Arts and Entertainment Books

As an old-time radio fan who has just recently discovered the magic of Don McNeill's "Breakfast Club" program (and WHY aren't there more surviving recordings of this series currently in circulation among collectors?), I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Doolittle's new book. I found it to give fascinating and in-depth looks into the "behind-the-scenes" workings of the show, the network and sponsor difficulties with the TV version, and the careers and private lives of the McNeill family and the various cast members. I found the section regarding Kay McNeill's (Don's wife) mental and physical decline from Altzheimer's Disease to be particularly poignant and heartbreaking...especially considering what a vibrant person she seemed to be prior to her illness. In a previous review, Mr. Slobb criticizes the book for treating Don McNeill as if he were God...I respectfully disagree. The book deals with the two personas of Mr. McNeill....How he could seem outgoing on the program and be quite introverted, even sullen, in real life. However, after reading the book one gets the impression that Don McNeill was basically a fine person. After working with Mr. McNeill for a number of years and numerous broadcasts, Mr. Slobb's complaints are that Don McNeill never spoke to him, or that Don gave Mr. Slobb "cheap" Christmas presents....I don't think that those issues really put Don McNeill into the "ruthless S.O.B" category. Unlike fellow "morning man" Arthur Godfrey, who truly alienated his cast members and had some very ugly parting of the ways, most of Don McNeill's regulars stayed with him for YEARS. There were male and female singers who would leave the show to get married and raise families, tour on club dates, go into the service, etc. Don had a friendly "open-door" policy with these departed singers.....Most of them would return to fill in when their replacements would be out sick, on vacation, etc., and these "pinch-hitting" former regulars were always made to feel welcome. I'm sorry to digress from the book itself, but I felt that the preceding needed to be said. I found this book to be enlightening, interesting, inspiring and a LOT of fun...sort of like an actual "Breakfast Club" broadcast! I recommend it highly!

The Don McNeill Breakfast Club was a comfort of home, a memory of cherished moments sitting by the radio with my family. When I heard that a book had been written about the program I had high expectations. I was more impressed than I could have imagined. Not only did I feel a stronger sense of who Don McNeill was, I also gained perspective on American History through radio, which was so perfectly encompassed in The Breakfast Club. For anyone who remembers the lazy mornings by the radio, or for anyone who is interested in American culture and history, this book is a must!

Although I am old enough to have been able to remember Don McNeill's Breakfast Club I have only heard of him, and wanted to learn more about this popular radio show. Author John Doolittle has done an excellent job in bringing out the personality of Don McNeill. Don was a devoted family man who, despite an extroverted personality when interviewing people, was more of an introvert away from the show. Don was devoted to the midwest and chose to keep his show in Chicago from various downtown locations. I would say the primary reason for the success of the show was his sincere interest in people in addition to his willingness to pay the price in preparation time. Those who filled in for him found out there is more involved than chatting with members of the studio audience. The silent prayer and the march around the breakfast table were interesting staples of this show that I wasn't aware of. Don McNeill was a sincere man both on the show and in his private life. The CD that came with the book I bought provides interesting snippets on some of his shows and was especially interesting to listen to after having read the book. Don McNeill was a giant of radio who had a lot to contribute to other people and did.

This is a fascinating journey back through radio and american history.

The "Breakfast Club" was a morning radio program staple in hundreds of thousands of homes across America beginning in 1933 until its final broadcast in December of 1968. Don McNeill hosted this program which was completely unscripted and involved a lot of studio audience participation. Now John Doolittle has memorialized that unique and beloved radio show host and his program in Don McNeill And His Breakfast Club. Here is the history of a man and a program that developed an enormous and loyal listenership in an era when broadcast radio was the major daily mass media for information and culture in the country. Doolittle's informative, enthusiastically recommended history is enriched with the inclusion of an accompanying CD with sample clips from the show to give the reader an authentic flavor of what the program was like and why it became (and stayed) one of the most popular components of morning radio.

