Self-Amused: A Tell-Some Memoir

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Drawing from a lifetime spent on TV's original reality show and a myriad of odd jobs, this book offers a blend of humor, personal anecdotes, and behind-the-scenes secrets. Peter Funt, uniquely profiled in The New York Times while simultaneously writing for it and selling copies on street corners, has had an eclectic career. He was an award-winning journalist at ABC News, launched a national magazine with a 1.5 million circulation, and sold various items including birthday cakes and restaurant placemats featuring news reports. Defying legal advice, he once argued a case on Court TV and humorously hit Cybill Shepherd with a cake. He shared a private jet with Clint Eastwood and a baby pig, spent a day with Mickey Mantle, and painted a billboard in Denver. His life has seen its share of challenges, including a $250,000 theft by his bookkeeper and two burglaries of his home. He has rescued three cats and a crow, kidnapped a baby deer, and faced raccoons. His father, Allen Funt, once painted him white to pose as a Roman statue and had him hang from a ceiling to create an "upside-down room." Peter takes pride in an award from a plumbing supply company for the slogan "Smile, you're on Candid Camera," deemed the most popular graffiti above restroom urinals. The book includes a free download of 15 "Candid Camera" sequences.