Did you know that those aren't Julia Roberts' legs on the 'Pretty Woman' poster? In fact the only things that are Julia's are the head and the incandescent smile. Everything from the neck down belongs to Shelley Michelle, a model, actress and body double.
Okay so maybe you knew that one, but how about these: Who - or rather what - won the very first Best Actor Oscar? What life changing discovery did Jack Nicholson make about his sister in 1974? And what in the devil's name is the 'Wilhelm Scream' and how does it link 'Planet of the Apes', 'Star Wars', 'Reservoir Dogs' and fifty-seven other movies?
Unlike most of what passes as 'trivia' - who really cares who's had the most number ones? - these one hundred amazing, unfathomable, absurd and often implausible stories point towards some greater truth. This is the secret history of entertainment.
If 'Schott's Miscellany' is the book of useless facts to be read in the smallest room in the house, then 'The Secret History of Entertainment' is the book of useful stories to devour and wow your friends with over a pint in the pub.
