The hilarious true story of the making of the cult classic hit show 30 Rock It’s hard to remember a time when Tina Fey wasn’t a star, but back in the early 2000s, she was an SNL writer who was far from a household name. It’s even harder to remember when Fey’s sitcom 30 Rock was tanking, but it was—it premiered in the fall of 2006, and by November, the New York Times wrote that 30 Rock was “perilously close to a flop.” But despite all expectations (including those of some of the cast and crew), Tina Fey’s eccentric buddy comedy lasted 138 episodes, spanning seven seasons. It resurrected the career of Alec Baldwin, survived an extended absence by Tracy Morgan, and permeated the culture— its breakneck pacing, oddball characters, and extremely rich joke writing are deeply beloved by millions of fans. Through more than fifty original interviews with cast, crew, critics, and more, culture writer Mike Roe brings to life the history of the gloriously goofy show that became an all-time classic. The 30 Rock Book has everything in it, from tales of the amazing music still stuck in our heads, to the iconic bit characters that make the show, to all the love and drama of the backstage crew . . . and the creative failures and successes along the way. So grab your night cheese and muffin tops, cuddle up with your slanket against your Japanese body pillow, and settle in for the story of one of the funniest shows in television history.
A fascinating exploration of the philosophy behind NBC’s hit TV series, 30 Rock With edgy writing and a great cast, 30 Rock is one of the funniest television shows on the air—and where hilarity ensues, philosophical questions abound: Are Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy ethical heroes? Kenneth redefines "goody two shoes", but what does it really mean to be good? Dr. Leo Spaceman routinely demonstrates that medicine is not a science, so what is the role of the incompetent professional in America today? In 30 Rock and Philosophy, Tina Fey and her fellow cast members are thrust onto the philosophical stage with Plato, Aristotle, Kantand other great thinkers to examine these key questions and many others that involve the characters and plotlines of 30 Rock and its fictional TGS with Tracy Jordan comedy show. Takes an entertaining, up-close look at the philosophical issues behind 30 Rock's characters and storylines, from post-feminist ideals to workaholism and the meaning of life Equips you with a new understanding of Liz Lemon, Jack Donaghy, Tracy Jordan, Jenna Maroney, Dr. Spaceman, and other characters Gives you deep and meaningful new reasons (who knew?) for watching Tina Fey and your other favorites on 30 Rock Ideal for both casual and diehard fans, this book is the essential companion for every 30 Rock-watcher.
A thoughtfully curated collection in a stunning package that recognizes and celebrates the birthdays of famous, infamous, and often-overlooked designers and architects. The gift book for design and architect professionals and students they didn’t know they needed but will no longer be able to live without. Drawn from architect James Biber's epic Instagram project in which he posted a birthday bio of a famous (or less famous) designer or architect every day for a (mid-pandemic) year, The Architect and Designer Birthday Book is filled with personal, opinionated, and humorous observations on fascinating design and architect figures past and present. The minibiographies and birthday profiles in the book cover a range of international architects and designers, as well as artists, including: Architects from the Aaltos (Aino and Alvar) to Zumthor Rivals Bernini and Borromini Photographers Lee Miller, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Vivian Maier, