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    Just the Funny Parts: … And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys' Club
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    Just the Funny Parts: … And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys' Club
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    Just the Funny Parts: … And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys' Club
    Ebook376 pages5 hours

    Just the Funny Parts: … And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys' Club

    By Nell Scovell and Sheryl Sandberg

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Just the Funny Parts is a juicy and scathingly funny insider look at how pop culture gets made. For more than thirty years, writer, producer and director Nell Scovell worked behind the scenes of iconic TV shows, including The Simpsons, Late Night with David Letterman, Murphy Brown, NCIS, The Muppets, and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, which she created and executive produced.  

    In 2009, Scovell gave up her behind-the-scenes status when the David Letterman sex scandal broke. Only the second woman ever to write for his show, Scovell used the moment to publicly call out the lack of gender diversity in late-night TV writers’ rooms. “One of the boys” came out hard for “all of the girls.” Her criticisms fueled a cultural debate. Two years later, Scovell was collaborating with Sheryl Sandberg on speeches and later on Lean In, which resulted in a worldwide movement.

    Now Scovell is opening up with this fun, honest, and often shocking account. Scovell knows what it’s like to put words in the mouths of President Barack Obama, Mark Harmon, Candice Bergen, Bob Newhart, Conan O’Brien, Alyssa Milano, and Kermit the Frog, among many others. Through her eyes, you’ll sit in the Simpson writers’ room… stand on the Oscar red carpet… pin a tail on Miss Piggy…bond with Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy… and experience a Stephen King-like encounter with Stephen King.

    Just the Funny Parts is a fast-paced account of a nerdy girl from New England who fought her way to the top of the highly-competitive, male-dominated entertainment field. The book delivers invaluable insights into the creative process and tricks for navigating a difficult workplace. It's part memoir, part how-to, and part survival story. Or, as Scovell puts it, “It’s like Unbroken, but funnier and with slightly less torture.”

     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 20, 2018
    ISBN9780062473509
    Author

    Nell Scovell

    Nell Scovell is a television writer, producer, and director, She collaborated with Sheryl Sandberg on the #1 New York Times bestseller Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. She is the creator of the television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and her TV writing credits include The Simpsons, Coach, Monk, Murphy Brown, Charmed, and NCIS. She has directed two movies for cable television and an episode of Awkward. She has contributed to SPY magazine, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and The New York Times. She and her husband Colin Summers have two college-age sons. Despite Blue Oyster Cult’s well-reasoned arguments, she still fears the reaper.

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    Reviews for Just the Funny Parts

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      I powered through this nonfiction account of the author's time writing for a dozen famous TV shows (The Simpsons, Late Night with David Letterman, NCSI, Murphy Brown, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, etc.). Her glimpse inside the writer's room was fascinating. It was heartbreaking to realize just how much of her career was shaped by her gender, but she presents the stories with humor and grace. She encourages other to take action to improve things for the future while at the same time acknowledging that it will probably be an uphill battle.
    • 4/5
      This memoir from television writer, show creator, producer, and director Nell Scovell is a fascinating insight into a woman's career as a television comedy writer. Scovell details experiences from throughout her career (#MeToo moments and all) and remains funny even when relating stories that would be enough to make any feminist's blood boil. Although the narrative jumps a bit, making it difficult to always keep track of the timeline, Scovell is charming and intelligent and her writing is compelling. Recommended whether you're a fan of one of the many shows she worked on, interested in television writing in general, or just interested in a smart memoir from a funny and bright woman in Hollywood.
    • 5/5
      Here's the hilarious and painfully truthiness of a woman who was born funny but so often denied opportunities to reap the rewards of her obvious talent. As a writer for many comedies and sitcoms, producer, co-author of Lean In, joke writer for President Obama, and also as the subject of brutal sexism in almost every job she's struggled for, Scovell tells it all (or most of it - too bad that some of the worst behavior is unattributed). Her ability to write strikingly and stingingly shines through in all her anecdotes and recollections. And Nell herself admits to being part of the problem in not making sure that people of color were hired on projects where she had control. I'll just leave it to quotes for the rest of the review, but I urge anyone who STILL DOESN'T GET #METOO, or who denies the deadening impact it has on women's psyches, to read this book and wake the hell up!"If I want Italian and you want Japanese, why can't you compromise and have Italian?" my husband once said to me, redefining the word 'compromise' "."The casting couch" sounds a lot nicer than "the rape sofa"."Moral licensing" is when no one wants to admit bias, so they search their brains for examples that disprove the accusation. This is better know as the "Some of my best friends are..." defense. It's not enough to be aware of the injustice; you must also understand that your knee-jerk defensiveness is a big part of the problem."
    • 4/5
      A by turns funny and infuriating memoir about working as woman in the mail dominated world of Hollywood writers rooms. The author recounts formative moments in her career while taking her profession to task for its lack of interest in even the barest attempts at diversification. The male fragility is evident as entirely white male writers rooms complain about "affirmative action". The author has plenty of stories and examples of her own encounters with misogyny even as she ascends the ladder of authority. Throughout, she manages to balance critique and good humor. This book is also interesting for the glimpse it offers into the life of a writer, especially one who is writing for television and film. Careers aren't always linear and that doesn't mean they aren't successful and meaningful. I had no idea who Nell Scovell was before reading this book, and honestly, I'm not sure I have a much better sense now. But I still enjoyed learning about her career and experiences, even if it was often frustrating to hear.