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Man Up!
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Humor (2013)In this hilarious and inspirational memoir, Ross Mathews -- best known as "Ross the Intern" from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno -- chronicles his life growing up as an atypical kid in a small Northwestern farm town to living as an atypical adult in Los Angeles, to eventually being his loud, proud, apologetically genuine self on national television.
As a young kid growing up in a farm town, Ross Mathews might as well have wished for a pet unicorn or a calorie-free cookie tree to grow in his front yard. Either of those far-fetched fantasies would have been more likely to come true than his real working in television in Hollywood, California. Seriously, that stuff just doesn't happen to people like Ross. But guess what? It totally did.
Now, with his first book, Ross takes us inside his journey as a super-fan, revealing the most embarrassing and hilarious moments of his small-town life and big-city adventures. From learning to swear like a hardened trucker to that time in high school when had to face down the most frightening opponent of all (his girlfriend's lady bits), Ross holds nothing back. Oh, then there's his surprisingly shady past involving the cutest pair of plus-sized women's pajama bottoms, deliciously dangerous pot butter, and embezzled sandwiches. And, of course, how he's managed to turn an obsession with pop-culture into one-on-one interactions with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Tiffani-Amber Theissen, Madonna, Michelle Kwan, and countless more without ever having a single restraining order issued against him.
Infused with Ross's trademark humor, unique voice, and total honesty, Man Up! is a mission statement for anyone who doesn't fit the mold. His hasn't been the most traditional way to build a career in Hollywood, but Ross has somehow managed to make his mark without ever compromising who he is. He is as serious about this as he is about Golden Girls You don't need to change who you are to achieve your dreams (although there's nothing wrong with a makeover every now and then). You just need to Man Up!
As a young kid growing up in a farm town, Ross Mathews might as well have wished for a pet unicorn or a calorie-free cookie tree to grow in his front yard. Either of those far-fetched fantasies would have been more likely to come true than his real working in television in Hollywood, California. Seriously, that stuff just doesn't happen to people like Ross. But guess what? It totally did.
Now, with his first book, Ross takes us inside his journey as a super-fan, revealing the most embarrassing and hilarious moments of his small-town life and big-city adventures. From learning to swear like a hardened trucker to that time in high school when had to face down the most frightening opponent of all (his girlfriend's lady bits), Ross holds nothing back. Oh, then there's his surprisingly shady past involving the cutest pair of plus-sized women's pajama bottoms, deliciously dangerous pot butter, and embezzled sandwiches. And, of course, how he's managed to turn an obsession with pop-culture into one-on-one interactions with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Tiffani-Amber Theissen, Madonna, Michelle Kwan, and countless more without ever having a single restraining order issued against him.
Infused with Ross's trademark humor, unique voice, and total honesty, Man Up! is a mission statement for anyone who doesn't fit the mold. His hasn't been the most traditional way to build a career in Hollywood, but Ross has somehow managed to make his mark without ever compromising who he is. He is as serious about this as he is about Golden Girls You don't need to change who you are to achieve your dreams (although there's nothing wrong with a makeover every now and then). You just need to Man Up!
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2013
145 people are currently reading
5142 people want to read
About the author
Ross Mathews
6 books61 followersRoss Mathews is an American television personality. He made his television debut as an intern and a correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he was known as "Ross the Intern".
He is a regular judge on VH1/LOGO's Emmy-winning hit show RuPaul's Drag Race. Mathews can be heard weekly on his top-rated podcast Straight Talk with Ross Mathews[PodcastOne] where he gives his hilarious take on the latest entertainment news and gossip. He lives in Los Angeles and Palm Springs with his partner.
He is a regular judge on VH1/LOGO's Emmy-winning hit show RuPaul's Drag Race. Mathews can be heard weekly on his top-rated podcast Straight Talk with Ross Mathews[PodcastOne] where he gives his hilarious take on the latest entertainment news and gossip. He lives in Los Angeles and Palm Springs with his partner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews
May 31, 2019
Ross Mathews is perhaps best known for how he got started in the entertainment business — as "Ross the Intern" on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. If you've never seen any of his segments, I think you can catch some of them on YouTube. I think they're worth a few minutes of your time as I found him funny.
