Arts and Entertainment Books

This is a great book for any Kylie fan. It is really well written, obviously well researched and very entertaining. This would be a great buy for anyone who loves pop music and wants to know more about the girl behind the glamour!

If you love everything that Pop Queen Kylie Minogue has ever done in her incredible life then you will love this book! From Skyways all the way to her latest album "X" Spectacular author Simon Sheridan has beautifully put together this fabulously fun book that will keep you smiling from beginning to the very end! Kylie fans, don't miss out on this great book! And for those of you who don't know much about this lady, you will definitely NOT be disappointed! Well done Simon! Thanks for the book!

If you are a fan of musicials or even just a fan of music then I recommend this book. With over 700 songs listed there is something in here for everyone. I originally bought it as I wanted to find the lyrics for some of Betty Hutton's songs, but I will also look into more of Frank Loesser's musicials in the future.

Any serious fan of popular songwriting should buy this book. Frank Loesser is frequently overlooked when discussing the great songwriters of the 20th century. Hopefully, this book will correct that. I just got the book a few days ago, and skimming through it I've laughed out loud and have been moved by Loesser's facility with language. There are dozens of unpublished songs in here, and I yearn to hear the melodies, especially Loesser's own.
Meticulously researched and bountifully exuberant, I will treasure this book for many years. Thanks to all who assembled it.

Ms. Saltveit's book challenges its readers to think of new and creative ways to engage children and stimulate their learning throught the use of computers. She shows us that there are interactive activities that stretch children's imagination and creativity much further than a mere game could ever do.

Ms. Saltveit's work is the most practical and fun approach to computer education that I have discovered. Although not intended as a teacher's aid, I actually like it just as much as "Hit Enter", which was designed for teachers. Both books have been a big hit at our school (Marymount, Paris). The books erase any feeling that computers are too intimidating or complex. I'm looking forward to her next work.

Well, he's not God I guess, but the wisdom he espouses over the course of these interviews (and in his fiction and poetry) will serve anyone well who has questions on how to live in this world or the more Natural one.
I've highlighted and underlined my "Bible" as any student would.

I'm glad I found this book. You know a writer has finally made it when "they" start publishing books ABOUT him, eh?

Jim is a great writer, poetic in a totally accessible way. Don't like poetry? Read his and you'll be a convert.

Jim is a GREAT conversationalist. This book lets you into that world for the first time. This is a compilation of all his major interviews along with some rare ones. As the preface says, there is some repetition in them, but it wears well and shows what is important to Jim.

(I bought the "True Bones" book as well: the bio-pics of the longhair 70's days is great, the cover art is great, but the academic writing style is unreadable. It's a PhD paper in hardcover. Caution flag unless you're fluent in artspeak.)

In "Conversations" we get great insights into the guy and the game. How many top writers today hammer at MFA's like he does? He's pretty honest about Hollywood as well. Hey, his pals there helped him when others wouldn't. He's up front about that and about the banality of the place as well. At the same time, he gets high on the power, the talent and the $1000 dinners. Who wouldn't? He keeps the books as open as anyone.

We have to admit in this country that if someone wrote the actual literature that would keep our culture alive THEY WOULD STARVE TO DEATH. I think Jim is very clear about this. I'm not sure how many other writers who 'made it' are as candid. But he's a 'flyover' and values candor like so many here do.

American literature isn't dead. There are writers out there who have picked up the ball and have been moving it further all these years since Jim was in his prime. They just haven't seen print yet due to the MFA stranglehold. But not for long! "Flyover" spirit lives in the Underground Literary Alliance...The ULA is the first group to do something about the racket and tragedy that Jim laments about in his interviews.

For such a huge talent, I hate to say anything at all detracting, but we fans have our rights. I have one complaint: Harrison lets some of the obligatory Hollywood vibes into his books. It's the "old geezer gets the hot babes" thing. But Jim has always been up front about his need to pay the bills and play the ONLY game that writers are allowed to play if they don't want to teach or starve: the game with Hollywood. It's either feast or famine. (The ULA is changing this!)

Another thing is the jet-set stuff. His characters and even his memoirs tend to be about idle rich guys causing trouble in fancy and rustic places. His rich writer friends from the 70's often used the same plot. It's fine enough, but runs a little short on relevance. The rich aren't like you and me. They aren't even like themselves much of the time, if you consider the theme of confusion in their work. Yeah, I know it's silly: take out the cross-generation sex and jet-setting and what's left? (The Michigan woods all alone?) Where's the tension? Well, that's for the writer to worry about. : ) Jim's dualism of cabin/mansion, stew/caviar is of course like catnip even while a part of it bugs me. He's marvelously joyous about his fancy dinners and famous friends so I'm happy to call it art and not fret about it. He sure is more candid than others about this kind of thing. What else is he supposed to do really. Well, on a different vein: use that bully pulpit more. He's always railed against the MFAs but with his clout now it would stick.

