Entertainment Books

If you like reading celebrity autobiographies, and you even have a passing interest in this actress, don't miss this book. It really is a very engrossing read. She speaks of her life in a very honest and forthcoming fashion, and she has had quite an interesting life, the most dramatic part being the blacklisting of her actor husband, Larry Parks, in the 1950's, and her "guilt by association."

Also, if you happen to be a fan of either Lloyd, Beau, and/or Jeff Bridges, you should know that Betty and Larry are/were(Larry is deceased) very close to this family -- Betty is Jeff Bridges' godmother.

So, if you know Betty from her movie work (she tells such a funny story about Frank Sinatra, from when they were filming "On the Town"), her stage work, or her TV work on "All in the Family" and "Laverne and Shirley," I think you will more than appreciate this book.

I hope you read this and enjoy it as much as I did!

betty garrett was the best in those mgm movies and she could have been so much more famous

I like Betty Garrett very much! From Laverne & Shirley, All In The Family-very funny! I like that the book is her autobiography! I can't wait to read all about the life & times of the lovely Betty Garrett! I also have David L. Lander's autobiography & the unofficial Penny Marshall book! Any one who's a fan of "Laverne & Shirley" e-mail me @: tiff_lisatony7@yahoo.com. We can chat about Betty, Penny, David, Cindy, Michael, Phil, & evrything else related to "Laverne & Shirley".

I have loved the movies of both Betty Garrett and Larry Parks for years, and now feel that I have read their love story. Betty's descriptions of her multi-faceted career and personal life were written with humor, warmth, and love. She and Larry endured the 'unofficial' blacklist and other obstacles together, and showed what "in good times and in bad" really meant. I admire and adore them both even more now. Her book is a wonderful read and her career isn't even over.

Betty's wit, wisdom and reflections prove that there's a lot more to her than a pretty face and wise-cracks. Talent, sensitivity and grace make her a beautiful author with something important to say. Show business enthusiasts and historians alike will greatly enjoy her story. And, since her career is enjoying a recent resurgence, we can only hope she'll write a sequel, soon!

I LOVE the Fox News channel. Especially their weekend programming. I purchased this book after catching Rita Crosby's interview. I hope Fox News adds a book review time slot to their wonderful line up!

This book was hard to put down! With every turn of a page, there was something new and exciting going on with the characters. I wished there was more! I would love to see more from this author.

Perfect book for an afternoon at the pool or beach. Interesting and fun... highly recommend; can't go wrong with this one!!

I really enjoyed this book. I had to laugh at times...the characters actions are so crazy and wild. I would recommend this book if you are curious as to how the elite really live.

I really enjoyed this book. Time flew as I became engrossed in this fascinating tale of life in Los Angeles. I am really lucky and happy that I decided to take a chance on a book that was lying on my kid sister's cabinet. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

It's cool and it gives a lot of information about it

It was a wonderful book to read I could not even put it down.I think that you should go out and buy it.

I LOVED the book,Brandy:Sittin'On Top Of The World. It was really informative, and since I AM Brandy's #1 fan, it was fun to read. It was great reading about all what Brandy had to do and her determination to reach were she is right now, which IS on top of the world!

I loved this book! It is great!I wont really say i am her #1 fan because i know there are alot of other people who really like her like me so i guess we are all her #1 FANS.Brandy is a really cool person and i hope to follow in her footsteps. Well thats all for now. I LOVE YOU! Love, Yomary

5 stars brandy I enjoy your musi

This book is one of the ultimate companions to the blockbuster show of the same title.

In a day and age when show creators and producers have gotten into the habit of talking down to their ausiences, Whedon again breaks the mold by sharing the direct scripts with us, the loyal fans.

I remember how happy I was when I heard that BTVS was going to be a television series and this book brought back the early euhphoria that I experienced with the revival. Thank you again Joss for everything.

Of course it's not all in the dialogue. You've got great acting, directing, editing, costuming, etc. HOWEVER, the Buffy writers obviously not only love what they do, but are also very good at it.

The pop culture references mingle freely with the historical. Renaissance Poetry class was never so much fun.

