Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins

April 30, 2007
Everett’s performance in 1997’s My Best Friend’s Wedding turned the camaraderie between gay men and straight women into a mainstream pop culture staple. However, 2000’s The Next Best Thing landed with a thud, and Everett quickly exited the rarefied air of stardom. Reading his new memoir, the veteran actor of stage and screen oozes rakish charm, a gossipy court jester providing wickedly witty—if not particularly consequential—commentary on show business shenanigans. Everett glibly dishes the dirt on such co-stars as Faye Dunaway, who Everett confides has earned the nickname “done fade away” among backstage insiders, and Sharon Stone, who coaches the skeptical Everett on channeling the aura of a character. Everett, whose family background steeped him in an Edwardian stiff-upper-lip ethos, does occasionally pause for reflection on pain and loss, especially his experiences in the waning days of the South Beach party scene. A guilty pleasure, albeit a rather sophisticated and tony offshoot of the species, this will primarily appeal to listeners who appreciate the E! cable network and In Style magazine. Simultaneous release with the Warner hardcover.