Livewire by Kelly RIpa

[j swift]

I read it this weekend, two thumbs up.  It is a fun read with some interesting insights both into AMC and Regis.  She never seems ungrateful toward either Regis or Lucci, but it is easy to read between the lines about what it was like to be an ambitious upstart against two powerful stalwarts of daytime during both the height of their success and the gradual decline of their fame.   One gets the sense that she was never antagonist toward either star, but she watched and learned from the sidelines about how she should handle it when her time came.

If Oprah or Ellen wrote a book they would be a hot ticket on most talkshows.  But, I find the marketing pretty juicy given her status as the highest rated talkshow in daytime.  She's been on The Tonight Show, Colbert, and Kimmel, but, she hasn't been interviewed on Good Morning America or The View; both of which are ABC daytime shows.

Now, we know that GMA might be squeamish about having her on with former co-host Michael Strahan.  And, there was that time that she called into The View to confront Rosie about "outing" Clay Aiken.  However, I find it interesting that Kelly, who I feel was acquitted by the audience in both circumstances, has apparently been blacklisted by both shows...

Edited October 9, 2022 by j swift

[Noel]

Interesting. I've never really had an opinion of her and I forgot all about the Michael Strahan and Clay Aiken stuff. Is it juicy as in juicy-juicy? 

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[j swift]

The tone is light hearted and comedic, rather than tell-all, so you shouldn't expect much gossip.  She is careful to give her perspective rather than provide judgement.  The backstage stuff at AMC is mostly about the friendships forged over long hours among twenty-somethings  having their first experiences of fame. 

She also skips some areas of controversy.  There's no mention of Clay Aiken (who was rude to her as a guest co-host), or Jessica Seinfeld (with whom there was a rumored rift), or Howard Stern (her husband was the officiant at his wedding, but they are no longer social).

But, it is interesting to hear about peripheral daytime figures like Angela Shapiro,  who was a big fan of Kelly, and the difficulties of a woman to gain status within a part of the entertainment business that is specifically marketed to a female audience.  It is clear that producers didn't always trust her perspective, even though she exemplified the woman that they wanted to watch the show.  For example, she did not approve of the marketing of her first co-host search after Regis left.  The show kept making promos comparing Kelly to The Bachelorette, but in reality she had no say in who would be picked to get the job, and even worse, nobody ever asked her opinion.

Edited October 9, 2022 by j swift

[Noel]

It definitely sounds like a good read! Thanks so much for giving some insight. 

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