Hollywood Heartache

Hollywood, home to the celluloid dream factories for over one hundred years. Hollywood, where attitudinal inconsistency is the norm... Ambitious, out-of-focus; loving, cold; caring, hardhearted; kind, cruel; good, bad; trusting, suspicious; romantic, platonic; helpful, obstructive; sympathetic, insensitive; humorous, dreary; decisive, uncertain. Hollywood, where those who handle inordinate pressure with self-assurance and equanimity become outrageously rich and famous and live to a ripe old age. Hollywood, where those who fail to cope with relentless stress, succumb; fall from grace at the pinnacle of stardom and sink into an abyss of despair and despondency. Hollywood, where the tinsel is frequently splattered with tears, causing heartache for the vulnerable. This book is dedicated to 50 hugely talented actors, whose lives ended in tragic circumstances; sometimes financially or spiritually impoverished, occasionally before their time.