- Table View
- List View
Riding on Duke's Train
by Mick Carlon"Duke used to say that the individual sound of a musician revealed his soul. Mick Carlon is a 'soul' storyteller."--Nat Hentoff, author of Jazz Country "A ripping good yarn. . . . Plunges the reader into the world of Duke Ellington and the America of 1939."--Brian Morton, author of The Penguin Guide to Jazz "Wonderfully convincing and authentic characterizations. . . . A thoroughly enjoyable read."--Dan Morgenstern, author of Living with Jazz "We encounter not only Duke's genius, but his character and humanity. This is one train you won't want to get off!"--Dick Golden, radio host "When this marvelously evocative novel finds a home in the school curriculum, kids across America will be downloading Duke."--Jack Bradley "Excellent command of voice, period, and ethnic dialect . . . clear love and in-depth knowledge of Ellington and his band."--Alexandria LaFaye, author of The Keening Nine-year-old Danny stows away on Duke Ellington's train one Georgia night. Through Danny's eyes, we meet some of America's finest musicians as he accompanies them on their 1939 European tour, when the train was briefly held in Germany. Says Nat Hentoff, "I knew Duke Ellington for twenty-five years. The Ellington in this book is the man I knew." Mick Carlon is a twenty-seven-year veteran English/journalism high- and middle-school teacher. A lifelong jazz fan, he regularly plays jazz in his classroom and has turned hundreds of students into jazz fans. He says, "If young people are simply exposed to the music and stories of these American artists, they will make a friend for life."
Domestic Arrangements
by Norma Klein Judy BlumeOriginally published in 1982, Domestic Arrangements is the story of a fourteen-year-old New York teen named Tatiana, an unintentional ingénue who becomes notorious for filming a nude scene for a major movie. Tatiana's newfound fame--which includes interviews, magazine covers, and publicists--is set against the backdrop of an increasingly adult personal life, as her parents file for divorce, her sister becomes increasingly jealous of her sibling's success, and she finally chooses between an old boyfriend and new, older loves. A stunning example of Norma Klein's fearless take on the complexities of adolescence, Domestic Arrangements is an indelible portrait of a girl on the cusp of adulthood, learning to balance the challenges of life in the spotlight with love, family, and friendship. This edition features a brand new introduction by Norma's long-time friend, renowned children's author Judy Blume.Norma Klein was best known for young adult works that dealt with family problems, childhood and adolescent sexuality, as well as social issues like racism, sexism, and contraception. Her first novel, Mom, the Wolf Man and Me (1972), was about the daughter of an unmarried, sexually active woman. Her subsequent works included Sunshine, It's Okay If You Don't Love Me, Breaking Up, and Family Secrets. Because of their subject matter, many of her books sparked considerable controversy, and a 1986 American Library Association survey found that nine of her novels had been removed from libraries. In an interview that same year with the New York Times, Klein said: 'I'm not a rebel, trying to stir things up just to be provocative. I'm doing it because I feel like writing about real life.' She died in 1989 at the age of fifty.
Something to Say
by Lily Prince Richard Klin"Klin is an insightful interviewer and a marvelous writer. We were delighted to have the opportunity to publish the interview with Howard Zinn from Something to Say."-The Bloomsbury ReviewThe fusion of art and politics is axiomatic in much of the world. In America, their relationship is erratic. What is art in the service of social justice? Is an artist obligated to address the political? This book profiles, in words and photos, disparate creative forces who offer thoughts on their point of engagement with the political sphere. In the words of Pete Seeger, art "may save the world. Visual arts, dancing, acting arts, cooking arts. . . . Joe DiMaggio reaching for a fly ball-that was great dancing!"Profiles in Something to Say:The late Howard ZinnPete SeegerYoko OnoScreenwriter Ron NyswanerPalestinian American standup comedian Maysoon ZayidPoet Quincy TroupeDominican American painter Freddy RodríguezFilmmaker Gini RetickerSlowpoke cartoonist Jen SorensenPerformance and installation artist Sheryl OringChildren's writer Jacqueline WoodsonChef and food activist Didi EmmonsChinese American poet and art critic John YauPunk-rock activist Franklin Stein of the band BlowbackKlezmer fiddler Alicia SvigalsRichard Klin's writing has appeared in the Brooklyn Rail, Forward, The Bloomsbury Review, Parabola, The Rambler, and other media.Lily Prince has exhibited in over fifty national and international exhibitions and has been awarded commissions by numerous hotels and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. She is an associate professor of art at William Paterson University. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Newark Star-Ledger, New American Paintings, San Francisco Weekly, and other media.
Dreaming of Cinema: Spectatorship, Surrealism, and the Age of Digital Media
by Adam LowensteinAdam Lowenstein argues that Surrealism's encounter with film can help redefine the meaning of cinematic spectatorship in an era of popular digital entertainment.
Flickering Empire: How Chicago Invented the U.S. Film Industry
by Michael Glover Smith Adam SelzerTells the fascinating but too little known story of how Chicago served as the unlikely capital of film production in America in the years prior to the rise of Hollywood (1907-1913)
Dreaming of Cinema
by Adam LowensteinAdam Lowenstein argues that Surrealism's encounter with film can help redefine the meaning of cinematic spectatorship in an era of popular digital entertainment.
Jonah the Whale
by Susan ShreveTo cope with the taunts of his schoolmates, lonely, overweight Jonah escapes into the fantasy of being a talk show host named "Jonah the Whale", and creates a new identity for himself.
Landscapes in Between
by Monica SegerSince its economic boom in the late 1950s, Italy has grappled with the environmental legacy of rapid industrial growth and haphazard urban planning. One notable effect is a preponderance of interstitial landscapes such as abandoned fields, polluted riverbanks, and makeshift urban gardens. Landscapes in Between analyses authors and filmmakers - Italo Calvino, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Gianni Celati, Simona Vinci, and the duo Daniele Ciprì and Franco Maresco - who turn to these spaces as productive models for coming to terms with the modified natural environment.Considering the ways in which sixty years' worth of Italian literary and cinematic representations engage in the ongoing dialogue between nature and culture, Monica Seger contributes to the transnational expansion of environmental humanities. Her book also introduces an ecocritical framework to Italian studies in English. Rejecting a stark dichotomy between human construction and unspoilt nature, Landscapes in Between will be of interest to all those studying the fraught relationship between humanity and environment.
My TWP Plays
by Jack Winter Bruce BartonMy TWP Plays presents five important plays written by Jack Winter while he was resident playwright at Toronto Workshop Productions, one of the first great troupes of the experimental and alternative theatre movement. The carnivalesque style of the selected works in this anthology reflects the turbulence, contradictions, and subversion of the social revolution during which they were written and first produced, as well as the cultural politics at a time when Canadian artists were investigating new, noncolonial, and distinctly Canadian forms of expression that would define the nation and challenge received artistic styles and practices. Extensive notes by the playwright and a foreword by the director and dramaturge Bruce Barton (University of Toronto) illuminate an important two-decade period in the evolution of contemporary Canadian theatre, while providing glimpses of the artistic conditions, the cultural environment, and the personal circumstances within which the works were created.Before Compiègne (1963) wildly imagines Joan of Arc's final days.The Mechanic (1964) and its experiments in form and staging offer a contemporary take on Molière and the commedia dell'arte.The Death of Woyzeck (1965) dismantles, reconstructs, and rewrites Georg Büchner's famous fragmentary original of 1837.Ten Lost Years (1974) presents a highly theatricalized full-length dramatization of Barry Broadfoot's collected interviews with Canadian survivors of the Great Depression.You Can't Get Here from There (1975) examines Canada's complicity in the 1973 overthrow of Chilean president Salvador Allende.