These scripts give you a chance to catch anything you might have missed the first time around. It's peppy. Is Poppy a word? Well, I know it's a word, but is it a word the way I mean it? Anyhow, I would recommend this book for any Buffy fan.

Watching "Buffy" T.V. series or cassettes is huge enjoyment already. Reading this script brought pure delight: sharp wit, self-derogatory under-/overstatements, punch and speed - this script is, quite definitely, for lovers of language. Stage directions, as indicated between parts of dialogue,are about as savoury as dialogue itself. I've just one reservation:I suppose, to really relish this book as it should be relished, one should obviously have seen related episodes on either TV or cassette. One then remembers Charisma Carpenter's studied drawl, Sarah Gellar's brisk deadpan humour, and Nicholas Brendon's fantastic "fool's faces". Only then does one realize, not just how good the writing is, but also, how brilliantly the whole cast has done its job. Yes, this definitely does show just how brilliant the whole "Buffy" act was - and still is. Can we PLEASE have scriptbooks of what follows?!...

The good news is that original shooting scripts of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are available, as in this volume offering up the first six episodes of Season One. But the bad news, relatively speaking, is that we just get the scripts without any extras. The pages are your traditional Courier style font (including the title page), and while the pages are not in blue, pink, green, yellow, goldenrod and salmon to reflect the various revisions, if you follow the revision dates on the top of the pages you can figure that part out. Therefore, while I appreciate having the original scripts in front of my while watching the episodes so I can see what has been deleted/added/changed (these are not transcripts; big difference), I would have really liked to have a bit more such as introductions by the writers talking about the genesis of the script ideas or problems they had to overcoming in putting the script into production, beyond the production notes and stage directions. Certainly some of what I am looking for can be found in "The Watcher's Guide," which covers the show's first two seasons, but given how first-rate the BtVS companion volumes have been I am rather surprised this is a comparatively bare bones effort.

Included in this volume for those of you who do not have the first 100 episodes totally memorized are "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "The Harvest," both written by series creator Joss Whedon, "Witch" by Dana Reston, "Teacher's Pet" by David Greenwalt, "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" by Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali, and "The Pack" by Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer. After the two-part pilot these other episodes reflect a time when the Buffy mythos was just starting to get organized. After all, Buffy has yet to find out about Angel's true nature and the emphasis is on how high school is a living hell if you are a teenager, but even more so when you are perched on the Hellmouth. Besides, once you get the first half of Season One you have to pick up the second half as well. Then there is Season Two...

It's valuable for fans of Buffy, full of hints and descriptions that make the tv episodes even more enjoyable; it's also a very cool book for anyone interested in writing tv scripts who're curious about the format, or looking for insight into how to blend comedy and suspense and juggle an excellent ensemble cast without shortchanging anyone.

I read this book in 2000 and I was both inspired and touched by it.
I began writing to the Reeves shortly after Chris had his
riding accident, and I never stopped.
Chris and Dana were two of the most caring and enduring people
in the world.Now that they are both gone,this book serves as a tribute of sort to both of them.They have left a legacy of love,
kindness,and family values for everyone to remember and reflect upon.
For anyone who needs any amount of inspiration and uplifting of
spirit,simply get a copy of this book.
May God forever keep Christopher and Dana Reeve in His sweet embrace.

I think most people today have become bitter and cold. Not bothering to take the time to even say 'good morning,' in most cases. You are lucky to get someone (today) to even nod their head with a good morning gesture. It is nice to discover that there are a few people still left in the world today who are polite enough to send someone like 'Superman,' a warm and heartfelt good luck wish!

Thanks to Dana Reeve, we get a gift every time we read this book! Buy it as a present to yourself! I loved this book! * Sniff * Many beautiful things can come out of something terrible. The out pouring of love for Christopher Reeve is amazing! His acting in "Somewhere in Time" was my favorite and I am a fan, but his courage through his ordeal is altogether awe inspiring. Thank-YOU, Dana! Buy this book today!