Mention 'Earl Hamner' and savvy book readers will instantly recognize his name as the creator of the beloved Waltons, which became a hit TV show - but there's more to his life than Walton's Mountain, as Earl Hamner: From Walton's Mountain To Tomorrow reveals. Hamner was raised in small town Virginia and discovered writing at a young age, becoming a published writer at the age of six. He did much more than just The Waltons: he produced eight scripts for The Twilight Zone, did the screenplay for Charlotte's Web, and was loved and respected for his talents. A fine account of his lively career and many literary contributions evolves.

Earl Hamner is genious, intelligent, heartfelt, honest man. He created the best show on t.v., "The Waltons." This books opens a lot of interesting history of his career and family. The author spends too much time indulging other writers works, and trying to compare them to Earl Hamner. I wish Earl was the author of his bio. You will discover his works from Charlotte's Web, Falcon Crest, Snowy River, Spencer's Mountain, The Homecoming,and of course, The Waltons.
Sections of the book gets very boring, and turns away from Earl's life. The rest of the book is well written. We need more writers & producers like Earl Hamner.
God Bless The Waltons!

Earl Hamner,Jr. is as familiar to some of us as our own father, or grandfather.He has been a part of our lives for as much as the last thirty or so years,since his book "The Homecoming" aired as a made for tv Christmas movie,and the long running series,"The Waltons" took over our living rooms every Thursday night.
The series was based on Mr. Hamner's life growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains during the depression,and the stories related to many of us,having touched on our families and their histories,stories that were told to us by our parents and grandparents,and some that lived through those times themselves.
Earl had a special gift in his ability to tie that world in with ours,reminding us even still today the meaning of family.He could even make those without a family feel like they were part of one.
Mr. Person's book not only presents a great tribute to a great man, but his writing also has the ability to make the reader feel as though they are reading about one of thier own family,but with some surprises along the way.If I had only one comment about the book it would be that I only wish there were more pages to read in it! Great job,Mr.Person!

It was the best bio I have ever read.It made me feel like I was part of the Hamner family.When I watched the waltons as a kid I did not know it was based on a real family. Now when I watch the Waltons it has a whole new meaning

This book provides excellant insight on Earl Hamner. My wife and I belong to the International Walton's Fan Club and have meet Earl several times at Walton Reunions. Mr. Hamner is a talented writter and a wonderful person.

It didnt take long to read this book..couldnt put it down. Totally surprised at what I read and I give Kudos to Mrs. EH! I liked the frankness about everything without all the details! Engelbert held nothing back he didnt want to and Im glad he is still with his family! He still has a beautiful gift and should thank God for watching over him and his family! I still say he can sing better than any other ever!!

I read Engelbert's Biography and I found it very interesting. Many events in the book were stated with the up most honesty. Most biography's are written with only the good things the person wants you to know. Engelbert and his wife tell you his story just as it was. I have never read a book in just 2days,but I couldn't put the book down. I am a great fan of Engelbert for over 30yrs and I'm sure anyone who reads this book will enjoy it.

What a tale Engelbert has to tell, and how entertaining is the way he tells it; it's been a life full of twists and turns, and he writes it all, with all the bumps and bruises along the way.
From his childhood in Madras, India, where he lived through the violence of pre-Independence terrorism, to the many hardships of trying to make it as a singer, which were made that much tougher by the ever-present "couch-casting" that went on, a form of getting ahead that he would not participate in...and its prevalence explains why many of the untalented seem to "make it", if only for a season, while some of the really gifted have a rough time getting noticed.
Engelbert's rise to stardom was meteoric, with the single song of "Release Me" in 1967, and he went from living in a sparsely furnished flat into the lap of luxury, and all the pitfalls that come with fame and fortune.

Through it all, he has had Patricia, or Popea, as he calls her, with him since the early days. Beautiful as well as intelligent and strong, she's been the one that has kept the family of 3 boys and one girl (the stunning and talented Louise Dorsey) together, and "stood by her man" through thick and thin. Popea writes a portion of Chapter Fifteen with gritty honesty, and explains how, and why, she withstood the many women, the paternity suits, and all the paparazzi that hounded them through those many years of notoriety.
The women, as Engelbert explains, were an "occupational hazard", certainly not helped by his years of lonely nights and hard drinking on the road, and the many females who would make themselves exceedingly available.

Engelbert comes off as an extremely complex individual, but very likeable. A perfectionist in his work, living life to the fullest, and discovering in his later years that he has the gift of healing; this assertion I believe, as I find that the sound of his voice can have curative effects.
There are portions that are laugh-out-loud funny (like the UFO story in Chapter Seventeen), and adding to the charm of his writing style is some of the "Brit-speak" slang, with expressions like the now rarely heard "grotty" (a favorite word of mine coined by George Harrison in the '60s).

The book has two sections of photographs, from the age of 17 on. Favorites of mine are the one with Muhammad Ali, and a lovely family shot taken by the pool in one of their USA homes, affectionately named "The Pink Palace".
The final 12 pages are devoted to a UK discography, and include chart positions.
This is fast reading, and riveting, so walk the dog, feed the cat, turn off the telephone, and make yourself a big cuppa, because once you open this book, its going to be very hard to put down.

I was sure this book would be interesting...but it went way beyond anything I could have imagined. It was poignant, honesty..incredibly honest..I can't believe there were were several chapters where I couldn't see beyond my tears. I am so glad I got this book..it is a very deep look...and I'd love to sit down with him and be his friend! Thank you, Englebert, for letting us inside your heart.

i truly enjoyed reading this book. I have been a fan for 26 years and it was enjoyable to read about his life.
The book was a quick read and as entertaining as going to his show. my favorite chapter was where his wife wrote her feelings. I took alot away from that. That is what love is about!!
read this book and enjoy!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

The Girls Guide to Tarot provides a simple and fun beginning for anyone interested in tarot cards. Some books over complicate things and use terms that are hard to understand, but this book offers step by step instructions and clear explanations. When I started learning to read tarot I felt very overwhelmed, luckily my high school library had a copy of this little gem! I enjoyed it so much that I later bought a copy for myself and I can't recommend it enough!

I own a few Tarot books and enjoy working with the cards on occasion. Girl's Guide to Tarot is one of the better ones I've come across. While most books have something to their credit, Tarot is a complicated subject and I confess I did not expect this amount of depth in an intro book for young girls. I took it out of the library for a book club meeting where the book involved Tarot.

Parents will appreciate Ms. Olmstead's careful use of language when she describes the kinds of answers a person can get from the Tarot and her sound advice about using the cards. "Be careful that you don't rely too much on the Tarot to handle the little things in life. If you are asking if you should wear the blue or the green sweater, you know you've gone too far. The Tarot should be an extension of your daily life, not a controlling force."

This attitude is reinforced throughout the book, which I think a very responsible thing. A young girl could easily get sucked in to thinking Tarot will tell her future. The author makes it clear the cards can present possible resolutions to problems, but the future is something to be created by the reader. This point is restated several times in various ways.

The book contains an overview of the varied history of the Tarot, descriptions on how to shuffle, ask questions --excellent advice here-- "put a positive spin on it" "Don't ask, 'why can't my mom stop giving me such a hard time?' Rather "What can I do to increase understanding between Mom and me?" A section of very good, accurate card definitions, a wonderful section with very useful spreads spreads. Teens may find the "what can I do to increase my self esteem" spread helpful. A section on journaling and caring for the cards, etc. Also some projects, even advice on making your own deck for the ambitious!

In short, lots of good information here set out in a manner that encourages the reader to be non judgmental, to think carefully about problems and take positive action to solve them. Also the book does not have any Wiccan/religious viewpoints. These would not bother me, but this might be a concern for others. There are longer books out there for older audiences that are not nearly as good as this one. I wish I'd bought it sooner!

If it wasn't for this book, I still wouldn't know how to read tarot cards. This book was nice and simple and easy to use. I had no problems understanding it!

