Television Books

I tend to do things without paying as much attention as I should, like buying this book without researching it's details.

I bought the book because my 5 year old daugher loves to draw, and because she's nuts over the Lion King at the moment. I figured it would be great for her to see not just finished work (like what winds up on television) but to also see sketches, concept drawing and paintings, and the like.

So I bought it. When I received it and saw it's pocket size I was so happy! It's absolutely the perfect size for a little kiddo like her, but the content is professional, serious and mature as I had expected. It's hard cover, totally full of pictures, and has glossy pages printed on high-quality paper. Some folks might have been put off by the size but for my purposes it was more than perfect!

We have great fun looking through it together and looking at all the different styles of artwork. If you or your kid likes to draw or paint, and likes this movie, You'll really be sorry if you don't buy a copy. No I don't work for Disney or Amazon. I just like to encourage and support my childs love for art any chance I get, and boy was this a great addition to her library.

Apart from the fact that my copy was close to pocket size, i thought that this book was fantastic. Not only does it come filled with amazing concepts, it also is accompanied with the Lion King Storyline. As an illustrator and student animator, it is a wonderful addition to my resources. The sketches through to the complete full colour images are for any Lion King fan, artists or just someone wanting a beautiful coffee table book. If your from overseas like myself and cannot get these kind of books in Australia, i reccommend Amazon and their associate stores. Buy this, its great.

I received this book as a birthday present last month. To say the least, I was overwhelmed with all the artwork in this book. I love it! The artwork and production animation is breathtaking! It's a really awesome book, I'd get it if I were you! You can't go wrong with "The Art of The Lion King"!!!

This book is one of the most exquisite things to come out of The Lion King. The graphics are beautiful. Most of the pictures are ones that are used for the storyboard and layout scenes. I reccommend it to anyone who loves The Lion King, or just Disney in general. Order with confidence - the book is worth much more than its price tag. It is also much more convient than the larger, more expensive version which I believe is no longer being produced.

"The Lion King," Disney's 32nd animated film proved to be a smashing success, appealing to young, old, and those in between. As it filled movie houses, Disney mania swept the country again. The breathtaking visual effects that fascinated so many are brought to stunning life in "The Art of the Lion King" by Christopher Finch.

This lavish folio-size volume traces the creative process utilized in making the film, from black and white sketches to glorious full-color reproductions and even splendid fold-outs, one exhibiting the surreal beauty of the African natural world.

Actor James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa the Lion King in the film, contributes the foreword, while the text is by Christopher Finch, author of "The Art of Walt Disney."

Those fascinated by the art of animation and those touched by the story of Mufasa, Simba and Scar will treasure this color and fact filled memento.

- Gail Cooke

"As Seen On TV" is a fond look back at those Kitschy products and their even tackier commercials for products as diverse as the Chia Pet to K-Tel records. These products would make household names out of people like Ron Poeil, Billy Mays, and Susan Powter as they pushed products to enhance yourself, your cooking, or your home. These 50 products, most of which are still on the market today and still being seen on TV were the forerunners of the dreaded infomercial which made their way into our homes back in the 1984 when the FCC loosened regulations on TV advertising. You'll chuckle as you read about these products, many of which you probably haven't thought about in years.

The book is arranged by product type including Kitchen Marvels, Fashion and Beauty Wonders, Fabulous Fitness, Entertainment Breakthroughs, Home Improvement Miracles, and Get Rich Quick. A history of each products is provided along with details about its use, inventor, and other interesting facts as well as photos. Ron Popeil is certainly the godfather of these products who got the ball rolling with the Veg-O-Matic, actually invented by his father. Popeil's list of products is long and often notorious and includes things such as GLH Formula #9 spray for balding men, as well as the Pocket Fisherman. The book includes a lengthy interview with Popeil as well.

Other items in the Kitchen gadget category include the legendary Ginsu knives...and who doesn't fondly remember those commercials where they sawed through knives and aluminum cans? Then there is a modern classic as former boxer turned pitchman, George foreman introduced the grill bearing his name.

There's the Blue Blocker glasses, Hairagami, Thigh Master, Matthew lesko's books on free Government money, Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, The Clapper, and Life Call Alert in which Edith Fore uttered those words that would become grafted into American lexicon, "I've Fallen...AND I CAN'T GET UP!!!" But perhaps my all-time favorite for pure cheesiness would be Mr. Microphone. Who can forget the goof in the convertible telling the girl walking on the street, "Hey Good Lookin', We'll be back to pick you up later!" It was the epitome of tackiness back then and would probably get him arrested today.