This book is a little slice of Mathews' personality. Nothing deep or earth-shattering, but bit after bit of light and amusing self deprecation.
Sometimes after reading a bunch of serious books, I need a bit of fluff. I'd venture to say that there are very few books as fluffy as this one. :) It's one silly thing after another and could be just what you need to make you smile.
Mathews skates across deeper issues a couple of times. For example, he mentions that he lost his father at a young age but he doesn't go into depth about his feelings of loss. Instead, he talks about overdosing on THC while his father was dying in the hospital.
Though there are no great introspective moments in Man Up!, it could be perfect for reading next to a pool, on a plane, or while you're sitting in a doctor's office.
Between the laughs, he does have a good message about self acceptance and living your dreams. It's not a subtle delivery, but that's not who Mathews is. And, I think he's just fine with that.
If you enjoyed this book, you might want to try Sleepwalk With Me and Other Painfully True Stories or It's All Relative: Two Families, Three Dogs, 34 Holidays, and 50 Boxes of Wine.
This book is a little slice of Mathews' personality. Nothing deep or earth-shattering, but bit after bit of light and amusing self deprecation.
Sometimes after reading a bunch of serious books, I need a bit of fluff. I'd venture to say that there are very few books as fluffy as this one. :) It's one silly thing after another and could be just what you need to make you smile.
Mathews skates across deeper issues a couple of times. For example, he mentions that he lost his father at a young age but he doesn't go into depth about his feelings of loss. Instead, he talks about overdosing on THC while his father was dying in the hospital.
Though there are no great introspective moments in Man Up!, it could be perfect for reading next to a pool, on a plane, or while you're sitting in a doctor's office.
Between the laughs, he does have a good message about self acceptance and living your dreams. It's not a subtle delivery, but that's not who Mathews is. And, I think he's just fine with that.
If you enjoyed this book, you might want to try Sleepwalk With Me and Other Painfully True Stories or It's All Relative: Two Families, Three Dogs, 34 Holidays, and 50 Boxes of Wine.
January 10, 2014
Only took me a few days to read, mostly because I finished about half of it on a 5 hour plane ride. To sum it up, Ross and I would totally be best friends. The way he writes is very much like my thought process and there were multiple times that I would find myself laughing out loud. It was also very interesting to see how he got his start on Leno, showing that hard work can actually pay off....or just being at the right place at the right time, all while letting your personality show through.
September 12, 2017
This book almost killed me it is so funny! Ross is fantastic and he can put together some totally terrific tales talking tricks - well you get the idea, phrases with the same letter. Ross basically was handed a chance to be famous and he simple stepped up and did it. It's such an amazing event. He was supposed to be there. Thank you Jay Leno for giving this guy a chance. Ross is truly a funny guy. I knew him from Rupaul's Drag Race and now I know he is great on our own. Pick it up.
May 21, 2013
Ross Matthews is right about one thing – any self-confidence he feels about his writing skills is without a doubt delusional. He’d have to be out of his mind to think that readers will actually be entertained by the garbage he passes off as a book.
These comedic memoir-esque type books seem to be growing in popularity these days, but I still consider some of Chelsea Handler’s and David Sedaris’ works to be the golden standard for this genre. That said, many people have come close to replicating and even surpassing those authors (i.e., Mindy Kaling, Jenny Lawson, Tina Fey), while other “imitators” fall flat. Like Ross Matthews. If the name Ross Matthews is unfamiliar, he got his start as Ross the Intern on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he was actually pretty funny. He now appears as a weekly commentator on Chelsea Weekly, and although I haven’t seen it myself, I would bet he comes off as pretty likable there as well.
Sadly though, his personality did not translate well into writing. One of the main things that irked me about this book was the name dropping, as if Matthews was constantly proclaiming things like: “Hey look! I’m besties with Gwyneth Paltrow. This must mean I’m famous too!” Although Gwyneth Paltrow was not the only subject of his effusive flattery, she seems to bear the brunt of his admiration. If it wasn’t nauseating enough the way he gushed on about her incessantly, Gwyneth actually wrote an introduction to the book about how much she adores Matthews as well, stating that readers would absolutely want to be his best friend by the end of the book. I have two immediate responses to that: (1) Nope, I’ll pass on friendship, thank you very much, and (2) Get a room already, where you can have a cuddle/tickle fest and whisper sweet nothings into each others’ ears all night long without subjecting the readers to it!