Mousejunkies!
by Bill BurkeA guidebook with a decidedly different approach, the second edition of Mousejunkies is a collection of humorous travelogues and insider how-to secrets compiled after scores of trips to Walt Disney World. The book draws on the insights of a panel of Disney fanatics - The Mousejunkies - following dozens of personal vacations, trade shows and press trips in recent years. This second edition brings everything up to date with countless new tips, tricks, and tales.Mousejunkies provides tips and travel plans told through personal accounts - something that sets it apart from all the other guides.All of the most important topics are covered: When to go, where to stay, what to do and where to eat. But readers will also learn how to indulge in an all-day chicken wing and beer football orgy at Walt Disney World, how to extract your family from Fantasmic with your sanity intact, where to catch a mid-afternoon catnap in the theme park, and even how wrong a Disney cruise can go.Mousejunkies is more than one travel writer's experiences at one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world. The Mousejunkies are a group of seemingly well-adjusted adults who have found themselves inexplicably drawn to Walt Disney World, again and again. Each has taken his or her own path, finding their way separately. When the smoke cleared, the group found itself back in reality, staring at one another over a pile of discarded annual passes and a useless collection of novelty hats.The stories - wry, humorous and told with an affection gained through years of Disney addiction - paint vivid portraits of a creatively engineered world, where unexpected surprises create lasting memories.The tips - valuable information designed to help readers get more out of their vacations - are told with a sly wink and the desire to share the secrets that make trips to central Florida more memorable.From touring plans to tongue-in-cheek reviews of the theme parks' restrooms, Mousejunkies provides readers with useful information couched in obsessively-detailed narrative with a humorous touch.
Beautiful Chaos
by Carey Perloff"Beautiful Chaos is an extraordinary journey of Carey Perloff and her theatre, ACT. Their continued evolution and ability to define and re-define themselves with courage, tenacity, and bravery allow them to confront what seem like insurmountable odds. This continues to shape and inspire Carey and those who work with her."--Olympia Dukakis, Academy Award-winning actress"Carey Perloff's lively, outspoken memoir of adventures in running and directing theatre will be a key document in the story of playmaking in America."--Tom Stoppard, Playwright"Carey Perloff, quite literally, raised a vibrant new theater from the rubble of an old one. This refreshingly honest account of her triumphs and misfires over the past two decades is both a fascinating read and an invaluable handbook for anyone attempting such a labor of love."--Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City"Carey Perloff's marvel of a book is part memoir of a working mother, a passionate artist, a woman flourishing in a male-dominated craft- and part lavish love letter to theater. It is as lively, thoughtful, and insightful an account I have ever read about the art form. This one is for any person who has ever sat in the dark and been spellbound by the transformative power of theater."--Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner"Carey Perloff is a veteran of the regional theatre wars. Beautiful Chaos is her vivacious account of her ambitious work commanding San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre (ACT). The book exudes Perloff's trademark brio: smart, outspoken, full of fun and ferment."--John Lahr, author of Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh"This is an engaged, engaging, deeply intelligent, and passionate account of why the theatre matters and how it works in a city and in a society. It is also a fascinating and essential chapter in the history of San Francisco itself, as well as the story of a committed theatre artist's determination and vision."--Colm Toibin, author of Nora WebsterCarey Perloff, Artistic Director of San Francisco's legendary American Conservatory Theater, pens a lively and revealing memoir of her twenty-plus years at the helm and delivers a provocative and impassioned manifesto for the role of live theater in today's technology-infused world.Perloff's personal and professional journey-her life as a woman in a male-dominated profession, as a wife and mother, a playwright, director, producer, arts advocate, and citizen in a city erupting with enormous change-is a compelling, entertaining story for anyone interested in how theater gets made. She offers a behind-the-scenes perspective, including her intimate working experiences with well-known actors, directors, and writers, including Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Robert Wilson, David Strathairn, and Olympia Dukakis.Whether reminiscing about her turbulent first years as a young woman taking over an insolvent theater in crisis and transforming it into a thriving, world-class performance space, or ruminating on the potential for its future, Perloff takes on critical questions about arts education, cultural literacy, gender disparity, leadership, and power.Carey Perloff is an award-winning playwright, theater director, and the artistic director of the American Conservatory Theater of San Francisco since 1992.
