by publisher.




The Political Economy of Celebrity Activism


Book Description

This edited collection brings together scholarly works of both a theoretical and empirical nature to critically analyse the forms and functions of the contemporary celebrity activist and to examine how these intersect with the political economic structures in which celebrity activists operate. Collectively, the volume illuminates some of the inherent tensions between the ethos of solidarity and compassion that the celebrity activist works to generate on the one hand and the processes of corporate sponsorship and discourses of individualism upon which the celebrity often depends, on the other. By offering empirical case studies that situate instances of celebrity activism within specific political contexts, the collection highlights how celebrity activism intersects with some of the underlying structures of gender politics and political discourses such as neoliberalism. In addition, the volume discusses how the tensions between, for example, individualism and solidarity can raise important questions about the authenticity of individual celebrity activists and how individual celebrity activists work, with varying degrees of success, to obfuscate such tensions and obscure the potential contradictions of their work. This book will be of great interest to students and academics within the fields of politics, international development, political communication, social movements, activism studies, and celebrity culture.




Starbucks Nation


Book Description

Here is a devastating, hilarious satire of coffee-swilling, celebrity-obsessed Southern California pop culture by one of the freshest new voices in fiction. Morgan Beale has a celebutante, masochist wife and a home being renovated. He begins adapting the latest bestseller, The Chihuahua in the Blue Prada Bag, from a local hotel room. Dodging the paparazzi one morning on his way to Starbucks, he discovers the surreal otherworld of Starbucks Nation, a film set littered with characters from Beale’s life and the novel he’s adapting, including a talking Chihuahua and an elite commando unit of ethnic cookie-making elves. Mercilessly lampooning our fascination with reality television, celebrity blunders, B movies, and mindless infotainment, Starbucks Nation brilliantly showcases the absurdities of modern society.




Listen to Pop!


Book Description

Listen to Pop! discusses the evolution of pop music in America from the 1950s to the present, diving into its impact on American culture, particularly through its association with television, and its enduring legacy. Listen to Pop!: Exploring a Musical Genre provides readers with an overview and a history of the pop music genre. The bulk of the book is devoted to analysis of 50 must-hear musical examples, which include artists, songs, and albums. Additionally, the book contains chapters that analyze the impact of pop music on American popular culture and the legacy of pop music, including how the music is used today in film and television soundtracks and in television commercials. The book deals with all of the various subgenres of pop music from the 1950s to the present. The selection of material discussed reflects the artists, songs, and albums topping the pop music charts of the period, and while the volume examines these items individually, it also discusses how our definition of pop music has evolved over the decades. This combination of detailed examination of specific songs, albums, and artists and discussion of background, legacy, and impact distinguishes it from other books on the subject and make it a vital reference and interesting read for all readers and music aficionados.




World Famous Love Acts


Book Description

Winner of the 2002 Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction, selected by Chris Offutt.




Beneath a Starlet Sky


Book Description

The New York Times bestselling authors of Celebutantes return with a dazzling new novel set among the star-studded crowds of the Cannes Film Festival, where everyone's hoping to discover, sign, screw or become the Next Big Thing. And a three-picture deal would be nice. Lola Santisi—CEO of a struggling fashion line, reformed Actorholic and daughter of Hollywood Royalty—is now not only bicoastal, she's Bi-Lolar: That is the condition which causes her to swing like a pendulum between the opposing poles of the fashion world in New York and the real world with her Doctor Boyfriend in Los Angeles. She hardly knows which shoe fits her anymore: the Louboutin stiletto or the Croc. As Lola tries to launch Julian Tennant's new dress line, it looks like they're about to get their next big break: his wedding dresses have been chosen to feature in the top film at the Cannes Film Festival. And suddenly Lola is staging a full-blown couture show on a yacht – in the middle of the Med. Think those super models had trouble walking down the catwalks at Fashion Week? With an unexpected finale twist, this time it's Lola who's tumbling off the runway. Having recently endured a disastrous break-up with Lola's brother Christopher, Kate Woods, Lola's BFF and CAA's rising star agent, is newly single, and focused 24-7 on her clients. The only thing worse than thinking it was a good idea for Kate to date Lola's brother, is thinking it was a good idea for Kate to put one of her most loose-cannon clients, Nic Knight, in Lola's father's movie. Among Kate's other mega star clients is Saffron Sykes whose appearance on the cover of Vain magazine in Julian Tennant could be the difference between Julian Tennant, Inc. weathering the economy or going bust. As Lola fights to survive the Cannes Film Festival, will she get swept into the French Riviera's riptide of glamour and superficiality? Are real love and couture mutually exclusive? Or can Lola have it all – the good doctor and her Louboutins. With her father and brother vying for the same prize, her mother starring in her new reality show, and one heartbroken girlfriend about to declare motherhood, it's all on Lola to come up with the answers. And it's going to take more than one of her mother's prosperity chants to save the day.