Entertainment Books

Steve Mandich dwells deep into the life of evel knievel he did
well research on the book and now there is a made for tv movi
e about Evel staring George Eads Well written book

Simply stunning work by the obviously Knievel obsessed Steve Mandich. Really well researched and put together - this makes interesting reading for all those with an interest in the 'real' story of Buttes bad boy, but it will appeal to anyone who enjoys a good book. Buy it today and I'm sure you'll love it. Just don't go jumping any canyons.

Let's just say that the BBC documentary `Touch of Evel' would have
benefitted greatly if this book had been available at the time of
production! Mandich's masterly yet affectionate execution fills in all the
gaps - it is the quiet authoritative voice behind the hollering and bluster
of the legend. It shows meticulous research without descending into geekdom,
and hits the spot more accurately than Evel did in a thousand jumps.
Splendid.

The beauty of Mandich's incredibly well-researched book lies in it's deft handling of the myth and reality of the life of Evel Knievel. It's what makes it a compelling read for anyone, whether they be a die-hard Evel fan, rev-head or anyone with even a passing interest in one of the 20th centuries more interesting celebrity sporstman. The engaging writing style makes this not just a great biography but also a fascinating story.

I'm a big Dillard and Andy Griffith Fan.
This book provided information I other wise would have not have access to. I have read everything I could find on the group, but It never told the whole story and left me longing for more.
Lee filled that hole. Nicely laid out, kept a smooth timeline, plenty of
funny stories.
I recommend this book to anyone.
On top of that Lee is a fine person to do business with. The book was shipped promptly and in great condition.

Thanks for a great book.

John
Chepatchet , R.I.

"Everybody on the Truck!" is an unabashed valentine to the unfairly unsung Dillards, who were bluegrass when bluegrass wasn't cool and country rock when there wasn't such a thing. As breezily told by Lee Grant, The Dillards' story is refreshingly devoid of raging egos, self-destruction and bitter ends. You'll come away from this compelling biography knowing, perhaps identifying with, and most assuredly liking The Dillards.

Grant sketches the original Dillards - brothers Douglas and Rodney Dillard, Dean Webb and Mitch Jayne - as proud sons of Missouri who longed to set the world afire with their hell-for-leather approach to bluegrass music. Grant's account of the band's misadventures during their go-for-broke journey from the Show Me state to California in late 1962 is funnier and more unbelievable than anything Hollywood could concoct. Against all odds, The Dillards enjoyed nearly instant but well-deserved success soon after reaching Los Angeles, landing a major recording contract and what would become a recurring role on "The Andy Griffith Show".

Grant devotes a good chunk of his book to his subject's indelible association with the Darlings, the eerily deadpan but musically gifted hillbilly clan The Dillards played on six episodes of "TAGS." Interestingly, The Darlings are the source of lingering ambivalence for Rodney Dillard, the group's integrity-conscious musical heart, who wasn't wild, at first, about playing a hayseed stereotype.

Between 1963 and 1970, The Dillards produced five critically-acclaimed albums, rubbed shoulders with the likes of Perry Como, Judy Garland, the Byrds and Bob Dylan and seldom rested from public appearances. "Truck" lets The Dillards themselves analyze the music and their somewhat anachronistic place in the swingin' Sixties. The insights and anecdotes of Mitch Jayne, who played bass and dispensed folksy humor in the role of group spokesman, are particularly entertaining.

To paraphrase Jayne, this "Truck" will run. Hitch a ride and hold on.

Lee Grant's fresh southern (but not too southern) writing style lights up the page. This book is a real joy to read. I highly recommend it. I am eagerly awaiting another Lee Grant book. I have heard rumors of a novel in the works. I am waiting anxiously to see if this is a rumor or plain old fact.

