Book Description
LL didn't always have a diesel body--he chiseled it the old-fashioned way, with hard work and discipline. Here he shares the secrets of his transformation in a uniquely creative, yet no-nonsense regimen--enlivened with humor and sheer force of personality--that will inspire readers to enjoy working out as never before, while building a body they never thought possible. The book offers four levels of fitness, from Bronze to Platinum, including: - a 4-week beginner's program that takes inches off the waist and boosts energy - a 5-week program for intermediates that increases strength while maintaining muscular and cardiovascular endurance - an advanced 9-week program that turns the body into a muscle-building and fat-burning machinge - complete with 6-pack abs and as much energy as LL Cool J - the hardcore 3-week fat-torching program LL used for the "Control Myself" video - a new level in ripped-to-the-bone fitness and sex appeal - a special 4-week "Diamond" program for women seeking to shape up fast for the summer or upcoming event meal plans and recipes that fuel workouts while burning fat with food
Customer Reviews:
Emphasizes Weight Lifting.......2007-08-10
This is a book to help you get into better shape. While the book covers stretching and cardio exercise to varying degrees, it clearly spends most of its exercise routines having the reader lift weights. The book intends to accomplish its goal of getting you into better shape by doing it in phases, with each one having different goals (too lengthy to go into here).
Phase one is the Bronze phase (5 weeks), then the Silver phase (5 weeks), followed by a Gold phase (9 weeks) and finally ends with the Platinum phase (3 weeks), where the goal is to get a body like LL's. An additional phase, the Diamond phase, is included just for the ladies. There's a ton of info in here on just about every fitness topic and I really liked that throughout the book, there are these "rap session" sections where LL interviews experts in the fitness field and current information is shared- this is a big plus. LL fans will also like the LL trivia that is scattered throughout the book.
One of the more interesting and informative fitness books on the market, I liked it. Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff if you have a bad shoulder that keeps you from lifting weights.
Intersting.......2007-08-09
I wasn't sure what to expect when I purchased this book but I was not disappointed, L.L tells a story about a rapper who needs to keep in shape for a tour and that is where the diet and the work out come in.
He takes you step by step into the work out but he starts with your eating habits, he goes into your frig and cabinets "which made me laugh because some of the nasty things he describes have been in my frig a time or two" but that is what I like about his book he lets you know what you eat plays the most important part he doesn't take you straight to the gym.
He breaks down the work out into weeks and before he even takes you to the gym he deals with your eating habits the first week of the workout.
this is a must read and then put into practice book.
Can't wait for the realty show.
PROMISING AT FIRST...THEN LEAVES YOU TIRED AND OVERTRAINED.......2007-07-15
Dear reader,
For the past five years I have been a workout addict. For me it's workout or die. At the age of 14 I was tired of my brother calling me fat, so I took off into the Arizonan desert and ran every day. Since then my success rate of building a fitter body has quadrupled, as I read every fitness article I could get my hands on and was introduced to resistance training. I learned the rules of eating, how to workout and how to maximize recovery. I'm no expert, however, which is why I began buying fitness books from amazon to hear what the experts had to say. I have gained vast knowledge and experience from the high rated books I've purchased but trouble came when I ran into this book. In regards to the rules of working out, LL Cool J's book breaks them all.
At first, like anything else, the results were coming as I followed the program. (NOTE: Any kind of exercise regimen, depending on your level of fitness, in the beginning will give you results due to the body trying to adapt to something new.) The book starts off with good tips on what to eat and drink and basic principles such as: you need to get strong before you can build muscle and so forth. It is a very attractive book with vivid pictures and colorful backgrounds and good picture/descriptions of the exercises and stretches. The workout routines are very affective but then become prolonging. LL states that he doesn't like to workout for more than an hour (NOTE: The body begins burning protein [your muscle] as its energy source after 1 hour of vigorous weight training.)and he likes to get out of the gym in 45 minutes, but the workouts thrown at you, plus the cardio, get you out of there in 1:15 to 1:20 minutes.
Next, to begin with, the muscle groups selected in the workout were placed in an odd order. This is nothing I became upset about until this happened- Monday: Chest and Biceps; Tuesday: Back and Triceps-? Any person with common sense about weight lifting knows that the triceps are complimentary to the chest and the biceps to the back. This mishap caused my biceps and triceps to weaken on Monday and get completely thrashed and over trained on Tuesday. Another thing, I love pushups and bodyweight exercises, and LL incorporates them, except inevitable over training occurs with this book when you lifts weights one day, and then the next day you are doing a cardio circuit that includes pushups (and pushups sets of 30 seconds, for that matter). Bodyweight exercises are not p***y like some people think and still work your muscles.
At this point in the book, I am beat down, my muscles are torn (not literally) and you must understand that I am a person who needs to be in amazing shape. I love to climb buildings do gymnastics and free run. I do martial arts so my fitness has to be superb at all times. Let's just say I can run 8-10 miles at 75% MHR and I don't lose my breath. Anyway, I looked further into the book to see if there were any more workouts I could salvage that wouldn't over train me. I found this- Monday: Chest, Triceps, Back (Note: Back exercises work Biceps too.)and Hamstrings (Note: Can directly or indirectly work Quads.); Tuesday: Quads (Note: May have been worked by Hamstrings exercise on Monday.), Shoulders (Note: Weren't Triceps exercises on Monday? hmmm), Calves, and Abs.- You think that's bad? By the time you get to the featured PLATINUM WORKOUT you are doing this- Sunday: A weight workout is performed in the MORNING of upper body exercises with a 20 min cardio workout attached. EVENING: Consists of another 20 minute cardio workout.- So long to LL's getting out of the gym in 45 minutes.
The book is not a total loss, for you get to learn about LL's past and who his idols are and there is solid nutrition advice. Not to mention, the Abs circuits were very effective and well put. Although, I give this book a rating of 2 for trying so hard to impress consumers with the mega rapper's flashy colors, and pictures, and for failing to provide a workout regimen that follows the rules of recovery.
Thank you.
Good book for the beginning and advanced!.......2007-06-15
**Note**
Unlike some of the reviews here, this has nothing to do with an appreciation, or lack thereof, of his music or acting. It also doesn't have anything to do with his speaking or writing style (everyone has a style, whether it seems more educated, basic, or street... if you don't like his style, move on to another one, but don't deduct points for your own dislikes). It's also not about whether the information is regurgitated from someone else (if it's been repeated and was so important that everyone knows it, there wouldn't be a point to this book and you wouldn't be reading it, now would you?). This book is about the information provided about nutrition and working out.
That said, this book has a great deal of info. Cool J does an excellent job of breaking down the grocery store so that anyone can get the message (example - at the store, remember veggies on the left, meat in the back, milk on the right, don't eat what's in the middle). He includes a very detailed workout plan and includes illustrations for nearly every exercise recommended. He backs up all of his information with approvals and interviews with trained professionals. There is even a detailed section about the necessity of stretching, which isn't included in a lot of fitness guides.
Most complaints about this book have to do with the inclusion of information people already know and about this book starting too slowly. However, the people complaining need to realize that no fitness guide is the end-all complete fitness guide. Most fitness books and guides are made so that you can still adapt their guidelines to your lifestyle. That's part of the reason why they contain so many exercises and routines. If you work out all the time and have already applied his food tips, skip to the silver or gold workout. If you have never worked out before and eat six bags of doritos a day, start your new routine at page one. The information for everyone is in the book.
All that said, I do have a few complaints about the book - 1) the amount included in the platinum workout, 2) the charts, 3) the endpoint, and 4) the gym membership requirement.
1)If a person is to stick with the recommendations straight through the platinum workout, you will have to dedicate a significantly greater amount of time to it, which could possibly lead to a burnout, both physically and mentally. I'm not interested in being as buff as Cool J, and really don't have as much time to "complete" the workout. However, as stated earlier, I can continue with the silver and gold as long as I'd like and still be happy.
2) As far as the charts go... it would be nice to be able to copy or tear out the food charts or workout charts. The way they are written and organized are fairly confusing and make it more difficult to do that.
3) In addition, the workout has an endpoint. So, to me, that tells me that this book is less about a lifestyle change and more about getting results for a certain event. If you want to continue working out, the book is low on a continuation plan.
4) Finally, LL admitted that his best fitness came on the road with a personal trainer (i.e. not in a gym). However, he recommends that a person gets a membership to a gym. There is a lot to be said about the need for motivation from your surroundings. However, a gym membership is not practical for everyone. It would've been nice to have more information about getting pumped up at home, whether it's with a set of barbells and dumbbells in the basement or some other means.
Overall, this book is worth 3.5 stars, but Amazon won't let you give partial stars, and rounding down won't do this book justice... so it gets four stars instead. I'd definitely recommend that this book be on everyone's bookshelf who is interested in fitness - professionals, athletes, and people who are interested in getting fit for the first time. I'm still a bigger fan of the Abs Diet series (as a matter of fact, one of the writers of Platinum Workout is a writer for Men's Health, which is produced by the author of Abs Diet), but this book still contains a lot of great workout routines, recipes, and exercises that I can't wait to try.
Enjoyed the workout... saw results.......2007-06-12
I really enjoyed using this book. The cardio workouts are intense and the supersets get your body going... most of the workouts have you out in of the gym in less than an hour and have built in sufficient rest through out the week. This is not the perfect workout for someone who is skinny and looking to bulk up like LL. This is perfect for someone who is looking to lose some inches off thier waist and looking to build some lean muscle.
All in all, I thought this was a good purchase. The only thing I could have done without is all of the self promotion. My workout didnt really benifit from reading a timeline about all of his career accomplishments.
Average customer rating:
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Out With the Stars: Hollywood Nightlife in the Golden Era
Jim Heimann
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
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Customer Reviews:
A Real Treasure!.......2004-06-27
This is one of those books I can't recommend highly enough if you love old Hollywood or the flamboyant architecture and graphic design of Hollywood in the 20's - 50's. I picked it up on a cut-out table in New York about 10 years ago and have come to appreciate it as one of the best books in my library - in fact it's one of those books that is always getting borrowed from friends who are graphic designers or work at ad agencies looking for inspiration.
Jim Heimann deserves much praise for assembling what is obviously a huge labor of love with lots of great photos and illustrations that you will never see anywhere else - everything from cocktail napkins and matchbooks to beautiful interior photography and paparazzi pics of the stars at play.
Also I'd like to disagree with the review - I actually found the writing in the book to be pretty engaging. It's fairly straightforward and to the point., luckily since there is a lot of history to cover.
Anyway it's an amazing book that I would highly recommend.
Book Description
A glorious new novel from the Pulitzer Prize winner: a big, smart, bawdy tale of love and war, sex and politics, friendship and betrayal—and the allure of the movies. With Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron as her model, Jane Smiley takes us through ten transformative, unforgettable days in the Hollywood hills.
It is the morning after the 2003 Academy Awards. Max—an Oscar-winning writer/director whose fame has waned—and his lover, Elena, luxuriate in bed, still groggy from last night’s red-carpet festivities. They are talking about movies, talking about love, and talking about the war in Iraq, recently begun. But soon their house will be full of guests, and guests like these demand attention. There is Max’s ex-wife, “the legendary Zoe Cunningham,” a dazzling half-Jamaican movie star, with her new lover, the enigmatic healer, Paul (fraudulent? enlightened?). Max’s agent, Stoney, a perhaps too easygoing version of his legendary agent father, can’t stay away, and neither can Zoe and Max’s daughter, Isabel, though she would prefer to maintain her hard-won independence. And of course there is the next-door neighbor, Cassie, who seems to know everyone’s secrets.
As they share their stories of Hollywood past and present, watch films in Max’s opulent screening room, gossip by the swimming pool, and tussle in the many bedrooms, the tension mounts, sparks fly, and Smiley delivers an exquisitely woven, virtuosic work—a Hollywood novel as only she could fashion it, told with bravura, rich with delightful characters, spiced with her signature wit. It is a joyful, sexy, and wondrously insightful pleasure.
Customer Reviews:
thoroughly enjoyed it.......2007-09-04
I picked this book up on impulse, then couldn't put it down for three days.
I loved Smiley's characters. They seem very real to me as they struggle with their problems (yes, they do have problems even though they are well-off Hollywood actors, directors, writers and agents) and try to come to terms with a world that seems to have gone insane (America as it invades Iraq). I found it interesting and refreshing to read about people who are aware, informed and deeply concerned and affected (esp. Elena and Isabel) about what is going on in the world around them.
Finally, there are just so many great stories in this book. It's almost a guilty pleasure because it's full of what almost seems like Hollywood gossip but in a much more interesting format and more well-told than usual. And it manages to be a lot of fun, in spite of the themes of the Iraq war, centuries-old violent conflicts, mother-child relationships and so on.
I don't think this is Jane Smiley's masterpiece, but like all of her books, it's well worth reading!
P.S.Reader comments about the characters being self-centered seem odd. First, since when are characters supposed to be saints in order to be interesting? Second, these characters have more social conscience than most people. Also, am surprised at the readers who didn't finish the book, but felt compelled to review it anyway. Can reviews of something the reviewer didn't really read be taken seriously?
Smiley fan is not smiling.......2007-08-23
I have loved Jane Smiley's fictional writing and was first "hooked" by Duplicate Keys. I read A Thousand Acres: A Novel about a thousand times to enjoy every angle of the relationships. Moostill makes me laugh. Maybe I was not in the right place for this book, but I thought both the sex and the war elements were contrived. The relationships were so buried in the sex and war that I kept taking breaks from the tedium of sorting through it all. I clearly recall my own helplessness in those early days of the war, but I could not relate to these characters whose responses ranged from literal impotence to clandestine news snatching. Anyway, it all leaves me feeling a little sad - these poor characters need lots of help.
Waste of time and money.......2007-07-25
Endless, aimless, pretentious and monotonous. The same badly written sex scene is repeated over and over.
Trying Too Hard to be Hip.......2007-07-11
I have loved Jane Smiley's books, but in this one I feel that she is trying to prove she can write about sex with authority and thereby join the In crowd. How many people did she have to interview to come up with so many graphic descriptions of cocks? I just finished page 200 and I'm checking out.
Ten days with fascinating people.......2007-06-20
thought Ten Days in the Hills is a marvel. The characters are convincing and fascinating. I liked the resonances with The Decameron (I should probably go back and see if the characters actually tell a hundred stories). Placing the novel in the Hollywood Hills and having most of the characters involved with the movie industry is brilliant--and I was struck by the richness of this novel compared with the thinness of virtually all movies. But that, of course, is probably a function of each medium's capabilities.
Book Description
Secrets of a Hollywood Super Madam is a book about my 13 years owning and operating an Escort Empire that serviced the sexual secrets of the rich and famous. I wrote this book to tell my fascinating story and answer the three questions I get asked the most: How did you get started as a Madam? Where did you find the girls? What was it like in prison? I walked the walk, and now I talk the talk . In this book, I tell you my story and my secrets while speaking from my heart. This book is so racy, traditional publishers would not touch it. I could have "cleaned it up" and "been discreet", but I wanted to tell you my whole story and, quite frankly, why shouldn't I? After all, why sugarcoat it? There simply was no "safe way" to write my story. It was gritty, nasty, salacious, sexy, frightening, horrifying, dangerous, deadly, and above all, deliciously decadent. You'll see a lot of famous names in these pages and learn many secrets, and experience the emotional roller coaster ride that was my life-a life full of the risks I took while evading the watchful eye of law enforcement, a life that includes my dark journey through the walls of hell while being placed in the most severe prison in the state of California, a life that will surely convince you not to try this at home. This book is a true testament of my life, my secrets and my ability to survive.
Customer Reviews:
very interesting!!.......2007-10-01
really enjoyed reading about the life of a madame. told in detail what these men requested for their dates(and believe me... they were upfront with that!) the names of people involved were interesting also...yes names you will recognize. hope she writes super madame II. one of those guilty entertaining reads. couldnt put it down until i was finished.
Need to edit the book first before sending it to publish.......2007-09-07
The book contains plenty of juicy bits on the sexual habits of those famous Hollywood celebrities but it is poorly written, with plenty of grammatical and spelling errors. I was surprised that the author did not proof read or asked someone to edit the book for her first before publishing it. I just don't seem to understand why the author needed to add in the part on her love for the animals, especially in chapters which have no complete link to her love for her pets. Out of the blue, a short paragraph on her love for her animals just popped out of nowhere... and it can be quite "painful" (or rather irritating) to read at times.
But I do marvel the courage of the author in writing this book. Salute!
Did anyone proof read this?.......2007-07-06
About as enticing as a tabloid cover although far less well written. There were numerous typos and the sentence structure was horrid to the point that it distracted from the storyline (if there were a storyline). The flow was disjointed and Ms. Gibson is not much of a story teller. There could have been potential, sadly that was never tapped into.
Absolute Hypocrisy.......2007-06-04
The people-- Gil Garcetti and his evil cronies who put this woman in jail should be thrown into Chowchilla and allowed to be abused from the inside out.
I heard her on Howard Stern and my heart went out for this poor woman.
Prostitution happens in every corner of this country every day. Men with money buy women cars, houses, jewelry in order to have sex with them and women gladly pursue and reciprocate these advances.
The worst examples are professional athletes who have sex with thousands of women every year. THIS IS PROSTITUTION as those who don't have fortune and money won't be having sex with these women.
Women who target doctors, lawyers, producers those with high net worth are prostitutes. This happens in the most conservative of places.
Men who make themselves out to be moral high road or even discreet bastards and never even allude to being tolerant to this when they are in fact the most perverse customers should be sent to Chowchilla and have their teeth punched out as this poor woman did, so they can feel what it's like to be a customer and then completely turn away when she gets into trouble. What cowards. Despicable.
It makes my blood boil when she said she had politicians from Texas use her services and when she was placed in death row Chowchilla did nothing to protect her, it makes me livid.
Someone who is a madam, a prostitute, solely a drug abuser does not belong in a prison with murderers, baterrers, rapists and the mentally insane.
These people are not insane and do not belong in prison. Escorting is a white collar crime which threatens no one, needs to be legal, taxed and regulated as in the Netherlands, exists in every way; it's not just street walkers and escorts. It's women pursuing those with money to pay for them. Those who don't pay for them get nothing. And that's mainstream society.
Madams are simply providing a service that will always be there. Whether you're a football pro having sex with "law abiding females" who sit in a cubicle all week and then have sex with the athlete merely because they have fortune and fame, or a christian coach providing coeds to Tyrone so he'll join his football team, prostitution exists and there is an enormous double standard.
What's amazing is that pornos are being made thruout the US for a salary of a few hundred dollars, it's on film and that's okay, which is fine with me. But what they did to this woman is absolute evil and those involved WILL rot in hell. And I pray that the section of hell they're in is Chowchilla.
Good lots of name dropping.......2007-05-31
You want real names of clients? you got them! ben affleck and sylvester are in here, with very vivid details. this book was interesting, but story after story i just wanted to hear about her jail time as the book went on, so i skipped to it. not a book you have to read in order, but very interesting, my friends are lined up to borrow it!
Book Description
“We just asked the movie stars how they did it. What did they use? How often? Where did they get it? How can we do it, too? And they told us. We couldn't believe it either.”
Kym Douglas, host of the upcoming Lifetime makeover show Queen and the image consultant on The View, and celebrity journalist Cindy Pearlman had always wanted to know how the A-list stars looked so, well, A-list. It turns out that even the most carefully guarded stars were more than happy to dish. Collected here, in their own words, celebrities and their beauty gurus reveal their tricks of the trade.
How do they reduce puffiness, lose five pounds in a week, put shine in their hair, buff their skin, and vacuum their pores without spending a fortune? Find out from Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lindsay Lohan, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Hurley, Charlize Theron, and many, many more!
Kym Douglas is the creator and host of the upcoming Lifetime Television makeover show, Queen, airing in October and the image consultant on The View. She appears regularly on Soap Talk, Good Day Live, Before & After'noon, and Your Weekend with Jim Brickman.
Customer Reviews:
The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets.......2007-09-16
Not only was the book helpful with the beauty secrets, but I loved the sense of humour. I look forward to the next book by these authors.
Good for newbies to makeup/skincare/haircare.......2007-07-30
If you've ever read any beauty/fashion magazines on any type of a regular basis, spoken in friend circles about beauty tricks, or are over 13 and have been wearing makeup for a few years, etc. then you already know all of this. Puffy eyes: cucumber or potato slices, chilled spoons, tea bags Zits: dab of toothpaste or tea tree oil Shiny, build-up free hair: apple cider vinegar rinse
Unless you're a newbie to the beauty world or like the 40-something year old woman I met that had no idea that clear mascara can be used to groom brows and that the tanning beds were making her liver spots worse, then save your money.
no new information in my opinion.......2007-07-28
I thought this book would be entertaining with a lot of tips and tricks for making beauty fun and easy. I love makeup and going on the occassional splurge at Sephora. But I can also be happy wandering the makeup/skin care aisles of Target.
When this book is not spitting out designer labels left and right, they really don't have super secrets. Most is stuff you can find online about home treatments that you can mix together yourself. It also asked a lot of "professionals" and beauty gurus their "must haves" and what would they buy if they ONLY had 100 dollars. These people are spoiled brats in my opinion. 100 bucks could buy a heck of a lot of beauty stuff. One woman's answer when asked what she would do if she only had the 100 dollars was "first, I would cry...". This really just put the stamp of stupidity on this book. Don't waste your money!
very informative.......2007-07-08
very interesteing book, so many secrets and the ones i tried do really work-highly recommend!
Big on hype, long on snark, short on quality...save your $$.......2007-06-21
I made the mistake of actually purchasing this book. I would've taken it back if I hadn't already thrown away the receipt, that is how BAD this book is! True beauty has nothing to do with making uncharitable and jealous comments, and it seems like every sentence in this book is prefaced with "MEOW!" I do not like this current trend toward Us Magazine style cattiness and rudeness in Hollywood gossip circles, and it seems to have permeated this book something fierce. What good is attaining outer beauty if the seemingly beautiful person is unattractively rude and has caustic, mean-spirited and sarcastic stuff constantly running out of her mouth?
Another thing I found offensive about this book? The hypocrisy of one of the authors. If you look at the picture in the back of the book, you'll notice that Cindy Pearlman, is considerably fat...in fact, you could say she is OBESE...yet throughout the book she and her "new best friend" aka co-writer Kym Douglas make all sorts of hurtful cracks about large sized women. What's with all the self loathing Cindy? Still trying to fit in with the 'preps' 20 or more years after graduating high school? Still getting ready for that prom you apparently never attended? Sad...and pathetic. Get over it already.
As for the so-called beauty "secrets", do these authors think we were born yesterday? I don't buy most of that mess in this book for a New York minute! Do you honestly expect us to believe those actresses are too cheap to buy real beauty products? Please. Plus I am NOT interested in learning any of beauty secrets who women who are in the sex industry, either. Why are they glorifying strippers and pole dancers in this book? Disgusting.
As for their assessment that men are only interested in women who look like those on the "A" list...this is simply not so. How do I know? Well, I've been to Hollywood, Beverly Hills AND Malibu, so I can tell you by personal experience the STRAIGHT men there appreciate all sorts of beauty in women...and they are equally as likely to flirt with a woman with meat on her bones as he is the tall blonde size "0" waifs running around with scary Botox smiles! The true beauty "secret?" CONFIDENCE IN ONESELF...which doesn't cost one red cent!!!
Trust me, in the end, you're better off taking that money you would've spent on books of this ilk and putting it toward a fab vacation to California and really living it up, rather than living vicariously through this flimsy book with bogus beauty "secrets" you can find on any beauty website. I'm not even going to give this book to charity...it's just going directly into file 13.
Book Description
Tired of the Hollywood Left-and the vast network of liberals in elite positions-who always bad mouth America? Well, so is feisty radio sensation Laura Ingraham-and she has the answers in this pugnacious, funny, and devastating critique of the liberals who hate America.
Customer Reviews:
The Truth Hurts, The 'elites' are not elite!.......2007-08-20
Political commentator and radio talk-show host Laura Ingraham decries self-styled "elite" groups who believe themselves superior to those with traditional American values. She singles out mainstream media, academic intellectuals, and showbiz celebrities as well as the United Nations and antireligious and pro-immigration supporters. This is an interesting book and an easy read.
Don't waste your money!!!.......2007-08-13
This book is a waste of time. It has no real substance. She constantly contradicts herself, and drones on and on about nothing.
Feels like a high school term paper.......2007-08-10
I knew nothing of Laura Ingraham before picking up this book. Never heard her radio show, never read anything (that I'm aware of, at least.) Though I agree with much of what she says, she says it in a boring, repetitive, know-it-all, condescendingly-laughing-at-the-condescending, smarmy and whiny manner. The personal asides, where she describes those she disagrees with as failed actors or once-funny comedians may work on radio, but in print just come off as mean spirited and irrelevant. We care about the views, not the source.
Besides being smug and pompous, she is a mediocre writer. (And the typos--come on, guys....) Her prose reads like someone who talks extemporaneously for a living. And I don't think I learned anything new at all. The same ideas are expressed far more eloquently by many others. Mona Charen, Daniel Flynn, Peter Wood. Go to those authors to read excellent prose and thoughtful reasoning. This is stream of consciousness blather, a product that feels rushed to market. Books written in a hurry die equally fast. Save your time. Go elsewhere.
This is entertaining as all get out................2007-07-15
Once again, the reviewers are almost as good as the actual book. The Left are convinced that the author is the devil incarnate, while the Right can't quite think of her, as one of their own. Why the left even bothers to read this, knowing her slant of things, is almost beyond comprehension. She's kind of like Coulter---they just can't get enough of this stuff. As far as the right--the mind reels.For those of us not on the extreme, one way or the other,well, let me put it this way. Unless all of you checked this book out at your local library, or stole it---she got your money, didn't she???
A culling of news stories misses the mark, which is regrettable.......2007-04-24
Laura Ingraham had a good idea: show how self-anointed elites are destroying the Constitution-based American way of life. The problem is not with her writing style, which is commendibly clear. Rather, she has collected hundreds of snippets from the news and spun them out, one after another, with often too little analysis and, worse, virtually no footnotes.
For example, Ingraham describes former Secretary of State Madeline Albright's supremely clueless performance in North Korea without a single reference to third-party sources. Yes, her accounting is accurate, but you'd only know that if you follow the news closely. The people who need to be persuaded do not, so it is important to provide sources for the few who may want to pursue the subject.
Ingraham's point is not news to many of us: the people who constitute the various elites of show business, academia, the UN and other areas are strictly of the "do as I say, not as I do" variety. Al Gore wants you to ride a bicycle, while he uses a private jet to go from point to point. College professors want their young, often gullible, students to ignore - in fact, never learn about - the more than 100 million murdered by Communists while they preach their Marxist dogma. The same academics are also in the forefront of stifling independent thinking and freedom of speech on campus. The UN, of course, is painted as the corrupt organization it is, a world body dedicated to the enrichment of its bureaucrats while it ignores human rights abuses throughout the world.
Ingraham makes her points, but not as tellingly as they could be made. A good overview of how the self-appointed doyens are trying to rip down the United Stats and destroy the Consitution, but not as effective as it could be.
Jerry
Customer Reviews:
Rebel Withou A Crew.......2007-09-28
This book is very good. It is encouraging and helpful to any young film maker like myself. I highly recommend it. It's worth the money.
Great read, inspiring.......2007-09-23
Tells the story of how Rodriguez got to where he is. Everyone's road is very different but this is definitely an inspiring book. Hone your skills!
Excellent!.......2007-08-14
I bought this thinking it would be more of a guide then the journal it ended up being, and I couldnt have been happier. It was an interesting and easy read that I couldnt put down! I would definitely recommend this book to any young filmmakers or anyone interested in the independent process. Rodriguez really does a great job of showing how a lot of hard work, dedication and some luck can jump start a career. I felt inspired to go out and start working on films again, but I'm still reluctant to join any medical experiments to finance it.