I first met Chris in Atlanta in 1994 and was struck by his grace and incredible presence. I saw him again at a private party following his star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 15, 1997. The Reeve family are a fine example of the true meaning of "family". Meeting them and being involved with fund-raising and Superman events has changed my life. I exchanged this wonderful, touching book with my little Superman buddy, Joey, on Thanksgiving day. This 8-year-old boy is the biggest Superman fan I know. We took a photo together in our Superman shirts with our books and many of Joey's Superman collectibles. I mailed the photo, along with Joey's special letter and gift for Chris, to the Reeves' home on New Year's Day. Joey, his mom and I love the "Kids" chapter of this book with all of the lovely drawings and messages from children all over the world. I've never loved a book more than this one. Thanks Dana! I believe that Chris will be best known as the Super Man who helped all disabled people fulfill their dreams. Jim Bowers - Flying78@bellsouth.net.

I think this is a charming and insightful collection, and I feel not the least bit silly spending money on it. Christopher Reeve is one of my heroes, and I wrote e-mail to him via a website not long after his accident. I'm gratified and warmed to see how many other people did something similar.

Chris, you're much loved - and Dana, thank you for sharing these letters with us. We haven't forgotten either of you, and we're still praying for that moment that all the fighting and struggling pays off.

This book was written by a good friend of the great singer so it was pretty biased but enjoyable anyway. It had a great insight on what it was like to be on the road with Celine. I recommend this book

This book is a must read if you are a true Celine fan. I consider myself one. This book tells what Celine did to realize her dream and made it come true. It really tells you what she is like in her personal life. She is a genuine and loving person and loves people. She really cares about what her fans think. And you can almost feel the love that she and Rene share! A wonderful book!

Georges Herbert-Germain does a wonderful job finding the equilibrium between Céline's public stage-life and her emotional private-life. The book's chapter pattern of singer to woman to singer shows that there's more to Céline Dion than being a diva and an international pop icon. Despite being followed by the media since she was 12, Céline appears to have remained grounded in the stories of her past, present, and what she plans to do in the future. There's more behind this diva besides Titanic and pipes of platinum.

No word can truly discribe Celine's wonderful voice, dreams and spirit, but I believe this book has managed to do the best it could. Of course, you cannot feel Celine's passion by simply read a book. However, I can ensure you that after reading this book, you must at least start to like this real-life model of human being -- Celine Dion.

Celine Dion has definetly authorized the supreme biography on her life! Georges-Herbert Germain is an outstanding author who has captured the life and times of Celine Dion to date. I personally consider myself to be the or one of the biggest Celine Dion Fans ... or FANATICS in the world. Being a subsriber to many newsletters, listbot groups, and other things on the glorious Celine- I even found things in this book that I did not know. The glorious and at some points sad life of Celine Dion is vividly captured in these 422 pages of fascinating revolations. I dream Celine all of the time ... but you can bet; it is even more dreamy now! In the Power of Celine - Lacey B. Van Reeth LaceLu1023@AOL.com

I got the book as a gift from my sister and initially dismissed it as a bargain bin cheapie that she picked up last minute. A fearful, insomniac child prompted me to begin reading it and, am I glad that he did.

This is ESSENTIAL READING.

The diary-like entries give you day-by-day accounts of every single session the Fab Four did, as the title promises. But... well, it just gives you a whole new insight to the band. Yeah, the recordings retain the original magic, and maybe even gain a little more because you can see that it took a whole lot more than talent and luck for them to make it big and change music. The book lets you see just HOW MUCH HARD WORK was put in by not only the band, but by everyone around them: George Martin, the engineers, the assistant engineers, the tea boy, everyone!

It's like a musical version of Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods: not only were they the most talented around, but also the hardest-working.

A whole new appreciation.

As somebody mentioned before, don't start reading before bed because you will not be able to put it down.

This book is required reading for the diehard Beatles fan. I suspect that the studio documentation was just the normal level of detailed information they kept on those who recorded there, but in hindsight, having this particular info and retaining it looks pretty genius. A detailed account of every time the Beatles were in the recording studio with documents from the studio and the recollections of those who were present. The author is meticulous and obviously a fan himself. I really consider this book the Beatles bible.

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" I know the years of research it took for me to compile the information on 121 live shows, 60 unreleased songs, 266 questions and answers, and prepare for 32 interviews.

Mark Lewisohn had to dig even deeper because of the amount of material that could be documented. The work is super-human. The Beatles deserved George Martin and Mark Lewisohn.

It is easy for those that wish to find fault even with a Rolls Royce but don't worry if you would have used different words for an A Flat Augmented 7th Chord or a bridge in a song, he gave you the most complete information at your fingertips and this can't be improved!

Thank you for your time,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

First, I find it amazing that anyone kept this information in such detail in the first place.
Secondly, it is amazing that it was ever complied and put into a book.
Thirdly it was amazing that anyone would a.) Publish the book, b.) Buy the book in the first place and c.) Actually read it, which I have. Perhaps most amazing of all is how imminently readable and enjoyable it really is.
I imagine prerequisite being that it is important for the reader to have a love of the art of recording as well as a serviceable knowledge of the Beatles' collected body of work. Mine is the first edition and, yes, there are minor flaws, but honestly they are few in number and nothing of the "glaring" type which actually demeans the book.
I had initially picked up the book in a shop and glanced through the photographs, then I absently read an entry and was hooked. I think this is, all-in-all, a very exceptional journal and a valid history of one of the greatest recording acts of all time. Over the years I have met numerous musicians who, although they might not be dyed in the wool Beatles fans, still recognize their incredible contribution to recording technique and innovation. Kudos of course to Sir George Martin as well.
I cannot conceive of a more definitive account than this.

I'd been wanting this book since I first heard about it several years ago, but it was out of print. When I recently discovered it had been re-published, I ordered it and it's everything I'd heard it was. I wish Lewisohn had access to John, Paul, George and Ringo's solo sessions and would do similar books on them.

This book was one of the best I've ever read! I loved every minute of it, and it was just simply amazing! absolutely fabulous job done by the author. and she's only 13? that's incredible! definitely a must-read!! get this book and read it! you'll love it soo much!!

For a thirteen year old girl to write a 250+ pages of a novel in such a rich and articulate language is absolutely amazing! The story is extremely gripping and interesting till the very end of the book. Everyone who enjoys reading must read this book to encourage this budding writer. She is a true inspiration to our young generation....

one could really feel for Lola, and the author made it possible that some people could relate to some of the flashbacks, or how a character felt. i would be reading and be able to imagine myself in Dalaina, as Lola, or one of the other characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this young author's narrative detailing the complexities of relationships between teenage girls as they leave the safe habour of their childhood homes and venture out on their own in at a posh private boarding school.

Great Book!

I couldn't believe how well this was written for such a young author! I loved the action and suspenseful drama that was presented to the readers. Must-read!

- John C.

The focus of this book is the automobile crash that ended the life of actor James Dean. Dean only ever made three movies but those three had a huge impact on folks of that period.

In any case, the details given here will present you with a clearly defined account of why and how this youth noir-icon died.

He was on his way to a race, in a racecar, when a young man pulled out from an intersecting highway. So, the question arises, 'Was Dean's speed the cause of the spectacular crash or, was it carelessness on the young man's part who possibly failed to yield the right-of-way?' (HINT: Dean was just issued a speeding ticket about an hour or so before the crash!)

This book has plenty of nice illustrations and I found it a real page-turner of a mini-biography.

We invite you to learn more about James Dean and other Warren Beath titles at http://jamesdeanindeath.com/

I first read this book almost 15 years ago and lost the original paperback whilst at college.But I can still recall the creepy passages of Beath's descripton of Dean's death and Beath's veiled admission of his own descent into madness and obsession-the young man that Beath describes throughout the book IS the author himself because if you read his bibliography at the front,he lists NOTES ON DYING which is the thesis the character writes in the book.Bits that stick out are the Japanese business-man buying the hulk of the tow-truck that carried away the crumpled porshe after the crash and the author stealing a high-way cornice and storing it in his room,only to find it infested with hornets and flies.Quite superb.

