Celebrities Books

A defining portrait of a fascinating woman. The author puts out a clear picture of a Jackie that we never knew before. Highly recommended!!!!!! FOR QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS ABOUT AJCKIE ONASIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HPOE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Review by Kate Alexander

This remarkable art book is a whisper-soft, sensual, loving work of art in itself. The layout is stunning. Flipping the pages to look at famous faces is fine, but reading this beautiful book is a sublime journey.

Willa Shalit's passionate relections of her experiences with the faces and bodies she has cast keep the reader spellbound;so, indeed, does the verbal imagery of her models. Shalit also reveals a very personal and provocative portrait of herself. She is a pacifist, a mystic, an environmentalist (this book is printed on recycled paper); a woman who grew up with a celebrity father, the film critic Gene Shalit, and a mother troubled by depression. Out of that life bloomed a life-cast artist whose favorite sense is that of touch.

As a child, Shalit, profoundly inspired by Helen Keller, walked around pretending to be blind, using touch for sight. And her mother's illness taught her not to judge by actions but to "see behind the mask."

She has cast thousands of faces and bodies. Out of her work evolved The Touch Foundation for the Blind. She wanted to form exhibits that said "Please Touch!" rather than "Look Only." Shalit celebrates the human form and the pleasures of touch. Each luminary, cast in plaster, is beautifully photographed in seductive black and white, showing the impression of the person within, the person behind the mask. Something magical happens with this short process when a face, eyes closed, is encased in plaster gauze. Most subjects relax under the "facial" and center themselves. Sounds like Easter religion? Close. When the impression is removed, Shalit shines a light inside and there are some startling revelations.

"Wow, I look like a cherub or something," musician Wynton Marsarlis said. And Stevie Wonder, being blind, exclaimed after feeling the lifecast of his son, "This boy looks just like me!"

Arnold Schwarzenegger had never held a flex longer than 90 seconds. His extreme power of concentration allowed him to hold it long enough for the casting process. Dizzy Gillespie puffed his cheeks out, maintaining the position for 10 minutes. He figured he would give a blind person several extra minutes to explore his face.

Don't just read this book. Caress it. Indulge your senses and feel the power, harmony, intensity and warmth shared by Shalit and the numerous personalities whose inner beings are gengtly uncovered. And grow with the openness that cannot be hidden behind the mask. Shalit did.

A truly fascinating coffee table book, Literary Celebrity Doodles is a treasure trove -- especially for the handwriting analyst who also loves literature -- but also for anyone who wants to see how their favorite authors express themselves in a slightly different medium. Here are the signatures, drawings, and in many cases some additional handwritings, of a wide variety of well-known authors. A bonus comes in the form of an introduction by one of my personal favorites, Jonathan Kellerman, and afterword by William F. Nolan.

Although the title calls for doodles, which are scribblings produced by the unconscious, done while the mind is occupied with something else, in most cases, cartoons or other drawings were contributed for this wonderful collection. Dean Koontz gives us "Vampire Bunny," Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes) writes a few words; T. Jefferson Parker sketches a series of boxes, and Barbara Seranella creates a clever car out of block printed writing. Dick Francis tells us, "I don't doodle," and Ray Bradbury, no surprise, draws a monster (but a cute one).
The list goes on, and includes William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist), Clive Barker, Norman Mailer, Clive Cussler, Kirk Douglas, Harlan Ellison, Walter Mosley, William Shatner, Richard Simmons, Amy Tan, Kurt Vonnegut, and many, many more. Besides providing some great celebrity samples, it's a whole lot of fun to peruse. Editor Louis M. Jason is an award-winning photographer who in 1998 co-founded Mystery Pier Books, Inc with his father. Located in the heart of Hollywood's Sunset Strip, the store specializes in First editions.

Casey Valentine is going into the 5th grade and she is so excited. Her penpal Tracy is moving to town and they will go to school together! Little does Casey know what she is in for! Tracy ends up embarrassing Casey and stealing all of her friends. Casey begins to wish Tracy had stayed in High Flats...This book is so enjoyable, one that anyone could identify with.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3NDK2RJ4UUEJC See more of the Magical Scarecrows including the celebrity video downloads at: [...]

"The Magical Scarecrows opens the hidden gate to a charming world where everything comes to life, even the fire; a world where the brave hearts and clever minds of two Scarecrows and their animal friends face real dangers, real fears, and find real ways to deal with them. Embodying every child's feelings of both isolation and specialness, of being slightly out-of-place and misunderstood in the grown-up world, The Magical Scarecrows shows children how to look at situations with a different perspective, how to combine their talents with other people's, and how to face challenges with hope, determination, and imagination. The child in all of us will recognize the loneliness of each Scarecrow, thinking they're the only one of their kind. The spiritual in each of us will recognize the bond of friendship among the Scarecrows and animals that spans the globe with hope." - Pamela Jaye Smith, Mythologist, story consultant, and filmmaker and author of INNER DRIVES [...]

"These enchanting stories capture a timeless, universal truth that supports the inherent goodness associated with being kind." - Gilliam Rumpf, The Leukemia Foundation

"Imagine! A magical scarecrow being airlifted to the fire station by wild birds in order to save the animals and the forest!! You're going to love this Lynn Santer kid's thriller!! (It's for us grown up kids as well!!!) I love, love, LOVE these stories!!!" - Tippi Hedren, star of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" and founder of The ROAR Foundation www.shambala.org

"We have been listening to Auntie Lynn's Magical Scarecrow stories almost since we were born. Mum read them to us regularly when we were very young and Auntie Lynn used to read them to us too when she was visiting. Now we can read them ourselves and understand the messages inside the stories.
We love the excitement and the friendship and the happiness they bring, and hope you like the drawings we made for the beginning of each chapter.
We are really happy that lots of other children are going to be able to enjoy our stories now and hope that as many children as possible do get to listen to or read about the Scarecrows. We know they will love them as much as we did." Lachlan and Joshua O'Brien

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RXRMF41IQV6I8 See more of the Magical Scarecrows including the celebrity video downloads at: http://www.themagicalscarecrows.com

"The Magical Scarecrows opens the hidden gate to a charming world where everything comes to life, even the fire; a world where the brave hearts and clever minds of two Scarecrows and their animal friends face real dangers, real fears, and find real ways to deal with them. Embodying every child's feelings of both isolation and specialness, of being slightly out-of-place and misunderstood in the grown-up world, The Magical Scarecrows shows children how to look at situations with a different perspective, how to combine their talents with other people's, and how to face challenges with hope, determination, and imagination. The child in all of us will recognize the loneliness of each Scarecrow, thinking they're the only one of their kind. The spiritual in each of us will recognize the bond of friendship among the Scarecrows and animals that spans the globe with hope." - Pamela Jaye Smith, Mythologist, story consultant, and filmmaker and author of INNER DRIVES www.mythworks.net

"These enchanting stories capture a timeless, universal truth that supports the inherent goodness associated with being kind." - Gilliam Rumpf, The Leukaemia Foundation

"Imagine! A magical scarecrow being airlifted to the fire station by wild birds in order to save the animals and the forest!! You're going to love this Lynn Santer kid's thriller!! (It's for us grown up kids as well!!!) I love, love, LOVE these stories!!!" - Tippi Hedren, star of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" and founder of The ROAR Foundation www.shambala.org

"We have been listening to Auntie Lynn's Magical Scarecrow stories almost since we were born. Mum read them to us regularly when we were very young and Auntie Lynn used to read them to us too when she was visiting. Now we can read them ourselves and understand the messages inside the stories.
We love the excitement and the friendship and the happiness they bring, and hope you like the drawings we made for the beginning of each chapter.
We are really happy that lots of other children are going to be able to enjoy our stories now and hope that as many children as possible do get to listen to or read about the Scarecrows. We know they will love them as much as we did." Lachlan and Joshua O'Brien

One of the best possible cookbooks from celebrities ... Each recipe is preceded by words from the star stating why it is so special (and everything I've tried has been wonderful). There are even photos of the celebrities, often with their mothers. (Celebrities include famous movie and television stars, senators, governors, presidents, VPs, first ladies, etc.) A fun read and fabulous resource. Highly recommended!

A reader suggested that I might enjoy MATZO BALLS FOR BREAKFAST AND OTHER MEMORIES OF GROWING UP JEWISH by Alan King, the great comedian who conceived and developed the book in the period before he died in 2004.

She was wrong, I loved MATZO BALLS (almost as much as the actual food product).

It is a series of essays written by famous people--many of them entertainers--about what being Jewish is all about . . . they range from Neil Sedaka writing about not becoming a cantor to Melissa Manchester describing how she came to find her way to the
father . . . in a final section, Rick Moranis, Barbara Walters and Billy Crystal recall the Alan King they knew so well and laughed with so often.

And don't feel you have to be Jewish to enjoy this material . . . regardless of your religion, it will move you at times . . . and make you smile, at others, as a result of gentle humor such as this tale from Barry Louis Polisar (a four-time Parent's Choice Award winner for his
books and music for children):

My grandmother used to tell me a story that her father, Louis, used to tell about God giving the Jewish people religion. "It's really not such a hard religion," God said. "Here, I'll write it down for you. You try it for a while, and if it doesn't suit you, bring it back." So the Jewish
people tried it and found it was not too hard. For days, caravan upon caravan stretched across the desert carrying Haftorahs, mezuzahs, yarmulkes, prayer shawls, commentaries, and prayer books. God looked out at the caravans that stretched to the horizon and said,
"What's all this? All I wrote down for you were ten simple commandments."

Uri Geller contributed his favorite Alan King joke:
Mrs. Cohen is yelling at the lifeguard who just pulled her husband out of the ocean. He tells her is going to give artificial respiration. She yells back, "You'll ever give my Benny real respiration or nothing!"

There are also a series of wonderful quotes throughout the book, including these I particularly liked:

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.--Calvin Trillin

If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.--Woody Allen

I once wanted to become an atheist but I gave up--they have no holidays.--Henny Youngman

An oldie, but a goodie! Unlike many celebrity cookbooks, these recipes were clearly given by the actual celebrities, each of whom mentioned how they serve it, where they acquired it, why it is so special, etc. Everything I've tried has been wonderful, and many of the recipes have become staples. A great read and marvelous to cook from.

John Giacobello's biography of Melissa Joan Hart is nothing short of astonishing. With clear prose he relays the struggles beset upon the star of "Sabrina the Teen-Aged Witch" with clarity, lucid detail, and not a little empathy.

From the early years of her Dickensian childhood, through her proceeding years as triumphant television star - we feel we've met Ms. Hart intimately, profoundly; had fries and Pepsi with her; spent quality time with a quality teen. The controversially "disputed facts" alleged in the cannon of Melissa Joan Hart biographies are laid to rest once and for all by John Giacobello.

The book is a revelation, and certainly the definitive biography of one, if not perhaps our most talented actress.