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Take Your Shirt Off and Cry: A Memoir of Near-Fame Experiences
One woman's laugh-out-loud account of the oddities, indignities, and outright absurdities of a life in show business.
In this strikingly candid memoir, Nancy Balbirer distills two decades of drama school, auditions, bit parts, cameos, and off-Broadway plays into an account by turns hilarious and horrifying . From studying theater in college under the searing purism of David Mamet ("Being a woman in [show] business, you'll be asked to do only two things in every fucking role you ever take your shirt off and cry. That's it. Take your shirt off and cry.") to weathering advice from her brazenly insensitive L.A. agent ("I didn't think it was possible. But you managed to bore Luke Perry") to scoring a Saturday Night Live audition based on a drunken Debra Winger impersonation, Balbirer's adventures are sometimes bizarre, sometimes painful, and always unforgettable.
Between run-ins with an eccentric cast of all-too-real characters, including an infatuated acting teacher who introduces Nancy to the joys of firearms, a former sex symbol desperately seeking a toilet, and a jazz musician who fancies himself a reincarnated Jack Kerouac, Balbirer wrestles with her own ambitions and disappointments, struggling to determine what she really wants and who she really is. She may not be destined for Hollywood stardom, but as Take Your Shirt Off and Cry makes clear, she is definitely a one-of-a-kind talent.
In this strikingly candid memoir, Nancy Balbirer distills two decades of drama school, auditions, bit parts, cameos, and off-Broadway plays into an account by turns hilarious and horrifying . From studying theater in college under the searing purism of David Mamet ("Being a woman in [show] business, you'll be asked to do only two things in every fucking role you ever take your shirt off and cry. That's it. Take your shirt off and cry.") to weathering advice from her brazenly insensitive L.A. agent ("I didn't think it was possible. But you managed to bore Luke Perry") to scoring a Saturday Night Live audition based on a drunken Debra Winger impersonation, Balbirer's adventures are sometimes bizarre, sometimes painful, and always unforgettable.
Between run-ins with an eccentric cast of all-too-real characters, including an infatuated acting teacher who introduces Nancy to the joys of firearms, a former sex symbol desperately seeking a toilet, and a jazz musician who fancies himself a reincarnated Jack Kerouac, Balbirer wrestles with her own ambitions and disappointments, struggling to determine what she really wants and who she really is. She may not be destined for Hollywood stardom, but as Take Your Shirt Off and Cry makes clear, she is definitely a one-of-a-kind talent.
231 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2009
5 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Balbirer
3 books40 followersNancy Balbirer is a writer and performer of stage and screen. She is the author of "Take Your Shirt Off and Cry." She lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Find her on Instagram: @nancybalbirer
Find her on Instagram: @nancybalbirer
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 11, 2018
Maybe a good read for those who revel in angst.
May 26, 2009
I could not stand the author. I found her to be both whiny and full of herself. I couldn't even summon up sympathy for her when a friend got her fired from an acting gig.
January 3, 2023
Fabulous, surprising story of a bit-part actress (oops, she insists on being called an ACTOR) who struggles through her career, encountering some pretty famous people along the way, appearing on Seinfeld three times only to never see real success.
To say I was shocked at how good this book is would be an understatement. It has a title that makes her sound like a stripper or Mafia moll, but in truth it's what actresses (oops, I mean ACTORS) are expected to do for auditions. One of the few criticisms I have of the book is that the weak title doesn't reflect the content inside.
The writer has some big names included. She took classes from David Mamet, who ends up being the voice of truth in Balbirer's directionless world. Where she appears constantly confused and spends her career responding to outside circumstances, Mamet gives it to her straight. He provides the ultimate moral of this life story--"You want to feel better about yourself? Very simple: exercise your will. Make a decision, then f-ing stick to it. The end."
