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Elimination Night
For readers of The Devil Wears Prada and fans of TV shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent comes Elimination Night, an uproariously funny look at the backstabbing, ego clashes, and 24–7 snafus that transpire behind the scenes of one of the country’s smash talent programs.
Sasha King dreams of being a serious novelist and living the good life with her AWOL hunk of a boyfriend, Brock. But her day job as an assistant producer of Project Icon, the once-mighty ratings juggernaut that’s recently taken a hit in the Nielsen’s ratings, keeps her working nonstop. She’s got her hands full with the show’s two new celebrity judges, entrepreneur-actress-singer Bibi Vasquez (“Crew to be forbidden to make eye contact with Artist AT ALL TIMES,” reads her contract) and rock legend Joey Lovecraft, a priapic wild man who doesn’t even own a TV (it goes against the teachings of his guru, Tibetan high lama Yutog Gonpo).
As the competition among the hopeful, young would-be stars—including the foul-mouthed Mia Pelosi and the chaps-wearing Jimmy Nuggett—heats up, Sasha finds herself constantly putting out fires. A date with a mysterious stranger makes her rethink her devotion to Brock. And then an unexpected revelation rocks her world.
A frighteningly smooth host (Wayne Shoreline), muckraking gossip columnists, and powerful people named Nigel round out the pure madcap reading pleasure of Elimination Night, a book so hilariously accurate about the inner workings of the talent show machine that it had to be written anonymously.
Sasha King dreams of being a serious novelist and living the good life with her AWOL hunk of a boyfriend, Brock. But her day job as an assistant producer of Project Icon, the once-mighty ratings juggernaut that’s recently taken a hit in the Nielsen’s ratings, keeps her working nonstop. She’s got her hands full with the show’s two new celebrity judges, entrepreneur-actress-singer Bibi Vasquez (“Crew to be forbidden to make eye contact with Artist AT ALL TIMES,” reads her contract) and rock legend Joey Lovecraft, a priapic wild man who doesn’t even own a TV (it goes against the teachings of his guru, Tibetan high lama Yutog Gonpo).
As the competition among the hopeful, young would-be stars—including the foul-mouthed Mia Pelosi and the chaps-wearing Jimmy Nuggett—heats up, Sasha finds herself constantly putting out fires. A date with a mysterious stranger makes her rethink her devotion to Brock. And then an unexpected revelation rocks her world.
A frighteningly smooth host (Wayne Shoreline), muckraking gossip columnists, and powerful people named Nigel round out the pure madcap reading pleasure of Elimination Night, a book so hilariously accurate about the inner workings of the talent show machine that it had to be written anonymously.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
19 people are currently reading
493 people want to read
About the author
Anonymous
791k books3,367 followersBooks can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:
* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
October 2, 2016
I listened to this. It has the worst narrator I have ever heard. She's doing a thinly-disguised Simon Cowell as the Scottish character he is in the book. Her Scottish accent says, "lak" for "like" and "goodba" for "goodbye" for instance. Every single accent and characterisation except for the young woman subject of the book is terrible.
However, that fits. The book is bad beyond belief. It's slightly fascinating because it is obviously written by a reality-show (Pop Idol, American Idol, that sort of thing) insider and the characters are mash-ups so it's fun trying to work out who's who. One of the characters seems to be Paula Abdul/Mariah Carey/Osbourne woman (forget her name). Len, really is Len the Strictly Dancing judge, but mixed with someone more obnoxious. I don't watch enough reality tv to get them all.
The cod philosophy is clichéed: I bet your daddy didn't tell you that it's not you should do what you love, but you have to love what you do from a washed-up rock star who had turned into a reality judge (bit like the guy from Poison and Ozzie but someone else too, maybe the obnoxious Tyler guy.)
The heroine is really a decent person who just wants to write a novel and be with her surfer bf in Hawaii but needs to earn some money first. She thinks the whole industry is sleazy, corrupt and fixed and gets paid hardly anything. When "Simon Cowell (Scottish version) offers her a fortune to do the same thing for him, which is weird since she is a very minor cog, she comes over all moral and cannot possibly take the job.
It's just a trainwreck of a book, so having a really awful narrator who can't do accents and mispronounces names and English words is irritating but not fatal. The book kind of reminds me of Go Ask Alice, which had the same effect: we are supposed to take it seriously but it is such an unbelievable story written by a terrible writer it's a joke, and jokes are always good, even sleazy, cheesy bad ones in their way.
2 star. 1 star because it was fun trying to work out who was who and an extra star because I kept thinking this can't get worse, the story and the writing have to improve at some point. But actually they deteriorated considerably towards the end as the author tried to weave all the strands into a logical conclusion (and failed). But it kept me there so I didn't dnf it.
However, that fits. The book is bad beyond belief. It's slightly fascinating because it is obviously written by a reality-show (Pop Idol, American Idol, that sort of thing) insider and the characters are mash-ups so it's fun trying to work out who's who. One of the characters seems to be Paula Abdul/Mariah Carey/Osbourne woman (forget her name). Len, really is Len the Strictly Dancing judge, but mixed with someone more obnoxious. I don't watch enough reality tv to get them all.
The cod philosophy is clichéed: I bet your daddy didn't tell you that it's not you should do what you love, but you have to love what you do from a washed-up rock star who had turned into a reality judge (bit like the guy from Poison and Ozzie but someone else too, maybe the obnoxious Tyler guy.)
The heroine is really a decent person who just wants to write a novel and be with her surfer bf in Hawaii but needs to earn some money first. She thinks the whole industry is sleazy, corrupt and fixed and gets paid hardly anything. When "Simon Cowell (Scottish version) offers her a fortune to do the same thing for him, which is weird since she is a very minor cog, she comes over all moral and cannot possibly take the job.
