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A REVEALING BEHIND-THE-SCENES PORTRAIT OF THE AWARD-WINNING TV SHOW INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO— AND ITS CREATOR AND HOST JAMES LIPTON
Each week Inside the Actors Studio takes the unique insights and intimate revelations of its celebrated guests into 84 million homes on the Bravo network and 125 countries. Now, with Inside Inside, James Lipton, the 2007 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Emmy, is handing every one of us a backstage pass.
You will witness in unprecedented close-up the wit, wisdom and candor of a galaxy of stars, from Paul Newman to Barbra Streisand, Al Pacino, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Clint Eastwood, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Ellen Burstyn, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Martin Scorsese, Sharon Stone and many, many more, and marvel at the comic inventions of Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle — and Will Ferrell as James Lipton on the Inside stage.
With the same candor he demands of his guests, James Lipton reveals a life that began under the tutelage of a poet, his father, and a teacher, his mother; continued in the orbit of three theatrical giants, Stella Adler, Harold Clurman and Robert Lewis; and, as writer and producer, took him to the White House with two presidents, the Great Wall of China with Bob Hope, and a wild flight at the controls of an Alaskan bush plane, on his journey to Inside the Actors Studio.
When the Actors Studio faced possible extinction in 1994, Lipton (An Exaltation of Larks) engineered a partnership between the Studio and the New School for Social Research to create a degree-granting program. Thus was born the Actors Studio Drama School, with Lipton as both founder and dean. The school's craft seminars, in which Lipton interviewed leading actors and directors, became the basis for Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio, and since 1994, he has been that series' executive producer, writer and host. Looking back over the show's parade of personalities, he intercuts autobiographical flashbacks with quotes from the TV interview transcripts. These brief selections, excerpted from his sessions with Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Jack Lemmon, Mike Nichols, Sean Penn, Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and many more, may leave some readers wishing Lipton had published the transcripts in full. Raising the curtain on his own memories, he traces the path of his multifaceted career as radio actor (The Lone Ranger), TV actor (The Guiding Light), Broadway lyricist (Sherry!) and novelist (Mirrors). Along the way, theatrical truths emerge and amusing anecdotes abound since Lipton is a witty and engaging writer. The free-associative transitions from interviews to autobiography occasionally read like two different books shuffled together, but that only makes this exaltation of Lipton doubly enjoyable. The 48 illustrations include Al Hirschfeld's caricature of Lipton. (Oct. 18)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationAny thespian worth his gestalt knows that Lipton has been living an enviably charmed professional life. As an actor, he studied with guru Stella Adler, played the Lone Ranger's young nephew on radio's iconic 1940s The Lone Ranger, was directed by Harold Clurman (and then Lillian Hellman) on Broadway, and had a decadelong gig on soap opera Guiding Light. His writing credits include Broadway shows, a novel, and the now classic etymological An Exaltation of Larks. But it is his commanding and ongoing (since 1994) role as producer, writer, and host of Bravo's Inside the Actors Studiofor which he is most widely known and venerated. The protean Lipton, exhibiting the dexterity with which he has combined his lifelong creative endeavors, seamlessly weaves all these artistic pursuits and more into his autobiography. The anecdotes from the fine actors who have appeared on Inside the Actors Studioand the manifold insights into the craftsmanship of acting together justify the purchase of this exemplary book. An unqualified hit among this season's theatrical offerings and a necessary purchase for all performing arts collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ6/1/07.]
—Barry X. Miller
Anonymous
Posted November 29, 2007
James Lipton is not just a TV host, though most of us know him as such. There are tons of other titles in addition to voice acting, TV acting, movie acting, and Broadway. Among these other titles are rapper (read the book, you'll find that it's true), equestrian, pimp (true also - shocking but true) and trained ballet dancer. He's also one of those people that seems to be connected to just about anything...it could just as soon be called the Jim Lipton game instead of the Kevin Bacon Game. Overall an abaolutely spectacular read that I won't dare ruin by spoiling some of the fun stuff you'll read. If you have seen more than two episodes of Inside the Actors Studio, you will want to read what this extraordinary man has to say.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.For fans of the television show Inside the Actors Studio, this book is great fun. For those who have not seen the show, they are in for a special treat. Lipton weaves his story into the story of the program in a way that makes this book a page turner. From his humble beginnings in Detroit, to his surprising years in Paris, to his successes in New York, he brings a delightful sense of wonder to his experiences as he brings the reader along on his journey.
Many of the famous guests on Inside the Actors Studio are featured throughout. All of this has elements of fun and of pathos--it is all good reading.
Inside Inside is also a beautifully written book. I was very sad when I turned the final page.
Anonymous
Posted December 20, 2008
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Posted December 7, 2009
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Posted May 15, 2010
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Posted October 26, 2008
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Overview
A REVEALING BEHIND-THE-SCENES PORTRAIT OF THE AWARD-WINNING TV SHOW INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO— AND ITS CREATOR AND HOST JAMES LIPTON
Each week Inside the Actors Studio takes the unique insights and intimate revelations of its celebrated guests into 84 million homes on the Bravo network and 125 countries. Now, with Inside Inside, James Lipton, the 2007 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Emmy, is handing every one of us a backstage pass.
You will witness in unprecedented close-up the wit, wisdom and candor of a galaxy of stars, from Paul Newman to Barbra Streisand, Al Pacino, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, ...