Oh...and the book is informative as well. I never knew that the K-Tel in K-Tel records stood for Kevis Television named after its founder Phillip Kevis. A true pop culture treasure trove!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

If you recognize this catch phrase from the Mr. Microphone ad, you'll love this book. Indeed any child of the '70s or '80s can appreciate the nostalgia and humor of the infomercial era, which is vividly and humorously captured in "As Seen on TV". It's all here, from Abtronic to Zamfir, Master of the Pan Flute. If you have any doubt about whether your money would be well spent on this gem, then to paraphrase Ron Popeil: "Just forget it and GET IT!"

What a fun book! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has ever gotten caught up watching infomercials or home shopping channels. It's fascinating to read about products that became hugely popular, even though in some cases, you look at them now and say "what were they thinking?".

It was especially fun for me because... as I turned each page, I had to wonder if the next product was one I've bought. LOL
Yes, I have succumbed to the "power of the pitch" and bought into the hype. And yes, I have purchased a few of the items in this book (George Foreman Grill, Steamer, etc... and I LIKE the Dr. Ho's Muscle Massage System!) but I'll never admit to how many.

Anyone who has heard "and that's not all" will enjoy the fact that a section with that title is included AFTER the index.

I only gave this book 4 stars because I wanted more products to be in it! It was so fun to read, I wanted more of it.

This book read itself!

I bought this trip to entertain myself for a long drive home from Wisconsin to Florda. (Don't worry- I was the passanger, not the driver. Gusee I should've used the word 'ride' but I'm too lazy to backspace!)

I think the ultimate compliment to a book is when your constantly interupting other people around you to read the next wonderful thing you've read. I lost my voice from this book.

There's not too much to tell in this review. You've simply got to read it for yourself. It is so much more than just a list of goofy things sold via infomercials and TV ads. We get interviews, product history, trivia and much, much more.

We also get the lowdown on what was legit and what wasn't.

So the next time your using the flow-bee and screw up so badly your running to the store for some GLH (if you don't know what that sentence just meant, buy the book)... think of this book. It'll help ya.

And if you're just looking for some easy entertaing reading... this is it folks!

Did folks buy this stuff? They sure did, by the millions according to Harry and Stall. Some of these products would really be hard to parody, the Chai Ceramic Pet that grows vegetation, the Turbi Twist, a hair towel with an elastic loop (with the predictable AS SEEN ON TV on the box) the Copper Tongue Scraper, PROVEN EFFECTIVE was the bold statement on its packaging but it really does look just like a piece of bent metal! Each product has a spread with photos, copy and several colored panels (more on these later) containing background material and other trivia. I liked the Product panels best with their Description, Availability, Claimed Innovation, Upside and the Downside, just read the Downside to each product and really get the truth.

The six basic chapters are Kitchen Marvels, Fashion and Beauty, Fabulous Fitness, Entertainment Breakthroughs, Home Improvement Miracles, and finally Get Rich Quick, between these chapters are some interesting features, pages 122 and 123 cover the rise of the home shopping channels where you will be amazed to find that QVC have studio tours (yours for only [x ammount of dollars]). Ron Popiel, the founder of Ronco, has four pages explaining the background to the infomercial techniques he uses to shift the goods. Incidentally the Ronco story is covered in 'But, Wait! There's More!' by Timothy Samuelson, lots of product photos, vintage ads and packaging and a fairly accurate history of the Popiel family. Ever wonder what happened to yesterday's celebrities, check out pages 74 to 79 to see the Top 100 infomercial-land stars from Allen (Debbie) to Zappa (Dweezel) you'll be surprised who's listed, well, perhaps not. 'As Seen On TV' is a fascinating and fun book covering a subject that most of us would hardly think twice about.

But, wait! There is more! DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL! Buy this book and get absolutely FREE hundreds of words that only come out in daylight! The book's designer (unfortunately) decided to use pink panels, on many of the product pages, with text in light blue. Big mistake, because it is very hard to read in a normal domestic lighting environment and the type used for the headlines on these panels is hard to read even in daylight!

I was impressed from the beginning with the content of this book. It has been a great help in my recent graduate projects. This is one I will keep on the shelf for reference.

