1 comments about New Downtown Now: An Anthology Of New Theater From Downtown New York.

1. It is great to have these playwrights out and available to the general public. Anne Washburn and Erin Courtney are especially worth reading.

1 comments about Costumes, Accessories, Props, And Stage Illusions Made Easy.

1. Usually Meriwether's fine guides are aimed to kids and young adult - but Costumes, Accessories, Props And Stage Illusions Made Easy is too important to limit to teens alone: it offers any aspiring stage crew the tools needed to create quality stages and dramatic acts. Chapters cover all aspects of making costumes and scenes, and will prove a perfect reference for beginning productions at any age level.

No comments about Elizabethan Drama: Eight Plays.

5 comments about Performing Arts College Guide, 3rd Edition.

1. I used the 2nd edition of this book when I was an undergraduate searching for a good grad school. I found the information to be clear, and, for the most part, accurate. Of course, teachers and institutions can change rapidly, so a student would be wise to consult a university's website or recruiting materials for the most up-to-date information, but I found the print guide to be a good starting point. I am now a university music teacher and recently had one of my students use the 3rd edition while searching for a grad school.

   Yes, this book is primarily intended for high school students. However, a graduate student may also find it to be of use...I did!




2. You might think that this is a guide for students already in college, but beware. Though it has some good advice, it is supposed to be written for high school students wanting to major in drama, dance, or music in college.

   A second warning: This book is dated, five year-old material.




3. I bought this guide to help me decide on a dance program, particularly between two in Arizona. Unfortunately there are lots of typos in the book, it seems as if it hasn't been edited (at least the dance section). Some of the mistakes are the following:

   1-The schools such as Temple University, Texas Christian University and Towson State University appeared under the "recommended" and "noteworthy" categories for dance. However, in the full description of each school the Author's Comment states all three as " recommended" for dance.

   2- The University of Arizona, Tucson is listed in the "noteworthy" category for dance, but later in the full description the Author's Comment reads, "highly recommended" for dance.

   I was very confused as to which to believe; the list of schools by category or the Author's Comment. Over all, for me these mistakes are misleading and detract from the credibility of the guide.

   On the good side the guide provides you with a lot of information on what to expect from the auditions, and even show you examples of evaluation sheets the teachers use in schools such as Julliard.
   It is mostly geared to High school students so if you are an adult seeking to study dance, most of the information will not be helpful.




4. After a long and grueling search, I was coming up empty handed on a really thorough resource to satisfy what I was truly looking for to speed up my college choice. This is what I was REALLY looking for to give me the substantial and real answers I desperately sought after for all my college questions. Finding this book was by far the best thing to help me along in my difficult college search.



5. I have the second edition of this guide and it is loaded with not only a listing of schools and programs in schools for every type of preforming art but also gives hints on how to audition for these schools, what monologues to do,what to wear at an audition , types of careers a performing arts majore can go into after completion of a preforming arts training or education plus a slew of periododicles(sp?)on the performing arts and sources where they can be bought or ordered. So I can only imagine what is included in this newer 4th edition of this valuable guide now I think with an additional 34 more pages than before. I highly reccomend this Guide.

5 comments about Movie Stars Do the Dumbest Things.

1. When I got this, the title left me thinking it would be about DUMB things that movie stars do. Like maybe when Tom Selleck went on Regis and Kelly with his fly open or when Sean Young went on a talk show dressed as Cat woman in a bit to get the role that later went to Michelle Pfiefer. I thought it was going to be about stuff like that. Dumb things. When I finished reading this and closed the book I felt like movie and TV stars were the biggest *SSH*LES on earth. I think a more accurate name for this book would be "MOVIES STARS ARE F-*ng *ssh*les." because that's basically what the book is about. Very little of it is about DUMB THINGS. Its about female stars sleeping with anyone who will give them a role in a film, its about stars thinking they are above mere mortals and should be treated that way. This book makes MOVIE STARS seem like truly evil people. But it was also interesting. I read it straight through on the day I got it.



2. The flip side of celebrity worship is celebrity mockery. And Margaret Moser obviously has worshipful tendencies in "Movie Stars Do The Dumbest Things." From embarrassing anecdotes to idiotic lines ("My butt fascinates me"), she chronicles quite a few moments that some major stars would love to forget.
   
   Woody Allen's bizarre psychological quirks (and marriage to his stepdaughter). Sean Penn's bad behavior. And Jane Fonda informing the world that the Vietnam War was only because the US wanted Vietnam's "tung and tinsten," which do not technically exist. Sure, everyone does incredibly stupid things, but a celebrity blunder is forever.
   
   And Moser does do a good job of collecting various embarrassing tantrums, hypocrises, demands, sexual indescretions (Peter Lawford's "Acujack") and airheaded remarks (Hugh Grant once said that then-lover Elizabeth Hurley was like his sister, because "incest is quite titillating"). She also devotes a section to young actors , and section devoted to dumb things directors do -- for example, all of Oliver Stone's anecdotes involve drugs.
   
   That isn't to say that it's perfect -- eating disorders and the tragic Judy Garland's suicide attempts are not "dumb things," for example. And Sophia Loren being mobbed when she bought bras really wasn't her fault. While Moser's irreverent tone is what makes the book so funny, the book does need to find the fine line of sensitivity. (That, and what's with the topless pictures?)
   
   However, there are far more entertaining anecdotes than there are duds, and no one is safe from Moser's razor. Classic actors like Jean Harlow, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Elvis Presley are given the same treatment as Pamela Anderson, Demi Moore and Eddie Murphy. And that lack of favoritism makes it even more amusing.
   
   For a few laughs at the expense of the sometimes-inexplicably famous, this is a good (sometimes flawed) light read. Think of it as tabloid tidbits, compressed into one book.



3. Shows how shallow many of these stars are. Mean spirited? Puh-leze. I call it justice! Having one's words and actions exposed publicly is just deserts indeed. But really, there isn't a mean spirit here. It's hilarity all the way through.



4. I believe in order to really enjoy this one has to possess a cattiness. It is relentless, and at times really harsh. A little too much information. You are left thinking, oh you poor soul, this is now exposed to the world. There are some super moronic things in here and you have to wonder exactly how much of it is true. Some things you already know, such as Sean Penn's violent behavior, some things will come as a surprise, such as Joan Crawford and her "rumored" female affairs and some things are just better left unsaid that leave a bad taste in your mouth,such as the "presents" Bette Midler left under each seat at one of her concerts. One tends to know the less intelligent actors and actresses (Melanie Griffith, Pamela Anderson, etc.) But this deleves a little more into other such things, beside stupidity. Be warned, it is not for the young, it is dirty, lots of sex and drugs and you even have a fully top exposed picture of Sophia Loren that I really could have lived without seeing. There are much better reads out there, after you finish this book you will feel a bit malicious and despiteful for having read it.



5. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good celebrity bashing as much as the next person, but this book really seemed to cross the line from amusingly snarky to cruel, scathing, and downright mean-spirited. Although many of these listings might be considered embarrassing on a more political level (such as the lavish hotel accomodations enjoyed by the likes of Whoopie Goldberg during highly-publicized appearances at benefits for the starving and homeless), they aren't exactly the sort of thing you sit around chuckling to yourself about in your free time.

   At times the gleefully mocking tone of the book seems wildly inappropriate, such as the entry on Judy Garland, which chronicles, in loving detail, the star's decades-long battle with depression and drug addiction (a battle she ultimately lost). The authors remain cheerfully oblivious to the tragic implications of Judy's constant pill-popping and suicide attempts, however, instead maintaining their juvenile finger-pointing approach ("Judy Garland tried to kill herself twenty-three times in ten years--boy, is she ever DUMB!"

   Even more absurd is the entry on the infamous sleaze queen Divine, whose whole life REVOLVED around being crazy and disgusting. (Did you know that Divine ate a real dog turd at the end of "Pink Flamingos"? So did everyone else.) In fact many of the "humorous" tidbits in this section were taken directly from John Waters' book "Shock Value," though in their original form they were somehow much more entertaining.

   Once again, I want to clarify that many of these books which make fun of celebrities are quite amusing in my opinion, it's just that the people who wrote this one seem to have some attitude problems, or simply lack an understanding of what is truly funny. I'm aware that famous people make mistakes--that fact, in and of itself, does not constitute humor.

No comments about Audition Arsenal For Women In Their 20's: 101 Monologues by Type, 2 Minutes & Under (Monologue Audition Series) (Monologue Audition Series).

5 comments about Trust No One (The Official Guide to the X-Files, Vol. 2).

1. Trust No One is a complex book that provides insight to any reader about one of the best shows, if not THE best, on television, The X-Files. This book is adorned with many facts and pictures that reveal an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes information that is helpful to a serious fan. I have gathered from it many details that I have put into my own episode guide. I highly recommend this if you are a die-hard X-Phile. Enjoy!



2. The book was great to read and the third season of X-Files was exciting.However,the pictures were stupid and all should have been in color.Whoever had the idea of printing those pictures in a dark black and white should think again.Next time when they begin making the 5th season guide book they should print nice, clear, bright pictures along with the episode synopsises.



3. Since i am blind, i had my sister read it to me. i thought it to be pretty intresting and my sister described the pictures to me and i thought they were cool. i can't wait for the next season book to come out.



4. I really enjoyed the first book, THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE, which covered the first two seasons of the X-Files. But this book only covers one season and the authors Lowry and Stegall want you to dish out another $15. Even the color photos have been seen a gillion times before in other magazines. Don't waste your money on such a blatant attempt by Rupert Murdoch's publishing company to milk this cow for all its worth. I usually enjoy Sarah Stegall's online reviews, but I can't believe she would be involved in such crass commercialism as this book. Shame on her, shame on the publisher, and shame on me for buying this crap



5. Wow! This X-Files guide is just as good, and even better, than its preceding guide. The third season guide to The X-Files showcases as many facts and background information from the show and its stars as the first guide by Brian Lowry. You'll be amazed to read how the third season cliffhanger, Talitha Cumi, was written and produced as you are taken step-by-step through both post- and pre-production. This novel provides behind-the-scenes interviews with the stars--both off-screen and on--of this glorious cult drama. Once again Brian Lowry does a superb job of composing descriptive episode summaries, and now even adds a cool color-photo insert taken from the set of the seasons best episodes. A deffinate gotta-have-it for fans, The Official Third Season Guide to the X-Files proves both fascinating and entertaining time after time to read

1 comments about Revelations: The Autobiography of Alvin Ailey.

1. I found this book very readable. It cast a different light onto the life of a man everyone new as brilliant. I was very surprised at how frankly this was written. No bars were held, even when Mr. Ailey didn't come across as a shining example. I think great pains were taken to retain the intergrity of the story without compromising Mr. Ailey's driving desire for privacy. The voices of many dance stars lent a certain energy to the book. Mr. Ailey made me laugh out loud while recounting details of his well-publicized breakdown. I was left wishing i'd paid more attention to this great dancer while he was yet alive.

No comments about The Color of Theater (Continuum Collection).

5 comments about A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition.

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition is a treasure for those -- like me -- who love this Christmas classic. It is a great "behind the scenes look" that includes photos of the cast of characters whose voices are so familiar. Give it as a gift to the "Peanuts Fan" in your life.
   Philip D. Halfacre
   Author, Genuine Friendship



2. While we've been treated to many Charles Schulz documentaries and remembrances over the years, "A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition" is the first book to focus on the first Peanuts' television special. The book includes in-depth interviews with producer Lee Mendelson, animator Bill Melendez, and Vince Guaraldi's children. This book is the ultimate backstage pass to the recording studio, with interviews with the original child actors who voiced the characters and sang on Guaraldi's "Christmas Time is Here." As a bonus treat, the script and original animation art round out the book.



3. I loved this book! It has material for every fan of the famous TV special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas". I may not be musical, but if you are, this book includes the music. I am fond of the discussions of the people involved in creating the production of the TV show and the script. I will be using the script in my classroom for Reader's Theatre. The book has a lot of material that has meaning for me personally. I was young when this special was shown on television and it was always one of my favorites. The book was not a disappointment to read and own. I am very glad I bought it.



4. "Charlie Brown Christmas" is the crown jewel of Christmas specials. Heavy on holiday introspection, but with the dry wit and humor you'd come to expect from Charles Schulz's creations.
   
   "A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition" just expands that experience, by outlining how the famed special came to be -- the music, the animation, the voice acting, even the advertisement to get people to watch it. It's a charming, nostalgic little book, and a good accompaniment.
   
   "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was spun up quickly, when Coca Cola wanted a Christmas special in less than a week -- and Charles Schulz's lovable loser Charlie Brown seemed to be the ticket. But the special was made very differently from other cartoons -- 2-D animation, no laugh track, uncutesy kids, and (horrors!) a jazz soundtrack. It was doomed to fail, they said.
   
   Well, instead it became a booming hit, and has been running every December ever since. Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez reminisce in here about the much-loved Charles Schulz, and about Vince Guaraldi, who made the distinctive piano soundtrack, and why it's so beloved -- it dares to approach holiday ennui and commercialization, then dashes it away with Linus' description of Christmas' meaning.
   
   As for the "making of" portion, there are storyboards, musical scores, test photos, clips of television reviews, and rare photos like Melendez and Schulz doing the football gag. Finally, there is the entire script of the special, framed by colourful stills from the cartoon.
   
   You couldn't wring this much information from most half-hour animated specials, no matter how much fun they were. But it's a bit different with "Charlie Brown Christmas." It was so completely unusual -- and has proved to be so timeless -- that a book on the making of it, and its effect, seems completely right.
   
   It's a very conversational, reminiscent book. It feels like sitting in a room with Melendez and Mendelson, listening to them reminisce about "Sparky." And we also get input from other people involved in the project, such as Christopher Shea (Linus), who talks about his famous "Second Chapter of Luke" speech, as well as odd bits of trivia (the little girl playing Sally had to be fed her lines).
   
   The Christmas special is more than able to stand on its own, but "Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition" is a wonderful accompaniment. Full of interesting tidbits and history.



5. This is the ultimate companion to the tv show. The art work is from the original show and the dialogue is a great bonus! The book is also packed with great trivia and information about the decisions "behind stage" that led to the creation of the ultimate Christmas Special.