High on coke, the blond beauty of a certain age cradles an Oscar statuette and addresses the academy from the mirrored dressing room of her Beverly Hills estate. It’s a fantasy acceptance speech she will never give in real life. |
Her words are not of gratitude but resentment, bile and narcissism. And she saves the cruelest treatment for her own offspring, a glamorous, popular coed at L.A.’s most elite private high school. |
“To my daughter watching tonight, you are the disappointment of my life,” she says with satisfaction. |
Welcome to the early 1980s of Bret Easton Ellis, the novelist who over three decades has left an indelible mark on the way we think about our most privileged hillsides and canyons. |
TV viewers are getting a taste of his twisted take on the era — including that dark fantasy acceptance speech — this summer with the FX series “The Shards,” which is based on an Ellis novel and follows a group of rich high school friends through a maze of sex, drugs, dancing and murder. |
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The John Lautner Silvertop home is featured in “Less Than Zero.” Pictured are Andrew McCarthy and Jami Gertz. (John Clifford / 20th Century Fox) |
The hidden monster |
“The Shards” features a sadistic serial killer. But the most terrifying characters are the broken, vain, selfish parents who in one way or another cause their children so much harm. |
Was 1980s L.A. parenting really that bad? |
It’s easy to look back with scorn, especially in this era of tiger moms, helicopter parenting and GPS tracking. |
But there is such a thing as being too involved. A few years ago, L.A.’s elite private schools were rocked by the college admissions scandal, in which wealthy parents were accused of paying to get their kids into the elite university of their choice. |
The indictment in those cases rivals anything Ellis dreamed up, including that early morning in 2019 when the FBI raided some of L.A.’s fanciest addresses, arresting socialites, actors and business titans. |
Capturing a culture of excess |
Ellis burst on the scene at age 21 with “Less than Zero,” a 1985 novel about a different set of friends navigating elite L.A. circles. It sparked endless think pieces about spoiled kids, checked-out parents and a toxic culture of materialism. |
Ellis famously declared the parents in the novel so “hungry and unfulfilled that they ate their own children.” |
“The Shards” continues this theme. In his review of this show, my colleague Robert Lloyd notes “adults are almost entirely missing, and when they are not, they are disappointing, or trouble.” It’s like a horror movie where the monsters are hidden to build suspense. |
The issue of wayward youths and neglectful parents in L.A.’s tony neighborhoods was a topic of much discussion in the 1980s, and not just because of “Less Than Zero.” |
Reality bites |
Pacific Palisades became a national symbol of rich kids out of control after a series of deaths that hit the neighborhood in 1988. “60 Minutes” and “20/20” did exposés, with a focus on parents who let their kids do whatever they wanted. |
But look deeper into those times and you’ll see the parents by and large do not come off as villains. The adults in Pacific Palisades organized to offer more youth services and set healthier boundaries. |
In Beverly Hills around this time, parents created late-night gatherings for high schoolers that did not involve alcohol as an alternative to the illicit ragers. They also called out the adults who set a bad example. |
“A parent bragged about his enterprising son who made $800 selling drinks at a party. I told him he was crazy,” a Beverly Hills PTA president told The Times. |
Three years after “Less Than Zero” was published, a nonfiction telling of the Beverly Hills teen scene hit bookstores. “Hard Lessons” by Michael Leahy focused on a year in the life of the senior class at Beverly Hills High School. |
The book had its share of wild parties, conspicuous consumption and drunken abandon. But it offered a much more nuanced look at family life. One student told Leahy that the problem wasn’t decadence but an obsession with achievement and perfection. “If you feel average, you feel like a loser,” she said. |
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The front of Beverly Hills High School (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times) |
An ‘80s thing that never goes out of style |
The Times review of “Hard Lessons” noted the real aesthetic of the high school was upward mobility: It’s “full of pressure to get into the right college, which will lead to the important job, which will lead to the serious bucks.” It was a value shared by both parents and their children. |
Behind all the excess, the teens of “The Shards” also feels ambitious, believing their elevated station made big success — like becoming Tom Cruise’s co-star or emerging as the next Joan Didion — a requirement. |
It that way, how much has really changed since the 1980s? |
Top stories |
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Tropical Storm Marie, developing south of the Baja California peninsula, could possibly veer southwest of the California coast, or head to Southern California, forecast models say. (NOAA) |
Could a hurricane send floods to SoCal for Labor Day weekend? |
- It’s a possibility, some weather experts say, and scientists are closely watching Tropical Storm Marie develop in the eastern Pacific Ocean, south of the Baja California peninsula.
- Tropical Storm Marie is forecast to turn into Hurricane Marie by Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday.
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Traffic deaths are on the rise. Why is the LAPD pulling over fewer drivers? |
- The number of Angelenos who die in traffic crashes now regularly outpaces those killed by homicide.
- Data show vehicle stops by the LAPD have plummeted by 57% since the pandemic. As the department continues to shrink, LAPD commanders say they have fewer resources to devote to traffic duty.
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The battle for labor endorsements heats up in L.A. mayoral race |
- Unite Here Local 11, which represents hospitality workers at hotels and airports, broke with most other labor groups in Los Angeles by backing challenger Nithya Raman over incumbent Karen Bass.
- Bass and Unite Here have been at odds over allowing Los Angeles residents to use their second homes for short-term rentals. Airbnb is backing Bass.
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Solar power for renters would get easier with two bills now on the governor’s desk |
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Commentary and opinion |
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Editor’s pick |
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Property owners of the long-abandoned Hawthorne Plaza mall are in the beginnings of tearing it down. |
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Things to do |
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(Megan Morello/For The Times) |
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Today’s recipe |
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(Cody Reiss / The Los Angeles Times ) |
Cooking editor Cody Reiss’ recipe for fruit salad is a bit chaotic (like a big bowl of summer jewels floating in a tutti-frutti brodo). It can be made year-round, substituting in whatever fruit is available, ripe and delicious. But pay attention when you buy, wash and prepare your produce — make sure no dirty, moldy or mushy bits end up in your final dish. |
Question for you |
What is your favorite California song? Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
Susan P. says, “Those first few slow, contemplative piano notes starting off ‘City of Stars’ — this slow rendition of this song just grabs me as the best L.A. mood. Not that I’ll ever stop singing ‘I Love L. A.’ at the top of my lungs when I’m driving on the freeway and the traffic is moving!” |
Photo of the day |
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Festivalgoers walk past the Great Park Balloon during Daisy Chain Fields at the Great Park on Saturday in Irvine. Here are the 12 best moments from Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields fest. (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times) |
Games |
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Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. |
