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How to Be Famous: Our Guide to Looking the Part, Playing the Press, and Becoming a Tabloid Fixture
From braving the wilds of Los Angeles to the Costa Rican jungle, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have learned a thing or two about reality...television, that is. But while dominating the airwaves and tabloid covers every week may look like all fun and mind games, Speidi is here to tell you: becoming wildly famous requires hard work and a no-fail blueprint for success. Now, for the first time ever, Heidi and Spencer invite you behind the scenes as they reveal the ten-step plan that took them from nobodies to notorious! You will:
*Learn how to say I hate you without opening your mouth--Heidi's exclusive tutorial
*Increase your capacity for evil with Spencer's "Villain-o-meter"
*Discovery why getting and talking about plastic surgery is a must
*Unlock the secrets of celebrity couple math (e.g. Speidi > Heidi + Spencer)
*Mesmerize the media with outrageous behavior
*Bow down to the power of the paparazzi
...and much, much more!
With Heidi and Spencer as your personal coaches, you, too, can transform yourself into a red-carpet-ready superstar!
*Learn how to say I hate you without opening your mouth--Heidi's exclusive tutorial
*Increase your capacity for evil with Spencer's "Villain-o-meter"
*Discovery why getting and talking about plastic surgery is a must
*Unlock the secrets of celebrity couple math (e.g. Speidi > Heidi + Spencer)
*Mesmerize the media with outrageous behavior
*Bow down to the power of the paparazzi
...and much, much more!
With Heidi and Spencer as your personal coaches, you, too, can transform yourself into a red-carpet-ready superstar!
- GenresCelebrityNonfiction
144 pages, Hardcover
First published November 16, 2009
8 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 7, 2009
I won this book from the Goodreads first reads contest thing. Karen thought I was going against the spirit of the contest by entering to win this book, since obviously I was only trying to get the book to rip in in to it. In my defense I entered to win a bunch of books, most of them ones I wanted to read. Instead I won this one. I feel like I've won the special olympics.
This book is about how to be famous by two people who are apparently famous. Honestly I had no idea who either of these two people were before reading this book. After reading this book I still really have no idea, there must be some kind of contractual reason why they never mention what show they are on. I had to look them up on wikipedia about halfway through the book. I wasn't going to. I was going to just read the book in ignorance. Like some anthropologist studying an alien culture. Learning what show they are, or were on didn't enlighten me at all. These two people don't exist on my radar, neither does their show. I'm not their target audience.
I first saw this book when it arrived at work. The first thing I asked to someone, maybe it was Karen, was "Who are these two douche bags?" No one wanted to shelve the book. It ended up sitting on the information desk for a few weeks. One could call it on display there, and think that it was getting high exposure, but it was on the corner where nothing ever sells from. At least the faces on the cover of the book were gazing towards where the magazines are put after we collect them from around the floor, but before they return home to the news stand. These two are really obsessed with magazine covers.
Why enter to win this book? A short aside of celebrity. These two made a point to become famous by acting out and being 'bad'. In my own life I have no (or little) use for celebrities. Yeah I thought it was really awesome when Janeane Garofalo was shopping my philosophy table one day, but someone had to point out that it was her, or I would have never known. I'm great at assisting celebrities in the store, because I have no idea who they are generally. I need to be told later. I can pick out the retarded kid from Life Goes On though, I've helped him a few times. We'll return to the theme of retarded people again shortly.
But why did I enter to win this book? Continuing on celebrity. One could argue that while most of the goodreaders who regularly make the top reviewer lists say they don't care about votes, they really do. Karen in her shamelessness is the true celebrity of the bunch, actively keeping up appearances and fighting to maintain her status at the top of the heap. Then there are people like me (languishing at number 17) who say they don't care. But when I had the opportunity to possibly win this book, I jumped at it for the simple reason that writing reviews of books I hate get me more votes generally than writing reviews of books I love. I don't know if I'll get many votes for this. I'm a little out of my element with this book, if they had been more christian I would have had no trouble teeing off on this book.