The Cinema of Ang Lee
by Whitney Crothers DilleySuggestive readings of gender and identity explore the international appeal of Ang Lee
The Cinema of Ang Lee
by Whitney Crothers DilleySuggestive readings of gender and identity explore the international appeal of Ang Lee
The Devil and Philosophy
by Robert ArpIn The Devil and Philosophy, 34 philosophers explore questions about one of the most recognizable and influential characters (villains?) of all time. From Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion to Bram Stoker's Dracula to Darth Vader to Al Pacino's iconic performance in The Devil's Advocate, this book demonstrates that a little devil goes a long way. From humorous appearances, as in Kevin Smith's film Dogma and Chuck Palahniuk's novels Damned and its sequel Doomed, to more villanous appearances, such as Gabriel Byrne's cold outing as Satan in End of Days, The Devil in Philosophy proves that the Devil comes in many forms.Through the lenses of Jung, Kant, Kundera, Balkan, Plato, Bradwardine, Aristotle, Hume, Blackburn, Descartes, Lavey, Thoreau, and Aquinas, The Devil and Philosophy take a philosophical look at one of time's greatest characters. Are there any good arguments for the actual existence of the Devil? Does demonic evil thrive in Gotham City? Can humans really be accountable for all evil? Which truths about the Devil are actual facts? Is Milton correct, in that the Devil believes he is doing good?
Lou Reed: The Last Interview
by Lou ReedA revealing collection of interviews with one of the greatest artists in the history of rock 'n' roll--as brilliant, punchy, and blustery as the man himself In this collection of powerful interviews given over thirty years--including his final interview--Lou Reed oscillates between losing patience with his interviewers (he was famous for walking out on them) and sharing profound observations on the human experience, especially as he reflects on poetry and novels, the joy of live performances, and the power of sound. In conversation with legendary rock critics and authors he respected, Reed's interviews are as pithy and brilliant as the man himself.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Contemporary American Monologues for Women
by Todd LondonAudition monologues for female characters selected from recent works by American playwrights including Tony Kushner, Jon Robin Baitz, Constance Congdon, Paula Vogel, Donald Margulies, Emily Mann, Eric Bogosian, Nicky Silver, and others. Unique to the TCG monologue series is a bibliography of other works by the playwrights included.
Hollywood Hoofbeats
by Petrine Day Mitchum Audrey PaviaThe horses that captured the moviegoers' hearts are the common denominator in Hollywood Hoofbeats. As author Petrine Day Mitchum writes, "the movies as we know them would be vastly different without horses. There would be no Westerns-no cowboy named John Wayne-no Gone with the Wind, no Ben Hur, no Dances with Wolves..." no War Horse, no True Grit, no Avatar! Those last three 21st-century Hollywood creations are among the new films covered in this expanded second edition of Hollywood Hoofbeats written by the daughter of movie star Robert Mitchum, who himself appeared on the silver screen atop a handsome chestnut gelding. Having grown up around movie stars and horses, Petrine Day Mitchum is the ideal author to pay tribute to the thousands of equine actors that have entertained the world since the inception of the film medium.From the early days of D.W. Griffith's The Great Train Robbery to Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, this celebration of movies promises something for every Hollywood fan... the raucous comedy of Abbot and Costello (and "Teabiscuit") in It Ain't Hay, a classic sports films like National Velvet starring Elizabeth Taylor, a timeless epic with Errol Flynn, and films featuring guitar-strumming cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.INSIDE HOLLYWOOD HOOFBEATSMovie trivia and fascinating anecdotes about the stars of yesterday and todayAn inside look at the stunts horses performed in motion pictures and the lingering controversiesHundreds of illustrations, including rare movie posters, movie stills, and film clipsUpdated, expanded text including coverage of new movies and photographsChapters devoted to action films, Westerns, comedies, musicals, child stars, and moreFamous TV programs and their horses including Mr. Ed and Silver (Lone Ranger)
Universal versus Disney: The Unofficial Guide to American Theme Parks' Greatest Rivalry
by Sam GennaweyUniversal Studios never really wanted to get into the theme park business. They wanted to be the anti-Disney. But when forced to do so, they did it in a big way. Despite the fits and starts of multiple owners, the parks have finally gained the momentum to mount a serious challenge to the Walt Disney Company. How did this happen? Who made it happen? What does this mean for the theme park industry? In Universal Versus Disney, his newest work to investigate the histories of America's favorite theme parks, seasoned Disney-author Sam Gennawey has thoroughly researched how Universal Studios shook up the multi-billion dollar theme park industry, one so long dominated by Walt Disney and his legacy.
The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year
by Andy CohenA year in the whirlwind life of the beloved pop icon Andy Cohen, in his own cheeky, candid, and irreverent words<P> As a TV Producer and host of the smash late night show Watch What Happens Live, Andy Cohen has a front row seat to an exciting world not many get to see. In this dishy, detailed diary of one year in his life, Andy goes out on the town, drops names, hosts a ton of shows, becomes codependent with Real Housewives, makes trouble, calls his mom, drops some more names, and, while searching for love, finds it with a dog. We learn everything from which celebrity peed in her WWHL dressing room to which Housewives are causing trouble and how. Nothing is off limits – including dating. We see Andy at home and with close friends and family (including his beloved and unforgettable mom). Throughout, Andy tells us not only what goes down, but exactly what he thinks about it. Inspired by the diaries of another celebrity-obsessed Andy (Warhol), this honest, irreverent, and laugh-out-loud funny book is a one-of-a-kind account of the whos and whats of pop culture in the 21st century.
Blockbusters and Trade Wars
by Chris Wood Peter S. GrantThe unparalleled global distribution of books, television programs and other cultural products would seem to augur well for the diversity of ideas and creative expression. Yet ever more of this flow is concentrated in the hands of fewer giant corporations, significantly American controlled, whose agenda is not pluralism but profit. This book focuses upon the market dynamics that drive ever-greater audiences to "blockbuster" films, TV programs, books and recording artists-at the expense of independent, alternative and increasingly necessary national voices.This is the first book from a Canadian perspective to investigate the facts about where and how cultural artifacts are created, why they are so different from other manufactured products, and why they must be treated differently. Grant and Wood examine how much the nature and size of a cultural industry's owner(s) matters; what "national" really means; how content quotas, expenditure rules and government subsidies help and hinder cultural industries; and why a new international vision must prevail. At the same time, they take a look at competition law and how it can promote diversity while examining how freedom of expression and cultural diversity are inextricably linked.Clearly written, impeccably researched, and passionately argued.
Travels with Louis
by Mick Carlon"When Louis was home in Queens, neighborhood kids would gather around as he brought them into jazz. His music still vibrantly lives around the world, and his spirit of humaneness lives in Travels with Louis by Mick Carlon, teacher of jazz to the young of all ages."-Nat Hentoff"Thanks to his friendship with the great Louis Armstrong, twelve-year old Fred sees his world expand from ice cream and baseball in Queens to jazz at the Village Vanguard, a civil rights sit-in in Nashville, and ecstatic concerts in London and Paris. A wonderful story, which rings true on many levels."-Michael Cogswell, director, Louis Armstrong House Museum"Carlon is driven by a love divided evenly between the subject and the act of writing itself."-Brian Morton, author of The Penguin Guide to JazzPraise for Mick Carlon's Riding on Duke's Train:"In schools where students are lucky enough to experience classroom jazz studies, this title, combining rich musical history and a 'you are there' approach, is a natural."-Kirkus Reviews"Enthralling. . . . An adventure story with a smart, historical framework."-ForeWord, Recommended Books for Kids"A ripping good yarn."-Brian MortonQueens, 1959. Twelve-year-old Fred loves reading, baseball, and playing trumpet with his neighbor, Louis Armstrong. Fred accompanies Louis to Nashville, where he encounters a Civil Rights lunch counter strike, and to London and Paris. Characters include Langston Hughes, Dizzy Gillespie, and Duke Ellington. Says jazz photographer Jack Bradley, "Reading this book is like visiting my friend again. This is the way he was, folks."
It Chooses You
by Miranda JulyIn the summer of 2009, Miranda July was struggling to finish writing the screenplay for her much-anticipated second film. During her increasingly long lunch breaks, she began to obsessively read the PennySaver, the iconic classifieds booklet that reached everywhere and seemed to come from nowhere. Who was the person selling the "Large leather Jacket, $10"? It seemed important to find out-or at least it was a great distraction from the screenplay.Accompanied by photographer Brigitte Sire, July crisscrossed Los Angeles to meet a random selection of PennySaver sellers, glimpsing thirteen surprisingly moving and profoundly specific realities, along the way shaping her film, and herself, in unexpected ways.Elegantly blending narrative, interviews, and photographs with July's off-kilter honesty and deadpan humor, this is a story of procrastination and inspiration, isolation and connection, and grabbing hold of the invisible world.
It's in the Book, Bob!
by Bob Eubanks Matthew Scott HansenMischievous and irreverent, Bob Eubanks entered American homes for five decades as the host of The Newlywed Game. It's in the Book, Bob! reveals untold stories of The Newlywed Game, and much much more. Bob's career ranged from game show host to concert promoter, from rock and roll DJ to manager of many of the leading country singers. In this funny and surprising book, Bob tells his story-and takes you behind the scenes of one of the most unusual careers in the history of show business.
Film Studies For Dummies
by James CateridgeMake sense of the world of cinema Want to pull back the curtain on film? This hands-on, friendlyguide unravels the complexities of film and helps you put cinemainto a cultural context. You'll get an easy-to-follow introductionto different film genres and styles, learn about the history ofcinema, get to know who makes up a filmmaking team, explore globalcinema from Hollywood to Bollywood and much more.Film Studies For Dummies will open your mind to how thefilm industry works and help you to discover the impact of film onpopular culture. You'll get easy-to-read information on analyzingand critiquing film from a range of theoretical, historical andcritical perspectives, and learn how people communicate ideas infilm. You'll also be able to shine a light on how stories aredeveloped in movies, understand how a storyline is related tobroader issues in society and become a well-versed and insightfulfilm student.Covers the narrative, artistic, cultural, economic andpolitical implications of cinemaProvides conceptual frameworks for understanding a film'srelationship to realityExplores how people tell stories and communicate ideas infilmHelps you excel as a student of filmWhether you're planning to study film, a humanities student witha forthcoming module on film or a film enthusiast wondering if thismight be the future for you, Film Studies For Dummies hasyou covered.
Fiddle For Dummies
by SanchezLearn to play the fiddle? Easy.Tackling a new instrument can be intimidating, but with this easy-to-use guide, you'll have no trouble at all! From selecting, tuning, and caring for your fiddle to mastering various music styles, Fiddle For Dummies walks you step-by-step through everything you need to start playing the fiddle like a pro. You'll discover how to hold a fiddle, master fundamental techniques, and take your skills to the next level. This title also features companion audio tracks and instructional video clips hosted online at Dummies.com to help further enhance your skills.The fiddle is a popular instrument across many continents, and is a favorite for many because it is small and portable. Playing the fiddle can expose you to a range of musical styles from all over the world, such as Irish, Scottish, Celtic/Cape Breton, country, folk, bluegrass, and more. Plus, if you're already a violin player, you'll impress yourself and fellow musicians as you unlock your instrument to open up a whole new world of sounds.Learn fiddle techniques and fundamentalsSelect, tune, and care for your fiddleJoin the folk instrument movement and master the fiddlePlay fiddle music from all over the worldWhether you're a complete beginner or a violin player looking to branch out and try something new, Fiddle For Dummies will have you fit as a fiddle in no time.