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Colin Firth: The Man Who Would Be King
Think you know all there is to know about Colin Firth? Well think again! For this detailed, insightful and entertaining biography of the likeable and handsome Oscar-winning star is packed with unforgettable stories to fascinate every fan. From the time Firth's wig fell off into the sea to the actors who were considered ahead of him for The King's Speech, it's all here along with contributions from leading experts about his appeal to women, his fashion choices, acting techniques and even Colin's psychological make-up.Learn more about Colin's greatest projects like Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually, A Single Man, The King's Speech and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Railway Man, Before I Go to Sleep, Magic in the Moonlight, The Secret Service, as well as his lesser known screen roles and how he really gets along with co-stars such as Hugh Grant, Rupert Everett, Kenneth Branagh, Geoffrey Rush and Gary Oldman, and leading ladies like Scarlett Johansson, Minnie Driver, Jennifer Ehle, Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, Julianne Moore and Renee Zellweger.The star's love life, charity work and turbulent childhood are also covered in a riveting read which is the book Firth's devoted fans have been waiting for. Ultimate Hollywood insider Sandro Monetti takes you from set visits to red carpet parties and award shows like the BAFTAS and Golden Globes following Firth around the world in his book written with the pace, power and passion of a master storyteller. His favourite Colin Firth film is Fever Pitch.“Colin Firth’s story is one everybody wants to hear right now and Sandro Monetti is the perfect writer to tell it,” Elisa Roche, Daily Express“Sandro delivers drama in a compelling way. You won’t want to put his books down,” James Desborough, News International“Sandro Monetti is an experienced entertainment journalist who has a great reputation in both Hollywood and Great Britain for unearthing big 'A-List' scoops based on his extensive list of industry contacts that make him a 'must-read' author when it comes to all things celebrity,” Cliff Renfrew, US Weekly"Sandro's enthusiasm for all things showbiz, his in-depth research and passionate story telling ensure his books are packed full of illuminating, educated commentary," Stephen Gee, ITV’s Daybreak“Sandro is our schmooziest LA inside,” BBC Radio“Sandro is one of the busiest showbiz reporters in Hollywood where he freelances for the BBC, magazines and newspapers, hosts Q&A’s with movie stars and writes books. His appointments diary is a celebrity-watcher’s dream and his address book bulges with A-listers,” Lancashire Life“The bright lights of Blackpool to the glamour of Hollywood is not a path many have travelled but it’s one that’s been taken by well known celebrity journalist and showbiz biographer Sandro Monetti,“ Darryl Smith, Scottish Sunday Post“Being Colin Firth these days means being the most popular man in the room. His performance in The King’s Speech was a career capping achievement,” Entertainment Weekly“Colin Firth is that actor women love and who guys think is really good,” Los Angeles Daily News“Colin Firth is the king of the silver screen,” Daily Mail‘’Colin's innate decency, self-discipline and self-deprecation make him into the archetypal Englishman. His kind, thoughtful, passionate soul makes him into Everyman,” Dame Helen Mirren‘’Firth has to admit that he's not a human being but a robot designed by women as the perfect man," Bill Maher &ldq
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2011
27 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Sandro Monetti
8 books6 followersUltimate Hollywood insider Sandro Monetti is a respected leading entertainment journalist who has interviewed all of the biggest stars in the world, including George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Madonna and Paul McCartney.
His acclaimed books (biographies of Mickey Rourke and Colin Firth), articles and radio and TV reports whisk readers from Tinseltown parties to set visits and red carpet award shows around the world, capturing compelling celebrity stories told with pace, power and passion.
This Los Angeles based Brit has worked for leading media organisations such as the BBC, Sky TV and Express Newspapers and recently helped create and teach the world's first BA university degree course in celebrity journalism.
He has performed his hit one man stage show 'Clooney, Cowell, Pitt and Me: Amuing Encounters with the A-List'around the world including in London's West End and Off Broadway in New York.
Sandro moderates Q&As with movie stars for BAFTA/LA as well as the American Cinematheque and movie studios, makes frequent TV appearances as a showbiz expert is an event host.
