America’s Got Talent Winner Landau Eugene Murphy Jr From Washing Cars to Hollywood Star by Landau Eugene Murphy Jr,Rick Robinson Non-Fiction – Memoir 160 Pages Reviewed on 07/14/2015
Book Review
Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers’ Favorite
America’s Got Talent Winner Landau Eugene Murphy Jr: From Washing Cars to Hollywood Star by Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. and Rick Robinson is a story about the 2011 AGT winner’s humble beginnings, success and his new life as a singer. I followed AGT almost devotedly in 2007 when Jerry Springer was the host along with judges David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osborne and Piers Morgan. The participants, especially the ones with incredible talent, were enjoyable to watch. Afterwards, due to the inconsistent airing time of the show (at least on my side of the world) AGT simply fell off the radar for me, but I’m always aware with its popularity.
I searched for Landau’s videos on YouTube starting from his audition, which I always consider the best part in any talent show. “The funny thing is, I didn’t enter America’s Got Talent expecting that I would win.” This is the first sentence that begins his story and he looked relaxed enough during the audition. However, in his own words, “I was so nervous from the interview (with host Nick Cannon) I forgot to toss my gum into the garbage can before I walked onto the stage.” He was told by Piers Morgan to spit his gum, which he had to put in his pants pocket. Then he wowed the crowd with Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”
With a clear-cut and witty prose, this is a great book and I enjoyed looking at the included photos of him with friends, fans and famous people. Gifted with a great voice, Landau’s story is humble yet deeply inspiring. To have a crooner like him is truly a blessing, as I don’t really get what the ‘kids’ are listening to today.