Arts and Entertainment Books

Just as James Agee (deceased) and Pauline Kael (alive, but retired) remain the best writers on the Art of Film, so Kenneth Tynan (again, deceased) is still the best writer on the Art of Theatre. Tynan wrote so beautifully and wittily and lovingly about the stage and the people who inhabit it and he was also responsible in a major way for the success of the National Theatre of Great Britain along with his friend and professional partner, Laurence Olivier. (an essay on Olivier is one of the high-points of this book.) It was Tynan who "discovered" Harold Pinter, who "made the career" of John Osbourne and was a major factor in reviving the career of Noel Coward, after years of neglect: as Literary Manager of the National, it was Tynan who urged a revival of Coward's classic "Hay Fever."

This collection of 50 essays is absolutely essential reading for anyone who has a love of theatre or simply of celebrity and star power. No one writing today writes as well as Tynan did nor consistently shows his affection for Show Business. If you regularly read today's so-called critics, you come away with the feeling that they become INSULTED that plays they dislike were actually produced!

I highly recommend this book. It is passionate, charming and, at times, really funny stuff. But, please, do yourself a favor and haunt every used book shop you know to find a copy of Tynan's out-of-print collected theatre reviews from the U.S. (he wrote for "The New Yorker") and England called CURTAINS. It is absolutely the best book of criticism you'll ever read.

Enormously entertaining and the writing is to die for. Epstein regards Tynan as a lightweight and in a way I guess he is, but a skilled lightweight is still a thing of beauty and Tynan IS skilled. I stared underlining favorite passages but had to stop because I was underlining almost everything.

Tynan was one of the century's great journalists, capable of capturing a performer in two paragraphs, yet equally adept at longer essays, several of which are collected here. The pieces on Stoppard and Louise Brooks are particularly fine. The reviewer below is right: the writing is to die for; but, compared to Epstein, Tynan is a super-hevyweight, with ten times the force and prose-potency.

"Promising Skies" is awesome and needs to be seen on a big screen to vie for the Oscar! If Clint Eastwood made a movie out of "The Bridges of Madison County" which I read, there is absolutely no reason why he wouldn't be interested in "Promising Skies". I had so much fun reading it. It had everything in it. The author knew how to mix all of life's ingredients in creating this book. It's a book any fiction reader in this genre would crave for. My message to the author: Please write more!

Go behind the scenes in the extraordinary life of a brilliant singer in Amapola's semi-autobiographical novel, Promising Skies. Janeera Vivioni grew up in a violent home. Beaten by her father and unprotected by her mother, her only refuge lies in her singing. As soon as she is old enough, she escapes with a man named Tony to launch her singing career. But her plans of making beautiful music with the man she adores quickly sour
when Tony proves as brutal as her father was. Now Janeera must find a way to escape him, but can she ever really escape her troubled past?

In moving prose, Amapola takes us from Mexico to Hawaii to the foggy shores of San Francisco as Janeera Vivioni's star begins to rise. Managers seek to make her the most sought after star in the firmament, but while Janeera is lucky at singing, she continues to be unlucky at love-so much so that she eventually attempts to take her own life. Despite the glamour and the satisfaction of her successful career, she is plagued by a deep
yearning she can't seem to fill, not until a final terrible secret is revealed.

Amapola writes like a dream, showing us the high notes and the low points in a beautiful young singer's life. Richly atmospheric and full of intriguing insider information, Promising Skies is a smart and moving portrait of a young woman struggling to find her own happiness. The truth might be shattering, but in this brave and endearing novel, it eventually serves to set her free.

(Ellen Tanner Marsh is a New York Times best selling author.)

An excellent love story about oneself. I think that this story was well-written and very interesting. There was enough suspense to hold my attention. The other characters unfolded through the plot effectively. While I was reading, I found myself getting personally involved with the main character, Janeera Vivioni. By the time I was finished with the book, I half expected her to call me and ask me out to lunch.

What fascinates us about Reese Witherspoon? Is it what biographer Lauren Brown claims, that she's private in her dealings with the press and doesn't comport herself like the low rent Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan? I don't know. Is it that she's more quality than her competition and throws herself into roles like a modern-day Kim Stanley? Maybe. Brown's straightforward account of her work on learning the autoharp to play June Carter in I WALK THE LINE impresses the reader, and also I liked the way Mira Nair told Ryan to get Reese pregnant again so she would look more womanly and bosomy when Nair cast Reese as Becky Sharp in the ill-fated VANITY FAIR.

Brown structures her book as though nothing important happened in the world besides the ascent of Reese Witherspoon, and her research involves countless interviews with COSMO GIRL and TEEN PEOPLE, so the book suffers from not enough context perhaps. We learn that Reese's career was at a low ebb after she made ELECTION, she couldn't even get a part as the main character's best friend, and that's what forced her into accepting the part in LEGALLY BLONDE. Brown says that playing 'Elle' in LEGALLY BLONDE made everyone love Reese, but not me. She holds Reese above other actresses for her refusal to play in "teen movies," but what on earth is the sensationally awful CRUEL INTENTIONS if not the teen movie to end all teen movies? Well, it spawned GOSSIP GIRL, I suppose, but Reese, let's not pretend you took the part without realizing it was a teen movie? A novice director, Robert Luketic, sounded off to the press after the completion of LEGALLY BLONDE and said he was astounded at Reese's haughty and unpleasant manner throughout the shooting of the picture. "Movies are supposed to be fun," he complained, and Reese killed that practice stone cold dead. Maybe it's because she's so tiny, she's like a tempest in a teapot. Whatever it is, she's got something that makes all the little stars (Mark Wahlberg, Ryan Philippe, Jake Gyllenhall) go wild about her.

Brown compares her career to that of her no-good brother, the one who used to be her chauffeur and later was charged with sexual battery. In the family, she was "little Miss Type A," and he was "Little Misdemeanor." It is tough on an overachiever to have a brother who isn't as perfect as you are, but she's overcoming her shame and learning that there's more to life than just smelling the roses. Lauren Brown's other biographies are not as good as this one, but maybe that's because Emma Roberts and Lindsay Lohan are too young to make a good book. Whereas did you know that, after 9/11, it was to Reese Witherspoon that the nation turned when we wanted to have a little bit of fun in the wake of the Twin Towers disaster, so she was the first guest host of Saturday Night Live and she slayed us, as the comics say, with her improv bits.

Reading this well-researched bio made me want to watch all the Reese movies I missed, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for her career and character. I recommend it to anyone who's enjoyed her work.

Great book on Reese. Alot of chapters and information. If you're a fan of Reese, this book is highly recommended.

This book is a great buy for anyone interested in Ridley Scott or in filmmaking in general. His interviews if looked at closely reveal mountains of filmmaking knowledge as it goes through most of his major motion pictures in a series of varying inteviews dating from around 70's to when the book was published. True film buffs might get a good bit of pleasure out of this text as well.

I've been a fan of Ridley Scott's films since I first began to study film as an art form and not just as something to do on a weekend. Your eyes are never bored, he constantly produces great images to take in and transport you to new worlds. The level of immersion he allows an audience to indulge in is amazing, there are not too many other filmmakers who are able to do this.

This interview book starts at his early beginnings at art school and his long and lucrative foray into the commercial world and proceeds chronologically through Matchstick Men. There is some mention of Kingdom of Heaven, but no heavy material, as this book was published around the same time this movie came out.

Although a couple of the articles were somewhat familiar to me, most were first time reads for me, and so the book was very fresh and informative. Some of his lesser known or less popular films like White Squall and 1492:Conquest of Paradise have some very good making-of articles and were the most surprising. Much is discussed about Alien, Blade Runner and Thelma and Louise, which is a given, but this doesn't diminish their interest.

What unfolds is a well drawn picture of a man who didn't start making features until he was nearly 40, whose film career has had its ups and downs over the last nearly three decades, yet who has not tired of making pictures that stretch over vast and small spaces and will hopefully continue to innovate and challenge audiences for years to come. I highly recommend this book for his fans, and for those who have taken even passing interest in his films.

I usually own all the movies directed by my favorite directors. Even their lesser achievements often prove to say a lot about them. And you usually get to understand the man (if not know them) through their filmography.
I must admit that I never thought of Ridley Scott as one of my favorite directors until I read this book. I never actually realized that I actually own all his movies! and the reason for that is because I was not always connecting the themes and constants all along his career. If you take Alien and Thelma&Louise, one could wonder what is the link between the 2 films. I am not saying that we should always try to connect every filmmaker's movie to his previous ones but after reading Ridley's interviews, I really started understanding the man's endeavour. All through the interviews, spreading from 1975 to 2000, he actually never discusses politics or mystical matters. He is a filmmaker with a pragmatic approach to his art. Coming with an art director background, he likes to build his movies. At some point, it is said he likes to create universe. And this is the connection between all of his movies: the sets speak for Ridley. He seems to take acting very seriously as well so he is not just painting on the surface; content does matter equally as the surface but Ridley works in subtle touches. He obviously demonstrates through the years that he leaves nothing to chance.
Highly recommanded.

This beautiful book offers comprehensive insight into both Robert Wilson's life and productions. Beautiful photographs illustrate the descriptions of almost all of his productions and are complete with dates and information about the actors and sets photographed. For anyone who is interested in this legendary diretcor, or is interested in avant-garde theater and opera, this book is a real treasure. If only it were a little less expensive.

Of course, you might not like Robert Wilson at all, and will assume, therefore, that this book is equally bad, since it is about a topic � an artist - you do not like. However, let us put the book into the perspective of what it is � a pictorial and essay romp through the life�s work of a major theatrical artist. This book is huge � if you are looking for a coffee table book about Robert Wilson, this is it. This thing is bloody heavy. The pages are crisp and thick, and it is loaded, absolutely loaded, with photos of Wilson�s stagecraft. The photos and the stories cover both the development of theatrical ideas, and also the live performances, so you can see shots of the stages with and without actors, and during rehearsals and during shows. For the person interested in theater, or other visual art, Robert Wilson is a guy who should be studied. He paints with light, has some pretty unconventional methods of movement, use of space, and design of stage. What is so compelling about Wilson is that nothing unnecessary happens on stage � every movement, whether a nod of the head, a twitch of the hand, a move of the arm are all planned and staged; every costume, every prop, every chair are all designed specifically for a production, and placed with precise exactitude to make the entirety of the stage balanced with the story being told. He�s an amazing artist, and an even more amazing theatrical designer. For the person new to Robert Wilson, you might be most interested by his stagings of known works � LOHENGRIN at the Met, or DIE ZAUBERFLOTE, or a host of other well-known pieces. The Wilson novitiate, knowing those stories, will get a better idea of how Wilson thinks and stages these things. Looking at pictures of his own works, which you might not be familiar with, makes it difficult to tell just what he�s doing.

It is laid out in a mostly linear fashion, beginning in the 60s, and working through to the present. The essays and text is helpful and dense with information, and offers many insights into what Robert Wilson has been, and still is, trying to evoke with his incredible and unique theatrical vision.

This book excels at offering a glimpse of Robert Wilson�s work and philosophy. Of course, since this is mainly a picture book, it is not as insightful or dense as a pure book of text might be, but you can�t speak of Wilson without showing some pictures, so a book of text would be useless anyway.

My only beef with this book is that it does not have enough pictures. But, it�s already hundreds of pages long and extremely heavy, so obviously this is merely the wish of a fan, not a criticism of the book itself.

This book also excels within the genre of books about visual art. It is well organized, well indexed, the pictures are sharp and in focus and gloriously show the vivid colors that Robert Wilson loves to use. The craftmanship is excellent, the binding superb, the paper thick and long-lasting, etc. etc. etc. You might think I dwell on the physical aspect of the book too much, but for a [price] book, you better be getting something not only of content quality, but of physical quality, and this book delivers.

If you are a fan of Wilson, or a fan of the theater, this book is one of my top recommends. I admit, I am a huge fan of Wilson, so I have that bias, but I love to page through this thing to be inspired and to get lost in his wonderful aesthetic.

Kudos to the publisher, and kudos to the authors/editor and Robert Wilson.

I simply saw Robert Wilson's breathtakingly theatrical production of Richard Wagner's LOHENGRIN at the Metropolitan Opera one time, a few seasons ago, and I was hooked.

This production, although certainly unconventional--there is absolutely nothing representational or realistic on the stage for the entire length of the performance--tries to help the viewer listen even more carefully to the gorgeous music, to examine the characters on the stage and then to see the work in a totally different light.

Light, in fact, is of supreme importance in all of Wilson's works, as one can witness in this invaluable book of photographs and essays on one of the most important, creative theatre directors and designers working today.

Anyone who has seen any theatrical piece designed and/or directed by Wilson, may like it, dislike it, be forever changed by it....but will never forget it. Wilson's work with frequent collaborator, Philip Glass (i.e. EINSTEIN ON THE BEACH), his beginnings (DEAFMAN GLANCE at the Festival of Nancy, France), his work with celebrities (Jessye Norman in GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING at the Theatre des Champs Elysses), work in the U.S. (i.e. KNEE PLAYS with a score by David Byrne),standard opera productions (i.e. SALOME at La Scala) are all given their due in this lengthy, gorgeously designed volume.

Besides the essays and photographs (color and black & white) there is a complete chronology of Wilson's works up to and including his production of Stravinsky's OEDIPUS REX paired with Bartok's BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE for Opera Zurich, TIME ROCKER by Lou Reed in Hamburg and Virgil Thompson's FOUR SAINTS IN THREE ACTS for the Edinburgh Festival, all in 1996. Theatre, film, video, solo exhibitions, museum installations, awards and selected publications are all listed with complete descriptions and vital facts. For anyone interested in where World Theatre has been and where it is going, this book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Steve's really done a great job with this book. It covers anything and everything you could ever want to know on Robin's work up to "Hamlet." Lots of great photos, too. If you're a fan of Robin, a fan of one of his films, or just like movies in general, this is a fabulous book to have.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes Robin Williams. It is very well written, with lots of great pictures - and not just the ones that you always see. The book deals with a lot of what Robin has done on stage and on television, as well as his movie career. It also has chapters on Comic Relief, several interviews, and even a puzzle.

These are some of the things I really enjoyed in this book:
The highlights from An Evening With Robin Williams and the summary of An Evening at the Met.
The short descriptions of all the Mork and Mindy episodes, and the extensive summaries of the very first episode and the episode called Mork Meets Robin Williams.
The account of Mad Magazine's parody of Mork and Mindy: Shmork and Windy.
The long, interesting interviews.
The comments to each of Robin's movies, from Popeye in 1980 to Hamlet in 1997. First Spignesi says what the movie is about, and what he thinks, then comes what the critics said. Often we also get to hear something Robin said about the movie.
(This review is part of my comment on the book on my homepage.)

Robin Williams is only eleven years older than I am, so I guess you could say I grew up with him. Mork and Mindy were primary staple when I was in high school. So when I found THE ROBIN WILLIAMS SCRAPBOOK on sale, I couldn't resist. And in only the first couple of pages, I knew it was a bargain at any price.

Intersperses with the necessary "place of birth" type information, Stephen Spignesi recounts Williams' life from the perspective of Williams' body of work. The book's chapters each represent Williams' work in chronological order as it relates to his life. Written in an engaging, immediate tone, the reader can't help becoming a part of the flow of the text, and the "legalized insanity" of William's life.

As I read, the book's humane, honest, and humorous tidbits that kept my emotions engaged. Learning of Williams' support of actor Christopher Reeve following the accident), his perchance for sexual humor and play, and his favorite joke. Filled with photos, stories of performances, and peaks into his personal life, THE ROBIN WILLIAMS SCRAPBOOK is a fascinating, must read for Williams fans. Very Highly recommended.

This collection of the late Richard Salant's letters and memoirs shows that the former CBS News president -- with his strong sense of justice, fairness and intelligence -- deserves to be just as much a legend to the public as the men and women who worked for him.

Throughout the Vietnam and Watergate era of the 60s and 70s, the lawyer-turned-news executive was credited with standing up for his news people in conflicts with the government and business interests. In this volume of memoirs, organized very well by Susan and Bill Buzenberg, readers also see that he was just as tough with his own staff when it came to issues of balance and accuracy.

Readers will also be intrigued by Salant's explanation of why he approved "60 Minutes" several years after it was proposed; his written battle of wits with Charles Crutchfield, the conservative chief executive of a CBS Television affiliate;
why he didn't like music on CBS news shows; and why he felt himself a stranger in strange lands during his post-CBS years at NBC and the National News Council.

This book will be enjoyed by those interested in the issues behind newsgathering. And even though the business has changed markedly (to many, for the worse) since Salant's days, the Salant memoirs show the intelligence, thought and love of humanity he brought to his work -- qualities that are always needed in the exercise of news judgement.

It's been a quarter century after Dick Salant's left the stage of broadcast journalism. But thanks to this excellent book, his wisdom and intellect can benefit generations of young journalists.

I had to read this book for a Media Ethics class and I must say that it was one of my favourite books! Salant teaches readers about the workings of a newsroom and the struggle to do what is right with the news through funny annecdotes and interesting stories. Any aspiring journalist MUST read this, and anyone just looking for a good biography would do well to read this. (Actually, EVERYONE should read this as journalism and the media are a strong presence in all our lives, and this is a fun way to learn more about it.)

The Buzenbergs have captured the essence of a unique man of principle. Using Salant's voluminous archives, this book is a fascinating trip through an era that established high standards in broadcast journalism. The book raises issues and questions which are at the heart of today's journalism. Household names Cronkite, Rather, Brokaw, Jennings, Sevareid are the characters in the tale of how the premiere broadcast news organization came to be - what and who held it together - and the inside view of a corporation struggling with its identity. The players were giants in a land that has more recently turned into a universe of pygmies. You don't have to be a news junkie to enjoy and learn from this book - you just have to ask yourself: "if I see one more Monica Lewinsky story"...I won't take it anymore! Good reading.

Peter Herford

This is a superb tell all on how to inject the best of Hollywood into your business. From Broadway to Sunset Boulevard, this is is the new Ogilvy On Advertising. Bravo!

I have been in the advertising world for 22 years and this is the first book I have read that cuts to the chase and abandons untested theory.The book is filled with advice from people who are specialists and guide you down the right path. It does not matter that this book is focused on entertainment marketing, it's rules and tips are universal. I also teach marketing and I will strongly recommend this book to my students and fellow teachers. Bravo Barry!

This is the first business book I have read that is useful, insighful and intelligent. As a Broadway producer and businessman, i found the book to be wonderfully light and yet profound. If you are in marketing, sales or entertainment...YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!

Sepia Dreams is definitely a MUST HAVE for one that has a great appreciation for art/photography. The affirmations are inspiring. The book is a great gift to give to loved ones.

Beautiful. Intelligent. Inspirational. Sepia Dreams is a work of art and aspiration! With so many stories of the people we love the most, you can't put it down. A great gift, and a must-have addition to your home library!
--LLOYD BOSTON, author of MEN OF COLOR

From the moment I first opened this book, I haven't been able to stop talking about it to my co-workers, friends, and family. Never before have I been so proud to own a book . At a time when we could all use something upbeat and positive, this book is inspirational, motivational, and uplifting. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

There are thousands of biographies of Shakespeare. Picking which to read can be a challenge. "Shakespeare the Player," by John Southworth, is the third Shakespeare biography I've read. I recommend it highly for its passion, its premise and its detail. This book leaves you with an appreciation of, not just the writer of the most famous plays in the world, but the actors he wrote FOR and the roles he played IN. In a readable, well-organised presentation, Southworth turns Shakespeare the austere genius into Shakespeare the warm human being.

Shakespeare learned his craft by acting first and writing second, contrary to conventional treatments of his life. These are the points that struck my interest:
. Shakespeare the apprentice actor, playing roles in other writers' works, learning to be part of a team of players, learning to read an audience's reactions, learning to read fellow actors' abilities
. Shakespeare the company sharer, investing in his company when he had the experience and money, becoming a stakeholder whose written plays were part but not all of his substantial contributions to the success of the team
. Writing specific parts that fit specific actors
. Emphasis on time on tour as well as at home in London

Southworth is an actor and director who brings experience and research to provide supporting detail for his points:
. Superb familiarity with the plays and lines (making the most readable and engaging summary of Shakespeare's works I've ever seen)
. Examples of influences of lines from other Elizabethan plays, in which Shakespeare performed as an apprentice, on lines in his earliest written plays (showing influence on his development as a writer from his experience as an apprentice).
. Line by line comparisons of Sonnets and Plays (and discussing how Shakespeare's love for plays was greater than his love for poems)
. What roles Shakespeare would have played (kingly but not always the king; roles that allowed him to coach apprentices and influence performance tone and style of the overall play during rehearsal)
. What roles his fellow actors and apprentices would have played (roles for his fellow veterans, roles for the apprentices showing them off and developing them into experienced veterans in their own right)
. Queen Elizabeth's and King James' support for players in general and Shakespeare's companies in particular (and the differences in plays that the two respective monarchs preferred)

This book, and SHAKESPEARE OF LONDON by Marchette Chute, are the only works known to me on Shakespeare that emphasize his work as an actor-director. Once one is reminded that Shakespeare was one of the leading actors in the various companies in which he worked and for whom he wrote, much of his life and career arc make far better sense than they do in the usual biographies that concentrate exclusively on his writing, as if he sat every night in a rented room and generated page after page with no actors or theater in mind. It also supplies a very different picture of how the members of any given successful group of players spent the year, particularly in its demonstration that even players with a dedicated, available playhouse in London still necessarily spent a good part of each year on tour.

Any discussion of the details of any part of Shakespeare's life is necessarily 99% speculation and 1% ambiguous documentation. However, Southworth's guesses as to the roles taken or preferred by Shakespeare in his own plays are soundly based on Southworth's lifelong experience as an actor in many performances of most of the Bard's plays, and generally made sense to me. It would be fascinating to get some clearer idea of the roles he took in the plays of Jonson and Marlowe, and Southworth does make some guesses, at least for the Marlowe plays that had the most obvious influence on Shakespeare's own earliest plays.

Southworth pictures Shakespeare as a whole-hearted "man of the theater" from well before his hasty marriage until just a few weeks before his untimely death in his early 50s. It's a picture that is consistent with what we know about the Elizabethan and Jacobian theater, and which remains consistent with the few documents that place Shakespeare at any given spot at any given time, doing any specific thing.

In short, it's a highly-recommended eye-opener.

As an academic, I could resent the sometimes acerbic references to academics in John Southworth's Shakespeare the Player, but as an academic I learned more from this non-academic book than I have learned from many academic books on Shakeespeare. The book is written by aprofessional theater person, an actor/director, who has a thorough knowledge of Shakespeare's plays and of the interactions among casts and playwrights and stages and plays and performances. From this background, he proposes and credibly supports four lines of argument: a) that there cannot be any lost years in Shakespeare's biography: to do what he did, Shakespeare had to have had an extensive apprenticeship in the theater, and Southworth adds evidence in support of the theory that this was Leceister's company; b) that there is no credible evidence that Shakespeare ever retired from the theater, and much circumstantial evidence from theater lives to suggest that he did no such thing; c) that Shakespeare was primarily an actor/director in his own plays, and not primarily a playwright, in his own eyes and the eyes of his colleagues; and d) that the roles he chose for himself, roles like Iago in "Othello," were characterized by being somewhat detached from the action, frequency of appearance on stage even when not speaking, and often a kind of controlling relationship with the other characters. The style is clear, unpretentions and very readable, the presentation direct, knowledgeable and carefully argued with detailed and credible evidence. I found the book to be the most helpful single book in illuminating Shakespeare and his plays that I've read in the last ten years.