Oh, Solo Mia : The Hip Chick's Guide to Fun for One Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a fun book written by two witty thirty-something gals, Wendy
Burt and Erin Kindberg who appropriately have subtitled it "The
Hip Chick's guide to Fun for One." I smiled when I saw the bright
pink cover and snappy illustration, I smiled when I read the table of
contents, and I just kept smiling as I read through it. Each of the
125 chapters, that are less than two pages long, includes an idea that
a single woman can do alone. All of them encourage creativity and
include such diverse activities as volunteering in an animal shelter,
skydiving, learning to brew home-made beer, taking a road trip in a
convertible, and even crashing a wedding reception. Each idea is
presented with humor, followed by a short list of places to go for
more information, including appropriate websites.
The book, of course,
does more than just give ideas. It says something about the authors
themselves. These are women who enjoy their lives and are always on
the lookout for something interesting to do. And even though they
often humorously refer to the possibility of meeting some hunky guy
while learning to fly or going to a town meeting, this is somehow just
a footnote to the idea of the activity itself. There's encouragement
to take courses, learn a new skills, help the needy, and open your
eyes to the pleasures of just plain living. It's upbeat all the way. I
read the book all the way through but it can also be read by just
leafing though it or choosing a chapter at random. But however you
read it, I can guarantee it will make you smile as well as act as a
springboard to further inspiration. Recommended.


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Oh, Solo Mia is the essential guide for all women in search of ideas for entertaining themselves after wearing out the resources of the neighborhood Blockbuster. Oh, Solo Mia offers more than 100 creative ideas with attitude for swinging single chicks. Inspirations range from the cheap and tame to the chi-chi and daring, and all are guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment for girls (of all ages) who just wanna have fun!

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Adam Sandler: America's Comedian Review

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(More customer reviews)This was a great book! Adam sandler is my 2nd favorite actor. He is one of my greatest inspirations. This taught me a lot about him. He did not have a sad story like Jim Carrey but he is still a great person. This book was written very well and is one of the greatest books I have ever read!

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From the comedy clubs of New York to his big break on "Saturday Night Live" to block-buster films like "Big Daddy" and "Little Nicky" Adam Sandler has left America howling in their seats and peeing in their pants. Sandler has emerged as the decade's most unstoppable comedic-and the ladies love him!But how many people know the story behind this lovable comedic prodigy's ascent to fame? Bill Crawford takes you back to Sandler's childhood in a small New Hampshire Town, where his stand-up routines were always hits with his classmates but not necessarily the teachers! When Adam left his small town to take on the big city at New York University, it wasn't always easy, Sandler performed as a street musician crooning Springsteen songs to commuters, but he was destined to succeed.From his long friendship with then college classmate Tim Herlihy, who went on to co-write all Sandler's movies, to being discovered by Dennis Miller and eventually becoming America's funnyman, Bill Crawford looks behind the headlines and tabloid tales to shed new light on this decade's comedic darling.

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Building the Successful Theater Company (Second Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)Please notice the absence of the words "How To" in the title of this book. This is a book of practical advice from the world of experience, not a book of instruction with facts and statistics. You will need to know and learn a great deal to figure out how to start and build a thriving theatre company, and this book will give you only the merest outline of what you need.
That said, this book does glean the best advice from companies like Steppenwolf, Bailiwick, Mixed Blood, and the legendary Pasadena Playhouse, and presents all this advice in a clear, readable manner. Be explaining how these above-average, highly-respected theatre companies built themselves up--their mistakes as well as their successes--we get a glimpse into the world of high motivation, artistic dedication, and pure love that turns something as uncertain as a theatre company into a thriving success.
You'll still have to do the hard work yourself, and you'll still make some nasty mistakes right off the bat. Indeed, this book encourages you to do so early and often, so you get it out of your system. But if you want to get some good pointers and avoid the really egregious errors, this is your book.

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The second edition of Building the Successful Theater Company takes readers even deeper into the world of theatrical production, examining in great depth the financial realities of establishing--and maintaining--a successful organization. This indispensable reference is updated to include more theater company profiles with expert advice to better reveal the pitfalls, passions, and practicalities of the theater industry. The author's been-there-done-that personal experiences along with the wisdom of esteemed theater company heads will encourage readers to aim high and overcome challenges to accomplish all of their creative and financial objectives. Everything from finding a performance space, to creating a first season, to promoting a company and production, to designing a long-term plan is discussed in detail in this engaging guide--a sometimes irreverent, always relevant look behindthe curtain of the modern stage troupe. Chapters include developing business and budget plans, rehearsing, attracting attention with publicity and word-of-mouth, adapting to growth, and more. No other book contains the unique insights and sound advice found in this indispensable reference.

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Noel Coward: A Biography Review

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(More customer reviews)Nearly eight years after its publication, and almost five since the (relatively) highly observed centenary of Noël Coward's birth, I'm amazed to see that I'm apparently the first person to review this biography on Amazon.com. When I first read it several years ago, I was struck by Hoare's thoroughness, his dispassion, and his wide-ranging research. While this book may not be flawless, it's certainly good enough, I believe, to be the current standard biography of the man.
Despite Coward's reputation as the quintessence of high-class sophistication and airy panache, Hoare shows how the man was shaped by his distinctly unglamorous childhood. His days as a hard-working child actor are thoroughly explored, as are his relationships with colleagues, lovers, competitors, and friends. While not prurient, Hoare clearly loves a good story, and doesn't mind dealing dish (as they say) on his subject when he has one to tell.
Though not really a devotee of theater generally, I am a fan of Coward's. Having read a few titles about the man, I don't hesitate to say this is the best of the lot. Whether you're a student of the man or a casual acquaintance who wants to know more about one of the outstanding talents of the last century, Philip Hoare's biography is a resource to read, enjoy, and keep close to hand.

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An Agent Tells All Review

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(More customer reviews)"Now, explain it to me like I'm a four-year-old"
Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), PHILADELPHIA
In a brave act of generosity, honesty and salty discourse, Professional talent agent Tony Martinez introduces the simple, cold hard facts of THE key point in becoming a working actor: finding and working with an agent. In his helpful, thoroughly accessible and entirely entertaining AN AGENT TELLS ALL, Mr. Martinez, assumes two truths about his perspective (and specific) audience.
1)Either they are complete and utter neophytes wearing rose-colored glasses entering a noble profession with visions of red carpet glory.
OR
2)They are experienced actors who have had their souls and bums kicked by the reality that professional acting is ultimately nothing more than an industry and need to heal and adjust after a few years of making the same mistakes repeatedly.
Writing in a direct, unpretentious, jargon-free style that invokes visions of a long conversation over a lunch of cheap margaritas and oysters in the half shell, Martinez refreshingly holds nothing back as he sets out to define not only the agent's job, but the actor's job as well. Like Denzel's character in PHILADELPHIA, he works hard to explain everything to his readers, as though they were four years old. Ultimately the business all boils down to building relationships and being completely committed to constantly evolving as both an artist and as a person.
Cutting through all the empty "positive-think" self- help posings of so many other similar authors, Martinez rightfully portrays acting as a capitalist venture based upon the laws of supply and demand. If an actor has never thought of themselves as a product, it is time they did. If they have never before considered the acting industry as a world of Social Darwinism- it also is time they did.
But Martinez is not here just to micturate upon dreams, dashing them out in the guise of name dropping and power tripping. His ultimate objective is to provide the actor (and ultimately too, the agent) advice and specific tools to increase one's chances of not only survival, but success. His advice is always both practical (get a map of LA, keep working, be prepared and get over yourself) and personal (he provides many fine anecdotes illustrating the "do's" and "don'ts").
At a quick, easy to read 211 pages, AN AGENT TELLS ALL deserves to become a dog-eared personal reference for all who dare to enter the world's most noblest profession. He constantly emphasizes how special actors are and urges all to look at their craft as a business yes, but also a dignified art. He has no intention to install despair- just reality. His experience provides positive solutions to age old problems that seem to plague many who enter the industry without any frame of reference.
His constant litany is: be smart while one keeps working and, most importantly, be a decent human being. For at the end of the day, it is the relationships one develops with themselves and the people around them that will carry one through to the end.
This is a must read."Despair is the only unforgivable sin, and it's always reaching for us."
- Sam Peckinpah


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'An Agent Tells All' is an uncensored look at the business of acting from the perspective of a working Hollywood agent.There is no other book on the market written by someone who is currently employed as an agent.In a frank and humorous tone, Tony Martinez lays out a detailed business plan to help actors achieve their goals.Some of the topics covered include:Tools of the TradeThe Right Way to Get an AgentHow a Meeting Can Go Horribly WrongThe Secret to Being a Good ClientDo You Really Need A Manager?The Truth About Pilot SeasonIt's time to stop listening to all the wrong people.'An Agent Tells All' is the one book you need to take charge of your acting career.

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Hello, Lied the Agent: And Other Bullshit You Hear as a Hollywood TV Writer Review

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(More customer reviews)There are many books about the entertainment business but I'm not aware of any besides 'Hello, Lied The Agent' which manage to capture the often agonizing, occasionally ecstatic day to day life of a TV writer in the process of developing a new series...
Gurvitz's book features quotable lines on just about every page ("It's been said that in Hollywood, friends don't want friends to fail; friends want friends to die") and a comprehensive overview of the television landscape valuable to anyone who's ever wanted to know how shows - brilliant or execrable - proceed from concept to airing (or more likely oblivion).
Take it from someone who didn't write the book; it is a great read...

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Gurvitz presents a corrosively funny insider's look at what being a television writer is really all about. In his personal journal, he details two years of his life--the dizzying ups and downs, the rewrites, the executives, the pitch meetings, the table readings, the studios, and the networks in a riveting expos.

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How to Be a Working Actor, 5th Edition: The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs in Theater, Film & Television (How to Be a Working Actor: The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs) Review

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(More customer reviews)As a recent graduate, starting a career in New York seems intimidating, but after reading How to be a Working Actor I feel much more confident and prepared. This book is inspiring me in my career. It includes in-depth, essential advice about what to wear, headshots and resumes, living as an actor, showcases and understanding the unions, as well as auditions and interviews. I thought I had a good basic knowledge of the industry, but this book gave me a lot more. I'd recommend it to anyone pursuing a career in New York or Los Angeles... or in the regional markets; they're covered in here too!

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The celebrated survival guide for the working actor - now completely updated and expanded with a foreword by Tony award-winning actor Joe Mantegna!Renowned for more than two decades as the most comprehensive resource for actors, How to Be a Working Actor is a must-read for achieving success in The Business. Now this "Bible of the Biz" has been completely revised and greatly expanded to address new markets, ever-changing opportunities, andthe many new ways today's actors find work. Talent manager, teacher, and career coach Mari Lyn Henry and acress, author, and spokeswoman Lynne Rogers combine their extensive skills and years of experience to cover all the essentials of how to market yourself, land roles, and manage a successful career. They also include expert advie from scores of other industry experts - well-known actors, agents, managers, casting directors, and teachers.How to Be a Working Actor is loaded with advice on how to:- put together a professional wardrobe- get a head shot that brings out the real you- create a resume that really works- find the training to develop your talents- communicate effectively with agents and managers- use the internet to promote your business and explore new opportunities- get the most value ot of union membership- excel at auditions and screen tests- discover how to get work in regional markets- cope with successHow to Be A Working Actor takes a no-nonsense approach to the whole business of being a working actor, with detailed information on how to live on a budget in New York and Los Angeles, what the acting jobs are and what they pay, even how to find a survival strategy that will augument your career. And extensive section on script analysis shows you how to investigate the depth of a character to create a memorable audition for roles in theatre, film, and television.

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Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara Review

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(More customer reviews)For those of you who may only think of Jerry Stiller as Mr. Costanza, George's father on Seinfeld or perhaps as hot young actor Ben Stiller's father, think again because he's so much more. The more is candidly revealed in his highly enjoyable memoir Married To Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara. The son of Polish Jews and a child of the Depression, Stiller's boyhood was spent on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Apartments, often in public projects, were changed frequently - the family moved ten times in a dozen years. His mother, Bella, was evidently a premier bargainer as Stiller vividly remembers the day just before his 13th birthday when she took him shopping for a Bar Mitzvah suit. "She took me down to Orchard Street," he writes. "Orchard Street made Baghdad seem like kindergarten when it came to bargains, but my mother's bargaining skills were honed to razor sharpness." They found a wool suit, complete with knickers, one pair of pants and a vest for thirteen dollars. He loved it. She cuffed him for saying that lest the shop keeper know he liked the suit. After offers, counter offers, and a shouting match on the street, she obtained the suit for $6.50.
First a taxi driver and then a bus driver, Stiller's father or "Deddy" was often unemployed (who took a cab during the Depression?) To ease the ache of poverty, "Deddy," "a frustrated performer who sometimes played the saxophone" took his son to vaudeville shows. And so, Stiller's love for comedy began. "Laughter seemed to dissipate the pain of being unemployed," Stiller remembers, "Even my mother's anguish subsided when Eddie Cantor sang...........More than anyone else Eddie Cantor made us aware that the entire country was in a Depression and we weren't alone. My mind danced when Eddie was on. I wanted to be Eddie Cantor. I thought he could change the whole world. I too could change the world if I were a comedian." Later, eager to leave an acrimonious home where battles were often fought over the lack of money, Stiller enlisted in the Army. Here, his street learned lesson - "never squeal" - almost got him into trouble when he was falsely accused of buying liquor while on duty. But the guilty party eventually confessed, and a relieved Stiller left the service for drama study at Syracuse University. Professor Sawyer Falk, his lifelong mentor, soon convinced the aspiring actor that he could indeed conquer the stage. Returning to New York to hopefully launch his theatrical career, Stiller met an "angel faced" Irish Catholic girl named Anne Meara. They feel in love, and after she announced that she wanted him to marry her they said their vows at City Hall. The couple never dreamed that they would someday become one of the most popular and successful comedy teams in show business. Early on, each were pursuing individual goals in the theater. But eventually, almost by serendipity, they put together a skit which was in reality a larger than life picture of themselves. Their act debuted in the coffeehouses of Greenwich Village and soon made its way to that day's television mecca - The Ed Sullivan Show, where they appeared numerous times to rave reviews. Two children, Amy and Ben, enriched their lives. They were, as the saying goes, in high clover. Later years brought a series of commercials, most memorably one for Blue Nun wines. Stiller continued to appear in the theater, both on and off Broadway. Then television called again and he became the peace seeking father of George Costanza on Seinfeld. Over fifty years in show business have brought the author lots of laughs and many lessons - all of which he shares in this noteworthy account of an actor's life and marriage. He may not have changed the world as was his boyhood dream, but he surely gives it a great deal of pleasure.

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