Unfortunately, the author didn't do that. She waffles from one project to another, insecure about her talent and looks despite being gorgeous and repeatedly told she could be a star. It's her failure to take control of her decisions and waiting for others to turn her into a success that repeatedly makes her fail to achieve her dreams. She never exactly integrates Mamet's brilliant words, though she admires them.
The same is true of her private life, where she claims to be an independent feminist but really she just allows men to control and abuse her. It's difficult to understand how she remained close "friends" with a man she says sexually assaulted her (in truth he put a move on her and she voluntarily went to bed with him) and who she claims misled her into agreeing to a week in his private cabin (sorry, but if she is naive enough to go along to a Maine hideaway and think he's not going to make a move on her she is more than naive). The book comes across as very anti-male but her stories about men are one-sided and typically she ignores the red flags, choosing to placate her loneliness by staying with them. Again, she is making bad choices but blaming others.
I congratulate Balbirer for outing SNL producer Lorne Micheals as being a horrible shell of a human being. Why have people tolerated his selfish, thoughtless behavior over the decades? Nancy doesn't hold back the unvarnished truth about a man who forces actors to sit for hours and days at a time in a hotel room awaiting his word to come to a meeting at 3 a.m., which often never happens.
Then there is her very famous former roommate who she doesn't name in the book but who obviously is Jennifer Aniston. What a story! The two best friends were out-of-work actors that helped each other through the audition process. That is until Aniston gets Friends and Nancy is given a potential semi-regular role on the show, which Aniston squashes and has producers dump her. Again, the name Jennifer Aniston never appears in the book, but it doesn't take much research to piece together the dates and circumstances. How that terrible woman came to become a giant star is simple: she stepped on her "friends" on the way up.
There are other unnamed celebrities, such as the Jazz performer that she lives with not once but twice, not learning her lesson when he walks out on her. A couple of her pals become famous and the stories are entertaining, but the sadness of Balbirer's inability to be her own career advocate is only magnified by the successful people around her. At her low she goes to a few psychics and a witch to get guidance. How sad that, as Mamet said, the answer is always to simply make a willful change. Nancy, like so many others in the world, has trouble seeing that she is living the consequences of her own bad choices.
It's simply a great book that ends too soon. She wraps up her last decade in a few pages and should have provided more information on her marriage, move to New York City, and child. But it's a must=read for anyone wanting to go into acting for the theater or in Hollywood. There is no reason to cry after spending time learning from this extremely gifted writer.
To say I was shocked at how good this book is would be an understatement. It has a title that makes her sound like a stripper or Mafia moll, but in truth it's what actresses (oops, I mean ACTORS) are expected to do for auditions. One of the few criticisms I have of the book is that the weak title doesn't reflect the content inside.
The writer has some big names included. She took classes from David Mamet, who ends up being the voice of truth in Balbirer's directionless world. Where she appears constantly confused and spends her career responding to outside circumstances, Mamet gives it to her straight. He provides the ultimate moral of this life story--"You want to feel better about yourself? Very simple: exercise your will. Make a decision, then f-ing stick to it. The end."
Unfortunately, the author didn't do that. She waffles from one project to another, insecure about her talent and looks despite being gorgeous and repeatedly told she could be a star. It's her failure to take control of her decisions and waiting for others to turn her into a success that repeatedly makes her fail to achieve her dreams. She never exactly integrates Mamet's brilliant words, though she admires them.
The same is true of her private life, where she claims to be an independent feminist but really she just allows men to control and abuse her. It's difficult to understand how she remained close "friends" with a man she says sexually assaulted her (in truth he put a move on her and she voluntarily went to bed with him) and who she claims misled her into agreeing to a week in his private cabin (sorry, but if she is naive enough to go along to a Maine hideaway and think he's not going to make a move on her she is more than naive). The book comes across as very anti-male but her stories about men are one-sided and typically she ignores the red flags, choosing to placate her loneliness by staying with them. Again, she is making bad choices but blaming others.
