Saturday, September 16, 2006

Bob Harris: I see the lights, I see the party lights


Bob Harris's new book is finally on the market! We went to a party tonight at the lovely and talented Bob's (and Jane's) place, got a signed copy of the book, and had a heck of a good time. And no, we didn't play the home version of Jeopardy, or Will It Float, or any other TV games, just visited with friends old and new, and had a great time.

Publisher's Weekly has a great review:
In this eccentric, energetic and engaging memoir of his long run on America's favorite television quiz show, Harris, a former standup comedian and current comedy writer, gives readers the lowdown on life as "one of the show's big winners-and big losers." He promises to tell all, and he does, from the show's beginning in 1963 to his own blow-by-blow experiences as a contestant. He discusses his growing obsession with winning, how it cost him a girlfriend and how he luckily found another. For those who would follow in his footsteps, he is generous with tips on strategy: buzzer skills, how to predict topics (keep holidays in mind), how to suss out a Daily Double, which clues to tackle first, how to one-up your competition (though one of the gems of this often charming book is the account of the quite sincere friendships that grew among the top competitors). Like many a standup routine, his narrative zigs and zags back and forth in time and topic, but like the best of routines, it is sharply timed, pulling out many swerves and surprises to keep the reader alert. And what is Alex Trebek really like- "I dunno," says Harris, but the Trebek we meet is highly professional and unfailingly courteous. "Just like on TV."

Wall Street Journal also has a great review, but they put it behind a subscription wall, the bastards.

For the record, in attendance as old friends tonight were Kevin & Marian Drum, skippy & mrs. skippy (pictured here), & Greg & Christine Saunders. A good time was had by all.

Thanks, Bob.

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