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Keep It Real
A debut novel from the comic genus who brought you the hit television shows Night Court and Coach.
- GenresMystery
310 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 29, 2021
I had a vague memory of reading a book many years ago which featured a Donald Trump-like character who starred in a TV reality show called “The Mogul,” an obvious riff on “The Apprentice.” However, I could not recall the author or title. This is where keeping a list of everything you read comes in handy—I finally figured out that it was 2007’s "Keep It Real" by Bill Bryan. Long out of print, it was available used for about eight bucks including shipping on ABEBooks.com, so I ordered a copy.
The titular “Mogul” is Roger Dominus, and he is only an ancillary character in this book, though it’s made clear that he is incredibly vapid and self-absorbed and that the real brains behind the show is producer Trevor Bane, a Mark Burnett-like figure. Former investigative reporter Ted Collins winds up taking a job at “The Mogul,” and soon receives an unwelcome promotion (virtually no amount of extra money could make up for spending more time with Roger Dominus). However, Trevor is friends with L.A.’s best divorce lawyer, and since Ted’s ex-wife seems to take sinister pleasure in keeping Ted from seeing his young daughter, he agrees to become the co-executive producer in exchange for a little legal assistance.
Following a chance encounter with a beautiful young woman who later winds up missing, Ted’s reporter’s instinct kicks in and he decides to try to figure out what happened to her. She turns out to have been the girlfriend of a gangster rapper named Boney, and Ted contrives to get Boney to participate in an episode of “The Mogul” so the rapper can plug his new CD on national television and Ted will have an excuse to spy on him.
Reading "Keep It Real" is somewhat akin to spending time with a blowhard uncle who sets up a joke by warning you, “Now, this isn’t going to be [makes air quotes] ‘politically correct’” as he pokes you in the side with his elbow. The book is only 14 years old, but in a sense, it felt nearly as dated as one of those Golden Age mysteries where you are suddenly jolted by a description of a “swarthy Italian” or something much worse. Ted’s lesbian buddy is a “carpet-muncher,” the rapper and his cohorts speak in exaggerated AAVE, a police detective is described as being “as nervous as a cat at a Vietnamese cookout,” etc. Most jaw-droppingly of all, Ted has “The Mogul”’s makeup artists paint him in full blackface so he can go undercover in South Los Angeles.
This is Bill Bryan’s only published novel. I did some internet sleuthing and discovered that he is currently working in real estate development and finance. "Keep It Real" is not without its charms; Bryan, who also worked on several sitcoms including “Night Court” and “Coach,” knows how to write a funny scene. The behind-the-scenes machinations of reality TV today are probably quite similar to how they are depicted in this book, but almost everything else in "Keep It Real" feels like a relic of a bygone era.
The titular “Mogul” is Roger Dominus, and he is only an ancillary character in this book, though it’s made clear that he is incredibly vapid and self-absorbed and that the real brains behind the show is producer Trevor Bane, a Mark Burnett-like figure. Former investigative reporter Ted Collins winds up taking a job at “The Mogul,” and soon receives an unwelcome promotion (virtually no amount of extra money could make up for spending more time with Roger Dominus). However, Trevor is friends with L.A.’s best divorce lawyer, and since Ted’s ex-wife seems to take sinister pleasure in keeping Ted from seeing his young daughter, he agrees to become the co-executive producer in exchange for a little legal assistance.
Following a chance encounter with a beautiful young woman who later winds up missing, Ted’s reporter’s instinct kicks in and he decides to try to figure out what happened to her. She turns out to have been the girlfriend of a gangster rapper named Boney, and Ted contrives to get Boney to participate in an episode of “The Mogul” so the rapper can plug his new CD on national television and Ted will have an excuse to spy on him.
Reading "Keep It Real" is somewhat akin to spending time with a blowhard uncle who sets up a joke by warning you, “Now, this isn’t going to be [makes air quotes] ‘politically correct’” as he pokes you in the side with his elbow. The book is only 14 years old, but in a sense, it felt nearly as dated as one of those Golden Age mysteries where you are suddenly jolted by a description of a “swarthy Italian” or something much worse. Ted’s lesbian buddy is a “carpet-muncher,” the rapper and his cohorts speak in exaggerated AAVE, a police detective is described as being “as nervous as a cat at a Vietnamese cookout,” etc. Most jaw-droppingly of all, Ted has “The Mogul”’s makeup artists paint him in full blackface so he can go undercover in South Los Angeles.
This is Bill Bryan’s only published novel. I did some internet sleuthing and discovered that he is currently working in real estate development and finance. "Keep It Real" is not without its charms; Bryan, who also worked on several sitcoms including “Night Court” and “Coach,” knows how to write a funny scene. The behind-the-scenes machinations of reality TV today are probably quite similar to how they are depicted in this book, but almost everything else in "Keep It Real" feels like a relic of a bygone era.
April 15, 2008
Ted's life has taken a strange turn. Once a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, he now finds himself heading up a reality television show called The Mogul. Normally Ted wouldn't even consider the job but he's got bills (alimony to his ex who is living in luxury spending more on her appearance in a day than Ted makes in a month). Then, there's Hallie. Ted's daughter is the absolute love of his life and he'll do whatever it takes to spend more time with her. Despite the new job and the sold out attitude, there still seems to be a bit of a journalist still in there. So when Ted stubbles upon a mystery he just can't seem to let it go.
Keep It Real is a witty read with fully developed characters and a number of good one liners. Normally, I like raw, sarcastic individuals but I felt that perhaps Ted and his buddies were just a bit too over the top. Unfortunately, I never really felt a kinship or bond with any of the characters so what could have been a really good book was reduced to an interesting read.
Keep It Real is a witty read with fully developed characters and a number of good one liners. Normally, I like raw, sarcastic individuals but I felt that perhaps Ted and his buddies were just a bit too over the top. Unfortunately, I never really felt a kinship or bond with any of the characters so what could have been a really good book was reduced to an interesting read.
November 10, 2008
Raunchy yet ever insightful and witty. I loved it.
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October 5, 2012i think it will be good to read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews