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Leading With My Chin

Leading With My Chin

List Price: $25.00
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: FICTION??
Review: After reading this book, some of the stories seem fabricated. I have heard these "stories" from other people. Like your monologue. Old and borrowed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: VERY FUNNY
Review: First things first. Let me begin by saying I have become increasingly annoyed by Leno's style over the years - the constant brown-nosing, the insulting brand of humor, the incessant laughter at his own jokes, the endless praise of virtually every movie a star comes on the show to promote, etc.

That said, there is obviously one thing Leno can do very well, and that's to tell a funny story. This story is full of his (obviously) favorite remembrances of his childhood and the nightmares he had to endure while attempting to hit it big as a comedian. Some of the stories he tells are so outlandish, you may be thinking, "Is he kidding? Did that really happen?" Nevertheless, I do love this book, enough so that I think it's actually worth re-reading. Leno even offers some insights into the success of some of his contemporaries (Robin Williams, the late Andy Kaufman and Freddie Prinze, and his late night rival, David Letterman).

Trust me on this one, you may find yourself laughing in spite of yourself. Especially endearing are the stories about Leno's parents (an Italian father and a Scottish mother!).

I give it four out of five.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: hillarious
Review: Hard work pays off in any field, including entertainment. This book chronicles Jay's "dues paying" days in Massachusetts before he made it big. It contains wit, but goes beyond funny anecdotes. It gives insight into his career struggles. Jay seems to remain approachable due to the hard years he faced as an up and coming comic. Leno is, in a sense, a "working man's comedian" in that he had to earn the right to the position he currently holds. This book is instructive in that it teaches the principle of creative persistence by default, i.e., Leno did it and describes the process.
A few photos add to the story telling in the book.
He is honest about not being an ideal student during his college days. Leno's story has elements of interest to a general audience in that his story is a niche version of the American success story of rising from obscurity to national fame.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Funny autobiography with large doses of humor and no dirt
Review: Heard the taped version of LEADING WITH MY CHIN,
written and read by Jay Leno . . . it is his autobiography, but
told only as he could tell it; i.e., with large doses of humor and without being too offensive . . . so if you're looking for the "dirt" on any famous personalities, you won't find it here.

Instead, you'll laugh at the stories of his childhood, as well as his attempts to get into the comedy business . . . as he tells it, he wasn't that funny in the beginning; in fact, what he often did in the beginning to get a laugh was raise his voice
and repeat back what he had just heard . . . or he
would ask something to the following effect: You hear about the
new men's personal hygiene produce? Umpire--for guys
with foul balls. (Hey, I thought it was funny!)

As his career progressed, I found myself cheering for his
successes . . . what I especially liked was how he spoke
of his parents and their role in making him the person he
is now.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A good life story of a funny guy
Review: I like that Jay wrote this book himself. It doesn't have any boring parts. I've read this thing a million times since I actually am an aspiring commedian. Even though he's a generation behind me, he was similar to me when he was my age. His first trys to be funny at school were cool to hear about, since I did similar stuff. I swear to god, when I was 13, a teacher wrote something similar his teacher wrote, "If Jay studied as hard as does being funny, he'd be a good comedian." The stories and troubles with his parents are easy to identify with as a kid. He also gives a long look into his life on the road, such as playing at a college with geeks who wanted to study and not hear a comedian. (A--holes!) The book also has some sentimental and dirty parts, making it interesting all around. It's all pretty humorous and it's like he's actually telling you the stories, the way it's written sounds like the way he'd say it, well it's cause he DID. A good read if you've got a sense of humor.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: His personal stand-up comes through
Review: I love Jay Leno. I've always found Letterman a bit too smug and self-consciously hip--except for moments with his mom and the Top Ten Lists. And for critics who derided Jay Leno's championing of Schwarzenegger, Jay, a dyslexic, has a tendency to promote the guy everyone else laughs at (and who Jay laughs at too, but never mean-spirited).

There's plenty of comedy here but what I find most touching is Jay's courtship with his wife Mavis, his relationship with his Italian father and Scottish mother, and the loving way he chronicles his parents' eccentricities. This is the same spirit in which he memorialized his father and mother on-air. Jay Leno truly is Mr. Nice Guy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What a guy!!!!
Review: I may only be a sophomore in college, but I have loved Jay Leno for years now. :o) I read his book and when I finished it I wanted to cry, simply because there weren't any more wonderful stories left to read. I didn't cry though--I just flipped it back to the beginning and read it again. This book really lets people into his life. He doesn't back-stab anybody or put anybody down, and his stories aren't "And that's why I'm perfect" He shows us the more human side of him, and his style of writing makes you feel as if you were actually having a conversation with him, and these were the stories he was telling you. These are stories that nobody will ever get tired of reading. They are no doubt stories that, if Jay were a father, his children would beg him to tell over and over again. This is my new favorite book! Way to go Jay!!! :o

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An absolutely charming account of a Jay Leno's rise to fame.
Review: If you've ever wondered how and why a comedian such as Jay Leno comes to realize his comedic calling, you'll surely want to read this book. Packed with stories from birth to his comedic rise to the top on the comedy circuit, this heartwarming autobiography is absolutely just what your funny bone is hungry for. From his stories of childhood being hammered on the head to working for laughs onstage , we amusingly journey through this funny man's life. You'll find yourself laughing out loud as you read about one of the friendliest , hardest working comedians today. To err is human after all, but to laugh is divine

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: hillarious
Review: im in the process of reading "leading with my chin" by jay leno, and so far i am astonished at how increadably funny it is! my teacher assigned us to read a biography or bibliography of our choice, and last minute i was in frantic search for a book. a friend of mine handed me the bio and told me, "read it. its funny, and it goes fast!" to my surprise, she was right. the book is a joy to read, even to those who dont like reading much *caugh* *caugh*. "leading with my chin" is no less than a 5 star book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice guys finish first.
Review: Jay Leno has been called "the nicest guy in Hollywood" and this book is part of the proof. If you are looking for hot gossip or name-dropping, this is not the book for you, Jay doesn't go in for that. Leno tells the story of his rise as a comedian, starting with comical childhood experiences. I found this book very funny in parts, but it's an autobiography, not a non-stop laugh riot. If you're not a Jay fan or a budding comedian who can relate to his tales, this book may be a little slow for you. I found his casual, talkative and sentimental writing style unpretentious and refreshing. As a big Jay fan myself,I enjoyed this book and rate it an "8"


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