He wrote and directed the short film spoof of Les Msierables, Miserable Lesbians, which won a record 8 Toscars (parody awards) and became a You Tube favorite. He has now adapted Mis Les for the stage in a full length musical which will be performed internationally from summer 2013.
Sandro loves 80s movies, underdog sports teams and is a licensed exorcist...seriously.
Learn more at www.sandromonetti.com
His acclaimed books (biographies of Mickey Rourke and Colin Firth), articles and radio and TV reports whisk readers from Tinseltown parties to set visits and red carpet award shows around the world, capturing compelling celebrity stories told with pace, power and passion.
This Los Angeles based Brit has worked for leading media organisations such as the BBC, Sky TV and Express Newspapers and recently helped create and teach the world's first BA university degree course in celebrity journalism.
He has performed his hit one man stage show 'Clooney, Cowell, Pitt and Me: Amuing Encounters with the A-List'around the world including in London's West End and Off Broadway in New York.
Sandro moderates Q&As with movie stars for BAFTA/LA as well as the American Cinematheque and movie studios, makes frequent TV appearances as a showbiz expert is an event host.
He wrote and directed the short film spoof of Les Msierables, Miserable Lesbians, which won a record 8 Toscars (parody awards) and became a You Tube favorite. He has now adapted Mis Les for the stage in a full length musical which will be performed internationally from summer 2013.
Sandro loves 80s movies, underdog sports teams and is a licensed exorcist...seriously.
Learn more at www.sandromonetti.com
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 3, 2016
Some books are like chocolate. You need to keep having more. Others are like a warm cup of tea. To me celebrity biographies are like crack. No matter how terrible they are I keep reading them. I’m not proud to admit I read this and it was astonishingly badly written. But I read it anyway.
May 27, 2012
Here's the good, bad, and ugly regarding this book.
The Good ~ It has a lot of information about Firth, his movies, awards, and a brief overview of his life.
The Bad ~ It reads more like a really long Hollywood magazine article than a biography, lacks some organization and flow, and the author seriously needs to brush up on his style/usage skills and learn how to use a hyphen to make compound words to avoid confusing the reader.
The Ugly ~ In one of the chapters the author asks a "leading Los Angeles psychologist" to analyze Firth. No really. Even though all she has to say are good things and gushes about how strangely normal he is--it's beyond lame and in remarkably poor taste.
Overall, the book does contain some interesting substance but entirely too much name-dropping and tinsel.
The Good ~ It has a lot of information about Firth, his movies, awards, and a brief overview of his life.
The Bad ~ It reads more like a really long Hollywood magazine article than a biography, lacks some organization and flow, and the author seriously needs to brush up on his style/usage skills and learn how to use a hyphen to make compound words to avoid confusing the reader.
The Ugly ~ In one of the chapters the author asks a "leading Los Angeles psychologist" to analyze Firth. No really. Even though all she has to say are good things and gushes about how strangely normal he is--it's beyond lame and in remarkably poor taste.
Overall, the book does contain some interesting substance but entirely too much name-dropping and tinsel.
July 9, 2012
The ONLY point in this books favor is that it's about Colin Firth.
The grammar is horrid, point of view continuously flip-flops, the author can't seem to decide if he (she?) wants to tell the story from the point of view of one of "Colin's" besties or as an impartial observer, and after the first quarter of the book it's incessantly repetitive. Accounts from others who know (or in some cases have only heard of him) were pointless. An entire chapter from some Freud-school quack psychoanalyzes him based on (as it basically indicates) little more than the earlier history provided in the book (paraphrased example: Well, based on nature versus nurture, I find evidence that he is an extremely balanced person...a mix of good genes and good luck, blah blah blah). Really? REALLY?! Struggling for material much?
After fighting through nearly 3/4 of this thing, I finally had to admit defeat and just barely kept myself from throwing my Kindle.
In summary: The book reads more like some high schooler's class paper than any kind of in-depth professional biography. What a disappointment!
The grammar is horrid, point of view continuously flip-flops, the author can't seem to decide if he (she?) wants to tell the story from the point of view of one of "Colin's" besties or as an impartial observer, and after the first quarter of the book it's incessantly repetitive. Accounts from others who know (or in some cases have only heard of him) were pointless. An entire chapter from some Freud-school quack psychoanalyzes him based on (as it basically indicates) little more than the earlier history provided in the book (paraphrased example: Well, based on nature versus nurture, I find evidence that he is an extremely balanced person...a mix of good genes and good luck, blah blah blah). Really? REALLY?! Struggling for material much?
After fighting through nearly 3/4 of this thing, I finally had to admit defeat and just barely kept myself from throwing my Kindle.
In summary: The book reads more like some high schooler's class paper than any kind of in-depth professional biography. What a disappointment!
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May 23, 2012I'm not sure what to rate this. It's so amazingly, horribly written. It's not well thought out, or smooth, it doesn't transition well, and it's incredibly spazzy. [A real word, as of now.]
Imagine the fastest talker you know. Now, imagine them slamming every single Firth fact at your face as fast as possible.
This is what the narrator is like "And now we're talking about A, B, C, but OH! That reminds me I wanted to talk about Y. While we're at it, let's discuss R. By the way, this is how 1, 2, and 3 felt about it. Where were we? Oh yes, on D."
The ONLY reason I read all the way through, was the subject matter. I'm a Firth fan. Now and forever. Soaking this up, no matter how poorly presented, was still a pleasure.
Imagine the fastest talker you know. Now, imagine them slamming every single Firth fact at your face as fast as possible.
This is what the narrator is like "And now we're talking about A, B, C, but OH! That reminds me I wanted to talk about Y. While we're at it, let's discuss R. By the way, this is how 1, 2, and 3 felt about it. Where were we? Oh yes, on D."
The ONLY reason I read all the way through, was the subject matter. I'm a Firth fan. Now and forever. Soaking this up, no matter how poorly presented, was still a pleasure.
May 4, 2017
Das Beste an diesem Buch waren die schönen Farbfotos von Colin.
Über den Schreibstil muss man nicht diskutieren, der ist einfach grottig. Das ganze liest sich wie ein langer Artikel in einem Promi-Magazin, aber nicht wie ernsthafte Lektüre. (u.a. wird detailliert beschrieben, was Mr. Firth bei irgendeiner Preisverleihung gespeist hat- jeder Gang separat.)
Ich bin echt froh, dass ich dieses Buch für nur 1€ gekauft habe, mehr wäre pure Geldverschwendung gewesen.
Über den Schreibstil muss man nicht diskutieren, der ist einfach grottig. Das ganze liest sich wie ein langer Artikel in einem Promi-Magazin, aber nicht wie ernsthafte Lektüre. (u.a. wird detailliert beschrieben, was Mr. Firth bei irgendeiner Preisverleihung gespeist hat- jeder Gang separat.)
Ich bin echt froh, dass ich dieses Buch für nur 1€ gekauft habe, mehr wäre pure Geldverschwendung gewesen.
July 30, 2012
He is great as an actor in BBC's "Pride and Prejudice" of course. His acting skills are superb and brought the character of Mr. Darcy to life, of whom I fell in love with the way his strength was portrayed. His staunch strength of character brought him to life as he wooed Elizabeth Bennet.
His biography and the way he lives his life is so surprising and yet not. He is disciplined in his love life, family life and career. I couldn't put it down. There are some very good details of his movies as well. Some of which I don't ever plan to see. Although "The King's Speech" is very good.
His biography and the way he lives his life is so surprising and yet not. He is disciplined in his love life, family life and career. I couldn't put it down. There are some very good details of his movies as well. Some of which I don't ever plan to see. Although "The King's Speech" is very good.
April 25, 2016
This. Was. Awful. Which was really disappointing, because I love Colin Firth and wanted to read about his life (and it was free on Kindle :)). The only good thing about this book was the information. Other than that, the grammar was awful, the author was scattered, and, frankly, I'm amazed this even got published. I stopped halfway through, ready to find the author and give a serious grammar/writing lesson.
If you're looking for a Colin Firth book, this is definitely not the one
If you're looking for a Colin Firth book, this is definitely not the one
October 29, 2016
Das war ne schwere Geburt...
Ich liebe Colin Firth und fand es daher sehr interessant seinen Werdegang genauer zu betrachten und das Buch hat mich auch des Öfteren zum Lachen gebracht.
Allerdings ist es echt nicht so gut geschrieben und zieht sich teilweise wahnsinnig lange, wenn einfach nur ein Film und dessen Inhalt nach dem anderen aufgezählt werden.
Alles in allem denke ich, dass ich lieber bei Autobiografien bleibe.
Ich liebe Colin Firth und fand es daher sehr interessant seinen Werdegang genauer zu betrachten und das Buch hat mich auch des Öfteren zum Lachen gebracht.
Allerdings ist es echt nicht so gut geschrieben und zieht sich teilweise wahnsinnig lange, wenn einfach nur ein Film und dessen Inhalt nach dem anderen aufgezählt werden.
Alles in allem denke ich, dass ich lieber bei Autobiografien bleibe.
June 1, 2012
I enjoyed reading about one of my favorite actors, but sometimes the spelling mistakes and differences in grammar between British and American English were just too obvious for this teacher to ignore. Reads like a series of pop-culture journalism articles, and is not organized as I would choose for it to be.
September 3, 2012
A good read, I'm a fan! A Quote : "Think you know all there is to know about Colin Firth? Well think again! For this detailed, insightful and entertaining biography of the likeable and handsome Oscar-winning star is packed with unforgettable stories to fascinate every fan."
May 26, 2014
disappointing as I really like Colin Firth. The book is spoilt by talking heads like the woman who is famous for a string of high profile extra marital affairs and the psychologist who has never met him. And the Kindle book is 20% extract of the authors other book. Glad it was free!
February 29, 2012
Didn't finish it. It's crap. Not even worth the one star I gave it.
May 27, 2012
One redeeming feature -- it was about Colin. Otherwise, just sort of an inflated People magazine article. I skimmed it. It was free, what can I say.
June 3, 2012
Good information, lack of organization. Some information would be repeated several times, making it a little tedious to read.
January 7, 2013
not great
June 22, 2012
Read like an over long tabloid magazine article, but it's summer and Colin is Colin so why not?
July 22, 2012
nice to learn the background of the Man who would be King! He is my favorite actor, love how he loves his family
January 1, 2013
Is it possible to give a book a half star? Like many others, the book was poorly written, proofed, and edited. I like Colin Firth, but found the book tough to finish. Don't waste your time.
May 6, 2014
Great learning about Colin but the psychology babble rambled on WAY too much.
May 21, 2014
Love Colin Firth. Not so much this book.
May 5, 2016
I wouldn't call this a book, the author basically just copied quotes from other people. Disappointing.
September 25, 2016
Not too bad.
June 29, 2012
Some interesting stuff... repeated ad nauseum.
April 15, 2017
Three stars might be a bit generous. I'd give some chapters a 4 and some a 1, but I think I'd give fewer ones, so I'll give it a 3...
Some chapters are almost completely quotes - pages and pages of a single quote by someone... and some of these people clearly can't stand Colin Firth. If I wanted to read people trashing him, I'd read tabloids. My guess is the one woman who hates him hates him because he turned her down and now she's bitter, though she doesn't get into that, so I'm not sure. She claims he just "bugs" her...
One of the later chapters actually written by Monetti read like a bad high school term paper and was less interesting than some term papers I read for friends in school.
Then, there were good chapters that were interesting and fairly well written... It's a fast read, but I'm still not sure it's worth it - even if you're a Colin Firth fan. I'm glad I only paid a dollar or two for this or I would have felt totally ripped off.
Some chapters are almost completely quotes - pages and pages of a single quote by someone... and some of these people clearly can't stand Colin Firth. If I wanted to read people trashing him, I'd read tabloids. My guess is the one woman who hates him hates him because he turned her down and now she's bitter, though she doesn't get into that, so I'm not sure. She claims he just "bugs" her...
One of the later chapters actually written by Monetti read like a bad high school term paper and was less interesting than some term papers I read for friends in school.
Then, there were good chapters that were interesting and fairly well written... It's a fast read, but I'm still not sure it's worth it - even if you're a Colin Firth fan. I'm glad I only paid a dollar or two for this or I would have felt totally ripped off.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews