Addicted to Fame (2012)
"Craptastic!" (original title)

A documentary that goes behind the scenes of the movie Illegal Aliens, and a filmmaker's journey from obscurity to moral blindness in the seductive glare of the media spotlight.

Director:

David Giancola

Writer:

David Giancola

Stars:

Anna Nicole Smith, David Giancola, John James

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Nicole Smith	...	Herself (archive footage)
David Giancola	...	Director
John James	...	Himself
Chyna	...	Herself
Larry King	...	Talk Show Host
Jesse Eisenberg	...	Eric Dobbs
Sean Astin	...	Matt Foster
Bruce Campbell	...	Greig
O.J. Simpson	...	Himself
Harvey Levin	...	TMZ Editor
Howard K. Stern	...	Himself
Scott J. Jones	...	Himself
Lenise Sorén	...	Herself
Gladys Jimenez	...	Herself
Ben Coello	...	Himself

Storyline

The hilarious, outrageous, and ultimately tragic true story of one filmmaker's seduction into moral blindness in the glare of the media spotlight. What begins innocently is a film that seems nothing more than a "Behind-the-Scenes" tell-all, but Filmmaker David Giancola has larger issues in mind and the film quickly takes a dark turn. Giancola uses his tale as a modern parable about the dangers of celebrity and it's debilitating effect upon our society. Back in 2005, he wanted to break out by making a "Movie that mocked B-Movies". He thought he could manipulate the media by casting Anna Nicole Smith. In the end the media manipulated him instead as his star and one of his producers died in a media feeding frenzy. The film bombed, but the story was one of the most reported events of 2007, behind only coverage of the Iraq war. The truth is always stranger and more unbelievable than fiction... Filmmaker Giancola spent over three years in editing from over 80 Hours of never-before seen ...

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Plot Keywords:

media | filmmaker | behind the scenes | celebrity | story | 

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Taglines:

We couldn't make this s**t up!

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Comedy | News

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Addicted to Fame

Filming Locations:

Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arthouse Roadshow Pictures, Edgewood Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (Magnetically synced DAT)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmmaker David Giancola spent over three years editing the film from hundreds of hours of never-before-seen video footage filmed on the set of the B-Movie; Illegal Aliens. Two DV cameras filmed every day during the production with Giancola and star Anna Nicole Smith as the Producer's "Backup Insurance Policy" as Ms. Smith and Joanie "Chyna" Laurer were commercially not insurable.

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Connections

References Icebreaker (2000)

User Reviews

Amazing Story

Not sure why this is getting low star ratings, other than perhaps the subject matter. This was an interesting story of getting caught up in the poop storm that was the media coverage of Anna Nicole Smith's last days.

The filmmakers prove that they are human enough to not profit from her death, rather chronicling her last days. While her story is sad, it actually puts a human face on someone who was troubled by drugs and fame and whose path to fame seemed to be unsavory yet provocative .

The story is much better as a documentary, but the footage they do show of the movie 'Illegal Aliens' is interesting. I am not a fan of movies or B-movies in general but I do like documentaries that show me a side of things I hadn't seen before.

It's also a case of playing with fire, as you see the ups and downs of the roller-coaster of publicity involved in dragging someone so provocative into your film. In some ways her life seems to parallel Marilyn Monroe, certainly an angle I hadn't thought of before.

Overall, the documentary is very entertaining.