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Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host
 
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Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host [Hardcover]

Garry Shandling (Author), David Rensin (Author)
2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)


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Book Description

November 1998

With the wit and charm and wit that have made him one of America's most beloved, and now most sorely missed, television personalities, Larry Sanders tells here the story behind the man -- Larry -- from his emotionally barren beginnings in Mound, Minnesota, to his ten-year run as the man millions went to bed with every night. (He had a very big bed.) Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host is a Hollywood autobiography like no other because it reveals all -- the loves and losses, the pain and joy, the shrinks and doctors -- and it is uproariously funny. Larry Sanders has written a book that will have the same ten-year run that his show did.

Larry Sanders is no ordinary man, and this book will show America and the world how very different he is. Fueled by an enormous need to be loved and gifted with a talent beyond even his own, Sanders has risen to the top of his field -- and dropped -- while retaining all of his dignity and modesty. As he says on the first page of his story, "I'm famous. Actually, I'm very, very, very famous." Sanders's story is laced with the names (and some of the faces) of the thousands of celebrities who have sought his attention for a decade -- and Sanders tells the world what he thinks of all of them, even if it hurts his own feelings.

Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host is a Hollywood tell-all that will forever change the nature of this kind of book. While Geraldo Rivera used his sexual exploits to shamelessly promote his book, Sanders uses his conquests of thousands of women to illustrate his compassion and grace. "If it sells, it sells," Sanders says. "There was never a hidden agenda." While Roseanne used her book to promote her many personalities, Sanders's book shows how a straight-shooter can not only survive but thrive in Hollywood. Most of all, Sanders, in truthfully disclosing all aspects of his life and those of people he has never met, hopes to heal and entertain. Sanders has written a wonderfully hilarious book that will make some of his fans wish he were back.



Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you're a devoted fan of The Larry Sanders Show--the HBO program that wrapped up its award-filled run in May 1998--you've already got a copy. However, it was nice to find that this book, written by Sanders's comic alter ego Garry Shandling (assisted by the über-ghostwriter David Rensin), stands on its own as an ironic, tongue-deeply-in-cheek look at talk-showdom. Here are a few samples:

Here is a photo of Jennie Garth from Beverly Hill 90210. I had sex with her a dozen times, but she never reciprocated. Her excuse was, "I like men."

Unbeknownst to most everyone except those of you who regularly read those trashy tabloids--and that would be all of you--I have suffered through many personal tragedies: an unhappy and abusive childhood, two divorces, many empty love affairs, a venereal disease that nearly took my right leg, feuds, substance dependencies, a palimony suit from my mother, who said, "You live with me for twenty years and move out just like that? This will cost you," and worst of all, the horror of being rear-ended backstage by one of Siegfried and Roy's big white leopards.

Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host is an enjoyable tour through stardom with a truly sleazy Hollywood character. Anybody who relishes celebrity bios will get the joke and engage in delicious snickers of recognition. Larry Sanders is dead, long live Larry Sanders! --Michael Gerber

From Publishers Weekly

In its six seasons on HBO (until May 1998), the Larry Sanders Show served as a savage satire of the ego-obsessed world of Hollywood. Walking a thin line between fantasy and reality (real celebrities appeared as some version of themselves), host Sanders (played by comedian Shandling) and his dysfunctional "staff" laid bare the peculiar institution of the late-night talk show. While this brief book contains numerous one-liners ("I had to wait until my first marriage to experience sexual abuse"; "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," said O.J. Simpson), it does not lay down pure patter in the Seinlanguage vein. Rather, it presents a faux autobiography, with the self-deprecating and self-obsessed host recounting episodes from his youth, inventorying his sex life, commenting on his staff and even signing off with an imaginary interview with God. Captions for some 50 photos recount Larry's recollections of guests like David Duchovny and Jennifer Aniston (who refused to "tongue kiss" him). Fans should appreciate this extension of Sanders's edgy lunacy. B&w photo insert. Major ad/promo; simultaneous S&S audio; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (November 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0684812045
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684812045
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #979,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
2.6 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant TV Show, Lousy Book, March 25, 2001
By 
"toph" (Auckland New Zealand) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host (Hardcover)
Thin in every sense of the word. Don't waste time or cash on this sad excuse for a book. The Larry Sanders Show was top quality - this is the exact opposite.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Ouch., September 9, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host (Hardcover)
I can't stress it enough. This book is not funny. The show was one of the funniest ever. I lived for it. The book, on the other hand, is shallow, unsophisticated, and ultimately kind of sad. It reads like a hack comic throwing out lame one-liners. Bring your own rim shot. I couldn't be more shocked. I mean, man, this book stinks.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Cheap paste-up job, April 28, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host (Hardcover)
A real disappointment. I enjoy Garry Shandling's comedy, but this looks like a quickie job to cash in on the end of his show. Short, disjointed chapters with only a laugh or two throughout; a photo section with even fewer laughs. A shame that Shandling didn't really seem to really "work" on this project.
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