GG

This book is an excellent reference for one of bluegrass music's legendary bands, the Dillards. Anyone interested in learning about Rodney, Doug, Dean and Mitch need to get a copy of this book, and fast. Lee Grant has provided us Dillards junkies with a veritable "bible" on the lives and careers of the boys. It is an engaging read. When I bought my copy, I read it straight through in one sitting! For me, that is a rarity. :-)

Suggestion: put on a copy of their CD, "There Is A Time", while reading this book. See why Briscoe Darling once said, "they's all keyed up"!

They were, and you'll be, too.

The job of reviewing movies sounds glamorous and exciting. Everyone would like to have such a "job". Diana Saenger has managed to create a guideline to have such a job, but maintains a truthful and informative offering. Her book gives the reader the necessary tools to develope ones own reviewing career, while letting one know that it is not all fun and games and free movies. She reminds the reader that it is necessary to be consistant and open minded.

I personally had never really thought of becoming a movie reviewer, but with the information simply outlined in EVERYONE WANTS MY JOB! The ABC's of Entertainment Writing I feel that I could do such a job. I like Diana Saenger's style and forthright approach to writing. I think this work is well designed and she has much to offer her reading public. I hope to see more by this author.

Saenger's book gets down to the nitty-gritty of entertainment writing. Saenger details the methods of critiquing each entertainment form from films through books and on to restaurants. By using sample reviews, Saenger emphasizes what is necessary for an outstanding review. Whether used as a basic handbook for the novice, or a reminder for the professional, Saenger's book is a must!

Diana Saenger works for herself, meets interesting and creative people, sees lots of movies, eats great food, travels, and gets to express herself. What a great job. What a great book! Oh yes, and she also works long hours, is away from home and family a lot, and has to put up with arrogant egomaniacs along the way. The book is peppered with vignettes about some favorite stars. Can't wait to read her next book.

Chatty and informative, "Everyone Wants My Job" offers helpful tips for breaking into the world of entertainment writing. Professional critic Diana Saenger shares her recipe for success in this competitive field by including such important ingredients as how to analyze films and other venues, the do's and don'ts of interviewing celebrities, techniques for marketing written work, and how to handle rejection. The book's resource bibliography and list of professional organizations are added attractions which should prove useful not only for novices, but also for writers already in the business. Quotes from various stars, directors, and writers illustrate important points and make the book a delight to read. For example, Djimon Honsou ("Amistad")tells the author, "Destiny isn't waiting until something happens to you. To have destiny, you have to get up from the seat of your pants and make it happen." Advising wannabe entertainment writers to adopt this statement as a kind of mantra, Saenger emphasizes the time and effort required to reach this goal. But the rewards involved are also covered thoroughly --- including access to free movies, plays, videos,etc. and the excitement of interviewing celebrities. Thankfully, readers are warned not to quit their day jobs before jumping into a full-time entertainment writing career. "Did you expect to have fun and get rich too?" Saenger asks. Because it's difficult to make a living as a writer, this important advice deserves more attention than it gets here. Still, the author does explain carefully that most writers will have to work without pay for awhile to get started. "Everyone Wants My Job" should be added to reading lists in career counseling courses everywhere. And, for anyone thinking about becoming an entertainment writer, it's a must-read.

I can only add to these reviews that this edition is very small, cloth bound, and ribbon bookmarked, so it can be carried with you always, everywhere. That alone makes it worth a purchase. There is something nice about being able to carry drugstore playing cards and a source of a lifetime's worth of practice all in one pocket. If you travel or commute, this is the perfect edition to own - the binding does not feel cheap or crease, and the type is very small but very legible, not in the least blurry. If portability is of any concern to you, this is the one to buy. I carry it with me always, and it's so compact that it's never an issue. Let other people fiddle with their Blackberries or play mindless games on their cell phones - you can learn to second deal or blind shuffle and actually acquire a skill.