It's just a trainwreck of a book, so having a really awful narrator who can't do accents and mispronounces names and English words is irritating but not fatal. The book kind of reminds me of Go Ask Alice, which had the same effect: we are supposed to take it seriously but it is such an unbelievable story written by a terrible writer it's a joke, and jokes are always good, even sleazy, cheesy bad ones in their way.
2 star. 1 star because it was fun trying to work out who was who and an extra star because I kept thinking this can't get worse, the story and the writing have to improve at some point. But actually they deteriorated considerably towards the end as the author tried to weave all the strands into a logical conclusion (and failed). But it kept me there so I didn't dnf it.
January 29, 2013
The thinnest of thinly-veiled tell-alls, the writing is a little on the heavy-handed side, and reads less like a novel and more like the cathartic morning pages of a miserable American Idol staffer.
I personally had hoped for a little more finesse in the storytelling, but I doubt there are many people who are reading this expecting the great American novel. If you're looking for juicy backstage snark about the reality show in its twilight years, it definitely does the job. It's an entertaining read, and if you've paid any attention at all to Idol, you'll quickly identify all the main players without much effort.
I personally had hoped for a little more finesse in the storytelling, but I doubt there are many people who are reading this expecting the great American novel. If you're looking for juicy backstage snark about the reality show in its twilight years, it definitely does the job. It's an entertaining read, and if you've paid any attention at all to Idol, you'll quickly identify all the main players without much effort.
January 10, 2013
So sad. I had hoped for something so much better. Something along the lines of "The Devil Wears Prada" or "The Nanny Diaries". But, (sigh) no. I got a book that tried to hard to be charming and funny. Instead, for me, it fell short. And the sad thing, it could have been so so so much better.
The first issue I have is with the silly names that the author uses. Instead of Coke, we have some Freak Cola (or something like that. I don't even remember). If they would have been even a bit more mainstream, then it could have been believable. Instead, we are left with this world that is so ridiculous, you feel stupid just having read it.
Second, if the author could have tried to have a bit more poignancy with the backstory of Bill, instead of making her sound like a haughty 2 year old, I could have had more empathy for her and her relationship and her longing to be a writer.
Third, the characters are so far fetched it is ridiculous. I know, I know. We are reading about Tyler and Carey here, they are ridiculous. But they didn't seem real. I don't doubt that all of the shenanigans that is discussed happened, but if I didn't know who the characters were based on, I would think it tripe. If the author had just taken the sarcasm out, I think it would have been ok. But we are left with these stars that are so over the top (which I can buy) being written as a joke, not people.
If the author wanted the story to be a joke, they succeeded. If they wanted a note worthy book, they failed. As I said, "Devil" did this much better and set the bar. This book is not even in the same auditorium, let alone competition.
The first issue I have is with the silly names that the author uses. Instead of Coke, we have some Freak Cola (or something like that. I don't even remember). If they would have been even a bit more mainstream, then it could have been believable. Instead, we are left with this world that is so ridiculous, you feel stupid just having read it.
Second, if the author could have tried to have a bit more poignancy with the backstory of Bill, instead of making her sound like a haughty 2 year old, I could have had more empathy for her and her relationship and her longing to be a writer.
Third, the characters are so far fetched it is ridiculous. I know, I know. We are reading about Tyler and Carey here, they are ridiculous. But they didn't seem real. I don't doubt that all of the shenanigans that is discussed happened, but if I didn't know who the characters were based on, I would think it tripe. If the author had just taken the sarcasm out, I think it would have been ok. But we are left with these stars that are so over the top (which I can buy) being written as a joke, not people.
If the author wanted the story to be a joke, they succeeded. If they wanted a note worthy book, they failed. As I said, "Devil" did this much better and set the bar. This book is not even in the same auditorium, let alone competition.
January 27, 2013
I couldn't finish this book. I tried, but I couldn't. I made it halfway through and could go no further.
I freely admit that I used to watch American Idol when Simon Cowell was on. And I watch shows like So You Think You Can Dance, Dance Moms, etc.
But this book, well, it just became a chore to read. I dreaded it. I really did. There were some humorous parts and I'm sure that some of the shenanigans detailed out have happened. However, I didn't care about the characters. I just didn't feel invested in the lead character, Sasha (who goes by Bill as that is her boss' name). There was nothing endearing, nothing to root for in her. I didn't care about the judges and their lives, either. They had all of the bad traits of the ones we've see on the live show, but no redeeming qualities that made you care about them.
For a book to appeal to me, I have to be able to become invested in the characters. And there was absolutely nothing in this tale that allowed me to do that.
Nope, not worth it.
I freely admit that I used to watch American Idol when Simon Cowell was on. And I watch shows like So You Think You Can Dance, Dance Moms, etc.
But this book, well, it just became a chore to read. I dreaded it. I really did. There were some humorous parts and I'm sure that some of the shenanigans detailed out have happened. However, I didn't care about the characters. I just didn't feel invested in the lead character, Sasha (who goes by Bill as that is her boss' name). There was nothing endearing, nothing to root for in her. I didn't care about the judges and their lives, either. They had all of the bad traits of the ones we've see on the live show, but no redeeming qualities that made you care about them.
For a book to appeal to me, I have to be able to become invested in the characters. And there was absolutely nothing in this tale that allowed me to do that.
Nope, not worth it.
January 13, 2013
Like the reality shows that it skewers, readers cannot help but feel that they are being (poorly) scammed by the "anonymous" author of this book that really tries way too hard to make you believe that you're really reading a true tell-all thinly veiled as fiction. Do these shows truly hide the exit doors so that rejected contestants look extra stupid? I don't know (nor do I care). Worth reading if you can get your hands it for free and have two hours to kill while waiting for a plane.
July 26, 2013
This book intrigued me when I first noticed it at the library. The cover is eye-catching, and the premise is interesting, at least for an ex-American Idol viewer like myself, especially the whole Anonymous author who was allegedly an insider on the show. So I had to give it a try.