Interesting insight into a very talented man.......2007-08-06
A great tale, but not so well written that I could recommend on its literary quality alone. I admire Rodriguez - even more, knowing what he went through to make this film (and I'm a fan El Mariachi more than the overly-produced Once Upon a Time in Mexico). The story-telling reflects his jagged style. At the very least, it should inspire you to make a few sacrifices in favor of pursuing one of your own dreams.
Inspired and Inspiring .......2007-07-03
This was a great read! Highly recommended for anyone thinking about putting a story on film.
Book Description
They call their sergeant the Oracle. He's a seasoned LAPD veteran who keeps a close watch over his squad from his understaffed office at Hollywood Station. They are: Budgie Polk, a 27-year-old firecracker who's begrudgingly teamed with Fausto Gamboa, the oldest, tetchiest patrol officer. Andi McCrea, a single mom who spends her days studying at the local community college. Wesley Drubb, a USC drop-out who joined the force to see some action. Flotsam and Jetsam, two aptly named surfer boys who pine after the petite, but intrepid, Meg Takara. And Hank Driscoll, the one who never shuts up. Together they spend their days and nights in the city's underbelly, where a string of seemingly unrelated events lures the cops of Hollywood Station to their most startling case yet: Russians, diamonds, counterfeiting, grenadesa reminder that nothing's too horrific or twisted for Los Angeles. Here, it's business as usual. For the first time in 20 years, Wambaugh revisits the kind of story he tells best: life in the LAPD. Not only have his fans been waiting for this comeback, but readers of the new generation of crime writing will have great interest in this book.
Customer Reviews:
Reviewed for Midwest Book Review.......2007-09-04
LAPD's Hollywood Division is not as glamorous as it sounds. Here the prostitutes and transvestites troll for johns while "tweakers" fish envelopes out of mailboxes in search of anything they can use toward the purchase of their next hit of crystal meth and celebrity clones stroll along the Hollywood walk of fame seeking gullible tourists. Since Rodney King, law enforcement officials, from the beat cops to the detectives, must bide by rigid rules and continual scrutiny, from their internal affairs division to Washington DC. But they have the protective eye of their Sergeant on their side, a man they refer to as the Oracle, who has been on the Job for 46 years.
The story centers around a tweaker named Farley Ramsdale and his girlfriend, whom he calls Olive because she resembles Popeye's Olive Oyl. Farley is a small-time crook who thinks he is being smart by making Olive do all the dirty work: fishing envelopes out of mailboxes, trying to pass counterfeit bills in stores, and stealing magnetic cards from hotels which Farley sells to other criminals specializing in identity theft. When Cosmo, an Armenian immigrant and Ilya, his Russian girlfriend, steal diamonds from a jeweler, Farley quickly puts two and two together; Farley is the one who passed on to Cosmo a letter from the jewelry store inventorying the diamonds. When Farley demands a cut of the action, Cosmo decides he and Olive must be eliminated, but from that point on, everything begins to spin out of control.
Wambaugh is a master at characterization and witticisms. His humorous style and observations make this a fun read, with quirky, offbeat characters and plenty of action. What seems at first to be a loose, albeit amusing, telling of the goings on within the Los Angeles Police Department Hollywood Station and the criminals that surround it, comes together at the end to form one heck of a good story. The situations the officers find themselves in are at times laugh-out-loud funny, as are the interactions between the characters. Hollywood Station provides a poignant look into the inner workings and ever-present political wrangling behind the scenes of the LAPD. Highly entertaining; recommended.
Wambaugh's return to his roots is not so memorable.......2007-08-23
Joseph Wambaugh has written some of the best "ensemble MacGuffin" police tales of our times. "Ensemble" in that he has created so many casts of cops who are as amusing as they are dark and sad; "MacGuffin," the term popularized by Alfred Hitchock, where the event that sets the cops into action is secondary to the "real" story about what it is like to be a police officer, both on and off duty. "The Choirboys," "Delta Star," the list of these great stories goes on. After a dozen years away from this type of novel, Wambaugh finally returns to his "roots," so to speak, with "Hollywood Station." Alas, this one doesn't quite capture the magic that captured the hearts and minds of so many back in the 70's and 80's.
We are immediately introduced to all the cops of the Hollywood precinct, including some "surfer dude" types, women cops, who have to deal with a few cops thinking about jumping their bones in addition to their desire to be treated like "one of the boys," the "grizzled" veterans, and a few others that make me think Wambaugh threw a bit too much into the kitchen sink. After the somewhat long intros, the "MacGuffin" part of the plot, a jewelry heist that is initiated by a crystal meth addict and a couple of Russian thieves that seem based on the old Boris and Natasha duo from "Rocky and Bullwinkle", kicks into gear. It all ends with the cast of characters coming together for a serio-comic ending.
I can't quite put a finger on it but I did not enjoy this one as much as I hoped I would. Maybe there were too many cops, some that were not so exciting to learn about, a too thin(and overly long) story thread, and/or the villains were not overly silly or overly horrible either. Granted, the locations and the fact Wambaugh weaves into his story the names of fallen real-life officers along with examples of true-life political machinations within Los Angeles, add a sense of reality(and Wambaugh makes his political inklings quite clear). Yet, I felt this book dragged and never got any solid momentum to make it the page-turner he is so capable of giving us.
All in all, I imagine Joseph Wambaugh fans should read this but if you haven't read anything by him, I suggest you not start here and go back to his early ones.
Back to the street.......2007-08-15
An average entry for an author who has been at the top before. It's good to get some real stories again. But nothing surprises or grabs the reader.
Light on plot, but still an entertaining cop story.......2007-08-06
I enjoyed this novel, even if it does wander aimlessly most of the time. Much of the novel meanders without an apparent plot, introducing us to the cops of Hollywood Station through a series of amusing cop war stories which are probably all based on real incidents (there's a fight involving Elmo from Sesame Street, a homeless guy who defecates in a cop car, and so on.)
I liked the central plot, which involves a pair of meth heads who get involved with some Russian / Armenians linked to a couple of armed robberies. This storyline is a little thin to carry a full novel, but it builds momentum near the end and provides some structure to an otherwise aimless novel.
I think Wambaugh has been away from the job for too many years now and no longer has his finger on the pulse of the LAPD (at least not the younger cops). His older cop characters feel authentic but his younger cop characters (particularly the annoying Flotsam and Jetsam) miss the mark.
Hollywood Station would have you believe that every problem with today's LAPD is the fault of political correctness and a liberal media. Wambaugh's characters are street cops, and therefore would likely share this perspective, but the constant railing against the Federal Degree wears thin after a while. It would have been nice if Wambaugh had offered at least one character with a different point of view.
Sure, some of the characters feel like they came straight from 'central casting', but I found quite a few of them (mostly the older cops) worth spending time with. Most of vignettes, which make up the bulk of the novel and fill the pages while the reader waits for a plot to develop, are quirky and entertaining.
Hollywood Station deserves 3.5 stars and is an entertaining (but entirely forgetable) read.
I wish I could give it more stars.......2007-07-24
This novel was so good I read it in two days. It's hilarious and very well written.
Average customer rating:
- --Interesting glimpse of old Hollywood--
- Mr. Dunne, I adore you!
- Dominick Dunne is fascinating
- Beautiful collection of photos
- THE WAY WE LIVED THEN
|
The Way We Lived Then : Recollections of a Well-Known Name Dropper
Dominick Dunne
Manufacturer: Crown
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ASIN: 0609603884
Release Date: 1999-09-28 |
Amazon.com
In a previous incarnation, writer Dominick Dunne was the toast of Hollywood--entertaining movie stars and socialites and invited by moguls to clambakes and black-tie dances. Long before he started churning out his romans à clef set in the private recesses of Hollywood and penthouses of New York City and his dispatches from notorious murder trials, he spent his days on movie sets, producing films like Ash Wednesday and working as an executive at various studios. In the off-hours, he and his wife Lenny ate dinner with Vincente Minnelli, Jack Benny, Rock Hudson, and Elizabeth Montgomery. They went to beach parties hosted by Jane Fonda and Roddy McDowall--and threw not a few bashes of their own, attended by, well, everyone and often photographed for Vogue magazine. Dunne seemed to carry his camera with him everywhere and "was always sticking [it] into someone's face." Kirk Douglas biting into an oversized hotdog, a scantily clad Paul Newman perusing a picnic table, Princess Margaret smoking, Mia Farrow dancing, and Natalie Wood hamming. Each weekend he carefully arranged his snapshots along with the week's invitations, telegrams, and news-clippings into a set of scrapbooks.
The Way We Lived Then closely resembles those scrapbooks, filled as it is with images culled from them. Dunne sews the scraps together with a loose memoir that moves from the mundane (how the house was decorated for a certain party, how the subjects of a given photo were feeling about one another at the time) to the grand (meditations on his marriage and his children). All of these famous friends, glittery parties, and cozy evenings did add up to a picture-perfect life for a time. But by the mid '60s, Dunne was drinking hard, insulting acquaintances in public, and being a perfectly terrible husband to the lovely Lenny. He was soon arrested carrying drugs into the country from Mexico, divorced, nearly poverty-stricken, and living in a cabin in Oregon. But he lived to tell about it, and though his story is something of a cautionary tale about the dangers of success and excess, punctuated as it is by his dreamy photos, one can't help but wonder if he'd happily go back to the way he lived then. --Jordana Moskowitz
Book Description
Mesmerizing, revelatory text combines with more than two hundred photographs -- most of them taken by the author -- in a startling illustrated memoir that will both astonish and move you.
When Dominick Dunne lived and worked in Hollywood, he had it all: a beautiful family, a glamorous career, and the friendship of the talented and powerful. He also had a camera and loved to take pictures. These photographs, which Dunne carefully preserved in more than a dozen leatherbound scrapbooks -- along with invitations, telegrams, personal notes, and other memorabilia -- record the parties, the glittering receptions, the society weddings, and scenes from the everyday lives of the Dunnes and those they knew, including Jane Fonda, Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman, Roddy McDowall, Elizabeth Taylor, Natalie Wood, Brooke Hayward, Jennifer Jones, and David Selznick. You'll meet them all in this fascinating book -- captured in snapshots as these celebrities relax at poolside barbecues, gossip at cozy get-togethers and dance at the Dunnes' dazzling black-and-white ball. And you will meet Dominick Dunne's beautiful wife, Lenny, and his children, Griffin, Alex, and Dominique, as they celebrate Christmases, birthdays, and graduations. But, most of all, you will meet Dominick Dunne and learn about the peaks and valleys of his years in Hollywood, the disastrous turn his life took, and the long road back that led to his triumphant career as a writer. With its engaging photographs and candid text,
The Way We Lived Then is a riveting and unvarnished account of a life among the stars and a life almost lost.
Customer Reviews:
--Interesting glimpse of old Hollywood--.......2005-08-18
THE WAY WE LIVED THEN is a look at the lives and personalities of some of the most famous entertainers in the world.
I've been aware of the author, Dominick Dunne for a long time, but until reading this book, I had no idea what kind of background he had or what made him so knowledgeable about so many celebrities. Dunne was a director and producer of various TV shows and apparently was good at his job. People enjoyed working with him and he and his wife gave wonderful parties and were invited everywhere.
The book is as much about Dunne and his family as it is about the people that he socialized with. His story is rather sad because he ended up losing his wife because he became addicted to drugs and the fast Hollywood lifestyle. There are more than a few moving stories in the book. One pitiful entry has Dunne and Peter Lawford sharing drugs at a party. Years before, they had been friends and neighbors, but at this low point in their lives, they were both broke and seemingly without friends.
You can also read about Elizabeth Montgomery, Gig Young, Natalie Wood, George Hamilton, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda and dozens of other Hollywood "big" names. Dunne took a lot of photographs and I think that I enjoyed the snapshots as much as I did the text of the book.
Mr. Dunne, I adore you!.......2004-02-03
I think I was probably one of the very first people who purchased this book...and I loved every page and every minute of it! Some of the earlier reviewers I read below simply don't seem to "get" this book. It is not meant to be great literature. It is meant to be a great read with one-of-a-kind photos, and it delivers both in spades! Also, I believe it is meant to be somewhat of a love letter, both to the parts of Mr. Dunne's ealier life that were happy and held great promise, AND perhaps to the fans of his books...giving all of us glimpses into what was an incredibly fascinating "Hollywood existence" and giving us a peek at the REAL people that he has thinly veiled, completely disguised, or combined to create the fascinating characters that populate his terrific books. Mr. Dunne, if you read these reviews (I know that I probably would!!), please know that I eagerly await everything you publish, including your monthly "Diarist" articles in Vanity Fair. Your writings are so incredibly enjoyable, fascinating, and provide a much-needed escape for me. You must feel very blessed to have finally found your calling - so many never do.
Dominick Dunne is fascinating.......2002-11-05
It is easy to see why celebrities, criminals and perfect strangers have told Mr. Dunne their secrets. He is so interesting in a gossipy, name-dropping but sweet way. His Hollywood life makes an engrossing tale, much more entertaining than fiction.
Beautiful collection of photos.......2001-10-06
This book is filled with beautiful photographs of almost every star imaginable with personal anecdotes from Mr. Dunne to go with them. There are beautiful photos of Natalie Wood and a young (brunette) Elizabeth Montgomery. Mr. Dunne's life has certainly had its ups and downs, but this is NOT another celebrity pity party...he writes of the bad times he has faced, as well as the good, in a very matter of fact style, which is (thankfully) not at all whiny. But, again, the real treasure here are all the beautiful photographs of beautiful people in beautiful places. Thanks, Mr. Dunne, for sharing them with us.
THE WAY WE LIVED THEN.......2001-06-27
Mr. Dunne can work the room no matter where he is, no matter what social strata. I would have had an anxiety attack had I been face-to-face with Betsy Bloomingdale. Yet, this why I love Mr. Dunne. Reading about Betsy, she retained the warm, kind, classy image that I imagined her to have from various books and magazines. I loved being a fly-on-the-wall when Mr. Dunne was in Washington since I knew so little about politics. It was fun the way he scribed it in the pages. I feel safe reading Dominick's stories - although I feel like I am there, I don't have the real fear!
Book Description
Hollywood Special Effects with Adobe Premiere Elements 3 is a book that will help users get to the next level in video editing, and that next level goes beyond simply splicing together clips and creating simple titles. In no time readers will be overlaying multiple tracks of videos and adjusting transparency; creating Picture-in-Picture overlays; using key frames and motion paths; setting and refining greenscreens and bluescreens; using color effects for emotional impact; and a whole range of other special effects to help them tell their story. What sets this book apart is the author's expertise in carefully showing readers how to execute each of these effects step-by-step in a clear and friendly writing style. With this book, budding filmmakers will be well on their way to becoming the next George Lucas! The accompanying DVD contains royalty free music, sound effects, and video clips from Artbeats, Digital Juice, TwistedTracks, and the Footage Firm (among others).
Customer Reviews:
Hollywood for PREL 3.......2007-08-23
The book describes how to do about 20 special effects using Adobe Premiere Elements, Ver. 3.0. The author does an excellent job of describing the effects and how to set them up. I would have liked the book much more if the author described how to do many more special effects. I am left wishing I could do things I have seen in other people's work that are not covered in this book.
Hollywood Special Effects...Excellent!.......2007-08-19
This book is one of the best instructional pieces I have ever seen. I am very pleased I selected it. Carl Plummer has done a wonderful job of extracting and presenting Adobe's material in a way everyone can understand it. The detailed instructional layout and photos are far superior to Adobe's boring, and exhausting operation manual, which appears to be written by engineers and techs with no clue to the learning curve of the consumer. I would like to see a manual written by Carl on Photoshop Elements 5 as well.
Hollywood Special Effects.......2007-06-01
The book is a compilation of special effects and how to do them in Premiere Elements. Well almost. The first tutorial did not look anything like the original SW opener. But I still learned a lot from it.
Hollywood Special Effects with Adobe Premier Elements 3.......2007-06-01
This is most definitely a book which is worthy of its 5 star rating. It is well written and well illustrated with screen shots tied to easy to follow step-by-step instructions. Overall, it forms a good base for many effects one could only guess at on their own; but inspires one to think about how the included effects could be used in our own work. Also like that the included DVD contains all of the project video, music and sound effects. Great book - well worth the money.
This is way to learn Adobe Premiere Elements.......2007-03-29
The book is excellent guide to using Premiere software. The CD has all the material and style of writing is excellent. All user guides should be written this way. As others have said before, the book will inspire you to create better videos. So happy splicing and dicing.
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