Book Review: A Little Bit Wicked #18

Author: Kristin Chenoweth w/Joni Rodgers
Title: A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love & Faith in Stages
Publisher: Touchstone
Publish Date: March 5, 2009
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: You might know her as a Tony Award-winning Broadway star, who originated the role of Galinda the Good Witch in the smash musical Wicked and won a Tony for 1999's You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Or you may recognize her from her starring roles on TV—The West Wing, Pushing Daisies, Sesame Street...oh, and her Huge Hit Sitcom Kristin on NBC. (Huge hit. L.A. breast-implant huge. Ask either of the people who watched it.) Or maybe you saw her sexy spread in FHM magazine? Or her appearance on Pat Robertson's The 700 Club? Kristin is a wonderful collection of contradictions—but everyone who's ever met her remembers her as the little girl with the big voice. At four foot eleven, Kristin Chenoweth is an immense talent in a petite but powerful package.
In this lively, laugh-out-loud book, Kristin shares her journey from Oklahoma beauty queen to Broadway leading lady, reflecting on how faith and family have kept her grounded in the dysfunctional rodeo of show biz. The daughter of an engineer and a nurse, Kristin was singing in front of thousands at Baptist conventions by age twelve and winning beauty pageants by age twenty-two. (Well, actually she was second runner-up almost every freaking time. But, hey, she's not bitter.) On her way to a career as a professional opera singer, she stopped in New York to visit a friend and went on a whim to an audition. Through a combination of talent, hard work, and (she's quick to add) the grace of God, Kristin took Broadway by storm. But of course, into every storm, the occasional drizzle of disaster must fall.

Filled with wit, wisdom, and backstage insight, A Little Bit Wicked is long on love and short on sleep; it's essential reading for Kristin's legions of fans and an uplifting story for anyone seeking motivation to follow his or her dreams—over the rainbow and beyond

Review: When I saw Cheno's mini-memoir (hey, it really isn't an autobiography, and its only about 240 some pages) on the shelf at my YMCA's lending library, I had to pick it up. I like to read celebrity books, because usually they are funny, even when they are trying to be serious.

But then there's Cheno. She's just so darn CUTE! I'm pretty sure if you look cute up in the dictionary these days, Kristin's picture is right there. She has the added bonus of being super funny and a super fantastic singer. But none of that really has anything to do with the book, yet it does.

Every aspect of Kristin's bubbly personality comes through these pages. It is easy to see why she has a legion of fans. She's just so fun. She's also nice. There's not a nasty word said about anyone in this book, and like most people, she's had some tough times, careerwise, and yet she doesn't bash anyone. She really makes light of a lot of things. She takes the bad things in a spiritual way. You learn from the tough times you go though, and maybe she's right.

So if you are looking for scathing commentary about people on Broadway or TV, you aren't going to find that here. You will find a lot of things to laugh at, especially some of the things she learned from her vocal teacher. Singing from your Hoo Hoo being one of them. That was so funny it inspired Ellen Degeneres to do a musical number, with Cheno....

This is the kind of book you can devour in a few hours. If you are in a bad mood, it will lift it. Plus it gives you faith that all celebrities aren't egotistical idiots, and Kristin is obviously one of the nice ones.  It's definitely worth reading, even if you only know a little bit about the lady.

Rating: 5 flowers

Watch:  Sing From Your Hoo Hoo