category: Adult's Books

Will & Grace: Fabulously Uncensored gives a tantalizing peak at all of the hilarious secrets behind the creation of this groundbreaking TV show. In-depth interviews with the creators and crew reveal how the show goes from concept to script to screen each week, season to season. The cast share their favorite moments, dish about their roundabout journeys to “Will & Grace,” and talk about the ways in which they and their characters have developed over the life of the show.

A lavishly illustrated episode guide discloses lost scenes, last-minute line changes, and other juicy details. There’s also plenty of scoop on high profile guest stars, recurring characters, and other interesting personalities who’ve dated, dumped, crossed, or otherwise shared airtime with the ensemble.

The kitchen portion of Today has always showcased top chefs from around the world, as they share succulent recipes with families across the country. Here, the morning crew (Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Ann Curry) present their favorites, as well as those of many of the chefs they have featured on the show—a list that reads like a who’s-who of top chefs (Jamie Martin, Mario Batali, Steven Raichlen, Nigella Lawson, among many others), in addition to a few offerings from the celebrity world (Celine Dion, Vanessa Williams, Sharon Osbourne, Suzanne Somers).

Everybody loves beading–it’s one of the most popular categories in crafting. So why does every DIY jewelry book look exactly the same? Except this one! Author and domestic diva Sonya Nimri breaks through the same-old same-old mold with 25 fresh, fashion-forward projects. From basic techniques to bodalicious trinkets, Beadalicious is packed with ideas and advice. Trendsters will love the jewelry, which shows exactly how to combine new and recycled vintage beads to create earrings, necklaces, rings, hair ornaments, and more. Step-by-step directions and fun, colorful photos make Beadalicious the perfect crafting book for the young and the trendy everywhere.

Whether creating their own independent animated clips or working with some of the biggest names in the music world–such as Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Todd Rundgren, Dr. Dre, and Phish–Flash artists maximize this software’s high resolution, intense saturation of color, and quick speed to create some of the hottest content on the web. Flash Frames: A New Pop Culturecelebrates the work of 40 of the most innovative media artists currently using this program, showcasing the work of everyone from veteran celebrity animators like Russ Heath to such cutting-edge cult heroes as Joe Cartoon. Readers will discover the apocalyptic landscape of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”; the high-spirited adventures of Marina Zurkow’s mutant-cute superheroine Braingirl; and dozens of other dazzling, full-color examples covering an array of subjects and styles.

When Belle Yang returned home after college, fleeing an abusive stalker-boyfriend, her father regaled her with stories about his family in Manchuria during the Second World War. Fleeing the ravages of war, four brothers–one of them Belle’s grandfather–had reunited in the family home, where they chafed against a traditional father, the Patriarch. Belle’s father named her Xuan–”forget sorrow”–and in narrating and illustrating the lives of her ancestors, Belle finds the strength to honor both her father and herself.

FORGET SORROW has one foot in the artistic milieu of Marjane Satrapi, it has another in Irving Howe and the great American tradition of ethnic literature reckoning with Old World ancestors, and a third foot–if that were possible–in William Shakespeare, as Belle’s great-grandfather, like King Lear, drastically misjudges his children, while the world he knew dissolves around him.

When Belle Yang returned home after college, fleeing an abusive stalker-boyfriend, her father regaled her with stories about his family in Manchuria during the Second World War. Fleeing the ravages of war, four brothers–one of them Belle’s grandfather–had reunited in the family home, where they chafed against a traditional father, the Patriarch. Belle’s father named her Xuan–”forget sorrow”–and in narrating and illustrating the lives of her ancestors, Belle finds the strength to honor both her father and herself.

FORGET SORROW has one foot in the artistic milieu of Marjane Satrapi, it has another in Irving Howe and the great American tradition of ethnic literature reckoning with Old World ancestors, and a third foot–if that were possible–in William Shakespeare, as Belle’s great-grandfather, like King Lear, drastically misjudges his children, while the world he knew dissolves around him.

George Hurrell (1904–1992) was the creator of the Hollywood glamour portrait. Before his arrival, movie star portraits were “soft focus” and undistinguished, derivative of the Main Street USA portrait salon. The maverick artist instituted a sharp, dramatic look and captured movie stars of the most exalted era in Hollywood history with bold contrast and seductive poses. This lavishly illustrated book spans Hurrell’s entire career, from his beginnings as a society photographer to his finale as the celebrity photographer who was himself a celebrity, a living legend.

From 1929 to 1944 Hurrell was the “Rembrandt of Hollywood,” creating portraits of Marlene Dietrich, Norma Shearer, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, and Joan Crawford that were a blend of the ethereal and the erotic. His photos of Jane Russell sulking in a haystack made the unknown girl a star—and without a film credit to her name. He immortalized leading males stars of the day from the Barrymores to Clark Gable to Gary Cooper. Latter photo shoots magnified the glamour of the likes of Warren Beatty and Sharon Stone.

Through newly acquired photos and in-depth research, photographer and historian Mark A. Vieira, author of Hurrell’s Hollywood Portraits, offers not only a wealth of new images but a compelling sequel to the story presented in his earlier book on Hurrell. Hurrell was himself a star—rich, famous, fulfilled. Then, at the height of his career, he suffered a vertiginous fall from grace. George Hurrell’s Hollywood recounts, for the first time anywhere, Hurrell’s return from the ashes—how movie-still collectors and art dealers pulled the elderly artist into a smoky half-world of theft and fraud; how his undiminished powers gave him a second career; and how his mercurial nature nearly destroyed it.

 

The photographs that motivate this tale are luminous, powerful, and timeless. This book showcases more than four hundred, most of which have not been published since they were created. George Hurrell’s Hollywood is the ultimate work on this trailblazing artist, a fabulous montage of fact and anecdote, light and shadow.

The book includes a foreword by Hurrell’s final camera subject, Sharon Stone.

Some of George Hurrell’s subjects:

Mae West, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, Tyrone Power, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Lon Chaney, Greta Garbo, Myrna Loy, William Powell, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Jean Harlow, Veronica Lake, Clark Gable, Marlene Dietrich, John Garfield, Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Liza Minnelli, Natalie Wood, Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, John Travolta, Farrah Fawcett, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Raquel Welch, Sharon Stone, Warren Beatty, and many more!

1939 was a watershed year. The Great Depression was barely over; economics, politics, and culture braced for war. There was a lull before the storm and Hollywood, as if expecting to be judged by posterity, produced a portfolio of masterpieces. No year before or since has yielded so many beloved works of cinematic art: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Gunga Din, Only Angels Have Wings, Destry Rides Again, Beau Geste, Wuthering Heights, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Ninotchka, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Dark Victory, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Women, and of course, Gone With the Wind.

Majestic Hollywood showcases fifty films from this landmark year, with insightful text on the cultural significance of each movie and entertaining plot descriptions. Also included are stories from the legendary artists who made the films: directors William Wellman and John Ford; cinematographers Arthur Miller and Lee Garmes; actors Judy Garland, Rosalind Russell, Ray Milland, Sir Laurence Olivier, and Olivia de Havilland.

This world of entertainment is illustrated by rarely seen images. Made during the most glamorous era in movie history, whether scene stills, behind-the-scenes candids, portraits, or poster art, the photos are as distinctive, evocative, and powerful as the films they were meant to publicize. Presenting the best of these images and the stories behind them, this book is a cavalcade of unforgettable films from 1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year.