Remember Me When I'm Gone: The Rich and Famous Write Their Own Epitaphs and Obituaries

Book Description

“Show me Heaven! I have seen hell.” —Patricia Neal

Larry King, world-famous radio and television personality, has asked the talented, the beautiful, the wise, and the rich a question all of us have pondered: How would you like to be remembered after your death? The result is REMEMBER ME WHEN I'M GONE, an entertaining and eloquent collection of “last words” from people in the arts, in politics, in sports, and in business, mostly still alive. In telling and moving reflections, often leavened by self-deprecating humor, these celebrities look back on their lives, their ambitions, their mistakes, and their accomplishments.

The contributions range from pithy one-liners by Yogi Berra (“It’s over.”), Dave Barry, George Carlin, and Liz Smith (“Excuse my dust!”); to inspired sketches by Stephen King and Peter Falk; to candid reflections from Don Shula, Fred Rogers, and Chevy Chase; to hilarious rants from Margaret Cho and Tommy Lee; and a last request by Arthur Hailey.

Often surprising and always memorable, REMEMBER ME WHEN I'M GONE is a timeless collection by stars who will live on forever.

Download Description

Larry King, world-famous radio and television personality, has asked the talented, the beautiful, the wise, and the rich a question all of us have pondered: How would you like to be remembered after your death? The result is Remember Me When I’m Gone, an entertaining and eloquent collection of “last words” from people in the arts, in politics, in sports, and in business, mostly still alive. In telling and moving reflections, often leavened by self-deprecating humor, these celebrities look back on their lives, their ambitions, their mistakes, and their accomplishments.

The contributions range from pithy one-liners by Yogi Berra (“It’s over.”), Dave Barry, George Carlin, and Liz Smith (“Excuse my dust!”); to inspired sketches by Stephen King and Peter Falk; to candid reflections from Don Shula, Fred Rogers, and Chevy Chase; to hilarious rants from Margaret Cho and Tommy Lee; and a last request by Arthur Hailey.

Often surprising and always memorable, Remember Me When I’m Gone is a timeless collection by stars who will live on forever.

Customer Reviews:

Sad, but hopeful that we'll be reading for real very soon.......2006-05-31

I was among the saddest to hear of Larry King's passing in 1987. I had long been a fan of his nonsensical ramblings in USA Today and knew that I might miss those columns unless they replaced it with something superior like a Jumble or a Suduko puzzle. Imagine my surprise to see him on CNN almost 20 years later. Alive ... well sort of alive. Was he cryogenically thawed out? Let this be a warning to all of you in frozen states ... it does NOT always work out.

And this book is just fabulous, a collection of self-serving, inane babblings by the assistants of famous people. Because famous people most certainly do not have the time to write such heartfelt and sincere passages ... they're just not capable of it. It's outside their skill set. So don't be angry with them, just accept them for who they are ... famous friends of Larry King, columnist, talk show host, suspenders-wearer.

Inanity, vanity a little wisdom and a few laughs .......2005-09-22

This book is built on an interesting idea. Larry King asks three- hundred people, most of them American celebrities from the worlds of sports, entertainment, business, journalism, music, comedy, writing ,acting, politics, science and education what message they would leave behind and wish to be remembered by.
Some take this lightly and answer in a quick one- liner or even a word- some seem overly burdened by their own importance, but many hit ' right notes' and quite a few have a real humor.
This is the kind of work which one skims, jumps back and forth in, looking for something interesting. Most are misses, but some are scores, and it is the scores that make the book worthwhile.
A few examples follow which I found of some value.

" For years I've been claiming ,"I'm only human. I'm only human." Maybe now you'll believe me." SHELLY BERMAN

" I hope I see you later." MAUREEN STAPLETON

"He did his best when no one was watching." BOB COUSY

"Jim who?' JIM BOUTON

" I want to be remember as a good guy one who always helped others in need. JOE FRAZIER

" The best is yet to come." BEVERLY SILLS

" He was never boring. He said out loud what others whispered. He challenged authority; the higher the authority, the stronger the challenge. He made the legal system more acceptable to the public He taught thousands of students and educated even more readers and viewers.He listened best with his mouth open. He was fun to be with. He was never boring.All this without knowing how to use a computer. ALAN DERSHOWITZ

Last Words of Legends.......2004-10-15

Well, this is definitely a page turner and a flip through and a go back and read again and share and tell people they just have to read it.

Imagine, so many wrote their last words poetically. Some wrote pages while others wrote short. "I demand a recount." "Mispronounced dead on arrival." And perhaps you'll guess who wrote one word "Imagine!"

My absolute favorite, laugh out loud epitath--

When my time on earth is done
And I have breathed my last
I want them to bury me upside down
So my critics can kiss my ass

Entertaining!.......2004-04-19

This is definately one of the most entertaining reads all year.
The telling, moving, and sometimes hilarious reflections kept me turning the page. It was tough for me to put down! This book is a real treasure. Debbie Farmer, author of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat'

Celebrities' last words.......2004-04-17

When you pass on from this life, what would you want people to say about you? Larry King asked that question of over 300 celebrities, and the result is "Remember Me When I'm Gone," a fascinating compendium of epitaphs and obituaries penned by the still living about themselves. The celebrities include actors, authors, business people, journalists, artists, musicians, politicians, and scientists. The contributions run the gamut: funny, spiritual, laudatory, biographical, comforting, witty, and philosphical. Appropriately enough, there are some song lyrics from songwriters, cartoons from cartoonists, comic epitaphs from comedians, and poetry from writers. Fred Rogers composed his contribution before his death, when he knew he was seriously ill. Larry King provided his own epitaph as well. It was tough for me to select a few examples from so many interesting contributions, but here goes:

Joanna Barnes: At Last - A Parking Space!
Arnold Schwarzenegger: I had fun.
Ted Turner: I have nothing more to say.
Beverly Sills: The best is yet to come.
Robin Leach: Hi, this is Robin Leach standing outside the pearly gates!
Jim Davis: I would like to be remembered as someone who was extremely old.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger: How arrogant to write your own epitaph.

This book displays a lot of wit and wisdom on a sobering topic, and I recommend it as an entertaining and enlightening read.

Book Description

The only entertainer besides Elvis Presley to be inducted into both the Country Music and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, Johnny Cash touched the lives of millions around the world with his distinctive style and classic songs that mirror the human condition. In I Still Miss Someone, more than forty people offer their remembrances of the Man in Black and provide an insider's view of the heart and soul of the friend they knew simply as John. Featuring contributions from a broad spectrum of persons from all eras of Cash's life, including his children, John Carter Cash; Cindy Cash; and Tara Cash Schwoebel; grandson Dustin Tittle, siblings Tommy Cash and Joanne Cash Yates; early bandmate W. S. Holland; country music icons Merle Kilgore, Johnny Western, and 'Cowboy' Jack Clement, I Still Miss Someone is a stirring tribute by those whose relationship with Johnny Cash was both deep and lasting. Hundreds of illuminating photos - many never before published - and a bevy of Johnny's handwritten notes, backstage passes, and other personal paraphernalia make this a one-of-a-kind tribute book that will appeal to everyone. The roster of those sharing their recollections of Cash include his booking agent, Lou Robin; Larry Murray, who wrote for Cash's ABC television shows and his CBS Christmas specials; devoted musicians Bob Wootten, Jack Hale Jr., and Dave Roe, who spent many years on the road with Cash; plus secretaries, publicists, farm hands, and many others, each of whom adds vibrant color and texture to the life portrait of their departed friend Johnny Cash.

Customer Reviews:

A BRIEF NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR/COMPILER.......2006-10-20

Greetings. May I congratulate you for finding your way to this book and to these few words.

This title, I STILL MISS SOMEONE, if from one of my favorite Cash-penned songs and the book was/is published by a very small mom/pop outfit in Nashville. They (the publisher) have no promotion or marketing or publicity savy, to speak of when promoting a book like this, so it has just layed here in obscurity.

This book, although it contains the input of over forty close Cash associates and a foreword by the Grahams (Ruth and Rev. Billy), has NEVER been reviewed by any press. In fact, the Nashville media didn't even give it one line. Small publishers suffer this snub, and in the end, so did this tribute book. Lost in the larger shuffle of all things Johnny Cash.

The only folks that know about this book are folks like you, that have searched, surfed and stumbled across it or maybe found it after hearing about it word-of-mouth.

To the point, if you get this book, I STILL MISS SOMEONE, and are not moved by it, touched by it, or feel it is more than worth the price, I will personally refund your purchase price. (hughwaddell@comcast.net)

Yes, I believe in this book with all my heart and soul!!!! In the few interviews about the book that happened last year (2005), I stated the same challenge, and have not been asked to refund one dime, yet. In spite of all the review snubs, the book stands on its own simple merit.

So screw the tiny publisher, the snubby-dub media and the self-serving Nashville "pompasses". This book does not need to be hyped or pumped by critics, anyway. I swear to you that you will enjoy this look at Johnny the Cash through the eyes and hearts of people who knew him best... his friends and family.

Thank you and God Bless!

The Johnny Cash few of us ever had the privilege to know........2006-04-15

All of us who followed the music and life of Johnny Cash;knew from the beginning of his musical career in the laste 50's that there was something special about this man. He came to most of us by his music and shows but we always knew he was a man who first of all knew and loved his God. The name Pilgrim was often associated with him;but the name Disciple would be just as fitting. I have followed ,listened to and read about him for about 50 years,but I can honestly say that the real truth about what Johnny Cash was really like is not any better shown than in this book. How he was seen and loved by those who really knew him,loved him,worked with him,family members,and people who considered him a friend and at the same time he considered a friend. Over 40 people got the honor to say what Johnny meant to them and what kind of a man and friend he was. One thing that is obvious from reading this book of over 300 pages and over 40 people,is that there must be thousands of others that knew him as well and if they had the same opportunity would have similar things to say.
It is so obvious Johnny loved life ,how much his family meant to him,and how much he respected those around the music business. If anyone in the public arena ever gave the impression that as he journeyed throuh life;his friend and Savior Jesus Christ was always by his side;it had to be him.
Millions of us admired Cash;but what a privilege it must have been to have been close to him. No wonder a great personal loss is seen in the stories each participant has to tell.
As we continue to listen to his music;this book will remind us what a Legend "The Man in Black" really was.
I am sure that when he finally met his God,he probably said something like;"Thanks Lord, for the privilege to have served you and my fellow man.I did the best I could ,and it's good to be home with you"
After you read this book,why not sit down and think or write about what Johnny Cash meant to you.

Everyday People write about the Everyday Man.......2005-12-01

OK, with all the hype about the movie, Walk the Line, and living in Nashville as I do...and hearing Johnny Cash's name everywhere you turn...I hesitated going to see the movie "just because". Well. I somehow ended up seeing it, (long story for another day.) And let me just say that much to my chagrin, I LOVED the movie. So now I've been on a Johnny Cash rampage, listening, watching, and reading everything I can get my hands on. Yes, I succumbed. Call me weak.

This title looked interesting to me because it's written by people who knew him on a day to day basis. There's a chapter written by the guy who kept his farm, for gosh sakes! You just feel the love seeping from the pages. I wept, I laughed, I've read it again, and again.

For readers who might be wondering what all the shoe size business is about here in the reviews (I know I wondered before receiving the book)...Hugh says in the book that Johnny always said he had "itchy feet". He always needed to be doing something and going somewhere different. Johnny said "Everyone has itchy feet, some just itch more than others." So at the beginning of everyone's chapter is that person's shoe size. Just one more quirky little reason why this book has earned a place on my 'favorites' shelf.

As a Nashvillian, I would like to say: We are proud of our 'Cash heritage' and this book lays it all on the line.

Thank you, Hugh Waddell for such a wonderful gift that I'm sure even JRC's family will treasure for years and years.

May
Nashville, TN
Shoe size: 7.5

The most compelling Cash book I have ever read.......2005-03-27

How do you come up with a way to tell the Johnny Cash Story that hasn't yet been done? There are countless biographies out there (disclosure: I have consulted, resourced and been interviewed on many), and the mythic history of this great man has been told many ways. But Hugh Waddell, JRC's friend and confidant of longstanding, has produced THE definitive portrait. He did it not by another retelling of the great Redemption story of our times (although that never gets old), or by a mere chronicle of John's achievements. Instead, he spectacularly tells the story through the eyes of John's family, friends, colleagues and fans. He wisely, and accurately, realized that it was John's effect on others which made him Mt. Rushmore-worthy. His life and music spoke to us, for us and with us, and the impact he made on people great and small continues to take the breath away. Johnny Cash walked with presidents (they fawned over him) and he sat with the people (who worshipped him). Hugh Waddell captures the qualities which allowed this by pointing the camera not at John, but at those he touched. The lens is reversed, and we see The Great Cash as a father, a farmer, a friend. His importance is told through the countless small interactions, the kindnesses and generosity, the human fraility and the soaring triumphs. He gave voice to our dreams and aspirations, taught us what it was like to run the mortal race, to fall greatly and rise back up greater. In these touching stories we see the real man, but more, we see ourselves. I did not want this book to end. The real people and their real stories about a real man are gripping. Johnny Cash was a giant, obviously. In this superb book we get to see how giants get that way. If I want someone to know what Johnny Cash was like, I give them this book.

Mark Stielper
Shoe size 11W

Essential Johnny Cash.......2005-03-15

If you're a Johnny Cash fan, a country music historian, a lover of Southern literature, or someone who just likes a great read, you'll love this book. Hugh Waddell has hit upon a brilliant biographical device. Instead of an anthology of recollections by Johnny Cash's peers in the entertainment world, this book is a compilation of reminiscences from plain folks, family members, business and music friends, who knew him close-up and personal.

Their insights and their informal photographs and private handwritten correspondences add much to the expanding canon of biographical works devoted to Johnny Cash.

Biggie: Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son, Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G.

Average customer rating:

A mother speaks on her son the Superstar--
Interesting
A Mother's Love is BIG
(RAW Rating: 3.5) - Biggie Remembered
You Must Read This Book To Know Biggie

Biggie: Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son, Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G.
Voletta Wallace , and Tremell McKenzie
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743470206

Book Description

This is a memoir of Ms. Wallace's star child and recounts her own story of immigration. As a young woman of modest means in Jamaica, she dreamed the American Dream. Like so many West Indians, she built a life from scratch, settling in Brooklyn, New York's Bed-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

She worked as a teacher of young children and raised her son without the support of his father. She lived a quiet and conservative life as a practicing Jehovah's Witness who tried hard to keep her bright precocious son on the straight and narrow.

Christopher got his knack for writing verse from his mother. She had no idea though that "all that noise" he was making with his friends in the bedroom of their small apartment would one day become platinum selling records. She also had no idea that her industrious son was becoming a leader in his circle and a small-time drug dealer.

The book charts her son's climb to stardom and his death, the result of a drive-by shooting that occurred on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles, CA. He was leaving a post-Soul Train Music Awards party hosted by Vibe magazine. The murder remains unsolved. Ms. Wallace and Faith Evans, who was married to the hip hop star filed a wrongful death and federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, the LAPD, Police Chief Bernard C. Parks and former Chiefts Willie Williams and Bayan Lewis.

Wallace is survived by two children.

She talks about the issues surrounding her son's murder and the unsavory people and practices of the music and entertainment industry, but more than that she speaks as an ordinary woman and mother dedicated to raising her son and teaching the sons and daughters of parents faced with the same trials and tribulations as she.

Her aim is to "give back" the resources that have come to her through a terrible and tragic loss as a way to inspire young people to do good.

Customer Reviews:

A mother speaks on her son the Superstar--.......2007-08-26

"BIGGIE" is a biography of the late, popular hip-hop musician Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie Smalls, but known to his family as Christopher Wallace. His mother, Ms. Voletta Wallace, is the author. She combines an autobiographical narrative of her own life in Jamaica, then transplanted to New York City, where she met Christopher's father.

The book is a large-print hardcover, with occasional pictures throughout; After Ms. Wallace accounts her own life and Christopher's childhood, she describes her life during his rise to fame as a rap artist. From there, she goes into her perspective on the night he was murdered, and what has happened in the years since his death.

The narrative is very good, she doesn't short-shrift on Biggie's shortcomings, but the same also goes for some of the others in his life, e.g. Puffy ("The truth is, Christopher accepted the illusion of a friend and mentor for about $25,000. That's the amount Puffy lured my son with... It was enough money to make my son believe that Puffy was ready to do anything for him...That same admiration and loyalty have [Shyne] in jail with a ten-year sentence"), Cease ("It was me, Voletta Wallace, who [bailed Cease out and] waited for almost a year to get my money back... I guess in a business of lies and deception it just sounded better for him to say it was Jay-Z who bailed him out... Perhaps the whole lie put him in good standing...") She sheds light on her initial reaction to Biggie & Faith's marriage & breakup, and stresses there was no feuding with her after his death, but Kim's behavior became increasingly troublesome ("her album was about to drop that week... whenever the television was on, there she was. it seemed to me, that she was never talking about herself. every other breath awas about my son... she had something new and more salacious to say about my son".)

She also goes into interesting accounts on the Tupac/Biggie feud, and her friendship with Afeni Shakur, as the two are bound by their son's early deaths and legacies.

Interesting.......2007-07-04

Biggie will always be remembered to me for his style and music. to his mother, she will always remember the only child that she lost. Reading Ms Wallace's book was very inspirational. She showed that yes, I was tricked and hurt by my son's father, being alone in a new country by myself, but despite of it, she went on, worked, made sure she gave her son the best, and completed college. As a child of a parent born and raised in the West Indies, she really gave me some insight as far as how the school system was in the Caribbean. She is right, to learn is a privilege and right and a lot of us throw it away. We have only heard so much from Ms Wallace, and now you get to hear the rest of the story. A very good memoir that should be read by all, especially those who have lost, and all hip hoppers wanting to hear a mother's comment on her famous son. There were times when I thought she was being partial as far as her son was concerned. but it was her book, and she had to admit that despite of all, she made some mistakes and doesn't see her son as an angel either.

A Mother's Love is BIG.......2006-02-23

Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late Christopher "Notorious B.I.G.; Biggie, BIG" has written a heartfelt and deeply moving account of her life and that of her son.

Faith Evans writes in her introduction that readers will feel compelled to finish this book once they start it and she is right. The love this mother had for her only child will touch the hearts of all who read her account. I finished this book in one straight sitting and came away with a different view of Christopher Wallace.

Voletta, a native Jamaican from Trelawny describes her hardscrabble life against the contradictory tropical beauty of the Island. The youngest of 3 children, Voletta learns to fend for herself against her older sister Ruby, with whom she has a volatile relationship. She is, however close to her brother Volan.

Voletta describes the educational system in the West Indies and the punitive approach that is so readily applied. Students are whipped and beaten by teachers for small infractions including not knowing the answer to a lesson; parental whippings are equally common. Voletta knew that despite the punitive system that education was her ticket to a better life. At age 16, determined to attend the local high school without paying tuition as is common in the Islands, she moves with a relative. That arrangement is short lived once the relative's husband makes lewd advances toward her.

Luck intervenes; in 1969 at age 16 Voletta is able to leave the Islands for New York and continue her education there. She earns her G.E.D.; secures employment and moves into a small flat.

In 1971 her friend introduced her to Selwyn, the man who would father her only child. In time she discovers Selwyn was married and had been lying to and using her. When Christopher was born on May 21, 1972, Selwyn had little impact in his son's life. He did buy food and baby supplies for the boy until he was two; after that, his contact with that family ceased. Voletta was determined to see that her son had a better life and more chances than she had growing up. She wisely wants her son to know his father despite her bad experiences with the man. She wanted Christopher to make his own mind up about him and to reserve judgment until he has the chance to do so.

Determined to pursue her education and career, Voletta secures teaching jobs after discovering that nursing was not for her. She insists Christopher apply himself to his studies as he was bright and learned quickly. Sadly, Christopher answered the siren song from the street and all but abandoned his studies once he entered the teen years. Desperate, Voletta did everything she could to get him to continue his education.

In the early 1990s, Voletta heard Christopher "rapping" on the radio. By chance, she could not get her regular station tuned in and accidentally heard her son on another. It was then she and Christopher talked about his career in the rap world and his rising popularity among his peers.

Christopher adopted the street/rapper name of B.I.G.; Biggie and The Notorious Big, which was a nod to his considerable girth. A large, husky man, Big was notorious among the rap crowd.

Sadly, on March 9, 1997 Big was gunned down during a rap feud between East and West Coast rappers. He became a casualty of the lifestyle he readily embraced.

Voletta describes how her son's loss deeply impacted her life; that of his wife; that of Lil Kim, who claimed to be his wife and his daughter. Learning about how each one of these people had a place in his life makes for a fuller and clearer picture of The Notorious Big.

Although I never liked rap and can't claim to have enjoyed Biggie's work, I have nothing but the deepest respect for Voletta Wallace. The love she had for her only child is so palpable; so deep; so intense that readers are acutely aware of it throught the entire book. It is her love for this son that makes the book so worth reading. This book might make you cry, but you will certainly take Voletta Wallace into your heart. It is a very serious and grim portrait of how street culture has claimed many casualties.

(RAW Rating: 3.5) - Biggie Remembered.......2005-12-31

Voletta Wallace chronicles a slice of her life and that of her son, the Notorious B.I.G., in BIGGIE: Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son. Born and raised in Jamaica, Voletta Wallace always had dreams of moving to America where it seemed everyone was rich, fashionable, and happy. She was a hard-working young woman who made her dreams a reality through perseverance and holding steadfast to her values of education and self-improvement. When she was unexpectedly blessed with a son, her life changed markedly. Instead of striving to improve herself for her own gain, Christopher became the central motivation to better her circumstances.

Although life seemed charmed once Biggie made it to superstardom, her grandchildren were born, and she had successfully fought breast cancer, devastation reigned in Voletta's life when Biggie was murdered while visiting Los Angeles. After being faced with this tragedy and the aftermath that it brought with it, Voletta was faced with even more challenges. Yet, she never let mishaps and unfortunate turns of events shatter her. She remains a strong figure in her family and in the entertainment industry.

While this was an interesting glimpse into how Biggie came up and the role his mother played in his life, I would like to have seen more insight and details. However, this isn't really a biography of Christopher Wallace, or even his alter ego, The Notorious B.I.G. Instead, it is more of a memorial piece that briefly touches on the life of a man who became a central figure in the rap game and touched the lives of his fans, his family and friends, and the world of hip-hop.

Reviewed by CandaceK
(...)

You Must Read This Book To Know Biggie.......2005-12-21

In the introduction of "Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son, Christopher Wallace , AKA Notorious B.I.G. Biggie" Faith Evans says "There is a continuity of that that compels the reader to begin and finish the book in one setting," and she is write. "Biggie" is a remarkable that you will want to read all at once.

Voletta Wallace is the mother of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.

There were some things about the book I found a bit puzzling, mostly regarding the time line. Voletta speaks about being high school aged and staying with a relative in Jamaica (where she is from) and her aunts husband attempts to sexually assault her. Soon after she moves to New York and begins a five year plan to build her life in the United States. When she becomes pregnant with Big she paints this picture of a naive young woman with nothing for the most part who falls victim to a lying man. Since the book reads as if she had just arrived in the states several years later one assumes she is in her early to mid twenties when she gets pregnant with B.I.G. She was actually a bit older. In a 2003 interview that ran in Honey Magazine Voletta told Wendy Williams that she was 67 years old, which would have made her around 36 years old when Big was born. She does not tell her family about the pregnancy and as if she was a child who had disappointed her parents she tells them via a letter. There just seemed to be a gap in the book. Especially since she was a teacher for 30 years prior to Big's death at the age of 23. Another gap has to do with Voletta's friend Laurice. She introduced Voletta to Biggie's father and was with Voletta when Big was born but we later are informed that Laurice had passed when Voletta discovers that she had Cancer, even though there was no mention of Laurice's passing earlier or Voletta dealing with a friend with a terminal illness.

The first half of the book addresses Voletta's early days in the U.S. and Christopher's pre-Biggie life. The middle part of the book addresses Biggie's early days pursuing music and all of the ladies in his life. There is very little about his early recordings and actual details about the music aspect of his life. It's a mother sharing her memories about how the events of her only son's life unfolded. Some things are laid out in lighting speed. In a span of two pages she covers the majority of Big's relationship with Faith, from meeting her, until things ended.

The last half of the book is all about Voletta's life after the death of her son and the events surrounding the murder of The Notorious B.I.G.

Voletta loved her son deeply and it's heartbreaking to read "Biggie" at times because you can feel the love in her written words and to read about his earliest days knowing that his life would end in tragedy is that much more devastating. It is a great book with a ton of pictures of Big as a child. It's heartbreaking but Mrs. Wallace has created a wonderful testimony to her child.

Average customer rating:

Interesting biography
Minnelli on Minnelli
he has selective memory

I Remember It Well
Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Samuel French
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Betty Garrett and Other Songs: A Life on Stage and Screen

ASIN: 0573606072

Customer Reviews:

Interesting biography.......2004-08-27

This is a well written and interesting biography. He manages to talk of his marriage to Judy Garland respectfully and thankfully does not sink to pulling punches [although you would've thought that he'd attend her funeral, if just for Liza]. There are some really good rare pictures of Garland and him on their honeymoon as well as many of Liza as a child.

Minnelli provides accurate detailed accounts of his varied and exciting career but unfortunately fails to do so on his private life. He gets many facts wrong [e.g. he claims that Liza couldn't walk until she was 2, however there are many pictures in many different books to prove otherwise] although this is understandable as memories become cloudy with the passing of time. My only other complaint is that he focuses way too much dteail on his work, the brith of his second child is glossed over compared to the lengthy description of his next movie.

I also liked the lack of bragging in his book which appears in so many autobiographies, it makes the book much easier to enjoy. I wondered why he doesn't mention when he was born but later found out that it was because he would take ten years off his age for his whole life.

Minnelli on Minnelli.......2003-08-25

If you're the voyeuristic type of star bio reader, you'll probably want to look elsewhere for the juicy details on Judy Garland's ups and downs. We learn only the bare outlines of Minnelli's life with Judy Garland and little about any other romantic interests. His attitude toward Judy was one of sympathy, but he really didn't know how to cope with her. She was a difficult person to live with. You can tell Minnelli really dotes on daughter Liza, and he even lets her voice into this book, quoting a lengthy interview he and she gave to a reporter. Liza sings well, but I've never enjoyed listening to her talk. I've never heard her say anything interesting about herself or her life.

Minnelli, on the other hand, has many interesting things to say about his life and career. He begins with his boyhood and tracks his career to the present. His approach is much like that of star biographer Gary Fishgall. Every job, every Broadway production, every film, and his role in completing each is described in satisfying but modest detail. He includes his failures as well as his successes. I find this much more interesting than who slept with whom.

he has selective memory.......2000-11-18

In the introduction to his autobiography, Vincente Minnelli apologises. He has an insecurity about writing of his life since he believes he has "tip-toed" through it, and he isn't interested in serving up gossip about the people he has encountered. He says he would rather be remembered for his knowledge of rococco furbelows than for anything else. This soon clues you into what kind of book you are getting, one written by a man whose notions of taste and discretion are going to provide an anaemic experience. After a painfully hyperbolic forward by Alan Jay Lerner, and a scripted conversation between his daughter Liza and himself in preparation for the production of A Matter Of Time (the book was written in 1974), Minnelli goes through his past. His transition from window dresser to costume designer to theatre then Hollywood is catalogued, but requires one to have seen the end result to appreciate the detail. And his damnable "discretion" gives it all a reserved and waxed tone. Also those looking for any evidence of his reknowned bisexuality will be disappointed, not surprisingly. Minnelli's reluctance to settle in Hollywood is based on his belief that American films up to that time had no style - the camera rarely moving. This argument is clearly coloured by his initial unsuccessful venture in Hollywood, and is as spurious as the idea that Lerner proposes that it takes a true artist to create something really bad. Minnelli provides an interesting prefiguring of his soon to be wife Judy Garland and her drug addiction when he mentions he was given amphetamines and sedatives to get through the long working hours, but the trial so exhausted him that he soon disposed of this method of endurance. One might then consider Garland's choice, and he makes it clear that she made a choice to continue with the drugs after the years when she began at MGM and she was required to put in 14 hour days, as either foolhardy or admirable in a perverse sort of way ie she was more of a man than he could be. He mentions her pathological desire for approval and the negative influence of her mother who he quips must have been the inspiration for Mama Rose in Gypsy, who was incapable of giving Judy the loving words she so desperately needed to hear. Minnelli may attribute himself with helping Garland's evolution from child-star to woman in her films, and giving her an appreciation of "beautiful things" but ultimately he feels he failed her. "I thought I had a bottomless reservoir of love to offer, but Judy found me lacking". He adds though that any man would, because of the deep-rooted and open wounds of her childhood, and her depressive notion that self-destruction would "pay them back", a revenge on those at the studio who had wronged her. It is ironic in their A Star is Born relationship that after a brief shared success, his stock would rise and hers would fall, leading to her departure from MGM and his greatest triumphs. More interesting though is the perceived failures - Brigadoon which he blames on Gene Kelly's lack of enthusiasm, and Kismet, his own reluctant commitment. He lost the chance to direct the film of My Fair Lady because he wanted a percentage, and had planned to direct Marilyn Monroe in Goodbye Charlie before she died. I also liked the mention of projects abandoned - the life of Bessie Smith with Tina Turner, and Liza as Zelda Fitzgerald!

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How can u beat Harry Caray?

I Remember Harry Caray
Rich Wolfe , and George Castle
Manufacturer: Sports Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1582610029

Book Description

Harry Caray broadcast over 8,000 regular season games. His first game was on opening day in 1945. Harry packed 883 years of living into and 83-year life and lived by a simple credo: "The meter is running so you'd better live it up."

Customer Reviews:

How can u beat Harry Caray?.......2000-07-29

I Remember Harry Caray is a good book and i highly suggest buying it if you are a die hard Cubs fan like myself. This book has some very good stories in it about Harry and the Cubbies. Harry Caray is in my mind what really kept me watching the Cubs through their terrible years and this book is the perfect tribute to a wonderful man.

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I Remember Television
Ira Skutch
Manufacturer: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810822717

Book Description

...fascinating...everything you'd want to know about those wonderful years of live TV can be found in this book! --Ed McMahon

I Remember: Eighty Years of Black Entertainment, Big Bands and the Blues

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I Remember: Eighty Years of Black Entertainment, Big Bands and the Blues
Clyde Bernhardt , and Sheldon Harris
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0812212231

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