Warren Beatty if its regular host comedians, Milton Berle. Beatty learned to do a "superb imitation of Berle and his routine," said a friend, and he often used Berle-type humor at home. His sister Shirley MacLaine's lasting memories of her brother include seeing him reading books by Eugene O'Neill or singing along to Al Jolson records. In "Rules Don't Apply" (2016), Beatty plays Howard Hughes, who is shown talking about and singing Jolson songs while flying his plane. MacLaine noted, on what made her brother want to become a filmmaker, sometimes writing, producing, directing and starring in his films: "That's why he's
Paul Beatty "The Guardian", Elisabeth Donnelly described it as "a masterful work that establishes Beatty as the funniest writer in America", while reviewer Reni Eddo-Lodge called it a "whirlwind of a satire", going on to say: "Everything about "The Sellout"'s plot is contradictory. The devices are real enough to be believable, yet surreal enough to raise your eyebrows." The book took over five years to complete. "The Sellout" was awarded the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction, and the 2016 Man Booker Prize. Beatty is the first American to have won the Man Booker Prize, for which all English-language novels