I called my mom. Mother Lydia was the antithesis of everyone I knew in Hollywood. If I couldn’t get absolution I knew calling her would result in a strong dose of disapproval, an advised course correction, and a grudging glimmer of hope. First of all,

It’s amazing in L.A., how often the very early morning brings clarity. It’s true. The low angle of the sun, the freshly brewed coffee, the smell of moist earth and eucalyptus after the sprinklers had gone off.

It’s not common knowledge, but most leading men are short. They have big heads in relation to their slight bodies, large symmetrical features, especially eyes, and straight expertly manscaped brows. They photograph well.

  Late in the summer following my sophomore year, I was living in the Beverly Hills home of a blonde former figure skater. This photogenic darling of Orange County had risen from championship skating to spokesperson at Knudsen’s Dairy to management.

Hello, now we start our story, all about a Hollywood babysitter who rises to movie mogul. Comfy? Let’s begin… “Some one I love lives in Manhattan. I told him at the outset of the pandemic that what seemed most precious to Californians was toilet paper....