I really find that this is one of the best books on tarot that I have seen. I haven't had much luck with a lot of books because they tend to give lots of definitions and many of them are really vague. This book, however give straighforward and most importantly accurate meanings to the cards. It in one of the few books that makes the cards really usefull. Quick and easy but don't think that means fluff. This is a book that I will recomend to others, no matter what the age.

We ran across this delightful book at our local library during a routine trip with the wee ones, and what a wonderful find! It is written for girls ages 12 and up, but we think its appeal is much farther reaching. All 126 pages are brightly and softly illustrated; there is nothing dark, scary and mystical here. It starts with a brief introduction and history, and gives a novice reader a good idea about what Tarot is and is not. There are simple step by step instructions, and sections on how to pick out a deck, storing your deck, and how to create your reading environment. The Major Arcana descriptions are a page each, using the Rider/Waite/Smith deck for illustration, and the author refers to these as the "Destiny Cards". The Minor Arcana descriptions are two per page, and are referred to as the "Free Will Cards". There are fifteen pages of spreads, from the most basic using 2 cards up to using 18. We were pleasantly surprised to find a section on designing your own spreads as well as finding your birthday Trump card. The closing section will appeal to those crafty sort, with instructions on how to make your own Tarot decks and bags. We thoroughly enjoyed this book - it presents such a fresh, new approach. Our only wish is for a bigger section on reversals, but overall this is a good beginner book for a young reader, and one we wouldn't hesitate to recommend!

The collaborative work of Gary Stromberg & Jane Merrill, The Harder They Fall: Celebrities Tell Their Real-Life Stories Of Addiction And Recovery is a compendium of autobiographical accounts of self-help and recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction told by a range of readily recognized men and women who range from singer and songwriter Paul Williams, to comedian Richard Pryor, to actor Malcom McDowell, to musician Alice Cooper, to U.S. Congressman Jim Ramstad, and sixteen others. All of these stories are revealed with candor, insight, humor, humility, and hope. The Harder They Fall is a unique anthology and should be available to everyone (especially those struggling with their own addictions) in the community through their local public library.

It seems like you can't pick up a newspaper or turn on a television without hearing of some new celebrity being involved with drugs. Why with all of their success does it take drugs for them to get through their lives? And in the news you don't hear about followups. What happens to these people after they get out of their court ordered treatment (or jail)?

In this book the authors have managed to get an extraordinary collection of people to talk about their lives under drugs and how they were able to beat their habbit. In each case it was clearly a struggle, it was not easy, but they managed.

I say the collection of people is extraordinary because it contains far more than just the musicians that seem to get all the press. It includes sports figures, writers, comedians, and actors. The stories leave me with a feeling of both sadness and hope. That these people can not only accomplish what they did but that they are now will to share their experiences with the rest of us speaks great things about them.

Highly recommended.

Gary Stromberg really tells some very compelling stories of some of the biggest names in pop culture. This book offers hope, some laughs and great insights into an insidious disease that effects millions. I highly recommend this book!

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/06)

In "The Harder They Fall," publicist Gary Stromberg and author Jane Merrill write stories about twenty-one celebrities and their experiences with addictions. Stromberg begins with his own story about how he got addicted and how hard he had to hit bottom before he could climb up on top again.

What really made this book refreshing is that the stories are written about celebrities from a variety of walks of life. They are not just movie stars or musicians, they are also athletes, politicians, writers and even a cowboy. In spite of the difference in their backgrounds, a common thread runs through the lives of these people. The substance abuse usually began as they became famous. Some of these people even thought that they could use the drugs or alcohol as their muses. As they crashed and burned, they had to go into recovery. In most cases, there were relapses. Then the real healing began and as they healed their inner selves, they made peace with their demons and found a better way to live.

This book is really well written. The first thought that came to my mind as I was reading it, was that, "This is a really good book." That is a simple statement, and I know that the authors could have phrased it much better because they write so well, but the bottom line is, I really enjoyed this book.

People who are interested in stories about celebrities will enjoy it. But, I think that a person struggling with an addiction or a person who knows someone close to them that is struggling with an addiction will get the most out of these stories. The reason I feel this is because that the underlying theme is one of hope. These people hit bottom and in many cases they also had to deal with the humiliation of having the public involved in their private lives. But they manage to overcome their addictions and rise above them to become even better, stronger people than they were before.

The authors also mention celebrities that they would have liked to include in the book, but were unable to, because they are dead as a result of their substance abuse. The most famous one was Elvis. The chapter mentioning these people provides a sobering eye opener to what can happen if you do not go into recovery.

Mariette Hartley ends her story with a powerful quote from a woman that was her spiritual advisor, "One's deepest wounds, integrated, become one's greatest powers." This quote sums up the outcome of people that survive addiction and make it through recovery. I highly recommend this book.

You don't have to be interested in reading celebrity stories to enjoy this book. I highly recommend it. I found the book really hard to put down. Because there are so many great short stories, I was able to get a broad view of the disease's nature. Also, I am very impressed with the honesty and vulnerability of the people who shared their stories. They are very human, beautiful and courageous.

"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.

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

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

" 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.

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!

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.

Anthony's book shows us, the reader, how interviews can be handled in a professional, smart way to engage the subject, triggering that person to open up and reveal the business of music and the creativity of his/her soul. My favorite interview is where Keith Richards talks about his daughters sneaking into bed with him while he is asleep and waking up to find them next to him.

Octaroons (people over 100 and baboons with eight legs) will find this book absolutely wonderful. I found out about this fine book from my good friends, Andy Breckman and Friedman, International Comedic Envoy for the UN. However, this show is pathetic, but just as hilarious as the Wikipedia one. Everyone should buy this book. Seven Second Delay Rocks.

I had the distinct pleasure of listening to Mr. DeCurtis speak to my History of Rock and Roll (taught by the best teacher ever) class at Indiana University in the Spring of 2004. This was definitely one of the highlights of my collegiate acamdemic career. Anthony's knowledge and experience in the music world is astonishing and his way with words in the recollection of his stories give his listeners a feeling that he not just a writer, but a true music fanatic. In fact, I was so enthralled by Mr. DeCurtis' stories, I attended every section of the classes he was scheduled to address that day. Although I have not read this particular book, I have read his others and would highly suggest them. Based on my readings of his other books, and seeing Anthony speak, I plan to buy this book as soon as I can, and I would bet that I will love it, and most other music lovers will as well.

Written by one of the most esoteric giants of rock n' roll writers, "In other words" is simply funny and fascinating. Anthony DeCurtis sure got around the music scene and it's all here. 7SD rocks!

Anthony DeCurtis is one of the best rock critics writing today and this book is full of fascinating interviews that show you a side of many stars you've never seen before. The dueling interviews with Paul McCartney and George Harrison and Keith Richards on Mick Jagger are worth the price of the book alone. The book also includes an interview with Martin Scorsese and a rare interview with Don Delillo that show that DeCurtis is just as knowledgable about film and literature.

Linkin Park is my favorite , I just adore them. I ordered there book and I'm waiting for it to arrive , but I have to tell you , if LP rules so much there book MUST be cool , I mean it features my favorite 6 guys. LP fans , based on previous reviews this is the book for you AND me. :)

With more than fifty pages of in-depth text,this book tells you the history of Linki Park.Many pictures I have never seen before are also in this book.Highly recommend this to all LP fans.

if you want to know it, this book has it. This book tells the history of the band, even a little about Chester's old band! It's got awesome information and great pictures. Every LP fan should own this

All in all, this book was 5/5, but the problem was, when I was starting the hang of it, i thought it had more pages to be read, but its only less information, oh well.. this explains the forming of the band, where they met, how they started, the Hybrid Theory days..... Chester's band called _xero_ was also mentioned on the book, i really recommend this!!!

This book is awesome. I was up all night readin this. Linkin park die hards this is the book for u. Keep it, tresure it, do whatever u have to. I know i will.