Arts and Entertainment Books

I love this book, the more I learn about Mr. Sinatra the more I fall in love with him...He was the epitome of class and of someone who lived life "his way". He set the bar high for other performing actors/singers and I think no other can match his genious aside from Lucianno Pavarotti....Excellent read!!

Of the plethora of books on Frank Sinatra that have been fighting for space on the shelves since his death, this is the best.

A wonderful essay by John Lahr chronicles his life, from the tough streets of Hoboken to a room in Beverly Hills shortly before his 80th birthday. A now well chronicled life, but captured by Mr Lahr in all its complexity and contradiction.

At the heart of this life was his great gift - singing. At the very end, in the Beverly Hills room, surrounded by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan (what were they doing there?) Steve Lawrence and others, he insisted on singing the solo. It was his right then, as it had been his right throughout his life. And he was undeniable.

A beautifully designed and produced book, it is adorned with a perfect selection of photographs to complement the essay. Look at the faces on page 102, completely transfixed by "The Voice" and see what James Agee called "an erotic dream".

A must have for Sinatra fans, and anyone fascinated by popular culture.

This is the best-looking coffee table book on Sinatra, with most of the first half based on an excellent essay by John Lahr. For a thorough look at the music, you want Will Friedwald's book, but this one is a classic photo tour of Sinatra's career from Hoboken to the world. I could spend a 1000 words on the pictures, but you can travel back to the 1950s with this one. The large format photos bring home the personality of the subjects, who include Nat Cole, Ava Gardner, Dean Martin, Count Basie and other music icons of the last century. Very enjoyable evening read, also.

My parents alerted me to this book. It's different, as the singers of today do not sing songs. They talk to a beat. Connie Haines sang with Tommy Dorsey's fine orchestra when Frank Sinatra was also a singer with his band. They did lots of duets together. I think that Helen Forrest and Connie Haines were the two best singers of those big band days. Her's is an interesting story that stresses her religious faith and how she overcame distress in her life. The photos are great, too. I understand she is still singing today with the same gusto. A friend recently saw her perform in Atlantic City with a World War II type review. Her good friend Jane Russell penned a foreword.

My parents alerted me to this book. It's different, as the singers of today do not sing songs. They talk to a beat. Connie Haines sang with Tommy Dorsey's fine orchestra when Frank Sinatra was also a singer with his band. They did lots of duets together. I think that Helen Forrest and Connie Haines were the two best singers of those big band days. Her's is an interesting story that stresses her religious faith and how she overcame distress in her life. The photos are great, too. I understand she is still singing today with the same gusto. A friend recently saw her perform in Atlantic City with a World War II type review. Her good friend Jane Russell penned a foreword.

I am the author of Snootie Little Cutie. Connie Haines is the best singer of the big band era. At seventeen she sang shoulder -to -shoulder with Frank Sinatra first in Harry James' band, and then they both joined Tommy Dorsey singing with the Pied Pipers, Buddy Rich, Jo Stafford, all members of the great showcase band. Connie lives in Florida and still performs. Her friend Jane Russell wrote the foreword. This book will transform you back to the Big Band Era with over 100 photos. Connie later toured with Abbott & Costello on their radio show, and also toured with Jane Russell, Rhonda Fleming, & Beryl Davis as Les Girls, singing bible songs on a nationwide tour. "You will learn a lot about this honorable, faithful, fun-loving, talented, crystal- chanddelier-loving Southern Belle," according to Jane Russell.

I too, bought this book thinking it was light humor. It's much more than that even though I laughed out loud several times reading it. Much of the humor is dark and thought provoking. I saw my own predicament in many of the descriptions. I recommend it to any creative person.

I bought this book mostly as a kind of joke. Most of my friends and I classify ourselves as starving artists, so I thought this book would, at the very least, be an eery window into our lives.

What I got was not just a mildly amusing look at the life of the stereotypcal "starving artist," but in many cases, I was laughing out loud. Not only that, but the authors have infused wonderful accounts of real artists as examples for the various topics they discuss. Even though much of the advice is light-hearted and probably not meant to be taken too literally, there's a good portion of it that is as useful as it is entertaining.

What started out as a book I bought on a whim became a book that I have declared one of the best books I've ever read. Okay, that may be a bit melodramatic, but I'm an artist...aren't I entitled? ;-)

Bottom line? If you are an artist or know an artist who has ever struggled, GET THIS BOOK...if nothing else, you'll have a few laughs and your lack of success (and quarters for laundry) won't seem quite as grim.

A funny look a the nitty gritty issues of life mixed with facts about what the (now) famous did in similiar situations. Lots of fun (& sometimes helpful) suggestions for handling everything from critiques to living situations. Great fun to read!

Steve Irwin was a dedicated and thoroughly down to earth wildlife conservationist. He believed in what he did and he had a heart full of love and a healthy attitude towards life. Steve Irwin: The Incredible Life of the Crocodile Hunter thoroughly explores Steve's amazing life, from his childhood antics through to his adult relationships - including his wife Terry and their family. There are wonderful photos thru-out. Anyone who loved Steve, will enjoy having this book. Steve, you are missed. But the work you believed in goes on. Thank you.

Pam Dupre

The charismatic and highly animated Steve Irwin was compassion in action for the wildlife kindom. He revered all creatures great and small. His entertaining and captivating television specials were vital for alluring countless thousands of young viewers to learn to apprecaite nature and animal species. He interacted with crocodiles, snakes and dangerous animals to showcase that these species were vital to ecosystems and habitats. Steve Irwin did not kill animals. He was a warrior on behalf of wildlife. He was accidentally killed by a stingray. The latter are majestic and peaceful creatures. Steve Irwin would denounce any malcontent person who would mutilate and kill an innocent stingray. Thank God that Steve Irwin's wife and incredible daughter continue his campaign and advocacy on behalf of the animal kingdom.

A great book to pay homage to the greatest wildlife warrior ever.

I'm so glad that Brenda Buffalino has had a chance to put her interesting life in print for all of us to share...she is a treasure in the world of tap.....

If you love tap dancing you will love this book. Brenda's stories are totally inspirational as are her tap techniques and theory. The theory part is designed for those who have some experience with tap dancing.
One of the great things about this book is that much of the book covers the last 35 years of tap dance so the stories are all very recent and can easily be related to.
You won't want to put the book down once you start reading the tap dance stories section, its such a good read. When you get to the technique section you'll want to try the steps out.

With "Tapping the Source," Brenda Bufalino has given us a brilliantly titled and generously written professional memoir that opens a view into the personal impulses that have driven her creative process.

The book is divided into two sections. Part one is a memoir in the guise of "Tap Dance Stories;" part two, "Theory and Practice," is a master class for experienced tap dancers, but not to be skipped by the in, un, or less experienced, as Brenda continues the memoir even as she notates rhythms, and offers teaching tips.

Full disclosure: I count myself as one of Brenda's many friends, and my wife has produced her work in Seattle over the course of the years. From that vantage point I've been witness to a few of the events in this book, and have also been a willing audience for many of the stories. Brenda is an inveterate story-teller whose ideas, interests, and sources range vastly. A conversation with her, especially if it's a group event, is often like a tropical storm, and when she said she was writing a book I wondered how she'd be able to master the elements to a table as rigid as the page. Now, Brenda may be an improviser, but that's not to say she isn't disciplined, and she found the discipline for the book without sacrificing the art of the story. The book is a good read. It's witty, filled with tap history, opinionated, and touching in its personal reminiscences - most notably of her mother, her mystical involvement with people and place, and her long association with Honi Coles.

Brenda is an Artist, with a capital A. As a being she transcends her chosen forms. Her book will be purchased by dancers, but it's a book for artists, so if you are on the path, "Tapping the Source," is a useful map.

What a great book! I enjoyed reading this book and finished it in one sitting. I have had the honor of meeting Marco the Magi on a couple of occasions and have found him to be one of the most amazing people I have known. I work at Montserrat College of Art, one block from where Marco and Le Grand David perform and have watched them a couple of times with amazement. Marco has even opened his incredible theater to us and we have had three commencement ceremonies there and a couple of convocations at his other historic theater, the Larcom Theater.

I have always wondered, how on earth did he create something so amazing. Avrom has done a wonderful job of lifting the curtain and enabling the reader to understand Marco's life - and wonderful suprises. I strongly encourage those who have an interest in magic, theater, or leadership to read this book!

Brian Bicknell

Marco the Magi, an inspiration to immigrants everywhere. A book which takes the reader through time and hardship of a young man leaving his motherland with little other than the clothes on his back and to the present successful person he has become through the fruits of his hard work and sweat of his brow.

The reader will come to admire Marco as much as those who know him personally and know of his kind and generous heart.

The author, Avrom Karl Surath is not just an original member of Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company, but has also been a close personal friend of Marco's for over four decades. It is little wonder that he has been able to capture the true essesnce of this magnificent individual and of his accomplishments from childhood in Cuba to the present time as producer and director of the magic troupe from Beverly Massachusetts.

