num_pages: 252
description: "I not only have skeletons in my closet, but skulls and bones falling out of my cabinets and drawers as well."Going Down in La-La Land is a candid, sexy, and outrageously funny look at what an actor can-and will-do to survive in Hollywood. Young, ambitious, and gay, Adam Zeller arrives from New York with the looks and talent to become a star but soon finds himself lost in a seamy (and steamy) underworld of gay porn and male prostitution, dealing with down-and-out directors, washed up starlets, crystal meth addicts, and the pretty boy Hollywood "A" list. Where the interaction, social hierarchy, and manic personalities at the talent agency were unbearable; the porn industry was just plain mind-boggling. I would come to find out both environments had plenty of larger than life characters. The difference was in the porn world people actually treated each other better and lacked the big egos. Those involved were realistic about the kind of work they did, and that they were considered the bottom of the barrel by the rest of Tinseltown. Yet at least they were honest and up front about being money-grubbing pigs and users, which was more than I could say for the suits at the agency. It was sad but true; the dirty world of porn was nicer than the legit business world, whether it be a television network or Wall Street.As far as taking my clothes off, I had no problem with it. I always said that if it came back to haunt me, I would tell the truth. "I was poor, broke, and needed the cash," I would fantasize myself crying to an interviewer upon getting famous someday, my past being found out. Boo hoo, boo hoo.Everyone has to pay the bills somehow. And ifyou are an artist of any kind, be it actor, writer, painter, or whatever, at times you had to be very creative to make ends meet. Struggling to find his way back to the yellow brick road of stardom, Adam gets a first-hand education on the X-rated film industry and finds out what really goes on in the town's top talent agencies. But it's not long before he's reduced to working as a male prostitute, turning tricks with a billionaire businessman and getting a peek inside the closet of one of America's most beloved TV stars.He stared bashfully at the ground. He had a very sweet and endearing quality that I found very attractive. It was certain that he was more intimidated with me than the other way around. I actually found him kind of sexy. His hair was thick and curly, and he wore it very short. His eyes were big and blue, and drooped just a bit, like those of a puppy dog. His build was stout and thick, like that of a maintenance man. He had a belly that bulged a bit over his pants, but nothing that hung over. And a barrel chest and burly arms offset his wide middle, so in reality he looked in proportion. It was a nice change from the cookie cutter, overly worked out bodies I saw all over town, and on the covers of the video boxes I shrink-wrapped every other day.Inspired by the real-life experiences of author/actor Andy Zeffer (The Fluffer), Going Down in La-La Land is a sexy and scandalous look at the other side of Hollywood, where dreams are dashed and hopes replaced with heartbreak.
language: English
title: Going Down in La-La Land
titlecomplete: Going Down in La-La Land
genres: LGBT, Fiction, Gay, Gay Fiction
ratings_count: 96
awards: awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Lambda Literary Award
category: Gay Romance
publisher: Harrington Park Pr