Spin is about a journalist who follows a celebrity into rehab to get the inside scoop. I'm often asked what inspired the book, whether it's based on my own experiences or on a real celebrity. The answer to the first question is: no. The answer to the second question is: kind of. And by that I mean that when I got the idea for Spin, it was a busy time on the celebrity rehab circuit. It seemed like celebrities were going in and out of rehab like they were on a circular conveyor belt. And the public's desire for every little detail was insatiable (if the amount of time that Entertainment Tonight etc. spent on the topic is a measure of anything). I remember being both fascinated and repelled by the whole thing. It seemed like some celebrities were playing the rehab card to get attention or get out of trouble when they'd attracted unwanted attention. Others were getting attention because they clearly so badly needed to be in rehab. And what was the public doing? Loving every minute of it. But what made us think that we have a right to know? It's one thing to look at photos of celebrities in their sweatpants shopping at Whole Foods. It's another to know what they're discussing during their most private moments. Rehab's supposed to be anonymous, right? That might be impossible for some celebrities, but they should be allowed as much privacy as possible, shouldn't they?
Well, not according to some, and so, as these ideas circled in my head and I watched - I admit I watched - a phalanx of paparazzi standing outside of yet another rehab facility waiting to take a shot of some young woman in trouble, I said to myself, sarcastically: why don't they just follow her in there? And then I said to myself: what a great idea for a book!
So, who were the celebrities that put this evil thought in my brain? Well ... in no particular order:
