Book ~ "So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls" (2024) Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

From Goodreads ~ From the author of "Seinfeldia" comes the totally fetch story of one of the most iconic teen comedies of all time, "Mean Girls", revealing how it happened, how it defined a generation, “like, invented” meme culture, and why it just won’t go away, filled with exclusive interviews from the director, cast and crew. 

Get in, loser. We’re going back to 2004. It’s been 20 years since "Mean Girls"  hit theaters, winning over critics and audiences alike with its razor-sharp wit, star-making turns for its then unknown cast, and obsessively quotable screenplay by Tina Fey. Fast forward two decades and "Mean Girls"  remains as relevant as ever. 

Arguably, no other movie from the 2000s has had as big of an impact on pop culture. In "So Fetch", Armstrong offers the first ever authoritative book about this beloved classic that shaped an entire generation. Based off revealing interviews with the director, cast, and crew, "So Fetch"  tells the full story of the making of "Mean Girls", from Tina Fey’s brilliant adaptation of a self-help guide for parents of teen girls, to the challenges of casting Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and the iconic supporting players. "So Fetch"  also explores the film’s lasting cultural influence, from its role in the rise of Y2K tabloid culture, impact on girls of all ages and lgbtq+ culture, to how we use it to define female relationships to this day.

So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls explores the creation and lasting cultural impact of the 2004 film Mean Girls. Drawing on interviews with cast members, filmmakers, writers, producers and others involved in the production, the book traces the movie's journey from conception to release.

The book examines how screenwriter Tina Fey adapted Rosalind Wiseman's nonfiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes into a screenplay, the casting process, filming, behind-the-scenes stories and the challenges faced during production. It also discusses the contributions of the cast and crew, the film's marketing, its box office performance and its influence on popular culture.

In addition to covering the original film, the book follows the evolution of the Mean Girls franchise, including the Broadway musical adaptation and the 2024 musical film. Throughout, Armstrong documents how the movie became a cultural phenomenon and maintained its relevance with new generations of audiences more than two decades after its release.

I've seen Mean Girls many times and like it so I thought a book giving the background about it would be interesting ... and it was. I found there was just enough detail for me. I didn't realize there was such a strong Toronto connection. Many of the minor roles were cast in Toronto and some of the filming took place here, including the school that used to be just north of the Dufferin Mall (now gone and being replaced by condos) and the Dufferin Mall itself.

Book ~ "Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything" (2016) Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

From Goodreads ~ The hilarious behind-the-scenes story of two guys who went out for coffee and dreamed up "Seinfeld" - the cultural sensation that changed television and bled into the real world, altering the lives of everyone it touched.

Comedians Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld never thought anyone would watch their silly little sitcom about a New York comedian sitting around talking to his friends. NBC executives didn’t think anyone would watch either but they bought it anyway, hiding it away in the TV dead zone of summer. But against all odds, viewers began to watch, first a few and then many, until nine years later nearly forty million Americans were tuning in weekly.

In "Seinfeldia", TV historian and entertainment writer Jennifer Keishin Armstrong celebrates the creators and fans of this American television phenomenon, bringing readers behind-the-scenes of the show while it was on the air and into the world of devotees for whom it never stopped being relevant, a world where the Soup Nazi still spends his days saying “No soup for you!”, Joe Davola gets questioned every day about his sanity, Kenny Kramer makes his living giving tours of New York sights from the show, and fans dress up in Jerry’s famous puffy shirt, dance like Elaine, and imagine plotlines for "Seinfeld" if it were still on TV. 

This book is everything about Seinfeld, the show about four self-centered friends and what happens in their lives.

It provides the details about how the show came to be ... Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld coming up with a show that the network didn't really believe in and David and Seinfeld themselves didn't think would go anywhere.  Surprise!  It lasted nine seasons until Seinfeld decided to quit while they were on top.

There is information about the backgrounds of Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards along with what they have been doing post-Seinfeld.  The actors playing the smaller role characters such as the Soup Nazi are also covered, including what they did before their roles and what they too are doing post-Seinfeld.  We learn more about Kenny Kramer, the basis for Richards' character, the real Monks Restaurant and how the real soup nazi felt about all the exposure (he wasn't pleased).

It was interesting to learn more about the writing and how the crazy stories came about.  There was a quite a turnover of writers because Seinfeld and David wanted fresh real stories so many of the plots actually happened to the writers or people the writers knew, though twisted a bit to fit the show.  For example, there really was a family who invented and celebrated Festivus.  The crazy dance that Elaine does was based on Lorne Michael's dancing skills (or lack of).  How was the finale received?  There's even the back story of the girl in the Rochelle Rochelle poster.

If you are/were a fan of Seinfeld, you'll find this book interesting.  It was fun to get the behind-the-scenes scoop on the show.