This book is simply the best book on post-production audio out there. I have over a decade of experience mixing live sound and some formal training in post production, but Rose gets to the real nuts and bolts of the day-to-day sweetening of sound that I was able to apply his ideas the same day I read a chapter on EQ. I have read so many books on sound where authors get into all the details, but fail to give hands on practical advice. Rose has two unique things going for him in this book: the included CD that gives A/B comparisons of various audio sweetening and processing techniques and the cookbook format at the end of each chapter. Try any one of these "recipes" and you will instantly get results and be able to solve various problems and massively improve your soundtrack.
He gets technical in spots going into the physics of sound, studio design, and other minutia but the non-geeks you can usually skip these sections and side-bars. For those who just want to fix things they can jump to the end of each chapter and use the cookbook/troubleshooting sections. I can't recommend this book enough. If you are serious about filmmaking, you can't be without this book.

Audio Postproduction for Digital Video
By Jay Rose
Review by Pi Ware

Don't listen to the title. It's bigger than the title. The "Digital Video" part of Audio Postproduction for Digital Video restricts the scope of this classic Jay Rose text. Rose's book goes far beyond DV, in fact, it starts with an explanation of what sound is on the molecular level and then takes you not just through audio postproduction for TV, but to techniques specific to movie production, techniques that are entirely independent of the format you originate on. Audio Postproduction for Digital Video is top-notch. It's an excellent, text-book quality manual, a soup-to-nuts guide on how to deal with sound in postproduction.

Jay Rose never gives you solutions that are applicable only to specific Digital Audio Workstations, he arms you with knowledge you can use in any platform or program. The book is an education in sound and, together with the numerous photos and diagrams (and Rose's good sense of humor), it's a liberation from the dry prose of most manuals on postproduction.

Rose teaches you from the ground up what sound is, what good sound is, and how to make bad sound better. He doesn't just stop at good writing, however, he illustrates important points with an audio CD included in the back of the book. Together with the CD, the text guides you through importing audio into the computer, editing dialogue, Do It Yourself Foley and ADR, working with filters, noise reduction techniques, pitch and time changes, the sound mix, and even, if you're so inclined, designing, constructing and wiring your own postproduction audio facility.

Though postproduction changes with every new advance in technology, Audio Postproduction for Digital Video stays current by focusing on strategy, not software. Rose avoids giving specific keystroke instructions in specific programs, but instead explains common solutions to common problems using common tools. As he says in his introduction, "You should be able to use these pages for a long time."

Anyone considering directing a short or feature, anyone who wants to be even nominally involved in the sound design of their film, and, of course, anyone interested in working in audio postproduction, would do extremely well to pick up a copy of this classic Jay Rose text.

This book in fantastic. The author's voice and style make this not only easy to read but a joy to read as well. There are little tips and tidbits in each chapter that will make a good audio guy great and a great audio guy better. I recommend this book to anyone in the audio post world.

I decided to buy this book because I had used the forum on the DV.com website for information before, and Jay Rose's comments there had proven to be spot-on and well-informed.
This book contains a thorough examination of all the factors which contribute to the quality of post-production audio. The level of information includes the spectrum from basic to advanced, but through Mr. Rose's clear explanations the advanced information should not go over the heads of the reader.

Easy to read and follow. A good value even though it doesn't come with a demo CD.

Nice book. I've been an NLE dabbler for a few years, but never very serious about it. After finishing this book, I feel pretty comfortable with avid xpress, which was pretty intimidating at first. Good, easy read. I would have liked color pictures, though...

This is an excellent, well-written guide to the Avid Xpress Pro system, and while it can't replace the extended Authorized Avid Education advanced editing course, it is a great overview of the many different topics covered therein.

But, more importantly, it covers many things not in the official Avid training guides - things that after reading this book one feels really should be, like practical tips, tricks, and notes for a more truly professional end project. I would definitely recommend this for serious editors and people who want to get into the deeper strengths of the Avid system... it moves quickly, and might be confusing for a complete beginner.

I am just finishing up on this book, and after two solid days I have gone from no experience with avid to very comfortable. I don't know how well a new editor would do with this book, but if you already know FCP or Premiere this seems like an excellent way to learn all of the key concepts you need to run an editing app.
This is the best instructional manual I have come across.

I make my living editing digital video and this book is by far the best instructional material on Avid Xpress Pro I've seen. There are tips and suggestions it would have taken me years to figure out on my own. I'm doing better quality work in less time. I wish I had found this book two years ago.

I have always wondered what it'd be like to work on a TV talk show. From a distance it seems like a glam life. Alex Richards realistically conveys the hard work, tension, & ulcer-producing behind-the-scenes toil of a talk show intern, but balances it with Gemma's fun life with her rich, sophisticated roommates. The characters are well drawn & sassy, but I also found them compassionate. And Gemma is a love. The book was fast-paced, a really enjoyable read.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the author for my school newspaper and I had some very high hopes for the book. Back Talk exceeded my expectations by lightyears! It was glamorous and fun to read but still captured the nitty gritty of teen life. I finished the book the day I bought it in record time and I will probably read it again. I have to say I am envious of her characters. They are all so much fun and by the end you (as the reader) feel like you know them personally. So, all in all it was a pleasure to read. Bring on the champagne and the fake IDs! Oh, New York can be so glamorous.

Reviewed by Tabytha Joy (age 15) for Reader Views (8/07)

"Back Talk" is about a girl named Gemma who finds a job working for a talk show. Gemma is only sixteen, the youngest of all the employees. She and her friends like to get together and talk about cute boys, or their current boyfriends.

There is a pair of twins working for the talk show. All the twins do is try to get Gemma into trouble. Well, one of Gemma's favorite workmates ends up losing his job. The reason is because the twins said that the guy was sexually harassing them. Gemma doesn't believe this is true. She sets out to find the truth and to get her workmate hired back. Now, all Gemma wants to do is prove that the twins are lying.

The talk show owners decide that they want their special guest to be a child prostitute. The only problem is, the thirteen-year-old girl they find is afraid of appearing on the show as she fears that her pimp is going to kill her. Gemma meets up with this girl a few times to try to convince her that they will protect her from her pimp. She even talks to the boss for the talk show about offering more to this girl. So, the talk show boss decides to offer this girl a scholarship to a great college and promises her a good education. But will this young prostitute risk it?

In my opinion, "Back Talk" was an okay book if you like to read about talk shows. I was not too fond of all the dirty language used throughout this book. Some cursing would have been fine. But there was a bit too much. My favorite part of this book was when Gemma kicked Nick between the legs. I like how the author wrote "Ouch. The consequences were gonna need an ice pack." That part was really funny. I also enjoyed how the author chose to end the book. Not one question was left unanswered. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a fast-paced book with a lot of excitement in it.

First, the blurb above states that this book is for 9-12 year olds. That is a mistake - it is Young Adult fiction (so maybe grades 9-12!!). I don't recommend it for a 12 year old.

This is by far the best YA novel I have read, ever. And I am not just saying that!

It's the story of a naive 16 year old from Idaho who's in New York City for a summer internship working at a TV talk show. She's staying with some rich, glamorous friends who take her under their wing for a taste of night life and what seems to be the beginning of a great friendship too.

The characters grab you instantly -- there's the heroine, Gemma, who's journey into the fast-paced world of New York TV production is made all the more human by the insights we are given into her self doubt. She's never sure if she's quite getting the hang of this life but she follows her heart and so ends up doing the right thing. Her periodic flirtation with a dashing British student(!!!) is described with humor and tenderness.

Gemma's two friends have been born into money and status, so at first their lifestyle seems intimidating to Gemma. As they become closer, Gemma realizes that the glamor, the drinking and the sarcasm are all part of a cover up for the one thing they weren't privileged with: a loving family. The three of them bond over the summer and each comes to understand the other - it's an allegory for how the mid-west and corn-belt is so out of touch with the so-called east-coast sophisticates.

The characters and the behind-the-scenes views of the TV industry are what sets this book apart from the genre. Gemma is thrown into a crazy topsy-turvy world of hardened TV producers who have seen it all. When they find it hard to care for the people they exploit for a story, Gemma shows them all that you can be successful and still have a heart.

All in all a great read! The sarcastic humor that the narrator and the characters sling around is wickedly entertaining. The characters are well rounded and the plot is rich in detail and structure. The pace of the story keeps up right through to the end chapter, and it's hard to believe we have to leave Gemma and company to live the rest of their summer without finding out what happens next!

First time author Alex Richards shows great promise with this novel - we're all dying to see what she comes up with next.

