5 comments about Fabulous!: A Photographic Diary of Studio 54.

1. After searching websites and finding some pretty interesting pictures, I expected this book to really contain what it boasts "downright shocking.... astounding", but doesn't show half of what is shown on the internet! Honestly I was disappointed - but DEFINITELY look at Studio 54: A Legend. Absolutely worth it - much more story and TRUELY Fabulous! pictures!!!



2. Gives you a great idea on what the club-life was like in late 70s and early 80s...



3. Bobby Miller is a friend and an artist. That's how I know him. He is a fun and fabulous friend, and his art in uncompromised and unadulterated fun and fabulousness. Let him take you by the hand into the womb of the 70's: smell the smoke, the sweat, the cheap cologne. ( Stained dresses were a dime a dozen, I'm sure.) This book is a pictographic history of the big bang of the Age of Aquarius. It's an authentic item for those culturally inclined, no matter what your persuasion. Give it to yourself and think of it as a history book with lots of pictures (and great writing, too)!



4. What a wonderful work. Clearly, Mr. Miller has a terrific eye and can capture the glit, glam, feels and smells of what Studio 54 must have been like. If only I could have been there too. Alas, I'm too young for that, but at least I can see what life was like in the golden age. Signed, A Fan From Ophir There



5. I found out that this photographic book is really bizarre, however you will enjoy it if you are a Disco-culture lover. Get it!

2 comments about Dance: Rituals of Experience.

1. We know no other book on dance with the same passion and deep understanding that Highwater brings to this one. Even the fantastic illustrations give a sense of the movement and development of the power of this great art, and the text just as vividly explores dance's ritual, mythic, and subconscious elements, showing us at every juncture how, through the movement of the dance, our inner and outer lives meet.



2. Most dance books are pretty lightweight. This one is a knockout. Highwater has this way of connecting things, and here he seems to be connecting the history of the human body with the social attitudes of different times and different places. The way we dance is the way we are. On the jacket choreographer Erick Hawkins tells us that this is "the most important book on dance ever published in America." He should know.

2 comments about Creating a Character: A Physical Approach to Acting.

1. I loved reading this book but I failed it. I couldn't get through the first exercise. I can't go around for a whole week emphasizing my biggest physical flaw. I have auditions to ruin with my acting, God forbid my looks. There's got to be a milder version of Moni's Vulnerable Self exercise. Anyone know him and can ask? I'd love to get to the cloud exercise.



2. Once the voice has done its job, how does the body go on from there? How can we make our characters as real as we can? Every actor asks these questions of themself, but there's one question that Yakim asks about every character--Who are they? Boiled down? In two words, even? This book defines the different types of characters as basic archetypes, or "selves": The Vulnerable Self, The Trusting Self, The Instinctive Self. It then goes on to list ways of developing these Selves from a purely physical standpoint.

   I have only used parts of this book in developing some of my characters, and already, I feel more confident about my presence on stage. I believe myself now, and that's the hardest audience to convince.

3 comments about The Actor's Checklist.

1. I've been acting and directing in school/college and community theatre for over 30 years. I've taken college courses in directing and acting classes at professional theatres and have read many of the standard books on acting (Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, etc.). The Actor's Checklist is one of the best, most accessible books on the subject that I've read. O'Neill's book is different from a lot of books on acting in that it takes the theory from those standard texts and leads the actor by the hand in applying that theory to their work in the rehearsal process, both at home and onstage. In fact, one of the emphases of the book is that work must be done offstage (i.e., homework) as well as onstage. So many times, especially in community theatre, actors do not do any thinking about their characters, and they certainly don't spend much time or energy working on their parts when away from the theatre. I hope to use much of what I've learned from The Actor's Checklist both when I'm acting and when I'm directing.



2. I have read much of the literature on acting in print. If you want one book that spells it all out for you buy this book. If I had a choice of only one book on the subject The Actor's Checklist would be it, and I don't even know nor had I ever heard of the author before.



3. An excellent workbook for experienced and beginning actors. Much more than a 'checklist', it can be used as a class textbook or a personal aid to creating the complete character. There's nothing new in here, just a very fine compilation of the best methods and techniques, logically arranged, complete with exercises for each section. This is definitely my favorite resource for my own acting work. The only disappointment is the price. I would like to make this the required text book for my adult students, but I feel the cost is too high. $12-$15 would be more appropriate.

No comments about Feminism and Film Theory.

3 comments about A Must See!: Brilliant Broadway Artwork.

1. Expectations are everything for this book. So, be prepared: Do not expect a sumptious coffee table book of gorgeous prints. This book assembles a diverse collection of Playbills and "heralds"(advertising for new or then current plays stuck in the programs), finding common themes in the diversity. It is more a collection of historically interesting artwork with sidebar comments on marketing and production notes. I wouldn't say that the artwork rises to the level of "brilliance", but many of them are very clever and ,again, from an historical perspective,very entertaining.



2. Nice visuals, good research, very well done. I dont what the other reviewer's expecations were but I was most satisfied and wanted to offer another perspective.



3. This book illustrations have a certain spartan appeal,like charles atlas ads in back of comic books.The lackluster design of about 80% of this artwork is really sad although it does add another piece to bway history for which the normally fabulous Chronicle books should be commended.The captions are also uninspired and sparse ,there is just no joy in this presentation,a missed chance to do something really worth having.I would buy it but will wait til it is remaindered,sorry!

1 comments about Through the Body: A Practical Guide to Physical Theatre (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback)).

1. I love this book, it's thoroughly researched and it offers a great variety of exercises and cross-references to modern theatre practitioners, theatre ensembles and intercultural influences on the physical approach to training. My only suggestion would be to have all exercises indexed at the end of the book for easy perusal. I ended up doing it myself. I use this book extensively in ensemble training of my theatre company.

No comments about Scenario of the Ballet THE STRUGGLE OF THE MAGICIANS.

2 comments about Cousin Brucie: My Life in Rock 'N' Roll Radio.

1. I was looking for this one....
   Cousin Brucie the legendary man of radio did it again.
   Nobody knows about Rock and Doo Wop better than Cousin Brucie.
   I am a fan of his and I love his radio show. What a guy!
   This book is a treasure.
   Get your copy, Maria, Suzie, Yvonne and all of you.



2. As a New Yorker, I grew up with Cousin Brucie on the airwaves. I would flip back & forth from WABC to WMCA's Good Guys. WABC had Dan Ingram & the Cousin. The Good Guys had Harry Harrison, Dandy Dan Daniels, Gary Stevens, Billy Mitchell Reed (BMR) and eventually Frankie Crocker. Over at the other end of the dial, 1010 WINS, there was Murray the K and Mad Daddy. Decades before Rap & Hip Hop, Mad Daddy would do his entire show in rhyming heroic couplets. It was a world of submarine-race watchers, sure shots, long shots, and hits. These are the people who broke the Beatles back in 1963 (Christmas week) and had minute-by-minute news of Beatlemania as the Fab Four hit New York. Over at WINS, Murray the K was playing songs by an unknown band he predicted a great future for - "they have hair that make the Beatles look like crew cuts." That band was the Rolling Stones. Cousin Brucie's book brings it all back to me - the radio and personalities that made me fall in love with rock & roll. Even a couple of years ago, I would still tune in to hear Cousin Brucie on WCBS-FM, the official "oldies" station. Then, one day, all the Dee Jays were fired. The call letters were changed. And something named JACK took over. No Dee Jays. No need for people. Just a playlist & commercials. Sad, isn't it? Read this book & remember how it used to be. Or fantasize about radio & what it could be. Despite the Top 40 format and the 3-minute 45 RPM limit, these early pioneers broke barriers, launched legendary groups, took chances. Could you imagine how exciting it was when the Good Guys played 5 minute long "Like A Rolling Stone"? Probably not.

5 comments about It's Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock, A Personal Biography.

1. Charlotte Chandler's 2005 portrait of Alfred Hitchcock reads more like an extended gossip column than a traditional biography. Though occasionally insightful and entertaining, the author would have benefited from paraphrasing some of the lengthy quotes from her numerous interviews. "It's Only a Movie" may not represent the finest book on the Master of Suspense (try François Truffaut's "Hitchcock" and Patrick McGilligan's "A Life in Darkness and Light"), yet it avoids the bleak unpleasantness of Donald Spoto's "The Dark Side of Genius."



