Confessions of a Hollywood Star by Dyan Sheldon Read Free Book Online Page B

announcement? Is that like a pre-emptive strike?”
    “And just how do you intend to get a part?” bellowed Ella. “Are you planning to ask Mr Santini if he can pull some strings?”
    [Cue: sigh of infinite patience being shoved over the edge.] “I told you. Those women I met said all I had to do to be an extra was turn up on the first day of shooting.”
    “You and half the town,” said Morty. “Unless they’re redoing Spartacus or something and need some really big crowd scenes, you’re going to have to line up now.”
    But mine of course is an optimistic nature. “I’m sure I’ll get something,” I assured him. “I do have experience.”
    “All this is beside the point,” cut in Sam. “It may have slipped your mind, Ms Cep, but the Carla Santini phase of your life’s supposed to be over, remember?”
    “It’s not over till the final curtain.”
    “This was the final curtain,” Sam informed me.
    I smiled to myself. That’s what he thought.

Predictable As Always, The Gods Turn Against Me Again
    G raduation was on Sunday, and on Saturday my father and his dog came out from the city to join in the celebrations so I had no chance that weekend to do anything about furthering my movie career.
    I had a restless, brooding two days. Morty, with his logical, mathematical mind was right. Now that Carla was not only in the movie but practically living with the stars, the word was out, spreading through the leafy streets of Dellwood like fire across the Californian forests. There were going to be enough hopeful extras in Dellwood to film every epic ever made (all at the same time), and a lot of those hopefuls were going to be friends of Carla Santini – which meant that they were more shoe-ins than hopefuls. My only chance was to get there first. Which meant before the shooting started. If I could find Shona and Leslie and remind them that they more or less promised me a part, all my problems would be over. I didn’t figure that would be too hard.
    Even though I didn’t have to be at Second Best until one on Monday, I got up practically at the crack of dawn. My mother, who has a very opportunistic nature, wanted me to take the twins to day camp for her since I had “time to kill”, but I said that I couldn’t even injure time, I was meeting Ella. This was more or less true. I would be meeting Ella, she just didn’t know it yet. She’d been busy with her family all weekend, too, so I hadn’t had a chance to tell her.
    Karen Kapok gave me one of her is-this-bowl-off-centre looks. “So early? What are you doing, going fishing?”
    I never like to tell my mother my plans if I can help it in case she tries to stop me. I said we had a lot to do before I went to work.
    As soon as my mother and the twins left for the day camp, I called Ella.
    “What time is it?” She sounded semi-conscious.
    “You don’t want to sleep your life away,” I told her. “The early actor catches the part.”
    Ella wanted to know what I was talking about. I told her my idea.
    “You want to do what ?”
    “It’s my only chance. They liked me. They said all I had to do was turn up. I’m sure if I explain to them the urgency of the situation, they can fix it so I don’t have to mill around in the street with the rest of the town.”
    Because I don’t want to miss so much as a second of my life, I wake up and leap to my feet, ready to take on another challenging day. But Ella likes to sneak up on it. She isn’t really awake until after breakfast.
    “But there are dozens of bed and breakfasts around here,” said Ella. Sleepiness makes her argumentative. “You have no idea which one they’re in.”
    “That’s why I need you. You and your car.”
    “But—”
    I didn’t have time to stand there bickering with her. It was already nearly eight-thirty. “I’ll be over as soon as I get dressed,” I told her – and hung up the phone.
    Ella didn’t have her car. It was in Creek’s garage, being serviced.
    “I tried to