My cousin Craig is 45 years old this year and he has spent many of his years as a huge fan. I still have the books to give to him, but I know he will enjoy them.

This is probably the single best book I've ever read about the Dead. It's so much more immediate and satisfying to hear how things went down from the Dead themselves than from a faceless biographer. David Gans asks the questions *I* would have asked Jerry & Bob & Phil & Mickey & Billy. You'll feel like you're there hanging out in their living room with them. A wonderful insight into what made that magical machine run for over 30 years... --Mike Dobbs

This is a book you should try

This cookbook offers up more than 200 wonderful recipes that might just been found in Genoa City's famous eateries. Many of the recipes have been donated by the actual stars of the show, such as Melody Scott Thomas, and creator William J. Bell. With such cute chapters like "Foods for Devastating Breakups" and "Cravings" (food the characters craved while they were pregnant), there are recipes here to satisfy any mood.

Full of great photos from the show, and lively character biographies, COOKING WITH THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS is a treat for show fans and cooking fans alike.

Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 10) for Reader Views (4/08)

Have you ever heard of Corbin Bleu? Maybe? He is more popular as Chad from High School Musical. Do you know all of the REAL facts about Chad/Corbin? Like starring as Nathan on Flight 29 down. Did you know that February 21st is a day to celebrate his birthday? He has been involved in television and film since he was just two-years-old. He is following in his Dad's footsteps.

If you ever wanted to read the story of his life and just what he likes and dislikes, then you will want to read "Corbin Bleu: To the Limit." If you think he is just such an awesome guy and want to be the envy of your friends, you will want to read this book and know all the interesting facts of this great-looking guy's life. There is a lot more to Corbin than just his good looks, acting ability and dancing ability. The sky is the limit in knowing all there is to knowing who Corbin is. I am sure that at least one of the cool facts about him will astound you. Take him to the limit!

I love this book the information is awesome. Please get this book.

What is most striking about this book is its lack of sentimentality and incisive, sharp language. There has, indeed, been much written about Tennessee Williams, perhaps too much; the endless nonsense of his being a self-hating homosexual, the lurid tales of his promiscuity, the alleged Oedipal complexes, the temper tantrums and paranoia, and other such twaddle have all obfuscated many essential things about the genius who was Tennessee Williams. This excellent book stands out because it reminds us of Mr. Williams' power -as a person and a playwright- and at the same time it is not sycophantic nor is it cleverly bitchy. Smith, the author, meets Williams rather by accident and the unlikely friendship blossoms. I found the writing to be rather enthralling, evocative, and extremely well-crafted, which allows it to stand apart from many of the other (lesser) books on Williams. It is a memoir and does not purport to be anything but that, which allows the reader a keen insight into the life and work and humanity of the great Tennessee Williams. Because it is told from Smith's eyes the recounting of these stories is deeply personal and often effervescent with images and ideas; a far cry from the mawkish, self-consumed memoirs that pass as literature these days. I also liked the fact that Smith names some names and makes clear the case that the critics, PR people, and the various 'powers that be' in the theater and film worlds (i.e. agents, lawyers, producers) all played their part in Williams' miserable and protracted demise as much as the alcohol and pills did. And while Smith does not exculpate Williams from his vices he carefully explains why, he in fact, had them, and elucidates the nefarious forces constantly in conflict with the artist and his creative process.

Make no mistake this is Mr. Smith's story of his friendship with Tennessee, and thank goodness for its uniqueness, honesty, and edge. I think to truly appreciate this book one has to be familiar with serious writing (Eliot, Shaw) and not the Pop pap that sadly passes for publishable literature today. COSTLY PERFORMANCES and its author are both class acts and any writer or artist or person with a soul or fan of Tennessee Williams will love this book.


PS
The comment about grammatical errors is totally wrong and unfounded. And the Braun woman; who is she? "The author needed distance"? If she works in a library, how does she not know what a memoir is, and what the first person POV narrative offers the reader? These types of hit jobs are precisely the type of aforementioned `nefarious forces' to which I referred.

