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labunnywtf's review
3.0
I really really enjoyed this book. For fans of ItAS, they might not have enjoyed the celebrity interview tidbits as much as I did, because I haven't seen a lot of the interviews he talked about. It's also really nice to see his personal take on things, and what happened in the green room.
Unlike the other reviewers, I really enjoyed the personal stuff. James Lipton seems like a guy I'd like to have a conversation with. Though some of the words he used in this book made my eyes cross. Semihemidemisomething. I remember the three prefixes, and just stared at the word.
A really enjoyable, kinda pretentious at points read.
Unlike the other reviewers, I really enjoyed the personal stuff. James Lipton seems like a guy I'd like to have a conversation with. Though some of the words he used in this book made my eyes cross. Semihemidemisomething. I remember the three prefixes, and just stared at the word.
A really enjoyable, kinda pretentious at points read.
pnwtinap's review
5.0
I was fascinated. There were so many stories. I always wondered about his life and how he got to Inside The Actor's Studio and this told it all. What a great giant book.
ayaktruk's review
4.0
Okay, I may never finish reading and re-reading this book, since it's so fascinating and every time I pick it up to read a chapter or two I learn/re-learn something.
But since I feel the need to close this book out this year, onto the "READ" shelf it goes.
But since I feel the need to close this book out this year, onto the "READ" shelf it goes.
giantsdancefarm's review
2.0
I've always been a fan of the TV show, but found the book to be less about the stars, more about James Lipton. It seemed a tad scattered, and I found myself putting it down repeatedly.
lanikei's review
4.0
Favorite James Lipton facts:
- He's married to Miss Scarlet.
- He was a pimp in France.
- He was a nationally competitive equestrian.
This is a pretty difficult book to review... The first third of the book is largely about Lipton's pre-Bravo career. I suppose if I knew more about earlier eras of film and the entertainment industry this could have been fascinating. But I find Method acting to be irritating - successful or not, its practitioners are always annoying as hell. The occasional snippet from the show would slip in, or an account of time spent with Bob Hope, or some interesting trivia would catch my interest. I was mostly bored.
And then... suddenly the Drama School is created, along with the TV show. The creation of the School and show is actually pretty interesting. What a shockingly unique idea! The rest of the book is largely recounts of various moments from the show. With over 200 episodes, it covers some highlights, many of which weren't aired on TV. Humor, tragedy, and interesting patterns emerge from the talents that appear on stage. I had no idea such a wide array of people had done the show. My one season of viewing (even though I watched a LOT of Bravo that year) barely scratched the surface.
Mostly this book made me want to watch the show. Without cable, one of the few networks I miss is Bravo, and this show is one of the biggest reasons. I spent a large chunk of my last year of college parked in front of the TV crocheting and watching Inside the Actors Studio and 2 episodes of the West Wing every day. Sadly, there aren't seasons of the show out on DVD. It's a shame, this would probably be one of very few shows that I would be willing to invest a couple hundred dollars in.
Until I got to the second half of the book I was pretty bored and annoyed. Lipton is as pompous as he is often portrayed, though by the end of the book I'm more willing to tolerate it. Before I read this I had little understanding of WHY James Lipton could sit on stage and hound these talents. I now have a better sense of who Lipton is, his range of skills, passions, and successes make it a lot more reasonable and his cockiness more well-deserved. By the end, I'm left really liking Lipton, and really missing the show.
Highly recommended to any fan of Inside the Actors Studio, though I'm not sure there's much of a point if you haven't seen the show. The book is a good repository of industry talk (not just gossip), but I suspect most people who are interested in these discussions of craft are probably already fans of the show anyway.
- He's married to Miss Scarlet.
- He was a pimp in France.
- He was a nationally competitive equestrian.
This is a pretty difficult book to review... The first third of the book is largely about Lipton's pre-Bravo career. I suppose if I knew more about earlier eras of film and the entertainment industry this could have been fascinating. But I find Method acting to be irritating - successful or not, its practitioners are always annoying as hell. The occasional snippet from the show would slip in, or an account of time spent with Bob Hope, or some interesting trivia would catch my interest. I was mostly bored.
And then... suddenly the Drama School is created, along with the TV show. The creation of the School and show is actually pretty interesting. What a shockingly unique idea! The rest of the book is largely recounts of various moments from the show. With over 200 episodes, it covers some highlights, many of which weren't aired on TV. Humor, tragedy, and interesting patterns emerge from the talents that appear on stage. I had no idea such a wide array of people had done the show. My one season of viewing (even though I watched a LOT of Bravo that year) barely scratched the surface.
Mostly this book made me want to watch the show. Without cable, one of the few networks I miss is Bravo, and this show is one of the biggest reasons. I spent a large chunk of my last year of college parked in front of the TV crocheting and watching Inside the Actors Studio and 2 episodes of the West Wing every day. Sadly, there aren't seasons of the show out on DVD. It's a shame, this would probably be one of very few shows that I would be willing to invest a couple hundred dollars in.
Until I got to the second half of the book I was pretty bored and annoyed. Lipton is as pompous as he is often portrayed, though by the end of the book I'm more willing to tolerate it. Before I read this I had little understanding of WHY James Lipton could sit on stage and hound these talents. I now have a better sense of who Lipton is, his range of skills, passions, and successes make it a lot more reasonable and his cockiness more well-deserved. By the end, I'm left really liking Lipton, and really missing the show.
Highly recommended to any fan of Inside the Actors Studio, though I'm not sure there's much of a point if you haven't seen the show. The book is a good repository of industry talk (not just gossip), but I suspect most people who are interested in these discussions of craft are probably already fans of the show anyway.
tinavenusreads's review
I finished this book earlier this month. I had read some not-so-great reviews of it, but I actually really liked it. The complaints I read were mainly that James Lipton wrote too much about himself and not enough about the Actors Studio, but I disagree with that. To know someone's work you have to know his background and why he thinks how he does. I thought it was a great balance of personal and work talk. Recommended.
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