Thanks for the Money: How to Use My Life Story to Become the Best Joel McHale You Can Be

by Joel McHale

Overview

From actor and comedian Joel McHale comes the most important celebrity-penned book of this, or any, generation. Part shocking tell-all memoir, part aspirational how-to guide, and mostly all book, this one-of-a-kind tome is required reading for anyone who enjoys Hollywood gossip, get-rich-gradually tips, and copious illustrations and charts.

 “…Thanks for the Money is a clever, much-needed antidote to the age of celebrity book deals. If the tide can’t be stopped, at least it can be mocked.”—EW.com
 
Joel McHale pulls back the curtain on his personal journey to stardom! Here, for the first time, Joel reveals all that has molded him into the acclaimed comic actor he is today: a love of performance, a series of boyhood head injuries, and most importantly, a passion for financial compensation and free shoes.

It’s all here: Joel’s career trials and tribulations, his criminal trials and tribulations, and an honest, unflinching list of all the people he’s been paid money to make out with, on camera.

But the book does not stop there! Because if you want wealth, fame, and cost-free footwear, Joel will share every vital tip he has learned: an insanely low-carb diet plan, how to escape from a certain pseudo-religious celebrity cult, and more!

How can you unlock the power of the Joel McHale who lurks inside? What happened when Joel fought his Community co-star Chevy Chase? And hey, while we’re at it, what’s up with Joel’s hair—really? All will be revealed, within the pages of Thanks for the Money.

Buy now, and receive—as a special bonus—an email receipt that details your purchase!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399575372
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/25/2016
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	530,127
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Joel McHale is best known as host of E!'s The Soup and for his starring role on the hit comedy series Community. He is currently hosting a new Netflix original series, The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale. His film credits include A Merry Friggin' Christmas, Deliver Us from Evil, Blended, TED, What's Your Number?, The Big Year, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, and The Informant. McHale also performs his stand-up act around the country to sold-out audiences. In 2014, he hosted the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., and recently hosted the 2015 ESPYS on ABC. Born in Rome and raised in Seattle, Washington, McHale was a history major at the University of Washington where he also was a member of their championship football team. He received his Master's of Fine Arts from UW's Actor's Training Program. McHale lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.

Boyd Vico and Brad Stevens have years of experience in both comedy writing and television production. Stevens and Vico have teamed up with McHale in the past – as two of the original writer/producers on The Soup, and for events such as The Independent Spirit Awards, the 2015 ESPY Awards, and the 2014 White House Correspondents' Dinner. They have written and produced series for Fox, Comedy Central, NBC, and VH1 and served as writers for the nationally syndicated radio program On Air With Ryan Seacrest.

Editorial Reviews

A fitfully amusing memoir...funny self-help, designed to show readers how to attain, sustain, and survive the author’s level of celebrity...Engaging because it doesn’t take itself too seriously.”—Kirkus Reviews

Best Books to Read this Fall—Thrillist.com

"The book is smart, honest and clever." —Associated Press

 "...Thanks for the Money is a clever, much-needed antidote to the age of celebrity book deals. If the tide can't be stopped, at least it can be mocked." —EW.com

From the Publisher

2016-08-02
A fitfully amusing memoir that seems to be based on the (seemingly correct) premise that any comedian can land a book deal.Mainly known as the host of The Soup, McHale is no Tina Fey. However, any prolonged exposure on TV seems to require that the personality put his name on a memoir as a means of “ ‘extending his brand’ through the written word.” Thus it is with The Soup host and co-star of the sitcom Community. “I needed a new revenue stream,” writes the author. “Sure I had conquered television—both real and cable. I had mildly defeated the world of cinema—both theatrical and straight-to-video. And I had bent the world of comedy over my knee and made it called me ‘the Harbormaster’….I was good at talking, that much was certain. But how could I turn the words I usually talked into a permanent thing that people could purchase at a wildly inflated price?” Even those who don’t care much about McHale or feel that they know enough about him will be entertained by his tales of prickly Chevy Chase, his annotated account of the various actresses he has kissed (and fondled), his tempest-in-a-teapot feuds after delivering comic jobs at Robert DeNiro and Mickey Rourke, and his memories of Robin Williams and “Chubby Matt Damon.” When hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, McHale discovered that “the experience of meeting the president was like a ride at Disneyland. You wait in a long line, the most exciting part lasts a few seconds, and then you’re spit out into an empty hallway, breathless and dazed. Later, someone shows you a photo to prove that it happened.” The book’s second section is funny self-help, designed to show readers how to attain, sustain, and survive the author’s level of celebrity. It extends the amusement park simile: “the life of a celebrity is like a roller coaster—plenty of ups and downs, and with a fair share of vomit.” Engaging because it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Kirkus Review

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