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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Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid: Daughter of the Diva Review

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(More customer reviews)I am an adult who loves teen books and I ADORED THIS ONE. The story of a 15 year old (or is it 16, 17...???) who ends up being "stuck" on a movie set with her mother (who she doesn't really know).
Although the premise could be very sad, the author(s) write this book and especially the Vivien (or is it Leigh) character with such humour that you can't stop yourself from laughing out loud (which I actually did). Usually this stuff NEVER happens to me when I am reading a book.
I absolutely loved everything about this book and frantically went through both the beginning and end of the book to see if these authors have written other stuff. Unfortunately, they have not BUT the second installment in the Diva series is coming out in 2006. I am anxiously awaiting it already.
BUY THIS ONE

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Cult Following (CSI: Miami) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book was a lot truer to the television series than the two previous books in the genre. The characters voices were very much in tune with what you see on the screen, and the situation was unique enough to capture your attention, and plausible enough to believe it. The original characters were *people* and not cardboard cutouts. The language flowed smoothly, the settings didn't overpower the story, and the story didn't jerk from place to place to suit the author's timeframe. I for one am eagerly awaiting the next book - something I will NEVER do for Mr. Collins.

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Lieutenant Horatio Caine of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab is called in to investigate a mysterious death at an organic eatery. He finds the victim, waiter Phillip Mulrooney, bent over a stainless steel toilet, his clothing shredded. There are burn marks on his face and cell phone fragments scattered around, and his shoes are blown off his feet. Incredible as it seems, the initial evidence points to death by lightning strike. The staff at The Earthly Garden believe Mulrooney's death is an act of God -- punishment for straying from the Vitality Method, their spiritual philosophy that inner beauty can be revealed by nurturing the physical and spiritual. The only philosophy Lieutenant Horatio Caine believes in is justice for the victim -- and he'll move heaven and earth to get it.

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Rebel without a Deal: or, How a 30-year-old filmmaker with $11,000 almost became a Hollywood player Review

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(More customer reviews)Actually I think this is the most useful book for indie filmmakers EVER written. And with the addition of an interview with Kevin Smith broken up throughout the book, it always kept things entertaining.
As my daughters karate teacher once said, "It's a wise person that learns from others". So if you ever plan to shoot and sell your own movie, I think it would be wise to read this book first. This book gives a blow by blow description of what it took to write, shoot and sell an independently made movie. Written by a smart, funny, hardworking, determined, and insightful guy, that never gave up on his dream.
Absolutely an indie filmmakers bible. A must read for independent filmmakers, but a great read for anyone even slightly interested in independent filmmaking. Or if you just love Kevin Smith.
I highly recommend that you go buy this book.

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Rebel without a Deal chronicles how a High School dropout made his first movie in five days for $11,000 and got it distributed through Warner Bros. where it went on to gross over a million dollars.

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Youth in Revolt: Now a major motion picture from Dimension Films starring Michael Cera (Random House Movie Tie-In Books) Review

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(More customer reviews)For the sake of being interesting, I will review this book in the style which it was written:
Day 1: Finally started reading this book. Many years ago, a friend suggested I read it. Ever since then, the title was always stuck in my head. When I would see it in print I would think, "You know. I really should pick that book up." Eventually I did pick it up, but it ended up in my overly large "to read" pile. Finally, something made me pick it up today. After 50 pages, it seems interesting.
Day 2: I read more of the book today. I'm having trouble getting into it based on the nature of how it is written. The entire book is written in the form of journal entries. Don't get me wrong, it's easy to read. Still, I find that the short entries lend themselves to reading only a few at a time. Still, over the course of the day I read 100 pages. Certainly an interesting book.
Day 3: I read 250 pages of the book today. I can't put it down. The short journal entries have gone from being a hindrance in reading to an aid in getting rapid snapshots of how the story unfolds. The narrative transpires in small doses which leave you wanting more. As soon as I put the book down I want to pick it up again and get another dose. I cannot remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book. It's uncanny.
Day 4: Today is the final day with the book. That sounds funny, but it's true. I wish it were 1000 pages long and I could get 4 more days out of it. No, make that 2000. For the first time in a long time, I am saddened to see a book coming to a close. I don't want it to end, I enjoy it that much. Normally, I look forward to the close of one story and the beginning of a new one. Not this time. I want this story to go on forever (or a reasonable length of time). It's that enjoyable.
Day 5: I am sitting here the day after, thinking about the book. The ending was good enough, not Earth shattering. Nothing amazing could have happened to make everything right in the world again. I honestly didn't expect a lot from the ending and I would have been disappointed if he had tried to do make everything perfect. The bulk of the story ties up, which prevents it from merely hanging. Still, some questions remain, like: How did Paul know?
I wish I could pick it up and read it again. But it's too early for that. Being honest, the book wasn't philosophically deep enough for me to learn anything new if I were to reread it immediately. Still, the book was really good. Sitting down with it every day was a pleasure.
If every book were this good, I would read constantly. As it is, I read every day, but not like this. I read this book while brushing my teeth or making coffee. I'll miss this book. It was a great ride which I am sad to see end.
As a final note, I think those who give the book bad ratings are not able to stray from their usual genre of reading and accept this book for what it is. It is a well written and silly narrative about 14-year-old kids that is not really based in reality, but as a 14-year-old might see it. The fact that the story is interpreted through the voice of one of these children is lost on the people who disparage the book. Don't be swayed from reading this, as it harkens back to the silliness inherent in youth which can be appreciated at any age.
Phenomenal entertainment value. Highly recommended.

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Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics, Second Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)As London bureau chief of The Hollywood Reporter, I covered the whole range of movie marketing strategies, from bad to brilliant. Bob Marich gives those who market movies and those with an interest in the film business a great inside look at how it's done, from market research to promotions and publicity to distribution. He covers major studio releases, movies distributed by indies, and foreign-language films. This is a great read for anyone who cares about how movies reach the ticket buying public.

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While Hollywood executives spend millions of dollars making movies, even more money is poured into selling those films to the public. In the second edition of his comprehensive guidebook, Marketing to Moviegoers, veteran film and TV journalist Robert Marich plumbs the depths of the strategies and tactics used by studios to market their films to consumers. Packed with real life examples and useful data, this new edition blends practical, up-to-date information with theory to clearly explain all aspects of promoting motion pictures. Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics takes readers carefully through all of the key components of film marketing. From creative strategy, market research, and advertising to publicity, product placement, and distribution to theaters, Marich's book covers everything film professionals need to know to mount a successful marketing campaign. Each chapter contains a wealth of useful information-including the historical background of the business, sample market research documents and advertising budgets, comments from successful industry insiders, and over thirty-five tables-and offers intriguing insight into the strategies of modern promotion. Most other film marketing books focus mainly on marketing by independent distributors, but Marich specifically outlines the marketing methods of the six major Hollywood studios, which are notoriously secretive about these methods, while also detailing the marketing plans of the independent and foreign film sectors. In addition, he examines in depth the effectiveness of both new and old media, especially the ways in which the advent of the Internet has both helped and hindered the movie marketing process. While many books have been written on the business-to-business aspect of film promotion, Marich's volume is one of the few that focuses on the methods used to sell motion pictures to those who truly make or break a film's success-the public. This essential reference contains detailed examples, more than twenty illustrations, and a comprehensive glossary of marketing terms. A highly navigable handbook that breaks down a complicated process into manageable strategies in an easy-to-read style, Marketing to Moviegoers is a must for all film professionals and filmmaking students.

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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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