Book Description

D.J. Taylor introduces the reader to comedy duo Ted King and Arthur Upward, who were for a brief period in the late 1970s, the best-loved comedians on British television. Ten million people watched the Upward & King Show every week and they rubbed shoulders with the stars for a few years – until the TV company pulled the plug. Twenty years later and prompted by a documentary being made about the famous partnership, Ted looks back on his years in the spotlight, always haunted by the fog-bound surroundings of his early life on the Norfolk coast. Taylor’s vivid evocation of post-war English life ranges in time and place from rainswept Norfolk seafronts in the 50s, to 60s Soho clubland, from bombs exploding in Cyprus to Oswald Mosley’s Daimler coursing through the East End. ... Read more

Book Description

I've learned never to let momentary fear stand in my way. There are no excuses. I've learned that power is sexy. So is confidence in yourself.

Reviews (3)

left me cold
People who endured bad childhoods tend to either make the mistake of thinking that NOBODY in the world had it as bad as they did or they make the mistake of thinking that EVERYBODY is just as messed up as they are. Ms. Darbo takes the second road and it got really very tiresome. I've given this book away twice and got it back both times.

kiddo keeps scarfing it
I read this book because I a long time viewer of Days of our Lives, but haven't had the time to watch recently. Any large woman who gets popular is somebody I want to read about. After reading the trial of a woman who is large, but paid her dues I felt refreshed. This book is funny, with advice. It may not be advice you could use, but its there, with the message of "large woman like sex too."

Then when I tiredly decided to have a yard sale to get rid of my stuff, this book was on the "go" stack. Until that is my 17 year old saw it, grabbed it and hid it in her room.

I Loved This Book!
"365 Glorious Nights of Love and Romance" is inspiring and touching, but also humorous, sexy and a lot of FUN! I highly recommend it. As someone who has dealt with weight issues my whole life-I could identify with so much of what Patrika Darbo was saying. It made me realize you can't just sit back and let life pass you by. You've got to get out there and make the most of everyday-no matter what your size!
I also love that it is written so that it feels like Patrika is talking directly to you. It was EXCELLENT! You SHOULD read this book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great (Censored) Holiday Gift!
This book is so much fun. It's a perfect gift idea for those diehard Ozzie-ites on your gift list, especially those under 18. The book contains no new revelations and nothing the media has not bombarded us with already, but it's all in one fun package. It captures much of the essence of the show, and in a fast, (bleep) format that's sure to please all of the Osbournes' bleeping fans. A must-have! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An Outstanding Book, His Views, His Belief
A very interesting book, could not stop reading untill it was finished.His Views, and His Belief, was main part of the book that held my intrest.His TV show "Hot Seat"was always very good, and if you did not believe in his theory, well you either was disconnected or thrown off the show.

The Father of Combat TV shows his softer side.
After leaving the funeral of Wally George in Garden Grove, CA, I was given a copy of his autobiography."How interesting could it be?", I thought.But as I skimmed through the pages, I found myself immersed by the tale, in Wally's own words, of a man who, while combative in front of the camera, was one of soft-heartedness and dedication to family and faith.While he boasts of his accomplishments, he expresses his deepest hurts with narrative clarity.He tells of his combats, and friendships, with past guests on his show "Hot Seat".He holds nothing back about his political views.His solid Christian faith weaves its way through the text.His love for his children is penned with emotion.From the pride in his son Kerry to his joy with daughter Holly, and the hole left in his heart by his broken relationship with oldest daughter, Rebecca De Mornay.

I can't believe I would recommend this as a read, but I highly do.And don't be surprised if your eyes become a bit watery here and there.

Well written book!!
I like how this book was written.Wally George is a very good person in general.His life is a very unique and interesting one.If you want to know more about him, get this book!

The Rantings of Insanity or Genius: I Don't Know Which
If you want to know the true story of Wally George's life, this is not the book for you.If, however, you want to learn how to make up a great story about your life when it comes time to write your own autobiography, buy this book immediately.There is no way this book is factually accurate.It is full of contraditions and impossible senarios, most of which are totally hilarious.Like the time 10-year-old Wally rode in a parade with Nixon during the 1952 presidential election.You do the math on that one.Wally would've been in his early 20s.His stories about his hatred of his mother and how he's been living off lawsuits for the past decade are also great.The book is also full of lots of great photos.I don't think you even need to know who Wally George is to enjoy this book, although he does claim to have "millions of fans all over the world."

Original
Wally is an original, and he HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR that those critical of him seem to lack. And the one star reviews below might actually be helpful, except it is pretty obvious that those reviewersDID NOT READ THE BOOK. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A man with a full and unusual life
I did not know a great deal about the author until I read his book. I knew he had been JFK's press secretary, but that was about it. Pierre Salinger never set out to be a press secretary, serving in World War II, then becoming a journalist along the way.
Salinger's interesting experiences on the Senate investigation of the Teamsters, and his later involvement with the Kennedys is very interesting, as are the anecdotes he provides about the days of the Kennedy administration. Following those years, he expands again into other ventures, even more surprising, leaving him with a life closer to Forrest Gump than many will ever have.
For information on the inner workings of the JFK campaign and White House, this book is invaluable, but is unfortunately too short. The book itself is not long, and can be read by a persistent reader in no time. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Awful
This is a terrible portrayal of a Rosie. It is sad that society looks at her this way just because she is trying to be who she really is. I would like to see half the people in America try out her shoes. I don't think they would be able to deal with the pressures that she has been through. Rosie has had many difficulties and for the authors of this book to produce this awful piece of work is utterly disgusting.

typical upsett right wingers
This book says that Rosie O'Donnell conned America because she pretended to be the Queen of nice, which is pretty stupid to say because number one if you read Rosie O'Donnell's book she says that some magazine called her the queen of nice and when she read it she was thinking "what in the world are they talking about", she herself never claimed to be the "queen of nice". Number two Rosie O'Donnell's JOB was being a talk show host, it was just a job, not her life, a person is going to act how they are expected to act at their job because that is what they get paid for, and it was Rosie O'Donell's job to have the "queen of nice" attitude, it was a G-rated early morning talk show! How a person acts at their job is not generally how they act in person.
This book is also saying she conned America by coming out as a lesbian. They say she pretended to lust after om Cruise on the show, now Rosie O'Donnell commented on this during an interview, she said that she thinks Tom Cruise is a beautiful man and that has nothing to do with her sexuality.
This book is a pure example of bigotry. A person should be praised for being brave enough to "come out" not condemned.
I recommend that people read FIND ME, by Rosie O'Donnell if they want the real "truth".

Finally! A Book About the REAL Rosie!
This book is hardly a work of journalism, but it's the first and only book to tell the real truth about Rosie O'Donnell. Think she's "the queen of nice"? Think she's all about helping people? Think she really cares about kids more than her own image? This book answers the questions truthfully, without Rosie's spin. This is a vile and utterly phony human being, and although this book is gossipy and poorly-written, it's entertaining and revelatory about this disgusting con woman. ... Read more

Book Description

Chronicles the individual performances of 1,739 actresses from 1948 to 1989. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

A lively, candid, involving tell-all
Wonderfully written by Trustin Howard (an accomplished television script writer and a close friend of celebrated game show host Regis Philbin), My Life With Regis And Joey And Practically Everyone Else is a insider's revelation offer the reader an informed and informative look inside the world of the backstage world of Hollywood stars. My Life With Regis And Joey is packed from cover to cover with memorable moments, tips for young writers and stand-up comics, unforgettable glimpses of celebrity life, and so much more. A lively, candid, involving tell-all, My Life With Regis And Joey is enthusiastically recommended for anyone who remembers those glory days of broadcast television before the onset of cable, satellite, VCRs, and TIVOs. ... Read more

Book Description

The only authorized, insider book on the history of broadcasting, by Richard Salant, former head of CBS News and the "patron saint" of broadcast journalism.

Salant, CBS, and the Battle for the Soul of Broadcast Journalism tells the story of CBS News during its golden era. The late Richard S. Salant was president of CBS News for sixteen years throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He became widely recognized by journalists as the "patron saint of television news." During his tenure, Salant confronted issues of enormous importance-Vietnam, the civil rights movement, and Watergate-and launched the first thirty-minute Evening News, CBS Morning News, and 60 Minutes. Along the way, he hired Mike Wallace, Roger Mudd, Dan Rather, and Diane Sawyer.

This first-person account, compiled and edited by Susan and Bill Buzenberg during the years since Salant's death in 1993, is an important part of the history of broadcast journalism, an inside story of the politicians and journalists who shaped our recent history, and an eloquent alarm about the current erosion of broadcast journalism standards. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Lasting lessons from a journalism great
This collection of the late Richard Salant's letters and memoirs shows that the former CBS News president -- with his strong sense of justice, fairness and intelligence -- deserves to be just as much a legend to the public as the men and women who worked for him.

Throughout the Vietnam and Watergate era of the 60s and 70s, the lawyer-turned-news executive was credited with standing up for his news people in conflicts with the government and business interests. In this volume of memoirs, organized very well by Susan and Bill Buzenberg, readers also see that he was just as tough with his own staff when it came to issues of balance and accuracy.

Readers will also be intrigued by Salant's explanation of why he approved "60 Minutes" several years after it was proposed; his written battle of wits with Charles Crutchfield, the conservative chief executive of a CBS Television affiliate;
why he didn't like music on CBS news shows; and why he felt himself a stranger in strange lands during his post-CBS years at NBC and the National News Council.

This book will be enjoyed by those interested in the issues behind newsgathering. And even though the business has changed markedly (to many, for the worse) since Salant's days, the Salant memoirs show the intelligence, thought and love of humanity he brought to his work -- qualities that are always needed in the exercise of news judgement.

It's been a quarter century after Dick Salant's left the stage of broadcast journalism. But thanks to this excellent book, his wisdom and intellect can benefit generations of young journalists.

Learning through stories
I had to read this book for a Media Ethics class and I must say that it was one of my favourite books! Salant teaches readers about the workings of a newsroom and the struggle to do what is right with the news through funny annecdotes and interesting stories. Any aspiring journalist MUST read this, and anyone just looking for a good biography would do well to read this. (Actually, EVERYONE should read this as journalism and the media are a strong presence in all our lives, and this is a fun way to learn more about it.)

The story of news as public service
The Buzenbergs have captured the essence of a unique man of principle. Using Salant's voluminous archives, this book is a fascinating trip through an era that established high standards in broadcast journalism. The book raises issues and questions which are at the heart of today's journalism. Household names Cronkite, Rather, Brokaw, Jennings, Sevareid are the characters in the tale of how the premiere broadcast news organization came to be - what and who held it together - and the inside view of a corporation struggling with its identity. The players were giants in a land that has more recently turned into a universe of pygmies. You don't have to be a news junkie to enjoy and learn from this book - you just have to ask yourself: "if I see one more Monica Lewinsky story"...I won't take it anymore! Good reading.

Peter Herford ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A literary masterpiece
The canon of novels, short stories, plays and television appearances left to the world by the late, great Gwyn Thomas are unique in that they perfectly define a country and its people.If you thought that the onlyliterary genius to come out of Wales was Dylan Thomas, then you have anabsolute treat in store for you.

Gwyn Thomas is the ultimate literarycraftsman.Words came easily to him and with just a few well chosensentences he can evoke a mood, a time and a location.His books are likeroller coasters.He takes you to the places he writes about.Hischaracters become real people and, through him, you share their passions. I have absolutely no hesitation at all in recommending this book to peoplewho love books.It is an absolute classic and when you read it you willunderstand why Sir Anthony Hopkins was willing to take a massive pay cut toappear as Gwyn Thomas in the BBC film of the book.

The man was agenius.Buy this book.Read it and tell your friends about it.

Selected Exits is a thoughtful and humorous read.A "must."
Follow the life of this little-known Welsh playwrite from his roots in the coalfields of the Rhonda Valley through a brilliant scholastic career in England.

Also, make a special effort to see the excellent televisionprogram from the BBC based on this book.Anthony Hopkins is at his best asThomas.

This book, and the television production noted above, is a mustfor lovers of literature and humor.These works should have a much wideraudience.

Gwyn Thomas' autobiography is unlike any of it's kind.
Gwyn Thomas' autobiography "A Few Selected Exits" is unlike any other autobiography you have read.A bold statement, but one which is easy proved.A reader need onlydelve into the first few pages, and they will be hooked on the genius of aman unappreciated in his own time.Thomas' autobiography is the only one I have read which is not self serving.He recounts escapades from his life yes, but in such a non-linear way, one gets the impression of sharing a drink with him in a pub.I have never read a book before which will make the reader laugh out loud in a room alone.Thomas skewers pretension at his alma mater Oxford, and takes a honest but affectionate view of the youth he spent in poverty in Wales with equal enthusiasm.. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Fascinating Glimpse into what it's like to be a TV icon
I've admired MH for many years and it was a pleasure to relive some of the shows I've seen her in, but from her point of view. She comes across as a very humble, friendly, and intelligent person you can't help but admire. The writing is crisp and humorous. I especially loved the sections dealing with the really bad movies she made, like Count Yorga and Drums of Africa (which I'm now dying to see) as well as cult shows she was on like Peyton Place, Star Trek, and Hulk. If anything, I would have liked to hear more about what it was like behind the scenes at those shows and how she fleshed out those characters, what it was like to win an Emmy, etc. She has been in so many shows she could probably do another book just on that aspect of her life. The sections about her family were very interesting, too, showing how much she managed to overcome to be where she is now. Hope she writes volume two--apparently her life has changed a lot since 1991 with divorce and several humanitarian awards, etc.

review of "breaking the silence"
This was a wonderful book. It detailed so eloquently the struggle of growing up in an abusive home and overcoming the obstacles placed before a person. Ms. Hartley presented herself in a very human manner and also a person who is not above these struggles herself. It gives a person hope that they too might be able to overcome such difficulties in life. I would recommend this book to professionals as well as survivors. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A VERY FEARLESS BOOK
Grodin is a genius.Couldnt put it down

A SHOW BIZ COMPENDIUM
This is light, fast reading and a fun book. Grodin seldom names names, but he gives many examples of cantankerous behavior within show biz people in tv and the big screen. I now want to read other books he has written. I enjoyed his work in the movies, but never watched him on tv until he went with CBS. His humor fits well with 60 minutes II.

flaccid and boring
I usually like Grodin on TV and elsewhere. I have not read any of his other books so I have no basis for comparison there.
But...this book SUCKS! So boring. The jacket promises all sorts of "hard-hitting" and shocking revelations but the book is mainly comprised of Grodin's musings and mental meanderings. He goes to great pains to remind us time and again that he is considered "dangerous" by producers and network honchos, that everyone holds their breath when Grodin speaks because you never know what kind of politically incorrect, terrible truth he's going to utter. However, we all know that Grodin is a moderately talented, generally pleasant, relatively intelligent and articulate, and above all NICE guy. And this book does nothing to dispel that notion. He simply recounts a few anecdotes from his career and otherwise justs jots down his random thoughts. Just read his post-September-11th postscript to see what I mean.
There is just nothing there. No trenchant commentary. No patriotism or anything searching for an answer as to why this happened. Just garbage - "that pile of rubble used to be the Marriott", "there was smoke in the air", a mild jab at Bill O'Reilly that comes out of nowhere and means nothing, I mean, you don't have to buy this book to hear this kind of obvious pablum.
Where in God's name was the editor's critical faculties when he read this .. "the weirdest moment in the Simpson saga came when a defense expert was called and his name was Grodin!". This is page 79. First of all, note the exclamation point! Exclamation points should be used sparingly! And they should be used to underscore information that is truly noteworthy!This little coincidence just isn't really mind-blowing, is it?!!!
But forget the punctuation. Is this little coincidence, which no one else but Charles and his mother noticed, really the weirdest thing for Grodin that happened during that saga? Not the bloody gloves, not Simpson's book "I want to tell you", not Fuhrman's
videotapes or F. Lee Bailey's cross-examination of Fuhrman, not Faye Resnick or Kato or Henry Lee's testimony which was destroyed by the prosecution, none of this was weirder than a witness with the name Grodin? I just mention this because Grodin made his name as a talk-show personality with his show that dealt with the Simpson trial, and the thing that fascinated him the most was that his name matched that of a witness. It's a good thing Charles' last name isn't Smith. He'd walk around in a state of perpetual wonderment and disbelief.
If that isn't enough stupidity for one book, the transcripts of talk show banter featuring Grodin and some unfortunate guest or interviewer are more boring and useless than watching your toenails grow.
Grodin so desperately wants to be "edgy" and "dangerous", but there's nothing in this book to even remotely suggest that he's anything more than an avuncular milquetoast who slapped together this pitiful book in order to make a few house payments.
Stay away from this book. Unless you love every single thing you read, including stop signs and cereal boxes, you will probably hate it.
Here's an appropriate exclamation point for you, Charles. I want my money back!

Interesting Read
I found Mr. Grodin's latest book fairly interesting. I am the opposite of Mr. Grodin politically, but I still enjoy all of his work, and that includes this book.

Disappointing
I'm a Grodin fan, and really enjoyed his previous couple of books. Unfortunately, this one is a big step down. Although he's well known for writing his books in longhand, and usually gives the reader the "feel" of being spoken to, this one seems as if it was phoned in. The sad fact is, the last 8 years of Grodin's life have consisted basically of: got his CNBC show, lost it, got an MSNBC weekend gig, lost it, looked for work for a while, landed at CBS 60 Minutes II. The events that connect all this just really aren't that interesting, and not at all funny. And the occasional transcripts of his talk shows fall really flat on the printed page. Love ya Charlie, but your movie talk of the past was far more entertaining than predictable takes on Imus, Stern, Regis, etc. The book jacket promised something like an unprecedented, revealing look into Grodin's personal life. Must have missed it.
Better luck next time, if indeed a publisher is willing. ... Read more