I can't say I was disappointed. Fascinated, horrified, and repelled, though, for sure. Even if only a tenth of what the author alleges about the cast and crew of "Project Icon" is true, even that much would be shocking and horrifying. Selfish, bizarre, melodramatic celebrities judges and host. Weak and inconsistent, not to mention psychologically manipulated, contestants. Horrendous, inhumane studio execs and beleaguered but still fundamentally selfish crew members. And soulless unscrupulous paparazzi. I quit watching American Idol because it was mean and I got tired of the drama--I really did just watch for the musical performances--and this confirmed and went far beyond all the issues that made me stop watching. You can bet I won't be watching any more reality shows in the future.
The thing is that almost all the allegations were believable in that they fit with my previous impressions of the famous people in question. I've always found Ryan Seacrest oddly repellant, so his puppy-eating psychopathic show host character explained so much. Everyone knows J-Lo is a total diva with more ambition, physical assets, and business sense than talent, but hearing the extent of her and her Rasputin-ish manager's diva demands was pretty staggering. Steven Tyler came out of it at least looking likable in a completely broken and wacked out way. I thought the fictional names they were given were hilariously suited...Wayne Shoreline, Bibi Vasquez, JD Coolz, etc. were all transparent as to whom they referred to, by their incredible similarity to the characters real names.
The contestants were more difficult to place, especially since I quit watching Idol a number of seasons ago, so much of my knowledge is just based on general media chatter. But it seems like the performers might have been selected from various seasons and tossed into the same season in the story. I assume Cassie is Crystal Bowersox, and Little Nug might be David Archuleta? I don't really know, and it doesn't really matter. The contestants are less of the point of the show, anyway.
If you've seen the movie Swimming with Sharks, this is a funnier, less violent spin on a similar theme--what people in Hollywood will do to earn a paycheck, working for sick, insanely famous, wealthy, and powerful people. Sasha/ Bill wasn't a terrible character. At least she was aware of the erosion of her own moral character, and fought against it a little. I didn't understand why she put with as much as she did, though--either on the job or with her boyfriend. Boris, however, was pretty funny and likable.
I liked the story's resolution for Sasha. The ending of the story in general, though, felt both rushed and drawn out--rushed in the sense that suddenly a lot of action and information was squeezed into the story, but drawn out in that very tedious afterward. The press release format was not nearly as engaging as the rest of the story, and was one of the places where the author more obviously diverged from reality. It wasn't an especially satisfying or detailed resolution, either, for everyone else.
I listened to Elimination Night on audio, and the narrator had a pleasant voice and did a pretty good job reading the story and doing a lot of different voices. Some of the voices/ impressions were more effective than others, but you could always tell who was speaking. The only gripe I had with the audio CD format was that the CDs didn't have a neat ending. They would just fade mid-narration into music, and pick up on the next CD from story that had already been read before the fade. So every new CD involved listening to several minutes of repeated story. For some reason I found this very annoying.
I can't really complain. This book was pretty much what it promised. I didn't expect Shakespeare, but I found the story surprisingly, pleasantly engaging, and I'm not sorry I read it. Although I won't be watching any more reality shows anytime soon. ugh!
I can't say I was disappointed. Fascinated, horrified, and repelled, though, for sure. Even if only a tenth of what the author alleges about the cast and crew of "Project Icon" is true, even that much would be shocking and horrifying. Selfish, bizarre, melodramatic celebrities judges and host. Weak and inconsistent, not to mention psychologically manipulated, contestants. Horrendous, inhumane studio execs and beleaguered but still fundamentally selfish crew members. And soulless unscrupulous paparazzi. I quit watching American Idol because it was mean and I got tired of the drama--I really did just watch for the musical performances--and this confirmed and went far beyond all the issues that made me stop watching. You can bet I won't be watching any more reality shows in the future.
The thing is that almost all the allegations were believable in that they fit with my previous impressions of the famous people in question. I've always found Ryan Seacrest oddly repellant, so his puppy-eating psychopathic show host character explained so much. Everyone knows J-Lo is a total diva with more ambition, physical assets, and business sense than talent, but hearing the extent of her and her Rasputin-ish manager's diva demands was pretty staggering. Steven Tyler came out of it at least looking likable in a completely broken and wacked out way. I thought the fictional names they were given were hilariously suited...Wayne Shoreline, Bibi Vasquez, JD Coolz, etc. were all transparent as to whom they referred to, by their incredible similarity to the characters real names.
The contestants were more difficult to place, especially since I quit watching Idol a number of seasons ago, so much of my knowledge is just based on general media chatter. But it seems like the performers might have been selected from various seasons and tossed into the same season in the story. I assume Cassie is Crystal Bowersox, and Little Nug might be David Archuleta? I don't really know, and it doesn't really matter. The contestants are less of the point of the show, anyway.
If you've seen the movie Swimming with Sharks, this is a funnier, less violent spin on a similar theme--what people in Hollywood will do to earn a paycheck, working for sick, insanely famous, wealthy, and powerful people. Sasha/ Bill wasn't a terrible character. At least she was aware of the erosion of her own moral character, and fought against it a little. I didn't understand why she put with as much as she did, though--either on the job or with her boyfriend. Boris, however, was pretty funny and likable.
I liked the story's resolution for Sasha. The ending of the story in general, though, felt both rushed and drawn out--rushed in the sense that suddenly a lot of action and information was squeezed into the story, but drawn out in that very tedious afterward. The press release format was not nearly as engaging as the rest of the story, and was one of the places where the author more obviously diverged from reality. It wasn't an especially satisfying or detailed resolution, either, for everyone else.
I listened to Elimination Night on audio, and the narrator had a pleasant voice and did a pretty good job reading the story and doing a lot of different voices. Some of the voices/ impressions were more effective than others, but you could always tell who was speaking. The only gripe I had with the audio CD format was that the CDs didn't have a neat ending. They would just fade mid-narration into music, and pick up on the next CD from story that had already been read before the fade. So every new CD involved listening to several minutes of repeated story. For some reason I found this very annoying.