I read this book when it first was published, so I am obviously not in the best position to critique it at least a couple years later. However, when it comes to James Dean I am an admitted addict and have read almost everything that has been published about him over the past 30 years. What makes this book a standout is that it concentrates on Dean's death as opposed to his life. It provides very detailed information re: his last ride and how his death and the subsequent hoopla surrounding it was handled. It also provides quite a lot of previously unpublished material in regard to the period immediately before and after his death. The author has saved us all a lot of pain and irritation by researching this material in a factual and precise manner.
What makes this book a positive departure from the other Dean book is that there is no psychological stuff about Dean's tortured youth or attempts to affix a death wish to him, just a lot of good hard facts. Joe Friday couldn't do a better job in that area.
The best part of this book? It sticks to the truth and makes for an interesting read.

Beath makes the death of James Dean a very personal experience for the reader. This is not a book one reads and forgets - the reader has participated in the author's passionate search for the substance behind the tragedy and the reader is changed. I'm ready for more from this author.

I've never really been a comic-book reader, until Dorothy came along that is. The strong and funny (and deeply-flawed) lead character in this tale is highly compelling, and the revamped land of Oz that she finds herself in is the dark kind of magical place that would make the Brothers Grimm nervous. Oz is racked by civil war and overrun with spies and killer robots, and Mz Gale travels through this Technicolor war-zone with brash defiance that only thinly masks the fact the she hasn't got a clue as to what is going on. ("If this was a theme park, I'd sue!" she exclaims at one point.) This mix of personality traits makes our heroine far more innocent than Judy Garland surrounded by lollipops, and much more satisfying than the two-dimensional babes that annoy me in so many other comic books. Rock on, team Dorothy!

The folks making this comic have clearly invested a lot of themselves into their art. It's a truly astounding piece of work.

I can't recommend this enough to fans of the comics medium in general, fans of mythical retellings, or fans of the Oz mythology in specific.

It's works like this one that make me want to create art myself.

There are a lot of reworked versions of Frank L Baum's WIZARD OF OZ, but Illusive Arts' DOROTHY blows them all away! A 21st century teenaged Dorothy, living with aunt and uncle in Kansas, runs away from boredom taking their truck and ignoring the radio's tornado warnings. She's carried up in a funnel and dropped in Oz. She encounters vicious flying monkeys, a wizard and eventually a scarecrow who is at once a wonderfully funny and tragic character. There's a sense of a mythic cycle at work when some of the players understand that, somehow, this has happened before. Dorothy is acerbic but not overbearing, an appealing character humorously out of her element at first ("Munchkins? Yeah, I could use some little donuts!"). Wise and innocent she deftly adapts to her new reality and is soon confronting dragons and gearing up for the Evil Queen. Fumetti, using retouched photos instead of art, is not a new form in comics but rarely used in the US, and even more rarely as stunning as what's presented here. It helps to have as attractive and talented an actress/model as Catie Fisher. Think how challenging it must be to act a role in a series of still pictures! I promised to avoid the obvious comparison of writer Mark Masterson to Neil Gaiman, so I'll just say that if
you enjoy Gaiman you will love DOROTHY.

This is not your mother's "Wizard of Oz"! It's a combination of photography and graphics that builds into a chilling story that kept me turning pages straight through and I am so looking forward to seeing what the next book brings. Illusive Arts Entertainment has done a great job with this story and I recommend it highly.

Told through computer-altered photography in a computer-generated world, "Dorothy" blends the look of reality and fantasy so clearly, it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Dorothy (modeled by Catie Fisher) lives in a gray environment, with little besides her green eyes, red lips, jewelry and hair dye to set her apart from the surrounding drabness. Oz, of course, is bursting with color, but there's a great deal of danger, too -- making itself known first through the attack of a vicious flying monkey. But this Dorothy is no shrinking violet, and her grim matter-of-factness seems to get her through tough situations more easily than a "golly gee" attitude would do.

Creator Mark Masterson has taken Dorothy someplace new. It's not over the rainbow, for sure, but I'm very curious to see where this path leads.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor