The authors of these essays see movies as mirrors of the changes in American society. They trace significant transformations in popular opinion towards "outsiders", particularly immigrants, ethnic groups, African-Americans and women, and observe the development of attitudes towards "enemies".

Auth: Southern Methodist University.

Writer Iris Berry has always been fascinated by the reality of modern-day Hollywood and its glittery history as Tinseltown, and in her new collection of poetry, All That Shines Under the Hollywood Sign, the two worlds collide. She marvels about the way jazz glides "its way/down translucent highways/at one in the morning" and "ephemeral evenings/draped across Hollywood" and rhapsodizes about such long-lost local landmarks as the Tropicana Motel and the Garden of Allah. Accompanied by evocative L.A.-centric illustrations by Scott Aicher. Berry's portraits of vanishing and changing Southern California are often sentimental but infused with a rueful punk-rock perspective as she mulls over how "A catalog/of catastrophic events/shaped our lives. Falling James, LA WEEKLY

Although she remains one of the all-time most recognizable Hollywood icons, Marilyn Monroe has seldom been ranked among the greatest actors of her generation. Critics have typically viewed her film roles as mere extensions of her sexpot star persona. Yet this ignores both the subtle variations between these roles and the acting skill that went into the creation of Monroe’s public persona. Some Kind of Mirror offers the first extended scholarly analysis of Marilyn Monroe’s film performances, examining how they united the contradictory discourses about women’s roles in 1950s America. Amanda Konkle suggests that Monroe’s star persona resonated with audiences precisely because it engaged with the era’s critical debates regarding femininity, sexuality, marriage, and political activism. Furthermore, she explores how Monroe drew from the techniques of Method acting and finely calibrated her performances to better mirror her audience’s anxieties and desires. Drawing both from Monroe’s filmography and from 1950s fan magazines, newspaper reports, and archived film studio reports, Some Kind of Mirror considers how her star persona was coauthored by the actress, the Hollywood publicity machine, and the fans who adored her. It is about why 1950s America made Monroe a star, but it is also about how Marilyn defined an era.

Mirror, Mirror: Confessions of a Celebrity Makeup Artist is the story of a single mom in Hollywood leading up toƒ‚‚"ƒ‚‚€ƒ‚‚"and duringƒ‚‚"ƒ‚‚€ƒ‚‚"the #MeToo movement. Trista uses humor, grit, and her makeup brush to rise to the topƒ‚‚]ƒ‚‚€ƒ‚‚]and deal with the high-pressure demands that whipsaw her between drama, deadlines, and disasters while working with some of the most colorful characters on the planet.

"... a vitally new understanding that takes us from the terms of the representation of sexual difference to an anatomy of female subjectivity which will be widely influential." -- Stephen Heath "An original work likely to have significant impact on all those with an interest in the vibrant intersection of feminism, film theory, and psychoanalysis... " -- Naomi Schor "... powerfully argued study... impressive... " -- Choice "... important because of its innovative work on Hollywood's ideologically-charged construction of subjectivity.... what is exciting about The Acoustic Mirror is that it inspires one to reevaluate a number of now classical theoretical texts, and to see films with an eye to how authorship is constructed and subjectivity is generated." -- Literature and Psychology "As evocative as it is shrewdly systematic, the pioneering theory of female subjectivity formulated in the final three chapters will have wide impact as a major contribution to feminist theory." -- SubStance The Acoustic Mirror attempts to do for the sound-track what feminist film theory of the past decade has done for the image-track -- to locate the points at which it is productive of sexual difference. The specific focus is the female voice understood not merely as spoken dialogue, narration, and commentary, but as a fantasmatic projection, and as a metaphor for authorship.

"City of Mirrors is deftly written and smart. On top of that, it is entertaining as hell."?Michael Connelly Running out of money, Diana Poole is forced to go back to the only work she knows: acting. Her much-loved husband and movie-star mother have died, and now Diana is over thirty-five. In Hollywood that means she might as well be dead. Still, a few key people remember her talent, and she lands a role in a new movie. But an actress should never get her hopes up, especially when she discovers the female lead’s murdered body. Raised in her mother’s shadow, Diana knows people in “the business”will go to dangerous lengths to protect their images. When her own life and career are threatened, Diana decides to fight back and find the killer. But unmasking the surprising murderer isn’t that easy, especially when she uncovers what’s real?and unreal?in her own life.