Description
Good Night Irene is a down-to-earth, funny memoir that describes how a bullied fat kid evolved to become an award-winning, international television presenter and sports commentator. Michael Schiavello, the overweight son of an immigrant factory worker, was taunted and bullied at school and was told he’d never amount to anything. By his late teens he knew he only had two things going for him: his deep booming voice and a burning ambition to prove his critics wrong.
Good Night Irene, a catch cry Michael would become well known for as a commentator, describes how Michael became one of the most highly sought after sports broadcasters on US cable networks, and relates many interesting stories about the people and celebrities he met along the way, including a gun-toting Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Diego Maradona, Hulk Hogan, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Wasim Akram, Dana White, Cathy Freeman and more.
While pulling back the veil of sports commentary and peeking into the lives of some of the world’s biggest celebrities, Good Night Irene also serves to inspire the uninspired and give hope and courage to those who struggle with being bullied. This book is proof that anyone with a dream, and the passion and devotion to work hard, can achieve that dream. Inspiring, moving and entertaining.
“More than a memoir… this book will impact and inspire you“
~ Michael Jai White, American actor, director and martial artist
“You’re about to read some inspiring stories. I hope you find proof in them that through hard work, sacrifice, discipline and dedication, you too can achieve whatever your mind conceives, and your heart and soul believes in.”
~ Bill Goldberg, WWE Superstar, TV host, and actor
Michael Schiavello has written for more than 50 publications worldwide, was the long-serving editor of Blitz Magazine, and the editor of International Kickboxer magazine until 2009, a feature writer for Inside Sport magazine, and was the youngest ever inductee to the Best Australian Sports Writing Awards. He has commentated for AXS TV, K-1, Dream, Maximum Fighting Championship, King of the Cage, and The Contender, Asia. Michael has worked in US TV on AXS TV (40 million homes) for almost a decade and lived in Las Vegas for 7 years, on prime time TV there every Friday night. Now Michael’s show is broadcast in the USA on TNT — which is one of the largest networks in the USA. He has been nominated and won numerous Commentary awards including:
Winning the 2019 Asian Television Award (Asian Emmy) for Best TV Sports Presenter / Commentator
- 2011 CableFax USA Award Nomination – Best Television Host
- 2011 World MMA Awards Nomination – Leading Man
- 2018 World MMA Awards Nomination – Personality of the Year
He currently travels the world working as a TV Commentator and Presenter for Singapore-based MMA promotion One Championship.
