Alphabet City: My So-Called Sitcom Life [Kindle Edition]

Jon Paul Buchmeyer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Moving from Dallas to Manhattan in his late 20s, Jon Paul Buchmeyer fancied himself a gay Mary Tyler Moore starring in a sitcom of his life called "Alphabet City." In this humorous entertainment industry memoir, a series of publicity jobs created madcap storylines, including a mishap with Whoopi Goldberg’s Oscar, a mistaken identity as Tyra Banks’ Turkish boy-toy, and finishing school lessons in the gossipy halls of publishing giant Condé Nast. But unlike snarky tell-alls, "Alphabet City: My So-Called Sitcom Life" maintains a Texas-sized optimistic spirit about life in the Big Apple, with guest appearances from Cameron Diaz, Gloria Estefan, Teri Hatcher, Derek Jeter, Ashley Judd, Rosie O’Donnell, Graham Norton, and Vanessa Williams. Following Jon Paul’s journey from naive Southerner to wizened New Yorker, "Alphabet City" combines the glamour of "Sex and the Cit"y with the warmth of "Tales of the City," tapping into America’s fascination with the world of celebrities. In the end, just like Mary, Jon Paul discovers he’s going to make it after all.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 331 KB
• Publisher: Buchmeyer Communications, Inc.; First Edition edition (December 11, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0037QH066
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #468,415 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great "insider" read!, March 3, 2010

By 

iheartmykindle "iheartmykindle" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alphabet City: My So-Called Sitcom Life (Kindle Edition)

Very entertaining and funny book giving you an 'insider' view into the working world of New York City!! Loved the comparisons to a sit-com life and all of the 'characters' and 'guest stars'! Especially loved the transparency of the author's view of NYC coming from Texas...not forgetting his roots but also making the jump to NYC with ease and as always, a fantastic sense of humor!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet and clever memoir - a must read for anyone who wants to follow a dream, March 3, 2010

By 

A. Landon "angiegirl NYC" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alphabet City: My So-Called Sitcom Life (Kindle Edition)

Jon Paul cleverly packages his memoir into TV episodes and this makes for a quick and delightful read. This is not a snarky tell-all -- it is a sweetly and at time sharply told story about kid from Texas who moved to the big apple to follow a dream and make a better life. And yes, there are celebrity appearances in several episodes for those of you who like a little gossip -- you will learn that celebrities are real people too!

5.0 out of 5 stars The Savvy Transplant and His Screwball Pratfalls, August 29, 2010

By 

K. Smith (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alphabet City: My So-Called Sitcom Life (Paperback)

Alphabet City is as entertaining a memoir as you can ever pick up, especially if you're one of the plucky souls who has ever made the ole knuckle-headed move out to New York. Trust me, it'll chase your morning blues away on the subway. Stuffed like a goose on a "steady diet of seventies sitcoms," Jon Paul kissed his functionally dysfunctional Texas clan goodbye and struck out on his own, Mary Richards-style, in NYC at the age of 26. Now, Mary Richards, of course, moved to Minneapolis, but the point is, she made it after all and Jon Paul was determined to do the same. And, minus the perky bosom, he had everything that Mary Tyler Moore's character had going for her - a good head on his shoulders, a glinting smile, and a resolve to make the whole mess work - only to meet the storm surge of New York's p.r. industry. His life becomes all about keeping his head above water in a career and a city that require more wits than he ever imagined he had about him. Along the way, he must negotiate entertainment-industry pandemonium as he manages a cast of celebrities' unmanageable schedules and caters to their incalculable whims. Yet, just like Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, experience brings him along like a fighter as he travels the globe, eventually writing for Conde Nast and developing an independent p.r. portfolio. But that's just part of a story that also includes poignant scenes of finding love, losing loved ones and realizing that the journey alone is worth the wear and tear. It's ALL in here - and it's a must-read for anyone who has a dream and packs up and splits for the city.