This book is thorough in both its theory and explanation of card manipulation. An enjoyable reading, it is a bit lengthy, but well worth it. From simple shuffling to expert three card monte, this book gives it all to anyone truly interested in studying card manipulation. Set forth to professionals and amateurs alike in 1995, it is a one of a kind in both content and style. Made to last, it is not written in common jargon and is not fancied with useless information about the latest crazes. Erdnase uses his knowledge of cards and card manipulation to create this compelling compendium.

Originally published over one hundred years ago in 1902, this book forever changed the way magicians viewed and practiced sleight of hand. Written by a former gambler, it introduced card sharp secrets to the magic community for the first time. Something you don't expect is that the style of the narrative is so timeless. This guy is very well educated and offers truisms that you might find yourself quoting from time to time. I have often heard a rather ridiculous claim that these "old" books are too hard to follow. The truth of the matter is that anyone who has sat down and tried these moves for more than ten minutes knows this is not true. It doesn't matter if you learn from a slick DVD or from "old" books, you can't ever get around the basic fact that a lot of this stuff takes time and practice... but, surprisingly, some of it is not difficult at all and can be picked up in very short order. Erdnase's book teaches you excellent methods that are not outdated and there are only about five well-known and obvious mistakes in the book that are pretty easy to figure out (most of them are in the bottom dealing section where the text should read the "third" finger instead of the "second" finger - trust me, you would figure it out when learning the moves). I also have the annotated issue of this book by Ortiz - excellent in that it provides photographs of the moves and enhances the original book with commentary. However, generally, there is no reason not to follow Erdnase's original instructions as outlined in this book, unless someone like Dai Vernon (who worshipped this book and had it memorized) or Paul LePaul has an improvement and even then it's sometimes just a matter of personal preference or style. And to top all this off, as of 2007, instructional DVDs taught by Wesley James (7 DVDs) and Alan Ackerman (still pending release) are on the market that walk you through the entire book step by step. What is next? Perhaps a Hollywood movie about the life of S.W. Erdnase?

By the way, another really nice version of this book is the now hard to find "facsimile" first edition issued in 2002 on the one hundredth anniversary of the original 1902 edition. That "facsimile" first edition is an exact replica of a real first edition that is perfect in all regards. The only tip off is that the word facsimile appears on the first page and that it looks brand new, but other than that it looks exactly like a real 1902 first edition that would cost $1,000 to $3,000 (only about 100 are thought to exist) if you could find one for sale. The publishers even found the exact same green cloth used for the original, but kindly updated the binding and paper used to archival quality. The "facsimile" first edition is hard to find (only 750 produced), but very nice to own if you really like this classic book.

This review, of course, is for the "bible" edition that is slightly larger in diameter than a poker-sized card and easily fits into a shirt pocket - it's about a quarter of an inch thick. The book has a semi-hard cover and a marker ribbon with gold edges that mimic a bible. Please note that the cover is not truly "leather bound"; if anything it might be some sort of hybrid-leather product that mimics leather. I find that the text font is a bit small, but I can still read it clearly - older readers might have trouble with this small font. The diagrams are large enough to easily follow - the diagrams are actually the exact same size as the original first edition, it's just the font of the commentary that is smaller to accommodate the compact size of the book. The bible edition is nicely produced and I highly recommend it.

If you are a magician you must have this book! This is my favorite book on magic ever written. Some of the deals might be a little outdated, but the book itself is timeless.

This book has helped me so much on Falcon 4,science it is A VERY COMPLICATED SIM!

The Falcon 4.0 Simulator (*not* a game) is a very good facsimile of an F-16 and its operating environment. The sim manual is very comprehensive and very good, but this book should be required reading if you want to further your air-to-air and air-to-ground skills and compete in the campaigns, especially if you fly multi-player. I reference this book and review the tactical concepts constantly.

Of particular importance are the anecdotes, or personal *real-life* stories that Pete presents at the head of each section. These are more than just "war" stories, they are stories with an important lesson to be learned, and they apply to the *virtual-life* experiences that you'll have in the sim. If you fly Falcon 4.0, you need this book.

