Oliver Akers thought he was the worst stand-up comic in Hollywood. That is until he saw the act of a guy named Joey Lou Dillerbacher… along with the rest of the Dillerbacher showbiz clan. It only gnawed at him more, that they got gigs despite being awful. Gig after gig after gig – they are so under-talented and over-rewarded, they'd p.o. the Pope. Even worse, Oliver suddenly finds himself on a relentless loop crossing their path! On a multi-state road trip yet. With his own career going south fast, Oliver must somehow pull his funny out of freefall to survive, physically and emotionally – especially when he stumbles onto the secret side mission of these horrible, but well-connected, performers, and becomes one of their targets.
And the original novel you'll never unread:
Ethan West just wants what everybody wants who struggles to succeed in Hollywood: a breakthrough, a hit – even a small one – that might change the trajectory of his years of frustration and heartbreak in the entertainment rat-race. To be in the loop! Like most, one too many bad breaks has him on the verge of throwing in the towel for good, but a chance encounter with a cult showbiz icon turns his world upside-down.
Suddenly Ethan and his tiny, loyal cadre of fellow hopefuls are shanghaied as crew on a movie-making "project" they'll never forget – if they can survive it – trapped in a jungle nightmare; armed only with video cameras and their theater brat wits; led by a fading, deranged, megalomaniac Hollywood director without a script or a grip on reality; in the path of lethal animals, rogue mercenaries and rampaging cannibals; and ordered to get it all in high-def!
As the production drifts further into surreal chaos, bloodlust and contrived 'reality,' Ethan realizes he must choose, either to follow an insane celebrity to certain doom, or possibly sacrifice his own friends to make it back to civilization – with or without a finished product in the can! Of course, it's a comedy!
