600 days ago- Joe Eszterhas is the legendary, notorious screenwriter of films such as “Basic Instinct” (1992), “Sliver” (1993) and “Showgirls” (1995). A former journalist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Rolling Stone magazine, he has published several nonfiction books, including “Charlie Simpson’s Apocalypse” (1974), “American Rhapsody” (2000), and “Hollywood Animal” (2004). His latest book is “The Devil’s Guide to Hollywood: The Screenwriter As God” (St. Martin’s Press).
610 days ago- Before Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became a famous wrestler and, subsequently, a famous movie star, he was a not-so-famous football player for the University of Miami. Suffering a back injury (“I ruptured three discs in my back. I use the analogy of a squished jelly doughnut. It’s awful.”) and losing his position on the team to Warren Sapp — who went on to become an Oakland Raider — Johnson wound up playing for the Canadian Football League, making something like $250 Canadian dollars a month.