Rather disappointing when compared to Kathy Griffin's memoir [book:Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin|6534932], which I adored. I found these stories to be a bit boring and shallow. ( )

A quick fun read, no high-brow but more harmless fun. You've got to love it or leave it. Lovely gossip, if you like it. ( )

I've been a fan of Kathy Griffin for a lot of years, and this book was pretty much exactly what I expected - a bunch of surprising, and totally predictable, encounters with the wide range of famous people her career has brought her into contact with. Kathy is hilarious, and sometimes pushes things too far...(recently...) but this bit of humor was exactly what I needed with some pretty dark things going on in my life right now, so for that I'm grateful. ( )

In this book by comedian and celebrity chaser, Kathy Griffin, she lists from A to Z encounters with various celebrities she has had over the years from Donald Trump to Salman Rushdie and from Tupac to Nancy Pelosi. She is never shy about going up and talking to someone or in getting a friend to set her up with another celebrity introduction. Her friendship with Cher is quite legendary and is also included with stuff she hasn't mentioned in any of her shows.

With Simon Cowell she is quick to point out that he is "smart, honest, funny, and dare I say, inspiring." He took her poking at him and gave back just as hard, which she can respect. The reason audiences watched American Idol in the first place was to hear what Cowell had to say. He could be harsh, but he was honest and his advice was always spot-on as Kathy would find out when she ran into him once and was in trouble for something she had done and was at the same time up for a gig and was worried about repercussions. He told her, "Here's the thing, Kathy. What's unique about you, and what's going to keep you unique, is that you never hold back. And you must never hold back, ever....you should only ever take jobs where you can be 100 percent yourself. I never want to see you watered down in any way...Keep being fearless, and don't worry about being in trouble, because the people who are successful are always in trouble." He could have just as easily given her a "You get 'em girl" blind talk that means nothing, instead, he gave her a nuanced and meaningful talk that left its mark.

You'll never convince her to like Jon Hamm. She's known him since before he became famous and he has always been cold and somewhat disrespectful towards her. "He's one of those hot guys who's mildly funny but actually thinks he's comedian-level funny." At a dinner party she went to he got very drunk during the coffee portion and when she sat down to dinner she was sitting with Jon Hamm on her left and the legendary Jack Nicholson on her right. So she's pretty psyched to get to spend time getting to know the great Nicholson when Hamm starts boozily whispering in her ear that she is "soooo ooooold" and that her Emmy wasn't a real Emmy. All this is going on while she is trying to listen to Jack tell a story. Finally, she turned around and told him "You can't keep up. You're outclassed. Now zip it; Jack's talking". She will never forgive him for stealing her moment with Jack Nicholson.

She has many cherished memories with Joan Rivers but one, in particular, stands out: the time Joan had her come as her plus one to a royal two-night event, with the first at Windsor Castle and the second at Buckingham. Joan was a personal friend of "Chuck" and Camilla's. They got adjoining rooms at the Ritz so they could make it a girlfriend's weekend. She made sure to tell Kathy to take home the menu from Buckingham as it is handpainted. And she welcomed her into this part of her life where Joan minded her manners for once and was a special part of her life, which made it a rare treat. Afterward, they went to visit a dying friend in the hospital that she cheered up with laughter. She was in her element that weekend, "funny, friendly, supportive, enlightening, and oh so energetic." It's a nice memory to hold on to now that Joan has passed.

This book is full of stories even better than these that Kathy Griffin has collected in this book. It will definitely make you laugh but it will also surprise you and make you a bit sad at times and make you think twice about some of these celebrities in high-profile and the lives they lead.

Quotes
That day she [Jackie Collins] told me, “You can’t have your heart broken by one man—darling, there’s a man for every occasion! There’s not a void that can’t be filled with one or more. Don’t feel you ever have to fall in love with just one person again. Fall in love with two, or three, or four people! Have boyfriends for different occasions. You could have a traveling boyfriend!”

-Kathy Griffin (Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Run-In’s: My A-Z Index p 28) ( )

Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index

I Picked Up This Book Because: I’ve become obsessed with pretty much any celebrity that narrates their own audiobook. Kathy has had a long career in entertainment and I thought she might have some good stories so when I ran across this on my library’s new audiobooks shelf I snatched it up.

The Book:

There were some good stories and some not so interesting ones. Overall this book is like being backstage almost anywhere. The most memorable had to be Demi Lovato, wowzers. I’m not sorry I listened to it.

The Random Thoughts:

3.5 Stars ( )