I congratulate Balbirer for outing SNL producer Lorne Micheals as being a horrible shell of a human being. Why have people tolerated his selfish, thoughtless behavior over the decades? Nancy doesn't hold back the unvarnished truth about a man who forces actors to sit for hours and days at a time in a hotel room awaiting his word to come to a meeting at 3 a.m., which often never happens.
Then there is her very famous former roommate who she doesn't name in the book but who obviously is Jennifer Aniston. What a story! The two best friends were out-of-work actors that helped each other through the audition process. That is until Aniston gets Friends and Nancy is given a potential semi-regular role on the show, which Aniston squashes and has producers dump her. Again, the name Jennifer Aniston never appears in the book, but it doesn't take much research to piece together the dates and circumstances. How that terrible woman came to become a giant star is simple: she stepped on her "friends" on the way up.
There are other unnamed celebrities, such as the Jazz performer that she lives with not once but twice, not learning her lesson when he walks out on her. A couple of her pals become famous and the stories are entertaining, but the sadness of Balbirer's inability to be her own career advocate is only magnified by the successful people around her. At her low she goes to a few psychics and a witch to get guidance. How sad that, as Mamet said, the answer is always to simply make a willful change. Nancy, like so many others in the world, has trouble seeing that she is living the consequences of her own bad choices.
It's simply a great book that ends too soon. She wraps up her last decade in a few pages and should have provided more information on her marriage, move to New York City, and child. But it's a must=read for anyone wanting to go into acting for the theater or in Hollywood. There is no reason to cry after spending time learning from this extremely gifted writer.
November 13, 2018
Small story of ambition to fame - and Hollywood treatment of ladies.
June 22, 2009
This book was NOT for me. I'm not sure how I wound up with this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. I received it in the mail, read the back and wondered aloud, "why me?" I decided that I'd give the book a fair shot and started. I made it 6 pages and almost quit entirely. But, I plugged on. I'm a determined person (some would say stubborn) and I don't give up on books easily. I did read this entire book, it didn't get any better for me and I'm bummed that I spent several days reading it when I could have been reading something else.
I have never read a memoir before so I may be reacting totally unfairly. I had hoped to learn something about Nancy that would be moving or powerful. However, all I really learned was how hard it is to get hired in Hollywood. Duh! I could have figured that out! The only other things that she really talked about were the strange relationships that she wound up in. I didn't see the point in detailing her boyfriend's drug habit and forgetfulness. It just didn't help with the story.
Overall, I'm sure that there are readers who will like this book. It wasn't written terribly, it just wasn't something that I enjoyed. If funny memoirs are your thing, check this one out!
I have never read a memoir before so I may be reacting totally unfairly. I had hoped to learn something about Nancy that would be moving or powerful. However, all I really learned was how hard it is to get hired in Hollywood. Duh! I could have figured that out! The only other things that she really talked about were the strange relationships that she wound up in. I didn't see the point in detailing her boyfriend's drug habit and forgetfulness. It just didn't help with the story.
Overall, I'm sure that there are readers who will like this book. It wasn't written terribly, it just wasn't something that I enjoyed. If funny memoirs are your thing, check this one out!
June 27, 2009
Nancy Balbirer had a rough time trying to make it as an actress both in New York City and Hollywood. That didn't keep her from trying even when she faced disappointment after disappointment. And it didn't stop her from supporting the friends she made along the way as they also tried to realize their dreams. I wondered as I read this if telling the story was in some way cathartic for Balbirer. There were passages which seemed as though they were written with the idea that getting through the reliving would take a weight off once and for all. I've read books similar to this one, but Take Your Shirt Off And Cry does stand out as an original because it's so honest, and I think it's so clear that Balbirer really is too nice to sustain that lifestyle for very long. Thank goodness she kept her mind and her humor intact.