I can't really complain. This book was pretty much what it promised. I didn't expect Shakespeare, but I found the story surprisingly, pleasantly engaging, and I'm not sorry I read it. Although I won't be watching any more reality shows anytime soon. ugh!
May 9, 2013
So this book is written by Anonymous, the reason being given on the back cover, that the book is “so hilariously accurate about the inner workings of the talent show machine that it had to be written anonymously”. And the book does seem like it could be accurate about that sort of stuff, although around that the book isn’t too serious as it is all built around the laughs.
The story focuses on Sasha King. Her boyfriend is off in Hawaii concentrating on his “surfing career” whilst she is in LA earning enough money to follow him over, but also to allow herself time to write her Novel of Immense Profundity.
Sasha works on the production side of “Project Icon”, an X-Factor/Pop Idol show. They are starting their 13th season and star judge-based-on-Simon-Cowell Nigel Crowther has quit to set up a different, rival reality show.
The pressure is on.
First a new panel of judges needs to be found, which is easier said than done (funny bios, all sorts of negotiating etc.). They arrive at three, although they don’t exactly click. The auditions takes place but ratings for the series are down which carries consequences. “They’re giving us one episode. No ratings, no more show. Our elimination night.”
Luckily the controlling company gets into trouble over a rigged-bingo show so “the ratings of a televised singing competition were no longer at the top of Big Corp’s agenda.”
Along the way Sasha finds herself too.
The book is all for the laughs, the happenings are outlandish although there is a believable element to the details underlining everything. The book did get rushed at the end though and maybe a joke or two were repeated but overall an enjoyable read, and I’ll be looking out to see what Anonymous does next.
The story focuses on Sasha King. Her boyfriend is off in Hawaii concentrating on his “surfing career” whilst she is in LA earning enough money to follow him over, but also to allow herself time to write her Novel of Immense Profundity.
Sasha works on the production side of “Project Icon”, an X-Factor/Pop Idol show. They are starting their 13th season and star judge-based-on-Simon-Cowell Nigel Crowther has quit to set up a different, rival reality show.
The pressure is on.
First a new panel of judges needs to be found, which is easier said than done (funny bios, all sorts of negotiating etc.). They arrive at three, although they don’t exactly click. The auditions takes place but ratings for the series are down which carries consequences. “They’re giving us one episode. No ratings, no more show. Our elimination night.”
Luckily the controlling company gets into trouble over a rigged-bingo show so “the ratings of a televised singing competition were no longer at the top of Big Corp’s agenda.”
Along the way Sasha finds herself too.
The book is all for the laughs, the happenings are outlandish although there is a believable element to the details underlining everything. The book did get rushed at the end though and maybe a joke or two were repeated but overall an enjoyable read, and I’ll be looking out to see what Anonymous does next.
January 21, 2013
I was excited to read this book as I had heard a lot about it. It started out great and provided enough facts behind the scenes at "Project Icon" that it was clear it had to be a true story. The names, of course, have been changed, but it was blatantly obvious to whom the book was referring. It is abundantly clear this is written by someone in the know on "American Idol". Jimmy is clearly Steven Tyler, Bibi is Jennifer Lopez, Wayne Shoreline is Ryan Seacrest and another character, who is barely mentioned, is Randy Jackson. Simon Cowell makes an appearance as "Nigel Crowther". The stories about these characters is what makes the book interesting. This part of the book was fascinating, as was the peek inside what the contestants go through, and what it takes to set up the "cattle calls". If the book would have just focused on this, I would have easily given it 5 stars. But it veered off course way too much for me. The voice of the story is Sasha, also called Bob. Her boyfriend story and personal life made the book drag, I often skipped forward through these parts. But what really killed any good feelings for me was the ending. It was completely implausible, suddenly there was a "mystery" to solve, which added nothing to the story, actually detracted mightily, and it just felt Scooby Doo to me. A ton of things happen, wrapped up in a couple pages and it ends. I was so disappointed with the end of the book I am left with a terrible feeling to it.
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February 18, 2016Horrible Language but Fun Story
I may be one of the few people alive who has never watched any of the reality talent shows. Even so, I knew enough about them to be able to enjoy this send up of the genre.
If you are looking for major exposés behind the scenes, this isn't going to reveal much the average person wouldn't know. However, main character "Bill" made an appealing narrator. Unlike other readers, I didn't find her storyline distracting. Rather, I felt it balanced out the reality show phoniness and ego.
The actual performance aspect of the show and its contenders was microscopic. Didn't bother me but I can imagine that would disappoint some Idol fans.
The only negative for me was the overload of profanity. It spoilt an otherwise enjoyable read. Strangely enough, my favorite character was the foul mouthed, sex mad, drug taking rock star. Go figure. His character had a heart, and the author had an obvious fondness for him.
Overall, a quick, light read for pop culture fans who aren't fazed by an overdose of *@#*?#%@
I may be one of the few people alive who has never watched any of the reality talent shows. Even so, I knew enough about them to be able to enjoy this send up of the genre.
If you are looking for major exposés behind the scenes, this isn't going to reveal much the average person wouldn't know. However, main character "Bill" made an appealing narrator. Unlike other readers, I didn't find her storyline distracting. Rather, I felt it balanced out the reality show phoniness and ego.
The actual performance aspect of the show and its contenders was microscopic. Didn't bother me but I can imagine that would disappoint some Idol fans.
The only negative for me was the overload of profanity. It spoilt an otherwise enjoyable read. Strangely enough, my favorite character was the foul mouthed, sex mad, drug taking rock star. Go figure. His character had a heart, and the author had an obvious fondness for him.
Overall, a quick, light read for pop culture fans who aren't fazed by an overdose of *@#*?#%@
March 31, 2013
Three and a half stars.
I wasn't sure what to expect; the reviews of this book aren't great, but the subject intrigued me.
Okay, the writing was not superb and, as other reviewers have mentioned, the sub-plot of "Bill's" personal life was pretty lame.
I quite enjoyed the main plot, however. The 'inside scoop' on American Idol was interesting and just plain fun.
I sandwiched this book in between two Historical Fiction selections and it was a nice break. It also took me less than 24 hours to finish, which is pretty good considering a have an adult son with special needs to care for and my husband is away this weekend :). So, in other words, a very quick and entertaining read, not requiring a great deal of concentration. If you watch any of the reality singing competitions out there, you should enjoy this one.
This one would be a perfect vacation/travel read.
I wasn't sure what to expect; the reviews of this book aren't great, but the subject intrigued me.
Okay, the writing was not superb and, as other reviewers have mentioned, the sub-plot of "Bill's" personal life was pretty lame.
I quite enjoyed the main plot, however. The 'inside scoop' on American Idol was interesting and just plain fun.
I sandwiched this book in between two Historical Fiction selections and it was a nice break. It also took me less than 24 hours to finish, which is pretty good considering a have an adult son with special needs to care for and my husband is away this weekend :). So, in other words, a very quick and entertaining read, not requiring a great deal of concentration. If you watch any of the reality singing competitions out there, you should enjoy this one.
This one would be a perfect vacation/travel read.
February 15, 2013
Aspiring writer everygirl (that's supposed to be us) goes to work on American Idol with the names changed for practically nothing. Oh, and literally half the fun is figuring out who's supposed to be who/what's supposed to be what--which isn't exactly hard. In addition, I really like how the author goes out of their way to avoid using actual product names (aside from Apple, strangely)--e.g. the fictitious dating site eCupidMatch as an amalgam of eHarmony, okCupid, and Match.com. All in all, it's not great literature by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely a fun and worthwhile read.
February 25, 2013
This is either a thinly-veiled, shocking behind-the-scenes expose of the show American Idol, or a funny satire of that show. I can't decide which - it works either way! A fun read, especially if you watched Jennifer Lopez' and Steven Tyler's first season on the show.
I don't think I'll ever be able to get what the book says about the Ryan Seacrest doppleganger out of my head...;) Funny! Tittilating! Perhaps shocking!
I don't think I'll ever be able to get what the book says about the Ryan Seacrest doppleganger out of my head...;) Funny! Tittilating! Perhaps shocking!
December 1, 2022
Regardless of how accurate the book is (or isn't), it's a funny read to pass the time. Not overly memorable or forgettable, just something in the middle.
2nd read:
Reading the book again a few years later (the initial read was in the early 2010s), the book is funnier now then it was at first read. My favorite part: picking out the real-life inspiration for the characters. The ending is a bit rushed, but things are wrapped up with a bow, which I happen to really enjoy in my books.
2nd read:
Reading the book again a few years later (the initial read was in the early 2010s), the book is funnier now then it was at first read. My favorite part: picking out the real-life inspiration for the characters. The ending is a bit rushed, but things are wrapped up with a bow, which I happen to really enjoy in my books.
May 4, 2013
The book was as entertaining as I hoped it would be. Yes, the characters are thinly disguised, but the facts about how shows like "American Idol" are produced are fascinating. I'll watch Idol with a fresh eye the next time I tune in. Definitely a summer read.
March 15, 2015
A decent story marred by horribly excessive profanity and crudity. I wasn't expecting a Disney Channel Original Movie, but, would it have killed the anonymous writer to eliminate at least some of the language? Even only somewhat discerning American Idol fans will not enjoy this.
January 19, 2013
It's rare for me not to finish a book but I thought this book was horrible and only read about 25%. It wasn't written well and I found it boring.
February 15, 2013
It was supposed to be an expose of sorts of "American Idol", as nearly as I could tell.
I was never sure who they were supposed to be portraying, or why I should care.
I was never sure who they were supposed to be portraying, or why I should care.
October 20, 2019
I was pretty proud of myself for knowing the phrase "roman a clef" until I realized it was on the back of the book and I probably just read it there. So, anyway, this is a roman a clef about a television singing talent show that is just so obviously "American Idol" even though they don't call it that. The British judge has left the show and they're filling his place with a voluptuous Latina singer and an aging rock star. The book jacket claims that "anonymous" has insider information about "Idol." So, if you like "Idol," you'll like this book. Even if you don't care for Idol that much, it's a pretty good story, with a lot of details about workign in television--the protagonist is a production assistant. More well written than you might think it would be.
I just have to mention that name the author gives to the host of the show is Wayne Shoreline. Ryan Seacrest....yeah.
I just have to mention that name the author gives to the host of the show is Wayne Shoreline. Ryan Seacrest....yeah.
August 6, 2023
this book was a light and fluffy beach read that I finished in a day. This book is the stereotypical “singing competition!!!!!” format of many tv shows, movies, books. It has more focus on the judges than the contestants, but there wasn’t even a mystery really… at least not one i remember. It was more like, keep reading to see what wHaCkY stuff happens as the season continues. So not much on the plot front, and certainly no real depth in character (there were some hints that were not ever fleshed out). But for the beach,... easy to read, light hearted tone... sounds good to me.
April 14, 2022
ending was rushed and a little nonsensical, but it was entertaining enough. not sure if it would be more enjoyable for people who are super-into reality competition shows or if it would be offputting by seeming more fictional than "reality with names changed". I personally have watched about 1.5 episodes of American Idol ever, so I'm pretty sure I get who is a stand-in for who, but... eh
April 5, 2018
Never watched the show, liked the book
I enjoyed the wacky characters and interesting circumstances they got themselves into. The behind the scenes going ons seem about right, too. Fun read.
I enjoyed the wacky characters and interesting circumstances they got themselves into. The behind the scenes going ons seem about right, too. Fun read.
September 3, 2013
Mild Mockery of Reality …
This book was reviewed as part of Amazon's Vine program which included a free advance copy of the book.
