5 comments about Lawyer: My Trials and Jubilations.

1. Having been in law practice for just over 15 years, I've always sought inspiration from my older, more experienced and [much more] wizened colleagues. I've often found such inspiration in the example of well known trial lawyers who seem "larger than life."
   I don't really compare myself to any of these great legal lions. However, I do draw from their gutsy manner and styles, their talent and inspiration. Joe Jamail is one fine example of a great trial lawyer -- whose enormous success almost speaks for itself. I for one am quite willing to overlook any personal flaws or quirks among such great colleagues, in favor of learning the wisdom of their experience and trememdous success.



2. I received this book (a signed copy) free from my law school upon graduation (within a year of publication). I suppose Joe had a few thousand lying around that he couldn't sell. I keep it in the bathroom in case my wife forgets to refill the toilet paper.
   
   All kidding aside, it's amusing and anecdotal, but he's largely full of himself, as would be expected from a billionaire lawyer's autobiography.



3. Law students who have just taken a course in professional repsonsibility may characterize Joe Jamail as a bad man, as unscrupulouas, as a jerk. That is probably true. But, argumentum ad hominem. Just because the man is bad, his work may not be. The facts are that Jamail is one of the most successful American lawyers of all time; that he fights a tremendous fight for his clients. Read this book for what it is, an account of an outstanding lawyer and his interesting cases; not as an intro to legal ethics.



4. Mr. Jamail's book is terrific. Yes he's a little full of himself but his results are real and he has accomplished a lot in his legal career. He's also had a few major financial scores that have put him in a very unique class of lawyer. This is a fun book with many stories about individual cases that made an impression on Joe and thus inspired him to fight for his client.



5. I found Joe's book entertaining and easy to read. His passion for his clients and job is a trait not held by most in the law profession.

4 comments about Preston Sturges by Preston Sturges: His Life in His Words.

1. The strange title and author attribution of this (auto)biography of movie writer/director Sturges is revealed in the last paragraph, and I won't give it away here. Trust me to say that this is a fascinating look into Preston Sturges' life as it is revealed by the man himself. Revealing? For example, the time spent by Sturges working on his six Hollywood classics (starting with "The Great McGinty" and ending with "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek") are briefly covered in approximately 50 pages. Instead of concentrating his life into the three years that made him famous, Sturges spreads his story out equally to all years of his life, spending an equal amount of time on his toddlership. Fortunately, Sturges' life is interesting and by the time you arrive with him in Hollywood, you may agree with him that it's not necessarily as high a pinnacle as it may seem.

   What you discover here is that Sturges, while a gifted writer and director, was something of a strange chap. His early life, while providing him many of the anecdotes that he would later incorporate into his movies, weren't necessarily guiding him to the silver screen. By tricks of simple fate, Sturges avoided a career as a perfumer, a broker, and an inventor. And, before Hollywood, there was a chance that he would have stayed a playwright on Broadway. For a man with the drive for success and money, though, no place but Hollywood in those years had quite the means to deliver the goods.

   There's a few pictures to round out the book and a nice bibliography. As a starting point to discovering more about Sturges' work, this is a great book. About that work, though, one must look elsewhere.




2. The best biography (to date) of Preston Sturges is "Between Flops" by James Curtis, but this well-edited edition of Preston's own unfinished autobiography makes a wonderful companion volume to that vivid bio.



3. A great autobiography that anyone who is a Sturges fan will love. He writes extremely well, and the life he tells about is a fascinating one. Why this book is not more widely known and discussed is a mystery. Had Sturges never made a movie (and he devotes little space to that aspect of his life), or if anyone reading the book would happen to not know who Sturges is, the book would hold up just as well. His wife Sandy did an excellent job of editing Sturges' journals and writings to come up with what will one day become known as literary classic that will stand alongside his film masterpieces.



4. Preston Sturges was one of the greatest comedy directors of all time, but most people have no idea who he was. This book is basically Sturges' autobiography. Ironically, he died before he ever had a chance to finish and publish his life story. However, using what he had written, various letters, and notes, his daughter Sandy collected his writings and edited them into this delightful book. I was fascinated and extremely amused reading about the exploits of the gifted (and wealthy) young Preston. His childhood was anything but usual, what with globetrotting and famous dinner guests and all; and the story of how he became a movie director is most interesting and entertaining. Full of wit and charm, this book is sure to entertain; not unlike a Preston Sturges' film.

1 comments about American Empress: The Life and Times of Marjorie Merriweather Post.

1. Superb biography which open the window (and the door) into Marjorie Merriweather Post's fascinating life - - and shows that "money cannot buy everything" ....

5 comments about Elizabeth.

1. I didn't know much about Elizabeth Taylor before I read this book, but I am a fan now. Other reviewers have criticized this book for repeating information found in other Taylor sources, and I can't comment on that. As a read...this book is a little tedious. I purchased it from the bargain book rack at Borders. I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise, but I'm glad to know more about such a fascinating American icon.



2. Elizabeth "Don't Call Her Liz" Taylor has had such a crazy life, punctuated by frequent illnesses (at one point, the author provides a list of the health crises she'd suffered -- and it's a long one -- before she'd even turned thirty) and marriages and divorces and scandals and weight gains and weight losses and multiple trips to rehab, that it is easy to overlook what a great actress she was. Of course, many of her movies were lousy, but even in a turkey like "Butterfield 8" (which Taylor herself detested and only did because she was forced to), she gave a terrific performance.
   
   Oh, and she was beautiful too. Very beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that had she not already established herself as a fine actress from childhood, she may have been dismissed as purely ornamental. No one has had a face like Taylor's -- the sable hair, the flawless skin, the perfectly-formed lips, the incredible eyes (not violet, as legend has it, but a luminous blue, surrounded by, as is revealed in the book, a double set of eyelashes), and as if all that wasn't enough, she had a stunning hourglass figure.
   
   Yet, she has never been fixated on her own looks; her mother Sara is quoted as saying, "She has no idea how beautiful she is," and though that's commonly said about beautiful people, I'm inclined to believe that it is true in Taylor's case. This book doesn't shy away from showing Taylor's flaws -- basically, she's monstrously spoiled, selfish, childish, tantrum-prone, and sometimes downright nightmarish -- but vanity is not one of them.
   
   This biography has many surprisingly touching moments which help balance out some of the more appalling scenes. Sometimes she was such a pill that it's hard to fathom why anyone put up with her. But it's clear that she met her match in Richard Burton, who was just as much of a pill as she was. Burton was perhaps the only person who had no qualms whatsoever about insulting Taylor to her face, and he really could be cruel. Given the knock-down drag-out fights they had in public, it is more than a little scary to imagine what their private fights were like.
   
   In sum: this book doesn't contain any earthshattering revelations, although it does have some rare photographs, such as one of Taylor's mother Sara during her brief spate as an actress. However, it is written with great affection and respect, and it is a fascinating story.



3. A fascinating book! Very well researched and written by Taraborrelli with great respect for the "legend" Elizabeth Taylor.I bet Ms. Taylor would enjoy reading this book too,because it is honest and there is no bad gossip at all.



4. Frankly, I'm enjoying this bio of La Liz. After 60 years she is still considered a quintessential superstar. No matter how much you've read about her, there is still a tidbit or two for readers to enjoy. Elizabeth Taylor has continually fascinated the public with her multiple marriages, escapades, and addictions - and we never seem to get enough. And she has survived it all. Which is the stuff Hollywood legends are usually made of. A good read!



5. The Washington Post got this book right: This is a shallow, gushy, cut-and-paste puff piece posing as biography.
   
   Author J. Randy Taraborrelli seems unable, even with a team of researchers, to quote accurately from the books from which he cribs his material ("Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry," in particular, from which he lifts many anecdotes without attribution).
   
   Taraborrelli's insight, if you can call it that, on Taylor is that she is not too introspective (no!) and that fame corrupts (how deep!).
   
   He gives a superficial account of early Taylor's life. Her childhood and first four marriages whiz by like the unspooling of an outdated filmstrip. Given Taylor's assertion that her father "batted me around a bit," the book's omission of this aspect of her childhood is glaring. As Taylor's life progresses, Taraborrelli adds more detail as source material becomes easier to find. The reader then is treated to all kinds of meaningless vignettes about Taylor's last three marriages, and torturous detail about her recurring addictions and multiplying health problems (though details seem to conflict with other sources).
   
   Taraborrelli gushes over Taylor's beauty, the (questionable) talents of her many spouses, and how miraculously well-adjusted and normal her children are. Some of these descriptions are obsequious enough to induce a cringe. Other descriptions make one wonder just how much research he did for this book. For instance, he never explored references to one of Taylor's sons having joined a cult in his youth, and descriptions elsewhere of her children being dirty and neglected while she drank and partied.
   
   The book makes clear that Taraborrelli or his staff did interview people, probably a lot of people. But the quality of the interviews and the insight they offer is lacking. Taraborrelli quotes a flip and brittle Eddie Fisher offering nothing of substance. Taraborrelli even asks rhetorically why Taylor still bears a grudge against Fisher, not realizing the irony that this is the kind of question he should theoretically be trying to answer. He also interviews a bevy of people ancillary to the action, such as the son of a film director describing one of what must have been one of many Burton-Taylor makeout sessions on the set of "Cleopatra."
   
   This isn't the first Taraborrelli celebrity bio in which he buries the reader in an avalanche of meaningless gossip-mag minutiae, easily culled from readily available books and magazines, but fails to do any enterprising research of his own. For instance, in the 576 pages of excruciating detail in "Call Her Miss Ross," Taraborrelli neglected to mention that Diana Ross and Berry Gordy had a child together (beyond coyly stating that her oldest child didn't resemble her then-husband).
   
   I'm sure this book will make money hand over fist, which is all that matters to Taraborrelli (that and maybe getting to brown-nose the celebrity in person). But if you want to respect yourself later, flip to the photos, then put this book back where you found it.

1 comments about From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster: The Neverending Story of Film Pioneer Mark Damon.

1. Fascinating and very entertaining autobiography on film star and movie mogul Mark Damon detailing his travails in the film industry from America to Italy and back again. The chronology of the book is all over the place but generous stories (stories that are both captivating and sometimes shockingly humorous) on his work in the Italian film industry where he made a number of westerns and horror pictures sit alongside equally interesting details of working on both in front of, and behind the scenes on some of the biggest hits of American cinema.

5 comments about Barnabas & Company: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows.

1. I found this book by Craig Hamrick to be PERFECT for any Dark Shadows fan. A must-have!



2. I started watching Dark Shadows when it first appeared on TV and am stil an avid fan. This book allows die-hard fans with a look at what we followed so closely many years ago. Barnabas was my personal favorite so this book is right up my alley.



3. Mr. Hamrick, who apparently knows many of the celebrities he writes about here, has fashioned a wonderful amalgam of trivia and scholarship. His research into the reel and real lives of the characters and cast of the landmark soap Dark Shadows brings the reader not only into the world of Collinwood, but closer to the people who inhabited it and made the fantastic seem real. Highly recommended for all fans of soaps and pop culture.



4. There are numerous DS books on the market,almost always told from the point of view of a select few who appeared on the show and relate tales heavy on sunshine and roses. While these voices are important, they only provide one dimension. Mr. Hamrick, who has appeared at many of the conventions, is first and foremost a curious fan and thus approaches his writing with that mindset,adding a much needed balance to the scales without the usual rehash. If you can find Hamrick's comprehensive, yet rare 'Collectors Guide', grab this essential title also.



5. Craig has done a superb job. I knew Louis Edmonds very well in his later years, but never knew much about Dark Shadows. Until this book!
   Thanks very much.

5 comments about A Passion to Win.

1. Wow! I'm the first to review this book here in over a year!
   
   A Passion to Win was recommended to me by a fellow Viacom employee, though he's at Paramount and I have freelanced at MTV for the past four and a half years. I'm embarrassed to say that I previously knew nothing of Sumner Redstone or his behind-the-scene battles to turn Viacom into the world's top entertainment company. When confronted with the inevitable bureaucracy of performing my job duties, I just envisioned a nameless, faceless corporation that really only cared about the bottom line.
   
   What a treat it was to spend the last day and a half seeing operations from the creator's perspective! I have a newfound respect for Mr. Viacom (or Mr. Redstone) and every other division that has invariably kept him awake at night as he set to reform it from the inside out. Quite an inspiring and optimistic tome from someone who could easily have concentrated on the negatives of his own triumphant journey.
   
   I was surprised with Redstone's candor in recounting his business deals, including the personalities of the players involved. The character "types" he has dealt with paralleled my own encounters with businessmen over the years. It was comforting to know that our dealings were not so dissimilar, only in the scope of what was being negotiated.
   
   I'm sure Sumner has his share of detractors, but I was really impressed with his story. I found myself cheering (though not audibly) when he closed a significant business deal. The uncomplicated prose actually helped me through most of the legal situations, as that's never been an area of interest for me.
   
   Suffice it to say that I think this book holds up exceedingly well, giving great insight into one of the top business minds currently at play on the American (even global) corporate landscape. A complete recommendation.



2. As a highschool student, I found this book to be extremely inspiring. Anyone who has ever thought of entering the field of business should read this book. I did and it helped me channel my i nner ambition. Redstones inspiring stories (he survived a terrible fire) made me want to get out and conquer the world. At times, Redstone seems a bit full of himself, but anyone who can climb to the top usuallly is. This book is a great read to anyone wanting to find passion by reading from a passionate person.



3. Whether you buy this book for self-help or because you want to know how the top people made it in their careers, this book will satisfy you. Well written and focused, you catch a glimpse into the life of Sumner Redstone as he rose from a "poor, Jewish boy" to becoming a media conglomerate who is well respected (and feared) in his arena.

   Reading about people like this, you can't help but be inspired. Whether you agree with Mr. Redstone's tactics, you will admire and respect his fortitude and resilience. He takes you through a journey of his life, and you see how successful people overcome the obstacles in their lives. I don't want to give away everything in the book, but Sumner faced many "obstacles". What's nice is he also names the names of the people who have infuriated him throughout his career. He has guts!

   I recommend this book. Honestly, though, it may not be for someone who has already "made it" in life. I think the best person to read this book is a recent high-school or college graduate who has his/her whole life ahead of them. This book will make an excellent gift to someone and will definitely inspire them.




4. If one is asked to describe a blueprint for genocide, Hitler's "Mein Kampf" invariably comes to mind. Thus ever should Sumner Redstone's "A Passion to Win" be linked with the equally heinous crime of cultural genocide.

   In this book, Mr. Redstone recalls the long road that led him from drive-in theater projectionist to media mogul. At every twist and turn, Mr. Redstone defeats "incomprehensible" odds to claw his way to the top of his "entertainment" empire. The capstone of this empire was his acquistion of Viacom, and with it, MTV.

   Redstone describes with almost messianic fervor how he ignored advice to sell off the fledgling music channel. "I believed that MTV could be a cultural force in America" (page 116). "Young people 12 to 20 were going to become adults of 30 to 40...", "If we attracted them early, we could keep them forever." (page 117).

   Well, attract them he did, and anyone who can sit through ten minutes of MTV "programming" can readily appreciate Mr. Redstone's "cultural messages". (Try searching "Shower Rangers" on you favorite browser some time. Thanks, Sumner!).

   Even more sinister is the calculating way in which he targets the youngest viewers for his oily propaganda. "I felt much the same way about Nickelodeon and the possibilities in creating a children's brand." (page 117). From cradle to grave, Uncle Sumner had a direct conduit to America's, and then the world's, most impressionable viewers.

   But Mr. Redstone does not live in a vacuum. He has children and grandchildren of his own. They grew up with the MTV generation too (Can't you just see Grampa Sumner settling down with the grandbabies to watch some quality rap videos?). Mr. Redstone, however, believes that while "multiculturalism" and "diversity" are just the ticket for the gentiles, his family would attend private schools in Israel.

   Towards the closing pages of this book, Mr. Redstone also mentions his wife of 50+ years, as he is in the process of divorcing her. "I took measures to see that she would have no control in the company". Heart warming, ain't it?

   I highly recommend this book. As the old proverb goes, "Know thy enemy."




5. i agree with the EDITOR's review of this book as well. Often self-promoting, this book can often be too tedious in its descriptive of the deal makings. i enjoyed it more having worked for the firm for a while. i didnt agree with everything he said and his comments about some of the people he fired were too slanted in my opinion, but hell, thats what being the boss entitles you to. i would have liked a more candid description of the different chgannels rather that a listings of the shows which appeared to be just a listing provided by someone at each channel. toughness during deal-making is the message i got most from this book and is what will stick with me most. one last thing--i would have enjoyed more details on the work during wwll .

No comments about Victoria Beckham: Queen of America.

5 comments about Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball.

1. He states that her height was 5'7" in one section of the book, then a few chapters later states she was 5'9". Am I the only one who noticed this, or am I not reading it correctly? I read the Kathleen Brady book just prior to reading this one (she states she was 5'7", but another website said she was 5'6.5") and while it portrayed a Lucy that you really pity toward the end (so consumed with aging), I think it was the more complete and better researched overall. Just thought if he couldn't get her height correct then what else did he not get right?



2. Overall I thought the book was very good. I really didn't "know" who Lucy was and I feel I know the person now. What was very interesting to me was the fact that Lucy was a control freak who people hated to work with. She would also have temper tantrums like a little girl and would later apologize.
   
   The sections (and there are a lot of them) on Desi were very good. I never knew how smart he was. The talent he had for choosing the right actors and projects. Not just for the Lucy show itself but for their production company. You will be surprised at some of the popular titles that we still hear about today.
   
   Lastly the one glaring omission is Buster Keaton. In the book it states that Buster was a mentor to Lucy. She listened to him when everyone else thought he was washed up. He helped her with her comic timing. The book, just gave a few sentences to this, which I thought was very disappointing and because of this omission I cannot give it 5 stars.



3. If you've watched all the "I Love Lucy" episodes, yet never read a book on Lucille Ball, then this is the place to start. Although this book may be seen as a tell-all, there's a strong undercurrent of admiration the author obviously has for his subject.
   
   Ball, as seen by Kanfer, knew she was a star but never seemed to enjoy the priviledges and the adulation that came with the role. Instead, Ball was insecure during all her adult life and showed it by being tactless on the set, overly authoritative to her directors and fellow actors, and hated the fact that she was growing older and people might forget about her (no chance of that). One wonders, from reading the book, how Ball managed ever to have any friends.
   
   But Kanfer shows another side of Ball that displays his admiration of her talent. Ball was perfect on her timing, a very hard worker, and tried to do everything just right. Although these tendencies tended to grate people at time, Kanfer expertly shows that this contributed to her stardom and most importantly, making sure that people would never forget Lucille Ball.
   
   Stafan Kanfer does what few other writers do to famous people - he helps his readers understand Lucille Ball in a much better light by pointing out her faults and making sure they know the world owes much to this red-headed commedienn.



4. You know how some biographies are dreadful to read, filled with mundane details or too much author opinion? This is definately not one of those! After rediscovering I Love Lucy on DVD I became more and more curious as to the woman behind the myth. This book didn't disappoint.
   
   It was very sad in that it completely shattered the persona Lucy and Desi portrayed in I Love Lucy. Desi was an alcoholic and a womanizer while Lucy was a workaholic. Their children readily admit that a nanny raised them and after wanting children so badly, Lucy and Desi were actually terrible parents.
   
   The thing I like best about the book was that Kanfer seems to know what parts of her life made a good story. The parts on her childhood and later years weren't a major part of the book, while I Love Lucy and her film career took center stage. He doesn't sugar-coat anyone. At times you will hate Lucy and Desi, at times your heart will break for them.
   
   It truly read more like a story which is what makes a great biography in my opinion. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially Lucy fans. It will keep you up late into the night!



5. I will never read this book again, nor recommend it to anyone. This book downplays the positive things in Lucy's life, and concentrates on the bad things she did to people and people did to her. Stefan makes it sound as though everything she did in life was for her career, which was not true at all. I think Kanfer needs to take a good hard look at how he portrays his subjects if and when he writes another book.

5 comments about Kiss and Tell.

1. Strictly a lightweight book, but interesting if you're a Shannon Tweed fan. Too much time on her pre-teen years and not enough on her film sex goddess years. But her rise to Playboy Mansion hostess is interesting and then her story kind of fizzles out after she meets Gene Simmons. But the middle hundred pages are fun.



2. This woman's confidence and intelligence are admirable. She has incredible insight into maintaining a healthy, long term relationship based on love not obligation only. An honest and interesting read. a great book!



3. First, why would'nt Gene Simmons be in the book? He has been the focal point of her life for at least half of it. For those who like pictures, this book will please you. I like an autobiography that gives more details & the individuals deepest held beiefs. There simply was not enough of that here. But, this autobiography does give some clear insights into the Canadian born playmates upbringing in Newfoundland, her later career in B movies, the Playboy experience, & her life with Kiss star Gene Simmons.
   
   On the positive side her meeting the latter at the Playboy mansion clearly changed her life for the better. She stopped abusing drugs & alcohol for him. He basically is a good guy who deserves credit for saving her life. But, if you want to see the deeper interaction & dynamics of their relationship with each other & their two kids, you should watch their show "Family Jewels."



4. This was a gift for my son who has followed KISS from it's early days when he was a boy. I'm sure he loved all the juicy info in the book.



5. i like how she described everything, and it gives some really good info on her and gene