December 26, 2010
I won't let the fact that since Nancy and I were supposed to be at the same reading (In the Flesh) and therefore I friended her on Facebook and she ignored me get in the way of a neutral review. I don't think. As someone who wanted to be an actress from the time I was a child, and who was a theater major in college, I could have easily gone Nancy's route. But I asked myself if I REALLY wanted to face that kind of rejection. The answer was no. Nancy's was Yes, and boy am I glad I decided to go into writing instead (slightly less rejection). It's not that Nancy isn't good (everyone says so), it's not that she's not pretty and charismatic (check out her readings on YouTube for proof). It's that... well, there are too many actors, not enough parts. Period. So while Nancy's prose is occasionally witty, often straight-forward and charming, for me, the real appeal of the book was just in reading about someone's dreams falling apart for no good reason. I know, I'm sick.
September 6, 2017
Balbirer's tale of her years as a struggling actress is sometimes charming, often sad, rarely dull. Sometimes she names names (she takes classes with David Mamet, gets cast multiple times on 'Seinfeld') but usually doesn't which can be frustrating. For example, she talks about her roommate Jane who becomes super famous on a very successful sitcom of the '90s and treats her quite badly. No names mentioned, but I read an interview in which Balbirer said she used to share an apartment with Jennifer Aniston. That is very good dirt!
I am so used to reading stories of struggling actors who becomes rich and famous enough for me to buy their book. Reading about a struggling actor who never achieved acting success was refreshing and felt very real.
I am so used to reading stories of struggling actors who becomes rich and famous enough for me to buy their book. Reading about a struggling actor who never achieved acting success was refreshing and felt very real.
May 10, 2009
The stories I concoct out of the sometimes random events of my life help keep me going--sort of like a personal religion. Apparently I am not the only one with a running narrative going on in my head, but it's harder, I think, for Nancy Balbirer. The internal narratives she creates about her Life-in-Art through a budding but never flowering acting career keep getting torn apart and she is forced time and again to rewrite them. Her persistence and ongoing reinvention are moving and fascinating--the book reads almost like a parable of life in times of transition and upheaval--and I found myself absorbed in it when I should have been out tilting at my own windmills.
May 31, 2009
I won this book as an advance copy on Goodreads.com. For an advance copy, I think I only found one glaring typo! Not bad!
I'm not sure who might like this book or not like it. It's very much about life in the theatre/performing arts world - which I'm a part of. Some things seemed very familiar, though put in a rather entertaining way. Enjoyable read and a quick one. Might give you some insight into what this world is like if you're not in it - and might make you feel you're not alone if you're in it but not "famous" (though crossing paths with those who are/will become famous.
I'm not sure who might like this book or not like it. It's very much about life in the theatre/performing arts world - which I'm a part of. Some things seemed very familiar, though put in a rather entertaining way. Enjoyable read and a quick one. Might give you some insight into what this world is like if you're not in it - and might make you feel you're not alone if you're in it but not "famous" (though crossing paths with those who are/will become famous.
February 15, 2010
I wanted to like this book, I really did. It started out strong with Balbirer describing the time she spent studying with Mamet, but there was no compelling narrative to tie subsequent incidents together. There was nothing there to make me feel for her. She just wasn't all that likable. The stories involving Phil Hartman, Jennifer Aniston & Friends and Seinfeld felt dated. Had I read this book in 2000, maybe I would have enjoyed it more. Overall, I found it to be a huge disappointment.
January 28, 2011
This one didn't work for me. Some of the stories, particularly those about David Mamet, were kind of amusing, but the author's life is just not that compelling. A good memoir makes the reader care about the author, but this one just irritated me. Balbirer is pretty candid about some of her own mistakes, but she comes off as bitter and jealous to me. I found myself unsympathetic to her struggles because I didn't particularly like her.
September 18, 2012
One of the worst books I've ever read. Had I not selected it for our book club, I would have stopped reading it about 20 pages in. I kept going hoping that it would get better and develop some sort of trajectory or point. It didn't. It retained it depressing, narcissistic, pointless babbling until the very end. If nothing else this book was consistent. For that reason it gets one star.
February 3, 2020
Being a lover of celebrity gossip, I enjoyed Nancy Balbirer's tales of Hollywood life. It got a little repetitive for me after a while, but I still liked reading about her exploits. I also enjoyed reading up on her life now after a quick Google search!
May 21, 2019
Very honest, depressing and well written memoir about the fairly lousy side of trying to pursue a creative life, especially if it's in the acting world.
January 27, 2022
It’s been awhile since I’ve had the opportunity to read and review an early reviewer book, and I was very excited when I was chosen to read this book. I am a huge fan of pop culture and love reading any book that involves the Hollywood lifestyle, a behind the scenes look into a different life from my own.
Take Your Shirt Off and Cry is a memoir by Nancy Balbirer, an aspiring actress who started off in theater classes, small plays and found herself moving to Hollywood when the opportunity to work on Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live presented itself. It was a great comedic performance in book form of Balbirer telling all these little stories about acting, boyfriends, moving, and while I’m sure many names have changed, I can’t help but wondering sometimes who these actor/director friends are, and if they are big names now.
The greatest part of reading this book is finding the humanity and realness to her personality, that isn’t found too much in Hollywood. Nancy shows both sides with the people she works with and encounters over the years, which reflects on her own lifestyle and proves how down to earth she is, how she’s trying to survive and make a living like every other person, but at the same time creates an extremely funny lifestyle that Nancy lived.
This memoir combines both humorous tales and sad, serious stories about this life trying to make it in the Hollywood spotlight and criticism. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Take Your Shirt Off and Cry is a memoir by Nancy Balbirer, an aspiring actress who started off in theater classes, small plays and found herself moving to Hollywood when the opportunity to work on Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live presented itself. It was a great comedic performance in book form of Balbirer telling all these little stories about acting, boyfriends, moving, and while I’m sure many names have changed, I can’t help but wondering sometimes who these actor/director friends are, and if they are big names now.
The greatest part of reading this book is finding the humanity and realness to her personality, that isn’t found too much in Hollywood. Nancy shows both sides with the people she works with and encounters over the years, which reflects on her own lifestyle and proves how down to earth she is, how she’s trying to survive and make a living like every other person, but at the same time creates an extremely funny lifestyle that Nancy lived.
This memoir combines both humorous tales and sad, serious stories about this life trying to make it in the Hollywood spotlight and criticism. I highly recommend it to everyone.
June 27, 2011
In Nancy Balbirer’s shirtless memoir, a woman in show business is asked to do just two things – take your shirt off and cry, according to her acting coach, David Mamet. He demands she exploit her greatest assets – courage and writing, which bring her early success. Unfortunately, once she leaves Mamet, she spends a decade near famers like Lorne Michaels, Jane (allegedly Jennifer Aniston), Jerry Seinfeld, and Hollywood folks who smother Nancy’s light. When Beverly D’Angelo’s Former Manager makes Nancy account for being talented, pretty, funny – and a failure – she becomes conscious of her own complicity.
Nancy recalls Mamet’s motto that all that matters is action. Instead of languishing in a haze like her friend Gigi, Nancy takes pen in hand and writes her way back into the spotlight. Her solo show stars a Jack Kerouac penis puppet and its vengeful edge keeps her from being the likeable person Jennifer Aniston advised. The show is not the feel good success it could be, but it’s a step forward to her agent Bill Clegg. By the end of the book, Nancy marries the nice guy, has a child, and the adoration of her disapproving mother in the form of a treasured Bill Cunningham snapshot of Nancy, circa 1994. The girl with the hair in her face was not invisible.
The best reason to read the book is to soak in Nancy’s advice on surviving show business, including: When you’re too old to take off your shirt, then write about it.
Nancy recalls Mamet’s motto that all that matters is action. Instead of languishing in a haze like her friend Gigi, Nancy takes pen in hand and writes her way back into the spotlight. Her solo show stars a Jack Kerouac penis puppet and its vengeful edge keeps her from being the likeable person Jennifer Aniston advised. The show is not the feel good success it could be, but it’s a step forward to her agent Bill Clegg. By the end of the book, Nancy marries the nice guy, has a child, and the adoration of her disapproving mother in the form of a treasured Bill Cunningham snapshot of Nancy, circa 1994. The girl with the hair in her face was not invisible.
The best reason to read the book is to soak in Nancy’s advice on surviving show business, including: When you’re too old to take off your shirt, then write about it.
April 16, 2014
(I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads)
This book is the memoir of Nancy Balbirer, a struggling actor (not actress!! as one of her mentor's Mamet would say), and her journey to find what acting meant to her as well as find out more about herself.
While I am not interested in what it takes to become an actor, I really enjoyed her story. However, I do think that this book will appeal more to those who have an interest in acting and theatre. A lot of the names she listed throughout her book meant nothing to me, including the author herself!
Another thing I had an issue with was how some parts of the book were chronologically. I had a hard time following certain parts of her story because I would get lost in what part of her life we were currently in. She would talk about one instance, and take you through a few months or years, and then backtrack in the next chapter. I guess it was all to make each chapter a different story, but it was a little distracting.
Like I said, I enjoyed Nancy's story, and I enjoyed her voice as an author. I found myself laughing out loud at some parts, and feeling her pain at others.
This book is the memoir of Nancy Balbirer, a struggling actor (not actress!! as one of her mentor's Mamet would say), and her journey to find what acting meant to her as well as find out more about herself.
While I am not interested in what it takes to become an actor, I really enjoyed her story. However, I do think that this book will appeal more to those who have an interest in acting and theatre. A lot of the names she listed throughout her book meant nothing to me, including the author herself!
Another thing I had an issue with was how some parts of the book were chronologically. I had a hard time following certain parts of her story because I would get lost in what part of her life we were currently in. She would talk about one instance, and take you through a few months or years, and then backtrack in the next chapter. I guess it was all to make each chapter a different story, but it was a little distracting.
Like I said, I enjoyed Nancy's story, and I enjoyed her voice as an author. I found myself laughing out loud at some parts, and feeling her pain at others.
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August 3, 2011Very interesting and fun read. As a person who has no knowledge of or a relation to the world of acting, I sure learnt a lot about the hassles of trying to make it in that world.
I enjoyed reading every line. But the one memory that stuck with me is when former manager of beverly d'angelo asks that very simple but powerful question (don't wanna give much of a spoiler). It made me realize how subjective "success" can be, and that in fact our feelings about our own achievements play a huge part in making those achievements a success.
I loved the author's witty style. I haven't seen her acting but I do think that she can write, as David Mamet saw it in her all those years ago.
I enjoyed reading every line. But the one memory that stuck with me is when former manager of beverly d'angelo asks that very simple but powerful question (don't wanna give much of a spoiler). It made me realize how subjective "success" can be, and that in fact our feelings about our own achievements play a huge part in making those achievements a success.
I loved the author's witty style. I haven't seen her acting but I do think that she can write, as David Mamet saw it in her all those years ago.
March 3, 2013
Well, I read this because I wanted to know what goes on in the heads of all those actors who go to LA dreaming of "making it", and uh... don't get famous. It did that, and I also found out what my opinion on David Mamet is (he sucks, he's terrible, why do people continue to listen this blowhard on anything). The book isn't terribly exciting, or terribly informative, or terribly well written, or terribly anything except terribly average. Which, because I wanted a terribly average actor's terribly average life story, was perfect. Thank God she didn't play it off like it was some sort of tragedy, just ordinary adult frustration and disappointment. That would have been terribly terrible.
August 25, 2016
Simply put, I could not get interested in this book. I managed to get through the first two (or was it three?) stories but I had to force myself to do it. I did not find Nancy Balbirer's writing engaging whatsoever. It was difficult for me to care about Balbirer or the situations in which she found herself — perhaps because I'm not an actor nor am I interested in fame or Hollywood. It's unlikely that I will attempt to finish this book because there are better, more interesting books to read.
July 28, 2009
Balbirer's memoir is a kaleidoscope of experiences, mostly negative, many of which involve famous or semi-famous people in the theater world. While her persistence is admirable, at least once in each chapter I wanted to tell her to chuck it all and get a life - one in which she's happy and fulfilled. By the end, Balbirer achieves this, but not without nearly losing all self-esteem and self-respect first. A good read-alike for fans of Lancaster's Bitter is the New Black and that ilk..... funny in a cynical, sarcastic way.
June 29, 2011
Take Your Shirt Off and Cry, which details the acting career of its author, has the components of a good memoir, a scathing insider look, and a strong humor writing. Where it falls short, however, is in fully fleshing itself out into any of these genres. From early on, the narrator slightly misses finding a voice that makes her easy to identify with. The chapters have a tendency to go on longer than they feel interesting and the same characters that were not enthralling the first time they appear are no more enjoyable the second or third time around.
July 7, 2015
It wasn't an outstanding book, but it was interesting. Balbirer gives a look into her life as an actress in New York and L.A. Other reviewers have mentioned a whininess, but I wouldn't go that far. But her description of her entry into acting and her time with Mamet is better developed than later episodes. Overall, a good read for anyone interested in the life and times of a struggling-ish actor and for lovers of memoirs.
I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
May 12, 2009
I enjoyed this book. It was a little hard to get into, but within a few chapters I found myself relating to Nancy's insecurities and cheering for her to find happiness... her thoughtfulness and self-deprecating style make it easy. I expected more outlandish, "that's Hollywood for you!" stories, and was pleased to find that that's not the case - it's not about name dropping, but a classic journey to self-discovery.
May 24, 2009
I had really high hopes for this book - I tend to really enjoy nonfiction and I live in LA so I'm somewhat familiar with the Hollywood scene. While there were parts of the book that I found funny and interesting, overall it fell flat for me. I didn't feel like there was a good flow to the book and the stories that were included and I struggled to get through it towards the end. I wonder if this is another case of a person's live show and readings being much better than their written work.
July 17, 2009
I read this because it was free--I won it on First Reads. It was entertaining enough, but GAH! The language! So many F-words, which just gets so OLD after awhile. Like, the first time.
I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone, but if you were given it, it's worth a read if you're on the beach or stuck on a plane.
Oh, and maybe it was just me, but it seemed like she jumped around chronologically....I couldn't follow the time line. Weird.
I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone, but if you were given it, it's worth a read if you're on the beach or stuck on a plane.
Oh, and maybe it was just me, but it seemed like she jumped around chronologically....I couldn't follow the time line. Weird.
May 2, 2009
This was a fun read. It definitely portrays the side of Hollywood you don't see as much, the struggling actor/actress. I thought she had a good story to tell and found it very humorous at times. I am surprised at all the commotion (on line) that is going around about the character Jane. I would recommend this too people who love all that Hollywood gossip or have dreams of being an actor and making it big.
October 28, 2010
Humorous, bittersweet, and a little bit self-loathing. This is a great story for those of us who are trying to make it in the biz. She's definitely got a good flow to her story-telling, and I was able to place myself in her situations and live them out with her as the memoir progressed. I'm particularly fond of the Saturday Night Live "audition" process. :)
February 15, 2010
One of the more interesting memoirs I have read. I really liked how she talks about celebrities and famous people but not in a way that made me feel like she was name dropping. I also liked that she did change some names! A great story about how hard it is to "make it" in Hollywood or as an actor.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews