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Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin by Kathy Griffin
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Kathy Griffin Edition: Hardcover Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2009-09-08 ISBN: 0345518519 Number of pages: 368 Publisher: Ballantine Books Product features: - Biography, Entertainers, Comedy
Book Reviews of Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy GriffinBook Review: Dedication and Lots of Hard Work! Summary: 5 Stars
I've always enjoyed Kathy Griffin's "My Life on the D-List," so reading this book was an easy decision. It delivers, as promised, detailed stories of her life, goes behind the scenes, and is interesting. What I didn't expect, however, was to learn how hard and long she had to work to finally make it to the 'D-List.'
Kathy begins by blaming her 'zaniness' on the methamphetamines prescribed for her mother while pregnant - the then standard of care. Then its off to her first 'audience' - the next door neighbors where she told them all about the family dirty laundry, at age seven. She became a binge eater and was dominated by TV. Upon reaching high school, Kathy participated in every high school drama department activity she could. Acting opportunities were limited in the Chicago area - she only got a few commercials, so it didn't take long to decide to move. Then it was off to L.A. to pursue an acting dream, disappointing her parents who wanted Kathy to go to college.
Becoming a success was a long, torturous process - she lived with her parents until age 28. En route she realized her oldest brother was both a pedophile and a wife-beater; eventually he also became a drug user, homeless, and died at an early age. (Possibly was abused himself by an outsider at an early age.) Kathy's parents helped her financially to get into th e Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) and an acting school. Eventually she gave up on acting, and went to getting laughs via improv while working as a temp. Again, got some ad work, but couldn't make her dream of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Friends told Kathy to go to stand-up - started out OK, but then had problems for about two years.
Slowly things began to improve. There was an episode on 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' in 1990, then 'Ellen' years later with a few other bits here and there. Finally, four years as a regular on 'Suddenly Susan,' boosting her income from $20,000/year to $200,000 and allowing the purchase of a house. More stand-up attempts, and frustration - a club-owner wanting his money back. Then a nose job, and near fatal liposuction.
Finally, Kathy Griffin found her recipe for success - gay audiences and caricatures of A-list celebrities, many of whom she had already met on the way up. With career success also came time for marriage - to an IT guy that it turned out couldn't hold a job or make money on his own and tried to cover up by borrowing from relatives and taking Kathy's money.
The final chapters cover Kathy's friendship with Steve Wozniak (billionaire inventor of Apple computer), working with Anderson Cooper, providing entertainment for the troops.
Summary of Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy GriffinOfficial Book Club Selection is Kathy Griffin unplugged, uncensored, and unafraid to dish about what really happens on the road, away from the cameras, and at the star party after the show. (It's also her big chance to score that coveted book club endorsement she's always wanted. Are you there, Oprah? It's me, Kathy.)
Kathy Griffin has won Emmys for her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, been nominated for a Grammy, worked and walked every red carpet known to man, and rung in the New Year with Anderson Cooper. But the legions of fans who pack Kathy's sold-out comedy shows have heard only part of her remarkable story. Writing with her trademark wit, the feisty comic settles a few old scores, celebrates the friends and mentors who helped her claw her way to the top, and shares insider gossip about celebrity behavior?the good, the bad, and the very ugly. She recounts the crazy ups and downs of her own career and introduces us to some of the supertalented people she encountered before they got famous (or, in some cases, after fame went to their heads). Word to the wise: If you've ever crossed Kathy Griffin at some point in your life, check the index for your name.
Along the way, Kathy reveals intimate details about her life before and after she made the big time. She opens up about everything from growing up with a dysfunctional family in suburban Illinois to bombing as a young comedian in L.A., from her well-publicized plastic surgery disasters to her highly publicized divorce, and more. Only in this book will you learn how the dinner table is the best training ground for a career in stand-up, how speaking your mind can bite you on the ass and buy you a house, and which people in Kathy's life have taught her the most valuable lessons?both inside and outside the entertainment industry. And as if all that wasn't enough, there are also dozens of exclusive and somewhat embarrassing photos from Kathy's own collection?featuring the diva of the D List herself, with her old nose as well as her new one, plus celebrity friends, foes, frenemies, and hangers-on for you to gawk at.
Refreshingly candid, unflinchingly honest, and full of hilarious "Did she really say that?" moments, Official Book Club Selection will make you laugh until you cry, or just puke up a little bit.
Book Description Official Book Club Selection is Kathy Griffin unplugged, uncensored, and unafraid to dish about what really happens on the road, away from the cameras, and at the star party after the show. (It?s also her big chance to score that coveted book club endorsement she?s always wanted. Are you there, Oprah? It?s me, Kathy.) Kathy Griffin has won Emmys for her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, been nominated for a Grammy, worked and walked every red carpet known to man, and rung in the New Year with Anderson Cooper. But the legions of fans who pack Kathy?s sold-out comedy shows have heard only part of her remarkable story. Writing with her trademark wit, the feisty comic settles a few old scores, celebrates the friends and mentors who helped her claw her way to the top, and shares insider gossip about celebrity behavior?the good, the bad, and the very ugly. She recounts the crazy ups and downs of her own career and introduces us to some of the supertalented people she encountered before they got famous (or, in some cases, after fame went to their heads). Word to the wise: If you?ve ever crossed Kathy Griffin at some point in your life, check the index for your name. Along the way, Kathy reveals intimate details about her life before and after she made the big time. She opens up about everything from growing up with a dysfunctional family in suburban Illinois to bombing as a young comedian in L.A., from her well-publicized plastic surgery disasters to her highly publicized divorce, and more. Only in this book will you learn how the dinner table is the best training ground for a career in stand-up, how speaking your mind can bite you on the ass and buy you a house, and which people in Kathy?s life have taught her the most valuable lessons?both inside and outside the entertainment industry. Refreshingly candid, unflinchingly honest, and full of hilarious ?Did she really say that?? moments, Official Book Club Selection will make you laugh until you cry, or just puke up a little bit.
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