2. I thought this book was excellent. I love Hitchcock movies, and this is the first biography I have read. I thought it contained wonderful anecdotes and interviews with some of the most famous movie stars of the time. I loved the little summaries of each movie provided. Even though I have seen nearly all his movies--and watched them over and over again--I still found the summaries interesting. Some movies, for example, Topaz, have complicated plots and I liked being able to refresh my memory through the summaries.
   
   I loved that Chandler wrote from first-hand experience--it made me feel like I had the inside scoop. Now, when I watch his movies I think of the little stories I read in the book and it makes it that much more enjoyable. I devoured this book in about two days--I just couldn't put it down! My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough.



3. I saw many (probably most ) of the Hitchcock's movies in which he always made a surprise appearance. The best part of the occasion was trying to find him out in the crowd somewhere. He always was a practical joker, even in the serious films he directed. He had the most distinctive profile of anyone alive at that time (Twenties to the Seventies).
   
   Now, he has been dead for twenty-five years and Ms. Chandler has released this comprehensive history -- why not earlier? Why now? For many years she talked with the big man himself, and later his wife, Alma and daughter Pat. She also interviewed at least sixteen of the stars he used -- he always chose a blonde female co-star and the best looking males available. Some were Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, John Gielgud, Grace Kelly, Tippi Hendren, Kim Novak, Doris Day, and Janet Leigh.
   
   Being a Britisher made him different for us young moviegoers, but we could overlook that English accent as it was just plain fun to find him right there in his own movies. He told Ms. Chandler in one of their conversations, "I remember Ingrid Bergman coming up to me in a terrible state. Worried, miserable, high-strung, romantic, idealistic, sensitive, emotional." She said, "There's something I must tell you about my part. I don't feel it. I can't find my motivation." "I said to her, 'Ingrid, fake it. It's only a movie."
   
   Last spring that is what a young man told me when I had written a bad review of ANCHORMAN starring Will Ferrell which I hated -- "it's only a movie." But it did not make me like it any better.
   
   Life today is like one of Hitchcock's advice. We fake it. If we worried about terrorism and instant demoliton from an atom bomb, we'd all be basket cases. Just fake it, as he would say.
   
   Some time ago, Ms. Chandler wrote THE ULTIMATE SEDUCTION in which she included an interview with Tennessee Williams. Now, she is finishing a book about Bette Davis. I haven't liked Bette Davis since she was the crazy one in 'What Happend to Baby Jane.' And I hated that song, 'Bette Davises Eyes." You'd think she could chose someone more respected and more talented.



4. It's no wonder that Alfred Hitchcock continues to fascinate a quarter century after his death as his work resonates still. Author Charlotte Chandler has written a breezy history of Hitchcock the master filmmaker. It's by no means the best one on the market, as I feel Donald Spoto wrote the authoritative biography in 1983, "The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock", and Francois Truffaut published his famous comprehensive interview with Hitchcock in 1967. I would recommend either before diving into this dishy memoir, but it's good fun about his professional life nonetheless.
   
   Chandler breaks down Hitchcock's story movie by movie in chronological order. Each section deals anecdotally with each film, noting the little triumphs and failures inherent in any project and including the actors' impressions of working for the master of suspense. Contrary to popular belief, many were genuinely impressed by Hitchcock's genius almost to the point of genuflection, and the book is full of recollections of his kindnesses, hardly the dark portrait Spoto painted nor Hitchcock himself with the characters in his films. In fact, according to Chandler, he did not readily abandon his actors as is widely believed. Rather, everyone simply agreed he knew what he wanted and with supreme confidence, Hitchcock dictated a set like a consummate professional. To the thinner-skinned, he was an icy control freak. His no-fuss filmmaking style comes across in Chandler's colorful descriptions of the classics he directed. Sometimes, Chandler insinuates herself into the narrative to the point of being intrusive, as if she needs to validate her qualifications for writing this biography. It can get irritating, but luckily her insights offset much of the over-personalized perspective. Just reviewing his filmography in such gently provocative detail is reason enough to buy this book, whether it's "Rebecca", "Shadow of a Doubt", "Notorious", "Strangers on a Train", "Rear Window", "Vertigo'', "North by Northwest", "Psycho", "The Birds", or his earlier English pictures. An entertaining read about a true character and a deservedly legendary director.



