ISBN 1-85375-326-2 (Hardback, 320 Pages)

Reading that Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest, and came third, or that Marlon Brando's passport lists his profession as "shepherd" rather than "actor" makes for some light-hearted entertainment. The book takes the form of countless "Top Ten Lists" across numerous different subjects. Relevant people that are listed include My Own Private Idaho's Keanu Reeves and Gus Van Sant who both receive nominations in various categories as does Silent Tongue's Richard Harris and Sam Shepard amongst others.

Unfortunately though, it quickly becomes apparent that there are no depths to which this book is not prepared to sink to in search of suitable, or rather, unsuitable material. Acclaimed actress Butterfly McQueen's (Ma Kennywick in The Mosquito Coast) terrible and gruesome death in 1995 is made light of in a distasteful "10 celebrities who died in accidents" list. However, few individuals are treated quite so shockingly as a young actor who deserves rather better than what he receives between the covers of this book.

In fact, River's name is used three times. Firstly, it is to be found alongside director Federico Fellini in a section listing stars who passed away on the same day. Flip the page and the reader is presented with the "They Died With Their Boots On - 10 stars who died in mid-shoot" list. This is bad enough but nothing prepares you for what soon follows - "The Needle and the Damage Done - 10 stars who had drug problems":

RIVER PHOENIX Paid the ultimate price for going the John Belushi road of ingesting cocaine/heroin speedballs, becoming yet another one of Tinseltown's shop-soiled Lancelots vomiting his innards into the gutter before being carted away in a bodybag.

As such, the book would appear to be as inaccurate as it is tasteless. Enough said, really.

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