As someone who hitched on to the American Idol about six years ago (supposedly, when the show was past its prime), I thought ELIMINATION NIGHT would be somewhat of a "interesting" (juicy) look at the depravity behind the scenes of the hedonistic reality show. Sure, it's a work of fiction, but sometimes reality-based fiction can be just as tantalizing. The anonymous author even added a degree of authenticity and alludes to the fear of the author being fired or sued if discovered. But, other than a few obvious embellishments, the book really didn't "reveal" anything most Idol-watchers didn't know or assume to know already. The book is readable, but I found it a little disappointing.
If anyone has a casual watching interest in Idol, they are probably primed on the basic understanding that the show tends to focus on its staff just as much as the annual contestants ... as the previous winners generally fade from our minds (save a few), the judges (unfortunately) never do. ELIMINATION NIGHT basically hammers home the expected/known selfish, narcissistic behavior of judges and the "gimmicky", false nature of a reality competition show that heavily mirrors American Idol. In fact, one of the biggest challenges I had reading the book was getting the images of real American Idol personalities out of my mind ... the entire way through.
A key to some oh-so-coincidental similarities between ELIMINATION NIGHT and American Idol:
"Project Icon" = American Idol
"Big Corp" (network owner) = Newscorp (network owner)
"Rabbit" (network) = Fox (network)
"Nigel Crowther" (former mean judge) = Simon Cowell (former mean judge)
"Talent Factor" (former mean judge's new show) = X Factor (former mean judge's new show)
"Wayne Shoreline" (host) = Ryan Seacrest (host)
"Joey Lovecraft" (judge) = Steven Tyler (judge)
"Honeyload" (judge's former band) = Aerosmith (judge's former band)
"Blade Morgan" (judge's jealous ex-bandmate) = Joe Perry (judge's jealous ex-bandmate)
"Bibi Vasquez" (judge) = Jennifer Lopez (judge)
"J D Coolz" (mainstay judge) = Randy Jackson (mainstay judge)
"Booya ka ka" (mainstay judge trademark comment) = "Yo Dawg" (mainstay judge trademark comment)
Even though the book is fiction, ELIMINATION NIGHT still teeters on the line of being based on embellished fact. The storylines of the main characters play out quite similar to American Idol's season 10 with the book's main character, Sasha, an assistant producer of "Project Icon", giving readers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the show's ridiculous behind-the-scenes shenanigans. While the title of assistant producer sounds high-brow, we discover Sasha's nothing more than a low-level task-master/gopher responsible for accommodating every whim of the show's "talent" ... the narcissistic, insecure and jealous judges, NOT the aspiring vocalists. This allows us to see the fragile, piece-meal framework that hides behind the pageantry and polish of the final show; similar to how "The Larry Sanders Show" provided insight to the workings of late-night talk shows. On one hand, the storyline is relatively fun and is full of "did this really happen?" and "is she/he really like this?" moments. Questioning what is real and what isn't makes the book worth reading in the first place. Readers may even find themselves searching the internet to see if some of the stories are, in fact, true (thankfully, there is no evidence that Joey Lovecraft's alter-ego actually defecated on stage to spite his band-mate). On the other hand, the book lacks an immersive quality that really never had me wanting "more" or being particularly drawn to Sasha, the book's main character. Because of this, I found ELIMINATION NIGHT's brevity to be its greatest appeal.
ELIMINATION NIGHT offers a mixed bag: Idol fans may love it for its food-for-thought quality and others may hate it for possibly revealing the ugliness behind the show's grandness. While one does not need to be an Idol fan to enjoy the book, it certainly helps to at least be familiar with the show ... it's the carrot on the stick. The allusion of providing an insider's perspective of American Idol is what personally drew me (a casual Idol viewer) to read it. If Idol never existed, I can't really say I would be interested in ELIMINATION NIGHT.
This book was reviewed as part of Amazon's Vine program which included a free advance copy of the book.
As someone who hitched on to the American Idol about six years ago (supposedly, when the show was past its prime), I thought ELIMINATION NIGHT would be somewhat of a "interesting" (juicy) look at the depravity behind the scenes of the hedonistic reality show. Sure, it's a work of fiction, but sometimes reality-based fiction can be just as tantalizing. The anonymous author even added a degree of authenticity and alludes to the fear of the author being fired or sued if discovered. But, other than a few obvious embellishments, the book really didn't "reveal" anything most Idol-watchers didn't know or assume to know already. The book is readable, but I found it a little disappointing.
If anyone has a casual watching interest in Idol, they are probably primed on the basic understanding that the show tends to focus on its staff just as much as the annual contestants ... as the previous winners generally fade from our minds (save a few), the judges (unfortunately) never do. ELIMINATION NIGHT basically hammers home the expected/known selfish, narcissistic behavior of judges and the "gimmicky", false nature of a reality competition show that heavily mirrors American Idol. In fact, one of the biggest challenges I had reading the book was getting the images of real American Idol personalities out of my mind ... the entire way through.
