Arts and Entertainment Books

This is such a wonderful book, full of life, emotion, and intelligence. Feraca infuses every experience, ordinary and extraordinary, with so much perception, compassion, and generosity that it's a total joy to read.

Feraca writes the way Vermeer paints. Even the shadows in this memoir are luminous. Her stories are filled with a love that is not just emotional. The characters we meet (mother, father, aunt, brother, husband) are like something from Dostoyevsky, filled with passion, hilarity, trouble, and love. Feraca is a great storyteller, and a poet. She leads me to momentarily dwell with her characters' hearts and behind their eyes. When I finished reading I had a much greater appreciation for the quirky folks in my own life. Read this book!

This author is as talented at writing books as he is at acting. I do hope that another book is on the way! He is also extremely cute

he is a talented author as well as actor. I thoroughly enjoy all of his work and I think he is very adorable

What a wonderful life Argentina Brunetti had - and we are so lucky that she shared it with us in the fast and easy to read book. She takes us through the world of entertainment from the the turn of the last century all the way to her guest appearance on Everybody Loves Raymond. We meet a bunch of interesting characters. You can feel the love and respect through her writing that her parents felt for each other. She and her husband Miro were founding memebers of the Hollywood Foreign Press (The Golden Globes)and we get to meet some of the stars they met. If you are interested in stories of the world of entertainment I suggest you read this book of this character actress who in my opinnion was a STAR.

"In Sicilian Company" is a delight! It's a Wonderful Life" actress and journalist, 98 year old Argentina Brunetti's, long awaited bio novel spans three generations of her theatrical family, taking us around the world and back in time over one hundred and fifty years ago and fast fowards us through the years with incredible stories involving some the most famous and infamous personages of their time, including Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, U.S. President Reagan, Al Capone, Opera Star Enrico Caruso, Pope paul II and even Howard Hughes. She gives us new insights about the major movie stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the present. In addition Argentina outlines the secrets to her longevity, special diets and exercise. This easily read, fascinating book has something for everyone; romance, drama and comedy. If you are tired of all the gore , sex and foul language in most books today, this is a totally refreshing change! But most of all, you'll soon discover that its about love and triumph over adversity. Once you start, you won't want to stop reading it. And when you do, it will be with a smile on your face. At least that's what has happend to me and to my friends who have read it.An added plus are all the great photos of Argentina with the stars of Hollywood's past, present and even future!

I bought as a guide to possibly get a tatoo with Jason's art. I loved the art!

This must-have archive is just the beginning of a career that will only improve with time and experience. Combining traditional art with the digital medium, Jason Engle creates entire worlds within a single frame.

There is very little I can add to the other review on this site. I grew up seeing the original transmission of QUATERMASS AND THE PIT and was fortunate to see THE ROAD before the BBC destroyed the tape. Nigel Kneale was one of Britain's greatest television writers who deserved more acclaim than he received. When reading of the way he was treated by the BBC, I immediately felt revulsion for that institution and hope that it will eventually lose its license in the cable era in the UK.

Ironically, the author got this indispensable work published by an independent company, not BFI Publishing or any mainstream or academic press. This says much about the state of publishing today, not of the author. He managed to interview Kneale when he was still with us and I sincerely hope that Andy Murray was able to send his book to Kneale when he was still alive. Kneale's observations are valuable as are the comments of contemporary critics such as C.P. Lee, Julian Petley, Ramsey Campbell and others who grew up watching Kneale's teleplays during a time when television was worth watching.

This is an important book, the first of its type, and it should stimulate other writers to explore the heritage of Kneale and continue his legacy into the twenty-first century.

In these days where television drama feels it is supposed to reflect the contemporary life as it is lived, supposedly, by as many people as possible, it does us well to remember when there were days when tv executives were willing to consider dramatic works which were about people living extraordinary, often imagined lives, and that the amount of trust given over to the audience to be captivated by the characters and ideas in their television dramas would boggle the minds of the commissioning control freaks who can barely contemplate anything that doesn't hark back to the 1960s wave of social realism, isn't as `as authentic as possible', historically-derived, or stretches antiquated and impossible acts-of-faith such as Suspension of Disbelief.

You could blame the advancement of special effects, the rise of Reality television, the blurring of `high' and `low' cultures, the cynicism which has grown since the days when the written work of Nigel Kneale laid the ground for what everyone in television still wants but so few have any idea how to do, that elusive thing known as `event television.' I don't really believe in the so-called Golden Age of Television anymore. I've seen too much of what passes for the classics of the small-screen to know that it was as much about timing as it was the content of the programmes, which more than not were just as poor as the worst television offerings now or since. But after rereading Into The Unknown - The Fantastic Life of Nigel Kneale, it is obvious to me that there were times when British television took greater creative risks. Everyone took greater risks. The war was still in the experienced memory of most British adults. The space race was just beginning. Modernity and futurism were sweeping away the old orders. Television was overtaking radio as the most popular choice of entertainment, and its guardians were interested, not in reinterpreting or reworking, but in looking forward, to do things that had never been done before. Nigel Kneale wrote many of television's early forays into fantasy and science fiction, although he did not see himself as a science-fiction writer. His signature work is easily recognised but not easily definable, often with emphasis on the response of people to extraordinary and incomprehensible forces such as aliens or ghosts. The worlds he draws are often domestic or dystopian places where instincts run riot triggered by primal fears. There is paranoia and distrust of authority. Above all, the best of the original Nigel Kneale work, is experimental. For those that saw it, he will always be best known for his creation of Professor Bernard Quatermass, a rocket scientist of the British Experimental Rocket Group, who faced several forms of aliens from 1955 to his last incarnation in the late 1970s. Until Doctor Who appeared, Quatermass epitomised the fictional television scientist, attracting massive audience shares when his plays, The Quatermass Experiment and Quatermass and the Pit were broadcast, influencing a generation of artists, including Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, Russell T. Davis and Alien-creator Dan O'Bannon. (Kneale refused to write Doctor Who, objecting to its violence and the way it frightened children but the producers of Who saw no problem in stealing Kneale's Quatermass template and going on without him. His standards were very high, causing him to refuse work on several occasions.) Plays that foreshadowed the surveillance society, sexual freedoms, and the 1970s fascination with the supernatural followed, as well as a pile of unproduced work that Andy Murray has dug out of the bottom of the Kneale wardrobe, having gained the direct cooperation of the eighty-year old writer and his family in order to produce this book.

For anyone thinking of writing for television, or having written or presently doing it, I can think of no reason to not read this book. As well as gaining fascinating knowledge of some of the neglected treasures in British television history, the book does not shy away from the frustrations of working in television as a writer. Even for a man as respected as Nigel Kneale there were great upsets, plays that would get lost in the changeover from one executive to another or because his work was deemed to difficult or expensive, wasting hundreds of hours of work. Then there are the works forever lost due to the chilling practice known as `wiping.' By now it is very well known that in the early days of videotape storage the perceived high cost of the medium caused the destruction of hundreds of programmes by ignorant corporate barbarians in charge of saving a few quid. Comedy was a prime target for this practice within the BBC, as was drama. Works by Nigel Kneale to fall under the eraser head include The Year of the Sex Olympics which predicted Big Brother-like television, and although a film of it survives in black and white the original production which made colour a significant part of the design scheme was lost, as were other Kneale plays, works involving the toil of many actors, designers, directors, editors, costumiers and other creative people. While not on the scale of the destruction of the library at Alexandria, or the library of the Incas by the Spanish, it has that special brand of anonymous bureaucratic maliciousness associated with feudal empires.

Fortunately, the work he created for ITV companies was not destroyed. Beasts, for example, one of Kneale's proudest works, is now released on DVD. The Quatermass Conclusion is one of my strongest memories from television childhood, a frightening (and expensive) look at New Age-cultism, megalithic circles, and super-galactic intelligences.

Through all the disappointments Kneale kept writing exciting, forward-thinking plays and films as well as adaptation of works by Susan Hill in The Woman in Black, and Stanley and the Women, originally by Kinglsey Amis. He wrote the first draft of Halloween III directed by John Carpenter, who reworked Kneale's original idea, keeping only the folksy Irish villainy behind the evil plan to unleash hell through a wicked combination of Halloween masks and computer technology. Throughout the book Kneale gives his opinion on how the screen serviced his works, and the straight-from-the-horses-mouth approach puts you right inside the gestation process of almost everything he wrote. Gives him the last laugh too. It makes for a fascinating journey, and while I would appeal for future editions to contain an index or a quick-glance list of NK works, this book by Andy Murray does its subject great and deserved justice.

Gershunoff is a keen observer of character and an excellent judge of artistic quality. This book describes the good, the bad and the ugly in artistic life. The author looks behind the headlines. He gives us a true sense of what it was like to live as a person and as an artist in various parts of the world during the period 1940-80. Because politics played a huge role in the arts (and still does, for that matter!), he has some not-so-flattering things to say about powerful politicians as well as about Isaac Stern and the extremely aggressive way in which he promoted some of his proteges who might not really have been ready for prime time. Stern's constant political machinations also cut into his practice time and affected his own performance quality. And who could ever forget the major hype surrounding the Panovs? Well, here's the real scoop. Want to know how Soviet artists lived during that period? Gershunoff can--and does--tell you, in painful detail. It wasn't pretty. This is a book for those who want to know the real, human stories behind the media hype that sometimes even masqueraded as "hard news." And a great read it is, too!

Very entertaining - shows a time (1940s - 1980s) when the classical performing arts were much more central in American culture. Lots of stories of Soviet-American cultural exchange during that period including not-so-flattering episodes with the artists. Great for anyone interested in the workings of the performing arts.

This was a good book and easy and fast to read. It mainly focuses on the very early film making of Jackie, and then goes into his later years. The only thing that makes me wonder about authors of these biographies (of which I read MANY), is when their information is not correct, and then I wonder a bit what else might be not quite the truth. In this respect, I refer to a couple of references which the average reader might say "who even cares", but what I am saying here is that if this information is incorrect, then what else hasn't been researched thoroughly or completely and happens to be wrong? Are we getting the real truth? My questions here refers to when Jack Coogan died, and the author says that he was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Culver City. Calvary is in East L.A. (where Jack is), and Culver City is where another Catholic cemetery is located. So we have not good research here. Then, after Jackie died, the book says he was "laid to rest at Holy Cross Mausoleum, near the crypt that held the remains of Jack Coogan Sr." But before it says he's at Calvary, now it's Holy Cross. And I do happen to know the truth. Jack is at Calvary, but Jackie is at Holy Cross. So, maybe trivial to some, but like I say, whatother information may not be the real truth. Another bit of the book that disturbed me was when the auto accident happened that killed Jack and injured Jackie. She says that after the accident the mother was notified at 5 PM, and that immediately his stepfather chartered a plane in Los Angeles, which consisted of his mother, their doctor and 4 other people and when they arrived in San Diego they were led by police escort the 59 miles to the acident area. She makes it sounds like this was accomplished in a very brief time period, but honestly, chartering a plane and getting 6 or more people to the airport and flying to San Diego and then driving 59 miles of rugged road would take an awfully long time, many hours I would think. They would have arrived at 2 in the morning or something. This isn't very believable. But it's a good book and I liked it. Jackie was fortunate to live out his life and die a natural, as he lived some pretty fast years.

Diana Serra Cary was once know as Baby Peggy in the 1920's. Mrs. Cary must have done exhaustive research into the life of fellow child star Jackie Coogan. She also reveals a crime that was committed during Coogan's college years. Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King is aptly titled. Coogan's parents were Vaudeville actors. Charles Chaplin was searching for a child to work in one of his pictures. Adorable 6 year old Jackie got the part. Until he hit the awkward age, Jackie was making millions of dollars. There were no laws during that era about child labor or whether the child would benefit in adulthood from a working childhood. Jackie was mobbed all over the world. Since the pictures he made were silent, the subtitles could be changed for every country. Naturally, this greatly effected the child. During his teenage years he was in an automobile crash with 3 other people. Jackie was the only survivor. His father had died.
When it came time for Jackie to inherit his trust fund he discovered that he had no right to it under the law. His Mother, now remarried met Jackie in court to fight over his childhood earnings. The public was horrified to learn that Jackie under old fashioned laws was not entitled to one red cent. This is how the famous Coogan law was brought into effect. At this time Jackie was married to Betty Grable. He was terribly cruel to Betty. Continuously drunk one night he urinated all over his wife. Unable to find work because of being black listed by Mayor, Coogan enlisted in the military. Later in life he would become known as Uncle Fester on the Adam's Family.

I loved James ever since the first episode of DC. The book was also really great.

I have to say that I loved this book. And that's not only because they gave my website a A+. There are tons of pictures. and the writing was really good too.

This book is a must for fans of Jerry Lewis, for students of film, for historians, and pop culture buffs!!

This is an especially wonderful publication for fans who don't want to dig up gossip, but simply want to appreciate the work of the entertainer they admire. This book is packed with information and wonderful black and white photos (many not avaliable anywhere else).

I appreciate that the authors dedicated the book to Mr. Lewis and it reads like a well-referenced and studied labor of love.

With all the other things on his plate--his charitable endeavors, stage performances--Jerry Lewis' impressive film career is often overlooked. The authors, with Mr. Lewis' cooperation, have done a commendable job putting this baby together. Jerry's comments at the end of each movie synopis/review are invaluable to admirers of this comic genius. Even Jerry Lewis' cinematic "failures" are infinitely more interesting than most actor/director's "successes." I value this book.

I loved this book so much. Jerry Vale is truly one of the most gifted singers I have ever heard. What he sings come straight from the heart as did this beautifully written book. What is wonderful about Mr. Vale is his sincerity and honesty. I loved this book and would recommend it not only to his fans but to anyone who wants to read a book about a nice man, a nice family and a wonderful career.

The story is true. Jerry contributed to it and approved every word. Dozens of interviews were conducted. The author traveled with Jerry on the road and toured with him at book signings. At concerts fans bought while Jerry signed books. They love him. His story is a wondrous adventure into the backstage area of show business and stars Sinatra, DiMaggio, Mantle, Durante, Goulet, Dean Martin, Jayne Mansfield and others. From life in the teeming streets of the 1940s Bronx until the great triumph for him at Carnegie Hal; and the inbetween rejections, panic, the big break and the heartbreak, it's all there illuminating and insightful without complaint or regret,a charming and refreshing glimpse of a sturdy and passionate, music-loving vital hitmaker, who, by the way, is still working at his craft. I may have written it, but, I still love it and it's subject, one of the best singers ever - Jerry Vale. Sorry, but I had to tell you all what great fun it was writing the book with Jerry Vale, his wife Rita and all the great characters who make up the book.