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176th out of 247 books
—
43 voters
I'm Just Sayin'!: Three Deaths, Seven Husbands, and a Clone! My Life as a Daytime Diva
A candid and entertaining memoir from an icon of daytime television- packed with photos and insider stories!
As the notorious Reva Shayne on the daytime television drama Guiding Light, Kim Zimmer has portrayed a vixen, a manic-depressive, an Amish woman, a time traveler, a Civil War belle, a talk show host, a cancer survivor, a loving mother, and a devoted wife. Now, in t...more
As the notorious Reva Shayne on the daytime television drama Guiding Light, Kim Zimmer has portrayed a vixen, a manic-depressive, an Amish woman, a time traveler, a Civil War belle, a talk show host, a cancer survivor, a loving mother, and a devoted wife. Now, in t...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
August 2nd 2011
by NAL Hardcover
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This is one of those books I just came across when browsing Kindle titles. I was a huge Guiding Light fan years ago and in the need for a quick, light read, so onto the Kindle it went. It was interesting to read Zimmer's thoughts on what led to this show's demise, in particular. It's clear that three networks full of soaps was probably no longer sustainable, with so many more people working outside the home, but it was still a surprise to hear of Guiding Light's cancellation. Zimmer's personal s...more
Kim Zimmer, famous star of Guiding Light, the well-known soap opera of afternoon television for decades, tells her engaging story as an actress. Whether you are a die-hard fan of this eminent TV show or just interested in what makes actresses tick, this is a very readable and interesting look at the personal and professional life of an actress. Sometimes actresses and their world get a bum rap, and this book is probably more about the norms of such a life than the seedy, outrageous reports that...more
I grew up watching Guiding Light with my mom and grandmother. I have always loved the Reva character, and I loved some of the history of Guiding Light. But I was very disappointed because of some of the inaccuracies in the book. For example, the man who originated the character of Alan Spaulding was widely known to have died of AIDS. Ms. Zimmer states in the book that she wasn't sure what he died of and that it was probably some tropical disease from his travels. I understand if she didn't want...more
I watched "The Guiding Light" since I was a little girl. It was especially difficult seeing it canceled in 2009 because I used to watch it with my grandma. Kim Zimmer's character Reva Shayne Lewis was probably my favorite character on the show. She added that special spark to each scene. So I was really excited to read her book when it came out. I was not disappointed. I started it this morning and just finished it. It's thoughtful, fun and personal. It's not gossipy or a tell-all but rather an...more
This is an autobiography but really more of a memoir of her life on Guiding Light, where she played the iconic Reva Shayne Lewis. (Yes she had other husbands, but in my mind? ALWAYS Reva Shayne Lewis.)
In case this hasn't come up before, my mom was (and is) a huge fan of CBS' soap operas but of all of them, Guiding Light was her favorite. (Moment of silence, please.) In my hometown, it aired at 3pm, so it was always on when I came home from school. I would usually miss the first few segments* but...more
In case this hasn't come up before, my mom was (and is) a huge fan of CBS' soap operas but of all of them, Guiding Light was her favorite. (Moment of silence, please.) In my hometown, it aired at 3pm, so it was always on when I came home from school. I would usually miss the first few segments* but...more
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Guiding Light was the first soap that got me hooked on the genre. Though by 2000 the stories got too far fetched and I had less and less time so stopped watching all together. Throughout the 2000s I would check it out from time to time, but never really could get back into it.
Kim Zimmer's Reva was the heart and the sole of the show throughout the 80s and part of the reason I'd turn in to watch day after day. Once the show was cancelled in 2009 Zimmer found a void in her life and decided to write...more
Kim Zimmer's Reva was the heart and the sole of the show throughout the 80s and part of the reason I'd turn in to watch day after day. Once the show was cancelled in 2009 Zimmer found a void in her life and decided to write...more
**Full (embarrassing) disclosure: I watched Guiding Light from the time I was 12 to about 14. Somehow, despite only having watched sporadically after that, I still know way too much about the show. I never followed Kim Zimmer's character that much, and only ended up reading this thing because it came up in a work discussion and I got curious.**
Disclaimer over. Let's start.
