Heartthrob Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the first mainstream romance by an award-winning series romance author, and it's well worth the wait! Brockmann delivers drama, comedy and believable, three-dimensional characterizations in this tale of Jericho Beaumont, a former a-list actor trying to rebuild his career after its flaming wreck due to his prescription-drug and alcohol abuse, and Kate O'Laughlin, a first time producer and screenwriter who is determined to get her independant movie made and made right, even if she has to demand her lead actor submit to daily drug testing and 24/7 supervision.The secondary characters also shine, particularly Susie McCoy, a 15-year-old child star who is trying to be taken seriously in her first adult role, and Jamaal Hawkes, a young, African-American man struggling to figure out how to deliver his best performance in the role of a slave when all he feels is anger and humiliation at the thought of being another man's property.Brockmann has obviously done her research on both movie production, and substance abuse and recovery. Yet, while the book deals with some very serious issues, the story and characters never wallow in self-pity or melodrama. I read very little romance, and buy even less of it new, but Suzanne Brockmann's name is at the top of my list. Read this book. Then do yourself a favor, and look into Suzanne Brockmann's backlist. Her books are well worth your time.

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Countless readers have discovered the amazing talent that is Suzanne Brockmann, a writer whose novels of suspense continually land on bestseller lists across the country. Now here is one of her earlier beloved books, one that signaled the beginning of a dazzling career.Once voted the "Sexiest Man Alive," Jericho Beaumont had dominated the box office before his fall from grace. Now he is poised for a comeback with the role of a lifetime. He wants the part bad enough to sign an outrageous contract with top producer Kate O'Laughlin—one that gives her the authority to supervise JB's every move, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.The last thing Kate wants to do is baby-sit her leading man, and Jericho may be more than she can handle. A player in every sense of the word, he is an actor of incredible talent—and a man with a darkly haunted past. Despite her better judgment, Kate finds herself irrevocably drawn to him. But is she being charmed by the real Jericho or by the superstar who dazzles the world?

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I'll Be in My Trailer: The Creative Wars Between Directors and Actors Review

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(More customer reviews)Actors... can't live with them, can't fire them. Of course, actors are very special people. And of course, the main key to dealing with them is communication. However, finding the RIGHT way to communicate is often very difficult, because the way a director, writer or a producer thinks is very different from how the mind of an actor sees the creative process. (they also differ greatly from each other, but that's a whole different ballgame)
John Badham, director of some huge hits (Saturday Night Fever, Stakeout, War Games) tries to build bridges in this book, even though the title leads one to believe the tone will be fairly belligerent. On the contrary, while there are some stories about extremely bad behaviour here, Badham is being very constructive. In many cases, he puts the blame for an incident squarely on his own shoulders, even when an objective observer would think he did nothing wrong. His main goal is to facilitate the communication between director and actor, by explaining how to give direction in a way that actors can actually use. Badham himself uses the `as if'-technique (i.e. play this scene as if you got to catch the last train) to put actors in the right frame of mind. However, this approach isn't right for everyone (some actors DO want result-oriented direction), and Badham duly notes alternative approaches.
The book also provides a ton of helpful hints for almost all of the problems that can crop up on a set, acting-wise and actor-wise. When dealing with an addict, the only option is tough love. When some actors misbehave just for the fun of it or to flaunt their own power, a swift and just retribution is in order - except when you're dealing with real stars, who are beyond anyone's power to control.
The book also contains lots of interviews with actors, directors and producers who provide insights from all sides of the `war'. There's a lot of on-set anecdotes about Travolta (Saturday Night Fever) and Richard Dreyfuss, among others, and the interviewees include both huge stars, television directors, well-known actors who never made it to the A-list, and producers. The book is completely succesful at what it sets out to do, though of course the problems will remain. But now at least, there's some real help out there for directors struggling to get their cast under control.

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