29 Best Entertainment & Performing Arts, Performing Arts Books
Entertainment & Performing Arts, Performing Arts is a popular category for many book lovers. Our team at Speechify has curated a list of the top Entertainment & Performing Arts, Performing Arts audiobooks everyone must read.
See the top 29 Entertainment & Performing Arts, Performing Arts audiobooks below.
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Michael Curtiz
- By: Alan K. Rode
- Narrator: Grover Gardner
- Length: 25 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
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4.28(62 ratings)
4.28(62 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0029.95 USDThe first biography of the greatest filmmaker that nobody knows. Academy Award-winning director Michael Curtiz (1886-1962)–whose best-known films include Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Mildred Pierce, and White Christmas–was in manyThe first biography of the greatest filmmaker that nobody knows.
Academy Award-winning director Michael Curtiz (1886-1962)–whose best-known films include Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Mildred Pierce, and White Christmas–was in many ways the anti-auteur. During his unprecedented twenty-seven year tenure at Warner Bros., he directed swashbuckling adventures, westerns, musicals, war epics, romances, historical dramas, horror films, tearjerkers, melodramas, comedies, and film noir masterpieces. The director’s staggering output of 180 films surpasses that of the legendary John Ford and exceeds the combined total of films directed by George Cukor, Victor Fleming, and Howard Hawks.
In the first biography of this colorful, instinctual artist, Alan K. Rode illuminates the life and work of one of the film industry’s most complex figures. He explores the director’s little-known early life and career in his native Hungary, revealing how Curtiz shaped the earliest days of silent cinema in Europe before immigrating to the United States in 1926. In Hollywood, Curtiz earned a reputation for explosive tantrums, his difficulty with English, and disregard for the well-being of others. However, few directors elicited more memorable portrayals from their casts, and ten different actors delivered Oscar-nominated performances under his direction.
In addition to his study of the director’s remarkable legacy, Rode investigates Curtiz’s dramatic personal life, discussing his enduring creative partnership with his wife, screenwriter Bess Meredyth, as well as his numerous affairs and children born of his extramarital relationships. This meticulously researched biography provides a nuanced understanding of one of the most talented filmmakers of Hollywood’s golden age.
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My Girls
- By: Todd Fisher
- Narrator: Todd Fisher
- Length: 13 hours 13 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: June 05, 2018
- Language: English
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4.27(2618 ratings)
4.27(2618 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.005.99 USDA revelatory and touching tribute to the lives of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds written by the person who knew them best, Todd Fisher’s poignant memoir is filled with moving stories of growing up among Hollywood royalty. In December 2016,A revelatory and touching tribute to the lives of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds written by the person who knew them best, Todd Fisher’s poignant memoir is filled with moving stories of growing up among Hollywood royalty.
In December 2016, the world was shaken by the sudden deaths of Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, two unspeakable losses that occurred in less than twenty-four hours. The stunned public turned for solace to Debbie’s only remaining child, Todd Fisher, who somehow retained his grace and composure under the glare of the media spotlight as he struggled with his own overwhelming grief.
The son of “America’s Sweethearts” Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Todd grew up amid the glamorous wealth and pretense of Hollywood. Thanks to his funny, loving, no-nonsense mother, Todd remained down to earth, his own man, but always close to his cherished mom, and to his sister through her meteoric rise to stardom and her struggle with demons that never diminished her humor, talent, or spirit.
Now, Todd shares his heart and his memories of Debbie and Carrie with deeply personal stories from his earliest years to those last unfathomable days. His book, part memoir, part homage, celebrates their legacies through a more intimate, poignant, and often hilarious portrait of these two remarkable women than has ever been revealed before.
Todd’s book is a love letter to a sister and a mother, and a gift to countless fans who are mourning the deaths of these two unforgettable stars.
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Hollywood Black
- By: Donald Bogle
- Narrator: Donald Bogle
- Length: 10 hours 43 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: August 10, 2021
- Language: English
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4.24(158 ratings)
4.24(158 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0027.99 USDThe films, the stars, the filmmakers-all get their due in Hollywood Black, a sweeping overview of blacks in film from the silent era through Black Panther, with striking photos and an engrossing history by award-winning author Donald Bogle. TheThe films, the stars, the filmmakers-all get their due in Hollywood Black, a sweeping overview of blacks in film from the silent era through Black Panther, with striking photos and an engrossing history by award-winning author Donald Bogle.
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The story opens in the silent film era, when white actors in blackface often played black characters, but also saw the rise of independent African American filmmakers, including the remarkable Oscar Micheaux. It follows the changes in the film industry with the arrival of sound motion pictures and the Great Depression, when black performers such as Stepin Fetchit and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson began finding a place in Hollywood. More often than not, they were saddled with rigidly stereotyped roles, but some gifted performers, most notably Hattie McDaniel in Gone With the Wind (1939), were able to turn in significant performances.
In the coming decades, more black talents would light up the screen. Dorothy Dandridge became the first African American to earn a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Carmen Jones (1954), and Sidney Poitier broke ground in films like The Defiant Ones and1963’s Lilies of the Field. Hollywood Black reveals the changes in images that came about with the evolving social and political atmosphere of the US, from the Civil Rights era to the Black Power movement. The story takes readers through Blaxploitation, with movies like Shaft and Super Fly, to the emergence of such stars as Cicely Tyson, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Whoopi Goldberg, and of directors Spike Lee and John Singleton.
The history comes into the new millennium with filmmakers Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), Ava Du Vernay (Selma),and Ryan Coogler (Black Panther); megastars such as Denzel Washington, Will Smith, and Morgan Freeman; as well as Halle Berry, Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, and a glorious gallery of others.
Filled with evocative stories of stars and filmmakers on set and off, Hollywood Black tells an underappreciated history as it’s never before been told. -
Something Wonderful
- By: Todd S. Purdum
- Narrator: Todd S. Purdum
- Length: 10 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2018
- Language: English
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4.23(1335 ratings)
4.23(1335 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDA revelatory portrait of the creative partnership that transformed musical theater and provided the soundtrack to the American Century They stand at the apex of the great age of songwriting, the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma!,A revelatory portrait of the creative partnership that transformed musical theater and provided the soundtrack to the American Century
They stand at the apex of the great age of songwriting, the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, whose songs have never lost their popularity or emotional power. Even before they joined forces, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had written dozens of Broadway shows, but together they pioneered a new art form: the serious musical play. Their songs and dance numbers served to advance the drama and reveal character, a sharp break from the past and the template on which all future musicals would be built.
Though different in personality and often emotionally distant from each other, Rodgers and Hammerstein presented an unbroken front to the world and forged much more than a songwriting team; their partnership was also one of the most profitable and powerful entertainment businesses of their era. They were cultural powerhouses whose work came to define postwar America on stage, screen, television, and radio. But they also had their failures and flops, and more than once they feared they had lost their touch.
Todd S. Purdum’s portrait of these two men, their creative process, and their groundbreaking innovations will captivate lovers of musical theater, lovers of the classic American songbook, and lovers in general. He shows that what Rodgers and Hammerstein wrought was truly something wonderful.
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Al Franken, Giant of the Senate
- By: Al Franken
- Narrator: Al Franken
- Length: 12 hours 6 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: May 30, 2017
- Language: English
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4.22(15925 ratings)
4.22(15925 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0025.98 USDFrom Senator Al Franken – #1 bestselling author and beloved SNL alum — comes the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that. “Flips theFrom Senator Al Franken – #1 bestselling author and beloved SNL alum — comes the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that.... Read more“Flips the classic born-in-a-shack rise to political office tale on its head. I skipped meals to read this book – also unusual – because every page was funny. It made me deliriously happy.” — Louise Erdrich, The New York Times This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It’s a book about what happens when the nation’s foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it. It’s a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast. In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics. Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves.
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My Pride
- By: Alton Fitzgerald White
- Narrator: Alton Fitzgerald White
- Length: 6 hours 31 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2017
- Language: English
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4.2(26 ratings)
4.2(26 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDDrawing on his own life and career and the rich lore of The Lion King, Alton Fitzgerald White, Broadway’s longest-running “King,” delivers his message of service–taking responsibility for and deriving happiness fromDrawing on his own life and career and the rich lore of The Lion King, Alton Fitzgerald White, Broadway’s longest-running “King,” delivers his message of service–taking responsibility for and deriving happiness from commonplace achievements–as a philosophy that anyone can get through each day with satisfaction, pride, and a sense of accomplishment.
If you’ve ever wondered how an actor can perform the same role hundreds of times without burning out, in White’s book you’ll meet someone who does it for thousands more with unabated joy and renewal of purpose. From his life experience, White has learned the secret of tapping his inner resources to meet the challenge of routine and repetition in work and relationships.
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Camera Man
- By: Dana Stevens
- Narrator: Dana Stevens
- Length: 12 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
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4.2(629 ratings)
4.2(629 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0023.99 USDNamed a Best Book of 2022 by The New Yorker, Publishers Weekly, and NPR In this genre-defying work of cultural history, the chief film critic of Slate places comedy legend and acclaimed filmmaker Buster Keaton’s unique creative genius in theNamed a Best Book of 2022 by The New Yorker, Publishers Weekly, and NPR
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In this genre-defying work of cultural history, the chief film critic of Slate places comedy legend and acclaimed filmmaker Buster Keaton’s unique creative genius in the context of his time.
Born the same year as the film industry in 1895, Buster Keaton began his career as the child star of a family slapstick act reputed to be the most violent in vaudeville. Beginning in his early twenties, he enjoyed a decade-long stretch as the director, star, stuntman, editor, and all-around mastermind of some of the greatest silent comedies ever made, including Sherlock Jr., The General, and The Cameraman.
Even through his dark middle years as a severely depressed alcoholic finding work on the margins of show business, Keaton’s life had a way of reflecting the changes going on in the world around him. He found success in three different mediums at their creative peak: first vaudeville, then silent film, and finally the experimental early years of television. Over the course of his action-packed seventy years on earth, his life trajectory intersected with those of such influential figures as the escape artist Harry Houdini, the pioneering Black stage comedian Bert Williams, the television legend Lucille Ball, and literary innovators like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Samuel Beckett.
In Camera Man, film critic Dana Stevens pulls the lens out from Keaton’s life and work to look at concurrent developments in entertainment, journalism, law, technology, the political and social status of women, and the popular understanding of addiction. With erudition and sparkling humor, Stevens hopscotches among disciplines to bring us up to the present day, when Keaton’s breathtaking (and sometimes life-threatening) stunts remain more popular than ever as they circulate on the internet in the form of viral gifs. Far more than a biography or a work of film history, Camera Man is a wide-ranging meditation on modernity that paints a complex portrait of a one-of-a-kind artist. -
A Life in Parts
- By: Bryan Cranston
- Narrator: Bryan Cranston
- Length: 8 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2016
- Language: English
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4.19(14820 ratings)
4.19(14820 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDWinner of the 2017 Audie Award for Narration by the Author“Nothing short of riveting…an engrossing first-person account by one of our finest actors” (Huffington Post)–both a coming-of-age story and a meditation on creativity,Winner of the 2017 Audie Award for Narration by the Author
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“Nothing short of riveting…an engrossing first-person account by one of our finest actors” (Huffington Post)–both a coming-of-age story and a meditation on creativity, devotion, and craft–Bryan Cranston, beloved and acclaimed star of one of history’s most successful TV shows, Breaking Bad.
