Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fame ....I,m going to live forever, 27 Oct 2007
I rather like Piers Morgan .Sure he is a vain , egocentric ,occasionally pompous, often wincingly smug human being but he is also reasonably witty , balanced and truly capable of laughing at him self. He also writes very entertaining books. "The Insider" was as addictive as something very addictive indeed and the follow up -which takes in his career post the "Mirror" sacking - is equally as compulsive. It is also a rather shallow examination of the trappings of fame and celebrity which basically amounts to Morgan saying I wanted to become rich and famous and here's how I went about it.
Thus this book takes in his break into mainstream television through humiliating appearances on "The Weakest Link ", the political show "Morgan And Platell " , "You Can't Fire Me I'm Famous" through to his big break through stateside with "America's Got Talent". Like "The Insider" it's written in diary form and is basically a heady trawl through all the celebrities, politicians( who he admits he finds mainly boring , duplicitous and only interested in one thing -themselves) and media people he meets along the way.
Through his "GQ" contact to interview numerous celebrities there are revealing conversations with Billie Piper( a very naughty girl indeed) ,Steve Coogan, Ulrika Johnson and most strikingly George Galloway who makes a truly conspicuous statement that is then frustratingly not followed up on later in the book.
Simon Cowell ( Seems a reasonable bloke apart from his hideous product but then Morgan would portray him that way wouldn't he) , "The Hoff David Hasselhoff ( Completely deranged and insecure)Anne Robinson , various cricketers , Gordon Ramsey ( Surprisingly likable) pop up regularly throughout the proceeding s. There is also a running narrative involving Morgan's attempts to woo Celia Walden ( Who is listed in the back as being his girlfriend so it worked ) which is actually the most tedious part of his book .His sons get lots of mentions but that's fair enough.
Like I said its hard to dislike the bloke. Anyone who calls Kate Moss a "stroppy , pinch-faced little coke snorter from Croydon" or Pete Doherty a "filthy talent less junkie" is alright by me and his venomous opinionated writings are often spot on you feel. His comments on the McCartney /Heather Mills break-up provoke an extraordinary outburst from the soon to be ex-Mrs McCartney and hard though it is I feel he is absolutely right about Boris Johnson's upper class twit act being a bit of a con. His tales that end up with him being the butt of the joke are great and one or twice he even offers glimpses of insecurity .
Morgan concludes that being a celebrity is hard work and often humiliating but the rewards are worth it. Bizarrely he deduces that being a celebrity is actually a talent in itself - that the power by sheer force of will to get people to believe in you is something that could be described as flair . I disagree on that point but also take his point that the success of so many reality celebs is partly a back lash against clean cut "Cosseted saccharine superstars". To believe someone is worthy because they have been on the goggle box is stupidity boiled down to its essence and to pursue fame avariciously for its sake is ultimately delusional , potentially disastrous ...Just ask Jade Goody . Yet Piers Morgan makes it seem a right laugh and a terrific life to lead. Indeed he's enjoying himself so much he even makes friends with Jeremy Clarkson.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining, but too much about Piers, 6 May 2008
This book was a lighthearted read, but it becomes so apparent that Morgan truly does think of himself as a big-time celebrity long before he made it big on America's Got Talent. I would imagine that most people bought this book to read about gossip about various celebrities, and - like me - really aren't interested in Morgan's conversations with his children or gilfriend. He writes like he's a celebrity and worthy of a great deal of attention. He's not.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book of celebrity gossip, but also a sweeping survey of our culture, 11 Jun 2007
In his previous book, The Insider, Piers Morgan regarded the world of the rich and famous from the position of power bestowed by his status as tabloid editor. Now deprived of his job, he decides to plunge into the world of celebrity, seeking what he describes as "fame, the fastest-growing career option in the country." In Don't You Know Who I am? he invites us to join him on his journey.
At one level this is a diary of celebrity gossip, a humorous compendium of anecdotes involving a veritable galaxy of today's stars. At another it is a sweeping portrayal of modern British (and American) culture, at a time when celebrity obsession holds so many people in thrall. What is most striking about Morgan's book is how balanced it is as a study of celebrity culture: Piers is clearly intrigued by people such as Katie Price (Jordan) and particularly David Hasselhoff, who becomes virtually the icon of the book. On the one hand they seem to lack qualities which make them deserving of the adoration they receive, but on the other they are able to hold the attention of millions simply through sheer force of personality. The Hoff's unique brand of self-deprecating egoism has turned him into an undisputed cult icon, a comic colossus, and Morgan relishes this paradox, even embracing it himself. But the book is not just about raw celebrity: the best moments are where we are given glimpses of humanity. In Ian Botham we are presented with a truly great man of our times, marshalling his formidable abilities in his charity work against leukaemia even more than he did against his opponents on the cricketing field. Morgan even allows himself to show the odd shred of decency, as Felicity Osborne (mother of the Shadow Chancellor) regales him with lurid anecdotes about her son then realises her mistake and asks him to promise not to write them down in his book - he stays true to his word.
So whether you want a very funny book about the habits of famous people away from the cameras, or a modern odyssey through celebrity culture which captures perfectly why we admire (and should admire) the bizarre and egotistical people who populate our collective imagination, this book is for you. If like me you want both, then you definitely won't be disappointed.
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