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Showing 161 - 180 of 221 items
By Nancy Krulik. 2004
By John Szwed. 2015
* Kirkus Best Books of 2015 selection for Biography *Published in celebration of Holiday's centenary, the first biography to focus…
on the singer's extraordinary musical talentWhen Billie Holiday stepped into Columbia's studios in November 1933, it marked the beginning of what is arguably the most remarkable and influential career in twentieth-century popular music. Her voice weathered countless shifts in public taste, and new reincarnations of her continue to arrive, most recently in the form of singers like Amy Winehouse and Adele.Most of the writing on Holiday has focused on the tragic details of her life--her prostitution at the age of fourteen, her heroin addiction and alcoholism, her series of abusive relationships--or tried to correct the many fabrications of her autobiography. But now, Billie Holiday stays close to the music, to her performance style, and to the self she created and put into print, on record and on stage.Drawing on a vast amount of new material that has surfaced in the last decade, critically acclaimed jazz writer John Szwed considers how her life inflected her art, her influences, her uncanny voice and rhythmic genius, a number of her signature songs, and her legacy.From the Hardcover edition.By the Get Lit Players, Diane Luby Lane. 2016
Get to know the Get Lit Players--a group of teens who use poetry to take on the world--with this standards-based…
book that sheds light on teen issues through their own poetry and slam poetry performances.Get Lit Rising brings to life the true story of nineteen teen poets (the Get Lit Players) who are inspiring thousands of teens across the country through their award-winning performances of classic and spoken word poems. This book takes readers inside the private lives of these teen poets as they try to transform the lives of inner city teens in some of the toughest life circumstances. The Get Lit Players include teens who struggle with homelessness, autism, incarceration, body image, depression, and more. But they use the power of poetry to reclaim their lives and influence their friends, families, and communities. This uplifting book also offers the classic poems that have most inspired the Get Lit Players, along with their own personal response poems, and each chapter offers questions, writing prompts, and how-tos for readers to set their own inner poet free. Ending with a section for parents and educators featuring the curriculum that's already in schools throughout California, this slam-dunk shows how to get teens excited about poetry and how to create poetry groups and slams in their own communities.By Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso, Nancy Harrison, Gregory Copeland. 2017
Who doesn't love Lucy? The legendary actress, producer, and comedian steps into the Who Was? spotlight.Much like her hit TV…
show, I Love Lucy, Americans in the 1950s fell in love with Lucy. Born in New York in 1911, Lucille Ball was always a natural performer. She danced in the chorus of Broadway shows and acted in small parts in Hollywood movies. But Ball's true gift was comedy. She found a way to showcase her gifts in 1951 when CBS gave her the chance to star in a sitcom. She based the show on her life and called it I Love Lucy. Over sixty years later, it is still one of the most loved television shows of all time. Lucille Ball became the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu, and her comedic genius has kept people laughing for generations.By Vladimir Konieczny. 2008
Glenn Gould (1932-1982) was a prodigy who loathed the word, a brilliant pianist who disliked performing, and a public figure…
who craved solitude. With his recording of the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach, Gould became an international celebrity. Gould’s unusual interpretations, quirky stage mannerisms, and teasingly contrarian pronouncements fascinated and annoyed audiences and critics. He gave concerts in Canada, the United States, and abroad for several years. To everyone’s disbelief, he quit the concert stage just a few months short of his thirty-second birthday and immersed himself in his true love: the recording studio.By Catherine Gourley, Nancy Harrison, Val Paul Taylor. 2013
Born in 1925, Maria Tallchief spent part of her childhood on an Osage reservation in Oklahoma. With the support of…
her family and world-renowned choreographer George Balanchine, she rose to the top of her art form to become America's first prima ballerina. Black-and-white illustrations provide visual sidebars to the history of ballet while taking readers through the life of this amazing dancer.By Stephen Prince. 2017
Celebrated as one of Japan’s greatest filmmakers, Kobayashi Masaki’s scorching depictions of war and militarism marked him as a uniquely…
defiant voice in post-war Japanese cinema. A pacifist drafted into Japan’s Imperial Army, Kobayashi survived the war with his principles intact and created a body of work that was uncompromising in its critique of the nation’s military heritage. Yet his renowned political critiques were grounded in spiritual perspectives, integrating motifs and beliefs from both Buddhism and Christianity. A Dream of Resistance is the first book in English to explore Kobayashi’s entire career, from the early films he made at Shochiku studio, to internationally-acclaimed masterpieces like The Human Condition, Harakiri, and Samurai Rebellion, and on to his final work for NHK Television. Closely examining how Kobayashi’s upbringing and intellectual history shaped the values of his work, Stephen Prince illuminates the political and religious dimensions of Kobayashi’s films, interpreting them as a prayer for peace in troubled times. Prince draws from a wealth of rare archives, including previously untranslated interviews, material that Kobayashi wrote about his films, and even the young director’s wartime diary. The result is an unprecedented portrait of this singular filmmaker.By Gregory Copeland, Katie Ellison. 2017
Get Up, Stand Up! for the king of reggae music!Bob Marley was a reggae superstar who is considered to be…
one of the most influential musicians of all time. Born in rural Jamaica, this musician and songwriter began his career with his band, The Wailing Wailers, in 1963. The Wailers went on to spread the gospel of reggae music around the globe. Bob's distinctive style and dedication to his Rastafari beliefs became a rallying cry for the poor and disenfranchised the world over and led to a hugely successful solo career. After his death in 1981, Bob Marley became a symbol of Jamaican culture and identity. His greatest-hits album, Legend, remains the best-selling reggae album of all time. Who Was Bob Marley? tells the story of how a man with humble roots became an international icon.This title in the New York Times best-selling series contains eighty illustrations that help bring the story to life.By Antonia Quirke. 2007
This memoir is the story of how a young female film critics love-life is affected and nearly ruined by her…
obsession with male movie stars. As her increasingly hapless hunt for the right man unfolds and her career unravels, she finally begins to understand that life is not like the movies.By Antonia Quirke. 2007
Choking on Marlon Brando is the story of how a young female film critic's love-life is affected and nearly ruined…
by her obsession with male movie stars. As her increasingly hapless hunt for the right man unfolds and her television and newspaper career unravels, our heroine finally begins to understand that difficult truth: that life is not like the movies. Entwined within the narrative of her real-life love affairs is a kaleidoscope of digressions on great screen actors—her early obsession with Brando, her later dream-life with Gerard Depardieu, a personal ad seeking out Tom Cruise, a disastrous climactic encounter with Jeff Bridges. It's a helter-skelter ride through love and the movies which reads like a screwball comedy. But our heroine is no screwball; she seems to know everything about movies and the human heart, and painfully little about anything else. Written in a fresh and utterly engaging voice, Choking on Marlon Brando is moving and hilarious, a bittersweet and endearing story of a woman who can't draw the line between her live life and the art she loves.By Lily Collins. 2017
In this groundbreaking debut essay collection, featuring never-before-seen photos, actress Lily Collins—star of Mortal Instruments and Rules Don’t Apply—is opening…
a poignant, honest conversation about the things young women struggle with: body image, self-confidence, relationships, family, dating, and so much more.For the first time ever, Lily shares her life and her own deepest secrets, underlining that every single one of us experiences pain and heartbreak. We all understand what it’s like to live in the light and in the dark. For Lily, it’s about making it through to the other side, where you love what you see in the mirror and where you embrace yourself just as you are. She's learned that all it takes is one person standing up and saying something for everyone else to realize they’re not alone.By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Lily’s honest voice will inspire you to be who you are and say what you feel. It’s time to claim your voice! It’s time to live your life unfiltered.By Meg Belviso, Pamela D. Pollack, Ted Hammond, Kevin Mcveigh. 2014
As a child his passions were comics and cars, but George Lucas grew up to be one of the most…
successful filmmakers of all time. He is a producer, screenwriter, director and entrepreneur whose company Lucasfilms pioneered the movie effects that changed the world of animation. He founded Industrial Light and Magic, which transformed special sound and visual effects throughout the Hollywood film industry. He is best known, of course, as the creator of the Star Wars movie, television, gaming, toy and merchandise empire, as well as the archeologist-adventure series Indiana Jones. Discover the man behind the magic in Who Is George Lucas?By Leila Cobo. 2013
Como una estrella resplandeciente y fugaz, Jenni Rivera iluminó la vida de millones de personas, pero el cielo se la…
llevó antes de tiempo. Jenni Rivera: La increíble vida de una Mariposa Guerrera: Fotos a todo color La discografía de Jenni Rivera Lista Billboard de los ranking de las canciones de Jenni Entrevistas exclusivas Una biografía completa, entretenida y objetiva Escrita por una de las líderes de opinión de la música latina Jenni fue la artista latina más vendida dentro del género regional mexicano. Con un programa de radio semanal, su propio programa de telerrealidad, una línea de maquillaje y ropa y su propia fundación, estaba en la cima de su carrera y de su vida. Todo lo que había logrado con sangre, sudor, lágrimas y alegría iba, según ella misma decía, de la mano de Dios. Pero su vida, sus sueños y la alegría que le regalaba a millones, llegaron a un trágico final la madrugada del 9 de diciembre de 2012. En Jenni Rivera: La increíble vida de una Mariposa Guerrera, Leila Cobo --pianista, presentadora de televisión y directora ejecutiva del contenido y la programación latina de Billboard-- nos regala una biografía íntima y conmovedora sobre Jenni Rivera, la parrandera, la elegante, la gran diva, la amiga, la mamá y la abuela. Descubrirás los comienzos de la vida y la carrera de Jenni y los momentos emocionantes y a veces turbulentos que conformaron su persona y su espíritu. Como una luz que se apaga antes de tiempo, con la partida de Jenni no solo perdimos a la inolvidable, la reina de reinas, la mariposa guerrera, sino que se fue también una mujer valiente que no temía enfrentar los altibajos de la vida en busca de la felicidad. Jenni nos dejó un ejemplo de vida, que resonará por siempre en cada nota de su voz.By Leila Cobo. 2013
LIKE A BLAZING SHOOTING STAR, JENNI RIVERA LIT UP THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, YET THE SKY SWEPT HER…
AWAY BEFORE HER TIME Jenni Rivera: The Incredible Life of a Warrior Butterfly: Full color photos The complete discography of Jenni Rivera Billboard lists of sales rankings of Jenni's songs Exclusive interviews A complete, entertaining, and objective biography Written by one of the country’s leading experts in Latin music Jenni Rivera was the top-selling artist within the Regional Mexican music genre. With a weekly radio show, her own reality show, a makeup and clothing line, and her own foundation, she was at the height of her career and life. Everything she had conquered, with blood, sweat, tears, and smiles, hap¬pened, as she said, with God leading her by the hand. However her life, her dreams, and the joy she shared with so many came to a tragic end just before dawn on December 9, 2012. In Jenni Rivera: The Incredible Story of a Warrior Butterfly, Leila Cobopianist, TV host, and Executive Director for Latino content and programming at Billboardbrings us Jenni Rivera’s intimate and moving biography, reflecting on the party girl, the elegant woman, the great diva, the friend, the mother, and the grandmother. Discover the humble beginnings of Jenni’s life and career, as well as the emotional and sometimes turbulent moments that defined her persona and spirit. Like a candle blown out before her time, we not only lost the Unforgettable One,” the Queen of Queens,” the Warrior Butterfly,” we also lost a brave woman who fearlessly faced life’s ups and downs to attain the happiness she so fervently wanted for herself and her family. With Jenni’s departure, we celebrate a shining legacy that will forever reverberate within every note of her voice. .By Cody Simpson. 2013
The first official all-access look into the life of singing sensation Cody Simpson. Follow Cody as he goes from singing…
cover songs in his bedroom to opening sold-out concerts for Justin Bieber. With never-before-seen photos, behind-the-scenes interviews, and exclusive information, this book is perfect for pop music fans and for Codys Angels.By Mika Brzezinski. 2009
As the co-host of MSNBC’s popular morning showMorningJoe, Mika Brzezinski has established herself a leading political news journalist and beloved…
television personality. She daily interviews world leaders—Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain—and discusses the major events of the day with guests like Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Andrea Mitchell, Chris Matthews, Maureen Dowd, and Tom Friedman. But success hasn’t always come easy for Mika. Growing up the only daughter of a former National Security Advisor, she struggled to find an identity in a family of over-achievers. She found her dream job early on and was hailed as the “It Girl” of CBS, only to be fired just a few short years later. After an unsuccessful stint as a stay-at-home mom, Mika went back to the workplace with encouragement from her 8-year-old daughter. She took a job that seemed a long-shot at best, and against all odds achieved the greatest success of her career. Now, in a time when many women are losing their jobs or struggling to find the perfect balance between work and home, Mika guides women of all ages to a place where they can find peace and fulfillment in their lives. All Things at Onceis a motivational book aimed at women, based on Mika’s own personal and professional triumphs and failures—all of which have led her to her current position as one of television’s most outspoken and respected journalists. Blending the personal with the prescriptive, Brzezinski’s book will address the perpetual question of “having it all” when it comes to work and family; the importance of remaining equally humble in the face of great success and seemingly devastating setbacks; as well as the necessity of knowing and embracing our limitations so that we may transcend them. In the tradition of Gail Sheehy’s classicPassages, this illuminating book shows women how to reach their full potential in all areas of life, and at every stage of their journey. Readers will recognize their friends, their mothers, their daughters, and themselves in this refreshingly honest memoir.By Jay Mohr. 2004
When 21-year-old Jay Mohr moved from New Jersey to New York City to pursue his dream of stand-up stardom, he…
never thought the first real job he'd land would be on Saturday Night Live. But, surprisingly, that's just what he did. What followed were two unbelievable, grueling, and exciting years of feverishly keeping pace with his talented cohorts, out-maneuvering the notorious vices that claimed the lives of other cast members, and struggling at all costs for the holy grail of late-night show business: airtime.In Gasping for Airtime, Jay offers an intimate account of the inner workings of Saturday Night Live. He also dishes on the guest hosts (John Travolta, Shannen Doherty, Charles Barkley), the musical guests (Kurt Cobain, Steven Tyler, Eric Clapton), and of course his SNL castmates (Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, and David Spade). Refreshingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny, this book will appeal both to fans of Jay Mohr and to devotees of Saturday Night Live.By Ed Sikov. 2002
Peter Sellers's explosive talent made him a beloved figure in world cinema and continues to attract new audiences. With his…
darkly comic performances in Dr. Strangelove and Lolita and his outrageously funny appearances as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films, he became one of the most popular movie stars of his time. Sellers himself identified most personally with the character he played in Being There--an utterly empty man on whom others projected what they wanted, or needed, to see. In this lively and exhaustively researched biography, Ed Sikov offers unique insight into Sellers's comedy style. Beginning with Sellers' lonely childhood with a mother who wouldn't let go of him, through his service in the Royal Air Force and his success on BBC Radio's The Goon Show, Sikov goes on to detail his relationships with co-stars such as Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren, and Shirley MacLaine; his work with such directors as Stanley Kubrick, Billy Wilder, and Blake Edwards; his four failed marriages; his ridiculously short engagement to Liza Minnelli; and all the other peculiarities of this eccentric man's unpredictable life. The most insightful biography ever written of this endlessly fascinating star, Mr. Strangelove is as comic and tragic as Peter Sellers was himself.By Bob Newhart. 2006
The first book ever from an icon of American comedy--a hilarious combination of stories from his career and observations about…
lifeThat stammer. Those basset-hound eyes. That bone-dry wit. There has never been another comedian like Bob Newhart. His comedy albums, movies, and two hit television series have made him a national treasure and placed him firmly in the pantheon of comedy legends. Who else has a drinking game named after him And now, at last, Newhart puts his brilliant and hysterical world view on paper.Never a punch-line comic, always more of a storyteller, he tells anecdotes from throughout his life and career, including his beginnings as an accountant and the groundbreaking success of his comedy albums and The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, which gave him fifteen years on primetime television. And he also gives his wry, comedic twist to a multitude of topics, including golf, drinking, and family holidays.Today, Newhart appears on Desperate Housewives, in hit movies such as Elf, and in theaters around the country. Reruns of his shows air constantly on Nick at Nite--have recently been released with great success for the first time ever on DVD. With this book, Bob Newhart gives his millions of fans a first ever opportunity to sample his unique brand of humor--including excerpts from some of his classic routines--on the printed page.By Arron Crascall. 2017
Alright guys? It's me, Arron. Or as some people call me, 'that guy with the phone, the skinny jeans and…
the really fat head'.In a world that seems to be freefalling without a parachute towards utter chaos, I'm here to remind you that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. No, in fact, when life gives you lemons, make a fool out of yourself in the lemonade aisle.*Because there's more to life than Brexit, Bake Off and banging on about being vegan. Yes, with this book - which is my take on the world - you will learn how to survive a proper lads' holiday, become a master in the art of takeaway ordering and find out about the pitfalls of seriously inappropriate tattoos.So do yourself a favour: turn off the news, cancel that juice cleanse, open your eyes to the brilliant, hilarious world we live in and most importantly . . . buy this book.SEE YA LATER! Arron x*Actually, don't do exactly that, that's my thing.