Arts and Culture Books

Al-Jazeera is the all-Arabic TV news channel which burst on to the international scene in the wake of September 11 and the war in Afghanistan. Its unfettered access to that country during the war and its showing of the bin Laden tapes made it an automatic force on the world stage.Based in the Gulf state of Qatar, it came from the remnants of the BBC Arabic TV service. With the help of startup money from the Emir of Qatar, Al-Jazeera was to have complete editorial independence.In a part of the world where the press is usually government controlled, Al-Jazeera is not afraid to get specific and name names. At one time or another, it has been criticized or condemned by seemingly every government in the Arab world, for broadcasting things that the local government would prefer not be broadcast. Every local editorial of condemnation and every denial of press credentials to Al-Jazeera reporters just increases its audience all over the world by satellite.One of the things that Al-Jazeera is most known for is its talk shows, especially a nightly, two-hour show called The Opposite Direction. Two guests appear on the show, with totally opposite opinions on a certain issue, and with help from live phone calls, the sparks fly. Even by American TV standards, things get pretty loud and lively. Arab governments have noticed, and have begun imitating the format on their tame and boring government TV channels.Even though Al-Jazeera is an Arab TV channel, it has tried very hard to be impartial, hosting members of the Bush Administration, after September 11, and government officials from Israel.For those who want to decide for themselves if Al-Jazeera is a legitimate news broadcaster or a terrorist mouthpiece, this book is highly recommended. It's comprehensive, clearly written and is quite enlightening.

All the reviews I've read for this book have been unequivocally complimentary. One newspaper said it should be required reading for Bush's entire cabinet! Quite bold, but rightly so. After reading this book, I came to the realization that everything Al-Jazeera is courageous enough to air, my own country's media is petrified of. I wonder why our government is so afraid of a democratic Arab world? While the dozens of titles coming out on the Middle East are regurgitating the same history and concepts, this book is a refreshing new look at a MODERN Middle East, not a primitive and orientalized one.

This is a great book and I highly recommend it for everyone striving to know about the Arab media from an objective perspective. The book will inform you about the Arabs' struggle for freedom of speech through an unbiased Arab network that is not subject to the control of any government. The authors have succesfully portrayed the true picture of the Arab media scene through Arab eyes.

Al Jazeera is giving us a vivid and moving picture of a New Arab World in the making. There is no way to go back in times. This media channel is succeeding to keep one step ahead of many others advancing, foreign or local, TVs.
Live transmissions are notably courageous in their way struggling so hard to persuade local (and influential) governments to let them work into the `heart' of the stories being anchored, against the background of petty local political bickering and futility.
It is not easy, but the beauty about it is that it is also challenging, and a source of pride to millions of Arabs

Collaboratively written by Egyptian born Middle East journalist Mohammed El-Nawawy and Middle East media expert Adel Iskandar, Al-Jazeera: How The Free Arab News Network Scooped The World And Changed The Middle East is a fascinating and informed history. This is a superbly presented account of Al-Jazeera, a modern, independent, entirely Arab television news network based in Qatar, which since the September 11 attacks, gained high profile prominence through daily exposure on CNN. This is also the compelling story of Al-Jazeera's struggle to keep its independence as an international news network, beholden to none. Overall, Al-Jazeera is an engaging, unique, detailed study of the origin of the Al-Jazeera network, its broadcasts, its effect on Arab viewers, and its struggle for a free press. Al-Jazeera is very highly recommended for Journalism Studies and Mideast Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

This book is in good shape. For some reason I think that a page was missing, but I think I can do without the page. I like this book very much.

This book is like the awsome movie itself.
It has certain features you do not expect. Sometimes I could not determine at first sight if pictures were 2d or just real materials. Like the enveloppe,the playingcard holders and other "fearsome commodities". Wonderfull picturebook with well made drawings and photographs. Outstanding quality. It might have been found in the monsterhouse!
Brecht Gerritse, The Netherlands

Love the book. A Priceless addition to an animation lovers dream book collection.

I thought this book was very suprizing in giving the reader plenty of images from the development the movie. Actually, almost to good.. there's so many scrapbook style pages that it can be overwelming at times. Regardless, this book is a must have for the Art of collector. If you liked this book and concept art check out [...]

This is how "art of" books really should be made. Lots of inserts, post-it notes and fun details. It looks almost like a scrapbook and is filled to the rim with drawings, renders, concept art and fun stuff. Very inspirational. It is just as great as the "Open Season" book which is also a must-have for all fans of animation.

Ignore the image of the cover I posted above. You're not going to get the same cover. You're going to get something better. The hardcover book came with a protective cardboard cover box with two holes cut into it. Peeking out of the two holes are Boog and Elliot, of course.

When you pull the book out of it's cover box, you'll notice that there's something different about this book and other art books. There are a lot of goodies packed within the pages. There were post cards, posters, mini booklets and even stickers!

Inside the book, there were tons of original sketches, beat boards and film stills. The captions and write ups were really nice to read. The content was so vibrant and full of life. The book actually feels like a scrapbook. I've several photos taken on Parka Blogs

Pixar may want to review their delivery of any future art books now that Sony is delivering books like Open Season, chocked with goodies. This book is so packed full of art you would think the film was traditional. I enjoyed Open Season and wondered why since I cant stand most CG films except for Pixar's (excluding Cars). I know why now I see all the pre-production that went into it...for me Im a colour and environment lover and I was so happy to see Sony included colour scripts and beat boards! I really think this one is a great investment! The presentation is a real treat, I am looking forward to the Aardman art of books now that they are partners with Sony...keep it up.

Great artbook. really relly great!!! with lot of little details, postcards and beautiful sketches, backgrounds and3D modellings, etc and a really beaituful and perfect edition, with a "2nd cover" (I don't know how it's called in english)

I have seen the movie and wanted to walk out on it within the fist five minutes. NOT because the animation was bad, or the art direction awful, simply because the pacing and the main character's voices were just getting in the way of the experience I look for in a movie, any movie : The escape.

When I picked up the book, I was almost shocked to see that the exact oposite was happening. I found myself flipping through the pages, being brought in to this magnificent world inspired by the older Disney designers, and really enjoyed the book.
I would recommend it as a standalone Art Book, rather than a complement to the movie. In fact, you might like the movie better if you just go through the book.

If you are a serious student or professional of the animation field and/or a fan of the movie, "The Art of Open Season" is a must-have in your library. This book contains TONS of great early conceptual art and designs from the film. Additionally, the artworks are large and fills up all of the negative spaces of the pages, as opposed to small thumbnailed images that are often found in other "Art Of.." books. The presentation of the book is also of very high quality and neatly put together. Inspiring and informative, I believe this book sets a new standard for future "Art Of..." books (and I own quite a few myself). Highly Recommended!

Bought it for a college course because I had to. Fell in love with it because it's well written, well thought out and full of more information than I thought I could possibly learn about films. The beautiful color photos contained within also help to keep one's interest.

Yes it's pricey, but it's also worth it!!

This book provides insight into the many aspects of movies. It focuses on the details that you don't consciously think about when viewing movies. Any beginning film student (or anyone interested in getting more out of the movie watching experience) will find this book very helpful. I also enjoyed the references to movies young and old.

This textbook was purchased to fulfill a required "humanaties" course, while attending college. It's informative, easy to read, and guides you into becoming a "trained observer" in the art of watching films. As part of the curriculum I was instructed to watch several films selected by my professor. Some of the assigned films I would have never viewed by choice, including classics. However, this textbook has definitely given me a whole new perspective when attending a movie theater or at home watching a DVD. I've also acquired a deeper appreciation and understanding for all the hard work that goes into film making. Buy it for school or as a guide to help you enjoy your next movie experience.

product was exactly how seller describe. the book gives great insight to understanding all the components and theatrical elements of a film. Every element in a film is purposely selected in order to catch the audience attention and emotions. Highly recommend this book.

Used this book in an intro to film class. I will keep it on the shelf as a reference book. For class it has smooth reading that is cohesive, didn't seem like it has filler information in it. It was fun to read. The context was very helpful in class for lectures, and movie analyzation. Goes over key aspects of film as well as very detailed examples of what to look for, how to see it.

This book is for the Art lover, and fans of Betty Page. Each page has something to offer. I recommend this book for any collector of the arts. Well done!

One of the best books by Olivia with nice pics from his works focused on Bettie. A must for pinup lovers.

This book appears small and thin but contains a very large amount of amazing Bettie inspired works by Olivia. Included are a few pages of the progression of sketches to reach a completed work. The opening comments from Hugh Hefner are excellent. If you love Bettie, Olivia and especially both, you will love this book.

Olivia strikes again with another beautiful publication. Olivia's books are always printed on high quality, glossy paper which emphasize her stunning work. I am proud to say that Olivia and I have shared thoughts on Ms. Page. Olivia is a very generous and gracious lady and her paintings will always amaze me. I now own all of her books and trading cards.

Nice book, no nudity, which is fine, because I was looking for nose art for my airplane.

This is an outstanding summary of Bettie's life and her impact on modeling, art, pin-up, photography, and those needing encouragement in overcoming obstacles. The book is a nice way to learn about Bettie Page and those individuals she worked with during her career and growing up. It stops short of telling about recent events, but gives one a good understanding of the lady. The information is factual and well written. Much speculation has been made about the time she walked away through the present, but this is a nice account with the facts that we know to be true without the speculation. The pictures within this book are amazing and many won't be seen anywhere else. The information about those individuals she touched, encountered was interesting as well. Good read.

So said one of her photographers. What a marvelous book. If you're like me, and have been a Bettie fan for years, you've been waiting for this book. For years one could find stuff on her only in comic shops and the like, dealing in old memorabilia from the Fifties, or in various "alternative" shops that sold her image on T shirts. As a teen that's where I learned about her, thanks to "The Rocketeer," the comic "The Bettie Pages," and psychobilly trash-punk band the Cramps, who for a short time had a bass player the spittin' image of our fair maiden. Now that we've finally opened our eyes, we can buy several books on her, this being by far the best. It is the ne plus ultra of Bettiebooks, of pin-up books in general. What a trend-setter; a humble, troubled, open and honest woman who was not exploited, who has not turned herself into a PC victim--she's idolized by smart, hip young women who see in her freedom, sexuality, playfullness, life itself. This book had better be reprinted--it's an absolute crime to be unavailable. Get this book by any means necessary!

I bought this book for my husband's birthday last year; he has always thought Bettie Page was great, and he is the one who enlightened me about her. As an artist, I was drawn to her style and unpretentiousness, and have drawn her twice so far.

This book is well-written and leads the reader through Bettie's life; from her start and to her present day in a respectful and fascinating manner. I came away from this book understnanding the appeal she had to men, and wanting to draw her portraits over and over.

There was one another 50's icon who rivals Marilyn in popularity today--Bettie Page. True, she didn't make any A-movies, but like Marilyn, embodied that woman who drew a fine line between good girl/bad girl and crossed the lines as easily as one drank Coca-Cola. Unlike Marilyn, Bettie survived, but like Marilyn, her legend lives on for one simple reason: she dropped out of sight in 1957 following the fall of Irvin and Paula Klaw by the Kefauver Committee on indecency and pornography and refused to have herself be photographed as she is now. Thus, she is remembered as she was back then. And as her life has become simpler, she values her privacy. She says so as much in the hand-written foreword, at the same time surprised and honoured that so many people are interested in her.Karen Essex and James L. Swanson book is a great place to start for those curious about Bettie Page. Basically, it's a biography accompanied by lots and lots of colour and b&w photos, many of them topless. There are two of them which has her completely nude. She also posed for countless magazine covers and photographers. Art Amsie's photos are the best of the lot here. Bunny Yeager is touched on briefly, but that woman has a book on herself so... Looking at the early Bettie, before she became a pin-up from 1947, is also quite a revelation. She is still beautiful, but in an ordinary way, like a typical girl growing up in 1940's America.There is clearly a dualism going on here. There's the pretty wholesome girl in the bathing suit or maybe not, and then there's the darker leatherbound fetish girl, be she receiver or giver. That latter half led to her downfall. The point also was that she enjoyed her work, mainly the lighter beach stuff. You can see it in those twinkling eyes and smile of hers.The last section of the book features models who have been influenced by her, be they in clothes or just looking like her. Of the lookalikes, Eva Herzigova, Debi Mazar, and Janice Dickinson have got it down to the bangs, (it's the bangs that did it for Bettie, after all), long black hair, and prominent eyebrows.Apart from being one of fantasy artist Olivia's favourite subjects, Bettie's images appear on album covers by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult and the David Lee Roth Band. Her three videos, Teaserama, where she acts opposite stripper legend Tempest Storm, Varietease, and Strip-O-Rama have come out. She'll live on, no doubt about it.Anyone interested in Bettie Page-start with this book. You won't be disappointed.

This is the ultimate book on Bettie Page. This book is for every true Bettie fan. Even contains an introduction from Bettie herself.

If you really want to follow the history of legend, this is the ultimate book on Betty Mae Page!

Fun! I did my top 10 choices and I think the results described me perfectly. This will by my top gift for friends this year. Would be fun for a party, a book club, any gathering - or just to read through on your own. Addictive -- you also find yourself trying to categorize people you know. Only thing I will say that the results are slightly more appropriate for a single vs. married individual as romantic pursuit plays a part in some of the descriptions, but don't let that stop you from buying the book.

Cinescopes is entertaining and can keep a party going for hours. This book is totally fun and allows you to really understand personality traits just based on what you enjoy watching. Movies are great because we relate to them, and Cinescopes is fun because it ties our movie trends to our personalities. You will definitely laugh a lot and learn a lot from this book.

I most certainly recommend this work and it is a fun read!

We bought this for a gift but ended up taking to every gathering over the holidays that went to. We brought along a chart that we made up to go with it. It was a fun conversation starter!

The authors of this book have combined their educational credentials and film industry experience to create a unique, fun, and not-so-scientific analysis of personality type based upon favorite movies. I participated on the Internet before I bought the book, and to validate my "Charismatic Performer" profile, I entered another ten movies and obtained the same result. It appears that in some instances, your profile may not portray what you are as much as what you wished you could be (your alter-ego, as it were). In the last few days, I have encouraged many people to find their Cinescope and have enjoyed the feedback and discussion.

CINESCOPES has the potential for being the 21st Century's answer to Trivial Pursuit and will probably stimulate us to watch movies that we haven't seen in a while and view some from others' Top Ten (I have spent a lot of time on IMDb lately). My only criticism is that the list of movies in the back of the book is very incomplete. No White Christmas? No Interlude? Last night on Turner Classic Movies, The Sterile Cuckoo with Liza Minelli (nominated for two Academy Awards) was on, and that wasn't listed either. Because this book is so different and has provided me with a winter diversion, I forgave the omissions and awarded it Five Stars for originality.

"Movies are the mythic tales of today. They can make us cry, scream, or laugh. They can cheer us up or bring us down. And just like those ancient stories of humans struggling for the favor of the gods, movies tend to focus on a hero undertaking some kind of journey, whether it be physical, intellectual or emotional." - From Cinescopes

Quick: list your ten favorite movies.

Did Michael Clayton or Forrest Gump make the cut? What about Napoleon Dynamite, Hotel Rwanda, The Da Vinci Code, or Batman Begins? Did Toy Story, It's a Wonderful Life, or What the Bleep Do We Know make your list or perhaps No Reservations, Somewhere In Time, or E.T. is more to your liking?

No matter what cinematic fare you prefer, it is possible that your favorite movies can reveal intriguing aspects of your personality. In the clever new book Cinescopes, authors Risa Williams and Ezra Werb outline sixteen distinct personality profiles based on psychology, cinematic theory and mythology. All you need to do to find your unique profile is list your favorite movies, look them up in the index, record the appropriate Cinescope codes and determine which profile crops up the most by adding them together.

Do you enjoy Wayne's World, The Simpson's Movie or Airplane? According to Cinescopes, you would be an Invincible Optimist (IO). Having On Golden Pond, Mommie Dearest and Crash among your favorite movies would make you a Determined Survivor (DS).

Maybe you're a Destined Hunter (DH) like me, anticipating the thrills and chills of movies like Joy Ride, Misery and Saw. If you're an Existential Savior (ES) like my husband, you'd probably count The Matrix, The Mothman Prophecies, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind among your treasured films.

In addition to learning more about yourself (not to mention getting some great ideas for movies you'd enjoy based on your personality!), Cinescopes also offers each type's deepest secret, strengths and weaknesses--as well as behavior in the workplace, with friends and in romance. The author's also provide Quintessential Statements (corresponding movie quotes), most (and least) compatible Cinescope types, greatest nemesis, words of advice and much more.

I found my second highest Cinescope profile (Existential Savior) the most startling accurate and thorough, but my highest profile also gave some canny observations. However, my husband's highest profile (Existential Savior) didn't sound like him at all. The compatibilities were hit and miss, too, but hey...this is movie profiling we're talking about. Not all of our favorite movies were included in the book (e.g. Mr. Brooks, Prime, Red Planet, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, The Magdalene Sisters, etc.), and I found a code error for the Ratatouille movie (DY and IS are listed. I assume they meant DI and YS?)

Engaging and accessible, this engaging 176-page book would make a perfect gift for movie buffs or personality junkies, as well as serving as an excellent icebreaker for groups. Cinescopes would also make fantastic entertainment for family reunions, parties and holiday get-togethers.

If you want to know what your favorite movies reveal about you--a Vivacious Romantic, Youthful Sage or Passionate Maverick at core, perhaps?--check out Cinescopes by Quirk Books. At the very least, it's fun and fresh--but you may also walk away discovering a heckuva lot about yourself in the process.

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

DEFINING VISION by Joel Brinkley is as comprehensive as any history behind the development of HDTV/DTV can ever possibly get. The text of this book will surely be required possessions for technological historians for at least the next 1000 years.

I'm reading this book a second time (a year later) because it's such a great introduction to players in the HDTV world. Brinkley chose a suspense style, and it really works well. I am excited about HDTV and turned each page holding my breath - hoping for a successful conclusion. Now I'm looking for more works that go beyond 1998, and can't find any more fulfilling...and the story isn't over yet!

Having had the opportunity to check the authenticity with several of the principles in the book, my hat's off to Joel Brinkley. He ties all the factions together that brought us DTV. It is a story with more twists and turns than you expect that comes mixing an industry that hates to change with new technology. Add in the governments of the U.S. and Japan, and it really becomes fun. Mr. Brinkley did a masterful job telling the story. This is a must read for anyone interested in television.

In the early 1980s US broadcasters faced two major headaches spawned by greed and jingoism. Their comfortable, tidy, oligopolistic-and profitable-broadcast world was about to be shaken by the digital revolution, where foes and friends were often indistinguishable. New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Joel Brinkley takes the reader on a roller coaster through boardrooms, bureaucracy, technocracy, and hubris (individual and national) in "Defining Vision." It is a ride worth taking for broadcast students, educators, historians, and international political economists.

Represented by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), radio and television companies considered the broadcast band spectrum their personal property. This largesse suddenly came under assault from the land mobile industry that wanted more spectrum space for a variety of public interest broadcast services such as police, firefighters, ambulance, quick response units, and other emergency services. Broadcasters, too, saw a new threat from across the sea. The Japanese spent $300 million and hundreds of thousands of engineering man-hours developing high definition television (HDTV). NHK unveiled its Muse system in 1986 to US policymakers and consumers. The picture quality was superior to the current analog systems in the United Sates, and Japanese-made monitors were designed to fit the wider formatted movies without the annoying letterbox effect.

Brinkley chronicles the scrimmages involving development of HDTV in the US like a general writing his wartime memoirs-if that general had access to the thinking of his opposition, that is. First the grand alliance-RCA, Zenith, AT&T, Phillips, General Instruments and MIT-had to admit that a victory by any one of them in the costly race to develop HDTV would be a defeat for the others. They were able to convince a willing FCC Advisory Committee that cooperation was possible in building a single system. Committee chairman Richard Wiley's role in HDTV cannot be understated (and Brinkley doesn't). His single-minded pursuit of high definition television as the national (and, it turned out, international) standard most probably resulted in its acceptance.

US broadcasters had worried privately and publicly as well, that the future of television would be dictated by a consortium of Japanese electronics magnates and NHK, the world's second-largest broadcasting company. Across the Atlantic, the European Union was equally concerned, and promised up to a billion dollars to Europeans to come up for a system on its own or else adopt the Japanese HDTV, since the Americans seemed not to be players in the game as the century's ninth decade unfolded. But the European effort never got off paper. US broadcasters at first fretted about a new "yellow peril" that posed as great a threat to them as it did to the automobile industry a decade earlier. Ever opportunistic, however, broadcasters found the Japanese an unlikely ally in their fight to snatch the unused frequencies from land mobile companies. HDTV, as the Muse system showed, required additional bandwidth space. Obviously, they reasoned, Congress and the FCC could not allocate precious broadcast spectrum space to land mobile users when they, the "rightful frequency heirs," needed the frequencies for HDTV.

At the same time, MIT's Nicholas Negroponte, who Brinkley treats somewhat derisively, was telling anyone who would listen that "HDTV had to be digital," not analog, which would allow for signal compression that would fit into existing frequencies. One naysayer echoed a common broadcast engineering complaint at the time: "we will have digital HDTV when we have anti-gravitation machines." Broadcast engineers at the major manufacturers nodded in agreement: digital high definition television technologically could not be done. The NAB, in its attempt to protect its space band largesse, inadvertently kicked off a race to develop HDTV in the United States that took on the trappings of a crusade to "rescue" the future of television in the United States from the hands of foreign interests. Along the way, General Instruments research engineer Woo Paik invented digital television (because, as a non-broadcast engineer, he didn't know that "it was impossible").

HDTV uses a compressed digital broadcast signal that not only remained within a single frequency but allowed broadcasters additional capacity to sell secondary services such as pager services, email, Internet connections, digital music, and pay-per-view movies. With such an entrée to new revenue flows, the reader would be surprised to learn the depth of NAB's animus to HDTV. Simply put, broadcasters used the HDTV concept to wrest away additional public airwaves spectra and then, among themselves, grumbled that they were unwilling to invest in new high definition cameras, monitors, and other equipment that would allow them to broadcast signals in both progressive scan (favored by the computer programming and manufacturing sector) and interlaced (favored by broadcasters) modes. Another opponent of a high definition television standard was the fledgling computer manufacturing industry in the mid-1990s, which didn't want the additional expense of adding interlacing decoding to what essentially was a dedicated proscan system.

After seven years of ups and downs in a process that often threatened to sputter, splinter, and spin totally out of control, HDTV in a digital form arrived in the US shortly after Thanksgiving in 1997. Despite all predictions to the contrary, the HDTV "turkey" arrived fully stuffed with enough goodies to ease its transition into the marketplace. The result was acceptance of the Americanized international standard by the European Union and the final, if not sad, acknowledgment by NHK that its analog Muse system was outmoded before it even got much beyond a toehold in its native land.

In "Defining Vision," Brinkley has crafted a highly readable, almost techno-mystery story with well-defined characters: heroes, villains, and rascals alike. At times he seems to get into the heads of the key players, which he explains as a literary device borne from extensive interviews with the principals who told him what they were thinking at the time. The effect rounds the edges of what could have been a highly technical, heuristic, and sloggish recitation of engineering reports, public hearings, and dreary diary entries from the participants. To his credit, the author explains his process to readers in an epilogue, thus enhancing the book's credibility. Furthermore, in this paperback edition, the author has updated and expanded several sections over the hardcover version, including an appendix and FAQ that are instructional.

I work in the television broadcast industry and this is a must read if you want to learn about the origins of HDTV, the players who made HDTV a reality, and how the standards for HDTV were defined. The author is an authority on the subject and provides an excellent description of the systems, history, etc. that both technical and business professionals can understand. At my company this has become required reading. I highly recommend this book.

This book is very interesting, part cookbook part Hollywood scandles.

Laurie Jacobson delves into some of Tinsletowns most interesting stories.
From the murder trial of Spade Cooley (who killed his second wife in the 1940's) to the untimly death of the orginal Edna Turnblat (Divine) Lauie Jacobson tells about the scandals and then shows a recipe connected to that person (After talking about Roman Polanski she shares a recipe for the nachos he at before fleeing to Europe during his rape trial.)

A very interesting book.

I had so much fun reading this book! The stories are great and Miss Jacobson clears up a lot of false Hollywood rumors. The best part about this book is that it includes chapters about some forgotten stars like Carole Landis, Dorothy Kilgallen, and Lupe Velez. Anyone who is a fan of classic Hollywood and loves juicy gossip will want this book.

I fortuitously fell into this little gem the day after xmas.....a belated "BEST" present to myself.
While I already own Jacobson's two other books and hold her in high regard, this book proves that she is only getting better as a film historian and writer.
She assumes a slick, quasi-cinema noir persona in her narrative and mixes in a Sandra Lee-like easy 'recipe' that takes a not too subtle slam at each of the scandals/stories she relates. The vanity of the 'dish' (aka scandal/tragedy/hard luck story) only enhances the general readability of this book. This is a novel approach that makes an already interesting product even more appealing. I kept thinking that the author did a terrific job with the material she was presenting.
Aside from the kidding around, this book is really rather fair and factual. The author knows her stuff and relies on knowledgeable sources to substantiate or refute claims made in the book.
My only criticism of this book is that I wish it had been longer and had covered some other stories that I find interesting and want to know more about. Hopefully there will be a follow-up to this book which will do that.
Anyway, this is a very good read and worth the $ and time spent reading it.

I love Laurie Jacobson's books and this one is the best yet!!! I love her "juicy little tidbits" about the stars of yesteryear. The stories are very entertaining and I love the fact that she also included recipes to match the stories. A very clever thing to do!!! It's almost like 2 books in one, a gossipy book and a cookbook! I hope she continues to research Hollywood and to write wonderful books about the stars!!!! My only complaint---it's not long enough!!! I am ready for a "Dishing Hollywood II".

I highly recommend Dishing Hollywood The Real Scoop on Tinseltown's Most Notorious Scandals. Laurie Jacobson really knows her stuff and serves up heaping portions of scandal and intrigue of Hollywood's most notorious stars. I have read all of the author's books and Dishing Hollywood is Jacobson at her best. Jacobson brilliantly spins tale after sordid tale, "sprinkles" famous film quotes throughout each chapter and "tops" off with a recipe of the star's favorite dish (or, in some cases, their last meal!). Dishing Hollywood is a tasty treat, and I can't wait for Jacobson's next book!

My wife wanted this book to find out Marilyn Monroe's makeup secrets. I'm not complaining.

Devon Cass takes celebrity impersonators (who run the gamut from looking somewhat like the celeb to being virtually identical) and shows how they create the look. I was surprised by the detail that goes into every makeup job; sometimes it's not the gross features but the little things -- tiny birthmarks, dimples, the line of the lower lip -- that bring out the similarity.

I found it useful (I've worked as a Fergie lookalike in the past) and also entertaining. Highly recommended

This book is an incredible photographic documentation of the power of makeup, etc; and you will understand how much you can transform yourself when you see Devon Cass turn himself into Cher. Many of the transformations are just incredible--in particular my jaw dropped at Cher, the guy who did Marilyn, and the woman who did Mariah Carey. And there is lots of information on how to get there, with fascinating half-face makeup shots, advice on wardrobe, and even famous lines of the stars to give you something to say once you've gotten there. I dare say, though, that this book is, for most people, going to be something to gawk at rather than a guide to a halloween costume. Too often necessary details are missing--you are told what to get, then sometimes it is kind of "then go ahead and put it on the way Cher does"....not all that helpful all the time. But still, there's tons here, and lots of people will enjoy this book--I'd heartily recommend it for all you crossdressers out there; buy two and give one to a friend!

This book is an amazing compendium of information and inspiration. The photos are remarkable, as are the effects of the makeovers on every model! Devon Cass REALLY knows his stuff, and he shows and demonstrates it ALL in this book! He's elevated celebrity impersonations into an artform, and chronicled every single step for the reader. Buy this book and be AMAZED at the transformative powers of makeup, clothes, hair, etc. to create indelible images.

Devon takes you on a journey through transformation at its finest!You can learn all new and exciting make-up tips to better improve your everyday make-up ability.As well as being privy to make-overs that will blow your mind.Cher'Madonna and Liz would be proud! Either become your favorite star or create your own with Double Take you wont be dissapointed!