The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year

4.5 stars

I loved it just because Cohen cracks me up and it's the first autobio that I've been able to get through, beginning to end. Ansari's Modern Romance was close, but the tech jargon slowed that one down.

Cohen had a way of making the extreme sound both mundane/commonplace, yet still exciting enough as to be surreal (not just for the reader but him as well). Perhaps he does now but at the time of his writing the entries, it didn't read as if he thought too highly of himself. It was more 'This is my life. I've worked hard to be hear but I'm still surprised sometimes to realize: THIS IS MY LIFE!'

And of course, the stories about his parents are the best!

I got about halfway through and it's due back at the library tomorrow. While it's a fun read, it's not worth the fine. I do love a lot of things about this book, though: Andy's knowledge of how ridiculous he/his life is, his embarrassing (yet truthful) navel-gazing, and his descriptions of his mother. I particularly enjoy how she thinks he's going to fail all.the.time.

The one jarring thing is that a lot of recurring "characters" are never given last names. It took me awhile to figure out that Liam is indeed Liam Neeson. That makes a big difference.

After Andy Cohen read The Andy Warhol Diaries, he decided to start keeping a diary of his own. He liked how Warhol’s diary was packed with celebrity encounters and shameless name dropping and decided that his diary would be written the same way.

He doesn’t appear to hold much back. He dishes dirt and not afraid to make himself look bad – like the time the paparazzi caught him full-on picking his nose! His life is glamorous and his social calendar is packed. At the same time, he manages to stay pretty down to earth. His mother definitely helps in that regard. She is full of criticism for him about which he luckily has a sense of humor. I listened to this book – his impression of his mother and other celebrities is pretty awful and show more he’s aware of that. Much of the diary is about his search for a dog and finally adopting his dog Wacha. At that point his diary becomes very Wacha-centric.

As a fan of both the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives Orange County (don’t judge!), I was pleased that he includes inside information on his dealings with the housewives. He doesn’t always mention names but sometimes he does. He mentions tidbits about other Bravo series he produces as well.

He also writes about his late night talk show Watch What Happens Live and his guests. He’ll say if a guest had weird demands or if a particular show bombed or did really well – whether because of him or the guest. It would be fun to search for clips of some of the worst on YouTube and see if you can tell what he’s thinking.

Fans of Andy Cohen will enjoy this book as well as fans of his BFFs because they are mentioned so often – Sarah Jessica Parker, Kelly Ripa, Jon Mayer, Anderson Cooper and Diane von Furstenberg. Also, even if you aren’t a fan of any of those people, chances are you are a fan of one other dozens of celebrities mentioned. If you enjoy reading memoirs from people in the entertainment industry, this is one to check out. show less

I love Andy and Wakka. Serious I just want to know what he’s doing everyday forever.

LOVED. Such an awesome peek into celebrity!