Stylistically, the book got on my nerves too. It seemed like every other sentence began or ended with the words, “dear reader,” as in, “I made a promise to you, dear reader” or “I offer it to you, dear reader.” It just came off as insincere and aggravating, like someone giving a speech that interjects “uhhh” after every few sentences. Furthermore, most of the time it just seemed as though Matthews was trying way too hard to be clever with his choice of words rather than playing up the humor of the situation itself. Here is just a brief sampling to show you what I mean:
• Ross on wearing camo… “Cause honey, if you’ve got it, don’t camouflage it, camou-flaunt it!”
(p117)
• Ross on the holidays… “Damn right, I’m holly jolly. I’m straight up Ho-Jo. I’m Ho-Jo like a Mo-
Fo. I’m a Ho-Jo Mo-Fo Homo. Watch out – I could do this all night!” (p 159)
• Ross on food… Something told me that the secret ingredient tonight would be an herb called
OregaNO-You-Didn’t!” (p185)
• Ross when his favorite side item (squash) was discontinued at a much frequented fast food
restaurant… “Someone had to squash this kind of squash injustice!” (p187)
Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for spicing up writing with clever plays on words. If sentences like the above were sprinkled throughout the book, I could have taken them in stride – even enjoyed them. But, of course, Ross does nothing in moderation. I’d say a good 50% of all his utterances were similar to the above, which is like mixing in two cups of salt when the recipe asked for only two teaspoons! The word-plays were just overpowering and overwhelming
That said, there were a few worthwhile chapters, although at the moment I am having trouble remembering any of them other than the one about his dogs. And I can’t tell if I liked this chapter because it was actually funny and well written, or because I just really like dogs. Either way, the few good chapters were outnumbered by the plethora of lackluster ones. So, if you are in the market for a book in the genre, there are many much better choices you could make.
I am pretty disappointed in this book. Sadly, I think that I would really like Ross (and we might even be friends) if I met him in person (and maybe just for 30 minute increments). But as an author, he’s out of his element, and it shows.
Final Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.
These comedic memoir-esque type books seem to be growing in popularity these days, but I still consider some of Chelsea Handler’s and David Sedaris’ works to be the golden standard for this genre. That said, many people have come close to replicating and even surpassing those authors (i.e., Mindy Kaling, Jenny Lawson, Tina Fey), while other “imitators” fall flat. Like Ross Matthews. If the name Ross Matthews is unfamiliar, he got his start as Ross the Intern on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he was actually pretty funny. He now appears as a weekly commentator on Chelsea Weekly, and although I haven’t seen it myself, I would bet he comes off as pretty likable there as well.
Sadly though, his personality did not translate well into writing. One of the main things that irked me about this book was the name dropping, as if Matthews was constantly proclaiming things like: “Hey look! I’m besties with Gwyneth Paltrow. This must mean I’m famous too!” Although Gwyneth Paltrow was not the only subject of his effusive flattery, she seems to bear the brunt of his admiration. If it wasn’t nauseating enough the way he gushed on about her incessantly, Gwyneth actually wrote an introduction to the book about how much she adores Matthews as well, stating that readers would absolutely want to be his best friend by the end of the book. I have two immediate responses to that: (1) Nope, I’ll pass on friendship, thank you very much, and (2) Get a room already, where you can have a cuddle/tickle fest and whisper sweet nothings into each others’ ears all night long without subjecting the readers to it!
Stylistically, the book got on my nerves too. It seemed like every other sentence began or ended with the words, “dear reader,” as in, “I made a promise to you, dear reader” or “I offer it to you, dear reader.” It just came off as insincere and aggravating, like someone giving a speech that interjects “uhhh” after every few sentences. Furthermore, most of the time it just seemed as though Matthews was trying way too hard to be clever with his choice of words rather than playing up the humor of the situation itself. Here is just a brief sampling to show you what I mean:
• Ross on wearing camo… “Cause honey, if you’ve got it, don’t camouflage it, camou-flaunt it!”
