Absolutely Mahvelous

This is a lackluster, feeble autobiography from a rising star who has just reached his peak but has not yet built a substantial career. Crystal, the youngest of three brothers in a Long Island family, seems to have had an uneventful childhood, an uneventful adolescence and an uneventful start in the comedy business. Having missed out on the original Saturday Night Live, he joined a later version of that show and became a hit. This past spring he cohosted the fund-raiser Comic Relief and his first major film, Running Scared, has just been released. Apart from the story of his life, Crystal provides anecdotes about celebrities he has known, as well as samples of his humor. Although the book is less than ""mahvelous,'' the fact that the author is a TV celebrity probably augurs well for sales. Photos. Major ad/promo; first serial to Parade. (August 25)