Bryan Cranston began his acting career at the age of seven, when his father, a struggling actor and sometime director, cast him in a commercial for United Way. By fifth grade he was starring in the school play, spending hours at the local movie theater, and re-enacting favorite scenes with his brother in their living room. Cranston seemed destined to be an actor. But then his father left. And his family fell apart. Troubled by his father’s missteps, Cranston abandoned his acting aspirations and resolved to pursue a steadier career in law enforcement. Then, on a two-year cross-country motorcycle journey, Cranston re-discovered his talent for acting and found his mission and his calling.
In this “must-read memoir” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), Cranston traces the many roles he inhabited throughout his remarkable life, both on and off screen. For the first time he shares the story of his early years as an actor on the soap opera Loving, his recurring spots on Seinfeld, and his time as bumbling father Hal on Malcolm in the Middle, to his tour-de-force, Tony-winning performance as Lyndon Baines Johnson in Broadway’s All the Way, to his most iconic role of all: Breaking Bad‘s Walter White.
“An illuminating window into the actor’s psyche” (People), Cranston has much to say about creativity, devotion, and craft, as well as innate talent and its challenges and benefits and proper maintenance. “By turns gritty, funny, and sad” (Entertainment Weekly), ultimately A Life in Parts is a story about the joy, the necessity, and the transformative power of simple hard work. -
Where Do I Begin?
- By: Elvis Duran
- Narrator: Elvis Duran
- Length: 6 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2019
- Language: English
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4.15(2069 ratings)
4.15(2069 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.99 USDIn this New York Times bestseller, host of one of the nation’s top morning shows Elvis Duran shares his wildest stories and hardest-learned lessons with his trademark honesty and “bighearted, deliciously warm” (Barbara Corcoran,In this New York Times bestseller, host of one of the nation’s top morning shows Elvis Duran shares his wildest stories and hardest-learned lessons with his trademark honesty and “bighearted, deliciously warm” (Barbara Corcoran, star of ABC’s Shark Tank) humor.
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Elvis Duran’s nationally syndicated radio program, Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, is America’s most-listened-to Top 40 morning show and one of the 10 most-listened-to programs in all of radio, heard live by nearly ten million people every morning.
But his success didn’t happen overnight. Elvis spent years navigating the wild world of radio as a DJ for hire, working (and partying) in markets around the country before taking over the morning shift at the legendary Z100 in 1996. Over the last twenty years, he has become one of New York City’s signature voices (Variety calls him “a permanent fixture of the area’s daily commutes”) thanks to his show’s exciting mix of music, new artist discovery, interviews, gossip, and live listener interaction.
Along the way, Elvis has become known not just for his incisive interviews (and occasional feuds) with pop music’s biggest stars, but for the show’s commitment to kindness and positivity and Elvis’s own candor and openness with his audience.
Bold, funny, and totally candid, Where Do I Begin? is sure to be loved by anyone who listens to Elvis live every morning–or anyone who wants to know what really goes on behind the scenes of the pop music machine from the “man who has been as big a part of the industry’s success as anyone” (Ryan Seacrest). -
But What I Really Want to Do Is Direct
- By: Ken Kwapis
- Narrator: Chris Lutkin
- Length: 10 hours 43 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: October 22, 2020
- Language: English
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4.15(156 ratings)
4.15(156 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDFor over three decades, director Ken Kwapis has charted a career full of exceptional movies and television, from seminal shows like The Office to beloved films like He’s Just Not That Into You. He is among the most respected directors in showFor over three decades, director Ken Kwapis has charted a career full of exceptional movies and television, from seminal shows like The Office to beloved films like He’s Just Not That Into You. He is among the most respected directors in show business, but getting there wasn’t easy. He struggled just like everyone else. With each triumph came the occasional faceplant. Using his background and inside knowledge, But What I Really Want to Do is Direct tackles Hollywood myths through Ken’s highly entertaining experiences. It’s a rollercoaster ride fueled by brawls with the top brass, clashes over budgets, and the passion that makes it all worthwhile. This humorous and refreshingly personal memoir is filled with inspiring instruction, behind-the-scenes hilarity, and unabashed joy. It’s a celebration of the director’s craft, and what it takes to succeed in show business on your own terms.
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As You Wish
- By: Cary Elwes
- Narrator: Cary Elwes
- Length: 7 hours 1 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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4.14(56214 ratings)
4.14(56214 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDFrom actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes the New York Times bestselling account of the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews withFrom actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes the New York Times bestselling account of the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.
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The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.
Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion. In As You Wish he has created an enchanting experience; in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets and backstage stories.
With a foreword by Rob Reiner and a limited edition original poster by acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey, As You Wish is a must-have for all fans of this beloved film. -
Fosse
- By: Sam Wasson
- Narrator: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 21 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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4.13(1213 ratings)
4.13(1213 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0029.95 USDWe see Bob Fosse’s legacy everywhere–from Broadway to “Billy Jean” to Beyonc+(r)’s moves in the “Single Ladies” video. Yet in spite of Fosse’s deep cultural significance, no biography has ever broughtWe see Bob Fosse’s legacy everywhere–from Broadway to “Billy Jean” to Beyonc+(r)’s moves in the “Single Ladies” video. Yet in spite of Fosse’s deep cultural significance, no biography has ever brought him fully to life, unveiling the man behind the bowler hat and the swaggering sex appeal. Now acclaimed cultural historian Sam Wasson traces Fosse’s numberless reinventions of himself over a career that would spawn The Pajama Game, Cabaret, Pippin, Chicago, All That Jazz, and other iconic works of art and earn him Tonys, Emmys, and an Oscar.
Wasson traces not only Fosse’s prodigious professional life but his intense relationships with everyone from Liza Minnelli, Fred Astaire, and Neil Simon to Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange, and Dustin Hoffman. Through extensive interviews with collaborators and lovers and unprecedented access to Fosse’s archives, Wasson also reveals the deep wounds that propelled his subject’s excessive appetites–for spotlights, women, and life itself. In Fosse, Wasson’s stylish, effervescent prose proves the ideal vehicle for reanimating Bob Fosse as he truly was–after hours, close up, and in vibrant color.