Through the years the author has had an opportunity to personally meet many of the people he has interviewed for the book and to be witness to many of the reuniting meetings between Marco and those friends he had been separated from for years.

Maria Ibanez
Miami, Florida

The Life of Marco The Magi - Researched and written over many years by Avrom Karl Surath, an original member of Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company, this book carries you through Marco the Magi's childhood and youth in Cuba up to the present time as producer and director of Beverly's famed magic troupe.

The author's research brought him in contact with members of the Cuban diaspora who were Marco's friends and members of his theater company when they were all beginning their lives in Cuba. The author was present when they rediscovered him in America fifty years later.The book recounts the revolution and the agony of Marco's forced exile. It covers his seven years of doctoral studies and friendship with Abraham Maslow at Brandeis University. It gives new perspectives on his founding of the Le Grand David stage magic ensemble. It shows how the genial magician has incorporated Maslow's principles in the colorful and often surprising life of the magic company over its thirty-year-plus history.

The book includes forewords by John Fisher, Dr. Ricardo Morant (Fierman Professor of Psychology, emeritus at Brandeis), and Luis Puello, a former student in Santa Clara, Cuba. Chapters contain interviews with Cesareo about how he conceived and directed the shows. It also includes interviews with Le Grand David about his role in the productions.

Pages 228 - Soft Bound

This is THE book about the longest-running show in TV history (and rightfully so.) All the profits from it go to charity. I bought it a few years ago. It includes a chapter (biography and photos) on each of the show's four decades; what happened after the show ended; song lyrics ("I watched the tube today, Wall-boy/Captain Super didn't make the grade..."); fan comments; and sections on some of the show's behind-the-scenes people, other performers like Dan Horn, and regular guests like Officer Harry, celebrity guests; and more.

The best thing about this book is all the photos. I loved the photos from the early years. I didn't start watching until the '70s, so those '50s and '60s photos are fascinating to me. I also liked the photos of their live shows (remember Legend City and the state fair?) and the photos of the set. Too many of them look a bit grainy or out-of-focus. It would've been nice to have more photos of Pat McMahon's hundreds of different characters. (That could've been a book in itself!) But since more/better photos probably don't exist, I can't fault the book for not including them. This book is as good as it could possibly be.

It will be of interest to anyone interested in TV history and/or Arizona history. I think it should be required reading for all the masses of people moving here. And if you're a Wallace and Ladmo fan, how can you live without it?

Damn, I miss these guys. Even Gerald. They make me proud to be an Arizona native. Here's to you, Ladmo!

If you grew up in Arizona like I did, and grew up watching the Wallace and Ladmo show after or before school...religiously as I did, you've got to get this book which chronicles the show wonderfully and really brings back very fond memories. KJ Chandler, AZ

When I was a young child in Arizona, I used to watch Wallace and Ladmo every morning before I went to school up until I was 7 and moved to California. I didn't move back to Arizona until I was in my 20's and by then the show had gone off the air. But just because it is no longer on the air does not mean it has to fade away. This book was the greatest gift I could have ever received. Not only could I reminisce about the show I loved as a child but I also learned about how the show started and what happened in the years after I had moved away. And this book is filled with hundreds of photos that bring back so many memories. Even though I only watched the Wallace and Ladmo Show for a few years, it will always have a big place in my heart and I will always be able to relive those happy memories with this great book.

What a great gift--for one's own nosalgic journey and for anyone else who will want to have a keepsake of the times and tides of our nation's preoccupations, whether with celebrities, politicians, sports figures, important 'voices' of inspiration. The pictures are captivating; the joy is infectious. It speaks volumes about how and why Oprah has led the way for a nation's curiosity and insight. It reminds us of all of the friends we've made as Oprah introduced us to who was 'happening' and how we came to open our world to all of them. Important !!

I'm a huge fan of Oprah Winfrey. I've watched her television show since it first came on the air. TO OPRAH WITH LOVE has wonderful color photos from many of my favorite episodes. It's filled with pictures of Oprah with tons of celebrities, politicians, sports heros, authors and others. So many priceless moments from her tv career are captured on these pages. It's just like a photo album filled with pictures of your best friends and family! As I first looked thru it I realized how much Oprah has made me laugh, made me cry, made me think, made me wonder and made me happy! I'll cherish this book! Wow!

THIS IS THE REAL THING.AN ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS CHRONICLE OF OPRAH THOUGHOUT THE YEARTS.IT SHOWS HER AS SHE EVOLVED AND FEATURES ALMOST OF HER MOST CELEBRATED GUESTS.THIS IS MORE THAN JUST A BEATIFUL PICTURE BOOK.IT IS A HISTORY OF TELEVISION AND OUR TIME.IT ALSO WISELY LETS EVERY PICTURE TEELL THE SORY AND DOES NOT CONTAIN A LOT OF PUFFERY.THIS LIMITED EDITIOB IS A THE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR.

