Another Day in Showbiz: One Producer's Journey

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Summary: Wonderful showbiz biography.
Review: Behind the scenes peeks into the inner-workings of show business are often self-congratulatory, full of tired insights and recycled anecdotes, and little more than glorified puff pieces. The arrival of Pierre Cossette's "Another Day in Showbiz" is all the more a truly welcome addition to the biography canon in that it both offers a plethora of quotable stories and a real attempt by its author to explain how an insider rose from being an outsider to becoming the proverbial insider without losing humility or a wicked sense of humor.

Particularly striking is Cossette's willingness to reveal his failures in addition to his many successes. A man whose winning track record includes celebrated productions in Las Vegas, on television, on Broadway and throughout the music world could easily have omitted his duds, but his candidness helps make the book resonate all the more as an instructional primer on the entertainment industry. The clear lesson here -- that it is persistency that can and does succeed -- is hardly unique to Cossette, but his cheerful yet no hold's barred spin on it gives the reader a glimpse that they could never have been privy to prior.

Getting rejected by Angie Dickinson with a romantic overture might not be something most would boost of, but the author's ability to see it as a reality check and to move forward is a perfect example of his self-deprecating style. Then again, his success with woman has obviously been quite good as witnessed by his glowing words for his current wife. In fact, his clear love for her, as well as for the other key woman in his life, is one of the book's strongest suits. Despite, or perhaps because of, his tremendous success, the obvious tenderness of the man serves as a winning example of a "nice guy finishing first."

To call him a true renaissance man may sound like a cliché, but it is perfectly apt. He knew everybody before they were anybody. Among the many highlights of "Another Day in Showbiz" are lengthy sections on his career in Las Vegas (where he not only began the tradition of the lounge singer, but booked Ronald Reagan and nearly every star of the era), an odd but telling encounter with Howard Hughes, his dealings with superstars ranging from Andy Williams to Celine Dion, his Broadway success with "The Will Rogers Follies" (including some interesting Marla Maples' anecdotes), the founding of his Dunhill Records label, and of course the book's main highlight -- his producing the Grammy Awards telecast for 35 years.

The manner in which he was able to convince a reluctant television network to air the Grammys live for the first time nearly 35 years ago is a perfect example of juggling, risking and trusting your guts. Incredible as it may seem today, there was no real interest from the network brass in such a telecast. Again though, Cossette's persistency and obvious smarts paid off. Cossette has been rightly referred to as "The Godfather of the Grammys," and anyone who reads this book will probably want to kiss his ring -- and want to go into "Showbiz."

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Summary: I loved this book
Review: Funny, interesting, juicy. One of the best books on the music industry I've ever read.

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Summary: Great showbiz insider's tale
Review: I've been reading "insiders" books on the entertainment industry for decades, and can't remember having as much fun as when strolling through Pierre Cossette's "Another Day in Showbiz." I think the first thing I'm drawn to when reading an autobiography about someone in the industry is how many times I'll stop and go "Wow" after seeing a juicy anecdote. This book is just loaded with them.

For example, the tale of how he got Ronald Reagan to do his one and only stint in Las Vegas is a gem. Even better is the story of how Howard Hughes kept trying to meet with Cossette, but kept canceling. Hughes was able to get two police cars to intercept Cossette at the airport, dragging him away to security to deliver a personal message from Hughes, apologizing for being unavailable.

I think I learned the most while reading the section about how Cossette turned a small-time, industry only event like the Grammys into one of the biggest annual events on TV. As the networks kept rejecting it, he was finally able to secure a deal with ABC to put it on live, providing he could get Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin to host. Apparently, the network was worried about those "long haired hippy-types" on primetime, so a squeaky clean host was needed. Well, Cossette was able to pull some strings, get Williams on board, and get the Grammys on the air.

Other highlights range from the poignant -- he's pretty frank about his strengths as well as weaknesses -- to the absurd. The anecdote about Ringo Starr meeting Lucille Ball comes to mind, in a meeting of superstars too weird to make up. Other tales involving Celine Dion, Donald Trump, Sammy Davis Jr. and Ann-Margret are woven in nicely, and you never feel like he's name dropping but that he's just having fun retelling stories that will put a smile on the face of even the most jaded reader.

I suppose my biggest feeling upon finishing was a sense of being inspired. His climb from humble origins to the top of the pack involved amazing drive and an ability to tackle hurdles while overcoming the countless nay- sayers who told him what couldn't be done. These are issues I think we all have to deal with in our lives, and reading of his rise made me feel that if you dream big enough, there's little you can't accomplish.

Anyone interested in how "the biz" really works will like this book, especially with its breezy style that honestly makes you feel like you know the man by its end.

Rating:
Summary: A Legend
Review: Pierre Cossette is a true legend in Show Business. I recommend this book for anyone serious about a career in show business. He has helped so many new artist and their careers. An excellent book.