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A Vulgar Art: A New Approach to Stand-Up Comedy (Folklore Studies in a Multicultural World Series)
by Ian BrodieIn A Vulgar Art, Ian Brodie uses a folkloristic approach to stand-up comedy, engaging the discipline's central method of studying interpersonal, artistic communication and performance. Because stand-up comedy is a rather broad category, people who study it often begin by relating it to something they recognize—“literature” or “theatre”; “editorial” or “morality”—and analyze it accordingly. A Vulgar Art begins with a more fundamental observation: someone is standing in front of a group of people, talking to them directly, and trying to make them laugh. So, this book takes the moment of performance as its focus, that stand-up comedy is a collaborative act between the comedian and the audience. Although the form of talk on the stage resembles talk among friends and intimates in social settings, stand-up comedy remains a profession. As such, it requires performance outside of the comedian's own community to gain larger and larger audiences. How do comedians recreate that atmosphere of intimacy in a roomful of strangers? This book regards everything from microphones to clothing and LPs to Twitter as strategies for bridging the spatial, temporal, and sociocultural distances between the performer and the audience.
A Wayward Quest: The Autobiography of Theresa Helburn
by Theresa HelburnA WAYWARD QUEST, which was first published in 1960, is the autobiography of a woman who for forty years was one of the most important figures in the American theater—and who loved every minute of it. Small, vivacious, imaginative, Theresa Helburn was a wonderfully attractive person who at one time or another knew most of the great talents of the century—from Gertrude Stein and Isadora Duncan (her youthful heroines during a sojourn in Paris) to G. B. Shaw and Eugene O’Neill. Her consuming interest in the theater, her convictions about its past and present and dreams for its future, form the background of her story, against this runs a sparkling stream of stories and anecdotes about people and plays she knew and loved.
A Wes Anderson Dictionary: An A–Z of the iconic director and his work, from Asteroid City to Steve Zissou (Director Dictionaries)
by Sophie Monks KaufmanExplore an A-Z of everything you need to know about the iconic films of Wes Anderson, from Asteroid City to Steve Zissou and everything in between.With hundreds of entries covering every facet of Anderson's work - from inspiration and influences to his most frequent collaborators and little-known quirks - A Wes Anderson Dictionary is a stylish guide to the wonderful world of this iconic, unique filmmaker.Written by author and journalist Sophie Monks Kaufman (Little White Lies, Empire, Netflix, BBC) and with bespoke illustrations that bring the director's vision to life, this is a one-stop shop for all things Anderson.
A Wes Anderson Dictionary: An A–Z of the iconic director and his work, from Asteroid City to Steve Zissou (Director Dictionaries)
by Sophie Monks KaufmanExplore an A-Z of everything you need to know about the iconic films of Wes Anderson, from Asteroid City to Steve Zissou and everything in between.With hundreds of entries covering every facet of Anderson's work - from inspiration and influences to his most frequent collaborators and little-known quirks - A Wes Anderson Dictionary is a stylish guide to the wonderful world of this iconic, unique filmmaker.Written by author and journalist Sophie Monks Kaufman (Little White Lies, Empire, Netflix, BBC) and with bespoke illustrations that bring the director's vision to life, this is a one-stop shop for all things Anderson.
A Wild Life: My Adventures Around the World Filming Wildlife
by Martin Hughes-GamesThe frozen wastes of the Southern Ocean; the tropical rainforests of South America, the scorching grasslands of Africa, the dizzy heights of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas: Martin Hughes-Games has been to every continent on earth filming natural history programmes. A Wild Life is Martin's personal account of his astonishing adventures around the world, both as a presenter for the BBC and a producer of nature documentaries. We all know Martin as a member of Springwatch and Autumnwatch team, but before his presenting days he spent many years behind the camera producing up-close-and-personal wildlife documentaries on location often in perilous conditions. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has captured the extraordinary life and diversity of the animal kingdom on film - from bloodthirsty bats and man-eating tigers, to huge elephant seals and tiny but ever so painful centipedes.Warmly told with humour and an inimitable style, and packed with insightful facts from the natural world - how fast is the fastest creature on earth, the peregrine falcon? How high can a bird, the bar headed goose on migration, really fly? - A Wild Life has to be one of the natural history books of the year.
A Wild Life: My Adventures Around the World Filming Wildlife
by Martin Hughes-GamesThe frozen wastes of the Southern Ocean; the tropical rainforests of South America, the scorching grasslands of Africa, the dizzy heights of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas: Martin Hughes-Games has been to every continent on earth filming natural history programmes. A Wild Life is Martin's personal account of his astonishing adventures around the world, both as a presenter for the BBC and a producer of nature documentaries. We all know Martin as a member of Springwatch and Autumnwatch team, but before his presenting days he spent many years behind the camera producing up-close-and-personal wildlife documentaries on location often in perilous conditions. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has captured the extraordinary life and diversity of the animal kingdom on film - from bloodthirsty bats and man-eating tigers, to huge elephant seals and tiny but ever so painful centipedes.Warmly told with humour and an inimitable style, and packed with insightful facts from the natural world - how fast is the fastest creature on earth, the peregrine falcon? How high can a bird, the bar headed goose on migration, really fly? - A Wild Life has to be one of the natural history books of the year.
A Windfall of Musicians
by Dorothy Lamb CrawfordThis book is the first to examine the brilliant gathering of composers, conductors, and other musicians who fled Nazi Germany and arrived in the Los Angeles area. Musicologist Dorothy Lamb Crawford looks closely at the lives, creative work, and influence of sixteen performers, fourteen composers, and one opera stage director, who joined this immense migration beginning in the 1930s. Some in this group were famous when they fled Europe, others would gain recognition in the young musical culture of Los Angeles, and still others struggled to establish themselves in an environment often resistant to musical innovation. Emphasizing individual voices, Crawford presents short portraits of Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, and the other musicians while also considering their influence as a group--in the film industry, in music institutions in and around Los Angeles, and as teachers who trained the next generation. The book reveals a uniquely vibrant era when Southern California became a hub of unprecedented musical talent.
A Woman First: A Memoir
by Selina MeyerA hilarious parody memoir for the beloved Veep character portrayed for seven seasons by Emmy-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus.Born and raised deep in the American heartland of God-fearing suburban Maryland, young Selina Eaton learned to love her country and her fellow man from her parents, Catherine, a sportswoman, dog lover, and philanthropist, and Gordon, or “Daddy” as she always called him, a businessman and entrepreneur. From an early age, Selina, an active, curious, happy-go-lucky child, showed an uncanny ability to relate to others and to solve their real-world problems with real-world solutions. In this she was inspired by her idol: feminist, humanitarian, stateswoman, and first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.Eleanor Roosevelt maintained a lively relationship with many prominent figures of her time, including Adlai Stevenson, John F. Kennedy, Albert Schweitzer, and probably Pablo Casals. She inspired countless women to break out of the established roles for women in society, among them the pioneering aviatrix Amelia Earhart, with whom she flew several times.Dubbed the “Queen of the Air,” Amelia Earhart captivated the nation both with her bravery, skill, and daring when flying her planes and when challenging society’s hidebound attitudes as to what constituted a proper place for women. America mourned when she disappeared mysteriously somewhere in the Pacific during an attempted around-the-world flight in 1937. Speculation continues to this day as to Amelia’s ultimate fate, even as hope has faded that she may yet be found alive.With wit, wisdom, eloquence, and fearless honesty, Selina Meyer reveals for the first time what really goes on in the halls of power, including the ultimate hall, the White House. It’s all here: the triumphs, the tragedies, the personalities, and the momentous events that have shaped our times, brought together in a page-turning tale told as only Selina Meyer could tell it. Selina Meyer’s compassion, her sense of humor, her grace, and her uncommon willingness to bare her heart make this story revelatory, beautifully rendered, and unlike any other president’s memoir ever written. First Woman: A Woman First would be a fitting title for a book about Selina Meyer, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Amelia Earhart, but in this case, it is about Selina Meyer.
A Woman's View
by Jeanine BasingerNow, Voyager, Stella Dallas, Leaver Her to Heaven, Imitation of Life, Mildred Pierce, Gilda...these are only a few of the hundreds of "women's films" that poured out of Hollywood during the thirties, forties, and fifties. The films were widely disparate in subject, sentiment, and technique, they nonetheless shared one dual purpose: to provide the audience (of women, primarily) with temporary liberation into a screen dream--of romance, sexuality, luxury, suffering, or even wickedness--and then send it home reminded of, reassured by, and resigned to the fact that no matter what else she might do, a woman's most important job was...to be a woman. Now, with boundless knowledge and infectious enthusiasm, Jeanine Basinger illuminates the various surprising and subversive ways in which women's films delivered their message. Basinger examines dozens of films, exploring the seemingly intractable contradictions at the convoluted heart of the woman's genre--among them, the dilemma of the strong and glamorous woman who cedes her power when she feels it threatening her personal happiness, and the self-abnegating woman whose selflessness is not always as "noble" as it appears. Basinger looks at the stars who played these women and helps us understand the qualities--the right off-screen personae, the right on-screen attitudes, the right faces--that made them personify the woman's film and equipped them to make believable drama or comedy out of the crackpot plots, the conflicting ideas, and the exaggerations of real behavior that characterize these movies. In each of the films the author discusses--whether melodrama, screwball comedy, musical, film noir, western, or biopic--a woman occupies the center of her particular universe. Her story--in its endless variations of rags to riches, boy meets girl, battle of the sexes, mother love, doomed romance--inevitably sends a highly potent mixed message: Yes, you women belong in your "proper place" (that is, content with the Big Three of the women's film world--men, marriage, and motherhood), but meanwhile, and paradoxically, see what fun, glamour, and power you can enjoy along the way. A Woman's View deepens our understanding of the times and circumstances and attitudes out of which these movies were created.
A Wonderful Life: The Films and Career of James Stewart
by Tony ThomasThomas surveys Jimmy Stewart's life and career, and reviews the circumstances and plot of each of his films, from his small part in 1935's Murder Man, to his last role as a grandfather in a 1981 Lassie movie.
A Work in Progress: A Memoir
by Connor FrantaIn this intimate memoir of life beyond the camera, Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation—so far. Here, Connor offers a look at his Midwestern upbringing as one of four children in the home and one of five in the classroom; his struggles with identity, body image, and sexuality in his teen years; and his decision to finally pursue his creative and artistic passions in his early twenties, setting up his thrilling career as a YouTube personality, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and tastemaker.
A World Elsewhere
by Steven BerkoffA World Elsewhere is Steven Berkoff’s bold attempt to describe his multifarious theatrical works. Berkoff outlines the methods that he uses, first of all as an actor, secondly as a playwright and thirdly as theatre director, as well as those subtle connections in between, when one discipline melds effortlessly into another. He examines the early impulses that generated his works and what drove him to give them form, as well as the challenges he faced when adapting the work of other authors. Berkoff discusses some of his most difficult, successful and unique creations, journeying through his long and varied career to examine how they were shaped by him, and how he was shaped by them. The sheer scale of this book offers a rare experience of an accomplished artist, combined with the honesty and insight of an autobiography, making this text a singular tool for teaching, inspiration and personal exploration. Suitable for anyone with an interest in Steven Berkoff and his illustrious career, A World Elsewhere is the part analysis and part confession of an artist whose work has been performed all over the world.
A World of Demons: The Villains of Doctor Who
by David BushmanThe first-ever essay anthology devoted solely to the villains the Doctor has encountered over the decades since Doctor Who's 1963 premiere -- including all of the usual suspects (Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, the Silence, etc.), plus plenty of surprises. &“One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel&”—Jean-Antoninette (&“Reinette&”) Poisson, aka Madame de Pompadour, &“The Girl in the Fireplace&” What a world of demons Doctor Who has presented us with over the past seven decades: from Daleks and Cybermen to Weeping Angels and the Silence, the greatest villains of the Who-niverse have achieved an iconic status all their own, cementing themselves in the minds of millions of viewers (why else would Parker Brothers have devised a version of Monopoly after them?). If, as the Seventh Doctor once said, "You can always judge a man by the quality of his enemies,&” the Doctor is great indeed, rescuing the universe time and again from some of the most formidable and terrifying villains in science fiction history. Now, for the first time, an entire anthology of essays is dedicated to deconstructing this gallery of blackguards. Who are the greatest Who villains of all time? Why are they so frightening? And—apologies to Shakespeare—what do they tell us about the villainy of our own fears? Featuring essays by Joseph Dougherty (executive producer, Pretty Little Liars; producer, thirtysomething), Steven Ashby, Anton Binder, Sarah Corey, Ken Deep, Jan Fennick, Hannah Friedman, Mark Givens, Nancy Hutchins, Jennie Jarvis, Don Klees, Chris Kocher, Robin Koman, Charles Martin, Michael Robinson, Steve Sautter, and Shane Thomas. Edited by David Bushman (Conversations with Mark Frost) and Barnaby Edwards (president, Doctor Who New York)
A Year at the Chateau: As seen on the hit Channel 4 show
by Dick Strawbridge Angel StrawbridgeTHE ENTERTAINING AND HEARTWARMING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER.Like many couples, Dick and Angel had long dreamed of living in France, but where others might settle for a modest bolthole in the French countryside, the Strawbridges fell in love with a 19th-century fairytale château, complete with 45 rooms, seven outbuildings, 12 acres of land and its own moat.Throwing caution to the wind, Dick and Angel swapped their two-bedroom flat in East London for an abandoned and derelict castle in the heart of the Loire valley and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime with their two young children Arthur and Dorothy.Sharing their full journey for the first time, A Year at the Château follows Dick and Angel from when they first moved to France in the depths of winter and found bedrooms infested with flies, turrets inhabited by bats, the wind rattling through cracked windows, and just one working toilet, which flushed into the moat, through to the monumental efforts that went into readying the château for their unforgettable wedding and their incredibly special first Christmas.Along the way we'll read glorious descriptions of rural life in France, with charming characters, delicious food and wonderful seasonal produce, together with the extraordinary list of renovations and restorations Dick and Angel completed, many of which were never shown on TV.As warm and entertaining as their much-loved show, A Year at the Château is a truly irresistible story of adventure and heart, epic ambitions and a huge amount of hard graft.
A Year at the Chateau: As seen on the hit Channel 4 show
by Dick Strawbridge Angel StrawbridgeTHE ENTERTAINING AND HEARTWARMING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER.Like many couples, Dick and Angel had long dreamed of living in France, but where others might settle for a modest bolthole in the French countryside, the Strawbridges fell in love with a 19th-century fairytale château, complete with 45 rooms, seven outbuildings, 12 acres of land and its own moat.Throwing caution to the wind, Dick and Angel swapped their two-bedroom flat in East London for an abandoned and derelict castle in the heart of the Loire valley and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime with their two young children Arthur and Dorothy.Sharing their full journey for the first time, A Year at the Château follows Dick and Angel from when they first moved to France in the depths of winter and found bedrooms infested with flies, turrets inhabited by bats, the wind rattling through cracked windows, and just one working toilet, which flushed into the moat, through to the monumental efforts that went into readying the château for their unforgettable wedding and their incredibly special first Christmas.Along the way we'll read glorious descriptions of rural life in France, with charming characters, delicious food and wonderful seasonal produce, together with the extraordinary list of renovations and restorations Dick and Angel completed, many of which were never shown on TV.As warm and entertaining as their much-loved show, A Year at the Château is a truly irresistible story of adventure and heart, epic ambitions and a huge amount of hard graft.
A Year at the Movies: One Man's Filmgoing Odyssey
by Kevin MurphyFor some of us, moviegoing is an occasional pleasure. Kevin Murphy made it his obsession, and he did it for you.Mr. Murphy, known to legions of fans as Tom Servo on the legendary TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000, went to the movies every day for a year. That's every single day, people. For a whole fricken' year. And not only did he endure, he prevailed -- for this is the hilarious, poignant, fascinating journal of his adventures: the first book about the movies from the audience's point of view.Kevin went to the multiplex, sure. But he didn't stop there. He found the world's smallest commercial movie theater. Another one made completely of ice. Checked out flicks in a tin-roofed hut in the South Pacific. Tooled across the desert from drive-in to drive-in in a groovy convertible. Lived for a week solely on theater food. Took six different women to the same date movie. Dressed up as a nun for the Sing-Along Sound of Music in London. Sneaked into the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Smuggled an entire Thanksgiving dinner into a movie theater. And saw hundreds of films, from the Arctic Circle to the Equator, from the sublime to the unspeakable. Come along on a joyous global celebration of the cinema with a man on a mission -- to spend A Year at the Movies.
A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey (companion to series 5)
by Jessica FellowesIt's 1924 and there have been many changes in the world of Downton Abbey since we were first welcomed by the family and their servants twelve years ago. A generation of men has been tragically lost at the front, there are once again children breathing new life into the great house, a chauffeur now sits at the Grantham dinner table and hems are up by several inches.Yet despite all of this unsettling upheaval, it is a comfort to find that many things at Downton remain largely unchanged. There are still parties to be thrown, summer fetes to be organised, menus to be planned and farms to be run. Join us, then, as we explore the seasonal events and celebrations of the great estate - Christmas, Easter, the debutante season, the hunt and more - and peer with us through the prism of the house as we learn more about the lives of our favourite characters, the actors who play them, and those who create the world we love so much.Packed full of exclusive new photography and brimming with traditional British recipes for each calendar month, such as Eton mess and sloe gin, this beautiful book takes us on a fascinating journey through a year in the life of Downton Abbey.
A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey (companion to series 5)
by Jessica FellowesIt's 1924 and there have been many changes in the world of Downton Abbey since we were first welcomed by the family and their servants twelve years ago. A generation of men has been tragically lost at the front, there are once again children breathing new life into the great house, a chauffeur now sits at the Grantham dinner table and hems are up by several inches.Yet despite all of this unsettling upheaval, it is a comfort to find that many things at Downton remain largely unchanged. There are still parties to be thrown, summer fetes to be organised, menus to be planned and farms to be run. Join us, then, as we explore the seasonal events and celebrations of the great estate - Christmas, Easter, the debutante season, the hunt and more - and peer with us through the prism of the house as we learn more about the lives of our favourite characters, the actors who play them, and those who create the world we love so much.Packed full of exclusive new photography and brimming with traditional British recipes for each calendar month, such as Eton mess and sloe gin, this beautiful book takes us on a fascinating journey through a year in the life of Downton Abbey.
A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, 1599
by James Shapiro1599 was an epochal year for Shakespeare and England. Shakespeare wrote four of his most famous plays: Henry the Fifth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and, most remarkably, Hamlet; Elizabethans sent off an army to crush an Irish rebellion, weathered an Armada threat from Spain, gambled on a fledgling East India Company, and waited to see who would succeed their aging and childless queen. James Shapiro illuminates both Shakespeare's staggering achievement and what Elizabethans experienced in the course of 1599, bringing together the news and the intrigue of the times with a wonderful evocation of how Shakespeare worked as an actor, businessman, and playwright. The result is an exceptionally immediate and gripping account of an inspiring moment in history.
A Year of Weeks: 52 Awesome Weeks of Trying New Things
by Erica RootFull of charming illustrations and inspiring prompts, A Year of Weeks is an interactive, imagination-sparking road map for a year of trying new things—broken into fifty-two exciting, achievable activities. From drinking enough water to trying out hand lettering, readers will delight in the engaging challenges and perspective-expanding activities curated by artist Erica Root in A Year of Weeks. Drawing on a wide range of prompts—from the practical to the dreamy—each week offers opportunities to try new things. And with each day broken down to bite-sized morsels and accomplishable goals, like dusting small corners or learning how to draw animal mugs, this adorable book has a little something for everyone in search of inspiration—from those who love decluttering to those who love lists. Through engaging activities and imagination-sparking illustrations, A Year of Weeks offers endless opportunities for enriching your life—one week at a time.
A Year on Our Farm: How the Countryside Made Me
by Matt BakerEscape into nature with Matt Baker's fascinating journey through the natural year and family life on the farm'A delight' Countryfile Magazine_______Matt Baker finds his calm on the farm.Surrounded by nature with his family, dogs, array of sheep, Mediterranean miniature donkeys and a whole host of wildlife in the farm's ancient woodland, Matt shows us how the power and beauty of the countryside can bring joy to us all.Following the ever-changing seasons of the year, we see woodland animals emerge after a long winter of hibernation and lambs begin to gambol in April. We hear the dawn chorus in the height of summer and see the preparations unfold for the harsh and wild winter months.Peppered with hand drawn sketches, unforgettable moments from Matt's TV career and stories of a landscape you'll fall in love with - from its sun-soaked pastures to 6ft snow drifts - Matt reveals how the outdoors has made him who he is today.
A Year with the Producers: One Actor's Exhausting (But Worth It) Journey from Cats to Mel Brooks' Mega-Hit (A\theatre Arts Book Ser.)
by Jeffry DenmanA behind-the-scenes story with more than a touch of theatrical magic about it, A Year with The Producers is a book for actors and theater fans everywhere.
A Young Man's Passage
by Julian ClaryThis is Julian Clary's story, in his own words - the tale of an awkward schoolboy who became a huge worldwide success on stage and screen.After a sheltered suburban upbringing, Julian was sent to St Benedict's, where beatings from 'holy' men gave him some brutal life lessons, and other 'unholy' boys his first awakenings of sexuality. He had just one true friend and ally, Nick - to his other school peers, Julian's aloof demeanour made him an enigma or simply a figure of ridicule. In school he was just another pained adolescent, but inside Julian was a new Jean Genet or Quentin Crisp bursting to get out.Leaving St Benedict's thankfully behind him, Julian went on to college where he found his true vocation as an entertainer with a peculiar comic brand of smut and glamour. At the same time, he was finding as much sex as he could, sometimes with remarkably less-than-glamorous characters.Periods in community theatre and the singing telegram industry followed before Julian hit the big time with cabaret co-star Fanny the Wonder Dog as The Joan Collins Fan Club. Soon, the world was his oyster. But fame came at a price, as Julian struggled not only with the reality of being a high-profile gay man in the 1980s but also the pain of losing his lover to terminal illness.Far more than just another celebrity autobiography or 'funny book', this is a touching, beautifully written and wryly witty account of a unique progression from shy child to comedy icon.
A is for Oboe: The Orchestra's Alphabet
by Marilyn Nelson Lera AuerbachThis deeply imaginative and entertaining poetry collection details the pleasures of the orchestra, from strong-willed A to satisfied Z.Two widely acclaimed poets--one a composer and classical pianist as well--have come together to create this extraordinary portrait of the orchestra in all of its richness and fascination, using the structure of the alphabet in a way that's entirely new and delightful. A is for the first note you hear as you take your seat in the concert hall, played by the headstrong oboe. B is for the bassoon, "the orchestra's jester, complaining impatiently through his nose." And C is for the conductor, "like the captain on the bridge of a great ship, navigating the composer's musical charts." Onward the text goes, soaring in reverie and making thought-provoking observations while not taking itself too seriously--illuminating all the various details that flow together to create the nourishing experience of playing or listening to music.
A to Zendaya: A Celebration of a Pop Culture Icon
by Satu Hameenaho-FoxChannel your inner Zendaya and learn more about her journey to superstardom with this inspiring guide packed with empowering wisdom, facts, and quotes from the global style icon.Don&’t be afraid to speak out—be unapologetically yourself and shine in everything that you do, inspired by one of the biggest pop culture icons of our time. Who else but Zendaya can move seamlessly from a glam red carpet look to chatting bare faced on an Instagram story? From singing her heart out to speaking passionately about diversity on our screens. This pocketbook gathers an A to Z of Zendaya&’s best moments, packed with wisdom, quotes, and facts from one of the most iconic artists of our time.