Our
cautionary tale in six parts concludes, as the comeback trail descends into
hellish territory for our two stars. For the past five issues, they have ever
so cautiously navigated the pitfalls of fame and stardom. Who knew that life as
forgotten has-beens would be the high point of their story?
Ruff
and Reddy have endured the occasional misstep, mismanagement, and misadventure
and they’ve struggled to resurrect their careers. But as writer far better than
myself once said, “Life
is like that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its
zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters
descend upon us.”
Here’s my observation of show biz, from
the outside looking in: It’s like a chessboard, with a finite number of spaces,
each occupied by a star burning brightly. But as time passes, that brightness
begins to fade, for any number of reasons. When it’s weak enough, another
brighter star takes its place, until its light begins to dim. Some of those
struggling for a place on the chessboard are new; others have been there before
and wish to return.
Somewhere along the way, the stars make
alliances to remain shining. It becomes a partnership of producers, publicists
and personal advisors. But everybody jockeying for a position on the board,
it’s inevitable that some of those alliances end with sudden but inevitable
betrayal. Malice? Maybe. Personal gain? Definitely. But that’s show biz.
Howard
Chaykin and Mac Rey have told a tale everyone with dreams of stardom –
especially the ego-maniacal personalities that currently occupy Tinseltown –
should try. It’s full of the kind of compromises (i.e. extortion) that make the
Harvey Weinstien scandal look tame in comparison.
Rating:
9/10