Television Books

If you have never read this book, buy it and read it. It is a very powerful and moving account of the most decorated American soldier of WWII. Audie Murphy was born outside of Kingston, Texas in June 1924, grew up poor, was deserted by his father, and joined the US Army at the age of 18 in 1942. His hunting skills as a boy served him well in hunting and killing an estimated 250 German and Italian soldiers in WWII.

An amazing aspect about Audie Murphy is that he was not limited to one feat of heroism in WWII. For almost two years, he distinguished himself as one of the greatest combat soldiers of all time with repeated acts of heroism, earning every medal our country could give including the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, multiple Silver Stars, Bonze Stars, and Purple Hearts.

Audie Murphy was a humble man and a born leader who would rather put himself in harms way than to risk the lives of his men if at all possible. Even though he didn't have a good father as a role model, he was a father to the men who served with him. If a soldier under his command was afraid to do a job, he would do it himself.

The book doesn't mention his life after the war (it was first written in 1949). After WWII, Audie went on to become a fine actor in Hollywood and made a few critically acclaimed films. He suffered for many years from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of his time in combat. He died tragically at the age of 46 in a small plane accident in the mountains outside of Roanoke, VA in May, 1971.

Audie Murphy was not a perfect man (there was only one - the Lord Jesus Christ) and he had his faults and problems to deal as we all do. However, he was a true American hero who deserves our nation's (and Europe's) respect and honor. May God bless Audie Murphy!

I read this account while in high school during the '60's. The impact this story had on me was overwhelming...I literally read this book a hundred times if I read it once. I put to memory many of the passages of humor and used them regularly.

Usually when a movie is made based on a best selling novel, I tend to enjoy the film version better than the book. Don't know why, just seems to play out that way. Such was NOT the case here. Even though Murphy played himself in the film, I enjoyed the book far better. Somewhere along the line, I thought the film lost the impact that the book retained throughout.
This story is a real page-turner. Whether you're a war buff or not doesn't matter....This is a story about people...people who were just like the rest of us, who were placed in a situation of life and death...kill or be killed, and how they struggled together to perform the task of delivering the world from aggression while always yearning for home.

It's ironic, though, after reading all that Audie Murphy went through during the war, how he was wounded, yet survived the conflict, and came home to be decorated beyond measure, only to be killed in an aircraft accident some years later.

In my opinion, this story deserves ten-stars.

I read this book not too long ago and while I was reading it, I wanted to tell everyone everything that Audie Murphy did. It was especially good because I am a scholar in World War Two history, and I have been an Audie Murphy fan for quite a while. Some of the great things about this book is how many think of war as being an honorable thing to do, but this book opposes that thought. This book is about his experience in the Second World War and explains how hellish it was for himself. I suggest anyone who gets a chance, should read this fine book.

I read this book for the first time as a Sophomore in high school and am compelled to rank it as one of the top five books I've ever picked up (Sakai's "Samurai!" and Galland's "The First and the Last" being the only others that I'd dare compare to it).

Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier of World War II, was awarded every medal for valor his country could give (The Congressional Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, The Bronze Star Medal, The Bronze Star Medal with a Bronze Service Arrowhead, the Legion of Merit, two Silver Stars, the Purple Heart...the list goes on and on), yet he tells his story in such an unassuming manner that it is hard to believe it is written by a war hero. Audie seems more content to discuss his friends and their impact on the war and on his life than to talk about himself. In his eyes, they are the heroes, and his book does a fine job of paying homage to the footsoldier of World War II.

His book is also a marvelously frank and vivid account of combat through the eyes an "everyman." A poor farm boy from Texas, Murphy is perhaps in many ways the typical hero: one who, when faced with a challenge, rises to a level beyond that which could reasonably be expected under different circumstances. Despite being rejected by the Marines and the Navy for military service ("You're too small, kid"), Audie refused to give up his quest to serve his country. Faced with the horror of war (and the deaths of close comrades), Murphy continuously and relentlessly rose to meet the challenges presented him when those of lesser mettle would surely have cowered. All the more remarkable is that Audie accomplished all this before the age of twenty!

No review could ever do this book justice. It is wonderful, sincere, sad, and true. Rest assured, you will not be disappointed. HIGHLY recommended.

I just loved this tale of one man's account of America in Europe during WWII. Maybe I'm just an old softy for Audie Murphy but I'd call it a must read for anyone.

John Waters is a great artist, and I mean artist, because he's created things no one else had, and probably never would!!!! this book also gives un an insite on the sequal to a cult hit PINK FLAMINGOS, and while not has good as FLAMINGOS, it's still funnier than most, and it's obvious he wrote some parts far MS.HILL, who was one of the stars of DESPRATE LIVING, also a script in this GREAT BOOK. I beg anybody who likes any type of film, no matter what it may be to get this book, because you'll never ever look at ANY movie the same!!!!

Waters's early work is hilarious, and the book is a surprisingly good read despite the egregious absence of Waters's best flick, "Female Trouble."

Reading these screenplays was more fun than watching the movies, as I could picture the filth in a more vivid way than is possible to portray on Waters' low budget. The happenings in these plays are so utterly outrageous the sheer force of their sleazyness is more overwhelming than "art". What perverse genius! I am reduced to babblesome blandness beside it. I love it more than my own haircolor, the sound of dogs dying & of babies crying--more than my own filthyness even. Gush gush gush gush gush gush gush...

John Waters may very well be one of the most hilarious and entertaining filmakers of our time. His quest for beauty in the trash heaps can always put a smile on your face. Some folks may find themselves becoming offended by Waters' offbeat sense of humor, but it's all in good(or bad) taste. The screenplays for two of his most notorious films, "Pink Flamingos" and "Desperate Living", are at last available for a fun read. You can recapture some of his terrific dialogue and grasp a tighter sense on the humor the he tries to push. The real treat here is the screenplay for the unmade sequel to "Pink Flamingos" called "Flamingos Forever". Unfortunately, this will never be made because the majority of the first film's stars have now passed on and Waters' feels those shoes could never be filled by anyone else. Don't be thrown off by it's title, "Trash Trio" is definately a terrific excursion into bad taste.

What a treat it is to read three screenplays written by the great director, John Waters. "Pink Flamingos" proved that a cult classic could be created on an extremely limited budget. The actors were uniquely talented and the characters they portrayed unforgettable. Now that the demented dialog they spoke is on the printed page, one can savor every word. I particularly enjoyed the pledges of undying love spoken by Raymond and Connie Marble.

CONNIE: "Oh, I love you Raymond! I love you more than anything in the whole world. I love you even more than my own filthiness, more than my hair color. Oh God, I love you more than the sound of bones breaking, the sound of the death rattle..."

RAYMOND: "And I, Connie, also love you more than anything I could imagine - more than my hair color, more than the sound of babies crying, dogs dying, even more than the thought of original sin itself. I am yours, Connie, eternally united to you through an invisible cord of finely woven filth that even God Himself could never, ever break."

"Desperate Living" is a modern day fairy tale in which an obese maid accidentally kills the husband of the neurotic socialite she works for. Rather than face a trial and possible prison time, they escape to a bizarre village in the forest known as Mortville. In the book, John Waters vividly describes the place and its residents. "Everything is made out of trash and garbage, including the houses. Hideous bums, perverts and psychopaths walk the street as...leather-clad Goons patrol the street harassing the pitiful citizens. In the distance we see a fairy-tale castle." Queen Carlotta is a ruthless monarch, living in opulent splendor while her squalid subjects starve. The power of the printed word was such that, immediately after reading that screenplay, I had to watch the movie again.

The real treasure in this trash trio is the screenplay for "Flamingos Forever," the never filmed sequel to "Pink Flamingos." The action takes place fifteen years after the end of the previous story. Babs Johnson, Crackers, Cotton and Edie the Egg Lady return to Baltimore as the Divine leaders of a filth cult. The late Connie Marble's sister, Vera, is married to Wilbur Venninger, a necrophiliac who owns a funeral home. The Venningers kidnap young children and force them to drink, smoke and shoot heroin. Vera claims to be the filthiest person alive, and sees Babs Johnson as the biggest threat to her title. Vera Venninger's rivalry with, seeming victory over and ultimate defeat to Babs comprises the rest of the story. What a shame that most of the actors in the original movie had passed away by the time this was written, and the sequel will never be filmed.

I love this book! This is the first book in my life that I have not been able to put down. I cannot wait to read the series over again. Cherie Bennett is my favorite author and I am going to read other books by her as well. I highly recommend this book. Especially for teenagers because I really think that people could relate to it. I also recommend other books by Cherie Bennett.

This book was a lot of fun to read. It had a lot of surprises (I really thought Lisha would end up with Sky) and suspense (I never knew what to expect next from Harley). I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

It was really fun, wild, and surprising. I love the relationship problems, it adds reality. I think Sky and Lisha should go out though...

I really liked this book. It has a lot of adventure in it and the ending is certainly surprising! (I thought Lisha loved Sky, not Alan!) I think that what Lisha did, ignoring Harley, was very stupid, although it came out okay, so I guess what she did was okay. This was very well-written with lots of suspense. I reccommend it to everyone

this book rocked. anyone who can read should read this series. the next 3 books are #4 Dirty Big Secrets from Nicks point of view about Chealsea and Jazz and stuff, #5 The Evil Twin about Karma and her twin and #6 Truth or Scare where Lisha has to choose between 2 guys, supposedly the most romantic book of trash yet. I'm not sure if you can buy them yet though and i cant wait!

Devotees of Fred Allen's radio show will enjoy this book, but others will not relate to the characters depicted. One complaint: In this reprint (evidently scanned from an original printing), the first page of each chapter was overscanned, so that the text is cut off at the margins.

"Treadmill To Oblivion" is the definitive book of Fred Allen's wit, humor, and charm. It traces his adventures in radio from 1932 to 1949. Within, we get samples of rountines, brilliantly funny jabs (Bewtween he and Jack Benny) and insight into the comic, concentrated mind of Fred Allen; one of America's greatests comedians. Also, there are sevral humorous observations, asides, and quips that reveal Allen's biting ever-throbbing wit. A MUST-READ for any lover of wit, wisdom, and humor. A good companion to this book is the honestly warm "Much Ado About Me", Fred Allen's subsequent book, telling the tale of his life before radio. Regardless, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!

"Treadmill To Oblivion" is the definitive book of Fred Allen's wit, humor, and charm. It traces his adventures in radio from 1932 to 1949. Within, we get samples of rountines, brilliantly funny jabs (Bewtween he and Jack Benny) and insight into the comic, concentrated mind of Fred Allen; one of America's greatests comedians. Also, there are sevral humorous observations, asides, and quips that reveal Allen's biting ever-throbbing wit. A MUST-READ for any lover of wit, wisdom, and humor. A good companion to this book is the honestly warm "Much Ado About Me", Fred Allen's subsequent book, telling the tale of his life before radio. Regardless, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!

Have owned & loaned both.In Treadmill To OblivionFred tells of his greedyagent booking him into themuddiest place in AustraliaHis early bookings & dealings with this agentare an Allen gem. All About Me was mostly hisradio scripts. Finished byhis daughter. Excellent forwriters of comedy. Successto all that follow in hissteps.

i rarely write reviews unless i'm ticked off.

i own a used copy of the original hardcover, back in the days before amazon.com, when it was a real accomplishment to find a rare used book. fred allen has been a favorite of mine since i was 12 years old and discovered old time radio. in fact, it's in hommage to f.a. that i have always typed in all lower case, as he did in his letters (see the other great book in the allen trio, "fred allen's letters". "much ado about me" is also wonderful, but unfortunately not quite finished when allen passed away.)

so my criticism is painful. . . i was so excited to see this book reprinted that i actually posted an announcement to the old time radio internet digest, encouraging folks to check it out. i ordered a copy myself, even though i own the original, just to throw a teeny bit of financial support at such a surprising endeavor. it seems quite unlikely to me that enough folks have even heard of fred allen these days to make this reprint a financial success (which would then, hopefully, spur more of this material to surface).

as i paged through the book i've read 100 times already, i could tell that the reprint was made from the original plates. the ink bleeds badly on many pages, and one page (which i can't seem to find now) was even printed slanted. the front cover is acceptable, even if as minimalist as one could make it given that it features a hirshfeld drawing. the back cover looks just awful, a plain white page with a bar code at the bottom and a small paragraph describing the book.

it's just simply a very cheap affair, despite the quality of the writing itself.

one other note: be aware that at least 50% of the book consists of script excerpts. when the book was published in 1953, no one had even conceived of the idea that one day people would be listening to these shows on reel to reel tapes, then lps, then cassettes, then mp3s. so to give the reader a sampling of the flavor of the show with these excerpts made sense.

now, however, anyone with enough interest in f.a. to buy this book most likely has had access to the shows one way or another. having a large collection myself, i was disappointed that i had heard many of the shows excerpted already.

but this is a minor reservation on a truly delightful, honest, witty, and funny account of allen's days in radio.

I am neither a science-fiction enthusiast nor a Christian. However, I am a long-time devotee of The Twilight Zone, and found myself intrigued by the concept of this book. As an impressionable youth at the time of the Twilight Zone's initial run, I always felt that the Twilight Zone was not "just a TV show," but rather presented a fairly coherent, if covert, value system that underlay and unified the various episodes, while offering a subtly didactic message. The authors of this book have analyzed the show from this standpoint and come up with a remarkable way of understanding this value system, expressed in a highly readable way. The style of the book is neither pompously academic nor heavy-handedly sectarian. But it is engaging and thought-provoking. I recommend it to all fans of TV science fiction, and not just Christians.

In an exploration of the contemporary vernacular of television, Kim Paffenroth and Thomas Bertonneau have articulated the ways that modern scientific investigation can enhance one's Christian faith. For too many years, too many preachers and theologians have kept either an uneasy distance between science and religion, or have felt compelled to elevate one, while denigrating the other. These authors have used six television shows, Doctor Who, Star Trek, The Prisoner, The Twilight Zone, The X-Files and Babylon 5, to examine the ways such television shows acknowledge a God who is intimately engaged with humans. Each of these television shows offered its viewers iconic archetypal heroes and villains, ones who are not that different from the great figures of the biblical text. Over time these productions grappled with human choices when presented with ethical dilemmas. They looked into the multidimensional faces of evil in the human realm. Viewers were thrust into the midst of such grand storytelling, right along with the characters in the television production. These authors have looked at the power of one aspect of the popular culture, linked it to theology in informed ways, and offered conclusions that are hopeful. Rather than reject television as "trash," Bertonneau and Paffenroth offer readers a fascinating analytical consideration of an inextricable part of our everyday lives.

[Rev. Sandra M. Rushing: Author of the upcoming book The Judas Legacy]

I found my read of "The Truth is Out There" by Bertonneau and Paffenroth enjoyable and satisfying. I'm not a scholar but I had no trouble moving through the chapters and I gained not only a new perspective on some of my favorite entertainment but I discovered a few fascinating facts that has me looking at it again.

The historical review of the classic "science vs religion" argument in the opening chapter was revelatory for me. I think anyone who isn't already familiar with the work of Rene Girard (whose theory of literary analysis is integral to the authors' thesis) will find the words, "Well I'll be darned!" escaping from their lips, paragraph by paragraph.

There is much more surprise to this book than just the unexpected subtitle, "Christian Faith and the Classics of TV Science Fiction". (I think the publishers should have dropped "Christian" as this rich insight into things religious is a mutli-faith one.)

I learned something about myself as well from Bertonneau and Paffenroth... there is good reason why so many simple but haunting images from the Twilight Zone and The Prisoner have lingered in my imagination for decades.

Read this book.

I have to disagree with the Publisher's Weekly review at the top of the page. Overall, the book isn't "stuffy" at all; it's easy to engage with and, yes, entertaining. You simply need to think it's cool that the more you know the Book of Revelation, the more you understand the X-Files.

In this genre (academics writing about TV shows) you can find some very good books and some very bad ones. The bad ones are all the same: academics who are bored with what they do -- theories of the self deconstructed blah blah -- try to juice it up by discovering it in the midst of a sitcom. The result is unpersuasive, condescending, and boring.

*The Truth is Out There* is one of the good ones. I'd rank it among the few (for example, Paul Cantor's *Gilligan Unbound*) that see how the best entertainment always has something serious at stake. You can try to make entertainment that takes *nothing* seriously, but that's a really serious development too. (See Thomas Hibbs, *Shows About Nothing*, another great example of what can be done with the genre.) As anyone who is really into these science fiction shows will tell you, they are most fun when you take them most seriously. That's what *TTIOT* does.

Just how Christian these shows are is a hard question, and the Christian readings advanced in the book will be controversial. All the better. I'd love to see the authors engage in phaser warfare with Cantor, who also deals with Star Trek and the X-Files but reads them very differently.

This is very much a book that I wish I had written. I have been a fan of science fiction for as long as I can remember (I can't quite remember the original Star Trek in first run, but it was in recent re-run when I first acquired sentience and memory...).

One of the hallmarks of successful science fiction (as opposed to the significant volume of bad science fiction that comes out each year) is that it doesn't rely exclusively on futuristic ideas of where science and technology will go, but rather delves deeply into the meaning of life and other significant issues of existence, relationship and cosmological understanding that people find important regardless of the time and technological period in which they live. A case in point is Star Trek - issues arise in most episodes of most of the series that deal not just with life and death, but what is important in life? By playing off against in-human or un-human characters like the Vulcans or the Klingons (or even more exotic, albeit often poorly constructed, creatures), the important aspects of human nature can be brought forward in ingenious ways.

Authors Thomas Bertonneau and Kim Paffenroth begin the text by discussing the relationships of science, religion and storytelling. There is a long history of this triad, which have rarely all been pulling together in the same direction, but not always opposed to each other, either. Bertonneau and Paffenroth trace the origins of science fiction back to ancient Greece, whose writings at the time combined elements of philosophy, religion and science in ways that often did not recognise a distinction between the fields the way modern academia and popular imagination does. Of course, these all contain ideas that lead into each other and the human condition. 'In giving us a cosmic perspective on ourselves, science and science fiction restore us to a proper humility - a meekness before the awe of creation appropriate to our station.'

One might wonder at the absence of films here - after all, the Joseph Campbell/Star Wars mythology would seem a natural tie-in for the subject. However, the authors liken the television shows to epic poetry - the serial aspect shows (generally speaking) the same sets of characters in recurring dilemmas, much the way epic poetry did. Most films do not have that aspect (although the Star Wars series approaches epic proportions). Also, television gives a kind of accessibility that films (until recently) did not have - an 'in-home' quality that is analogous in ways to Jesus' parables, which are much more home-spun in nature when compared to philosophical treatises of Greek and Roman writers of his same time.

Bertonneau and Paffenroth highlight six particular series: Dr. Who (the original British version), Star Trek (the original generation), The Prisoner, The Twilight Zone (Rod Serling's time), The X Files, and Babylon 5. The authors do not expect readers to be familiar with each of the shows (although the more obsessive science fiction fans - short for fanatic, of which I am one - will likely know them all), but expect because of the pervasive influence these shows have had on popular culture that every reader will be familiar with some aspects of some of the shows. However, these shows are in many ways counter-cultural, which the basic Christian message also tended and tends to be. 'Science fiction's determination to take a lofty view distinguishes it from other popular genres, which tend to be preoccupied with various forms of adolescent resentment.' Even so-called adult dramas tend to be replays of basic relationship patterns established early - the kind of discussion of the nature of good and evil or the nature of truth rarely comes up in these shows as it might in science fiction.

These are far from perfect shows, to be sure, and are not a replacement for the gospel. Ever mindful of the biblical injunctions against idolatry, authors Bertonneau and Paffenroth show how these science fiction shows take that issue as an important one - meanwhile, other shows are becoming idols (indeed, there is even a popular show right now with the very word in its title, but like idols of the ancient world, very little in terms of ultimate truth comes forward from them). Again Star Trek can be held up as an example here: 'it repeatedly examines the nature of good and evil, human nature, progress, reason and emotion, and most of all, virtue. Star Trek became and remains so popular because it does not just entertain but inquires into questions of ultimate meaning and purpose with thoughtfulness, ambiguity, and insight.' These shows tell stories that have a moral - and as often as not, these morals correspond to values the gospel message also tries to impart.

There are books out there bearing the title 'The Gospel according to the Simpsons,' 'The Gospel according to Disney,' and even 'The Gospel according to Sherlock Holmes,' but this book, 'The Truth is Out There,' doesn't have to put up as much struggle with its base subject to fit the underlying substance of theology and philosophy as the previous texts. The truth is out there, and in here, and can be found.

Pilate's question - what is truth? - is a question worth asking. Science fiction is one of the few popular forums in which this discussion continues.

I'm a single mom with three kids. I work two jobs and take care of an invalid mother. As a result, my kids see a little too much TV for my comfort. With my busy schedule, I needed some way that I could let the kids watch TV without having to be there to monitor every moment, and a way that wouldn't require much of my time. This is it. I spend less than 5 minutes with it each day challenging my kids with a TV project, and I'm set to go do what I want. My hats off to the author for finding a way to use TV to actually bring us all together.

This book is great! My kids love it. I find the activities for older teenagers (15 and up) a little impractical for my kids, but they actually enjoy helping the younger ones since the projects are creative and involve TV. So either way, my kids are actually doing things together and learning! Thank you! Finally my TV is harnessed.

I found TV Time to be very practical. At first I thought it might be another book that assumes I have a craft store in my house, but no. Not much is necessary beyond cardboard, paper, crayons, pencils, books, and the usual stuff you find in every house with a child in it.

I was skeptical when I ordered the book, but it really does work. I only have to spend two minutes a day with the book to find a new idea and that quickly my kids are automatically using it in a creative and educational way. When I see all the pictures they color and projects they make now while watching TV, I don't feel guilty letting them watch anymore. One less reason to feel guilty about being an overworked Mom.

Journalist and mom Debra Koontz Traverso shares the same concerns that other parents have about the wasteland that in general characterizes TV for children. But she's not willing to throw the baby out with the proverbial bathwater, preferring instead to use TV for the educational and mind-expanding experience it can be. So, she's written TV Time to help parents learn how to get kids actively involved in managing TV choices and making the most of them.

With 95 percent of the households in this country sporting at least one television set, the medium obviously has an impact on a child's life. Although much has been written about the evils of children watching television, little concrete guidance has been provided for parents in palatable form .. until now, Traverso remedies this situation in her book by providing unique and fun ideas on how to transform the television into an educational tool by incorporating the fun of watching the tube with the stimulation involved in learning.

And here's the best part: the book is divided by age groups, activities and subjects, so it makes an easy reference that can grow with a child as his/her TV selections change through the years. Most of the activities take less than a minute to read and apply, a welcome blessing to busy working moms who otherwise would feel angst about allowing their children to watch TV.

The author suggests lots of easy-to-play games, dialogues, mindteasers and memory quizzes to help turn sitting in front of the TV into an active rather than passive experience. Traverso also suggests unusual and subtle ways parents can stimulate their children's thinking to critique content as they watch television, and she also helps them understand the subtle messages presented on the screen.

Most educators would agree, it's a book that should be referred to each time the TV is turned on.

This Book is great!!! The workouts are designed to be completed during the commercials of your favorite television show. A 1 hour show has 4 commercial breaks of about 4 minutes each. Accordingly, each exercise block takes about 4 minutes to complete. For example, during the first commercial break you may do a few stretches; the second, do a few pushups or water bottle curls, the third some squats, and the fourth, some ab exercises.
Often workout books are so overwhelming (and written for people already moderately fit). The workouts Stew presents are quite reasonable for any couch potato; and for everyone who complains they don't have time, NO MORE EXCUSES! Stew shows a creative flair here and this book proves once and for all that you don't need a lot of time to get some choice exercising done. Imagine workouts around tv commercials! A real nice feature of this book lacking in so many health fitness books is that there are pictures of Stew doing the exercises, so you don't run the risk of injury or bad form.
It's really quite ingenious and requires no equipment--just a chair to do some dips and a water bottle or light weights.
If you're dissatisfied with your physical fitness level, don't have the money or time for a gym, and are ready to get serious about things, get this book. It's the best money you could spend on Amazon!

This is a great book for the completely sedentary. I orignally bought this book for my sister-in-law who has three small children and never has time to exercise. I have since given the copy to my younger sister also who I couldn't persuade to do anything else.

The workouts are designed to be completed during the commercials of your favorite television show. A 1 hour show has 4 commercial breaks of about 4 minutes each. Accordingly, each exercise block takes about 4 minutes to complete. For example, during the first commercial break you may do a few stretches; the second, do a few pushups or water bottle curls, the third some squats, and the fourth, some ab exercises.
It's really quite ingenious and requires no equipment--just a chair to do some dips and a water bottle or light weights.

If you are already in shape, of course this book isn't for you, but I bought it for my family that isn't in shape. "What can I do," they say, "with no time or energy?" Now you can introduce to them Stew Smith. Even better, offer them his online PT club. www.stewsmith.com

Alright, the title intrigued me at the bookstore. Often workout books are so overwhelming (and written for people already moderately fit). The workouts Stew presents are quite reasonable for any couch potato; and for everyone who complains they don't have time, NO MORE EXCUSES! Stew shows a creative flair here and this book proves once and for all that you don't need a lot of time to get some choice exercising done. Imagine workouts around tv commercials! A real nice feature of this book lacking in so many health fitness books is that there are pictures of Stew doing the exercises, so you don't run the risk of injury or bad form. Stew might be a former Navy SEAL, but he looks like a regular guy. Getting healthy doesn't have to be intimidating. Anybody can do these exercises. Do yourself and your body a favor, get the book even if you are an athlete. You will be surprised at the ideas inside. The small anecdotes - the one I liked most was the note Stew's wife wrote about trying to lose weight after the birth of their daughter- add a nice dimension to the book. The book was written by Stew for his parents (respected couch potatoes). You almost want to hug this guy. Seriously, the pictures, the sense of humor (the idea of this book alone), and the creativity Stew offers is why I ranked this with a 5 star rating.

A year ago I was in a size 18 dress. Today, as I write this review, I am wearing a pair of size 1 jeans, and it's entirely because of Stew and his dedication to helping people become as healthy and strong as they can be. I have, at this point, bought and given away over a dozen copies of this excellent book. It was a great starting point for me in my quest for physical fitness. I went from there to joining his Online PT Club and he was beside me, and, at times, behind me, when I needed to be pushed over the hump -- every step of the way. If you're dissatisfied with your physical fitness level, don't have the money or time for a gym, and are ready to get serious about things, get this book. It's the best money you could spend on Amazon!

Alright, the title intrigued me at the bookstore. Often workout books are so overwhelming (and written for people already moderately fit). The workouts Stew presents are quite reasonable for any couch potato; and for everyone who complains they don't have time, NO MORE EXCUSES! Stew shows a creative flair here and this book proves once and for all that you don't need a lot of time to get some choice exercising done. Imagine workouts around tv commercials! A real nice feature of this book lacking in so many health fitness books is that there are pictures of Stew doing the exercises, so you don't run the risk of injury or bad form. Stew might be a former Navy SEAL, but he looks like a regular guy. Getting healthy doesn't have to be intimidating. Anybody can do these exercises. Do yourself and your body a favor, get the book even if you are an athlete. You will be surprised at the ideas inside. The small anecdotes - the one I liked most was the note Stew's wife wrote about trying to lose weight after the birth of their daughter- add a nice dimension to the book. The book was written by Stew for his parents (respected couch potatoes). You almost want to hug this guy. Seriously, the pictures, the sense of humor (the idea of this book alone), and the creativity Stew offers is why I ranked this with a 5 star rating.

Tried to covered a broad concept and has done it well. He is more a video expert than an IP expert but given the breadth of the concept he is trying to cover, I must say, he has done a great job. I would have given him 5 starts if he had not use the term "signal" in the IP and RTP discussions.

This is one of the most in-depth and comprehensive books I have ever seen covering IPTV, security, streaming, conferencing, compression and network transport. If you are professionally involved in video, this book serves as the perfect first stop reference that will give you a quick understanding of what the technologies are for and how they interrelate. Information is very well organized and easy to find.

Excellent book for technical professionals looking to go deeper into video. All the relevant protocols and technologies are surveyed, and enough detail is provided to give an understanding of their relevance. Highly recommended - this will point you to the areas to explore in more depth if you need to go further.

This book provides an excellent basis for anyone working in the field of video transport over IP networks. The author is a highly-respected expert in this field and speaks with authority on the subject, yet has written a volume that is very readable and useful as a reference. I can highly recommend this work as an up-to-date review of the topic.

As a video engineer for over 30 years, I am constantly amazed by what passes for reference work in the field of television, communications and computers. Most of the technical books answer a few questions at best and are very good at putting one to sleep, very quickly!

Not so with Mr. Simpson's book. "Video Over IP, a Practical Guide..."is,indeed, just that. With the convergence of entertainment communications and computers, the plethora of acronyms in this field is worse than it's ever been. Video over IP cuts through the clutter and provides concise, easy to understand answers. Mixed in are real life application descriptions, and practical examples that describe the technology clearly and in a way that can be understood by engineers and managers alike. An example is Mr. Simpson's analogy comparing MAC addresses and IP addresses, where the MAC address is similar to an automobile's VIN number and the IP address, which may vary over the life of a piece of hardware, is analogous to the registration or plate number. Brilliant! Couple this with the review and checklist update at the end of each chapter, and what we have is an excellent reference work that is both easy to read and up to date. A must have for anyone in the video, telecom or entertainment fields.

I liked this book a lot. I am not a video engineer - however, I need high performance hardware and I need to understand how to connect it all. I needed to understand what it takes to put together a networked high performance system of relational databases (emphases on high performance and databases) - SAN's, NAS's, RAID's, etc. This book describes it at the correct level.

I was looking for a general overview of SAN's, NAS, DAS, and other high throughput fast storage and networking descriptions. This book has it without overwhelming you with 8B/10B encoding and modulation nonsense.

As a systems integrator in the broadcast and professional video industry, we face issues associated with the converging IT and professional AV media environments on almost daily basis. To date, we have had to build our own knowledge base to address these matters and have found no one source that appropriately deals with these merging industries - well this book addresses these issues head on.

Personally, I found this book really "hit the spot" as it relates to the broadcast and media industry as it stands today (as well as in the near future). I found this book to be up to date and topics discussed exceedingly relevant. Although this book tackles a broad array of topics, from media network deployment and management to video system fundamentals and architectures, the information covered was well presented and logically organized which made it a very comfortable read.

This book is a must for anyone (IT managers, as well as network and video engineers alike) who have an interest in producing, managing, and distributing video media.

This book is of interest to any technical professional working with video. In the past, we could view the world of IT as of increasing value but not central to a video system. No longer. This book comprehensively lays out the myriad of technologies and issues to be considered as we incorporate the power and economy of IT servers and networking ever more broadly into our broadcast and production facilities.

Last year at a Hollywood Post Alliance meeting a senior technical production executive said to an audience of technical professionals, "If you don't have a strong foundation in video, networking and IT....you will not work in our business any longer."

What he was really saying is, go out and get Kovalick's book and read it. And then read it again.

As a professional who serves the pro-video and broadcast market, I've been eagerly awaiting my copy of Video Systems in an IT Environment. I just received my order a few weeks ago from Amazon.com and I've now had a chance to absorb several chapters -- with more to come.

First impressions: Wow! Substantial. Meaty. First of its kind. When you receive this book in the mail, the first thing you notice upon opening the package is the sheer weight and tasteful abstract art on the front cover. This is a hefty 600-page volume packed with hundreds of detailed illustrations and lots of examples. When it comes to understanding principles of modern networked media for video and audio, this Focal Press work deserves a prominent place in any serious video or IT engineer's reference library.

Although this book is oriented towards the professional media or broadcast systems engineer (as opposed to a video consumer building a home media network), the author does a nice job of weaving together the essentials of networked media from "A to Z" including a handy glossary of terms for those of us who can't keep our acronyms straight. I've known the author, Al Kovalick, who's a well regarded figure in the broadcast community. His breadth of knowledge is evident throughout each chapter, yet he writes in a witty, practical style that's both educational and fun to read (including some pretty subtle humor that will make an engineer chuckle). Without sacrificing depth, this book takes a complex technical subject and brings it down to earth, making it suitable even for less technical (but motivated) readers. I like the "It's a Wrap" section found at the end of each chapter that summarizes the salient points of each chapter.

Bottom line, this book is for you if you're seeking a solid overview of key engineering considerations when designing or recommending networked video architectures, including networking fundamentals, virus and firewall protection, video servers, NSPOF (no single point of failure) storage design including RAID and RAIN methods, as well as other innovative architectures. Several real-world case studies complement the teaching benefits including specific examples by leading-edge media companies and broadcasters.

Chapter Highlights:
Networked Media in an IT Environment
The Fundamentals of Professional Networked Media
Storage System Basics
Storage Access Methods
Software Technology for AV Systems
Reliability and Scalability Methods
Networking Basics for AV
Media Systems Integration
Security for Networked AV Systems
Systems Management and Monitoring
The Transition to IT: Issues and Case Studies
A Review of AV Basics

As an avid horror fan, I must say Vincent Price is the long-standing king of horror. When I think of horror movies, he immediately comes to mind. Finally, a book that specializes in the work of a true master who truly loved his work. Having recently purchased this, I look forward to mulling through its contents and watching the many films of "The Master of the Macabre." Long live Vincent Price!!!

True fans of Vincent Price don't really care whether or not we're watching something badly made like SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN or some auteur-approved masterpiece like TOMB OF LIGEIA. As long as Vincent Price is in it, hamming it up and acting all others right off the screen we are in hog heaven. It's a strange, fervid fraternity and way back when someone started calling us The Price Club and the name just stuck.

Denis Meikle has given us a book that clears up some of the myths surrounding Price's career, but he seems determined to create a new one, based somewhat on Victoria's great book. His thesis is that the McCarthy hearings and the "graylist" of which Price was the victim made him scared that he would never work again, so that afterwards, from the mid 1950s on, he consented to appear in any piece of schlock if the "price was right." Again and again he evinces this theory to explain, for example, why VP appeared as "Egghead" on TV's BATMAN. Price himself often stated that he wanted money to but more modern art with, but Meikle discounts this simple explanation.

I am the proud owner of a signed copy of Price's awesome book THE ART IN MY LIFE and I think that he indeed loved art and that he wasn't just "running scared" from the HUAC police.

But everyone deserves a forum for their views and Meikle makes a good case for his.

Vincent Price came into horror films by way of the studio system. His body of work is amazing, and he showed a fine sense of comedic timing in His Kind of Woman, with Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell, playing an OTT hammy actor. Later this tough for droll comedy would show in two gems - The Raven and The Comedy of Terrors. However, he really gathered attention in 1952 with House of Wax. After that wonderful performance, it was non stop fun all the way.

Many of his films were for William Castle or Roger Corman, and often considered Drive-In fodder - such as The Fly, The Bat, House on Haunted Hill. It was the series of Poe movies that firmly linked the word horror to Price - and I think it was a term he enjoyed completely. At the time the Corman-Price-Poe series of movies - The Pit and The Pendulum (with Scream Queen Barbara Steele), House of Usher, Tomb of Ligeia, Masque of the Red Death, Haunted Palace (which was really Lovecraft not Poe, but what the hey...) were often dismissed. But looking back, you will see finely crafted horror films that are still a pleasure to what now, with many of Price's wonderful performances.

Even later, he continued to seek out this same spotlight with the campy Theatre of Blood and the Dr. Phibes duo of films or the more serious Cry of the Banshee and Conqueror Worm (one of his most underrated performances).

He scared us with a gentle boo, mesmerising with that voice, thrilled us with the wondrous menacing laugh, enchanted us with his devilish twinkle in his eye...he entertained us cooking fish in his dishwasher on Johnny Carson.

His legacy lives and this is wonderful tribute to the master! Loaded with pictures, it is a must for Price fans.

When I was a kid way, way back in the late sixties to the early
seventies I never failed to catch a great Price film on the late night Creature Features. This book is hard to put down.
Dennis Meikle does'nt white wash the Master of Menace, nor present him in any unfavorable light. All of Price's successes
and failings are told here in a very respectful manner. As a
matter of fact there were some parts of Price's life I did'nt want to know. This is the story of a great actor the likes of whom we will never ever see again. Well illustrated. A really
excellent book.

I just finished reading this excellent book on Vincent Price. It concentrates just on his work in the horror film genre which is primarly what he is remembered for. Denis Meikle follows Vincent's career chronologically film by film, giving details of the production as well as what was going on in Price's life at the time. While this is not an exhaustive work on this wonderful actor, it makes a great companion piece to his daughter's book "Vincent Price: A Daughter's Biography" which covers his personal life and Lucy Chase Williams' excellent "The Complete Films of Vincent Price" which covers all his film output. All together, these tell the story of one of the last true renaissance men. Recommended.