In The Revolution Was Televised, celebrated TV critic Alan Sepinwall chronicles the remarkable transformation of the small screen over the past fifteen years. Focusing on twelve innovative television dramas that changed the medium and the culture at large forever, including The Sopranos, Oz, The Wire, Deadwood, The Shield, Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 24, Battlestar Galactica, Friday Night Lights, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad, Sepinwall weaves his trademark incisive criticism with highly entertaining reporting about the real-life characters and conflicts behind the scenes. Drawing on interviews with writers David Chase, David Simon, David Milch, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and Vince Gilligan, among others, along with the network executives responsible for green-lighting these fresh shows, The Revolution Was Televised is the story of how a new golden age was born, one that's as rich with drama and thrills as the very shows themselves.

Where Did I Go Right? is Brillstein's street-smart, funny, and thoroughly human story of a life in show business. With his trademark wit and candor, he speaks out for the first time about his feud with Mike Ovitz, and how it felt to pass the leadership of his company to his partner, Brad Grey, and no longer be the king. He describes his close relationship with John Belushi and what it was like being alone with Belushi's body as it lay stretched out across two cramped seats in a tiny jet, wrapped up in a body bag on the way to his funeral. He shares stories about Jim Henson and Gilda Radner, about Lorne Michaels and the early days of Saturday Night Live.

Jon Landau, the Academy Award-winning film producer behind Titanic, Avatar, Alita: Battle Angel, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Dick Tracy, knew two things well: how to tell an unforgettable story and how to find solutions. So, when he found himself confronting his fate, a diagnosis of improbable odds, he began to problem solve, ensuring that everything he learned behind the camera would live on after he was gone.In his retrospective and advice-driven memoir, Landau shares behind-the-scenes stories about some of the greatest movies of our time and advice on how to live well while working in a notoriously all-consuming job by centering the things that mattered to him most--his love for his family and his dedication to his friends and creative partners--turning his own story into another blockbuster hit.The Bigger Picture is at once a deeply poignant memoir, a tribute to storytelling in its many forms, and a celebration of a life well lived, told from the third act. Imbued with Landau's trademark compassion, humanity, and humor, the stories he shares and the wisdom he imparts in The Bigger Picture will inspire, delight, and touch the hearts of readers for years to come.

Professional magicians everywhere have hailed fourteen-year-old Micah Lasher as a prodigy. In this introduction to the basics of magic - perfect for beginners of any age - Lasher shows you how to perform the tricks he's used to delight (and deceive) his legion of fans. Easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step illustrations guide you in the arts of coin and currency magic, card magic, rope magic, ball magic, magic with household objects, and mental magic. Some of the tricks are old favorites; others are inventions of Lasher's own fertile imagination. Either way, they'll amaze you with their baffling effectiveness and dazzling simplicity. More than a how-to book, The Magic of Micah Lasher is spiced with sharp wit, historical tidbits about the conjuring trade, and little-known stories about a host of other magicians, including such famous figures as Johnny Carson, George Bush, and Shari Lewis. Exciting and informative, The Magic of Micah Lasher is the perfect book for any budding magician.

The highly acclaimed debut is Devyani Saltzman's remarkable story of reconnecting with her mother, award-winning filmmaker Deepa Mehta, in India and Sri Lanka during the production of the Oscar®-nominated film Water. In Shooting Water , Devyani Saltzman recounts her experience straddling the separate worlds of her divorced parents in Canada and India—navigating between two religions (Hindu and Jewish), two traditions, two cultures, and two people—belonging to both and to neither at once. This cross-cultural memoir chronicles her life-changing experiences in India and Sri Lanka, the struggle to produce the controversial Oscar®-nominated film, and the emergence of a deeper understanding between mother and daughter. This trade paperback edition features a reading group guide that includes an interview with the author and discussion questions. 16 black-and-white photos, maps.

With his dynamic on-air personality and his trademark cry of "Burn, baby! BURN!" when spinning the hottest new records, Magnificent Montague was the charismatic voice of soul music in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. In this memoir Montague recounts the events of his momentous radio career, which ran from the era of segregation to that of the civil rights movement; as he does so, he also tells the broader story of a life spent in the passionate pursuit of knowledge, historical and musical. Like many black disc jockeys of his day, Montague played a role in his community beyond simply spreading the music of James Brown, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, and other prominent artists. Montague served as an unofficial spokesman for his black listeners, reflecting their beliefs and acting as a sounding board for their concerns. Montague was based in Los Angeles in 1965 when the Watts rioters seized on his incendiary slogan, turning the shout of musical appreciation into a rallying cry for racial violence. In Burn, Baby! BURN! Montague recalls these tumultuous times, including the personal struggle he faced over whether to remain true to his listeners or bend to political pressure and stop shouting his suddenly controversial slogan. Since the mid-1950s Montague had also expressed his passion for African American culture by becoming a zealous collector of artifacts of black history. He has built a monumental collection, taking time out from his collecting to become only the second African American to build his own radio station literally from the ground up. A compelling account of a rich and varied life, Burn, Baby! BURN! gives an insider's view of half a century of black history, told with on-the-air zest by the DJ/historian who was there to see it unfold.

Learn About the Magic of Light from a Master Step into the captivating world of Jean Rosenthal, a trailblazing figure in the realm of lighting design for modern theater. The Magic of Light, a professional memoir crafted with the assistance of friend and novelist Lael Wertenbaker, unveils the artistry behind Rosenthal's technical mastery. Renowned for transforming stage illumination from a mere necessity to a mesmerizing art form, Rosenthal shares her insights, experiences, and the evolution of her craft. Part one of the memoir delves into Rosenthal's profound thoughts on light, exploring its role in theatrical history, dissecting its impact on plays, musicals, operas, and dance. Part two, "Tools of the Trade," serves as a comprehensive guide, detailing the mechanics of lighting instruments, with diagrams, charts, and photographs illustrating Rosenthal's creative process. Included are light plots, cue sheets, and scene designer's elevations for the famous Broadway productions of Hello, Dolly and Plaza Suite. In a heartfelt preface, Wertenbaker offers a glimpse into the life of Rosenthal, a woman of immense talent, professionalism, and profound humanity. From her early collaborations with Martha Graham to her work with Broadway stage greats, Rosenthal's journey unfolds with anecdotes, humor, and the unwavering dedication that endeared her to colleagues and theater crews alike. The Magic of Light is not only a technical guide; it's a celebration of Rosenthal's legacy and her impact on the theatrical world. With contributions from luminaries like Martha Graham, John Houseman, Oliver Smith, Mary Martin, and Garson Kanin, this memoir is a tribute to a pioneering artist whose work continues to shape the essence of stage illumination. This book is also available from Echo Point Books as a hardcover (ISBN 1648374298).

The true life story of Michael Elihu Colby and his childhood days at Manhattan's Algonquin Hotel. His grandparents Mary and Ben B. Bodne had traded their southern oil fortune for the legendary but faded Algonquin and restored the hotel's former glory. Their efforts led to a remarkable renaissance and attracted an overflow of celebrities from the ridiculous to the sublime. Michael weaves a vivid tapestry of encounters with glittering Broadway and Hollywood celebrities in a kaleidoscopic memoir of illustrious figures-some on a meteoric rise, some in tragic decline-while he found his own place in the topsy turvy world of the Broadway theatre and musicals. Nearly 200 rare photographs and illustrations, a Bibliography, Appendixes, and an Index.