WE'RE LIVE IN 5

A memoir by an acclaimed live-TV event director and producer.

As the director of the Academy Awards for numerous years, Margolis has been in charge of shaping stories as they happen for millions of viewers. Shaping his own story has proven a bit tougher. It’s a difficult balancing act, with the author explaining how he’s driven enough to helm the biggest TV specials yet avuncular enough to handle many of the biggest stars in entertainment (and their egos). Margolis is more interested in exploring the latter than the former, though even his 11 rules of advice for how to follow in his footsteps include “Be kind” three times. Considering his live-TV background, it’s no surprise that he wants to keep things moving quickly, but Margolis has plenty of wisdom to impart. His decision to stick with Steven Spielberg’s mother’s reaction to his Best Director win for Schindler’s List in 1994 is a smart and fascinating tale of preparation and moment-making—and, no doubt, such things happen at least once during every Oscar or American Music Awards ceremony. In much of the narrative, the author focuses on who was nice to him (Paul Newman, Amy Grant) and who was not so nice (Barbra Streisand, Bill Cosby). Cosby wanted more diversity on his show Cos, but Margolis said he couldn’t find enough experienced minorities. “Thinking about this moment in light of today’s efforts to bring more diversity in front of and behind the camera, it’s embarrassing,” writes the author. “But that’s the way things were.” A little more introspection would have gone a long way in taking this from a breezy career retrospective to something more meaningful for the entire entertainment industry. Billy Crystal provides the foreword.

Margolis’ memoir speeds through his life like a live TV show, blunting the impact of fascinating experiences.