5. IT'S ONLY A MOVIE: Alfred Hitchcock -- A Personal Biography is the latest (and certainly not the greatest) look at the life of the famed suspense director.
   
   Charlotte Chandler, whose other celebrity biographies include NOBODY'S PERFECT: Billy Wilder -- A Personal Biography; I, FELLINI; and HELLO, I MUST BE GOING: Groucho and His Friends, concentrates on Hitchcock primarily as a movie maker. The aspects of his early and later life get relatively short shrift, which many readers will no doubt appreciate, wanting to get to the meat of the matter.
   
   Chandler presents the talented "Hitch" as a visionary, creating cinematic effects and manipulating the emotions of moviegoers for more than fifty years. His classics --- The Man Who Knew Too Much (both versions), Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, Rebecca, Lifeboat, Spellbound, Notorious...the list of work from one person seems ridiculous and unfair --- defined fright films that endure to this day, despite the pyrotechnical toys and other gimmicks modern directors employ to get a rise out of us. Hitchcock knew how to use a patch of light or the absence of sound to set up the audience for the constant rude awakening. He was the master of the "MacGuffin," a plot device that defies conventional explanation, which Chandler describes as "something that motivates characters to take dangerous chances for something they must have.... In The 39 Steps it's a secret airplane engine design. In The Lady Vanishes and in Foreign Correspondent it's a secret diplomatic message...."
   
   Hitchcock was a bit of an overgrown imp, she writes, not a stuffed shirt. Despite his formal bearing, he always enjoyed a good joke, particularly when it came at the good-natured expense of one of his actors. And what actors! Jimmy Stewart, Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, James Mason, Anthony Perkins --- a veritable "who's who" of Hollywood nobility.
   
   Although his art was complex, Hitchcock's directorial style was simple: actors should be able to get by with a minimum of instruction. Those looking for guidance learned that it must come from within. Insecurity was tolerated with great reluctance. Hitchcock had little patience for "method" actors who needed to know their motivation. Basically, he believed their motivation should be to do a good job to earn their paycheck. Chandler employs the filmmaker's catchphrase, "It's only a movie," on several occasions as evidence of Hitchcock's refusal to take anything (or anybody) too seriously.
   
   Chandler breaks down Hitchcock's story movie by movie. Each section deals anecdotally with each film, noting the little triumphs and failures inherent in any project and including the actors' impressions of working for the master of suspense (overwhelmingly positive). Many were in awe of the legend, especially those early in their career. There are many recollections of small kindnesses, such as dinner invitations, that portray Hitchcock in an almost saintly light, despite the evil inclinations of many of his characters.
   
   Because of its style, IT'S ONLY A MOVIE gives short shrift to the fine points that define a thorough biography, despite the title. For example, although Chandler devotes a section of the book to "The Last Years," she does not go into any substantial details about Hitchcock's own physical ailments, only that he had lost the will to live, ostensibly depressed over the illness of Alma, his beloved helpmeet.
   
   Chandler writes in a very gossipy mien, insinuating herself into the narrative, letting the reader know that she was in with the "in crowd." One wonders what she had in mind with the subtitle "A Personal Biography." Which "person" is she talking about? It often seems to be herself. She peppers her remarks with phrases like, "He told me..." or "I said to him...." Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it can be wearing after a while.
   
   IT'S ONLY A MOVIE may not be on a scholarly par with other Hitchcock biographies, such as Patrick McGilligan's ALFRED HITCHCOCK: A Life in Darkness and Light or THE A-Z OF HITCHCOCK: The Ultimate Reference Guide, by Howard Maxford, or the dozens of studies of specific films or groups of films (Murray Pomerance's AN EYE FOR HITCHCOCK or FRAMING HITCHCOCK: Selected Essays from the Hitchcock Annual, edited by Sidney Gottlieb and Christopher Brookhouse). But it is a gentle, entertaining look at a paradoxically gentle and entertaining man.
   
   --- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan