Celeb memoir: Kristin Chenoweth

Because I'm "the TV guy," people love to ask which celebrities I've met and I always fear my answers will disappoint them. Kids in the church youth group I've worked with are especially eager to hear stories of their favorite stars ("You met Zac Efron!") and I usually have little to tell. When ocassionally speaking with celebrities is part of your beat it quickly ceases to be the memorable thrill it seems to be for the rest of the population. Especially once you realize how guarded they are.

Writers and producers in television tend to be more candid but the general populace is often disappointed when one trots out the name of a generally anonymous TV writer. But on-camera stars are more likely to give rote answers to questions; they stick to their PR script. And that's if they have answers at all.

But to attempt to answer the "Who's cool that you've met?" variation on the celeb question, I usually mention that Dana Delany ("Desperate Housewives") has always seemed intelligent. Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon on "Big Bang Theory," is that rare newcomer who isn't afraid to be himself. And then there's Kristin Chenoweth, who I always seem to overlook when wracking my brain for answers to the celeb questions. (If only I could be as programmed as some of the stars.)

Chenoweth starred in the later seasons of "The West Wing" and more recently on "Pushing Daisies," whose second season hit DVD last week. She always struck me as pretty genuine and down-to-earth, eager to answer questions in as forthright a way as possible. She didn't even try to hide her romantic relationship with TV writer Aaron Sorkin, showing up to an ABC press tour party with him in July 2007, just before the "Daisies" launch.

So when PG book editor Bob Hoover dropped Chenoweth's memoir, "A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love and Faith in Stages" (with Joni Rodgers), on my desk a few months ago, I was actually kind of interested. "Kind of" only because I spend pretty much all my free time watching TV. Reading books is a luxury I don't often have time for, much to my chagrin. But I've been trying to remedy that and kept Chenoweth's book on my more active "to read" list.

"A Little Bit Wicked" turns out to be enjoyable and enjoyably candid. First off, the book sounds like the way Chenoweth speaks. She describes her youth and how she got into the singing/acting business with humor and grace. Most of the book is about her early years as a stage actress and particularly about her role in the hit musical "Wicked." She debunks rumors left and right -- that she hates "Wicked" co-star Idina Menzel, the she and on-again, off-again boyfriend Aaron Sorkin (creator of "The West Wing") broke up over her appearance on "The 700 Club" -- and seems to be self-aware about her idosyncracies and failings.

Fans of "Pushing Daisies" may be disappointed that she doesn't tell a lot of tales from the set of that series, but the book was completed last summer before the second season of "Daisies" began production. She does delve into her time on "The West Wing" and she's particularly candid about her relationship with Sorkin, even if she leaves out details about why exactly they keep breaking up. Chenoweth is not mean about it at all, which keeps this particular topic from seeming like retaliation for Sorkin creating a character inspired by Chenoweth for his show "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." (For what it's worth, Chenoweth proves to be an astute TV critic, diagnosing, in a way that you have to read between the lines, that one of the problems with "Studio 60" was mis-casting Sarah Paulson as the Chenoweth-like character.)

Chenoweth, who was raised in a Southern, conservative Christian home, continues to go to church, a seemingly rare practicing Christian in Hollywood, but her lack of adherence to conservative Christiandom standards will probably draw criticism from some quarters. She's gay-friendly, which doesn't sit well with judgmental Christians, and she's devoutly Christian, which doesn't sit well with some of her wounded-by-the-right gay fans. Chenoweth describes her caught-in-the-middle status in one passage about a fuoro over a "700 Club" appearance, noting, "Somewhere in the middle, where the vast but less vocal majority of both Christians and gays reside -- a tiny town I like to call reality -- I struggled to make nice with everybody while refusing to say anything I didn't mean."

One thing I don't understand: Her decision to bear almost-all for FHM magazine. Her justifications ring somewhat hollow and her unwillingness to tell her parents about it before the photo shoot should have sent up red flags. It's a rare moment in the book where Chenoweth seems to fall into the trap of Hollywood self-delusion.

In "A Little Bit Wicked" ($25, Touchstone) Chenoweth is more often likely to come off as sickeningly sweet, but having met her, I don't think it's an act (if it is, she's the world's best actress). I think she's just a good-hearted person who tries to do right, a rarity in an industry where doing for yourself/your career is more often at the top of everyone's agenda (see: the FHM decision).

At one point in the book Chenoweth seems to conflate events at an ABC upfront and press tour, but she gets around that with a disclaimer at the end of the book that acknowledges the compositing some events.

How much of the book Chenoweth wrote is unknown, but she deserves credit for naming her ghostwriter on the cover. Rodgers quite clearly understands Chenoweth's voice so the book always sounds like petite singing sensation.

And after reading her book, I hope that now I will better remember to add Chenoweth to the short litany of celebs I've met who made a positive impression.