I am a young actor living in London where the plays of Tennesssee Williams are experiencing a great deal of interest within the entire theatre community: schools and universities; theatre companies; theatre media. All fans of his work are turning to background material on Williams and one of the most discussed -- and admired -- is Costly Performances/Tennessee Williams: The Last Stage by Bruce Smith. Mr Smith has, since writing this memoir, become actively involved in London's theatre world, saying he learned "at the master's hand" many enduring and valuable lessons re dramaturgy, play production and, more importantly, playwriting. His play 'Papal Gore' is scheduled for a West End staging. As well, his book about Mr. Williams is now being made into a major motion picture here in England. Real theatre people understand the sensitivity Mr. Smith brought to his portrayal of Mr Williams in his last, very difficult years and value it as a real contribution to 20th Century theatre history. It is highly literate but -- above all -- a very good read. This book, with Lyle Leverich's
The Unknown Tennessee Williams and the gossipy The Kindness of Strangers by Donald Spoto provide an indepth look at the author's life and times.

These two are truely great entertainers. I have seen them in concert and they are something. They are themselves and I don't know them personally but from seeing them in concert they are themselves, and I like that and I am sure I am only one of many that do.

Brooks and Dunn are truly country's greatest duo as the title states. Jo Sgammato out does her self in this, her third country music biography. (She has written "Keepin' in Country: The George Strait Story," and "The Dream Come True: The LeAnn Rimes Story.") Both Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn were country performers on their own before they were paired up Music City matchmaker Tim DuBois. The author talks about the dynamic duo's touring with country music great Reba McEntire and the numerous awards the pair have earned over the past years. There are separate chapters on both Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn before they became Brooks and Dunn in 1991. Since then they have cut several CDs, all of which have generated several number one hits. The book is another book country music fans should place in their to-read list. The book is "an exciting story of a couple of guys at the top of their form: family men who love to make music, race cars and thrill fans of all ages and musical tastes.

We all wonder what Tom Cruise is like, and of course it is said that he is a natural, that what you see on him on TV or anywhere else is actually he himself, and not this false person. But this book provides more light to what Tom Cruise is really about. It sounds distant to those who have not read the book but this actor is really a hard working person who loves the profession that he is in, and he also has a multitude of hobbies which he practices and enjoys. The National Enquirer is like the movie critic Roger Ebert, in where their commentary is highly respected by the masses, so what you read here is not a bunch of lies but actually very truthful. Some of the topics that are on here will make you think about the direction he took in his life, when it came to doing certain movies and about his personal life(his mom and his dad, etc.) For those who don't know, Tom Cruise was in Legend, even though it is a movie that the actor does not talk about it is considered a classic or yet it has this cult following. It is a popular movie with a 21 year old star (back in the day).Tom Cruise has two kids, and he was married to Nicole Kidman. My conclusion to this is that you will be surprised at the evolution of his life, from where he started to where he has ended up, it is like a rags to riches story, it is amazing. The only thing that Mr. Cruise has not achieved (movie wise) has been in he not doing a horror film, like a Zombie film, or working with Moustapha Akkad in getting that "Halloween" part, but his 20 + movies have passion. This is a Gem-referring to the book. Everything that you wanted to know is right here. Even though this is considered Unofficial but at the same time it is the Official word on this A list Actor. This is kind of interesting but time has gone by like more than 20 years and this actor has not gone down in rank....he is not considered a B list or C list actor but always remains at the top. Just look at some actors from the past, they win Oscars and yet fade into oblivion movie wise, Tom Cruise hasn't, he is always in the spotlight. For a guy who never was in Star Wars, or any of the Superman movies, this guy is very big in terms of popularity around the world, and making some of the biggest money ever. 5 stars.

Beginning with VANILLA SKY (a brilliant, underrated conjuration), and, to a lesser degree, EYES WIDE SHUT, cinematic students (we are all spectators of the technology of gender) began to see a metamorphosis in Mr Cruise. With MINORITY REPORT, and now in THE LAST SAMURAI, he has matured into a formidable, exploring actor...baring his soul with an intensity and restlessness first glimpsed in RAINMAN. Not since Brando's early work, have we seen such rapid growth (paralleled in the work of Russell Crowe). This book should not be quickly dismissed. While lacking in intellectual stamina, the book does, surprisingly, give Mr Cruise a better overview than one would expect from a "tabloid" milieu. His close-knit family, Penelope Cruz (the dancer who should have been in FRIDA, by the way) -- all provide him with an artistic foundation. What may surprise the reader, is that Mr Cruise is far more intellectually inquisitive than some would realize, especially media critics, who are not as adept with ontological thought, music, and art as they would have one believe.
Mr Cruise is an actor, a generous loving friend, and, despite the rumors, more ego-less than many who traverse Horrorwood.