5 stars eh? yeah the book deserves more than five if you ask me.If you thought that manual was huge this would look very thin in front of it but boy o boy it sure have a punch in it.What can i say more it really improved my games and now i am enjoying the game more and more Thanx Peter And James for such an excellent book

Written by Pete "BOOMER" Bonanni and Jamie "LINUS" Reiner, 2 actual F-16 pilots gives this book an even more authentic feel and there true experiences they share with the reader sure give you an idea of the tough job a Viper pilot has. The book is well thought out with 25 chapters and 7 appendix's devoted to all areas of the sim. It will surely add to your enjoyment of Falcon 4.0 ORDER IT NOW!!!

Who would have guessed that such a simple, straightfoward musical would be the longest running show in New York history? Read this copy of the libretto, and you'll know why. The show is very simple and very honest. It has drama and lighthearted comedy in just the right amounts to create what is, in many ways, the perfect musical. This volume also contains lots of extra information about the show, including the lyrics to a new song written for the show in its later years, and a number of photos. The music is missing, of course, but even without the OCR to the show, you get a great sense here of what makes The Fantasticks so, well, fantastic.

It never fails to amaze me that Jones & Schmidt were capable of such powerful poetry while still studying for their masters degrees. This thesis show is a powerhouse of simplicity and a panorama of minimalism. Sound oxymoronic? It is. The show is so disceptively simple, but the stories it tells are universal, and they are guaranteed to ring true for even the most tarnished audience member. One read, and it won't be hard to "try to remember" this show for a long time!

This is one of the most wonderful musicals ever. It has a wonderful story and plot but the best part about it is the music. The music is absolutely FANTASTICK! The musical contains a wide variety of songs, each with its own mood and purpose. There are funny and amuzing songs, ominous songs, loving songs, wishful songs... there's something for everybody. I first saw the Fantasticks in New York and fell in love with the music. I have almost all the songs completely memorized and I am working on putting a few of the song into my audition repertoire. This is music that every true musical fan should have. Its brilliant.

It has been two years since I was first introduced to The Fantasticks. Ever since I saw the show I have been captivated by its remarkable story, lyrics, and music. It was only recently that I read this 30th anniversary edition and truly found out how amazing this show is.

Tom Jones' personal account of The Fantasticks shows the reader what exactly goes in to a show before it actually debuts. The first section "Try to Remember" is well set as the first chapter of the book. The reader will benefit more from reading this chapter before the show.

The third section (the second was the libretto) is a look at the actors really shows you the life of the longest running Off-Broadway show.

I know my words cannot do justice to this amazing book. I would recommend this book to any die-hard Fantasticks fan, or to anyone interested in getting to know the best musical ever written.

The author REALLY knows his stuff as oppossed to some of the other writers of "for dummies" books! He truly has a love for the subject and it shows!

Highly recommended!


:)

I have always been curious about just what is fantasy football, and have passed up a few opportunities to join in because I lacked the confidence to join a league. Martin Signore spells out all of the ins the outs the dos and the don'ts in a very easy and understandable way. I can't wait for the season to start and hone in my newfound skills!

and neither are you. Don't waste your first season playing fantasy football by not being prepared. FFFD was designed to help new players avoid the pifalls that all of us hardened vets made back in the day...

FFFD explains how the game works, how to get started and even where to play online! There are also plenty of detailed, proven methods for drafting a great fantasy team and managing your team during the football season.

Is this a shameless plug? Of course it is, but I think the book is unique and I wish I had read it before I started playing...

If you are thinking about playing fantasy football or even if you played a little last year and want to improve those basic skills, get this book! It is a great introduction to fantasy football. It covers everything to get you started including where to play online and look online for information on players. Many of the tips are exactly what you need to draft, manage and improve your team for a winning season.

After reading Fantasy Football for Dummies, it is obvious that Martin Signore has played the game for many years and his love of the hobby shines through. Once again, the winning "dummies" format makes it easy. I am amazed at how much information he provides. Martin even discusses Auction leagues which many of todays FF books ignore. He hits all the right techniques and even includes some advanced draft strategies.

I usually find the "part of tens" pages in a dummies book tedious, but Martin has provided a great Top 10 list of mistakes to avoid and perhaps even more importantly ten fixes to make to your team after draft day. The draft is not the end but instead should be the starting point for a championship team. You should constantly try to improve your team through trades and/or the waiver wire. A great manager can always look back and point out a significant improvement during the season.

This is definitely the book of choice for anyone who wants an introduction to the greatest hobby of all time, Fantasy Football.

Sam Hendricks, author of "Fantasy Football Guidebook: Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football" and "Fantasy Football Almanac"

I bought this as a gift for my brother in law. He loves Elvis and loves to cook. This was perfect! Lots of recipes, easy to follow, nicely put together.

It's a complete cookbook with rare pictures and words of
Elvis. I love it some much. In this way we know what kind of food Elvis liked. The friends that he had and a lot of things.
WONDERFUL!!!

It's probably not the best idea to eat like Elvis all the time, but nothing beats his recipes for peanut butter and banana
sandwiches or fried okra. Elvis sure loved his fried foods. Learn how to make Southern cuisine and mouth-watering desserts fit
for dinner at your own Graceland, but don't over do it. After all, Elvis didn't end up a skinny-minny from eating all that fried
chicken cooked in pancake batter. (...)

My mother in law is an Elvis fanatic, so I thought this would be cute to add to her Elvis things. Since recipes come from his cook and plenty of pictures alot have never seen. She actually uses the recipes too. She loves it.

Because it's about 5ive, it has to rule. It gave me loads of info and loads of good pics. Esp. Rich mmm...... the cutest pics ever! This books rules!

This book is packed with tons of information on 5ive. All of which is the real stuff, unlike 5ive my Anna Louise Golden. I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes 5ive. It is easy to read, and easy to not read if you just wanna go through and pick out little facts about the guys.

This book is great.A chapter on each guy with lots of info.There's pictures in the center of the book.It tells the story of how Scott,J,Abs, Ritchie,and Sean became Five/5ive.Includes a pop quiz at the end.Info about the songs that are on the self debut(US Version).Overall an awesome book about Five.If you're a fan of Five you have to get this book!

For anyone who want's to get to know the music group 5ive this is the book for you. There is a chapter on all five of the guys and it also gives you a feeling for who thay are and where thay came from. At the end of the book it gives you the chance to answer a pop quiz to see how much you know the group 5ive after reading the book and some of your own information you might of had before you read the book. It also gives you a chapter called boyfriend material which lets you see if one of them is right for you. There are also pictures of all the guys in the middle of the book. And if you read this and didn't know it you will find out that one of the guys has a girlfriend. But you must read the book to find out which one. Please go and pick up this book you will not be sorry that you did. 5ive rocks the house. This book really let me get to know a great music group. It told me a lot of stuff i did not know about the group 5ive. It helped me to get to know one of the hottest bands out there.

five isn't just another boy band as they said in their biography.they don't just sing pop music either they add a little rap in there and do a great job of it!they're not rappers and they don't sing hip hop R&B as they clearly pointed out they just add it in to spice up their music.i love five and i think i'm the # 1 fan if you think differently please feel free to e-mail me at asreeves@uswest.net all of there merchandise is deffinately worth buying!

Like I said this book is great.It has tons of quality pictures.Good info about the lads.And its all around great ! I suggest this book to ANYONE who likes 5ive.

I bought this book and I kept reading it for hours. It really tells you all the adventures that Five has had already. It contains also a lot of beautiful pictures of Scott, Abs, Sean, Rich and J. Everybody should have it!!!

I would have bought this book just because it's Five's but it was really worth it. All the pics are amazing and show the boys how they really are. So if you are going to buy a book on Five, buy this one!