100 Entertainers Who Changed America [2 volumes]

100 Entertainers Who Changed America [2 volumes]

Author: Robert C. Sickels

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2013-08-08

Total Pages: 1174

ISBN-13:

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This fascinating and thought-provoking read challenges readers to consider entertainers and entertainment in new ways, and highlights figures from outside the worlds of film, television, and music as influential "pop stars." Comprising approximately 100 entries from more than 50 contributors from a variety of fields, this book covers a wide historical swath of entertainment figures chosen primarily for their lasting influence on American popular culture, not their popularity. The result is a unique collection that spotlights a vastly different array of figures than would normally be included in a collection of this nature—and appeals to readers ranging from high school students to professionals researching specific entertainers. Each subject individual's influence on popular culture is analyzed from the context of his or her time to the present in a lively and engaging way and through a variety of intellectual approaches. Many entries examine commonly discussed figures' influence on popular culture in ways not normally seen—for example, the widespread appeal of Woody Allen's essay collections to other comedians; or the effect of cinematic adaptations of Tennessee Williams' plays in breaking down Hollywood censorship.


Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Author: Andrew Godsell

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2011-09-20

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13: 1447858727

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Fifteen Minutes of Fame is a satirical commentary on contemporary culture. The book celebrates the cult of celebrity, the wonders of everyday experience, and lots in between. Andrew Godsell, with pen in hand and tongue in cheek, explores diverse subjects, as fact mingles with fiction. The enduring influence of such literary figures as Lewis Carroll, George Orwell, Samuel Pepys, J K Rowling, and Evelyn Waugh is considered. Political themes range from Thatcherism to the Con-Dem coalition, either side of New Labour. The importance of history stretches from Stonehenge, and the legends of King Arthur, to the growth of Internet genealogy. The excitement of sport is reflected in football, and the communal spirit of Sport Relief. Music by John Lennon, Madonna, Patti Smith, and Bruce Springsteen sits alongside a folk festival. The established arts of theatre and cinema combine with the emergence of Reality TV.


The Quotable Guide to Punctuation

The Quotable Guide to Punctuation

Author: Stephen Spector

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017-10-10

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 0190675551

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This book makes punctuation more fun and easier to learn than traditional approaches do. It teaches the natural way, by example: each lesson begins with quotes that exemplify good punctuation and sentence structure. Quotations are humorous and informative, drawn from the words of notable figures--Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Jerry Seinfeld, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lawrence, and many others. Short essays accompany each lesson, showing how each punctuation mark originated and how its use has altered over time. Correct punctuation is vital for clear, accurate, and natural writing. Anyone preparing a course assignment, applying for a job or for college admission, or doing any other formal writing needs to know the standard conventions of punctuation. Yet many people have never been taught how to punctuate. A necessary addition to any writer's bookshelf, this enjoyable book will teach readers to punctuate effectively and confidently--through over 500 memorable quotes and clear explanations of the rules.


Senior Year

Senior Year

Author: Dan Shaughnessy

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 0618729054

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The author chronicles his son's senior year of high school baseball, the boy's obsession with and talent for sports, and his efforts to keep his grades up while deciding what college to attend and avoiding problems until graduation.


His Ownself

His Ownself

Author: Dan Jenkins

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2014-10-28

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0307474704

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In His Ownself, Dan Jenkins takes us on a tour of his legendary career as a sportswriter and novelist. Here we see Dan's hone his craft, from his high school paper through to his first job at theFort Worth Press and on to the glory days of Sports Illustrated. Whether in Texas, New York, or anywhere for that matter, Dan was always at the center of it all—hanging out at Elaine's while swapping stories with politicians and movie stars, covering every Masters and U.S. Open and British Open for over four decades. The result is a knee-slapping, star-studded, once-in-a-lifetime memoir from one of the most important, hilarious, and semi-cantankerous sportswriters ever.


The Sportswriter

The Sportswriter

Author: Richard Ford

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2012-06-04

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 1408835118

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Frank Bascombe has a younger girlfriend and a job as a sportswriter. To many men of his age, thirty-eight, this would be a cause for optimism, yet Frank feels the pull of his inner despair and especially of his recent losses - his preferred career has ended, his wife has divorced him, and a tragic accident took his elder son. In the course of this Easter weekend, Frank will lose all the remnants of his familiar life, though he will emerge heroic with spirits soaring. This is a magnificent novel that propelled Richard Ford into the first rank of American writers.


Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don't Walk

Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don't Walk

Author: Lesley Visser

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2017-12-26

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 1944648879

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Lesley Visser is living proof that, no matter where you start, if you are motivated and passionate, your dreams can come true. When Lesley was 11, she told her mother that she wanted to be a sportswriter. The job didn't exist for women in 1964, but her mother—instead of suggesting she become a teacher or a nurse—replied, "Great! Sometimes you have to cross when it says, 'Don't walk.'" That answer changed Lesley's life. Even though no one had done it before, it gave her the strength and self-confidence to try—permission to cross against the light. When Lesley began, the credentials said, "No Women or Children in the Press Box," but she didn't let that stop her. Lesley covered sports for more than 40 years, pioneering women's journalistic presence in men's professional sports, from inside the locker room to out on the field. She's the first and only woman to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and to ever present the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the Super Bowl. And she's the only sportscaster in history to have worked on the network broadcasts of the Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Triple Crown, Olympics, U.S. Open, and the World Figure Skating Championship. Lesley currently appears on CBS's "We Need to Talk," the first-ever nationally televised all-female weekly hour-long sports show. Lesley's had her share of hurdles and stumbles. But with passion, perseverance, and dedication, she found a way to achieve her dream, learning valuable lessons along the way. (Hint: Humor goes further than anger, and no, we can't all look like Beyoncé.) In Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says 'Don't Walk,' Lesley Visser shares her historic journey through the world of sports broadcasting with innate wisdom and good humor. For sports fans who grew up with Lesley, her memoir reads like a walk down memory lane, full of behind-the-camera, VIP-access stories involving John Madden, Jerry Jones, Bill Belichick, Joe Torre, and many more famous sports figures. But even those hearing her story for the first time, no matter what their background, will be inspired to chase their dreams, blaze new trails, and pursue the life they want.


Sting-Ray Afternoons

Sting-Ray Afternoons

Author: Steve Rushin

Publisher: Little, Brown

Published: 2017-07-03

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 0316392227

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This is a story of the 1970s. Of a road trip in a wood-paneled station wagon, with the kids in the way-back, singing along to the Steve Miller Band. Of brothers waking up early on Saturday mornings for five consecutive hours of cartoons. Of growing up in a magical era populated by Bic pens, Mr. Clean and Scrubbing Bubbles, lightsabers and those oh-so-coveted Schwinn Sting-Ray bikes. And of a father -- one of 3M's greatest and last eight-track salesmen -- traveling across the country on the brand-new Boeing 747, providing for his family but wanting nothing more than to get home. In Sting-Ray Afternoons, Steve Rushin paints an utterly nostalgic, psychedelically vibrant portrait of a decade overflowing with technological evolution, cultural revolution, as well as brotherly, sisterly, and parental love. "Funny, elegiac... a remarkably sunny coming-of-age story about growing up in a Midwest world." -- NPR


Living out of Bounds

Living out of Bounds

Author: Steven J. Overman

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2008-11-30

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0313346690

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Despite some enormous differences in salary among professional athletes, most aspects of their daily lives remain surprisingly constant across sports and income levels. In Living out of Bounds author Steven J. Overman mines a wide array of sports biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, and diaries to construct a representative picture of the athlete's life. In the course of the work a portrait emerges that transcends the individual lives lived. The shared experiences of devoted training, of travel and hotels, and of tension within and beyond the clubhouse or gym, force us to appreciate the often oppressive reality of the sporting life, at the same time that the individual lives lived also provide us with a glimpse of the rewards that make sports so compelling to audiences and athletes across America. .