The basic deal is that Kim Zimmer played the wildly popular Reva Shayne on Guiding Light for almost as many years as I've b...more
Disclaimer over. Let's start.
The basic deal is that Kim Zimmer played the wildly popular Reva Shayne on Guiding Light for almost as many years as I've b...more
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I’m Just Sayin’!: Three Deaths, Seven Husbands, and a Clone! My Life on Guiding Light and Beyond by Kim Zimmer and Laura Morton is as spontaneous as Reva Shayne was on Guiding Light, and while most of the memoir is linear in nature, there are moments where the flashbacks are a bit out of sequence — though never hard to follow. Zimmer pulls no punches with her memoir and does not sugarcoat anything that happened in the latter years of Guiding Light, which experienced severe budget cuts and went d...more
The soap world is a unique one, and Kim Zimmer offers readers a peek into her life, both on and off set.
For those who were fans of Guiding Light, the now defunct show that was the longest running soap (seventy plus years!), Kim teases us with moments behind the scenes, with those characters we loved to watch, and sharing what we already knew: that soap actors are real people, with flaws, foibles, and fun quirks.
I especially enjoyed reading more about her personal history, beginning with her stin...more
For those who were fans of Guiding Light, the now defunct show that was the longest running soap (seventy plus years!), Kim teases us with moments behind the scenes, with those characters we loved to watch, and sharing what we already knew: that soap actors are real people, with flaws, foibles, and fun quirks.
I especially enjoyed reading more about her personal history, beginning with her stin...more
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I had the pleasure of meeting Kim about six years ago. She was doing an autographed signing near my hometown with other actors from Guiding Light. I had first seen her when I was about twelve on a beach in California. I didn't approach her at the time since she was having her own vacation with family. So, years later at this signing I was thrilled. She made the experience unforgettable by laying a big kiss on my then twelve year old son. It was full cirlce and forever memborable. Kind of like th...more
I really enjoyed this book. I watched Guiding Light off and on for 30 years and was so sad when it was cancelled. I enjoyed reading Zimmer's perspective on the last few years of the show. It was interesting to read about her battles with Executive Producer Ellen Wheeler and I have to admit that I laughed out loud when she wrote that Ellen cried more than Reva! She is very up front in the book about the role that profit maximization played in the downfall of GL, and continues to play in the decli...more
My gift to myself on Mother's Day was reading this. I can't remember the last time I read an entire book in one day. Having watched Guiding Light for 25 years, I enjoyed learning behind-the-scenes tidbits, and being reminded of story lines. Now I have a better appreciation for the Kyle Sampson relationship. Still no Josh or Billy or even Jeffrey. I remember the waving flag that replaced Jeffrey's declaration of love! I wondered what the heck was going on. Despite the unique production approach i...more
I was a faithful watcher of GL from the early 80's till it's demise in 2009. I along with other fans had no idea how I would fill the 5 hour void per week that this show left in my life. Would I watch some GL actors on other soaps? I was certain someone would snap up Kim Zimmer and thank God they did! I watched her from time to time on OLTL but just couldn't get into another soap.
In the last few years of GL I started letting my 10-12 year old watch with me. I loved the story lines and thought i...more
In the last few years of GL I started letting my 10-12 year old watch with me. I loved the story lines and thought i...more
It was a decent book, but I felt like it fell a little flat. It was too superfical and I don't feel like I "know" Zimmer any better after reading it. Sure, it was cute tidbits about her early days as Reva, and we got to know just how annoyed she was with Ellen Wheeler and the end of GL, but overall.. If you are a GL fan, its worth the read but otherwise? I'd say no.
