Jennifer Frost, “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood: Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism” (NYU Press, 2011)

New Books in Sociology · Oct 25, 2011 · 57m

Any pop culture scholar worth her salt will tell you that discussion of Beyonce’s baby bump or Charlie Sheen’s unique sex life is far from apolitical, but, at times, gossip columnists have engaged more transparently in political debate. Hedda Hopper, Hollywood insider and conservative hat enthusiast, was one such columnist. Jennifer Frost‘s book, Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood: Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism (New York University Press, 2011), lays out the political issues on which Hopper felt called to weigh in, including American involvement in World War II, wartime civil liberties…