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Easy Street (the Hard Way)
- By: Ron Perlman
- Narrator: Ron Perlman
- Length: 10 hours 52 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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4.13(1124 ratings)
4.13(1124 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDThe candid, hilarious, and inspiring memoir of the iconic star of Beauty and the Beast, the Hellboy movies, and Sons of Anarchy A classically trained actor who cut his teeth in the East Village’s off-Broadway scene, Ron Perlman–a GoldenThe candid, hilarious, and inspiring memoir of the iconic star of Beauty and the Beast, the Hellboy movies, and Sons of Anarchy
A classically trained actor who cut his teeth in the East Village’s off-Broadway scene, Ron Perlman–a Golden Globe winner with starring roles in the Hellboy movies, Drive, Pacific Rim, and Sons of Anarchy–has traveled an offbeat path to showbiz success. His story involves rising from New York’s tough Washington Heights neighborhood, enduring incredible hardships, and ignoring the naysayers who taunted him for his distinctive looks. It’s a tale that demonstrates the power of persistence.
With a filmography of nearly two hundred credits working alongside countless stars during his forty-year career, Perlman knows the ins and outs of filmmaking. In Easy Street (the Hard Way), he shares his inspiring story for the next generation of performers.
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Andy and Don
- By: Daniel De Vise
- Narrator: George Newbern
- Length: 9 hours 29 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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4.12(1271 ratings)
4.12(1271 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0023.99 USDA lively and revealing biography of Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, this “humorous, informative, and poignant book” celebrates the powerful real-life friendship behind one of America’s most iconic television programs and “showsA lively and revealing biography of Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, this “humorous, informative, and poignant book” celebrates the powerful real-life friendship behind one of America’s most iconic television programs and “shows how the magic was created” (Library Journal).
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Andy Griffith and Don Knotts first met on Broadway in the 1950s. When Andy moved to Hollywood to film a TV pilot for a comedy about a small-town sheriff, Don called to ask if Andy’s sheriff could use a deputy. The friendship and comedy partnership between Sheriff Andy Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife ignited The Andy Griffith Show, elevating the folksy television sitcom into a timeless study of human friendship. Together, they created a program with a uniquely small-town dynamic that captured the hearts of Americans across the country who watched these two men rocking on the front porch, meditating about the pleasure of a bottle of pop.
But behind this sleepy charm, de Vise’s exclusive reporting “captures the complexity of both men and the intimacy of their friendship with extreme detail and sensitivity” (Publishers Weekly), from unspoken rivalries, passionate affairs, unrequited loves, struggles with the temptations of fame, and friendships lost and regained. Although Andy and Don ended their Mayberry partnership in 1965, they remained best friends for the next half-century.
Written by Don Knotts’s brother-in-law, Andy and Don is “a rewarding dual biography that is also a lively look inside the entertainment industry in the latter half of the twentieth century” (News & Observer). Entertaining and provocative, it “captures a golden moment in modern Americana. You’ll not only return again to Mayberry, you’ll feel as though you’ve never left” (Tom Shales, Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic). -
Starstruck
- By: Leonard Maltin
- Narrator: Leonard Maltin
- Length: 9 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: December 09, 2021
- Language: English
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4.08(87 ratings)
4.08(87 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDHollywood historian and film reviewer Leonard Maltin invites listeners to pull up a chair as he tells stories, many of them hilarious, from fifty-plus years of interacting with legendary movie stars, writers, directors, producers, and cartoonists.Hollywood historian and film reviewer Leonard Maltin invites listeners to pull up a chair as he tells stories, many of them hilarious, from fifty-plus years of interacting with legendary movie stars, writers, directors, producers, and cartoonists. Maltin grew up in the first decade of television, immersing himself in TV programs and the 1930s and ’40s movies hitting the small screen. His fan letters to admired performers led to unexpected correspondences, then to interviews and the publication of his own fan magazine. Maltin’s career as a freelance writer and New York Times bestselling author, as well as his thirty-year run on Entertainment Tonight, gave him access to Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, Shirley Temple, and Jimmy Stewart, among hundreds of other Golden Age stars, his interviews cutting through the Hollywood veneer and revealing the human behind each legend. Starstruck also offers a fascinating glimpse inside the Disney empire, and Maltin’s tenure teaching USC’s popular film course reveals insights into moviemaking along with access to past, current, and future stars of film, such as George Lucas, Kevin Feige, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro.
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Singular Sensation
- By: Michael Riedel
- Narrator: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 9 hours 43 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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4.07(581 ratings)
4.07(581 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0023.99 USD“Fun and gossipy.” —The Wall Street Journal * “A masterful history.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) * “Engaging.” —Newsweek A “brisk, insightful, and deliciously detailed take”“Fun and gossipy.” —The Wall Street Journal * “A masterful history.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) * “Engaging.” —Newsweek
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A “brisk, insightful, and deliciously detailed take” (Kirkus Reviews) on a transformative decade on Broadway, featuring behind-the-scenes accounts of shows such as Rent, Angels in America, Chicago, The Lion King, and The Producers–shows that changed the history of the American theater.
The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the nineties, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Boheme as the smash Broadway show Rent. American musical comedy made its grand return, culminating in The Producers, while plays, always an endangered species on Broadway, staged a powerful comeback with Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. A different breed of producers rose up to challenge the grip theater owners had long held on Broadway, and corporations began to see how much money could be made from live theater.
And just as Broadway had clawed its way back into the mainstream of American popular culture, the September 11 attacks struck fear into the heart of Americans who thought Times Square might be the next target. But Broadway was back in business just two days later, buoyed by talented theater people intent on bringing New Yorkers together and supporting the economics of an injured city.
“Told with all the wit and style readers could wish for” (Booklist) Michael Riedel presents the drama behind every mega-hit or shocking flop. From the bitter feuds to the surprising collaborations, all the intrigue of a revolutionary era in the Theater District is packed into Singular Sensation. Broadway has triumphs and disasters, but the show always goes on. -
Junior Bonner
- By: Jeb Rosebrook
- Narrator: Nat Segaloff
- Length: 4 hours 34 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2019
- Language: English
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4(15 ratings)
4(15 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USD“Junior Bonner is Jeb Rosebrook’s masterpiece, subtly understated and richly rewarding. In 1972, it provided director Sam Peckinpah with a unique opportunity to return to his roots and deliver a portrayal of the modern American West. In“Junior Bonner is Jeb Rosebrook’s masterpiece, subtly understated and richly rewarding. In 1972, it provided director Sam Peckinpah with a unique opportunity to return to his roots and deliver a portrayal of the modern American West. In this wonderfully written memoir, Rosebrook captures the creative conflicts that are inevitable as words become images. It depicts a classic confrontation between a talented young screenwriter and tyrannical director whose personal visions merge to make a classic motion picture. A must-read for anyone interested in the reality behind great moviemaking.”
–Garner Simmons, author of Peckinpah: A Portrait in Montage
Junior Bonner (1972) is the best rodeo film that’s ever been made. It was the best script Sam ever got his hands on….Junior Bonner is truer to the human element behind the sport than any other rodeo film. It’s Sam’s one Western film where the protagonists survive the transition–at least for another day. The wreck might still be coming for Junior Bonner another mile or so down the road. That was the story of Sam, too.”
–Max Evans, author of Goin’ Crazy with Sam Peckinpah and All Our Friends
“Without the pressure of being commercially successful the film is one of McQueen’s and Peckinpah’s finest films, dealing with the human heart. The combination of deft performances, inspired writing and directing, and the authentic feel of the locations resulted in a rare experience., in the words of McQueen’s next costar Ali MacGraw, who proclaimed, “Such a beautiful, perfect film!”
–Andrew Antoniades and Mike Siegel, authors of
Steve McQueen: The Actor and His Films
“Screenwriter Jeb Rosebrook’s memoir about the making of the classic Steve McQueen film he penned, Junior Bonner, is infinitely more than a behind-the-scenes account of a great film. It’s an inside-the-scenes account of a turning point in his own life, of a dangerous moment in the career of an aging movie star, of a transitional time when Hollywood briefly emulated the artistic ambitions and creative reach of European cinema. The cast of characters includes such flammable figures as McQueen and legendary director auteur-terrible Sam Peckinpah and assorted agents, producers, and 1970s studio executives who were presiding over Hollywood’s greatest explosion of audacious, boundary-breaking filmmaking since its founding. And Rosebrook’s memoir goes deeper, into the hearts and minds of these dreamers and schemers on both sides of the camera who, almost in spite of themselves, their egos, and their appetites, managed to make lasting film art that’s worth analyzing and celebrating all these decades later.”
–Steven Gaydos, Executive Editor, VARIETY
“For decades Jeb Rosebrook entertained audiences with films, television shows and novels. Now, his behind-the-scenes memoir of the production of the movie Junior Bonner, which he scripted, spotlights how filmmaking is an intensely collaborative art. Plus, we get all the skinny, and the fat, of behind the scenes shenanigans, sexual dalliances, and Steve McQueen’s resilience and acting strength against Peckinpah’s iron-fisted directing. Junior Bonner, starring Steve McQueen, Ida Lupino and Robert Preston, evolved through Rosebrook’s inspiring creativity and diligent collaboration with the actors–and director Peckinpah always threatening to send home anyone, cast, or crew, with a tin can strapped to their butt. Through it all, Rosebrook’s script survived to create a classic and memorable film–one of the top 100 Westerns.”
–James Ciletti, Pikes Poet Laureate, Colorado Springs, Colorado
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Here We Go Again
- By: Betty White
- Narrator: Betty White
- Length: 2 hours 56 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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4(4495 ratings)
4(4495 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0010.95 USDA memoir of Betty White’s first five decades on television‚Äîas irreverent and irresistible as the beloved actress herself‚Äîfilled ‚Äúwith inspiring cheerfulness‚Äù (The New York Times).Betty White first appeared on televisionA memoir of Betty White’s first five decades on television‚Äîas irreverent and irresistible as the beloved actress herself‚Äîfilled ‚Äúwith inspiring cheerfulness‚Äù (The New York Times).
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Betty White first appeared on television in 1949 and went on to have one of the most amazing careers in TV history, starring in shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, among many others. She was one of the hardest-working actresses of any era, and her sense of humor and perennial optimism carried her through decades of industry changes and delighted millions of fans.
Here We Go Again is a behind-the-scenes look at Betty’s career from her start on radio to her first show, Hollywood on Television, to several iterations of The Betty White Show and much, much more. Packed with wonderful anecdotes about famous personalities and friendships, stories of Betty’s off-screen life, and the comedienne’s trademark humor, this deliciously entertaining book will give readers an entrée into Betty’s fascinating life, confirming yet again why this funny lady was one of the most memorable and beloved actresses of all time. -
Fooling with the Amish
- By: Dirk Eitzen
- Length: 10 hours 52 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: September 13, 2022
- Language: English
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4(4 ratings)
4(4 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.99 USDUsing Amish Mafia as a window into the interplay between the real and the imagined, this book dissects the peculiar appeals and potential dangers of deception in reality TV and popular entertainment. When Amish Mafia was released in 2012, viewersUsing Amish Mafia as a window into the interplay between the real and the imagined, this book dissects the peculiar appeals and potential dangers of deception in reality TV and popular entertainment.
When Amish Mafia was released in 2012, viewers were fascinated by the stories of this secret group of Amish and Mennonite enforcers who used threats, extortion, and violence to keep members of the Amish community in line–and to line their own pockets. While some of the stories were based loosely
on actual events, the group itself was a complete fabrication. Its members were played by ex-Amish and ex-Mennonite young adults acting out scenarios concocted by the show’s producers. What is most extraordinary about Amish Mafia is that, even though it was fictional, it was cleverly constructed to
appear real. Discovery Channel, which aired it, assiduously maintained that it was real; whole episodes were devoted to proving that it was real; and many viewers (including smart reality TV fans) were fooled into believing it was real.In Fooling with the Amish, Dirk Eitzen examines the fakery in Amish Mafia and how actual viewers of the show responded to it to discover answers to two questions that have long puzzled media scholars:
What is it about the so-called reality of reality shows that appeals to and gratifies viewers? How and why are people taken in by falsehoods in the media? Eitzen’s ultimate answer to these questions is that, in taking liberties with facts, Amish Mafia works very much like gossip. This helps to explain the
workings not just of this and other reality TV shows but also of other forms of media fakery, including fake news.The book winds through numerous fascinating case studies of media fakery, from P. T. Barnum’s famous “humbugs” of the nineteenth century to recent TV news scandals. It examines the social and emotional appeals of other forms of entertaining fakery, including professional wrestling and
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supermarket tabloids. It explains how and why conventions of contrivance evolved in reality TV as well as the ethics of media fakery. And, for readers interested in the Amish, it tells how the ex-Amish “stars” of Amish Mafia got involved in the show and the impact that involvement had on their lives. -
Close Encounters of the Celebrity Kind
- By: Brian Gari
- Narrator: Brian Gari
- Length: 3 hours 49 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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4(4 ratings)
4(4 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0013.95 USDFor more than fifty years, Brian Gari has been a songwriter. He now has almost nine hundred songs to his credit, including all those in the Broadway musical Late Nite Comic. He has recorded twelve albums and produced all of the CDs and DVDs on hisFor more than fifty years, Brian Gari has been a songwriter. He now has almost nine hundred songs to his credit, including all those in the Broadway musical Late Nite Comic. He has recorded twelve albums and produced all of the CDs and DVDs on his grandfather, Eddie Cantor. During his lifetime, he has had many “Close Encounters of the Celebrity Kind,” and this audiobook, based on the popular BearManor Media book, gives the low-down on many of the people he has met over the years, including Eddie Cantor, Robin Williams, George Carlin, Chris Rock, Rodney Dangerfield, Danny Thomas, Soupy Sales, Jerry Stiller, Katherine Hepburn, Mia Farrow, Georgie Jessel, John Lennon and the Beatles, Little Richard, Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, Neil Sedaka, Jan and Dean, Carole King, the Carpenters, David Cassidy, Glen Campbell, Stephen Sondheim, Bobby Kennedy, and many more!
BONUS TRACK: The Joe Bev Experience – Joe Bev talks with guest Brian Gari about his fifty years as a singer-songwriter, his books, his mother, Janet Gari Cantor, and his grandfather, Eddie Cantor. Songs included in the hour include “Anyone I Don’t Want,” “He’s an Old Cat,” “Late Nite Comic” (Rupert Holmes version), “If Our Songs Still Make It (Why Can’t We),” “The Coffee Shoppe,” “Horse of a Different Color,” and “Mon Oncle.”
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Last Words
- By: George Carlin
- Narrator: Patrick Carlin
- Length: 6 hours 24 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2009
- Language: English
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3.97(12571 ratings)
3.97(12571 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.95 USDNow in paperback, this posthumous work by an American classic was a fitting last book, an instant bestseller, and a huge success!One of the undisputed heavyweight champions of American comedy, with nineteen appearances on the Johnny Carson show,Now in paperback, this posthumous work by an American classic was a fitting last book, an instant bestseller, and a huge success!
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One of the undisputed heavyweight champions of American comedy, with nineteen appearances on the Johnny Carson show, thirteen HBO specials, five Grammys, and a critical Supreme Court battle over censorship under his belt, George Carlin saw it all throughout his extraordinary fifty-year career, and made fun of most of it. Last Words is the story of the man behind some of the most seminal comedy of the last half century, blending his signature acerbic humor with never-before-told stories from his own life, including encounters with a Who’s Who of 1970s celebrity–from Lenny Bruce to Hugh Hefner–and the origins of some of his most famous standup routines. Carlin’s early conflicts, his long struggle with substance abuse, his turbulent relationships with his family, and his triumphs over catastrophic setbacks all fueled the unique comedic worldview he brought to the stage. From the heights of stardom to the low points few knew about, Last Words is told with the same razor-sharp wit and unblinking honesty that made Carlin one of the best-loved comedians in American history. -
20th Century-Fox
- By: Scott Eyman
- Narrator: Suehyla El-Attar
- Length: 8 hours 57 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: September 21, 2021
- Language: English
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3.97(86 ratings)
3.97(86 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.99 USDFrom New York Times bestselling author Scott Eyman, this is the story one of the most influential studios in film history, from its glory days under the leadership of legendary movie mogul Darryl F. Zanuck up to its 2019 buyout by Disney. March 20,From New York Times bestselling author Scott Eyman, this is the story one of the most influential studios in film history, from its glory days under the leadership of legendary movie mogul Darryl F. Zanuck up to its 2019 buyout by Disney.
March 20, 2019 marked the end of an era — Disney took ownership of the movie empire that was Fox. For almost a century before that historic date, Twentieth Century-Fox was one of the preeminent producers of films, stars, and filmmakers. Its unique identity in the industry and place in movie history is unparalleled — and one of the greatest stories to come out of Hollywood. One man, a legendary producer named Darryl F. Zanuck, is the heart of the story. This narrative tells the complete tale of Zanuck and the films, stars, intrigue, and innovations of the iconic studio that was.... Read more -
The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock
- By: Edward White
- Narrator: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 12 hours 6 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: July 01, 2021
- Language: English
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3.92(509 ratings)
3.92(509 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDThe Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock, Edward White explores the Hitchcock phenomenon-what defines it, how it was invented, what it reveals about the man at its core, and how its legacy continues to shape our cultural world. The book’s twelveThe Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock, Edward White explores the Hitchcock phenomenon-what defines it, how it was invented, what it reveals about the man at its core, and how its legacy continues to shape our cultural world. The book’s twelve chapters illuminate different aspects of Hitchcock’s life and work: “The Boy Who Couldn’t Grow Up,” “The Murderer,” “The Auteur,” “The Womanizer,” “The Fat Man,” “The Dandy,” “The Family Man,” “The Voyeur,” “The Entertainer,” “The Pioneer,” “The Londoner,” and “The Man of God.” Each of these angles reveals something fundamental about the man he was and the mythological creature he has become, presenting not just the life Hitchcock lived but also the various versions of himself that he projected and those projected on his behalf. White’s portrayal illuminates a vital truth: Hitchcock was more than a Hollywood titan; he was the definitive modern artist, and his significance reaches far beyond the confines of cinema.
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Welcome, Foolish Mortals, Revised Edition
- By: Ben Ohmart
- Narrator: Fred Frees
- Length: 9 hours 19 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
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3.88(3 ratings)
3.88(3 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDHe was Disney’s Haunted Mansion Ghost Host, Boris Badenov, Professor Ludwig von Drake, Pillsbury Dougboy, Toucan Sam, the Green Lama, and thousands of voices you have heard on records, radio, television, and in films. He was voice actingHe was Disney’s Haunted Mansion Ghost Host, Boris Badenov, Professor Ludwig von Drake, Pillsbury Dougboy, Toucan Sam, the Green Lama, and thousands of voices you have heard on records, radio, television, and in films. He was voice acting genius Paul Frees.
Paul’s son Fred Frees reads this second edition of author Ben Ohmart’s biography.
Fred Frees is a successful voice actor in his own right, who has been called upon to recreate his dad’s characters and create new ones all his own. Ben Ohmart says, “He has inherited his father’s amazing, weird gifts.”
Fred admits, “I certainly had mixed feelings reading this audiobook about my dad. Of course, there was the inherent pride I always feel about my father’s accomplishments. And a certain awe at the obstacles he overcame in his life. And then, there was this feeling of deja vu. It was like living parts of my life all over again and revisiting the emotions I had when we didn’t always see eye to eye, or when he was taken from us. But, in spite of everything, my father was always a source of inspiration to me, to appreciate my life. And in that, he never failed me.”
Bonus Track: An interview with Fred Frees, conducted by Joe Bevilacqua an Lorie Kellogg, for The Voice Actor Show, heard on the BearManor Radio Network.
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Cary Grant
- By: Scott Eyman
- Narrator: Angelo Di Loreto
- Length: 17 hours 3 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.87(853 ratings)
3.87(853 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0029.99 USDFilm historian and acclaimed New York Times bestselling biographer Scott Eyman has written the definitive, “captivating” (Associated Press) biography of Hollywood legend Cary Grant, one of the most accomplished–andFilm historian and acclaimed New York Times bestselling biographer Scott Eyman has written the definitive, “captivating” (Associated Press) biography of Hollywood legend Cary Grant, one of the most accomplished–and beloved–actors of his generation, who remains as popular as ever today.
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Born Archibald Leach in 1904, he came to America as a teenaged acrobat to find fame and fortune, but he was always haunted by his past. His father was a feckless alcoholic, and his mother was committed to an asylum when Archie was eleven years old. He believed her to be dead until he was informed she was alive when he was thirty-one years old. Because of this experience, Grant would have difficulty forming close attachments throughout his life. He married five times and had numerous affairs.
Despite a remarkable degree of success, Grant remained deeply conflicted about his past, his present, his basic identity, and even the public that worshipped him in movies such as Gunga Din, Notorious, and North by Northwest.
This “estimable and empathetic biography” (The Washington Post) draws on Grant’s own papers, extensive archival research, and interviews with family and friends making it a definitive and “complex portrait of Hollywood’s original leading man” (Entertainment Weekly). -
Born Standing Up
- By: Steve Martin
- Narrator: Steve Martin
- Length: 4 hours 3 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.87(89248 ratings)
3.87(89248 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.95 USDThe riveting, mega-bestselling, beloved and highly acclaimed memoir of a man, a vocation, and an era named one of the ten best nonfiction titles of the year by Time and Entertainment Weekly.In the mid-seventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedyThe riveting, mega-bestselling, beloved and highly acclaimed memoir of a man, a vocation, and an era named one of the ten best nonfiction titles of the year by Time and Entertainment Weekly.
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In the mid-seventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. This book is, in his own words, the story of “why I did stand-up and why I walked away.”
Emmy and Grammy Award–winner, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestsellers Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company, and a regular contributor to The New Yorker, Martin has always been a writer. His memoir of his years in stand-up is candid, spectacularly amusing, and beautifully written.
At age ten Martin started his career at Disneyland, selling guidebooks in the newly opened theme park. In the decade that followed, he worked in the Disney magic shop and the Bird Cage Theatre at Knott’s Berry Farm, performing his first magic/comedy act a dozen times a week. The story of these years, during which he practiced and honed his craft, is moving and revelatory. The dedication to excellence and innovation is formed at an astonishingly early age and never wavers or wanes.
Martin illuminates the sacrifice, discipline, and originality that made him an icon and informs his work to this day. To be this good, to perform so frequently, was isolating and lonely. It took Martin decades to reconnect with his parents and sister, and he tells that story with great tenderness. Martin also paints a portrait of his times—the era of free love and protests against the war in Vietnam, the heady irreverence of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the late sixties, and the transformative new voice of Saturday Night Live in the seventies.
Throughout the text, Martin has placed photographs, many never seen before. Born Standing Up is a superb testament to the sheer tenacity, focus, and daring of one of the greatest and most iconoclastic comedians of all time. -
Playing to the Gods
- By: Peter Rader
- Narrator: Amanda Carlin
- Length: 19 hours 54 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2018
- Language: English
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3.81(187 ratings)
3.81(187 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDThe riveting story of the rivalry between the two most renowned actresses of the nineteenth century: legendary Sarah Bernhardt, whose eccentricity on and off the stage made her the original diva, and mystical Eleonora Duse, who broke all the rulesThe riveting story of the rivalry between the two most renowned actresses of the nineteenth century: legendary Sarah Bernhardt, whose eccentricity on and off the stage made her the original diva, and mystical Eleonora Duse, who broke all the rules to popularize the natural style of acting we celebrate today.
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Audiences across Europe and the Americas clamored to see the divine Sarah Bernhardt swoon–and she gave them their money’s worth. The world’s first superstar, she traveled with a chimpanzee named Darwin and a pet alligator that drank champagne, shamelessly supplementing her income by endorsing everything from aperitifs to beef bouillon, and spreading rumors that she slept in a coffin to better understand the macabre heroines she played.
Eleonora Duse shied away from the spotlight. Born to a penniless family of itinerant troubadours, she disappeared into the characters she portrayed–channeling their spirits, she claimed. Her new, empathetic style of acting revolutionized the theater–and earned her the ire of Sarah Bernhardt in what would become the most tumultuous theatrical showdown of the nineteenth century. Bernhardt and Duse seduced each other’s lovers, stole one another’s favorite playwrights, and took to the world’s stages to outperform their rival in her most iconic roles.
A scandalous, enormously entertaining history full of high drama and low blows, Playing to the Gods is the perfect “book for all of us who binge-watched Feud” (Daniel de Vise, author of Andy & Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show). -
Thank You for Coming to Hattiesburg
- By: Todd Barry
- Narrator: Todd Barry
- Length: 5 hours 27 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2017
- Language: English
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3.76(564 ratings)
3.76(564 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USD“With this charming, sardonic debut, stand up comedian and actor Todd Barry makes readers laugh as hard as the audiences at his shows” (Publishers Weekly) in this hilarious book of travel essays from his time on tour in the US, Canada,“With this charming, sardonic debut, stand up comedian and actor Todd Barry makes readers laugh as hard as the audiences at his shows” (Publishers Weekly) in this hilarious book of travel essays from his time on tour in the US, Canada, and Israel.
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Hello. It’s Todd Barry. Yes, the massively famous comedian. I have billions of fans all over the world, so I do my fair share of touring. While I love doing shows in the big cities (New York, Philadelphia), I also enjoy a good secondary market (Ithaca, Bethlehem). Performing in these smaller places can be great because not all entertainers stop there on tour; they don’t expect to see you. They’re appreciative. They say things like “Thank you for coming to Hattiesburg” as much as they say “Nice show.” And almost every town has their version of a hipster coffee shop, so I can get in my comfort zone.
My original plan was to book one secondary market show in all fifty states, in about a year, but that idea was funnier than anything in my act. So, instead of all fifty states in a year, my agent booked multiple shows in a lot of states, plus Israel and Canada.
Thank You for Coming to Hattiesburg is part tour diary, part travel guide, and part memoir (Yes, memoir. Just like the thing presidents and former child stars get to write). Follow me on my journey of small clubs, and the occasional big amphitheater. Watch me make a promoter clean the dressing room toilet in Connecticut, see me stare at beached turtles in Maui, and see how I react when Lars from Metallica shows up to see me at a rec center in Northern California.
I’d love to tell you more, but I need to go book a flight to Evansville, Indiana. -
Jayne Mansfield
- By: Eve Golden
- Narrator: Marguerite Gavin
- Length: 17 hours 25 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
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3.73(54 ratings)
3.73(54 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.95 USDJayne Mansfield (1933-1967) was driven not just to be an actress but to be a star. One of the most influential sex symbols of her time, she was known for her platinum blonde hair, hourglass figure, outrageously low necklines, and flamboyantJayne Mansfield (1933-1967) was driven not just to be an actress but to be a star. One of the most influential sex symbols of her time, she was known for her platinum blonde hair, hourglass figure, outrageously low necklines, and flamboyant lifestyle. Hardworking and ambitious, Mansfield proved early in her career that she was adept in both comic and dramatic roles, but her tenacious search for the spotlight and her risque promotional stunts caused her to be increasingly snubbed in Hollywood.
In the first definitive biography of Mansfield, Eve Golden offers a joyful account of the star Andy Warhol called “the poet of publicity,” revealing the smart, determined woman behind the persona. While she always had her sights set on the silver screen, Mansfield got her start as Rita Marlowe in the Broadway show Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?. She made her film debut in the low-budget drama Female Jungle before landing the starring role in The Girl Can’t Help It. Mansfield followed this success with a dramatic role in The Wayward Bus, winning a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year, and starred alongside Cary Grant in Kiss Them for Me. Despite her popularity, her appearance as the first celebrity in Playboy and her nude scene in Promises! Promises! cemented her reputation as an outsider.
By the 1960s, Mansfield’s film career had declined, but she remained very popular with the public. She capitalized on that popularity through in-person and TV appearances, nightclub appearances, and stage productions. Her larger-than-life life ended sadly when she passed away at age thirty-four in a car accident.
Golden looks beyond Mansfield’s flashy public image and tragic death to fully explore her life and legacy. She discusses Mansfield’s childhood, her many loves–including her famous on-again, off-again relationship with Miklos “Mickey” Hargitay–her struggles with alcohol, and her sometimes tumultuous family relationships. She also considers Mansfield’s enduring contributions to American popular culture and celebrity culture. This funny, engaging biography offers a nuanced portrait of a fascinating woman who loved every minute of life and lived each one to the fullest.
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Cliff Weitzman
Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.
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