I, too, grew up with Reva Shayne Lewis on our t.v. every afternoon after school. She made me laugh and cry. It's something special for a show and their actors to bring us into their world and make us feel like we're all going through it together. I love that Kim took the opportunity to share some of her most private and personal moments with her fans in this book. I loved it!
I grew up watching Guiding Light and Kim Zimmer has always been my favorite actress. This book gives a lot of insight as to what went on behind the scenes, especially during the last couple of years before the show was cancelled. She has a great sense of humor and there were several parts I couldn't help but laugh. Definitely a very good read!
Interesting story giving the background of the daytime soap industry from the inside. Interesting because her career goes from the height of their popularity to the depths of the final years of a dying genre. Interesting story though the ending has yet to be really seen.
My mom watched Guiding Light beginning before I was born - she would tell me that originally the show was a 15 minute radio presentation until it switched to television. As I grew up, I would watch it with her and we were both sad when it got cancelled. This was a fun book and a walk down memory lane about the show - loved Kim's character of Reva Shayne Lewis - she was such a livewire in that soap. If you know Guiding Light, you'll enjoy this book.
It was fun to read about all the stuff that went on behind the scenes. My children and I was able to meet her at the bookstore, all I can say is that she is a very nice person and took the time to talk to us, rather than sign the book and move on.
This book is excellent and makes you feel as though you sat down and had a good talk with Kim Zimmer and learned all about her life. It felt like sharing a conversation with a personal friend. It was so well written, I hope she will write more books.
As someone who will honestly admit I miss my Guiding Light tremendously, I loved this book! It was a quick, fun read about the portrayer of one of my favorite characters. Would recommend to any Guiding Light fan.
I enjoyed it. This book was a fast read. Anybody who watched Guiding Light could just hear Reva talking all through it. For a notorious soap life, she definitely had a wonderful private life.
If you watched Guiding Light you will want to read this book.I watched from the time I can remember until the late 90's when it got really bad. Zimmer talks about why the show went down etc.
Oh, do I miss Guiding Light! Kim brings it all back in her book. No one could do it better than Reva! This is a great read. Kim's observations and insights are honest and open.
As a long time fan of Kim Zimmer (aka Reva Shayne from "Guiding Light"), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Written in an easy, personable style, it was fun to hear some behind the scenes stories of a soap opera I grew up watching and continued for many years into adulthood. In 1986, My roommates and I named our new golden retriever puppy "Reva"; each of our successive dogs are always named "(whatever) Shayne" as they are sisters or brothers of our original (beloved) Reva. Anyway, the book was very...more
Loved this book! I've always adored Kim Zimmer so reading her behind the scene stories of my beloved Guiding Light was awesome! I inhaled it in one day. If you are a GL fan this book is for you!
This book is right up my alley. I'm a sucker for nonfiction, especially biographies of people I'm interested in. I love soaps and I loved Reva - this is a great book so far.
I loved this book. Being a fan of Guiding Light since I was a little kid, Reva Shayne was always a favorite. I couldn't put it down once I started it.
I don't think anyone that wasn't a Guiding Light/Reva Shane fan would like this but it was a fun read as a fan.
If you have any history with Guiding Light you will enjoy this. Kim provides some great behind-the-screens stories and shares a lot of her thoughts about her time on the show and its decline and cancellation.
Each chapter seemed to be written so it could stand-alone. So, the re-hashing of facts already established in previous chapters got frustrating. I'm not sure why they chose to edit the book that way -- maybe so chapters could be excerpted as magazine features?
I'm planning to get this book f...more
Each chapter seemed to be written so it could stand-alone. So, the re-hashing of facts already established in previous chapters got frustrating. I'm not sure why they chose to edit the book that way -- maybe so chapters could be excerpted as magazine features?
I'm planning to get this book f...more
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Kim Zimmer is an American actress. She is known for her role as Echo DiSavoy on One Life to Live and best known for her role as Reva Shayne on Guiding Light.
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