Entertainment Books

Awesome illustrations, digital and traditional. A very good book with detailed artwork done by students of Art Center Pasadena Ca. Every page is packed with creative talent applied to many different situations. I would highly recommend this book as well as many others coming out of the Design Studio Press!

"In the Future" is a great follow-up/companion piece to Design Studio Press' previous student publication "The Skillful Huntsman." Where as "Huntsman," followed the process of three students, "Future," documents the work of an entire group of students. There is a wide variety of work and exploration - from pencil/graphite, to markers, experimental media, digital, etc. Many different approaches are shown and this is one of the few places where they are all collected together. The students show a great deal of promise and who knows what they will professionally accomplish in the future.

I bought this book looking for inspiration for my own artistic efforts. What I got was a hodgepodge of scribilled sketches. This book contains VERY FEW COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS. What few there are all use very dark background colors that blend with the subject matter. So much so that it is difficult to distinguish the subject from the background. My one star rating was a generous one.

The book represents the 'journey' of work from the entertainment major at Art Center College of Design. This includes the sketches and initial ideas, through final line drawings as well as finished color renderings. The chapters are broken up into the core classes that the major has to offer with brief descriptions by the teachers.

If you enjoyed the The Skillful Huntsman: Visual Development of a Grimm Tale at Art Center College of Design that was published by Design Studio Press, then I'd consider looking into this book. Although the content has changed, the format will be familiar.

If you're looking for a glimpse at what the major and field of entertainment design have to offer, this is the book for you. Especially for aspiring students in the field (primarily for games and film). I'm still blown away by the breadth and depth of work these students have created.

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I'm not sure what the other reviewer was hoping to find that s/he wasn't satisfied with, but there are plenty of color illustrations in this book...

This book sis exactly what it aspires to be, a collection of class exercises by talented students at the Art Center in Pasadena. The artwork and layout are competent and anybody looking for a benchmark or an achievable target for their own artwork and technique could benefit form this "syllabus". But it does lack a measure of originality as one work looks pretty much like the next and the themes that give origin to the pieces are somewhat pretentious. It is a reflection of a school were undoubtedly students feed of each other's creativity and try to meet a look which is standard in the industry. The results are professional but cookie-cutter in the best of cases. Some works are a little undeveloped but may give a glimpse into the diversity of talents in a single group of students. I would use this book as a first approach or a teaching tool but not as something I want to get attached to.

I've read this book twice and was touched both times by the love Johnny Cash expressed for Vivian. What a lady to hold her head high, raise her children despite the enormous heatbreak she experienced. Its amazing that people can't seem to get past the Johnny and June story long enough to realize he already had a "true love" , children and marriage. I don't see how anyone could ever condemn Vivian. My heart broke for her throughout the book. She's in heaven now and God bless her family.

I really enjoyed this book. You learn alot about Vivian Cash and her life with Johnny before June. Although I thought there were alot of letters (I only read up until 1953, until I got frustrated. I wanted to learn about there time together and not just all the letters Johnny wrote.) The letters were very insighting and you could really tell how much Johnny loved Vivian. I also thought it was pretty incredible how Vivian kept all those letters for so long.

this is an excellant insight into how Johnny felt about Vivian before June came into the picture and disregarded the Cash's marriage and children.

I loved the book!! I've always had questions about dear little June Carter and this book answered them all. Poor Vivian and all she went through!! Bless her heart. Drugs and Booze be damned. I hate a man who cheats on his woman.

This book isn't really an autobiography like I thought it would be. Lots and lots of letters from Johnny to his first wife Vivian. It's pretty nice, but there was too much. I would have liked to hear more from Vivian.

I have to say Vivian was absolutely gorgeous. She was very stunning more so then June was. A Fox. But that's the only compliment I can have on this book.

For one thing Vivian really goes at it when it comes to June. June got Johnny on drugs. June seduced Johnny. June stole Johnny from her. June was the devil. June didn't write Ring Of Fire. In which none of these accusations I find true. It makes you wonder...why did she not write this book when June and Johnny were alive? Because she might have gotten sued for defamation? The dead have no rights as we know. This is me just wondering here.

