Television Books


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Television Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Television
Friendly Enemies: The Director-Actor Relationship
Published in Kindle Edition by Billboard Books (2003-01-01)
Author: Delia Salvi
List price: $17.95
New price: $9.99

Average review score:

The best out there
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-21
High praise for Friendly Ememies. It instructs directors on how to communicate with actors by understanding the principles of acting and learning the actor's lexicon. It teaches directors how to bring out the actor's full potential while arriving at the director's intended vision. It's well organized and practical. Clearly written by someone with a lifetime of experience doing what they're writing about. It's the best director's guide to shaping actor's performances out there. I know, I've read them all.

Great book for understanding the actor director dynamic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-07
Delia Salvi is a pioneer in the field of teaching emerging directors how to best work with actors. She has mentored many at UCLA including Alexander Payne, David Ward, Audrey Wells, and myself. I have found her book and her counsel to be invaluable. Salvi's book is specific and easy to put into practice. I teach directing at Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and I recommend the book to my students and I use it in my classes and in my professional work on the outside. Five Stars!!!! Lynn Hamrick, Director

Flawless - Should Be Required Reading In All Films Schools!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-13
Delia Salvi has written an insightful, brilliant - must read for any serious student of Film or Television Directing. This book should be standardized as required reading in Film Schools around the country!

It is a Bible for Artists, whether it be, Actor, Writer, Producer or Director.

Kelly Galindo
Professor @ Chapman University School of Film, Acting Coach, Director and Actor.

Director's Direction
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-11
May the Gods of the Arts bless Prof. Salvi for writing a guide that is not bogged down in esoteric theory. Practical, concise, comprehensive. A definitive road map for stage or screen directors, with value to actors and writers too. The most useful book on the topic that I have read in years.

A Must-Have!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-23
What a terrific book! It's a fun read filled with great tips and tools. Anybody who is interested in the performing arts will get a kick out of it, not just actors and directors.

Delia Salvi explains exactly how to diagnose and fix a flat scene. She explains specifically how to work with all different kinds of actors and help them give their best performance. She is very passionate about her work and it shows in her writing. I feel having this book is like having a Hollywood professional as my own personal mentor.

Also, just as it helps directors to understand the acting process, (which she explains) it also helps actors to grasp the directing process. She makes it all easy to understand and apply.

But, I'd say my favorite part of the book is the interviews with working actors and directors. It's really worth it just to read her interviews with Geena Davis and Alexander Payne. They tell you all about how it works in the real world of Hollywood. Very eye-opening. And I'd say that section made me a better actor.

Television
The Fugitive: Views And Reviews (Volume II)
Published in Paperback by Wasteland Press (2006-12-05)
Authors: Ken, Ardizzone, K., J. Batten, and Bob, Nearenberg
List price: $16.95
New price: $16.95
Used price: $38.84

Average review score:

The Fugitive is Captured by Experts
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-15
In writing a review of this book, I must first state that I am probably not one of the greatest fans of the 1960s TV series. With that said, I also confess that I didn't exactly hate it either. It was an entertaining show produced more than forty years ago that was initially hard for me to remember. What I like best about the book is the enthusiasm of its reviewers, and their skill in thoroughly describing and reviewing the good and not so good elements of this old series. Also admirable, is their successful rekindling of my interest in the show. Proof of this rekindling is the fact that after reading Volume I of the series I readily bought the first season DVD offering and have been regularly watching the shows. Volume 2 is probably even better written than Volume 1, and I recommend both books to fans of the series, and anyone wanting to know more about the series. When the episodes for Season Two get released on DVD this book will become even more valuable. For the record, I think the old series was superior to the 1990s movie starring Harrison Ford. David Janssen was very well cast in the show. He was a much underrated actor.

The Fugitive Views and Reviews Volume II
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-17
A must read for all Fugitive fans. What is unique about this book is that each episode of season two is reviewed in detail and given a poll rating on a scale of 0-10. Follow Richard Kimble and Phil Gerard along with Bob, Kitty, and Ken. Season two has many classic episodes including World's End, Nemesis, Escape into Black, The End is But the Bginning, The Survivors, and May God Have Mercy. This book will be an excellent reference guide to the DVD collection when released.

VOLUME II - SEASON 2 OF "THE FUGITIVE"
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-12
Volume II of The Fugitive: Views And Reviews, picks up where volume I left off, with more insightful and fact filled reviews and debate of the second season of "The Fugitive" one of television's greatest dramatic series. Also contains viewer poll results for each episode.This volume covers the second season which ran from1964 to 1965, including many classic episodes like "Man In A Chariot", "World's End", "The End Is But The Beginning", and the all time classic "Escape Into Black" from which the cover photo is derived.A perfect companion piece to Volume I which is currently available and a must have for true Fugitive fanatics.Bobbynear

Incredible detail
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-09
This is the best episode guide yet on The Fugitive. The authors go into such detail and raise points I would never have thought of. I'd recommend it to all Fugitive fans. I hope another three books will follow, for seasons 2, 3 and 4!

The Ultimate Fugitve Review Book
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-24
The authors of this book put in painstaking effort to review each episode of The Fugitive starring David Janssen. They personally watch each episode more than once, research background information, and blend in their views stemming from what they have gathered from the characters and storyline before each episode, as well as real-life parallel history to either confirm or deny plausibility of plot.

I recommend this book very much as a companion to any Fugitive fan who is going through one or all of the episodes.

Mitch

Television
Geri - Just for the Record
Published in Hardcover by Random House Uk Ltd (2002)
Author: Geri Halliwell
List price:
Used price: $1.63

Average review score:

Awesome Book - Very Honest
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-14
I have always been a fan of autobiographies and this book certainly delivers. I was thinking it might not be as good as all that. I mean come on, yes I was a fan of the spice girls, but so was every pre teen girl.

But I was surprised to find out actually quite a lot. Geri is very open about her battles with anorexia and her trials with the paparazzi.

She is also an amazing person having done work for the UN, speaking about birth control and also performing for the troops.

It was a smart move for her to write this book and also a very honest one as well. She has been through a lot and you see her struggle through it all. It is very inspiring to know what she has been through and it makes you realize that celebrity is not always as perfect as it seems.

Great Read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-02
I read this book after reading her 1st auto-biography If Only and it is great! If only takes you up to when she left the band and Just for the Record takes you on her solo career.
This book really shows you who she is as a person. You see all sides of her and it made me like her all the more b/c you see how human she is. She shows you that all celebrities have their good an bad days like the rest of us. She gives you an insiders peak into a fun and sometimes not so fun world of celebrity.
Loved it!

A Page Turner
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-10
I have to admit I only bought this book because the Spice Girls were getting back together and thought it would be cool. I'm not much of a reader but, this book kept me entertained, I read the whole book in one day, "If Only" should be read first but really it doesn't need to be, this book portrays even more in depth how and why Geri left the group when she did and she writes about her struggles with what she wanted to do after that decision, she also explaines her troubles with eating disorders and her passion for yoga, a great read, even if you aren't a fan!

Amazing read!
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-01
This book pics up right where If Only left off. This book is an excellent read, which holds your interest and it has amazing full page pictures of Geri. I would recommend reading If Only first because "just for the record" is a continuation of it. These books are great reads even if you aren't a fan of Geri's music because she has gone through so much in her life, and it is a very inspirational book with a positive message. This book is also a ,must have for any Geri fan. Even if you don't like to read, the pictures are amazing and there are many of them.

This book is great!!![.]
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-06
Ok, I got this book, and I am in love with it. First of all,I loved "If Only", which was her first book. But, it was story that never got finished. She leaves the first one with you wondering if her solo career is gonna make it, and this one picks up where she left off, and shows her spunky greatness. This book, along with the great pictures is very good. Anything and everything is shown about her life. This is a book that really makes you wanna change and be a better person. Going from 1998 to 2002 shows all of her triumphs and struggles. Anorexia, singles not getting number one, and break ups take up a major part of the book. But also, it shows her awards, loves , and performances, that make you feel like you are right there. READ THIS BOOK. The reading itself is good, but also, there are hundreds of pictures of her in the book that show her from then to now. If you have any intrest in this woman,you'd better buy this book.

Television
Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows
Published in Paperback by Prentice Hall (1989-11)
Authors: Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik
List price: $14.95
Used price: $1.91

Average review score:

Time for a new edition Harrry...Wally...PLEASE!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-26
I keep this book under my coffee table along with my copy of Psychotronic and Maltin, and find myself picking it up virtually every week for reasons that range from trivia to enlightenment to even "toilet seat treat" and my only wish is that there was an updated edition or sequel covering TV since 1989! This book is a must for any 'scholar' of television and as cheap as it appears to be in the Amazon Marketplace, there's no excuse not to have one! Harry....Wally....please come back and make us a new one! We need it for the 21st century!!!!

The Best
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-06
An absolutely great reference book. Its sequel was long overdue. They do underrate 'Car 54' a little, though... (!)

Harry & Wally's Favorite TV Shows
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-03
This is one of the best reference guides ever written for all those classic tv enthusiests! It not only has information on shows that had successful runs but those shows that didn't last more than one season or possibly not past the pilot show. It is light easy fun reading and a great book to have in my collection when I ask myself "what was that show..you know with the guy and the girl and that whachamacallit", and you can usually find your answer. If you can find this book used,(since it is out of print and hard to find), grab it and enjoy! Thanks Harry & Wally!

Far better than that "Complete Directory" book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-10-23
Why is it that that "Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows" is now in an 8th edition, while "Harry and Wally" has been out of print for years? The "Complete Directory" is nothing but a dry, boring recitation of shows' premises, whereas "Harry and Wally" is like a roundup of well-written short essays on whether some obscure show would be worth your time. (I refered to it recently when Trio did a special run of "East Side/West Side.") The more classic the show, the better and longer the write-up, too. They also score extra credit with me, as an original series "Star Trek" die-hard, for a great write-up on my favorite series.

I've hoped for years for an updated edition of Harry and Wally. C'mon guys, where did you go? What gives?

Unique and valuable reference work
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-02
It's a shame this book isn't in print anymore. It's an even BIGGER shame that there was never an updated edition. The book came out in the late 1980s, and so much has happened in television since then. Harry and Wally, if you're out there, how about writing a sequel?

Even though it's more than a decade out of date, "Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows" is still a valuable reference work for students of pop culture or just fans of classic TV. It covers a great many series that other TV books skip over, including series on PBS and shows imported from the UK. The idea of giving each series a rating from zero stars to four stars also sets "Favorite TV Shows" apart from other similar books. Better yet, the reviews are usually right on the money.

Television
Hellboy: The Art of the Movie
Published in Paperback by Dark Horse (2004-03-17)
Authors: Guillermo del Toro, Mike Mignola, Wayne Barlowe, and Ty Ellingson
List price: $24.95
New price: $19.99
Used price: $15.00

Average review score:

Storyboard, art, script, storyboard, art...repeat
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-09
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RIF1M2NFS96YR The book started with Guillermo del Toro (GdT) recounting how Hellboy went from being one of his favourite comic books to become a Hollywood movie he would direct.

Major characters in the book have their own biography pages, providing a little background for readers, like me, who didn't read the original comic book series. That was helpful.

Conceptual art was plentiful and are accompanied by the movie script. Short captions by artists explained how the art was created to fit into the vision of GdT. This book's main subject is most probably artistic direction with function. From the captions, every thing drawn has form, function and purpose. Here's a little quote from GdT:

"Let me make something abundantly clear --- in case you've been on Mars --- NO RED!!! --- Except for Hellboy or the atmospheres that are intimate/related to him: BROOM, LIZ, GRIGORY, and/or colors in WWII. - GdT"

This book was heavy on character design, set design, movie story boards and props design. Movie frame stills were hard to find.

For Hellboy fans, getting this book is a no brainer.

There are more pictures on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for my blog's link.

An amazing visual companion to the cult movie phenomenon
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-25
Mike Mignola's HELLBOY is no longer a obscure character enjoyed by unwashed comic geeks thanks to Guillermo Del Toro & Revolution Studios.
A full finished script of the film is included, as well as some background stories on some key characters.
The book's preproduction art from Wayne Barlowe, Mike Mignola, Simeon Wilkins, & TyRuben Ellingson is no less than phenomenal. Creature, Prop, & Location designs are found throughout each page. Arguably, some of Wayne Barlowe's best designs can be found here. Even Guillermo Del Toro's sketches find their way into the book. This book makes for an excellent introduction to one of modern fiction's most unique characters.

Mignola and del Toro and Barlowe, oh my
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-16
Besides a complete shooting script and lots of commentary, this has tons of illustrations and concept art done by all the artists involved in the movie. It's wonderful to see Mike Mignola's and Wayne Barlowe's sketches following the development of all the various Hellboy monsters, characters and environments, and lots of stuff that didn't make it into the movie. A must for any fan of the film.

Excellent "Art of..." movie book!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-05
I was unfamiliar with the world of Hellboy prior to seeing the movie. When I did and when I ordered this book, I was blown away by the wealth of visual richness that inhabit the Hellboy universe. Being a collector of "Art of..." books, I realized that the strength of Hellboy lies in the visual galore. The book is fully detailed with drawings from every level of production as well as the closeness of working atmosphere between the filmakers and the creator of the original material not commonly known in Hollywood.

My only gripe in this book is that the structuring is kinda messed up and confusing, since the book mixes up the art section with the script.

Great art, great book
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-15
A must have for art, comic and production design lovers, has lots new designs by Mignola Barlowe and other great artists including the prop makers. Includes beautiful pages illustrating both concept and the picture of the final prop supported by the commentaries and thinkings of the artist involved in the creation of that specific prop. It also includes the final shooting script, and images from Guillermo del Toro's notebook which are nice sketches and annotations depicting the first idea behind the final design of each character. Great!!! one of the best, just do not read it before watching the movie.

Television
Hollywood Beauty: Linda Darnell and the American Dream
Published in Paperback by University of Oklahoma Press (2001-04)
Author: Ronald L. Davis
List price: $16.95
New price: $13.61
Used price: $12.86

Average review score:

Linda Darnell
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-15
Linda Darnell has been a long favorite of mine, so to read "Hollywood Beauty: Linda Darnell and the American Dream," was a real treat. Well written, with a good insight to this lady as both an actress and woman.

Madam Shopper
http://www.marchars.com

Movie Fans Pounce!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-08
"Hollywood Beauty" is a thoroughly well researched bio of the late actress, Linda Darnell. It definitely portrays a tough, life in the Tinseltown whirlwind. HB also offers a solid overview of life in the old studio system that wedded performers to one autocratic employer. We read how actors were assigned to a picture, then suddenly pulled or shuffled off to another job with no thought given to personal feelings or effects on careers. Fox boss Darryl F. Zanuck and director Joseph l. Mankiewicz are portrayed as hedonistic cads. This reviewer is too young to remember but that system broke up in the early 1950s. TV was the culprit. Fewer Americans were going out to movies so fewer films were made. Linda was cut by Fox but such stars as Clark Gable, Betty Grable, Gene Tierney, and Jeanne Crain also received pink slips. This reviewer encountered one minor disappointment with HB: He would like to have learned more about the making of that classic, brooding western, "My Darling Clementine". How did LD like react to working with director John Ford? (Do we remember that scene where she tries to cheat Henry Fonda at cards?). That minor complaint aside, HB is highly recommended to movie fans of any age. One may be too young to remember LD but that is what VHS and DVDs are for! Some may believe that HB is a sad story but this reviewer disagrees. For all her troubles, LD never gave up. She hung in there through it all and was gainfully working as a stage actress right up to her untimely death in that fire. Readers should enjoy HB more if they approach with an optimistic mindset and a desire to learn of the old Hollywood studio system that is gone forever, for better or worse. Most likely the latter.

Good reading
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-26
Very well, written, but the author couldn't decide the year of Linda's birth. On the copyright page, one year of birth was given, then in the book, another year. It made me question the other facts. Aside from that, the book was very interesting-- the strange homelife, the thyroid problem, the marriages, the films, the decline of her acting career and the section on her burning and death are just gripping. I recommend this one.

Great read on a star not mentioned enough...
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-25
This was the only bio I could find on Linda Darnell and I must say, it was worth the money. The author's honest depiction and narrative of this actress is wonderfully written. I highly recommend this insightful biography!

The Curse of Beauty
Helpful Votes: 41 out of 42 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-05
I always liked Linda Darnell. My mother had told me about her when I was in my early teens, saw some of her films, and was quite taken by her. She wasn't a great actress, but she certainly wasn't a bad one, either. But when you look like that, who cares? Linda, born Monetta Eloyse Darnell in Texas, was blessed, or cursed, with a strikingly beautiful face. Pushed by her volatile, ambitious mother, Linda was signed to a contract at 20th Century Fox at the age of 15. Touted as Fox's "Glory Girl", she was featured in several films as a decorative brunette. With her lovely "Latin" looks (her grandfather actually was part Cherokee) and voluptuous figure, she adorned the screen in films such as "The Mask of Zorro" and "Blood and Sand", playing "good girls". When her box-office appeal started to wane, she was still barely over 20 years old. Her personal problems began to mount, dealing with her overbearing mother, a mounting drinking problem that began when she was married to her first husband, (who was some twenty-odd years older), and the fact that she could not bear children. Ms. Darnell's career picked up, however, when she started playing gorgeous "bad girls" in films such as "Fallen Angel", "Hangover Square", and the overblown costume epic "Forever Amber", in which she played an upwardly mobile woman of ill repute. Her best role, as the golddigger with a tender heart in Joseph Mankiewicz's "A Letter to Three Wives", came in 1949, but from then on it was pretty much downhill. Ms. Darnell's personal life became a series of unhappy marriages, exploitative relationships, a spotty career, alcoholism, and ultimately ended in a spectacularly awful way: she was horribly burned in a house fire in 1965, with 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 90% of her body,lingered for about 33 hours, and died, aged 41.
The book is a quick, albeit depressing read. Ronald Davis, also a native Texan, writes with compassion for his subject. Several interviews with her siblings, friends, and adopted daughter give a sympathetic portrayal of the "Fallen Angel". To put it in a nutshell, Ms. Darnell wasn't tough enough to handle the ups and downs of show business. Her tale isn't the first nor the last about the cruel world of showbiz, but it just seems even more depressing, when one thinks of the beauty with the face of a Madonna, going downhill at such a young age, and dying so horribly. I may add that there are eerie foreshadowings of her demise in three of her best known films. In "Hangover Square", she is strangled by Laird Cregar, who places her body on a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day; in "Anna and the King of Siam", Linda, playing the runaway concubine Tuptim, is burned at the stake; and in "Forever Amber", she bears witness to the Great Fire of London. Creepy, isn't it?
Just a word of warning: Don't read this book if you're depressed!

Television
The Hooterville Handbook: A Viewer's Guide To Green Acres
Published in Paperback by St. Martin's Griffin (1993-03-15)
Author: Stephen Cox
List price: $12.95
Used price: $19.99

Average review score:

A fun book to own
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-28
A sneak peek behind the Green Acres phenomenon. Contains exclusive interviews, publicity photos, trivia & episode guide.

A must-have for Green Acres fans!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-20
Once again Stephen Cox writes an amazing book! Like its "siblings", this book is full of incredible photographs, rare trivia and interesting tid-bits. The painstaking research is always evident in this author's books. If you love Oliver, Lisa, Fred Ziffel and gang, then you're going to love this book!

The Low-down on our favorite small town.
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-27
The Hooterville Handbook gives the reader unknown knowledge about the creation, and development of one of the kookiest sitcoms, "Green Acres". It supplies various essays regarding the impact of and interesting things about Hootervile (also Green Acres) and all of its locals. What was so special about Arnold the pig? WAS that salesman married or not? Such pressing questions are masterfully answered by Mr. Cox. Only one glitch, that seems to occur in most of Cox's Classic TV books; he doesn't seem to enjoy writing, watching, or doing anything involving his profession. He writes with a cold air of superiority, which could come across as professional, or rudely distant. Overall, however, this book was fascinating, a good read, and had the insights of the cast, crew, and random essay writers.

Viva Hooterville!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-05-12
I saw Eddie Albert signing a copy of this book at a nostalgia event in Los Angeles in 1998 and I had to go out and buy this book. It's fantastic. You will need no other book to find out about this surreal and wonderful TV classic. Author Steve Cox has done a great job covering the bizarre characters and the exquisite cast of actors who made up this neat show. The photos are rare and presented in the book with a nice design and the Foreword by my favorite character, Hank Kimball, is hilarious. If you want a book about a Sixties TV show and you like Paul Henning's programs ( The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction) then you'll love this book. Don't pass it up.

A Must For The True "Green Acres" Fan.
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 1999-08-21
I have had this book in my possession for a long time. It is a necessary tool for any one that wants to know all there is to know about "Green Acres". All of the episode descriptions, guest star information and original dates of airing are listed. There are also interviews with the cast members. Again this is a must have item.

Television
How to Do Everything with Podcasting
Published in Paperback by McGraw-Hill Osborne Media (2007-06-15)
Authors: Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson
List price: $24.99
New price: $6.94
Used price: $6.95

Average review score:

A Must-Read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-08
Shel and Neville's book should be required reading for anyone who does a podcast, everyone who's thinking about doing a podcast, even for anyone who listens to podcasts.

They cover all the "nuts and bolts" in an easy-to-read, conversational style. They cover all the tech stuff, like hardware and software, making it understandable for even the non-techies among us. They explain the actual recording and editing process as well as how to get your efforts heard.

More important, at least for me, they go into great detail about the reasons WHY to podcast. They discuss podcasting as a business tool and how it fits into the overall communication plan.

If you wonder about Shel and Neville's credentials, check out their "For Immediate Release" podcast. It's produced twice each week (Monday and Thursday) with Shel normally being in California and Neville in England. But, both men travel for their respective businesses, so they're likely to both be in hotel rooms, halfway around the globe from each other. Yet their podcasts come off without a hitch (usually).

I can't imagine anyone getting into podcasting without reading this book.

Great book--terrible Amazon Upgrade
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-23
This is an excellent, valuable, thorough, well-written resource. No reflection on the authors or the book, but I made the mistake of paying for an "Amazon Upgrade" for this title (supposedly enabling online reading and use of the book in addition to the physical book). The text looks like somebody hosed it down (blurry, and the more you zoom, the blurrier it gets). Ditto for the images (text within the images is totally illegible.

An encyclopedig guide
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-23
What can podcasting do for a business? That's the wrong question to ask, say Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson. Like any communication tool, podcasting should be applied as a solution, not as a goal in and of itself. "Podcasting ought to come up in larger discussions about ways to reach audiences, to convey particular messages, or to address specific situations and problems," they advise.
Hobson and Holtz are internationally known business communicators, bloggers, and consultants.
Besides detailing all the technical aspects of podcasting, Hobson and Holtz preach the gospel of strategic planning. Thinking about producing a podcast? First, address the question: What outcomes are you trying to achieve? Would it serve as a marketing vehicle, or to supplement public relations and financial communications, or to enhance customer relations, or to enhance customer support? And how will you measure the success of your efforts?
They offer many examples of podcasting done well. Purina's Animal Advice podcast, for example, provides information pet owners can use; it does not `sell product.' Stanford University podcasts offer faculty lectures, interviews, music, and sports content. Target groups include students and alums. IBM's The Future Of .... Podcast reaches investors and features interviews with engineers, product managers, and others in the trenches--not with PR or marketing staff.

Good enough to get you going, and well written too!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-11
This book was all I needed to get set up for my first podcast. I am one of those types who can't just settle for the basics, which can be an expensive problem. But this book will get anyone who is budget-conscious up and running with less than $100 out of pocket, assuming you at least have a computer.

If you are looking for some expertise about equipment or how to set up your rig in the studio, this is not the book for you. You might want to look for a book about home recording or even professional broadcasting. I have to give these authors big kudos though, this really is everything you need to know about *the basics* of podcasting. If that's what you need to know, you won't go wrong with this book. Oh yeah, it is very well-written and easy to read also.

Every podcast consultant should read Part V
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-30
Disclaimer: As a contributor to the authors' podcast, For Immediate Release, I might be expected to have a biased opinion. I do, but I also held the book to the standards of their podcast and their blogs. If it hadn't been good, I would have been seriously disappointed.

But not to worry, it's good.

Naming a book "How to Do Everything with Podcasting" is ambitious, but that was the publisher's choice. They have a whole series of "How to Do Everything" books. And while there might be things you can do with podcasting that aren't covered in the book, it's impressively comprehensive.

I particularly appreciated the details about sound editing in Chapter 9 when I had to assemble the interviews from the iMeme conference. (It helped, but with background noise as bad as that, there's not a lot you can do if you don't use a directional mic in the first place.) The only omission I'm aware of in that section is a reference to the Levelator, an amazing tool every podcaster should have. (It's free, too. Gigavox invented it in self-defense.)

I imagine many people will head straight to Part IV, "Make Money with Your Podcast," but I really appreciated Part V, "Use a Podcast as a Business Communication Tool." These 65 pages are pure gold for any podcast evangelist operating in either the corporate or small-business world. Shel and Neville start by pointing out that creating a podcast is not a business goal. Rather, podcasting is a tool that can serve a purpose in the business' overall strategy. If your company starts podcasting "because everyone else is doing it," the podcast is not likely to be a success.

There's also an appendix about legal considerations for podcasters, one listing podcasting resources, and a podcasting glossary to help you sort out the jargon. And to keep up to date (because things on the Web change so quickly), there's a website for the book at EverythingwithPodcasting.com. You can find Shel's mix-minus instructional video (for recording Skype calls without echoes) and a whole lot of other good stuff--including a long list of links to podcasts.

Three cheers and five stars, guys.

SRG

Television
The I Love Lucy Scrapbook
Published in Hardcover by Running Press (2006-10-30)
Author: Elizabeth Edwards
List price: $35.00
New price: $21.25
Used price: $16.99

Average review score:

I don't think I could love it any more!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-22
As a baby boomer who grew up watching Lucy, this book is a treasured companion to all those nostalgic memories.

Lucy fans: You have to see it to really appreciate it. No question, you must have this book for your collection. It is phenominal -- a treasure that you will enjoy forever.

Official "I Love Lucy Scrapbook"
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-09
This book is great. I think it's like Lucille Ball's actual scrapbook about the show. It has really cool reproductions of things that you pull out of envelopes - like tickets to things and certificates and contracts. You feel like you are really reading her scrapbook.

For the collector, this is a must and so much fun!

Great Book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-08
Great book and interesting facts. I am a huge fan of Lucy and a great book about her show.

long wait,great book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-28
product was ordered on 11/27,but do to canada post office,i finally receive a few days before christmas.wonderful book,which made the person very happy.thank-you

One of the best
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-11
All's I can say is I forgot that this book was just reproductions of the actual items and I could look at this book for hours.

Television
I Love Lucy: The Classic Moments
Published in Hardcover by Courage Books (1999-10-19)
Author: Tom Watson
List price: $15.98
New price: $8.95
Used price: $3.87
Collectible price: $15.98

Average review score:

A Nice Memory Scrapbook of I Love Lucy
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-29
I am watching the I Love Lucy DVD sets right now. I loved to watch the TV show when I was a little kid right up through adulthood. This book is a great help while watching the DVDs. I can look up an episode that I really loved and read more about it. Memories can be stirred up or I can find out more about the show for the first time. My only regret is that the book isn't comprehensive. It deals with the best episodes and not all of them. I would love a book that deals with all the episodes but maybe it would be too big.

Fu, fun, fun
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-23
This is a really nice look at I Love Lucy. The pictures are great. I just wish they would have been able to include more episodes.

RICKY RICARDO CAN CONGA MY DRUM ANYTIME.
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-18
" I LOVE LUCY " WAS 1 OF THE BEST TV SHOWS IN THE 1950'S AND IS THE BEST SHOW EVER." I LOVE LUCY" CLASSIC MOMENTS BOOK IS A MUST FOR ANY "I LOVE LUCY" FAN. IT SHOWS YOU THE CLASSIC MOMENTS IN WHAT THE BEST TV SHOW THAT WAS EVER MADE.LUCILLE BALL AND DESI ARNAZ MADE WHAT THE SHOW WAS,ALSO VIVIAN VANCE AND WILLIAM FRAWLEY WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS FRED AND ETHEL MERTZ AT 323 E.68TH ST. I FINSHED THIS BOOK AND I TRULY ENJOYED IT.

I Love, I Love Lucy!
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-25
This is a great book for behind the scenes pictures of the cast and the stage they worked on. I have owned this book for about a year, and come back to look at it all the time. Lucille Ball is my favorite actress, and I just love her to pieces! This book contains photos of their set and everyday life. It also conatains some stories of their lives, so if you are a Lucy fan like me, don't miss this book!

A MUST HAVE...
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-30
this book is a must have for every LUCY-DESI fan all over the world. it contains beautiful pictures and a lot of information about each episode. it is part of my collection and I see myself coming back to it everytime to look something up.is one of the most complete books I have ever encountered.


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