Kristin Chenoweth

Most people know Kristin Chenoweth from Wicked, The West Wing, and/or Pushing Daisies. I'll confess something: I've never seen either of these things. Don't get me wrong: I would love to see her (and Idina) in Wicked (but I think that ship's already sailed, although, I am hoping for a film adaptation with Kristin and Idina as the leads, of course) and probably would've gotten into Pushing Daisies (but I vaguely remember scheduling conflicts for me between this and another show. Which show show more you ask? I really can't remember so apparently is wasn't memorable), but I just never got the chance.

No. The first time I heard about Kristin Chenoweth was when I was 12 years old and had just seen the Wonderful World of Disney version of Annie in which Kristin plays Lily St. Regis. She was just all-around hilarious in that film and was really my favorite character (sure, I liked Annie and all, but Lily St. Regis was just so charming and adorable). After watching that movie over and over (and okay, over) again (and learning all the songs and dance routines), I grew up (somewhat) and didn't watch it again until a couple of months ago when I dusted up my VHS version of the film and watched it with my five year old sister (and it by the way still held up). Soon after that, I caught Kristin on Glee, loved her in it and decided to read her autobiography/memoir. And...it was amazing.

Going into this, you know A Little Bit Wicked isn't going to be some literary masterpiece and you also know that it's not going to be some scandalous tell-all (because really that would've been all over the media). It seemed like a cute and funny book, so I thought what the hell. I sure didn't expect to start laughing as soon as I turned to Page 1. Kristin just oozes fun and is not afraid to poke fun at herself. From saying to Ellen that she has to sing from her "Hoo-hoo" to kissing Idina Menzel to break the tension after the bigheads of Wicked stormed out, you can just tell that Kristin is possibly one of the coolest people around.

I'm not a religious person at all, so I thought that that particular element would bother me coming up as much as it did, but surprisingly it didn't. It's probably because Kristin Chenoweth seems like one of those people who's just really open-minded about most things that would piss off a majority of uber-religious people. I honestly can't find one thing that I had a problem with in regards to this book. It really delivered what I wanted. A humorous memoir that wasn't too angsty, yet had the right amount of heart.

I'm sure that Kristin Chenoweth will go on to do even more great things and I'll be rooting for her every step of the way. You know, all us short girls (I'm five feet, if that) have to support each other. Also, now when I push in my Annie DVD (I've since upgraded) for the umpteenth time and my older sister walks in and rolls her eyes asking, "Why are you watching this AGAIN?", I can reply with the utmost certainty "Because Kristin Chenoweth is just THAT awesome!" show less

I don’t normally venture into the non-fiction section of a bookstore unless by accident, but when I spotted Kristin Chenoweth’s memoir A Little Bit Wicked I knew that I had to read it because 1) I love all things Wicked (although it does not dominate her story); and 2) I fell in love with Kristin Chenoweth when she played Olive Snook in Pushing Daisies.

THE GOOD BITS

{A little slice goes a long way} I loved the format of this book. Yes, Kristin Chenoweth goes in chronological order, but it show more never felt that way. A Little Bit Wicked seemed more like a compilation of bits and pieces of Kristin Chenoweth’s life, never quite connect-the-dots but everything had its time and place and I felt lucky to be reading about it. I ate A Little Bit Wicked it up in one evening, but this book can easily be stretched out like a decadent and rewarding dessert for 16 evenings!

{Warning: Avoid any liquids while reading} I guarantee that there are a whole lot of snort-worthy moments, and I giggled my whole way through reading! Kristin Chenoweth is honest-to-goodness adorable, even when she has her non-bubbly moments, and I love how the writing captures this effervescent woman. She is 100% human (I know, I had concern that she was all bubble) with hurts and hopes, trials and triumphs, and she knows how to throw a decent punchline. From the truth behind where babies come from to her eat-them-and-maybe-die White Trash Cookies to the inspiration behind Ellen: The Musical to being tricked into a date with a pilot while racing across the country, it is hard to NOT laugh at Kristin Chenoweth’s mishaps on her rise to popularity.

{On Aaron Sorkin} So I didn’t know much about Kristin Chenoweth’s love life before I read A Little Bit Wicked and really the her current status is nobody’s business but her own, but can I say that I adored Aaron Sorkin’s own account of how he fell in love with her? All I can say is that, in A Little Bit Wicked, I can sense how much Kristin Chenoweth and Aaron Sorkin care for each other – even if they were off-and-on, even if they never get back together – despite everything, Aaron Sorkin wrote a beautiful piece for A Little Bit Wicked and I think it was pretty cool of Kristin Chenoweth to share it with the reader.

THE BAD BITS

{Wicked-ly disappointed} Okay, the lack of Wicked was not exactly the end of the world, and I am sure Kristin Chenoweth may be all Wicked-out, but I had thought there would have been more dish on Wicked as suggested by the title. There were a few brief mentions, but if you shared my expectations of Wicked delights, this is not the book for you. This is more for fans of Kristin Chenoweth and perhaps GLEE-hards.

THE OVERALL

I don’t know how A Little Bit Wicked does it, but somehow it embodies the bubbly known as Kristin Chenoweth and delivers anecdotes that can either make you laugh or cry or even sniffle with a hint of chuckle. A Little Bit Wicked may have be Wicked in name only, but it is everything I expected from Kristin Chenoweth! A Little Bit Wicked may be short in length, Kristin Chenoweth most definitely is not – and I hope that there may be more stories to share in the future. show less

I knew Kristin was big into her faith and christianity, but I somehow wasn't expecting quite so much scripture quoting... so thats on me. But I will say that I appreciate how she made significant note that she's not from the ONE faith or church or style... but to definitely consider the message and what it might mean to another. It was interesting getting a look into her life though. I appreciate the ways she brings up mental health and having healthy/good support structures and there were a show more few other nice nods in there too. show less

I loved this book! Kristin Chenoweth is hilarious! After reading it, I want to be her friend. She gives a great look into her life growing up, her acting career and the anecdotes that go with both.