I think she should place some of that rage, blame and hate she threw towards June and aim some of it at Johnny. She doesn't beat him up not nearly as much as she did with June. He was the one who cheated on her. He broke the family up. You can't place blame entirely on June. Granted cheating awful. June was far from an angel. Sleeping with married men is just wrong. I can see why Vivian was so angry but I refuse to believe that a strong willed minded man as Johnny Cash was seduced by some woman. Not to mention got into drugs because of her, "gave her" a song he supposely wrote and every negative thing he did was because of his mistress. I do understand the frustrations Vivian must have gone through. Having your man cheat on you with some other woman must have felt terrible for her and her children, but don't place the blame all on the woman. The man needs to go down on the dirt in blame too. It would have been nice seeing her curse out Johnny Cash too. I really don't believe much of what Vivian said about the situation with June, but that is just my opinion. She's blinded by rage and rightfully so. Her take on Ring Of Fire and who really wrote it made me feel sorry for her. I doubt Johnny felt so bad to have to give June the song to "help" her out finacially. June only came from the first family of Country. I know she couldn't have been "needy" and by all accounts of people who knew Johnny, they all said June wrote it. Not to mention everytime Johnny was on stage he gave June credit for the song. A man who is so much about truth, why would he lie about something like that? Also by all accounts of people who knew Johnny, it was Johnny who was running after June all the time. Not the other way around.

So anyway, read the book and come up with your own conclusions. It nice to read Johnny's letters but I would like to have seen the book as an autobiography more so then so many letters. The pictures inside the book is stunning. Also Vivian has passed away which is sad. Would have been nice to see her promote this book and explain more.

Other books of this genre you should read is Wonderful Tonight by Patti Boyd and Storms by Carol Ann Harris.

This is an excellent book with lots of interviews with Les Paul and others who were part of the development of the Les Paul guitar through the early years. The photography is excellent with photos of significant Les Paul guitars. It is a beautiful book with lots of inside scoop for the Les Paul aficionado.

I really wish it were possible to review products at Amazon without assigning a rating, because pinning a number of stars on The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy: 1915-1963 is no easy task.

It must be said right off the bat that the book is a veritable treasure trove for fans of Les Paul and the famous solidbody guitar that bears his name. The images alone are worth the price of admission, and the author brings a unique perspective to the book that's deeply appreciated. The book is extremely well-written; there's no denying it.

Unfortunately, though, it's extremely poorly edited. I searched for an editor to blame -- it's hard to fault Robb Lawrence, because even the best of writers need an editor -- but I could find no such credit. As a result, newer fans will often find themselves lost in the course of reading the text. Sometimes lesser-known information is presented matter-of-factly on one page, only to be explained sufficiently four pages (or two chapters) later, as if it were being introduced for the first time. It's as if Lawrence wrote the book in chronological order, then someone else cut-and-pasted paragraphs into chapters by subject, without ever going back to tidy up the text.

Honestly, though, that's the only blemish on an otherwise brilliant and one-of-a-kind book. None of the other texts on Les or the Les Paul model guitar come close. The layouts are unparalleled, the images are simply breathtaking, and the personal anecdotes are priceless.

Seriously, though, Robb? If you're reading this, please find an editor before releasing the second volume! The quality of work you're putting into this project deserves that last 5% of polish.

Anything written on the grand master of the guitar is worth reading. This book has plenty of pictures and interesting history on Les. I'd recommend it if your a fan of Les Paul or of the guitar that bears his name.

A long awaited insightful look into the legend and his famous axe. I have several books on vintage guitars, as well as ones specifically on the Les Paul. This one is my favorite. I think this is a great book full of tons of facts and an enourmous amount of eye candy. This is the type of book I keep around close and look at again and again.
A great job done, and I cannot wait for part two!!

This is the definitive must have book for any Les Paul fan. Thoughtfully written and well researched, this book has it all. Information about the man, the history and the guitars. Tons of photos, facts, trivia and details. Do not pass this one by! Great job Robb!!!

I play decent piano, but not a virtioso. My challenge has always been finding music that (1) reasonable to play (2) balances accompanyment with melody--too much melody is generally too simple and too much accompaniment doesn't reflect the song. So this book was perfect in both regards.

The music for Enchanted is as fun to play as it is fun to hear. The arrangements are pretty standard and adequate enough for those in various levels. I was hoping for more variation in the arrangement for "That's How You Know" because of how each verse (as heard on the soundtrack) has a different sound and instrumentation to them. But instead we get bars and bars of the same notes, which I guess is easier to memorize. And the "True Love's Kiss" arrangement is shortened by excluding the fanfare beginning and starts with "When you meet the someone", and also excludes the Prince Edward (James Marsden) part of the song as heard on the soundtrack. These gripes are minor and could be solved with a trained ear. Other than that this book is a must-have for Disney and musical fans alike.

An excelllent bio, although Lost in the WOods is more deep. Madcap is pretty light, with the interview with Syd at his home not copping to much

The revised edition talks about Syd's funeral and the news on Syd in recent years (that he might've gone to visit Abbey Road, that Roger Waters stopped the Crazy Diamond film being made, although a script was done for it; that Syd befriended the late Bernard White)

Read the book and play the Have You Got It Yet cds and you'll be set!

Even though I am just starting to listen to the music of Pink Floyd, that does not mean I am not interested in reading about their work and its creators. Before Roger Waters and David Gilmore became celebrated members of Pink Floyd, there was Syd Barrett--the creative genius who was one of the band's founders. This short, yet concise biography paints a picture of Syd during both his early years and part of his reclusive era. Syd Barrett (born Roger Keith Barrett) was a painter, songwriter, and musician. He was admired by many for his creative genius and good looks. In 1968, Syd left Pink Floyd and embarked upon his solo projects. Many would say that he became burnt out from all the fame and pressure from his musical career. In the early 70's Syd became a recluse and started to express himself more through his paintings. His appearance changed over the next few years as many of his fans (and former bandmates) did not recognize him. It did not take long for a lot of people to notice that Syd had completely changed; he seemed to want to hide from the rest of the world. The book also includes quoted interviews from those who worked with Syd and knew him on a personal basis; interviews are always a bonus! "Syd Barrett: Crazy Diamond" gives an inside view of the life and times of one of Pink Floyd's most gifted musicians.

This is a very well researched and written book with many fascinating details about Syd's life. We are lucky to have it, as Syd is not exactly George Washington, inspiring biography after three part biography.

Also, much is not known about Syd. If you are interested in learning more about him, I highly recommend this readable and insightful work. But there will always be much that we will not know about this fascinating artist... this book is a good place to start.

i was so excited to read this book as i adore the gorgeous syd.but this book was a big disappointment.

If you like Pink Floyd's music, after read this book you are going to love it and you are going to understand lots of things about lyrics. Thanks Syd, wherever you are now!

An interesting "entertainment" from Greene. The Ministry of Fear is a (sort-of) thriller, memorably set during the Blitz. The protagonist, a tortured and guilty man named Arthur Rowe, haunts the charred London landscape, the half-buildings and surreal remains somehow jibing perfectly with his own skewed perceptions. In a Hitchcockian turn, the doings of Rowe's casual day turn sinister and inexplicable as he stumbles onto a nest of German spies. The now typical formula of "wrong man" episodes and interactions gets a particularly complicated spin in this prototype of the form, mainly due to Rowe's already compromised sensibilities. Everything is suspect, even Rowe's own identity, and solving the mystery will also mean putting his memory and sense of self back together.

As conventional thrillers go, the novel is fairly un-gripping and tame. Many of its confrontations were pretty pat and familiar at the time, I think. But the real strength of the book comes from its piecemeal, often bizarre characterization, and from the reader's having to constantly assess the possibly delusional information being processed by Rowe. I got the sense of two or even more stories playing out simultaneously--occupying the same space, so to speak--and of having the advantage of Rowe in seeing the potential danger before he does. The easy term for that is dramatic irony, and it's the kind of feeling most often evoked by the best horror fiction (like Dracula, for instance). That's suitable, since The Ministry of Fear is nothing if not vaguely nightmarish.

Whether or not the book could be called "quintessential noir" or not depends on your understanding of this many-nuanced term. To me noir is more cynical and fatalistic in its outlook than this. I was most reminded of the sort of noir Hitchcock practiced in his thrillers, where the details of the spies and their villainy were far less important than establishing mood and effect. The mood here is of the silent horror film: unreal but weird, and disturbingly detached from the normal.

Arthur Rowe, a retired journalist, is the unlikely winner of a cake, the weight of which he correctly guessed during a charity fête patronized by The Free Mothers. For Rowe, the fête should have been an innocent trip back to childhood and innocence, a welcome chance to escape the terror of the Blitz and to forget twenty years of his past as a murderer. Instead he becomes a haunted man because he possesses a cake which was destined for somebody else. It turns out that the cake contains some poison - hyoscine - which nearly kills an innocent man called Poole. Then Rowe is involved in a séance with Mrs Bellairs, a fortune teller, and several other people during which a man called Cost is killed with Rowe's own knife. He manages to escape with the help of Willi Hilfe, an Austrian refugee. Next Rowe is accosted by a man called Fullove who specialises in eighteenth century landscape gardening books and who asks Rowe to help him carry his heavy suitcase to the Regal Court and to leave it there in the room of a certain Travers. A page guides Rowe to Mr Travers's room where Anna, Willi Hilfe's sister, is waiting. Soon after that, Rowe and Anna open the suitcase which contains no books but a bomb which goes off...
At this stage - the middle of the novel - the plot does not seem to make much sense but in the second part Mr Greene carefully assembles the pieces of the jigsaw so that by the end of the narrative the reader has a clear picture of the mystery. Reading the novel one realizes that war is like a bad dream in which familiar people appear in terrible and unlikely disguises and that nobody is to be trusted. That is the Ministry of Fear, the general atmosphere spread by the enemy so that one can't depend on a single soul. And then there is that other Ministry of Fear to which all who love belong since if one loves, one fears at the same time.

Arthur Rowe is a graying middle-aged man who visits a parish carnival. He tries the fortune teller and unknowingly mentions a coded question. He is told to guess the weight of the cake raffle as "four pounds eight and a half ounces"! Rowe won this prize, but there was some question about it. Back at his apartment he has a piece of cake. Then a bomb falls and destroys his apartment (war time London). The new tenant went to the hospital. Rowe goes to a Private Inquirer to find out about this new tenant, and why he put a drug in Rowe's tea. Next Rowe goes to track down the fortune teller, and visits the lobbying group called the "Free Mothers". Hilfe takes him to a seance where somebody is stabbed. Rowe makes his escape before the police arrive. [This is followed by pages of reminiscing about Rowe's boyhood. It pads the story, and displays Greene's literary prowess. A film would cut it all out to simplify the story.] Pages tell of life in wartime London under the bombs.

The story continues with an undercover operative fooling Rowe into taking a suitcase to a hotel room. ["No good deed ever goes unpunished."] Johns explains the "Ministry of Fear" as the method of gathering dirt on important people then threatening them with exposure if they don't cooperate. [SOP for the Secret Services.] Could a witness disappear into a private asylum (Book Two)? Rowe manages to escape from the asylum, and goes to the police. His information matches what is known. The police raid the private asylum and find 3 dead men. They cannot find the spool of microfilm with the secret papers. They find the buttons and shoes from Jones, the private inquirer, but nothing else. Its easy to get rid of a body in war time. It all ends well: the secret microfilm is recovered, and Arthur is happy.

What could Green have been thinking? The drama about a secret spy ring is masked by the psychological musings of Arthur. The much better "The Third Man" is an improved version of this story, all the dull parts were omitted. Was this written for domestic propaganda? Greene worked for British Intelligence during the war, he could have written a better story.

Arthur Rowe, an inhabitant of wartime London during the Blitz with a terrible secret, visits a fair one day on a lark, setting in motion a chain of events that will thrust him into a shadowy world where nobody, not even oneself, is quite what they seem. Graham Greene is an extraordinary writer, painting fully developed characters with great economy of language. He is also a master of atmosphere; I have rarely encountered an author who so skillfully develops an ambiance of fear, paranoia, and regret. This black mood and a dearth of exciting action set pieces may be the reason some reviewers question this novel's status as a thriller, but I was enthralled by the quiet dread that makes our hero's fate so uncertain. The brilliant conclusion infuses a superficially happy ending with a strong dose of tragedy.