(p117)
• Ross on the holidays… “Damn right, I’m holly jolly. I’m straight up Ho-Jo. I’m Ho-Jo like a Mo-
Fo. I’m a Ho-Jo Mo-Fo Homo. Watch out – I could do this all night!” (p 159)
• Ross on food… Something told me that the secret ingredient tonight would be an herb called
OregaNO-You-Didn’t!” (p185)
• Ross when his favorite side item (squash) was discontinued at a much frequented fast food
restaurant… “Someone had to squash this kind of squash injustice!” (p187)
Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for spicing up writing with clever plays on words. If sentences like the above were sprinkled throughout the book, I could have taken them in stride – even enjoyed them. But, of course, Ross does nothing in moderation. I’d say a good 50% of all his utterances were similar to the above, which is like mixing in two cups of salt when the recipe asked for only two teaspoons! The word-plays were just overpowering and overwhelming
That said, there were a few worthwhile chapters, although at the moment I am having trouble remembering any of them other than the one about his dogs. And I can’t tell if I liked this chapter because it was actually funny and well written, or because I just really like dogs. Either way, the few good chapters were outnumbered by the plethora of lackluster ones. So, if you are in the market for a book in the genre, there are many much better choices you could make.
I am pretty disappointed in this book. Sadly, I think that I would really like Ross (and we might even be friends) if I met him in person (and maybe just for 30 minute increments). But as an author, he’s out of his element, and it shows.
Final Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.
April 4, 2017
I JUST LOST THE REVIEW I WAS WRITING. THIS MAKES ME SO MAD.
An abbreviated version of what I just wrote: I didn't actually finish this book. I skipped the last disc, but I'm counting it as read AND giving it 3 stars, because I did enjoy what I got through. The biggest setback for me was what a big fan of alliteration Mathews is, and that got grating. Plus, the last disc started with a chapter about Madonna, and I kind of just didn't care.
That being said, I really did enjoy this audiobook overall. I particularly enjoyed the beginning of the book, when Mathews talks about his early years. And, obviously, the internship with the Tonight Show that put him on the world's radar. Mathews is just so full of energy and excitement, and since he narrated the audiobook himself, it was a lot of fun to get carried away with him. Especially if you're a fan of pop culture or TV -- hearing about his early days and how his career really got off the ground was a lot of fun. I also remember first seeing him as Ross the Intern on a red carpet, and I instantly loved him then. Getting the behind-the-scenes story of how that came to be was cool.
So, my love of Ross and appreciation of his narration, especially in the earlier part of the book gives this one a 3. As the book progressed, he seemed to get further and further away from the stories I wanted to hear (you know, like, about his career), and focused more on kind of select stories from his past. Some of those were interesting, but some just had way too much set up that I wasn't super interested in before getting to the interesting parts (the first example that comes to mind is his story on getting WAY too high on "weed butter" with a good friend. Way too much backstory about his history with weed before getting to THAT story, which was funny).
In the end, I ditched the last disc because I just have too many other things waiting in the audiobook queue that were calling to me.
An abbreviated version of what I just wrote: I didn't actually finish this book. I skipped the last disc, but I'm counting it as read AND giving it 3 stars, because I did enjoy what I got through. The biggest setback for me was what a big fan of alliteration Mathews is, and that got grating. Plus, the last disc started with a chapter about Madonna, and I kind of just didn't care.
That being said, I really did enjoy this audiobook overall. I particularly enjoyed the beginning of the book, when Mathews talks about his early years. And, obviously, the internship with the Tonight Show that put him on the world's radar. Mathews is just so full of energy and excitement, and since he narrated the audiobook himself, it was a lot of fun to get carried away with him. Especially if you're a fan of pop culture or TV -- hearing about his early days and how his career really got off the ground was a lot of fun. I also remember first seeing him as Ross the Intern on a red carpet, and I instantly loved him then. Getting the behind-the-scenes story of how that came to be was cool.
So, my love of Ross and appreciation of his narration, especially in the earlier part of the book gives this one a 3. As the book progressed, he seemed to get further and further away from the stories I wanted to hear (you know, like, about his career), and focused more on kind of select stories from his past. Some of those were interesting, but some just had way too much set up that I wasn't super interested in before getting to the interesting parts (the first example that comes to mind is his story on getting WAY too high on "weed butter" with a good friend. Way too much backstory about his history with weed before getting to THAT story, which was funny).
In the end, I ditched the last disc because I just have too many other things waiting in the audiobook queue that were calling to me.
October 29, 2017
I love Ross Matthews, another comedian I was introduced to through Chelsea Lately. Every round table he was on was already 1000 times better than usual. This book definitely doesn't disappoint.
Ross is the sassy gay man that every girl dreams of having as her best friend. This book gives you insight as to how Ross went from sassy twelve year old to Hollywood red carpet correspondent. Every step of the way is fascinating! If you have the chance, download the audiobook. Not only do you get his humor in full force, but he tells it with such enthusiasm that you would think he's sitting next to you recounting these stories.
I think this is the fastest I have ever listened to an audiobook, and that is simply because he tells a great story. I highly recommend this one, and will even send it to anyone via audible if they are interested in listening! It's such a good book.
I hope we get more books by Ross Matthews in the future. The world needs him and his humor now more than ever.
Ross is the sassy gay man that every girl dreams of having as her best friend. This book gives you insight as to how Ross went from sassy twelve year old to Hollywood red carpet correspondent. Every step of the way is fascinating! If you have the chance, download the audiobook. Not only do you get his humor in full force, but he tells it with such enthusiasm that you would think he's sitting next to you recounting these stories.
I think this is the fastest I have ever listened to an audiobook, and that is simply because he tells a great story. I highly recommend this one, and will even send it to anyone via audible if they are interested in listening! It's such a good book.
I hope we get more books by Ross Matthews in the future. The world needs him and his humor now more than ever.
February 7, 2014
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
From being bullied as a kid to breaking into stardom as “Ross the Intern” and everything in between – Ross Mathews shares how he has “manned up” to various situations life has thrown him.
I’m not a Leno fan (but I can’t WAIT for Fallon to take over the timeslot, baby!) and have a love/hate relationship with Chelsea Handler (specifically, I hate her face and her voice, but I love reading her books), so my knowledge of Ross Mathews is from video snippets that have made their way to viral status on the interwebs and his appearance on “America’s Next Top Model” (don’t judge – wait, judge away ‘cause I know I would). Chosen as part of the Kansas City Public Library’s Winter Reading Challenge - the theme being “Stop Me If You’ve Read This One” (a/k/a funny books) – I picked this up because I had read most of the other “comedian books”.
What I discovered? Mathews’ is adorable. In fact, almost everything in this book is adorable. (Except for his friendship with Gwyneth Paltrow. I mean, seriously, of all the stars in all of La-La-Land, you choose “Goop” as the bestie of your dreams????) Warning: Good luck reading even one paragraph without Mathews’ voice in your head. If you don’t know what he sounds like, Google it. Truly unforgettable.
From being bullied as a kid to breaking into stardom as “Ross the Intern” and everything in between – Ross Mathews shares how he has “manned up” to various situations life has thrown him.
I’m not a Leno fan (but I can’t WAIT for Fallon to take over the timeslot, baby!) and have a love/hate relationship with Chelsea Handler (specifically, I hate her face and her voice, but I love reading her books), so my knowledge of Ross Mathews is from video snippets that have made their way to viral status on the interwebs and his appearance on “America’s Next Top Model” (don’t judge – wait, judge away ‘cause I know I would). Chosen as part of the Kansas City Public Library’s Winter Reading Challenge - the theme being “Stop Me If You’ve Read This One” (a/k/a funny books) – I picked this up because I had read most of the other “comedian books”.
What I discovered? Mathews’ is adorable. In fact, almost everything in this book is adorable. (Except for his friendship with Gwyneth Paltrow. I mean, seriously, of all the stars in all of La-La-Land, you choose “Goop” as the bestie of your dreams????) Warning: Good luck reading even one paragraph without Mathews’ voice in your head. If you don’t know what he sounds like, Google it. Truly unforgettable.
May 10, 2013
Ross the Intern, on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno that is how I first became aware of this funny amazing human being. He was this laughing, shining man who almost floated across the stage with enthusiasm. I fell for him and watched for him everynight. He is a talented, a remarkable voice and an excellent interviewer. he is able to get 'stars' to say and do the most 'human' things.
As I read the book I was struck by how difficult his road has been. He was bullied as a child, and tried to fit in, even tried dating women. Of course that was not the way his interests headed. He always stood his ground, when confronted. I was in tears for him several times after reading about the cruelty he endured. He can sex spinach plants ! Now there is a talent few have ! LOL He grew up rural, worked farms and dreamed of more. He left home very young headed for Hollywood where his whole life started to come together.
If you love uplifting stories about underdogs making it you can't beat this book. He is an inspiration and an enjoyable humorist even among the painful bits
As I read the book I was struck by how difficult his road has been. He was bullied as a child, and tried to fit in, even tried dating women. Of course that was not the way his interests headed. He always stood his ground, when confronted. I was in tears for him several times after reading about the cruelty he endured. He can sex spinach plants ! Now there is a talent few have ! LOL He grew up rural, worked farms and dreamed of more. He left home very young headed for Hollywood where his whole life started to come together.
If you love uplifting stories about underdogs making it you can't beat this book. He is an inspiration and an enjoyable humorist even among the painful bits
July 3, 2015
Had I the good sense to stop after one disc, this may have been a 3-4 star review. For the record I think Ross is adorbs. His writing, not so much.
The narrative was just way too bogged down with superlatives, exaggerations, cheesy alliteration, and long-winded lists of synonyms. When every single detail is THE most/best/craziest thing you've ever seen in the whole wide world/your entire existence, NOTHING seems important.
The narrative was just way too bogged down with superlatives, exaggerations, cheesy alliteration, and long-winded lists of synonyms. When every single detail is THE most/best/craziest thing you've ever seen in the whole wide world/your entire existence, NOTHING seems important.
Read
April 23, 2017This was a completely hilarious read with a sprinkle of very heart wrenching moments. I really liked how Ross wrote as if he were having a conversation with the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Not to mention I have an autographed copy, which made it even cooler.
July 2, 2018
I love this guy! He's so funny and sincere. Reading this book was just like listening to his podcast or watching him on video. I'm sad there wasn't a little more depth to this book but it was still just a fun time reading it!
July 4, 2014
Ross Mathews is not the type of celebrity that one can be sure everyone knows about. I wasn't a regular "Tonight Show" watcher, but came across him in bits and pieces on internet clips. He's as charming here as he appears on television - stand up comedians usually don't translate into funny in books, but there's something about Ross's child-like persona that I totally buy and enjoy.....this wasn't great literature, of course, but a good distraction for waiting rooms and the like.
So, if you are a fan, you'll enjoy this. If not, try Ross in a small dose first and see if he's your kind of guy.
So, if you are a fan, you'll enjoy this. If not, try Ross in a small dose first and see if he's your kind of guy.
November 9, 2022
I wasn’t a Ross Matthews fan when he started out on the Tonight Show. In my opinion Jay Leno tended to play to the lowest common denominator and it felt like Jay’s audience was laughing AT Ross, not WITH him.
I re-watched a couple of those old clips on YouTube after I started this book and I still feel the same way. I have to say, though, that I do have a new respect and appreciation for Ross. His enthusiasm and positivity is endearing. I was genuinely happy for him when he told the story of getting his big break and when he realized his life-long dream of becoming Gwyneth Paltrow’s friend.
I just wish he’d gone deeper with more than a few of these anecdotes. A lot of them felt like fluff pieces in service of reinforcing Ross’s schtick. I wish I could have gotten to know him a little better. He completely glossed over losing his dad. Also his significant other kind of magically appeared out of nowhere towards the latter half of the book.
I get that this book really isn’t supposed to be a memoir but still. There were too many stories about stuff I didn’t care about: meeting Madonna, the stuff about butternut squash, etc.
I do like Ross though! He seems like a genuinely nice guy.
I re-watched a couple of those old clips on YouTube after I started this book and I still feel the same way. I have to say, though, that I do have a new respect and appreciation for Ross. His enthusiasm and positivity is endearing. I was genuinely happy for him when he told the story of getting his big break and when he realized his life-long dream of becoming Gwyneth Paltrow’s friend.
I just wish he’d gone deeper with more than a few of these anecdotes. A lot of them felt like fluff pieces in service of reinforcing Ross’s schtick. I wish I could have gotten to know him a little better. He completely glossed over losing his dad. Also his significant other kind of magically appeared out of nowhere towards the latter half of the book.
I get that this book really isn’t supposed to be a memoir but still. There were too many stories about stuff I didn’t care about: meeting Madonna, the stuff about butternut squash, etc.
I do like Ross though! He seems like a genuinely nice guy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2018
I completely enjoyed this book. It made me laugh so hard right from the beginning. I became a fan of Ross Mathews earlier this year when he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother. He is such a fun person to watch so I was eager to read his memoir. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the audiobook version and it was delightful to hear him talk about his childhood and his start in show business. I read that he is working on another book and I will happily pre-order it as soon as it is available!
February 22, 2020
I’ve seen and done some extremely gay things in my time, but even all of those things weren’t near as gay as this glorious book.
Ross Mathews is the epitome of a camp, flamboyant, outrageous gay man, and I love him to bits. He a big, bright shining beacon of positivity and love, it’s impossible not to fall under his infectious happiness spell when reading this book.
It’s laugh out loud funny, it’s relatable, it’s entertaining, it’s everything, darling. Fabulous times 10!!
Ross Mathews is the epitome of a camp, flamboyant, outrageous gay man, and I love him to bits. He a big, bright shining beacon of positivity and love, it’s impossible not to fall under his infectious happiness spell when reading this book.
It’s laugh out loud funny, it’s relatable, it’s entertaining, it’s everything, darling. Fabulous times 10!!
June 27, 2013
I'm not sure about these kinds of books anymore. I usually get so excited to read books written by people who I find just so funny! For example: Ellen DeGeneres, Tina Fey, Chelsea Handler, Mindy Kaling.. So far it hasn't been working for me. I have been disappointed more than anything.
I love Ross Mathews. He's hilarious and I just love how he owns himself and doesn't care what other people think. I was excited for this book because I figured he was going to knock it out of the park! Well... It fell flat for me. I did laugh at some points but I thought it he kind of was all over the place. He had A LOT more detail to a story than needed. It was like he would think of other stories while he was talking about one story and be like, I want to add that too. It just didn't relate to the current story and it became too much. This trend happened a lot. I'd be reading about something happening to him during lunch and then he would add another two stories into this one tale. It just became a little unorganized and a lot of the times I felt like he was trying way to hard to be funny. I think I'm going to stay away from these types of books from now on...
I love Ross Mathews. He's hilarious and I just love how he owns himself and doesn't care what other people think. I was excited for this book because I figured he was going to knock it out of the park! Well... It fell flat for me. I did laugh at some points but I thought it he kind of was all over the place. He had A LOT more detail to a story than needed. It was like he would think of other stories while he was talking about one story and be like, I want to add that too. It just didn't relate to the current story and it became too much. This trend happened a lot. I'd be reading about something happening to him during lunch and then he would add another two stories into this one tale. It just became a little unorganized and a lot of the times I felt like he was trying way to hard to be funny. I think I'm going to stay away from these types of books from now on...
January 26, 2015
Ross Mathews is best known for his role on Jay Leno, Chelsea Handler, his new talk show 'Hello Ross', and his high-pitched, unique voice. I first saw Ross Mathews on Chelsea Handler's show and instantly fell in love with him. He's sassy, witty, funny and embraces his homosexuality. He's my ideal best friend. And somehow this book made me like him even more.
Ross Mathews just found a way to find humor in everything and he can now look back on embarrassing or bad moments and laugh. He also found a way to make even his love of certain vegetables comical. He is just so authentic in this book and still seems down to earth, even though he's best friends with major celebrities. He writes like he is always star-struck and absolutely loves what he does.
Although the book is funny, Ross Mathews manages to get some messages across. Mostly he wants people to be comfortable with who they are and not be afraid of being different. And he made his advice all sound easy and believable.
Anyone who is a fan of his should read this book. Or anyone who loves a sassy gay man.
Ross Mathews just found a way to find humor in everything and he can now look back on embarrassing or bad moments and laugh. He also found a way to make even his love of certain vegetables comical. He is just so authentic in this book and still seems down to earth, even though he's best friends with major celebrities. He writes like he is always star-struck and absolutely loves what he does.
Although the book is funny, Ross Mathews manages to get some messages across. Mostly he wants people to be comfortable with who they are and not be afraid of being different. And he made his advice all sound easy and believable.
Anyone who is a fan of his should read this book. Or anyone who loves a sassy gay man.
March 11, 2017
I gave this 4 as I love Ross and love his story but it was quite short and light, I'd have liked it to be a little bit meatier but still enjoyable.
May 9, 2020
An easy read for a quick laugh if you are looking for something lighter following a more serious read. I've always found Ross to be hilarious, ever since seeing him on Leno followed by Chelsea. He is unapologetically himself and reading it in his voice is what creates some laugh out loud moments. I would imagine the audio book version of this would be a lot funnier, as the excitement in his delivery is often as funny as the content.
August 8, 2021
Ross Matthews seems so relatable. After reading this book I'm convinced that we could be besties. His memoirs had me laughing uproariously, reading passages out loud to my partner, and smiling from ear to ear. If you need a lighthearted book that will definitely make you smile, this is the one for you. Started and finished this one within 24 hours.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE.
August 8, 2018
Absolutely laugh out loud hysterical! I just love Ross Matthews!
May 23, 2020
A fun adventure for fans of comedy and Ross Mathews alike!
January 11, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. Life has a way of dragging one down and this book was just enough of a light, humorous read to distract me from every day life. And the thing is, I’ve watched enough Drag Race with Ross on there that I had his voice in my head while reading this so it was like an audiobook, but not, for me haha. I should mention that Drag Race is the only place I knew him from. I never watched Leno or Chelsea Handler but Ross is totally a friend I would love to have.
May 1, 2016
Man Up! Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence is a must read for all Ross Mathews fans. Full of stories from across his life, Man Up! will fill you with lots of things you never knew about him. It expanded on stories I’d heard on his podcast and definitely revealed things I wasn’t expecting. And, of course, it was all told with his trademark humour that had me giggling to myself as I turned each page.
May 27, 2013
I loved this autobiography. I took it on vacation and finished it up when I got home. I have loved Ross ever since he was Ross the Intern on the Jay Leno show. He hails from a town less than an hour away from where I grew up in WA state. The book was just like him-funny, energetic, and over the top. I LOL'd in many places and it was just an easy fun read!
June 25, 2013
I've read a ton of these types of books and usually end liking the author a lot less afterward (Ahem...Tina Fey)...
But this book was actually pretty funny...laugh out loud funny at some parts (pot butter). Worth the read...it's a quickie, not too deep and I actually like him a little more now.
Helps if you know who Ross is though...the voice is killer...even just in print
But this book was actually pretty funny...laugh out loud funny at some parts (pot butter). Worth the read...it's a quickie, not too deep and I actually like him a little more now.
Helps if you know who Ross is though...the voice is killer...even just in print
May 15, 2013
Not as many laugh out loud moments as I'd expected. Ross Matthews always cracks me up on Chelsea Lately and still does but this book didn't blow me away. Maybe I should have gotten the audio book. Reading his book in my mind in my voice just didn't do it justice.
September 16, 2014
This book was a great read, kept me laughing every time I picked it up. Ross Matthews's writing style made me feel like I was literally having a conversation with the TV personality I have come to love. Great light read with an underlying message we all need - just go for it!
April 26, 2023
So much fun! I listened to the audiobook of this, read by Mathews himself, which added something extra. A great story about someone navigating their way in Hollywood by their own individualized path.
May 9, 2020
Some laugh out loud moments. Sweet, light, and enjoyable to read with serious stuff mixed in too. He does a good job with corny jokes and puns. Makes me wonder if he helps Ru with some of her zingers on Drag Race.
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