The Funny Thing Is...

This is definitely one of the more light-hearted autobiographies I have read this semester and I loved it! She talks about what she sees in everyday life and what she has to deal with on occasion such as getting 21 minutes of sleep consecutive days and still maintaining to function. I am going to have to use some of her phrases she has come up with sometime too because they are hysterical! I would definitely recommend this autobiography because even though it was a longer book for me, I flew through it! I would read aloud certain pages during snack time to 5th graders.

Ellen DeGeneres is a hilarious stand up comic, but her humor does not work for me in writing. She sounds like an idiot. I've seen her perform a couple of the pieces that are in this book and I laughed until I cried, but reading them wasn't funny at all.

I love Ellen (who doesn’t?!). I think that she’s funny, insightful, and incredibly wise. While I enjoy watching her show, I also loved her before she became the dancing, housewife heartthrob. It is for this reason that I picked up her book. More specifically, I got a copy of her audiobook so that I could listen to her read her book to me. I thought it would be like a private stand-up show with Ellen in my car. Sadly, it missed the most important ingredient...laughter.

In this book, Ellen has compiled a bunch of random musing that are neither funny nor insightful. For example, she tells of a brunch she has with various entertainment figured ranging from Eminem to Paula Abdul. I thought that there might be some chuckles, but mostly I show more was left feeling like “huh?”. I suppose I should have known better because the entire introduction was about how she didn’t want to write a book and how hard it was. If it was written by anyone else, I would have thought that they did if for the money.

Sometimes, I feel as if Ellen is holding back some of her humor because she is thought of as being “G” or “PG” rated. This was one of the reasons I picked up her book because I thought that she would write some “PG-13” or maybe possibly some “R” rated humor. Sadly, this was as funny and racy as a TV show on Nick Jr. I don’t like crude or overtly sexual humor, but I was hoping for at least some social commentary. Last month, her new book came out and I have to say that it looks very similar to this oldie. Sadly, I would have to tell you to pass on this one.

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Perhaps I expected too much, but considering my love for Ellen's television performances, I was disappointed in her book. A lot of the same jokes were there, but, without her quirky mannerisms and tone of voice coming through, the jokes fell flat.

I love Ellen. I think she's witty and smart and super funny. But, this book was a huge ho hum for me. And maybe part of that is due to the fact that I've seen her perform most of this book in her TV stand-up shows. The jokes fell flat and lost something in translation. Ellen is a very physical comedienne; her timing, body movements, facial expressions and wide-eyed innocence are what make her jokes hysterical. It's a package deal with Ellen. Just reading the jokes simply didn't make the cut for me and I was really bummed by this. If you've never seen Ellen perform, then the book might be okay--but I have a strong feeling it would still rank pretty below average.

A disappointing read for me. But I still love Ellen.

As many other reviewers have said, this was enjoyable & entertaining, but not hilarious. It seemed on par with her stand-up comedy, which is decent enough, and audio is definitely the way to go, since Ellen's delivery is a large part of what makes her funny. Given the choice, however, I still think she's more entertaining as a talk show host. My favorite part was the portion about women in the restroom with automatic toilets, sinks, and hand dryers. Spot on!

Knowing that I am a fan, this was a perfect gift. A retelling of many of her latest comedy routines makes this a fun, fast read. The book captures Ellen DeGeneres's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_DeGeneres unique, off-beat insights into the hilarity of everyday life. Her comedy is the best kind, often making fun of herself and reminds me to never take myself too seriously. (lj)