A key to some oh-so-coincidental similarities between ELIMINATION NIGHT and American Idol:
"Project Icon" = American Idol
"Big Corp" (network owner) = Newscorp (network owner)
"Rabbit" (network) = Fox (network)
"Nigel Crowther" (former mean judge) = Simon Cowell (former mean judge)
"Talent Factor" (former mean judge's new show) = X Factor (former mean judge's new show)
"Wayne Shoreline" (host) = Ryan Seacrest (host)
"Joey Lovecraft" (judge) = Steven Tyler (judge)
"Honeyload" (judge's former band) = Aerosmith (judge's former band)
"Blade Morgan" (judge's jealous ex-bandmate) = Joe Perry (judge's jealous ex-bandmate)
"Bibi Vasquez" (judge) = Jennifer Lopez (judge)
"J D Coolz" (mainstay judge) = Randy Jackson (mainstay judge)
"Booya ka ka" (mainstay judge trademark comment) = "Yo Dawg" (mainstay judge trademark comment)
Even though the book is fiction, ELIMINATION NIGHT still teeters on the line of being based on embellished fact. The storylines of the main characters play out quite similar to American Idol's season 10 with the book's main character, Sasha, an assistant producer of "Project Icon", giving readers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the show's ridiculous behind-the-scenes shenanigans. While the title of assistant producer sounds high-brow, we discover Sasha's nothing more than a low-level task-master/gopher responsible for accommodating every whim of the show's "talent" ... the narcissistic, insecure and jealous judges, NOT the aspiring vocalists. This allows us to see the fragile, piece-meal framework that hides behind the pageantry and polish of the final show; similar to how "The Larry Sanders Show" provided insight to the workings of late-night talk shows. On one hand, the storyline is relatively fun and is full of "did this really happen?" and "is she/he really like this?" moments. Questioning what is real and what isn't makes the book worth reading in the first place. Readers may even find themselves searching the internet to see if some of the stories are, in fact, true (thankfully, there is no evidence that Joey Lovecraft's alter-ego actually defecated on stage to spite his band-mate). On the other hand, the book lacks an immersive quality that really never had me wanting "more" or being particularly drawn to Sasha, the book's main character. Because of this, I found ELIMINATION NIGHT's brevity to be its greatest appeal.
ELIMINATION NIGHT offers a mixed bag: Idol fans may love it for its food-for-thought quality and others may hate it for possibly revealing the ugliness behind the show's grandness. While one does not need to be an Idol fan to enjoy the book, it certainly helps to at least be familiar with the show ... it's the carrot on the stick. The allusion of providing an insider's perspective of American Idol is what personally drew me (a casual Idol viewer) to read it. If Idol never existed, I can't really say I would be interested in ELIMINATION NIGHT.
January 25, 2013
As soon as I heard about Elimination Night I knew I was going to love it. Some might Say that’s a lot of faith to put in a book but I was convinced. It’s the sort of novel reality tv fans will lap up and the only surprise is that a novel of this ilk hasn’t been released sooner! The novel is very much fact described as fiction and that only makes it all the better as you try and figure out who all the characters really are.
Fans of X Factor and American Idol will immediately see that Elimination Night is basically a fiction version of both shows. That ain’t a bad thing at all, mind you and I loved all of the gossip and intrigue. Whoever wrote the novel has clearly worked in reality tv and knows their stuff. And although some of it is a bit farfetched that actually doesn’t matter a jot because its just so juicy and ridiculous. It is the best kind of book because it had me totally hooked from page one.
I thought Sasha – or Bill as she spends most of the novel being called – was an excellent narrator. I thought she was the perfect kind of character to narrate the novel and her insights were second to none. She’s the type of girl who doesn’t really want to be in the industry but ends up in it nonetheless, doing things she never expected, not all of them good or things to be proud of. I thought she was great and when you’re in such a volatile industry, well, it comes with the territory doesn’t it? Plus, at the heart of her, Sasha was a really lovely person, unlike the rest of the characters in the novel who were just in it for themselves.
I absolutely adored Elimination Night. I loved the characters, the plot, the fact that shows like X factor really are like that, I loved Sasha most of all. A novel like this needs a heroine to root for because of all the other, unpleasant folk and Sasha was that breath of fresh air. I truly didn’t want to leave her, because I adored her. She’s the type of girl you want to be friends with. The writing was excellent, honestly it was second to none. It’s a mighty shame the author wrote it anonymously rather than using a pen name because he/she is hugely talented. The kind of author that I harangue until I know when their next book is out, it was that well written and that good. I knew I’d like this book as soon as I read the synopsis and saw the beautiful pink cover. You will, too. It’s brilliant.
Fans of X Factor and American Idol will immediately see that Elimination Night is basically a fiction version of both shows. That ain’t a bad thing at all, mind you and I loved all of the gossip and intrigue. Whoever wrote the novel has clearly worked in reality tv and knows their stuff. And although some of it is a bit farfetched that actually doesn’t matter a jot because its just so juicy and ridiculous. It is the best kind of book because it had me totally hooked from page one.
I thought Sasha – or Bill as she spends most of the novel being called – was an excellent narrator. I thought she was the perfect kind of character to narrate the novel and her insights were second to none. She’s the type of girl who doesn’t really want to be in the industry but ends up in it nonetheless, doing things she never expected, not all of them good or things to be proud of. I thought she was great and when you’re in such a volatile industry, well, it comes with the territory doesn’t it? Plus, at the heart of her, Sasha was a really lovely person, unlike the rest of the characters in the novel who were just in it for themselves.
I absolutely adored Elimination Night. I loved the characters, the plot, the fact that shows like X factor really are like that, I loved Sasha most of all. A novel like this needs a heroine to root for because of all the other, unpleasant folk and Sasha was that breath of fresh air. I truly didn’t want to leave her, because I adored her. She’s the type of girl you want to be friends with. The writing was excellent, honestly it was second to none. It’s a mighty shame the author wrote it anonymously rather than using a pen name because he/she is hugely talented. The kind of author that I harangue until I know when their next book is out, it was that well written and that good. I knew I’d like this book as soon as I read the synopsis and saw the beautiful pink cover. You will, too. It’s brilliant.
October 4, 2013
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. Unfortunately the book arrived while I was in the middle of a personal crisis and I'm just now getting around to reading it.
I have really mixed feelings about this book. The writing was compelling in a way - I didn't find myself bored or wanting to put the book down. But the plot was weak and the book is obviously an over-the-top satire of American Idol.
The main character is very bland, but it surrounded by all of these off-the-wall characters (Wayne Shoreline (aka Ryan Seacrest), Bibi Vasquez (aka Jennifer Lopez), Joey Lovecraft (aka Stephen Tyler), etc). The storyline follows the main character (Sasha, who is called Bill for some odd reason) through a season of American Idol (oh wait, I mean Project Icon) as it dwindles in popularity while other spinoff singing shows pick away at its viewer base.