If only my life was this fabulous at 16. As much as you want to hate on and be jealous of the trio of roommates in this book, (Gemma, America, and Dana), you will end up loving all of them. They are interning and living in NYC, two are fabulously rich, but without any of that spoiled super sweet 16 BS (OK maybe a teeny bit). The star of the novel, Gemma, is quite down to earth coming to NYC from the not so chichi countryside. Her take on interning at a trashy talk show is refreshing. Perhaps more interesting is the peek into Gemma's internship and the talk show world in general. I read online that the author once worked for a talk show type TV program, maybe we have some slightly blind itemed situations going on here. self-obsessed talk show host = egomaniac Tyra Banks? Probably not but fun to guess....

This book reminds me of the beavis and butthead movie and the TV show, not that I miss them because I have all the episodes on DVD, and the movie, thats besides the point. This book really is entertaining to read and doesn't take very long to finish. It has pictures of various artists from their videos and they talk about them, make fun of them, whatever. Since I only paid like $1, it was well worth it for this book.

This book is about as funny as watching the show! The way beavis and butt-head are so stupid sometimes in the book crack me up. They even have a list of funny words like Tungsten, cocky, sextet, and so on. If you are a diehard fan of Beavis and Butt-head such as moo-ah you MUST buy this book!

This book sucks is so great. For any Beavis and Butthead fan it is the must have collectors item. It has many detailed photos of, their town, the house, old B&B and many more pieces of impotant(huh-huh) background. My personal favorite which still makes me laugh is the list of words.

This is one book that does not live up to its name This is a very funny book- If you think Beavis and Butthead are funny-- If you don't like Beavis & Butthead you probably won't like this book

Many die-hard fans from my generation would remember the summer of 1993 when Beavis and Butt-Head first graced MTV. With the premiere episodes FROG BASEBALL and PEACE, LOVE, AND UNDERSTANDING in 1992, followed by the first season episodes, Mike Judge's ongoing series of two braindead cartoon nitwits was born.

Just reading through this, the first of many feature books, brings to mind flashbacks of the first season episodes in particular. Like many other cartoon shows, the animation is cruder and the characters look and sound slightly different, and the music videos added the real class to it. The book is loaded with pages of fun activities from house painting (coloring) to word matches to songs to progress report incidents from Highland High School.

All of it together makes this book a tour through time in the evolution of the show itself. For any of you fans who really loved the early episodes, this book is definitely for you. You will be laughing long and hard. Huh huh huh huh. I said "long and hard". That was cool!

I YEARN TO SEE WHEN EVERY SINGLE EPISODE WILL BE RELEASED - UNCUT AND UNCENSORED - ON DVD!

John Belushi, a man of laughs, a man who lived for an audience's
approval and cheers, John Belushi was an entirely respectable man and deserved to be remembered as a man of great worth among friends and colleagues, this book harrowingly displayed him as both, they did not write from a biased point of view, but rather from many perspectives, of friends and family. Every comedian should allow the utmost respect for such a spectacular man, John, may you rest in peace, knowing that all of your fans will remember you forever, we love you.

I was in the library a week before surgery looking for light fiction to tide me over a week of recuperation, when I saw "Belushi" sitting on a new non-fiction shelf and picked it up on a whim. I never got to the fiction.

Well-collected and organized first-person interview quotes, personal photographs, behind-the-scenes stories...this is a wonderful, yet cautionary, tale of the 1970's in America. I laughed out loud; tears came to my eyes. Thank you, authors.

Disclaimer: John Belushi was born in the same hospital (a few years later) as I was; one of his father's restaurants was two blocks from where I did some of my growing up; I was in Second City audiences while John was there; I've watched SNL faithfully since its first year; I saw even John's bad movies. Prejudiced I am-this is still an admirable, accurate, caring biography.

I grew up on "Saturday Night Live" and my favorite comedy is NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE. I remember the day John Belushi died and I've read WIRED at least three times. I've also read and reread SATURDAY NIGHT: A BACKSTAGE HISTORY OF "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" by Doug Hill & Jeff Weingrad and LIVE FROM NEW YORK: AN UNCENSORED HISTORY OF "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller. I also read SAMURAI WIDOW by Judy Jacklin Belushi.

So how could there be anything left to say?

I hesitated about buying BELUSHI but, after I picked it up and started thumbing through it, I couldn't put it down. And I couldn't put it down after I got it home. The stories are told by the people who were at ground zero in Belushi's life and the photos are new and personal.

This is a great book for the person discovering what a stormy genius John Belushi was and for the long-time fan who thought he or she knew everything about him.
And BELUSHI is also for everyone else in between.

As Senator John Blutarsky once said, "NOTHING IS OVER UNTIL WE DECIDE IT IS!"

Most if not all of the facts of this book will not be new to John's fans. Especially those who have read the eight-or-so books already written about or by him and his friends and family.

And, title aside, it is not really a biography; it is an oral and pictorial history. But that is its strength. The voices of those friends & family come through, showing their love for the man.

But the interesting thing is, as awesome as some of the stories may be (especially to those who haven't read them before); the pictures do an even more excellent job.

Some of the photos were previously seen in SAMURAI WIDOW and WIRED, but most are never before published. And in them, you can see the buildup from Belushi's boyhood through the first three years of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. Then the explosion when that show, ANIMAL HOUSE, and the Blues Brothers record all hit at the same time.

And then the fallout. Visually, I think you can mark the moment when the road turned hard for John; it's in a full-page picture, on page 172, of him in costume for 1941.

It's in his eyes. Look at most of the photos that precede this one, and there is a light in them, something that's growing, some kind of spark.

And though it's probably too simple to say that Hollywood stunted that growth and killed that spark, it's also, probably, accurate.

Because in most of the post-1941 photos, that spark is gone, with only a brief resurgence in the pictures taken during the filming of CONTINENTAL DIVIDE.

This was apparently a happy (if not always fun) time for John, and the pictures reflect that. Unfortunately, more so than the movie, which is enjoyable but instantly forgettable.

The key picture here for me is on page 222. It shows Belushi wrapped in a blanket, sitting on some cabin steps in his stocking feet. He's just sitting, and staring, and thinking of god knows what, but the image has an apparent vulnerability that the photogenic John rarely showed in pictures. He was a man who always seems to have known where the camera was and how to keep its eye on him. Not here.

But CONTINENTAL DIVIDE flopped, and in the photos that follow, he mostly looks wasted. I don't mean that with the drug connotation, I mean that spark was being denied again.

A note at the end proclaims, "This book is not objective," and it isn't, so bully for them for admitting it. It's an attempt to bring a loved one back to life by talking about him.

Beautifully done...and now I really know, right from the start, how wonderfully talented John was. If you lived his fast paced life with tremendous pressures and being the best he could possibly be, you'd probably be hitting some drugs, too. Lets focus on who the man really was and about all of his close friends who really loved him. Judy Belushi Pisano does an excellent job putting this book together. What a talent she is a fantastic achievement. I couldn't put this book down and I have the rings on my ass to prove it !!! Now John would have appreciated that comment !

Psych is quite possibly the funniest show in the history of television. Steve Franks, the writing staff, and the entire cast are comic geniuses! Franks says he wanted to capture the fun of detective comedies like "Moonlighting" and "Remington Steele". Much as I loved both of those shows, this is funnier. You can tell the writers, cast and crew have fun making the show, too. I hope it goes on for years!

This is by far my favorite episode of Psych, so I had to have it. I bought it for my smartphone, and the only complain I have is that the video is a little slow on the phone, but the audio is perfect. If I could fix that problem with the video, I would give it 5 stars. I highly recommend this episode, you won't stop laughing!

This is one of less than a handful of shows I consider can't miss. It's funny, occasionally crossing into hilarious, and a pleasure to watch. The two main actors have a great chemistry and Shawn's relationship with his dad provides some of the shows funnier moments.

I'm used to the darker themes of Law & Order and CSI, so it's great to have such a light-hearted detective show that pokes fun at the genre and that isn't filled with sex and gore. I'll be honest, when I first heard the plot description I thought the show would be lame, and have weak humor, but after watching the pilot I was really surprised at how great the show was. The writing is excellent, the cast is great, Psych is definitely my favorite "new" show. I bought the first season on DVD and have gotten my mother hooked as well. Everything is just so hilariously bizarre, from the idea of a fake psychic fooling everyone to the strange places in which they find themselves solving crimes, from a Spelling Bee, to a Civil War reenactment, to a comic convention. The show has both great mysteries (how could a man be killed by a dinosaur), to hilarious banter, and doesn't rely solely on either. I definitely recommend Psych!

I recently downloaded and watch all of these episodes based on reviews here on Amazon. Psych is a very fun light hearted enjoyable show that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

There is no black and white here, hence my title. That ominous music can be a bit overkill at times (though, few!). What makes this show so dynamic is the psycological profiles of the criminals and even Goren and Eames themselves. The well-written crime drama of today is displays the humanity of good and evil, hero and villian and CI does just that! I prefer Mike Logan on the regular L&O. His character was way more interesting on that show. Hands down, the earlier Goren/Eames episodes are the best - those endings are reminiscent of great theatre!

This is my favorite of all the other L&Os, and after the death of Goren's mom, it's just getting better. Each ep. shows how much closer he is too the edge. The last ep were he went undercover was great, I can't wait for it to come back on. Also I wish they would release more of the shows on dvd.

I am getting caught up on seasons 5 and 6 this winter. I can't believe how astounding the performances are by Katherine Erbe and Vincent D'Onofrio. I am compelled and even uncomfortable at times watching, and I am seldom moved by television performances as I am by these actors.

I watch the Goren/Eames team episodes first (OF COURSE) and the Logan/[insert new partner here]episodes second. I am less affected by those episodes, but they are interesting none the less.

I have not watched ALL of these shows. I absolutely love LOCI. I have watched L&O for years since the beginning. When I was in FL taking care of my brother, I was introduced to LOSVU and fell in love, but I have to say that LOCI is my favorite. The two main characters are perfect and I would not change them. I do like Noth however and like that they brought him back into the fold, but katherine erbe and d'ornofrio are the best. he has such a way for this character. Something that I haven't seen in any other series. Now, I already like the CLOSER, and the new Saving GRACE along with my Law and Order shoes. I wish I was rich cause I would be downloading ALL of them. 6 stars!

I have never seen a TV series with better characterization and writing. For well turned psychological drama, this series is the best. The writers deliver scripts that expose the human underbelly of criminals, showing us how real people, even ones who might live next door to us, can cross the line between simply being dysfunctional and committing murder. The actors present it in a way we can all recognize. I've always been fascinated with criminal psychology and the writers/actors/producers of this show explore it for us in a very entertaining way. I often finish an episode thinking to myself, "Wow... that situation sure reminds me of so and so." Disturbing, but mesmerizing.

This book helped my daughter get ready to say "bye bye" to her
pacifier. She still likes to read the book even now that the pacifier is gone.

I bought my daughter this book two weeks ago. She is two months shy of 3 years old. She has always been tremendously comforted by her binky. We have been limiting her binky use to naps and bedtime and extreme distress for quite a while now, but have been anxious for her to get rid of it. After a week of reading this book, she turned to me and said, "I'm not ready, Mommy." I told her she'd be ready one day. One week later, yesterday morning, she woke up saying, "Mommy, I'm ready to say Bye Bye Binky!" I am convinced it's because of this book. I asked her what she wanted to do with the binky and she said "Throw it in the trash." And that she did. She was aware that Baby Miss Piggy doesn't throw hers in the trash, but we kind of glossed over that part. My daughter appreciated that the first time Nanny suggests that Baby Piggy is too old for the pacifier, she said she still wanted it and did get it back. I think it helps, too, that the book has a part where Baby Piggy says she feels kind of silly because her friends don't use a pacifier anymore. I know my daughter gave up her binky on her own two months ago at preschool for that very reason. At first I thought this book would be too babyish for my daughter, but it clearly wasn't.

Baby Piggy loves her pacifier. She uses it every day. Then, one day, her baby-sitter asks her if she can play without it. Piggy tries to play without it for a few minutes, but she gets upset, so her baby-sitter gives it back. Until one day, Piggy realizes that none of her friends use a pacifier. From that day on, Piggy gave up her pacifier and her baby-sitter took it away. I got this book from our old local library and it helped my sister to say bye-bye to her pacifier.

Santa sent this book to my son when he was three and still using his pacifier. When I read this cute book to my son that Santa sent, he imediatly threw away his pacie and never said anything about it again. I believe he made this decission because the book came from Santa. It was signed in the back of the book, " Dear Tony , you are a big boy now and it is time to say Bye Bye to your pacifier, Love, Santa Clause. Thanks Santa, for a wonderful book that helped solve a little problem.

Santa sent this book to my son when he was three and still using his pacifier. When I read this cute book to my son that Santa sent, he imediatly threw away his pacie and never said anything about it again. I believe he made this decission because the book came from Santa. Thanks Santa, for a wonderful book that helped solve a little problem.