Hollywood Days/Night

Former White House speechwriter Stein's (Her Only Sin, etc.) diary of six months, from November 1985 to May 1986, is a failed attempt to humorously depict what life is like for a nice guy living in crazy Hollywood. Complaining about his Porsche and his money problems, Stein goes to Morton's or the Hard Rock Cafe with friends and high school kids (he's researching a book on secondary education), whom he mocks as particularly ill-informed. He calls his agent, who won't speak to him; pitches ideas for screenplays and sitcoms to studio bigwigs; gossips about celebrities; encourages friends to commiserate over his bad luck; goes to exclusive parties; and talks about what a decent fellow he is (he likes dogs and children). Stein's observations include: ``Jean has big blue eyes and silky blond hair. She is too smart to look that good''; ``Movies are a peculiarly American art form''; ``Oooh, I have some very juicy gossip. Very, very juicy. Very hot stuff.'' Among the many low points in this disappointing effort, Stein calls Sylvester Stallone ``a creative genius'' and Richard Nixon ``a sensitive poet locked up in a politician's body.'' (July)