Entertainment Books

This book goes over very basic concepts that you should easily be able to find in the manual of your software. Save yourself the money.

I bought this book, even though it seemed a little pricey, and LOVED IT.
I still use the software manuals for technical help, but this book gives me a lot more information about modeling and the business in general that can ever be found in the software manuals.
The readers that advise using the software manuals probably have not read this book. This book is clearly not intended to replace software manuals.

3D Modelling and Texturing book in this Inspired 3D series was more of a book that describes the different modelling processes used in the industry, and pre-visulation method which is important. It gave the basic concepts behind modelling and texturing... but was lacking in tutorials/examples that you can do along with the book to establish a good understanding.

Do not buy this book if you are looking for tutorials or examples on how they achieve the look in production environment. You will find more useful information on the web in tutorials or playing around in Maya yourself.

nothing new here, unless you are a beginner looking for an overview

This book goes through all of the techniques used to create professional models and textures.

The tutorial chapters are advanced enough to keep the experienced users challenged, and the background information is easy enough for students and novices to understand.

There is material in this book I have been looking for, and is not available in any other books out there. This is one book that everyone that is interested in creating 3D graphics should get.

Christopher and Dana Reeves are sadly missed by many! Their stories are inspirational and supportive to a community that needed much more awareness. Chris Reeves did this! Writing his tell all story took courage and strength which he had much of.

These two people will be forever known for what they left in this world along with their children. This book is a must read for anyone, even if you feel at your bottom. It will help show you the way.

Bless them in heaven!

Merna

Pocket of Pearls: A 30-day pocket workbook to start hearing a softer voice inside of you!

This honestly written books gave me goosebumps. The first two chapters are the most riveting.

I thought the book was very well written. It was very easy to read. It showed a lot about the courageous Reeve family and what they had to live through on a daily basis and what contributions they made to persons with disabilities.

In this book, Christopher Reeve recounts the events his life both before and after his accident that left him paralyzed. He takes through the events that led up to him entering into the horse race, his preparations on the day of the race, and the accident itself. He describes his long recuperation in the hospital, where he had to struggle to learn to breathe and most importantly, to look at life differently. He also looks back on his life, tracing the main incidents in his acting career, from teenage amateur roles through starring on the big screen.

Reeve reveals much about his inner feelings during the period of adjustment following his injuries. He tells us how became aware that he would have to start relying on the help of others just to accomplish the bare necessities of life, such as breathing, and how it was the love of friends and family that pulled him through. He touches on varied topics, from near-death experiences to health insurance reform to the relationship between father and son. I gained a lot of respect for Reeve after reading this book-anyone can play a role in the movies, but it takes a real superhero to accomplish all that he did after such a devastating accident.

I absolutely loved this book! I have loved Christopher Reeve since I was a small child. This book made me feel like he was writing to me personally, sharing the intimate details of his life. It made me feel close to my life-long hero and is probably the best book I have ever read. The way he described his love for his wife helped me open up my heart and let myself fall in love again. I recommend this book to anyone who's admired Mr. Reeve or is in need of inspiration.

John D. Rockefeller, Sr. struck gold in oil in the 1870s and, if memory serves, gave $524,890,792.07 to charity during his lifetime. More recently, Paul Newman struck gold in salad dressing and, similarly, has given over $200 million to such causes. This book, among other things, tells us how he was able to do it.

But that isn't the reason I read this book. I didn't read it to learn about the grocery business or about how Newman became a successful entrepreneur. I certainly had no desire to learn how to make salad dressing, and, despite the book's rather glib title, I didn't read it to be entertained. I had simply heard so much, and yet so little, for so long about "Newman's Own" salad dressing, his charitable contributions, and his "Hole in the Wall Gang" camp that I wanted to know more about him and about them. And this book did not disappoint.

For, along with gaining a much broader insight into the grocery business and a much better understanding of how to make salad dressing, I also got to see just how far honesty, integrity, persistence, and a little flamboyance can get you - especially if you have a prominent name and an outstanding product, and your heart is in the right place. And Newman's heart, and that of his partner, A. E. Hotchner, certainly were in the right place, especially when Paul finally relented and agreed to be pictured on every bottle of salad dressing - but only if all profits made from their sale went to charity. From then on, the business which they had started as a lark took on a life of its own and carried them along in its wake.

It is hard to summarize this book since the achievements which it outlines are simply too great. In keeping with its title, it is written in a jocular vein and, for the most part, is written in such a way as to downplay the contributions of the authors. But the good works which they have done, especially with their "Hole in the Wall Gang" camp for desperately ill children and the similar camps which their efforts have inspired, and which they have supported, around the world, speak for themselves. They must be justly proud. They are definitely men for all seasonings. Now go out and buy a bottle or two of "Newman's Own." I did.

The first half of this book is excellent!! The authors may not have intended it, but the first half offers great business advice as it details the amazing story of how Paul Newman was able to get his homemade salad dressing bottled and sold in stores. It's also very funny. Just an amazing story of taking risks, not accepting "no" for an answer and following your vision. The only reason I didn't give this little book five stars is because the second half loses steam. The first half offers all the details of how Newman and Hotchner worked to sell their idea, but once the book shifts to pasta sause and the charity works, it's more an overview but they are not as involved. It's great that they helped that many charities and established the great summer camps for children, but those stories are told factually and not with the humor and insights of the creation of the salad dressing. It's still a very good book and I learned a lot from it. I will also be glad to buy his products because they taste good and they help a lot of people.

'Shameless Exploitation' is actually two books in one - you get the tale of how the 'Newman's Own' started as a germ of an idea in Paul Newman's garage. Newman was legendary back then for commandeering the kitchen of restaurants he would frequent and whipping together his own salad dressings. He and co-founder Hotchner make light of their lack of business knowledge, but it's worth noting that much of their success is based on their innate sense of what is right, for example their unwillingness to compromise on the freshness of their product.

The latter third of the book details the duo's efforts in starting up the 'Hole in the Wall Gang' camps for sick children. The authors are passionate about this endeavour, as well they should be. It's outstanding work they're doing. Newman personally drives these projects, sometimes through the force and magnetism of his personality.

In fact, that's the thing that stands out in the book - this is no 'slap the celebrity name on the bottle' exercise. These two gentlemen are intimately involved in all aspects of the business. There's a comparison in the book to other celebrity food bits good bad - Frank Sinatra's tomato sauce venture is one example. It ran aground in less then two years, an unmitigated disaster. The difference? Sinatra simply loaned out his name and looked to scoop up the profits. By contrast, Newman and Hotchner are in this thing heart and soul. Plus, the product is superlative. That's the only way to get repeat buyers.

As of the book's printing, Newman's Own has donated over $137 million to charity. When they write Paul Newman's epitaph, that first paragraph is going to be a real stemwinder to capture the essence of the man.

This book is a fun light read, about a foray into business by the seat of their pants. This is certainly a sucess story that flies in the face of Strategic Planning.

Newman and Hotchner had great and expensive advise from the traditional gurus of business, and for their own reasons they went the exact opposite way, and it came through in spades.

This is realy refreshing in the business world, a smalltime producer of an innovative and all natural product subverting the traditional modes of business. Years before words like "all natural" and "organic" were in regular use at grocery stores, Paul Newman, of all people, was sneaking in under the radar and getting shelfspace and loyal customers.

Not only is their product good & fun, but in another 'accidental twist' they give one hundred percent of their profits ot charities. 100%! This fact alone was enough to make me read the book, and so many redeeming qualities made it hard to put down.

The book is light and not layden with industry jargon, has a bunch of entertaining anecdotes, cartoon strips, personal letters from customers and children, and a visually pleasing layout. The two are never self congratulatory, in fact they are more apt to poke fun of themselves and be modest..a pleasant aftertaste.

The second half of the book centers around the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps the pair set up for seriously ill children. These camps not only made a huge difference in the life of these campers but set off a series of these camps around the world.

The distance of our reach is far beyond what we ever dreamed.

This book will not disappoint, is fun, and a refreshing tale of business and life on your own terms.

Also recommended for ethical business books:
Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield [Ben & Jerry], Gary Erickson [Clif Bar], Anita Roddick [Body Shop]

Everything I ever needed to know about successful entrepreneurship I learned from SHAMELESS EXPLOITATION. 1) It begins with a creative product, not in the search for a way to make money (sorry, Mr. Sinatra). 2) It begins with a product that fills a hole in a market (in this case, salad dressing made with fresh ingredients, no additives, conspicuously absent from mainstream grocery store shelves back in 1980). 3) Time-honored production and marketing methods can also be time-ragged and not right for your product. 4) Ask questions of everyone you know. 5) Put out a little venture capital and don't overreach (these guys put out $40,000 and lived within those means). 6) Don't compromise the integrity of your product, find ways to accommodate it. 7) There are other ways to publicize the product other than expensive advertising. 8) A movie star's name means nothing; it's all in the product and the hard work that goes into it (sorry, Frank). 9) You have to love and believe in your product. 10) You have to love the process of getting the product out there. 11) If you build it, they will come.

Everything I ever needed to know about pursuing the common good I learned from SHAMELESS EXPLOITATION: 1) Just do it. 2) Invite everyone to participate. 3) Miracles can happen.

Everything you ever needed to know about this book: 1) It's a fast read. 2) It's an honest read. 3) It's an insightful read. 4) It's an inspiring read. 5) The part about the charities served by Newman's own will blow your socks off. 6) The authors are highly entertaining tour guides of their adventure. 7) There are a few recipes to boot. 8) It is refreshingly free of those simplistic aphorisms that plague most business world books.

I picked up "Lessons" on the way to a summer vacation simply because I like memoirs and there it was. I expected nothing more than a white suburban girl makes good story while clawing her way to Hollywood. Instead, you are off on a tour of world religions, meetings with great intellectuals, spirit quests, horrifying abuse, and relentless self examination. To paraphrase Emerson "the examined life makes great reading"! What a wonderful read; so sad when you have to put it down. Here's wishing for a sequel -- and soon.

Ellen Burstyn has always been one of my favorite actresses. Her warmth and sensitivity has always illuminated her performances, and her bravery in tackling difficult material such as Requiem for a Dream has been impressive. This book tells why she is able to let herself go in roles that other actors would soft pedal.

In these times when our culture is focusing on so many lost souls in Hollywood, Ellen Burstyn's book emerges with honesty, insight and lessons for all of us. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her life and how she overcame an extremely unloving and abusive childhood to emerge as a strong and powerful woman and incredible actress. As a 45 year old woman it is people like Ellen Burstyn that inspire me on this journey of life. She is an incredibly wise soul and I am very grateful she shared her life with us in such a frank and open way.

"Thank you" Ellen Burstyn for writing with such honest, open, brave and detail oriented language. I was able to fully visualize every amazing episode of your life. And what a life!!! I'm exhausted from all the incredible experiences you had! I am truly dumbfounded how you survived it all??? You are a wonderful example of "living life to the fullest" and being a teacher/student all thru one's life.

I've always admired your work as an actress. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS, THE EXORCIST and ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE have always been at the top of my "favorite films" list. And your performances in these films are sincere, emotional and real. But, to read about what you were going thru behind the scenes is what makes you a truly unique person and humanitarian.

I believe we learn so much about life thru the art of storytelling. You are a gifted storyteller and by passing on the stories of your life you have enhanced mine with a reawakened "spiritual" curiosity about the mystery/meaning of life. Your willingness to share your thoughts concerning your spiritual journey was life-affirming!

"Thank you" Ellen Burstyn for taking this reader on a journey filled with laughter, pain, strength, determination and a desire to connect with all human-beings/animals that came into your life. Your words moved me and your book will hold an honored place on my shelf of "favorite" biographies!

Down in the basement of my house, there is a room where I store my archives: every script I've ever worked on, photos taken of me and photos I've taken, diaries, journals, appointment books, calendars, and notebooks from all the way back to my beginnings. (p. 3)

So begins the life story of Ellen Burstyn, as told by Ellen Burstyn in free-flowing narrative. The reader is given a glimpse into the most private parts of Burstyn's life, starting with her earliest memories. Burstyn actually began what became this book in 1980. As her opening remarks tell us, she had a lot of documentation with which to work. Just as important as her physical records, though, are those she finds in her "inner archive."

When I need to access a particular emotion for a role, I imagine taking an elevator down to my inner archive, where I quietly flip through the files until some memory rises up and offers itself. Then I move into that event and it comes alive in me. (p. 3)

Burstyn also has a remarkable memory for conversations and many of these find their way into her writing. She claims to have trained her memory--a good trait for an actress and also for a memoirist.

This is a searching, self-introspective account. One might liken it to reading someone's journal or diary, so intimate are the glimpses into her most private experiences. She "speaks" to her audience (her readers), but just as often seems to be addressing herself, questioning a choice she made, second-guessing her reaction to an event, or wondering aloud why some things have been so hard to learn. She gives a great deal of attention to presenting and explaining the various faith beliefs and credos which she encountered and studied throughout her life. She identified herself as a Sufi, a searcher for truth in its purest form. "I learn from all traditions without being restricted to just one way," she says. "Truth has no boundaries." (p. 403) Burstyn has little use for organized religion, whose dogma and rules she finds confining.

Having seen Ellen Burstyn in a wide variety of movie roles, I would have thought she was a confident, secure, strong woman. Now in her seventy-seventh year, she may be strong, but that was not always the case. Becoming herself has been a life-long process, and often a grueling journey.

It would be impossible in a short time to present all of the life issues Burstyn addresses in her memoir. However, there is one which I believe played a huge part in not only who she became, but also how she got there. From her earliest days, she identified truth, or the lack of it, as a major issue with her mother, Coriene. Dishonesty was a huge factor for young Edna Rae Gillooly/Ellen. While demanding absolute honesty from her children, Coriene then perversely demanded that they lie for her. Coriene also lied about them, even denying their existence if it seemed expedient, going so far as to introduce Edna to a gentleman friend as her "neighbor down the street." Coriene thought that acknowledging her children might adversely affect her chances of getting a marriage proposal. Of these practices, Ellen said, "Her deceit did so much harm. It created a negative atmosphere of anger, resentment and hostility that pervaded our home and had abiding repercussions for all of us." (pg. 18)

Indeed, much of Burstyn's searching throughout her life centered on finding truth in many manifestations. She attributes the early and constant honesty issues with her mother as one of the main reasons she chose to be a Sufi.

Burstyn does not glamorize her life. She shares her failures as well as her fame. She is open about the abuses she suffered both as a child and as an adult. On one hand, she knew how destructive it was, but on the other, she couldn't seem to break away from it. It's a continuing theme of her life story. At one point, she acknowledged, "it would take many years before I stopped seeking out the pattern of relating to men that I learned at home...we just keep repeating it because that's what we know." Her relationship with Neil Burstyn caused trauma for years; she actually feared for her life at times. She admitted to being in denial over the severity of his condition.

Another recurrent theme is that of learning from mistakes. Burstyn freely admits to many of hers. She struggled with giving up to men what she perceived rightly as her power, simply because they were men. "We learn from our mistakes" she says. "This was one of mine that I repeated over and over until I got it right. I've heard it said that when you make a mistake and don't learn from it, the next time you have to repeat that lesson, it will be even harder." (p.295) Later she asks "Who knows what mistakes we need to make in order to learn the lessons we came here to learn?" Who among us cannot relate to that? Likewise, she sees the people in her life as teachers. Her mother may have been harsh and unloving, but she gave young Edna the impetus to leave home and make something of herself. A homeless person teaches her how vital it is that we are seen, that we are acknowledged as fellow humans. The book's dedication simply thanks "all my teachers."

Lessons in Becoming Myself is a good read presented by a woman who has finally come to know herself. The pace of the book is steady and she maintains the reader's interest by being so transparent and open. Few of us, I believe, could read this book and not find some commonality with this icon of film and stage.

She ends this account of her life thus far with these words "I know that becoming conscious is a never-ending process. My prayer is that by the actual end of this life, I will exit wearing my own true face and be completely unmasked. Authenticity has been my aspiration." A fitting and yet ironic commentary on the life of a consummate actress, a woman who has worn many masks so successfully in her chosen profession.

by Susan Ideus
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

There are a plethora of typos in the book.There is excessive unneeded cursing throughout the book. The author hates on Gloria Velez and wants the reader to believe that she is the baddest chick from the N.Y.C.. Absolutely NOT! It reads like an urban street lit book, (which in not a fan of). She discusses B-list celebrities; not impressive at all. The book is relatively short. It can be read from cover to cover within a few hours.

SHE GETS STRAIGHT TO THE POINT AND DOES NOT SUGAR COAT ANYTHING. VERY GOOD BOOK

This book wasn't worth my money,or time .The book was not written well at all,no dates of the events.Most of the time she had relations with nobody's.The only good thing that was in the book was the sexual acts.Its not anything special,don't waste your money

Mr.Rothe has lovingly put together the photographs of burlesque stars and forgotten performers that would have appeared in publicity packages, coming attractions posters,lobby cards, and advertisments fifty years ago. Not all of the women are conventionally beautiful, and their costumes would be considered less than risque by current standards. These are women that time and mainstream history have ignored.The exsistence of their images is important: for feminists, for people interested in the history of costume, for modern consumers of sex work, for those that think of Doris Day as being the penultimate 1950's woman. Enjoy this piece of work and contemplate where these lovely ladies are now...

Marvelous collection of vintage photos assembled into a lovely coffee-table book. It's difficult to remember that most of these photos were taken a half century ago because the quality is so spectacular.

Suggested companion reading:
"The Bare Truth" - Len Rothe
"Gypsy" - Gypsy Rose Lee
"Minsky's Burlesque" - Morton Minsky
"My G-String Mother" - Erik Lee Preminger
"This Was Burlesque" - Ann Corio

Interesting look into the mind of one of the most complex Buffy characters. She's not all bad. She wants to do the right thing, she just doesn't always know what it is or how to accomplish it.

The whole thing's written diary-style, a la Louise Rennison's Georgia Nichols books (like "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging"). So it's all from Faith's POV.

Definitely worth a read.

when i heard of this book, i was a little skeptical. i mean, why would faith write a journal? but anyways once i got into it, i couldnt stop reading. the way faith described her boyfriends, mom and "prof" was totally the way Eliza would do it. i highly recommend this book to anyone, and not just buffy fans.

This book was EXCELLENT. It really gave a solid history on Faith and allowed the reader to really understand why she had a dark side. The author really captured her essence. I recommend this book to any Buffy or Angel Fan!

Curious about the last name of our evil slayer? Then you should definitely read this book. The whole book is all about Faith before she came to Sunnydale. It starts out with learning about her drunk mother, the horrible guys she dated, and how she discovers she is a potential slayer.

I just really enjoyed this book because it gives a lot of insight about Faith. You kind of feel and see why she is the way she is. It's written in her point of view and it actually looks like a journal so you kind of feel what she feels.

In the end, if you want to read about Faith and discover things which were left out on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then you should read this book. I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down until I finished it.

I loved this!!!!!!!!! The concept is fantastic and the ideas and depth it gives you into Faith's character is wonderful. It was written by a professional psychologist so there was some study done. It explains so much.... even the tattoo. With it being in first person, journal entry form it may not be everyones favorite type of form to read. But for me it was a great book and I still think about some of the subject matter now six months after I read it. If you are a Faith fan don't pass this up.

Excellent pictures, interesting information. This is a must have for Disney fans of the Haunted Mansion! It even covers Disney's other haunted mansions around the world, and the Haunted Mansion movie. Everything you ever wanted to know!

THis book was great! A ton of information on the ride! I couldnt put it down! It was great.

This book is a must read for ALL ages and ANYONE interested in Disney theme park attractions around the globe. Any Disney fan knows that the Imagineers are very particular about what is revealed to the general public in terms of how they make their Disney 'magic' and I was pleasantly surprised (being an avid Disney fan myself) by the research that went into the making of this book and the amount of knowledge shared with the reader - it DOES in fact reveal some secrets of the mansion and never before seen history of the making of the attraction. (It confirms and dispels some rumors about the attraction once and for all too!) A pattern of discussion is followed throughout the book as you are verbally walked through the mansion's corridors and rooms. Surrell consistently covers the Haunted Mansion in a logical order (Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris) in every chapter. He takes the subject matter full circle by including information about how the attraction was translated to the big screen, and gives the reader insight to how decisions were made pertaining to set design, costume design, and casting for the movie of the same name. If you want an intelligent, thorough and enjoyable read about a classic Disney attraction, and especially an insight to the magic that is Imagineering, this is a MUST READ!

Lots o' great info on both the Ride @ the Disney Theme Parks + the Movie [which I loath - sorry but the Haunted Mansion wasn't meant to be made into a 2 hour episode of the Fresh Prince of Bellaire, mmmkay ?] + the Haunted Mansion Holiday ....

Future editions should drop all reference to the Movie, then spend more time on the Haunted Mansion Holiday [Nightmare Before Christmas Holiday makeover] + recent "changes" that occured in 2006 [I'd make it a 5 star if they did that] ....

If you don't want to read the book, please buy it for the artwork
[best priced Disney Merchandise vs. what you will pay @ the Theme Parks] ....

~(^)~

You buy this book thinking it's a great "behind-the-scenes" resource, but it's not. Yes, there is some background information, but the book skips confusingly from park to park, and offers very little technical information on the special effects. The photos are all standard Disney promotional stuff...this book tells you what Disney wants you to know, and nothing else.

Go to doombuggies.com for a much better treatment of this classic ride.