You don’t have to watch any of the shows on Bravo network to love this laugh-out-loud book by Andy Cohen, “Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture.”
Cohen admits an enthusiasm, if not obsession, for all that goes pop in our culture. As the network’s executive vice president of Development and Talent, the endearing ringmaster of the Bravo reality circus is responsible for shows like “Top Chef” and the infamous “Real Housewives” franchises. Cohen is also host and executive producer of “Watch What Happens Live,” Bravo’s late night, interactive talk show.
He has a gift for honing in on the hilarious and absurd from describing his growing up in St. Louis to starting his television career at CBS in New York where he got his foot in the door as an intern. Cohen worked his way up the ranks to become a serious news producer, covering major world events and producing for news veterans including legendary anchorman Dan Rather, Paula Zahn and Harry Smith on “CBS This Morning.” A decade in network news? Now that’s some street cred. No wonder the boy can write and carry a talk show!
The playful, chatty personality you see on his show in the “Bravo Clubhouse” is evident on each page of the book, which reads like you’re hanging out and gossiping over Martinis. Cohen unabashedly dishes about moments – both glorious and cringe-worthy – he had with celebrities like soap diva Susan Lucci, Dynasty star Joan Collins and television evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker.
Some of the funniest anecdotes are self-deprecating confessions about some of his major screw-ups, personally and (ouch) professionally. Like the time, early in his career of course, when he lied in order to get an interview with Oprah whom he idolized. Yes. Oprah. He’s also candid about his anguish leading up to coming out as a gay man to his parents and to his closest friends. His mother Evelyn is a constant in the book and is priceless in how she deals with the various situations her son heaps on her. Cohen also answers the question he gets most often. “How did you get to host your own show on Bravo?”
My Mazel of the Day? To Andy Cohen for this clever, witty page-turner! (BTW You’re a Jackhole if you don’t buy the book.)
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