I feel like this novel wanted to be a tell-all behind the scenes account of American Idol, but it wasn't. It was too over the top and perhaps I just didn't quite find it as humorous as it was supposed to be.
The writing was decent, but I just felt the plot didn't really go anywhere. The characters weren't very likeable - Sasha is boring, Joey is a complete douche (but we're supposed to love him?), Bibi is a horrible bitch, Wayne is a puppy-eating sociopath...
It was just okay.
I have really mixed feelings about this book. The writing was compelling in a way - I didn't find myself bored or wanting to put the book down. But the plot was weak and the book is obviously an over-the-top satire of American Idol.
The main character is very bland, but it surrounded by all of these off-the-wall characters (Wayne Shoreline (aka Ryan Seacrest), Bibi Vasquez (aka Jennifer Lopez), Joey Lovecraft (aka Stephen Tyler), etc). The storyline follows the main character (Sasha, who is called Bill for some odd reason) through a season of American Idol (oh wait, I mean Project Icon) as it dwindles in popularity while other spinoff singing shows pick away at its viewer base.
I feel like this novel wanted to be a tell-all behind the scenes account of American Idol, but it wasn't. It was too over the top and perhaps I just didn't quite find it as humorous as it was supposed to be.
The writing was decent, but I just felt the plot didn't really go anywhere. The characters weren't very likeable - Sasha is boring, Joey is a complete douche (but we're supposed to love him?), Bibi is a horrible bitch, Wayne is a puppy-eating sociopath...
It was just okay.
September 12, 2013
Normally, I love a good behind-the-scenes-Hollywood type book. But I just couldn't get into this one. Don't get me wrong, it was pretty well written, and I love that it's anonymous. That just gives it a total element of cool. LOL! But I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of American Idol, and it appears that this book is a spoof of the show. It seems so close to the show, in fact, that I'm left wondering how much is actually fiction. And there are some things in there that I really hope are fiction, because otherwise, that's disturbing.
Back to the well written comment - I feel like I was able to get to know the characters, and I loved Sasha's crazy Russian landlord. I also loved how the book ended, but there were times when I was reading where I was thinking, "Hurry up already and move on to the next scene." That could be because, like I said, I'm not a fan of American Idol and that may be why I had a hard time getting through it. If you're an AI fan, you'll most likely love the book.
Back to the well written comment - I feel like I was able to get to know the characters, and I loved Sasha's crazy Russian landlord. I also loved how the book ended, but there were times when I was reading where I was thinking, "Hurry up already and move on to the next scene." That could be because, like I said, I'm not a fan of American Idol and that may be why I had a hard time getting through it. If you're an AI fan, you'll most likely love the book.
January 29, 2013
This book was described as being similar to "The Devil Wears Prada", and while it was an "expose" of reality talent TV shows, there was no comparison in terms of book quality. The author clearly spent most of the time in writing descriptions of people and events that would make the reader think, "Oh, that's Jennifer Lopez," or "that's Scotty McCreary", and not much time creating an interesting plot that was close enough to what could be reality that it would be believable. The end result is a rather nauseating and unbelievable series of vignettes that, pasted together, form sort of a story about disgusting people doing repulsive things. I gave the book two stars for creativity, because the author surely is creative if nothing else. Even that gets old, though, with so many variations on the same theme of "Hollywood types are dirtballs", it just gets boring. I skipped through entire sections. The ending was as formulaic and disappointing as you might imagine.
March 17, 2015
I have only watched four shows in the entire run of American Idol and it was the Carrie/Bo year. I was entertained more than most (it appears from the reviews) because I had direct access to the 'under workings' of the 'big guns' at network tv. I worked on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno Show and there are people in the industry that are just as crazy (or even more) than the extreme behaviors of various characters in this book. I thought it was very entertaining.
SIDE NOTE: I had a hard time caring about anyone in the entertainment business so, I left. Thus, I did not have any particular interest in any of the characters depicted in Elimination Night however, I found myself curious as to what elements of the book were true (I bet more than even I surmised!)
SIDE NOTE: I had a hard time caring about anyone in the entertainment business so, I left. Thus, I did not have any particular interest in any of the characters depicted in Elimination Night however, I found myself curious as to what elements of the book were true (I bet more than even I surmised!)
October 21, 2013
I liked this novel. It made me laugh and think back on the changes made by American Idol and the other reality talent shows that is has paved the way for. Was it deep, quality reading that made me want to share it with my English class? No. But it was what I expected, a light and funny book that entertained me and made me smile. Interesting, with just enough similarities between the characters and their real-life counterparts to put your tongue in cheek, but also enough differences so that you don't feel like you are reading a tell-all or risk feeling catty. As far as I'm concerned, it was as good a diversion from housework as any other, and I recommend spending a few hours relaxing with this lighthearted tale.
April 17, 2013
I really wasn't expecting much from this book at all, but it wasn't that bad. It's not an amazing book by any means, but the narrator isn't completely stupid, and the behind-the-scenes look at the making of reality TV was interesting. The first part of the book annoyed me a bit, because I felt like the author was just entertaining him/herself creating detailed outlandish back stories for each of the novels celebrities/contestants. Some of it did have relevance later on, but a lot of it still seems self-indulgent. Once the characters have been painted and the plot picks up (though not much -- it's more documentary than drama) the book wasn't as bad as I was expecting.
September 4, 2014
Honestly I was skeptical of this one but I took interest in it after I read a review in People Magazine. Still I filed it under a trashy read book. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Written as an expose of an assistant producer's life on the television hit "Project Icon" (think "American Idol"), the book is really entertaining and I was quickly surprised at how invested I became in the characters. Ultimately this may be because I hate "American Idol" and that the characters of this book are written in a veiled attempt to mask who they are inspired by that I found so much enjoyment, but I dare anyone not to get sucked into this book.
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