I worked indirectly for Bryan. He was in charge of the Financial Advisors in the region I worked .I was a dual employee of a bank as well as brokerage. He held a monthly meeting for all the Advisors and Licensed Financial Sales Consultants .He made all his meeting very interesting and productive. I always took away a valuable lesson from these sessions. He is a powerful public speaker and always delivered tips and points that made me an excellent sales person. Because of Bryan I am now working for the largest mutual fund company in the Nation. I highly recommend reading his book.

An easy to read style which gives hands on and practical advice everyone in sales (regardless of your industry ) should read. It is Head and Shoulders above the other sales books in which I have read. Mr. Mitchell's approach to planning and executing sales strategies are simple but brilliant! Top Producer will give you the edge necessary to increase sales performance. I myself have 17 years of sales experience behind me and feel that Top Producer has given me insight into what I have been missing all these years!

It's high time Bryan shared his ideas. I have 17+ years in sales experience as a financial consultant, and for a brief while, worked under Mr. Mitchell as my sales manager. I felt at the time that his sales meetings stood apart from those of other managers. Rather then just berate the staff about "increased production" Bryan brought useful, pragmatic material to his meetings to increase our sales. These came in the form of fresh ideas, or new spins on old sales techniques. His suggestions are interesting and useful. I integrated several of his ideas into practice and had a very successful career. One point Bryan made that I found to be true is that many sales professionals have no plan, and "any plan is better then no plan at all". Bryan takes this a step further by outlining a specific plan that anyone can use sprinkled with interesting, practical ideas. Furthermore, Bryan is not just driven by revenue, a mistake many managers make, he was the only sales manager I had ( and I had many) that openly spoke of, and concerned himself with "the good of the shareholders", a sentiment rarely heard in an era of upper management corruption these days. I encourage anyone in sales, or interested in a sales career to read this book.

This is an excellent book packed with photos and information. I don't know why Amazon has this book listed at a whopping $85. I just met Noel Neill at Wonder-Con in San Francisco where Noel Neill & the author Larry Thomas Ward both signed it and it cost me $30 which is the retail price printed on the back page. 1-800-574-7438 is the number listed on the inside cover for ordering additional copies. I'd try that number before paying $85 through Amazon for it even though it is well worth it at that price too.

'Truth, Justice, & The American Way: The Life And Times Of Noel Neill' by Larry Thomas Ward is an absolute, must have book for afficionados of the classic television series 'The Adventures Of Superman' (1951 - 1957), which starred George Reeves and Noel Neill.

Movie fans will discover that Noel Neill had made over 80 feature films, and starred as Lois Lane in two Columbia studios serials, 'Superman' (1948) and 'Atom Man Vs Superman' (1950), prior to the famed TV show. Ms. Neill joined the watershed series in it's second season and made 78 episodes, a special U.S. Treasury Dept. 'Superman' film selling savings bonds, as well as extensive personal appearances with Reeves and the TV cast!

This book contains hundreds of rare and never before published photographs from Ms. Neill's personal collection. It also has an exhaustive and detailed listing of Noel Neill's film, TV, and stage credits! Mr. Ward's writing skillfully transports the reader back to the golden days of Hollywood, and in the delicate footsteps of Noel Neill!

Noel Neill does not place herself in the controversy surrounding the mysterious death of George Reeves, as to whether it was a homicide or suicide. However, she does describe in detail the final days of Mr. Reeves and the television series, leaving unmistakable clues to the discerning reader to follow. Several books have been written on the bizarre, violent death of George Reeves, but Noel Neill and author Larry Thomas Ward recommend only one for the reader interested in seeking the truth!

"Truth Justice & The American Way' covers the fascinating life of Noel Neill and readers will enjoy this journey.

"Truth, Justice and the American Way" is a must-have book for fans of the original Superman TV series. Written by Larry Thomas Ward in close collaboration with Noel Neill, the book gives an insider's view into the making of one of the most famous TV series of all time - not to mention the two Superman serials that preceded it. The book is a quick, breezy read, and my only complaint is that when I finished it, I wanted more. The portrait of Noel Neill that emerges from this book is of an independent but upbeat and relentlessly cheerful actress. Readers who remember her only as Lois Lane will be suprised to learn of her career as a singer and dancer. If only that cut scene from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" could be found...