Apparently they are known as Speidi. Everytime I see this the first thing I think of is Sped, not as in going fast in the past tense, but as, look at that sped! Kind of like retard. I think these two might be mildly retarded, but good at what they do, which is to make people notice them. Shit I'm writing about them right now, and until this book came out they were nobodies in my world.
I don't quite understand them. I'm baffled by this book, and by them. I'm baffled by much of celebrity culture. Who cares about half of them? Who cares who they are dating or what they are doing? I get putting Angelina on the cover of every magazine, she is really really hot and she doesn't have to do anything except look hot and people will want to look at her, but most of the celebrities aren't really that much to look at, and they don't seem to be interesting except that they are famous. That begs the question of how they became famous, why was anyone interested in the first place. I don't get it.
These two put a lot of importance in how they look, and believe they are hot. I think the female half looks like a Paris Hilton clone, and I also think that Paris Hilton looks like a skanky ugly douche. The male half of this book just flat out looks like an LA douche. Neither of them I think are attractive, they are what is supposed to be attractive, but really they are both very unappealing to look at. I don't normally care to write about how someone looks, but their looks are a big part of who they are, so saying they look like bland phony pieces of shit I think is fair.
The first person they thank in their acknowledgments is Jesus. I take their belief to be another proof in the non-existence of any kind of creator deity. If a supreme all intelligent being existed would he marvel that his creation has reached such heights as the glorification of celebrity that these two represent? Is this the height of creation? Would this creator really answer the prayers to make these two douche bags regular fixtures in Us Weekly?
In an ongoing list of believers who will burn in hell, I add these two. Their celebrity worship is a false idol, they themselves in their attempt to be on as many magazine covers as possible are setting themselves up as false idols. This does not win a place in heaven, so off you go to burn in hell with Tim La Haye, Donald Miller and some other people who I have judged of breaking some pretty serious rules in God's covenant.
I have spent enough time writing about the Sped's. Now they can go back to doing whatever it is they do, and I can go back to having no knowledge of them. And hopefully our paths will never cross again.
This book is about how to be famous by two people who are apparently famous. Honestly I had no idea who either of these two people were before reading this book. After reading this book I still really have no idea, there must be some kind of contractual reason why they never mention what show they are on. I had to look them up on wikipedia about halfway through the book. I wasn't going to. I was going to just read the book in ignorance. Like some anthropologist studying an alien culture. Learning what show they are, or were on didn't enlighten me at all. These two people don't exist on my radar, neither does their show. I'm not their target audience.
I first saw this book when it arrived at work. The first thing I asked to someone, maybe it was Karen, was "Who are these two douche bags?" No one wanted to shelve the book. It ended up sitting on the information desk for a few weeks. One could call it on display there, and think that it was getting high exposure, but it was on the corner where nothing ever sells from. At least the faces on the cover of the book were gazing towards where the magazines are put after we collect them from around the floor, but before they return home to the news stand. These two are really obsessed with magazine covers.
Why enter to win this book? A short aside of celebrity. These two made a point to become famous by acting out and being 'bad'. In my own life I have no (or little) use for celebrities. Yeah I thought it was really awesome when Janeane Garofalo was shopping my philosophy table one day, but someone had to point out that it was her, or I would have never known. I'm great at assisting celebrities in the store, because I have no idea who they are generally. I need to be told later. I can pick out the retarded kid from Life Goes On though, I've helped him a few times. We'll return to the theme of retarded people again shortly.
But why did I enter to win this book? Continuing on celebrity. One could argue that while most of the goodreaders who regularly make the top reviewer lists say they don't care about votes, they really do. Karen in her shamelessness is the true celebrity of the bunch, actively keeping up appearances and fighting to maintain her status at the top of the heap. Then there are people like me (languishing at number 17) who say they don't care. But when I had the opportunity to possibly win this book, I jumped at it for the simple reason that writing reviews of books I hate get me more votes generally than writing reviews of books I love. I don't know if I'll get many votes for this. I'm a little out of my element with this book, if they had been more christian I would have had no trouble teeing off on this book.
Apparently they are known as Speidi. Everytime I see this the first thing I think of is Sped, not as in going fast in the past tense, but as, look at that sped! Kind of like retard. I think these two might be mildly retarded, but good at what they do, which is to make people notice them. Shit I'm writing about them right now, and until this book came out they were nobodies in my world.
I don't quite understand them. I'm baffled by this book, and by them. I'm baffled by much of celebrity culture. Who cares about half of them? Who cares who they are dating or what they are doing? I get putting Angelina on the cover of every magazine, she is really really hot and she doesn't have to do anything except look hot and people will want to look at her, but most of the celebrities aren't really that much to look at, and they don't seem to be interesting except that they are famous. That begs the question of how they became famous, why was anyone interested in the first place. I don't get it.
These two put a lot of importance in how they look, and believe they are hot. I think the female half looks like a Paris Hilton clone, and I also think that Paris Hilton looks like a skanky ugly douche. The male half of this book just flat out looks like an LA douche. Neither of them I think are attractive, they are what is supposed to be attractive, but really they are both very unappealing to look at. I don't normally care to write about how someone looks, but their looks are a big part of who they are, so saying they look like bland phony pieces of shit I think is fair.
The first person they thank in their acknowledgments is Jesus. I take their belief to be another proof in the non-existence of any kind of creator deity. If a supreme all intelligent being existed would he marvel that his creation has reached such heights as the glorification of celebrity that these two represent? Is this the height of creation? Would this creator really answer the prayers to make these two douche bags regular fixtures in Us Weekly?
In an ongoing list of believers who will burn in hell, I add these two. Their celebrity worship is a false idol, they themselves in their attempt to be on as many magazine covers as possible are setting themselves up as false idols. This does not win a place in heaven, so off you go to burn in hell with Tim La Haye, Donald Miller and some other people who I have judged of breaking some pretty serious rules in God's covenant.
I have spent enough time writing about the Sped's. Now they can go back to doing whatever it is they do, and I can go back to having no knowledge of them. And hopefully our paths will never cross again.
November 12, 2009
Are you kidding me?
Really? REALLY???
Actually, I should be happy, because if these two frauds can get a book published,ANYONE CAN!!!!!
Really? REALLY???
Actually, I should be happy, because if these two frauds can get a book published,ANYONE CAN!!!!!
July 23, 2010
I liked looking at the pictures, but this was really hard to get through. I was not expecting rocket science, but lord.
Just so we're clear, I did not buy this book. Los Angeles Public Library was kind enough to lend it to me.
Just so we're clear, I did not buy this book. Los Angeles Public Library was kind enough to lend it to me.
March 26, 2010
This is a book my late mother would have picked up in the sale bin at Walden books. She was very big into gossip, and trashy celebrities. It totally rubbed off on me.
I have never watched any reality show Spencer & Heidi have been on. I only know who they are from reading gossip sites & magazines. I usually just dismissed whatever was written about them. They aren't anyone I really care about.
This book was hilarious and informative in a ridiculous way. I'm not sure if one could actually get famous doing what Speidi says, try it and get back to me. After reading this, I came off grudgingly liking those two fame whores!
I have never watched any reality show Spencer & Heidi have been on. I only know who they are from reading gossip sites & magazines. I usually just dismissed whatever was written about them. They aren't anyone I really care about.
This book was hilarious and informative in a ridiculous way. I'm not sure if one could actually get famous doing what Speidi says, try it and get back to me. After reading this, I came off grudgingly liking those two fame whores!
October 27, 2010
Got this as a gift and of course I read it. Expecting absolute drivel, I was pleasantly surprised to find this written in a self-effacing, tongue-in-cheek sort of way. There was a vaguely amusing comment here or there, too.
Not great, but not as awful as I expected (which isn't saying much, however).
Not great, but not as awful as I expected (which isn't saying much, however).
February 18, 2010
Truly, truly tragic.
June 21, 2013
HOW TO BE FAMOUS is Heidi and Spencer's no nonsense insider's guide to get you from your house to the red carpet, so to speak.
First step is to hang out with someone famous. You're more apt to get noticed that way. Start from the bottom and work your way up. Spencer talks about the perks of being a villain and how to become the bad guy. You know the saying "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?" Spencer guides you to how to make your friends your enemies. After all, Freddy Krueger is a famous villain too right?
Heidi spends time explaining how to be The Bombshell. There's even a step by step guide on how to say "I Hate You" without even saying a word, with pictures no less! And hey, you get pretty awesome clothes when your The Bombshell.
There's a huge section on paparazzi and how to get them to work FOR you, not after you. Heidi also talks about the perks of plastic surgery and even alludes to a senior citizen book for Botox in the future.
HOW TO BE FAMOUS is campy and fun. Lots of famous names are dropped through out the book, much like a gossip magazine. There's also great pictures of Spencer and Heidi. I was thoroughly entertained and if I ever decide I want to become famous, I have just the tool to do. Do you want to be famous? Get the book!
First step is to hang out with someone famous. You're more apt to get noticed that way. Start from the bottom and work your way up. Spencer talks about the perks of being a villain and how to become the bad guy. You know the saying "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?" Spencer guides you to how to make your friends your enemies. After all, Freddy Krueger is a famous villain too right?
Heidi spends time explaining how to be The Bombshell. There's even a step by step guide on how to say "I Hate You" without even saying a word, with pictures no less! And hey, you get pretty awesome clothes when your The Bombshell.
There's a huge section on paparazzi and how to get them to work FOR you, not after you. Heidi also talks about the perks of plastic surgery and even alludes to a senior citizen book for Botox in the future.
HOW TO BE FAMOUS is campy and fun. Lots of famous names are dropped through out the book, much like a gossip magazine. There's also great pictures of Spencer and Heidi. I was thoroughly entertained and if I ever decide I want to become famous, I have just the tool to do. Do you want to be famous? Get the book!
August 21, 2024
Performance. Art.
January 6, 2020
Rambling for most of it
It was ok. I guess consider the source - it’s a lot of hype with very little substance. I was hoping to actually learn more about the couple as people but instead it was more about the characters they both pretend to be.
It was ok. I guess consider the source - it’s a lot of hype with very little substance. I was hoping to actually learn more about the couple as people but instead it was more about the characters they both pretend to be.
November 17, 2009
Chapter Titles: Your Point of Entry, Spencer's Guide to Playing the Villain, Heidi's Guide to Playing the Bombshell, Pretty on the Outside!, The Paps are Your Friends, Tell Your Story, Couple Power!, Building Your Brand, Getting Word Done Is Your Job, By Heidi, Famously Ever After, Epilogue, In Case of Emergency
Format: Hardcover
Precis: How to be Famous is a guide to the formula used by Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag on how they got famous for... well... being famous. Their formula seems to mostly consist of walking a well-balanced line where you don't cross into taboodom, but you get as much overexposure and drama involving yourselves as possible. They talk about the Jennifer Garner method of trading up your partner. The Angelina Jolie method of getting the one you want. The beneficial parts of being a (please excuse my language) bitch and villain and backstabbing your way to the top are also mentioned. They talk about how the sum of two parts is greater than the whole and back it up with the formula Speidi > Spencer + Heidi. I mean, these guys should know, right? Because they are reality TV stars who made themselves one of the most photographed and talked about couples in Hollywood, so who better to teach you how to become famous than the people who became famous while not using any talents or accomplishing anything extraordinary. And just think, all this for less than the price of 5 US Weeklies.
Verdict: I Heart It. Read this like a guide to get famous, and you'll be sorely disappointed. Read this like the humor that its intended to be, and you'll laugh. I guess that if you really wanted to be famous (but by reading this it only reiterated to me that I do not, in fact) there are some tips that you could pick up along the way. There are about ten gazillion pictures in this little book, so the reading isn't heavy at all. It's just a matter of determining how much Speidi you can look at in one sitting that will determine when you will put it down. This would make a great gift for that social climber you know or that wannabe Hollywood starlet next door. Just sayin' since Christmas is around the corner.
More at http://www.iheartmonster.com/2009/11/...
Format: Hardcover
Precis: How to be Famous is a guide to the formula used by Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag on how they got famous for... well... being famous. Their formula seems to mostly consist of walking a well-balanced line where you don't cross into taboodom, but you get as much overexposure and drama involving yourselves as possible. They talk about the Jennifer Garner method of trading up your partner. The Angelina Jolie method of getting the one you want. The beneficial parts of being a (please excuse my language) bitch and villain and backstabbing your way to the top are also mentioned. They talk about how the sum of two parts is greater than the whole and back it up with the formula Speidi > Spencer + Heidi. I mean, these guys should know, right? Because they are reality TV stars who made themselves one of the most photographed and talked about couples in Hollywood, so who better to teach you how to become famous than the people who became famous while not using any talents or accomplishing anything extraordinary. And just think, all this for less than the price of 5 US Weeklies.
Verdict: I Heart It. Read this like a guide to get famous, and you'll be sorely disappointed. Read this like the humor that its intended to be, and you'll laugh. I guess that if you really wanted to be famous (but by reading this it only reiterated to me that I do not, in fact) there are some tips that you could pick up along the way. There are about ten gazillion pictures in this little book, so the reading isn't heavy at all. It's just a matter of determining how much Speidi you can look at in one sitting that will determine when you will put it down. This would make a great gift for that social climber you know or that wannabe Hollywood starlet next door. Just sayin' since Christmas is around the corner.
More at http://www.iheartmonster.com/2009/11/...
December 3, 2009
How to be Famous by Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt is a tongue-in-cheek guide for would be tabloid stars. As the authors gush, “whether you love us, hate us, or love to hate us, there is a recipe for infiltrating Hollywood, and we’ve got it.”
Montag and Pratt caution, “if you fail to churn out the drama that got people interested in the first place, you’re doomed to never see your sixteenth minute [of fame:].” Thankfully, How to be Famous reveals how to keep churning out the drama for future Enquirer stories. With illustrative chapter teachings on: Your Point of Entry; Spencer’s Guide to Playing the Villain; Heidi’s Guide to Playing the Bombshell; Pretty on the Outside; The Paps are Your Friends; Tell Your Story; Couple Power; Building Your Brand; Getting Work Done is Your Job; and Famously Ever After, you too can be tabloid fodder.
How to Be Famous is a quick,glossy, satiric read (I read it from start to finish on a two hour plane flight and had time to spare) for the You Tube generation.
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (November 16, 2009), 144 pages
Advance Review Copy Provided Courtesy of the Publisher.
Montag and Pratt caution, “if you fail to churn out the drama that got people interested in the first place, you’re doomed to never see your sixteenth minute [of fame:].” Thankfully, How to be Famous reveals how to keep churning out the drama for future Enquirer stories. With illustrative chapter teachings on: Your Point of Entry; Spencer’s Guide to Playing the Villain; Heidi’s Guide to Playing the Bombshell; Pretty on the Outside; The Paps are Your Friends; Tell Your Story; Couple Power; Building Your Brand; Getting Work Done is Your Job; and Famously Ever After, you too can be tabloid fodder.
How to Be Famous is a quick,glossy, satiric read (I read it from start to finish on a two hour plane flight and had time to spare) for the You Tube generation.
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (November 16, 2009), 144 pages
Advance Review Copy Provided Courtesy of the Publisher.
