Rating: 
Summary: YOU GO D-Girl
Review: Who says great things don't come in small packages? Ms. Davis delivers more than you bargained for in this tell-all about being a development girl (D-Girl) in the trenches of Hel-Lay. With breezy aplomb, Davis covers all the bases (and then some) about how the industry IS and how the industry WORKS. Filled with oftentimes hilarious personal anecdotes and delivered with acerebic wit, D-Girl succeeds in cutting to the truth about Hollywood knowing full well that there is no truth to be found. Life is your own movie, she reflects, and Hollywood is the backdrop-- one day noir, the other Moliere, the other Farrelly. D-Girl is not merely a 'tell-all' . Rather, it is packed with important information for the reader with dreams of one day making it in the business. Nearly every word, phrase, and term is defined in the back. Chapters range from how to know when your production office is folding ("they replace the Evian with Poland Spring"), how to deal with the phones ("at night, remove the pillows, take a towel, roll it and place it under your neck"), and oodles of information about marketing oneself in the town where self-promotion is king and "everyone in the grocery store is talking about the screenplay they're writing". Overall, a book is a must-buy. Loaded with information and presented in a style that engrosses the reader (whether he or she dreams of working in film or merely struggles to grasp the real in and outs of Tinseltown), this D-Girl delivers!
Rating:
Summary: Breezy and Easy
Review: Fresh, fun, breezy reading that teaches you about the movie business easily and painlessly.
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial, embarassing.
Review: This book is a complete and utter waste of time. Those wanting to get involved in the motion picture industry would be MUCH better off by reading Bill Goldman's superb ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE (note: written by someone who's actually accomplished something in the industry); Davis' "book," and I use that term loosely, is nothing more than an inane collection of cliché and fluff. (I'm wondering who Davis slept with at Doubleday to get her publishing deal; if her sexual prowess is anywhere near the quality of her writing, he ended up sorely disappointed...) I've been involved in the development and production of quite a few studio movies, with producer's credit on four of them; yet I am ashamed to admit that I have anything in common with Davis, even my occupation. It's no wonder that people outside the entertainment business have such a bad opinion of us, especially "D-Girls"; it's books (and writers) like this that give us all a bad name -- though I will say it's given us a lot of laughs in my office. Davis notes that just like Sherry Lansing, she too began her career as a script reader. Trust me, Hadley -- you're no Sherry Lansing.
Rating:
Summary: Garbage. I hated it.
Review: I thought it was awful. End of subject
Rating:
Summary: A vanity piece
Review: What's the fuss about? Some of the positive reviews rip into the negative reviews with such visciousness! This is a relatively short book, in which a newcomer to the industry explains how she made it. In my opinion, personally, I don't think she made it. Apparently it is true: Ms.Davis was out of a job when the book came out, both companies she worked for closed soon after she'd joined them, and her stint at both was relatively short. We're not talking David Selznick here. If it's true that some people who have read the book see it as a tome for the MTV generation, or a hysterically funny read or full of brilliance-- Okay, so maybe for some people it is. Remember how in high school there were an array of groups? And how you'd always see the same groups at the same high schools? Well, this book apparently appeals to a certain group of people-- not the most mature, serious, or classy crowd in the school-- but a group nonetheless. I'm glad they've found a voice for themselves in the book. Regretfully, I'm not one of them. I expect to see another slew of rave reviews to follow mine. Since there's much concern in the book and in the reviews about beauty, jealousy, true senses of humor, and failure, for the record: No, I'm not wildly unnattractive. I have seven awards for comedy prodcutions. I'm listed as one of the 100 most powerful people in Premiere.
Rating:
Summary: A silly and self-important book
Review: The reviewer who called this something like a peach on a hot summer day surely must be joking. I was curious what the truth of this book was about, since all the reviews here are either unbearably flattering, or all out negative. How come there was no middle ground? Since I don't know the author and therefore am neither a friend or foe, I decided to find out for myself. Sadly, I agree with the thumbs down set. I have a sneaking suspision that some of these overboard rave reviews are written by the author's friends. This a very slight book. And I regretfully agree that there is far too much in here that is vapid, shallow, and stupid.
Rating:
Summary: Mother Knows Best
Review: As mother to a successful D-Girl, I say thata way Hadley Davis! Reading this book was like having a conversation with my own D-Girl daughter who tells the same show biz tales. New York and Hollywood are not places for naive sissies.Any mother would be proud to have a daughter with such a sense of humor and ability to write. How many D-Girls and Guys out there have published a book? And didn't I just read in the New York Observer that Ms. Davis had landed a plum job writing for a hit television show? Hadley Davis, your mother must be glowing with pride!
Rating:
Summary: This book is like a ripe peach on a hot summer day.
Review: I saw a brief interview with Hadley on CNN while on vacation a few weeks ago and wanted to check out the book. I was very inspired by all of the twenty somethings in the interview, also in the entertainment industry. I looked up the reviews on this site and became discouraged based on the NY chip on their shoulder chickies that slammed the book. They obviously didn't read the entire book and scanned the very end. 200 pages must be too much for them to bear when the girl on the cover is cute and successful and they are niether cute nor successful. One said she has been in the business for 14 years - yadda-yadda and made the reference to the way Hadley spelled out Warner Brothers rather than just the "Warner Bros." typically used in the industry...Well Big chip on her shoulder...the book is not for people in the business but for people who are not and may not know those abbrv. Duh. Anyway...I read all of the -very quick-reading- book and thought it was funny and informative and true. My husband is a producer for theater and a lot applies to both film and theater...I am entering the film indusustry and laughed and learned from Hadley's book. I would definately get it if you are young, even at heart and are planning to start in the industry or if you have been struggling at entering the industry. Thanks Hadley for speaking your mind for those of us who like being frankly spoken to.
Rating:
Summary: SUPER (D) GIRL!
Review: Author Hadley Davis is the entertainment industry's new super HERO! This book reads FASTER than a 30-second PITCH meeting and will enable anyone to LEAP the HOLLYWOOD Hills in a SINGLE bound... "DEVELOPMENT GIRL" comes to the rescue of all showbiz job seekers.
Rating:
Summary: The MTV Generation's Guide to Hollywood!
Review: Here's the book we've all been waiting for -- Hollywood 101 for the MTV generation. This is the perfect book for someone who aspires to be in the movie business.
|
