Book Description
Bill Maher is on the forefront of the new wave of comedians who have begun to influence and shape political debate through their comedy. He is best known not just for being funny, but for advocating truth over sensitivity and taking on the political establishment. Maher first came to national attention as the host of the hit ABC-TV program Politically Incorrect, where he offered a combustible mixture of irreverence and acerbic humor that helped him to garner a loyal following, as well as a reputation for being a controversial bad boy. Bill Mahers popular new HBO television show, Real Time, has put Maher more front and center than ever before. Partic-ularly one regular segment on the show, entitled New Rules, has been a hit with his ever-growing legion of fans. It is the part of the show during which Maher takes serious aim, bringing all of his intelligence, incisiveness, wit, and his signature exasperation to bear on topics ranging from cell phones (I dont need my cell phone to take pictures or access the Internet. I just need it to make a phone call. From everywhere! Not just the places it likes!) to fast food (No McDonalds in hospitals. Im not kidding!) to the conservative agenda (Stop claiming its an agenda. Its not an agenda. Its a random collection of laws that your corporate donors paid you to pass.) His new book, the first since his bestselling When You Ride ALONE You Ride with bin Laden, brings these brilliantly conceived riffs and rants to the written page. Appropriately titled New Rules, the book will collect some of the best of the rules derived from previously written material and will also contain substantial new material, including some longer form editorialsof course with a twist and bite that only Bill Maher can deliver.
Customer Reviews:
New Rules, Rules!.......2007-10-01
Bill Maher, ascerbic comedian, claims that we all lived by rules, even if the rules were just "Stay off the grass," or "Don't Feed the Ducks." So, new rules becomes his signature before each witticism. For example, according to Maher, the best way for terrorism to be defeated is to ensure that the terrorists all receive plenty of sex. He suggests, "New rule: We need to mobilize two divisions of skanks,... a brigade of girls who just can't say no--all under the command of Colonel Ann Coulter, who'll be dressed in her Ilsa, She-Wolf of the S.S. uniform. Girls, there's a cure for terrorism and you're...it."
Such comedic salvos are pithy, creative, and irreverent. Maher's language is often salty, and everyone and everything is grist for his mill. Although decidedly anti-Bush, he takes potshots at democrats alike, and most importantly, at himself. "... Something is very wrong when the only one fired over terrorism is me."
Too many times people turned their attention toward me to find out why I suddenly laughted out loud.
It would help the reader to have already heard Maher's voice and delivery. It might give each joke more impact. Nevertheless, this man's star is on the rise, and so is his book.
"New Rules," rules!
Amazing amazon.......2007-09-30
Great service. Received the Book quickly...and the low low price was unbelievable. I decided to buy two at the low price and still saved money. We had lost one from the library and I had to replace it.
A bit disappointing.......2007-08-31
This book is just a collection of about 200 paragraphs, most of them short, each covering a different idea, topic or area of comment. More than just a handful were trivial; a lot were of no real interest, and only a handful were really worth reading. Only a few tickled my funny-bone.
Great Audiobook.......2007-07-17
I purchased the hardcover first and found it to be pretty slim on actual content for the price. The audio book, narrated by Maher, is delivered in his dry comedic style and as such is much funnier. Maher is, first and foremost, a comedian, and this book has to be heard to be enjoyed.
EXCELLENT audiobook!!!.......2007-05-14
This is a must have to pass the time in the car or for just a good read! I wish I had another 100 hours of listening time. This is a must read for anyone who has a sense of humor and anyone who needs a good laugh!
Average customer rating:
- good one
- The life of the king of cool
- Average account of the screen legend...
- A very cool book about one of our coolest stars
- The best book about the most real action hero in history
|
Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel
Marshall Terrill
Manufacturer: Plexus Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Acting & Auditioning
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Entertainers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
McQueen: The Biography
-
My Husband, My Friend: A Memoir
-
Roy Stuart (Taschen 25th Anniversary)
-
The Hunter
-
Hell Is For Heroes
ASIN: 0859653609 |
Book Description
This widely acclaimed biography — complete with 45 photos — chronicles the life and times of a man whose power both on- and off-camera is legendary. Drawing from extensive interviews with those who knew and worked with the actor, Marshall Terrill relates McQueen's delinquent childhood, his success in films like The Great Escape and Bullitt, his harrowing last days in a hospital in Juarez, Mexico, and more. New and old fans alike will feel they have met this small-town rebel who kept so many millions spellbound. Includes 45 black-and-white photos.
Customer Reviews:
good one.......2005-12-13
I like to read biographies and this is probably the best one I read. The research of the author is extraordinary. The language is simple and one gets the feeling the author avoids speculation at all costs. And, although he's obviously a fan, he doesn't portray McQueen the hero, he portrays a 3 dimensional man. He doesn't hold back. Other reviewers claim this is the definite McQueen bio and I agree.
The book is never boring, quite a feat since it's more than 400 pages long. The films get an extensive analysis, and it's fun to know what went on behind the cameras. Terrill writes like he's in a movie theatre, watching a McQueen film and telling what he found about that magnetic actor, just like a fan talking to another fan (the reader). This is very difficult to achieve and Terrill succeeds. It's not pretentious, and it gets to the core. It's not one of those bios set out to demolish the person's reputation but it's not a glorification either. An extremely difficult balance, and Terrill succeeds in spades. If you think McQueen is interesting this is worth your while.
The life of the king of cool.......2003-07-25
With the movie "Bullitt" ranking at the very top of my euphorometer (how I felt leaving the theater)Steve McQueen from that day forward was my ultimate hero. Marshall Terrill has done me, and all Steve's fans, a great favor in this detailed examination of Steve's life. Many interesting tidbits emerge about Steve's relationships with other actors and how films projects developed. From Wanted Dead or Alive to big screen triumph, to the economic catastrophe of Le Mans, and onto his utter domination in the Towering Inferno, one feels as though he is present at those creations. Some touching moments too as Mr. Terrill tells us of Steve's battle with cancer and inner conversion. I often go back and reread portions of this indispensible book.
Average account of the screen legend..........2002-03-30
Steve McQueen has been a favorite for biographers to tackle over the years. His infamous off-screen adventures and hard-edged demeanor have almost eclipsed his work in the years following his death (and before, for that matter). Women loved him and men wanted to be him.
Marshall Terrill adds a well-researched and entertaining - if somewhat bland - bio to the stack. Most of the interviews are with old McQueen cronies intermixed with quotes lifted from other books on McQueen and autobiographies of stars like ex-wife Ali MacGraw. While 419 pages seems like it would be enough to capture the essense of a man I never got the feeling that I was hearing more than a dry barebones account of his life.
When all's said and done McQueen was a hero to many and a jerk to others. His odd behavior and Joe Six-pack mentalities may have put off some but films like Bullitt, Tom Horn and The Great Escape are proof that he had screen presence and attitude to spare. This book didn't tell me much that I needed or wanted to know, but would serve as a fine introduction to Steve McQueen.
A very cool book about one of our coolest stars.......2001-10-02
Its an overused word that is often devoid of any real meaning, but Steve McQueen was just cool. Even though he was usually described as being a "limited" actor, Steve McQueen was still a great star -- a talented man who perfectly understood his limitations and therefore was able to craft each of his films to perfectly showcase his strengths. As Marshall Terrill's biography shows, McQueen was an actor who always gave the perfect performance for the films he starred in. Therefore, if McQueen wasn't a "great" actor in the style of Paul Newman, he was a far more dependable actor and, in a true rarity nowadays, his was a name that you could trust when saw it on a theater marquee. Terrill's biography also shows that McQueen, as an actor, never succumbed to the elitism that seems to possess so many other film stars. He never forgot his humble roots and, as a result, he never committed the cardinal sin of seeing himself as being somehow above his audience. McQueen was loyal to the idea of providing entertainment yet, within those confines set for himself, managed to help craft such classic films as Bullitt, the Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, and the Magnificent Seven. As Terrill shows, even when McQueen went through a "classics" period, he still made a film that fit in with his own personal view of what his audience would enjoy -- an unlikely, unjustly obscure version of Ibsen's Enemy of the People. Terrill's recounting of the making of Enemy is one of the book's highlights and, to the best of my knowledge, contains anecdotes and information that can't be found anywhere else.
Also, a great deal of fun comes from the book's final section -- a listing of films that McQueen decided not to make. This listing of films famous and obscure is a trivia browser's delight and also invites one to imagine what might have been. While sometimes that mind boggles, others -- such as Steve McQueen playing Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (imagine the military madman personified by a cool killer like McQueen as opposed to a massively bloated, rambling Marlon Brando) leave one mourning the unrealizing possibilities.
Of course, since this is Steve McQueen, a great deal of the book is taken up with details of rampaging drug abuse and chronic womanizing. Terrill presents these facts in a very unsensationalistic, straight forward way. Surely, Steve McQueen would have appreciated the no-BS style to Terrill's recounting. One thing becomes perfectly clear -- even if McQueen did, quite often, the wrong thing, he did it with enough style to make the "correct" alternatives look all the more dull. Luckily for filmgoers, Steve McQueen was never dull and luckily for readers, neither is Terrill's biography.
The best book about the most real action hero in history.......2001-09-21
First consider how fine an actor Steve McQueen was:
From the 50s through the 70's, Steve McQueen, Robert Redford, and Paul Newman were in close competition for the best "blue-eyed-blonde" parts in Hollywood. Newman and Redford are intelligent, versatile actors. Steve had a little less brainpower and range.
But from a physical standpoint, Steve wiped the floor with Newman and Redford (who are no sissies), or anybody else for that matter.
From playing golf and polo (Thomas Crown Affair) to marshal arts (Great Escape, Sand Pebbles) to auto racing (Le Mans) to motorcycling (Great Escape, On Any Sunday) to handling firearms (many), to handling tools (Sand Pebbles), every move Steve made was quick, balanced, controlled, and deadly. Steve's athleticism was inherited - his father was a "dashing flyer." It was psychological - Jim Coburn said Steve was "the most competitive person I've ever met." And it was nurtured - he was a decorated Marine, a bona-fide auto and motorcycle racer, and a serious student of marshal arts. He studied for years with the great Pat Johnson, and with the greatest, Bruce Lee. And Steve loved working on motorcycles and cars. No other actor in history had Steve's physical credits.
In all his roles, Steve understood that films are much more visual than verbal, and exploited his phyical qualities to the limit. That's acting intelligence.
Perhaps most importantly, Steve was INTENSE. Would you hesitate to make Newman or Redford angry? I wouldn't. Would you hesitate to make McQueen angry? I would. Read the book and see why.
And for what it's worth: Newman and Redford are pretty. Steve was swarthy. How many blue-eyed-blondes are swarthy?
Next consider the book:
Mr. Terrill's account of Steve's personal life is clear, comprehensive, balanced, and filled with great photos. Terrill's direct access to many people who personally knew or worked with Steve is evident on every page.
Terrill builds up the story with a thorough account of Steve's extremely tough, fascinating early years. You get to know the forces behind Steve's failures and successes as an adult. Although you know all along that Steve eventually "makes it," Terrill makes you feel intensely how unlikely a candidate Steve was for acting stardom.
Terrill covers Steve's great romance and marriage with Neile Adams, the immensely painful breakup, the scandalous romance and marriage with Ali McGraw, and the twilight-marriage with model Barbara Minty.
Not least of all, Terrill makes you appreciate McQueen's extremely underestimated acting talent. Steve was not a "yes-sir" actor. He molded all his parts strongly. He was particularly good at understanding how to stay just on the "reality" side of things, even though he was primarily an action star. So he deserves a great deal of credit for his own success.
By the end, Terrill has taken you through the many lives of Steve McQueen.
Plus, Terrill includes a filmography and a great treat: a list of movies Steve ALMOST made. The list is long and often surprising.
Finally consider the combination, and buy this book.
I've read it three times and will end up reading it many more times.
PS: I understand that there are plans in Hollywood to make a movie about McQueen's life based on Terrill's book. If it captures one-tenth of the romance, adventure, and excitement in the book, it will be a wonderful movie!
Average customer rating:
|
Art of Tambourine and Triangle Playing
Manufacturer: Meredith Music
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Instruction & Study
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Instruction & Study
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1574630504 |
Book Description
This unique text provides information on the history, selection and fundamental performance techniques for both tambourine and triangle. It also provides skill development exercises and duets that cover all essential techniques for both instruments and, includes a list of selected literature from the band and orchestra repertoire.
Customer Reviews:
On Reputation..........2005-04-17
I must say, I haven't read this book, but I recently had the opportunity to sit in on a clinic with Mr. Grover and it was great! I learned an incredible amount, the handouts were great, and his own line of instruments is very high quality, so I can only believe that this book would be up to the same high standard.
Book Description
Adults can now share their love of puzzles with their kids! These crossword puzzles and word games were specially created for children ages seven and above. Edited by the great Eugene T. Maleska, each book is chock-full of fun and imaginative activities. Children are sure to enjoy the challenges that these mini-brainteasers offer.
Customer Reviews:
Review.......2006-11-05
My 7 year old, daughter loves it! She works on it with her friends and by herself.
Wish I read the review that says OUTDATED - He's Right!.......2005-09-30
The cover of this book refers to editor Eugene Maleska as the former crossword puzzle editor of The New York Times. Well, that's what he is now, but when he actually edited this book, he still had 5 or 6 years to go in his tenure. The copyright is 1986, and it shows. And even when it was current, this book had clues from pop culture that few 7-9 year olds would get. How about:
___ Derek is a famous actress. Was not the movie "10", for which Bo is (was!) famous, rated R?
___ Asner is a famous actor. That's for all the 9 yr-old fans of Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant reruns, or what?
____ With the Wind is a famous movie. 3-hour Civil War sagas are big among the 8 year old set.
Here's Johnny!: TV Star. Carson has not been on the air for two 7-year old lifetimes, and when he was, he was on at 11:30, a bit past the bedtime of most 7 yr olds.
__ Pacino is a famous actor. Yes, in Dog Day Afternoon, kids, about a guy who robs a bank to pay for his gay lover's sex change operation. Oh, and he was a murderous figure in the wonderful kids' movie "The Godfather".
What is the first name of actor Selleck? I loved Magnum PI. 25 years ago. When I was [...]
"We ___ the World" is a song. Barely!
As for the clues that are not outdated, many of them are way, way too easy, certainly for an average 9 year old, and probably for a 7 yr old who is strong enough with reading to be able to do a crossword puzzle in the first place. How about:
AR_ "What ___ little boys made of?"
AR _ You use this to throw a ball
as if those aren't easy enough already, solvers are given a list of the answers. So basically all that is required for this puzzle is to be able to read the words "war", "car", "arm", "are" and other words with "ar" and know what these 3-letter words mean. That is first grade reading, or probably kindergarten for the kids whose parents are shopping for word puzzle books. 7 year olds are in second grade, 9-yr olds are in fourth.
Will Shortz, where are you?
OUTDATED!.......2005-06-12
Don't waste your money. The puzzles in this book are way out of date. For example the puzzle on p.4 asks for the name of the computer in the movie called 2001 which a 7-9 year old isn't likely to have seen. On the same page it says Hee ___ is a funny TV program. On p.6 it asks for Alley___ of comics. There are better books of puzzle out there. Forget this one.
Pretty good for a starter book.......2005-04-06
Our 7 year old daughter got a good start with this book; Never having done crosswords before, she found that the clues could be challenging, and needed help from mom or dad, or easy, which was great encouragement. She finished the whole book in a couple of months.
Average customer rating:
- a great introduction to crossword puzzles
|
Children's Word Games and Crossword Puzzles Volume 1: For Ages 7-9 (Other)
Eugene Maleska
Manufacturer: Random House Puzzles & Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Fiction
| Games
| Sports & Activities
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Puzzles
| Games
| Sports & Activities
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Humor
| Sports & Activities
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Word Games
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Sports
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0812912438
Release Date: 1986-10-12 |
Book Description
With this first-rate volume, your child will share the pleasures known to crossword puzzle fans of all ages. Here are thirty-five of the best, most imaginative word games and crossword puzzles for children ages seven to nine. Eugene T. Maleska, crossword puzzle editor of The New York Times and a former English and Latin teacher with the New York City school system, has brought together these original puzzles and games by the country's most illustrious puzzle constructors. This collection will introduce children everywhere to the fun and challenge of word games!
Customer Reviews:
a great introduction to crossword puzzles.......2002-05-28
My precocious 6-yr-old is having a great time with this book. He was introduced to crossword puzzles some months ago and loves them. This book is right on target for the stated age range of 7-9 year olds. However, the average child will probably still need adult assistance because there are quite a few references to pop culture gone by like "actor __ Asner" or "knobs on a TV" (what TV's have knobs on them anymore?).
Books:
- Reenchantment of Art
- Renoir, My Father (New York Review Books Classics)
- Sex in N.Y. City: An Illustrated History
- Sotheby's:: The Inside Story
- State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series)
- Stop-Motion Puppet Sculpting: A Manual of Foam Injection, Build-Up and Finishing Techniques
- Surf Culture: The Art History of Surfing
- Terry Winters: Paintings, Drawings, Prints, 1994-2004
- The Anatomy and Physiology Coloring Workbook: A Complete Study Guide (5th Edition)
- The Book of Old Silver: English * American * Foreign
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Tree Finder: A Manual for the Identification of Trees by Their Leaves
- The Master Cleanser
- Study Guide and Solutions Manual for Seager/Slabaugh's Chemistry for Today: General, Organic, and Bi
- The Sherbrooke Bride
- The Nature and Properties of Soils
- The Subsistence Perspective: Beyond the Globalized Economy
- The New Mom's Stress Survival Kit: 30 Survival Tips for the New Mother
- The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain
- The Life and Wisdom of Gwen Frostic
- The Tattoo Murder Case
Fra Angelico (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series)
Raphael: From Urbino to Rome (National Gallery Company)
Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, and the Renaissance of Venetian Painting (National Gallery Of Art, Washington)
![Colorado collects: [a panorama of world art from private collections], Denver Art Museum, June 24/Aug. 21, 1977](http://www.germanelectronics88.com/noimage.gif)
In New Rules: Polite Musings of a Timid Observer, Bill Maher skewers celebrity, pop culture, and politics in his classic acerbic style. With a new season of Real Time with Bill Maher and an upcoming HBO Special (his sixth), Bill Maher: I'm Swiss, on deck, Maher also found the time to host Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Concert at Seattle's Benaroya Hall. Amazon.com caught up with Maher upon his return to Los Angeles to talk about the book, the comic's night-table reading habits, the Internet, and what's wrong with the media.
