LITERATURE + LECTURES

Blue Willow Bookshop presents  Chelsea Handler.  

Chelsea Handler will be in Houston to discuss and sign her newest book, Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang, Bang. In this new collection of original essays, the #1 bestselling author of Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea delivers one laugh-out-loud moment after another as she sets her sights on the ridiculous side of childhood, adulthood, and daughterhood.

Born in Livingston, New Jersey, to a Jewish father and Mormon mother, Chelsea Handler is the youngest of six children. Not only was this disappointing on many levels, but she was also born just five-and-a-half years after her sister Shoshanna had burst onto the scene and embraced and relished being the youngest of the Handler clan. Shoshanna was pissed that her parents had failed to use birth control and didn't know why her mother Rita didn't exercise her right to choose.

In July 2007 Chelsea broke into the world of male-dominated late-night talk shows with her E! Entertainment series, “Chelsea Lately,” airing weeknights at 11:00 p.m. Consistently the highest-rated program on E!, “Chelsea Lately” has been picked up through 2012, providing Chelsea with the perfect showcase for what she does best: comment on pop culture and entertainment news while interacting with the public. The daily program offers a tongue-in-cheek look at entertainment news, celebrity truths and rumors that just won't die, and other hot topics of the day. Bringing refreshing new energy to the late-night arena, “Chelsea Lately” is an authentic and hilarious commentary on the celebrity culture around us.

As one of the nation’s leading female stand-ups, Chelsea has performed to sold-out audiences at venues and festivals everywhere, including the prestigious Carnegie Hall. Her comedy mixes fearless honesty, ironic riffs, and self-deprecations. In March 2007 her first half-hour stand-up special, airing on Comedy Central, was a ratings hit. She regularly appears on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” has co-hosted “The View,” was profiled on “Nightline,” and has appeared on “Today,” LIVE with Regis and Kelly,” and “Late Night with David Letterman.”

Chelsea has been featured in the New York Times, W, People, and is a special guest columnist for Cosmopolitan magazine. Vanity Fair proclaimed her one of the “Queens of Comedy,” and she was named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the top 10 “Breakout Stars of 2008.” In April 2009, Bravo honored Chelsea with their “A-List Funny Award,” choosing her over fellow comedic heavyweights Tina Fey, Conan O’Brien, Ricky Gervais, and Amy Poehler.

For all of its four seasons, Chelsea was the star of Oxygen’s “Girls Behaving Badly,” which is now syndicated in over 90 markets. She also starred on E! in “The Chelsea Handler Show.” In 2007 – 2008, Chelsea starred with Jenny McCarthy and Leah Remini in the hugely popular MSN online web series “In The Motherhood.”

Chelsea’s first book, My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands, published by Bloomsbury, was released in the U.S. and over twenty other countries, and is currently on its 60th week on the New York Times bestseller list. Her follow-up book, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea,” published by Simon Spotlight, came out on April 22, 2008 and debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It remained on the list for 62 weeks. Her third book, “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang,” will be released by Grand Central Publishing on March 9th 2010.

In 2009, Chelsea was honored with the prestigious Ally for Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign, which recognizes the outstanding efforts of those who dedicate time, energy, spirit, and wholehearted commitment to better the lives of LGBT people. In addition, Chelsea was the celebrity grand marshal for the June 2009 Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade, which drew close to 500,000 spectators from across the country.

NOTE:  Chelsea will sign books, but is unable to sign any memorabilia.