January 14, 2010
I won this book through Goodreads.I read the book and guess what, I am NOT famous. Of course I didn’t follow the guidelines. Such as be the villain, befriend someone and turn on them. You could also use a current BFF or family member if you want. Learn their weakness and deepest darkest secret to use or hold until needed. Hire a personal trainer, personal shopper, and plastic surgery may be needed. Always look your best, go to where the “paps” are to get photographed.
This is not a book for those who are easily influenced. If you follow the books guidelines you will be penniless and all alone.
This is not a book for those who are easily influenced. If you follow the books guidelines you will be penniless and all alone.
January 8, 2010
I can't believe I am about to write this, but I really liked this book. Okay stop laughing at me, and read on....
I, too, thought this book was a joke, and if I read it to take it as such. However, while reading I found myself realizing that these two are not as dumb as they come across on the television. A lot of what they said in the book, actually makes sense. Now I don't know for sure if the tips to being successful and famous work, and I have no plans on finding out, but with common sense and intelligence it makes sense.
I think just for entertainment purposes only, you should get a copy and read.
I, too, thought this book was a joke, and if I read it to take it as such. However, while reading I found myself realizing that these two are not as dumb as they come across on the television. A lot of what they said in the book, actually makes sense. Now I don't know for sure if the tips to being successful and famous work, and I have no plans on finding out, but with common sense and intelligence it makes sense.
I think just for entertainment purposes only, you should get a copy and read.
May 13, 2010
It is everything I expected from Spencer and Heidi! As a fan of The Hills, I was excited to read this book and really see what they had to say. This is before Heidi's extensive plastic surgery, but there are some precursors to it, so you definitely see it coming. I'm sure they'll write another one soon :) The pictures were ridiculous in the best way and it's exactly what I expected from some of my favorite reality TV stars :)
November 23, 2009
I borrowed this from the library, other wise I wouldn't read it because I wouldn't pay money for it. And really, I skimmed more of this than I actually read. I gave it two stars instead of one because you have to take this for what it's worth. It's supposed to be trite. Heidi and Spencer put it all out there. In fact, this book made me wonder if these two even really like each other or if they're just together to get more media attention.
December 12, 2009
I supposed this was meant to be tongue in cheek, at least I hope it was. This duo better leave the actual writing to Lauren Conrad. I really enjoyed her book LA Candy. If you enjoyed reading the National Enquirer, then you will more than likely get a kick out of reading this.
January 2, 2010
This book isn't the kind of book I am really interested in, but I read it because I won it. It was very hard to read, not due to how it was written but what its about. How to become famous by having no talent at all, just by causing drama on a reality tv show. not my kind of book.
Want to read
November 20, 2009Just won through first reads.... cant wait to read it!
December 10, 2009
This book was more boasting than helping, but it was still funny.
Want to read
December 9, 2009I'm sorry, but I think Spencer (er, King Spencer) is awesomely hilarious.
Edit: Also, I do not actually intend to read this.
Edit: Also, I do not actually intend to read this.
April 29, 2010
I walked by it at the library and wasted 10 minutes reading/skimming it. I wanted to go shower after some of the things I read.
July 17, 2010
wow. just, wow. exactly what i expected - which is why i wasted neither the money nor actual paper on it since i borrowed the ebook from my library.
December 1, 2010
Also, got this one last christmas.
Pretty ridiculous how they just spent the whole time calling out their own ridiculousness.
Pretty ridiculous how they just spent the whole time calling out their own ridiculousness.
September 21, 2013
don't judge me. it was a gift.
ha-ha-nope
June 4, 2014No thanks, sir. I don't want any.
July 30, 2015
The insider scoop behind "The Hills" was somewhat interesting, but no earth-shattering information here.
July 11, 2019
Quirky little book and I am listed in the thank you page! I am sure Spencer will come through with that Aston Martin he said he would get me.
May 21, 2021
This was a selection of an online book club. I read the book and felt grossed out by the schemes indicated. I did not get anything, no gems for my need for connection.
January 27, 2022
They really hate Lauren Conrad lol
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews