Memoir Monday... and Let's Hear it for the Girls!

Every celebrity has a story... or at least it seems that way. because there are so many memoirs written by them. I tend to shy away from them because I'm just not that into them. There are exceptions, but for the most part, if you are a actor or actress I may glance at your book, but... Today, I thought I would highlight 3 women of "my age". Relatively new books by the girls that were on TV during my "formative" years. Yes, they were girls back then (my age and in the spotlight) and I watched them on sitcoms or dramas. Here we are 30 plus years later and what seems a lifetime...

You With The Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate... from Kirkus Reviews: Applegate, who starred in Married…With Children and Dead to Me, among other television shows and movies, is now in her 50s and largely confined to her bed by multiple sclerosis. Applegate grew up, she says, in a Laurel Canyon home, in Los Angeles, that was “abusive and scary and awful.” Her father left the family when she was young, her mother became addicted to heroin and involved with men who were abusive to both her and her daughter, and Applegate became the family’s main breadwinner, working on radio commercials and television shows from the time she was 5. Acting, she says, saved her, providing structure for a life that could easily have gone thoroughly off the rails and left her “dead for sure.” But readers looking for anecdotes and insights into the projects the actress worked on won’t find them here. She regards the actors with whom she shared years of work, especially those from Married…With Children, with respect and gratitude, yet she doesn’t reveal much about them, instead concentrating on the details of a long series of excruciatingly bad romantic relationships with controlling men. Much of the memoir is backed up by long, emotionally raw passages from the diaries that Applegate kept for decades, where in her adolescence she castigates herself for being “a fat blob.” Later on, she tries to convince herself that whatever man she is with at a given time is the right one for her: “The jealousy. The rage. It all stems from love, passion, fear I suppose.” This is an admirably cathartic project, with a few tiny glimmers of hope, if not one that the casual reader is likely to pick up for fun.

In my early 20's I watched Married...With Children. I vaguely remember it being after work around dinner time. Christina Applegate was the dumb blonde, doing comedy and one liners. I hadn't really paid much attention to her career, but there she was one day talking about her fight with MS. OMG! How awful for a beautiful young actress. I would like to read her memoir, just to be able to catch up on her life.

Getting Naked by Valerie Bertinelli... from Kirkus Reviews: A book that urges self-acceptance in the face of adversity. Actor Bertinelli (One Day at a Time, Touched by an Angel) previously shared her life story in a memoir, Enough Already (2022). Her latest book is less autobiography and more self-help, a collection of her thoughts on aging and everything—good and bad—that comes with it. She begins by reflecting on a downturn in her life: “My second marriage was over and proceeding through the cesspool of legalese that results in divorce. Every day was a boxing lesson in which I felt like I was the punching bag. My Emmy-winning cooking series was canceled.” The following chapters detail her journey to self-acceptance, with recollections including her first hot flash (She “felt like a slab of meat on the grill at El Pollo Loco”) and having her breast implants removed, which led to scary infection. One lovely chapter describes an impromptu skinny-dipping session at her home: “Tonight, I flippered through the water and felt…good….What a revelation. To be comfortable in my own skin.” She writes about her former obsession with her weight—she was a spokesperson for Jenny Craig, a decision she now seems to regret, writing, “I look back now and cringe when I think about being part of the obsessed diet culture and ­industry. I probably did more harm than good.” Bertinelli is refreshingly open in this book: She owns up to her past vanity and writes candidly about topics, including menopause, divorce, and her experience as a survivor of child sexual abuse. She is delightfully self-deprecating, at one point acknowledging straying from her point: “Why did I get on this tangent? It’s just me. I go on tangents. I could open a store, Tangents-R-Me.” But there’s no self-hatred here: It’s all love, acceptance, and internal beauty. Hopeful, sweet, and very charming.

I remember Valerie from One Day at a Time. I don't even remember where or what time in my life I watched that show, but I remember watching it. What I think I remember most about Valerie is she married Eddie Van Halen. OMG! Good girl marries bad boy! And the heart crushing divorce after over 20 years! I guess I kind of grew up with Valerie, she was about a year older than me. On my TBR list...

You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It by Lisa Rinna... from Kirkus Reviews: The former reality TV star tells all—and then some. In this revealing and dishy memoir, Rinna leads with intense family trauma, describing the tragic losses of her beloved mother, Lois, from a stroke in 2021, as well as intimately detailing her father’s assisted suicide and her half-sister’s accidental overdose at age 21. Rinna attributes her Season 12 departure from Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to the immense grief and repressed anger she was processing while trying to film episodes for the series and keep her composure intact. Her on-camera appearances became rage-filled and volatile; she posted about them on social media, and they collectively drove home the fact that her relationship with the Real Housewives franchise has always been complicated. Rinna’s juicy ordeals with Bravo form the simmering centerpieces of the book, giving fans what they want most, despite the author’s attempts to dispense early-career highlights or perspectives on how she lost her mojo in her 30s but regained her power in her 40s and beyond. She never skimps on the scandalous when describing the “enemy territory” toxic atmosphere of a Housewives reunion, her resignation from Bravo at age 60, or warning then-newcomer Erika Jayne that “Bravo is the casino, we’re the players, and the house always wins.” Incorporating plenty of sass, hype, personality, and unflinching honesty, Rinna presents a smoothly written, satisfying combination of intimate anecdotes and family stories, commentaries about aging and cosmetic preservation in Hollywood, female friendship dynamics, motherhood, marriage to Harry Hamlin, fashion, and “the ongoing evolution of being a woman.” Then she gleefully circles back to the melodramatic “blood sport” dustups on the series, a subject she reliably depicts with brio. Whirlwind Bravo buzz delivered with brazen attitude...

I Remember Lisa Rinna from Melrose Place. After that, I really didn't see her again. And I have never watched any of the "Real Housewives" of anywhere. But here she is, girl of the 80s, a little younger than me and talk about drama. Her life seems like drama. And if you enjoy those Real Housewives, this book would be for you. 

After thinking about all these celebrity "actress" girl memoirs, I have enjoyed quite a few memoirs from women in or around the music industry. Lets talk about those memoirs next!

Happy Reading... Suzanne