This was my first (and possibly last) reading of a Graham Greene novel. I wanted to read one of Greene's novels to get a sense for the origin of the modern espionage genre. I chose his first "spy" novel (taking my cue from LeCarre) to avoid the overload of anti-americanism for which Greene is known. The novel met these two expectations, but did not rise to the level of significant literature.

The Ministry of Fear is structured in four sections that trace the develop of the protagonist, Arthur Rowe, as he confronts the irrationalities of bombardment and espionage in wartime Britain. I was pleased with with the intensely Kafkaesque style of the first section, The Unhappy Man, in which Rowe's world-view and psyche both fall apart. Unfortunately, Greene could not maintain this approach. The later sections become successively shorter and more mundane as Greene leans on disappointing and conventional plot devices. The Happy Man posits a fantastic form of amnesia in which Rowe remembers only an (inexplicably) idyllic childhood. Bits and Pieces skips through several scenes which instruct Rowe overnight to be a practical secret agent. Finally, in The Whole Man, the feckless Rowe supplants the true spy, Hilfe, and adopts the existential callousness that is the meaning of the book's title.

It's hard to imagine that The Ministry of Fear was ever thought to be a "thriller." What it offers a modern reader is a curious look into the attitudes of British liberals during WWII. There is no sense of anything evil about Nazism - or of any preference for Western values. I was chilled by the overt claims of moral equivalence. On the other hand, the story development depends heavily on an assumption that euthanasia is morally repugnant. Clearly, liberal values in 1942-3 were still not fully deconstructed.

Normandy, Marsha and St. James, Joseph. "The Handjob Handbook: A Work of Non-Friction" with illustrations by Arlene Schunk, Simon Spotlight Books, 2008.

There is a Book for Everything

Amos Lassen

I always thought that handjobs were kind of instinctive. Most of us did not have to be taught how to give one,it just happened and I assure you that the only thoughts anyone might have had,
had to do with getting caught in action.
I, however, must give handjobs their due. They satisfy, they are quick and they are fun and practical. A handjob relieves tension and requires no primping or getting ready. However, the handjob has been forced to take a second seat to other sexual activates and Marsha Normandy and James St. Joseph, the authors of this little book, do not feel that is fair. They want handjobs in the place they so rightfully deserve¡at the head of the list of sexual activities. They claim that ¡"if a handjob is worth doing, it's worth doing well¨. The book provides twenty-five different techniques to make self-abuse more satisfying (and by the way, I am sure that the authors do not like the term self-abuse with its negative connotation). The book shows us how to be more creative and achieve more pleasure as we "spank the monkey" and "bleed the lizard". The book, quite naturally, begins with the basic handjob technique and then introduces us to such exercises as "the jiffy pop", "ants climbing up a hill", "the twist off". "taffy pull" and "taint misbehaving" among others. What a blessing it is to know that there are so many ways for a man to get off by himself (and the ways seem quite fun but I have only managed to try eight of them so far).
The book is a lot of fun and it abounds in wit and playful eroticism. Yet there is a danger here. As you read, you want to try it all and I am not that young anymore (but do I wish I were).
"The Handjob Handbook" can take you to new heights in pleasuring yourself. I understand that the book was written for women but so what? We can still learn from it and reap its rewards. Just imagine asking a friend if he would like to ¡§climb the rope¡¨ or ¡§squeeze play¡¨ with you.
We guys know that we are born with a special toy that is fun to see and touch. Some of us are masters at masturbation but there are those that can use some help. There is a talent involved in giving a good handjob and like in music, some have an ear for it and others are tone deaf. That does not mean that there is no hope. Again, like in music, practice makes perfect (or at least a little better anyway). And remember also that a handjob is always convenient and always safe.
If your technique needs work, may I suggest you "boning up" with "The Handjob Handbook". If you already mastered the skill, get a copy for the fun it provides.

I bought this for my boyfriend, a huge Stephen Sondheim fan, who has already read planty about Sondheim's works and life. He could not put this book down. I have not read it myself, but when he can't put a book down, I know I picked out something good!

Secrest has written a book on Sondheim that skims the surface and gives a broad overview. It rarely has insights, however, except a few "anaylses" of the musicals themselves that often border on the ludicrous (such as how many references to S&M there are in his works). There are misspellings of people's names, wrong dates, and some confused plot descriptions as well. But most of all, she seems too polite and distanced from her subject, offering facts but not insight or exploration. I'm not asking for National Enquirer-style dirt, but there is more on the inner-workings and intrigue of such works as "Merrily" in Craig Zadan's "Sondheim & Company," which unfortuantely is out of print, I believe. Furthermore, Secrest is often a confusing writer. She switches pronouns without always making it clear who is now doing the talking, or includes an out-of-context quote without explaining its meaning or context. She also repeats herself in several spots, making me think she revised one segment while forgetting what she had written just a page later or earlier. In short, this book needed an editor, as well as a more probing and insightful author. Most biographies suffer from excessive speculation. This one has just the opposite flaw.

If you want to learn about Sondheim's life in detail, this is the most thorough account. Although there are books that are mostly about his work in which you can also find biographical information, this is the first and (thus far) only biography. That's the only reason why I'm giving three stars to this generally shoddy book.

What's wrong? First, there is an astounding number of factual errors.

In addition to the outright errors, Secrest also makes many misleading, imprecise, or incomplete statements. Loose ends and chronological confusions abound.

Some of the people Secrest quotes also make statements that are factually incorrect, and neither she nor her editors (who must take a good share of the blame) caught these mistakes. All of this suggests that she knows little about musical theatre in general or Sondheim's work in particular. She actually gets major plot details of Sondheim's shows wrong. Unbelievable.

There are also numerous places where she makes statements that contradict what she writes elsewhere.

All these problems seriously call into question how much of the material here that isn't public knowledge can be trusted. You end up wondering how someone who is so clearly unqualified persuaded the people at Knopf to give her this assignment, much less how she got Sondheim to cooperate. She must talk well, but she certainly doesn't write well.

Which brings us to the final problem: She isn't a very good writer.

Still, if you want a Sondheim bio, this is it. Since Secrest had access to Sondheim and to many of his friends and associates, I'm sure that some of what she writes is accurate. But if you read this, you should just realize that a good deal of what is here is unquestionably wrong.

Meryle Secrest presents a balanced, authoritative, comprehensive view of Sondheim. Secrest does "get" Sondheim: the man, the composer, the lyricist. She also "gets" his musicals, both as chronicler and as listener. Virtually all Sondheim screenplays, plays, musicals, and individual songs are intelligently discussed. Extensive and intimate interviews with Sondheim provide the basis, but alternative outlooks from his principle collaborators, associates, friends, and enemies also appear. (Insights of his peers are not present since Sondheim has no peers.) The book carries an inside, but not reverent feel. Sondheim's troubled relationship with his mother leading to extensive therapy, his difficulty in coming to grips with his homosexuality, and his periods of self doubt and perceived failure are sensitively covered. Secrest does not hesitate to call attention to perceived shortcomings, but her undisguised love and admiration for her subject continually shine through. The book is geared toward an audience with a serious interest in Broadway musicals with emphasis on beauty and meaning in lyrics. Secrest does footnote her interviews and references meticulously, but I would also have enjoyed a discography and a listing of his songs by musical as elements of an appendix. I especially enjoyed the insight on Leonard Bernstein.

The prospective purchaser of "Stephen Sondheim: A Life" is likely to be misled by this remark: "people seem to be missing the point--this isn't a critical biography, but a personal one". In fact, until she undertook to write it, the author of this book had no personal or professional relationship with its subject whatsoever. It is a thing anyone sufficiently motivated could throw together, and I can't in good conscience recommend it. I can and do recommend Craig Zadan's "Sondheim & Company", and for those interested in musical theatre in general, Richard Rodgers's "Musical Stages" and Alan Jay Lerner's "The Street Where I Live".