This month’s read is a tell-all tale by popular A-lister Mackenzie Phillips. In this epic biography Ms. Phillips dishes all the dirt on family, addiction, and the pressures of growing up in the brilliant bright lights of Hollywood. A lot of people are asking, "Mackenzie, why write a biography now while you are in the prime of your life and the peak of your career? Why not wait till you can look back on a life full of achievement and accolades?" Well, perhaps she already has a life full of achievement. Perhaps she needed to heal old wounds with some cathartic writing. Or perhaps she needed a paycheck to buy some of that crack she claims to no longer be taking. I'll leave that for you, the readers and members of the esteemed Finer Things Book Club, to judge.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
High on Arrival
This month’s read is a tell-all tale by popular A-lister Mackenzie Phillips. In this epic biography Ms. Phillips dishes all the dirt on family, addiction, and the pressures of growing up in the brilliant bright lights of Hollywood. A lot of people are asking, "Mackenzie, why write a biography now while you are in the prime of your life and the peak of your career? Why not wait till you can look back on a life full of achievement and accolades?" Well, perhaps she already has a life full of achievement. Perhaps she needed to heal old wounds with some cathartic writing. Or perhaps she needed a paycheck to buy some of that crack she claims to no longer be taking. I'll leave that for you, the readers and members of the esteemed Finer Things Book Club, to judge.
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11 comments:
I really didn't like this book. I mean I really didn't like her in "One Day at a Time" she was annoying and I was always confused at her mom and her mom's relationship with the plumber. This book didn't make me like her any more than I did on that show. And just to find out all about her drug addiction - at least now I understand why she looked so skinny in all her high-waisted jeans.
I thought this book was a great read. Something to take to the beach or curl up with by the fire with a hot cup of cocoa. I learned a lot about what heroin can lead to and that no matter how far down you go to reach the lowest of lows you can still get on Oprah once you write about it.
Growing up on the set of One Day at a Time couldn't have been easy. One minute Schneider is showing you how he likes to comb his mustache and the next minute Barbara (aka Valerie Bertinelli) is trying to sell you a Jenny Craig frnachise. It's no wonder Mackenzie turned to drugs. As far as the incest goes, I blame Bonnie Franklin. As you may recall from the later years of ODAAT, Barbara met a boy that she married and Ann met the boy's father and married him. Seeing Barbara married to her own step-brother gave some ideas to Mackenzie that did not mix well with drugs.
All I know is this will make a great TV movie, most likey on the FOX network or VH1.
Here's the deal - ODAAT (as you like to call it) was lame. I hardly ever watched it, if at all, because it was so so so so stupid. Mackenzie needs to get over not being in the spotlight and just relish the fact that she is still acting - in some Disney tv show which I have seen due to my nieces fascination with all things Disney.
I really feel like Ms. Phillips has a weird shaped mouth. I'm not sure if that is the root of all her problems, or just the result of all of the crack"piping," as they call it in the biz. You know, she's just like Whitney Houston with her crack piping. It's so, so fortunate that Oprah could have them both on her show.
This book really revolutionized the way I think about Mackenzie Phillips in that it took me from never thinking about her, to thinking about her during my reading. Thanks for the great book club choice, Todd. You have opened up a whole new world of rock-star living for me.
Kitty, if you don't think ODAAT was a good show than you are higher than Mackenzie Phillips!
Lindy, I feel that, for legal purposes, I need to clarify that Whitney never smoked crack. She clearly explained to Diane Sawyer that crack is wack. She even told Oprah that all she did was smoke a little rock cocaine with her weed...who doesn't? I just needed to clear that up before Whitney was all up in your grill about it.
There is one thing about this book that I find to be somewhat disturbing and that is the cover. What was she doing when that photo was taken? I don't want to get too graphic here on our classy Finer Things blog, but let's just say that if there was a roll of toilet paper in the picture I wouldn't be surprised.
Todd, I can't believe I let my legal guard down like that an misclassified Whitney's particular type of cocaine use. Sometimes I can be such a fool.
Well I know nothing about crack. Except when I have enough money I'm going to get mine fixed.
If you know what I mean.
Kitty, thanks for keeping it classy on the Finer Things Book Club.
We are really having some great dialog on this book. I just wish others would talk book club as seriously as we do and start commenting.
Well, I don't have a whole lot to add to this riveting conversation. Y'all have hit all the main points. But I do want to say that when I first heard about the book, I was SHOCKED and appalled at her revelation regarding her father. I love me some Mamas and The Papas and this just left me feeling disillusioned and depressed -- all the leaves seemed brown and the sky was grey, you know.
Anyway, I was sure that nothing good could come from this. But then I read y'all's comments and realized that there were some important lessons and insights here. And, let's face it, this book did something that no other book club book had managed to do: it got Todd to read and comment. That's quite an accomplishment.
Abby, that's a good point you make, if by "read" you mean I learned all about it on ET and Oprah commercials. I don't understand why you are shocked by the family...uh..."togetherness" depicted in this book. I thought that sort of thing was common practice in the south.
Not everywhere in the South, Todd. Just in places like Arkansas. Here in Montgomery, you have to be at least first cousins before it's considered appropriate. We're not hicks, you know.
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