Off the Record

October 23, 2006
On the evening following the 1996 acquittal of Snoop Dogg on charges of murder, Newsweek
entertainment writer Samuels attended a party thrown by the rapper, where an "obviously drunk fifty-something white male took the microphone... and began to deliver an ill-advised and unfortunate freestyle rap." Upon closer examination, she identified the man as one of the jurors who had granted the musician his freedom that morning. Moments like this abound in Samuels's casual, honest rumination on her career reporting on black Hollywood. Her short chapters include profiles of athletes, actors and musicians such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Angela Bassett, Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston and the artists of Suge Knight's Death Row record label, a group with which Samuels established a close, long-running relationship. The challenges of fame, success and journalism are touched upon, though only superficially. While the issue of race is given attention, the collection's main draw is the insider observations and anecdotes, which range from telling (in response to being told that an article featuring him is no longer front-page material, a precomeback Eddie Murphy asks, "But don't they remember?") to bizarre (Mike Tyson showing off the letters JFK Jr. wrote him during his incarceration).

November 1, 2006
In covering the entertainment world for "Newsweek" magazine, journalist Samuels has cultivated relationships with hip-hop artists, athletes, and actors, including rapper Snoop Dogg, basketballer Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal, and actress Whoopi Goldberg. Here she reviews her past interviews with prominent celebrities: she plays on-set babysitter to Lil' Layzie (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member Layzie Bone's three-year-old son) and shares a love of the film "Ordinary People" with Tupac. Her book summarizes and editorializes on her interviews for "Newsweek", offering a conversational insider's look at lives in the limelight that is accessible to a broader audience. She also discusses the effect African American celebrities have on their community and vice versa. Unfortunately, the book is bogged down with unnecessary summary information. The interviews and controversies span more than four industries and ten years, with only Samuels's presence and her undigested notion of African American celebrity culture to hold the stories together. Music journalist Touré presents a prolific journalism career more effectively by collecting and introducing his articles in "Never Drank the Kool-Aid". Though Samuels's oeuvre is laudable, her book is recommended only for projected popular appeal.Anna Katterjohn, Library Journal

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.