Entertainment Books

This book is an incredible guide to learning ActionScript 3.0! So far I have only noted one MINOR typo in the code. The rest of the code appears to work flawlessly.

AS3 is a great new flavor of ActionScript but it can be tricky for those who are new to Flash or just new to 3.0. The projects are a lot of fun! By the time I made it through the book, I understood all the basic piece required to make my own Flash Game.

I think that this book would be a useful reference for anyone who wants to learn more about using Adobe Flash such as beginning Web designers and animators because it teaches you, in very easy terms, how to control your Flash creations!

To recap: This book is an excellent source for beginners because it leaves you feeling confident and ready to expand your skills.

This book offers a wonderful approach. It does a great job of explaining how ActionScript (yes, ActionScript 3.0) works.

HOWEVER ...

This book also sports some critical typographical errors. And those typographical errors sometimes occur in tutorials' Flash ActionScript code (yes, the very code that folks buy the book to learn).

Simply put, if you follow the instructions carefully, some of the tutorials will not work. (At least they didn't for me!)

Here's an example:

One of the book's tutorials (p. 32) tells readers to create something and name it "mc_ball1."

After that, the tutorial does not mention "mc_ball1" again. Instead, the tutorial tells readers to type code for something named "mc_ball" (note the missing "1").

Okay, a missing "1" might seem like a little thing. But, if a programmer follows the book's written instructions, her project will not work. The code is designed to make to "mc_ball" do something. But there is no "mc_ball." There is an "mc_ball1" -- and it never receives any instructions from the code.

This book's title states that it is for beginners. Beginners probably do not have the skill to troubleshoot typographical nuances in ActionScript.

And, unfortunately, there are several of these types of errors in this book.

So, I'm afraid that the current edition may be of limited value to most beginning Flash programmers. The next -- carefully edited -- version of this book might be great for beginners.

In the meantime, I'm afraid that this version might frustrate them.

After graduating from film school, I had no idea how to start my career as a writer in the film industry. "The Writer Got Screwed" not only showed my how to start my career, but showed me the different kind of careers which exist for Writers in the Entertainment Industry. Most books don't explain what WRITERS working in the entertainment industry need to know: THIS BOOK DOES. If you want to work in the legal department of a studio, take classes in copyright and contracts. If you want to work as a writer in the entertainment industry, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

Very few books explain how to start your career, the different forms of representation (agents, managers, and attorneys), how to protect your work (copyright registration vs. registering with the WGA), how to protect yourself (contracts-what do they mean?) and give lists of available resources (scholarships, WGA approved agencies, production companies, legal resouces/attorneys) for writers working within the entertainment industry--"The Writer Got Screwed" delivers on all of these areas. Whether you are working in film, television, feature animation, soap operas, or interactive, "The Writer Got Screwed" provides interviews with writers who work in these areas and valuable, RARELY FOUND, information regarding how these started their careers. This book is a terrific, must-have book for anyone who wants to write for the entertainment industry, and now is joined by a companion website at [...].

This book is one of those needles in a hay stack. It's not out there like all the other books for writers. But if you find it... you have found gold. It is written so that it is easy to understand and has tons of great information in it. A must have.

There are a lot of books out there on writing for the entertainment industry, but this was the one book that got me started. A lot of writers tend to pass around gossip and poor information, but this book set me straight from the beginning, and is now joined by Wharton's website/blog: brookewharton.com(rated in top 10 for film blogs). This is the one book that anyone writing for film or television should START WITH. I'm mystified by a previous reviewer who said that Wharton doesn't talk about the WGA (there's a whole chapter on the guild), and also that she doesn't discuss acquisitions vs. development (it's called spec sales vs. assignments in the 1st 10 pages of the chapter on writing for film). Clearly this person couldn't have read the book. If you need real answers, buy the book.

Given all the 5 star ratings, I expected better. Not that this isn't a good book, but it depends on the reader's sophistication. If you don't know anything about some of the basic legal and business aspects of the publishing biz, this book is a good start. On the other hand, if you're a detail oriented person who really wants to dig in deep into this subject, you may find the content a bit light.

I don't have any natural talent in music. I've tried to learn to read for years, but the books I found did not suit my needs. Authors would just assume you'd understand or that you had a teacher to turn to for more. And then I found Alfred's Basic Guitar Method. YOU DON'T NEED A TEACHER with this book. I can't believe I'm actually learning to read! Even without a CD, it would be the greatest book. The CD is just extra help. Thanks, Morty and Ron, whoever you are, I am sending you a hug big time.

This is a very in depth, intimate biography written by one of Janis's very close aquaintances. Buried Alive: The Biography portrays her life in an almost storybook way, giving great detail to many aspects of her life, including an insiders perspective on her drug and alcohol addictions, self esteem issues, and personal dreams. In the book, Myra mentions a time where Janis did indeed want her to write a biography about her, just "not now... i want them to know the facts about the drugs, everything". I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover, and was sad as I drew toward the end. Very good book, if you're at all interested in her life, or even just culture at the time.

if u are a jj fan u will not be able to put this book down! it is awsome! buy it see for yourself! debi

I first read this book when it first came out in the 70's and managed to obtain an old paperback and read again in 2008. I have to admit it is a book that holds the interest of the reader even though it seems Peggy wants you to know all the people she (Peggy) slept with from Sam Andrew to Mike Bloomfied, Kris Kristopherson and dozens of others in between. She also wants you to know how many times she went down on Janis and finally how many times Janis went down on her. It seems that they spend alot of time between each others legs throughout the book. In between all the powerful orgasms we see a history of the Haight Ashbury and events like Monterey Pop and Woodstock. While she describes the colorful life of hippies in the Haight she introduces the reader to her and Janis as just plain junkies. They shoot up here, there and even in a portable toliet at Woodstock while hundereds waited in line to use the potty - that must have been a smelly event. It's no wonder Janis' performance at Woodstock was so bad it didn't even make the screen version. Hard to believe Janis could even perform as well as she did with Big Brother and Full Tilt Boogie as she often drank a bottle of Southern Comfort, smoked some weed, and had shot up smack earlier in the day - she was an incredible performer live. I saw her in person several times at the California Hall, Avalon, Fillmore, at a Hells Angels party at what became Pepperland in San Rafael. She was a knock out performer who gave her all everytime. If you get a chance get the Monterey Pop CD and watch her and Big Brother steal the show. Peggy hated Big Brother, alot she knew, she said James Gurley was "the bass player." There were several mistakes like that in the book and lots of names mispelled like Country Joe McDonald's.
But as a book about Janis, it will remain a historical document of sorts as Peggy did write about the stuff people want to read especially about bi-sexuality and how lesbians have oral sex. Some of it is exciting, and a little over the top at times, but alway interesting. Janis did do just about everything Peggy said, she was there - up close and personal.

I got interested in Janis a few years ago and wanted to read up on her. I bought this book, along with Love Janis and Sweet Scars of Paradise. Having read all three, this book is the last one I would recommend. Get the other Janis biographies first. If you're like me, you'll find that this book is biased and very critical of Janis as a person. I wanted more and felt there was something lacking with this book.

Well I'm a BIG fan of Janis Joplin and have been for many years. I personally think that she was an amazing women and an important character in rock history. Now I bought Love,Janis and thought that it was pretty good(except for the boring first chapter).Well then I was going to buy Going Down with Janis but a friend told me about this book. Of course I was excited. So I started reading and about half way through I got board. I mean it was not what I expected. It barley talks about Janis and her time at Woodstock, Monterey Pop Festival, or Festival Express. I mean those were HUGE parts of her life. Also I didn't like how the author just lightly got into her life as far as relationships and her childhood.I was angry that the only thing the author found interesting enough to focus the book on mainly was the Drug Use. Now I know that Janis used drugs, but I think that alittle more should have been said about her amazing talent and her wonderful songs and how proud she was of herself that she was doing what she loved instead of "She started the needle again..." I started to get the feeling that the author disliked Janis and when she claimed that she "Loved" her it sounded like a flat out lie. So I'm not saying that the whole book sucked but I think that I'd rather read Going Down with Janis and Scars of Sweet Paradise then reread this. Besides there are not that many pictures in the book and I felt that they so called "Beautiful" text was rushed...But having said that I did appreciate the "Where are they Now?" and the "How we Remember Janis" portions...

The first page tells it: if you like that, read on.
He sets the stage by describing 3 parts of his psyche: the one who wants to love and be loved; the one who rages over mistreatment; and the detached, cool observer. These 3 interplay in the most vibrant revelation of a musician's inner life I've seen, and I've made a living with a guitar. Passionate, vulnerable alternating with macho, and confused alternating with crystal clarity, Mingus puts out his experience like an abstract painter might. it reminded me a bit of the biography of Malcom X and "Manchild in the Promised Land." This is nothing like the simple factual account by Miles Davis in his autobio. Beautiful, ugly, utterly personal, it put me both inside of Mingus and outside of society. It's one of the most touching books ever for this reader.

Those looking for anything like a conventional musical bio should go to "Mingus, a Critical Biography" by Brian Priestley; "Underdog" isn't that at all; it's an artifact of Mingus' peculiar world-view at a particularly hard time in his life.


Was he mentally ill? Well, Mingus, long noted for fits of depression (after finding his first substantial success in the music industry, he nevertheless worked for the post office for a while) and a volcanic temper, channeled it for art: he was probably the first musician ever to release an album with liner notes from his psychoanalyst, and in "Underdog", he recounts checking himself into Bellvue Hospital, in an ill-considered search for "some rest". That, too, yielded him a song, "Hellview of Bellvue/Lock 'em Up", an offer of a lobotomy, and raised the interesting question: if a half-black jazz musician in 1960's America believed that people were out to steal from him and oppress him, was he acutely paranoid, just observant, or both?

Sexually escapist, and scatological? Well, yes, but before feminism, or politcal correctness, and not without pay-back: the man who bragged of trying to bury his misery in [...] and dope never finds them to be a satisfactory release, and after all the orgies, writes a tune called "Half-Mast Inhibition". . .

So, listen to the music first. See the short b&w documentary. If you want bio information or critical analysis, go to the Priestly book. Then put on "Black Saint", "Mingus Am Uh", or "Blues and Roots", and read this.

Genius genius genius, with thriving spellbound ingeniousness, billowed with an ego that would knock the head of anyone who was within eighthundred of his forehead. If you are going to read this book please be prepared to pull your pants off and get wet like a tigress inexorably, repeatedly, being stabbed in the belly by a machette. genius genius genius.......

I was looking for a book on his music. This book belongs in Fantasy. It is a play by play of Mr. Mingus' sex life. I have no desire to research him any further.

To start, this book is not bad enough to turn a reader away from the whole genre. That statement is ridiculous. Charles Mingus is not a writer, the mission of this autobiography is to let the reader know what jazz's roots were. Parts of this biography are on the disturbing side.

In a postive side, the book has a meaning. It stands for all the great jazz players who were brought down by drugs and prostitution. It shows how even Charles Mingus, possible the greatest jazz bass player to ever play, was victim to this. Racism stood in the way of his success. Jazz listeners assume that because a player is currently a hero or jazz giant today, they did not have a wealthy life. Because of this, they set out to earn money on the streets through drugs and sex.

This book is not superbly written, but it allows people to realize what jazz has been through.

I've read this book a handful of times, always interested, intrigued and educated. The author managed to squeeze tons of information, tidbits and facts into a book that appeals to both avid drummers and casual music lovers. Hopefully we'll see more books covering other drummers and styles in the future. A great writer and an excellent book!! It's no surprise that this book won the 2008 Readers Polls for the #1 Educational Book in both Modern Drummer and DRUM! magazines.

I was dissappointed in this product because I felt lead to believe that the transcriptions would be more than little "snippets" of songs. I wanted more transcription.

Great book. Good for teachers and students. Gives good insight into genres of music, and those who made the style theirs. Although there are some drummers who aren't in the book, e.g Jeff Porcaro, the reality is we all have personal tastes and its impossible to put everyone in! Will be a great reference book for all and won't date. Great value for money.

The author covers every popular style from Classic rock to reggae. I also like the fact that he takes a particular drummer and selects a beginner song, an intermediate song and then an advanced song. He also breaks down each rythim specifically which is very helpful.

I am a beginning, self-taught drummer who just does it for fun in my spare time. This is the only drumming book I've ever bought, though I've bought many guitar tab books in the past.

This book focuses on some of the most famous drummers of various genres, and beautifully deconstructs their styles, and even has drum kit layouts. Those blew me away! I don't know if such a thing is a standard for all drum instruction books, but if not, it should be.

Where a typical drum instruction book might be, "Here are some exercises. Do them. Now, do these slightly harder exercises." etc., this book is like, "Here is a famous drummer(Photos, bio, technical drum info). Here are three songs by them. Learn these songs by reading this sheet music and listening along to the CD."

As I read through the book, I realized that my view of drumming was a very narrow perspective: I was initially only interested in the guys I'd heard of: Neil Peart, Buddy Rich, etc. But as I read through the book, the author pulled me into the fascinating stories behind many other awesome drummers, which I would've never given proper homage to, and probably would've missed out on everything they have to offer. For instance, Carter Beauford, of the Dave Matthews band. I was never a DMB fan, but after reading about him in the "Progressive Rock" section, (Or was it the "Jam band" section?) I was intrigued, and found some videos that made me realize there was ONE reason to listen to DMB! The drummer!

I feel that with this book, I've got a very broad perspective on drumming, many choices of new techniques to learn, and it will be a long time before I outgrow this book.

However, if I did, I would like to see more from this author talking about more drummers, and more songs from the drummers presented within.

The CD which comes with this book has tracks which are the drum techniques highlighted from each artist, which you can set on repeat as you practice each of them.

Dunne is a fantastic and fun writer. This collection gets bogged down however. Many of the stories are dated and the updates are not recent. Many of the stories are reprinted in the far superior colleciton, Justice. Still, parts of this book, particularly the Gloria Vanderbilt story, stand out. If you like Dunne, I would start with Justice and move backwards. It is fun to read many of his stories do have something of a timeless quality. I was frustrated with parts of book which seemed dated and dull. Ahh..what do I know. Dunne is still great.

When I picked up Mr. Dunne's novel for my book collection of his amazing works, it was another week of neglecting my duties as a Mother to my starving children. Thank goodness for the microwave! I am a Vanity Fair subscriber and always will be due to Mr. Dunne's genius writing. Mrs. Litras.

It's had been quite some time since I'd picked-up a book I couldn't put down, but this one ended the drought! It made me an instant Dominick Dunne fan and wishing that he'd continue the saga for the Bradley family in future novels. If you have ever been intrigued by the lifestyles of the rich and infamous, or the larger than life experiences of the Kennedy's, then click on the order button and prepare to curl up with this unforgettable story!

I have enjoyed Dominick Dunne's novels (novels in disguise!), but this book has left me wishing I had been a Vanity Fair subscriber. I never realized what I had been missing, although I might have not read anything else in that magazine. I almost didn't order it, because I was disappointed with his previous work-The Way We Lived Then-which was exactly what he said it was, the recollections of a well-known name dropper, all names and not much content. However-this book is wonderful-and probably more so the recollections of a name dropper. Incredible true stories of the rich and famous, and maybe some not so famous, all intensely interesting. A number of the essays involve crime-beginning with his description of the trial of the man who killed his daughter, and including pieces on the Mendez brothers, O.J. Simpson, Claus Von Bulow, and more, told as only an "insider" could. Yet not all of the tales are crime related, so if you're looking for tabloid-style, tell all stories, this probably isn't the book for you. He tells the tales of high society with a touch of class, and I can't imagine that he has made many enemies, and probably remains in good favor with most of the people he has included in these pages. I finished the book wanting to go back and re-read several of my favorite stories, and wishing there was a sequel I could now continue with. Enjoy-I read it in 2 days.

This book is so unique and a must for any Hitchcock movie fan. It gave great info on the movies it covered. I just wish it had "all" of his movies!

A visual delight & work of art! Though I would have liked more text, this would probably have detracted from the book's artistry & visual appeal; as it is, the text that is present is full of quirky facts & fits quite nicely with the images. Very unique & fun book!

When I read a review about this book in the Washington Post, I thought it would make a good present for my son because Hitchcock is one of his favorite directors. My son does not, however, enjoy reading, so I wasn't sure if he would want the book. Much to my pleasure he told me it was one of his favorite Christmas presents he received.

Seven of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous films are brought to life by Kees Moerbeek's complex paper engineering. Each of seven spreads is a large montage of scenes from the film and includes a brief synopsis of the plot. You may also lift a flap and view the scene in which Hitchcock has placed himself in the movie, something he did in almost every film he made. This is a must-have for any Hitchcock fan, and for pop-up collectors as well

I gave my GF this pop-up book for Xmas. She is a big Hitchcock fan. I thought she would be really impressed but she just briefly flipped through and barely raised an eyebrow. The other day I saw it buried under a pile of junk in her room. It's a good idea but not all that interesting to look at.
I had read a glowing review of the book and the techincal genius of the "paper engineers" who constructed it in the Wall St. Journal. While some of the displays are amusing, ultimately, I was not all that impressed and found the report in the WSJ to be exaggerated.
Makes a good coffee table book.

I love this book for the meals it has inspired. With a few exceptions, the proportions are pretty strange in this book. Everything must be tasted and tested for consistency, texture, and flavor.

The photos are gorgeous, and with some tweaking all of the recipes I've tried have been absolutely mind-blowing!

We have tried many recipes from this book, and haven't been pleased with any of them. They turn out OK, but I expected more complex flavors and better textures from Bobby Flay recipes. I know people who have eaten at his restaurant in New York and were very impressed, so obviously he isn't publishing his best recipes. I wouldn't buy another of his cookbooks.

Catch Bobby's show for a month, visit his web site and print a few recipes and you'll have this book already. No need to purchase, nothing new or exciting in here just a few of his vinagrettes, sauces and spiced up main courses. This book was a waste of my money. I had hoped he'd discuss technique and not just cram the book full of recipes I'd already seen him create on the show.

The first cookbook by Chef Bobby Flay. Here is an wonderful book that shows what an excellent Southwestern-style chef he is.

This book contains explanations to some of his ingredients, as well as techniques to use, when using an ingredient, for example, using yellow tomatoes versus red tomatoes. He, also, adds resources where you can find some of his hard-to-find ingredients. This is a definite plus, as a lot of the chiles are hard-to-find in my area, but so worth the effort, because once you assemble the recipe, it is SO delicious! You just can't believe it.

I tried a few of these recipes on my husband, who has a distinct taste that is hard to please, to say the least, and he has loved each recipe I have made from this book. Favorites of ours are the Pan Seared New York Steak with Chipotle Butter, Caesar Salad with Red Chile Croutons and the Peach & Blueberry Cobbler!

In addition to writing cookbooks, Bobby Flay hosts three television shows on the Food Network: "Food Nation with Bobby Flay", "Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay" and "Grillin' and Chillin'".

"Food Nation" is a tour of the United States in the least likely spots, where Bobby Flay explores the cuisine of that area. Spots visited have been the Pennsylvania Dutch country, Kentucky, Nashville and Boston.

"Hot Off the Grill" shows Bobby Flay assemble meals with some volunteers that may be like the more average at-home cook, showing me, how easy these dishes really are to prepare.

"Grillin' and Chillin'" has only been on during barbecue season (that I have noticed), but shows Bobby Flay with Jack McDavid, a real southern cook. Together they barbecue huge spreads all on the grill!

Bobby Flay also has his own line of spice and condiments. A wide assortment from dry rubs, drink mixes, infused oils and spice blends. These are available to purchase at his "Mesa Grill" web site: www.mesagrill.com

Also, he owns and works at two restaurants in New York City: "Mesa Grill" (Southwestern cuisine) and "Bolo" (Contemporary Spanish cuisine).

I thoroughly enjoyed this cookbook and would highly recommend it!

I've been a fan of Bobby Flay's cooking shows on TV for a few years. He makes cooking a way to have fun and socialize while not taking away from the true art of cooking. So, after eyeing this book on the shelves for a few months, my sweet wife ordered it for me online.

This book is a winner! In it you'll find many fresh applications of the wonderful flavors of the southwest. For the most part, the recipes are straightforward and easy to follow. It's amazing how far you can go with just a few basic ingredients (Chile, corn, onion, garlic, etc.) In addition to learning lots of specific recipes, Bobby also gives you a great feeling for how to improvise and come up with your own bold creations. I just cooked my first few recipes from the book (New Mexico BBQ Salmon, chipotle buttered roasted corn), and they came out great!

P.S. As an extra bonus, the book is filled with lots of beautiful color photos of the dishes. It's all very artistic.