Saturday, May 28, 2011

Bossypants/ Tina Fey

Bossypants by Tina Fey humor, autobiography, television, media 288 pages

Whether you're a fan of Tina Fey's work on SNL (most notably as the Weekend Update news anchor and as vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin), her movie work in such films as Mean Girls, Date Night, and the Invention of Lying, or her celebrated NBC television show, 30 Rock, Bossypants will have something for you. This is not your average comedian biography (most of which have a tendency to dramatically disappoint fans) because it is clear that Fey is not only TRYING to be funny but also to give some important advice to young women,fans, future comics, and parents. She has created something that manages to be extremely humorous and also very touching at parts, especially when she is discussing her daughter.

Fey provides a hilarious account of her journey through show business from her teenage years in a theatre program through SNL and eventually to her job as the big boss on 30 Rock. As a TV/Movie buff, it was especially entertaining to hear about the behind-the-scenes elements of SNL and 30 Rock as well as the many hilarious anecdotes Fey tells including appearances by Alec Baldwin, Sarah Palin, and Oprah.

At first I was a little put-off by the heavy female-specific stuff (let's be honest, I would prefer not to read about breastfeeding or menstruation) but after reflecting on the book as a whole, I have found that I always applaud female readers who are able to enjoy writers who do the same thing with male writers like Tucker Max and Adam Carrola, so I realize that I have no real right to bitch about that stuff (even if I REAAAAALLY didn't wanna read about it).

All-in-all, I must applaud Tina Fey for proving that comedians writing books will not always end in disaster. I definitely enjoyed this book and it is short and light enough reading that even the most encumbered readers should take time to enjoy this one. One final note-- I will ALWAYS have respect for authors who are confident enough to record their own audiobook. Since Fey is a performer, this may not seem like such a big deal, but the fact remains that writing is hard enough without having to read every word aloud and then immortalize it through recording. Mad props to Tina Fey for providing an enjoyable audiobook experience!

No comments:

Post a Comment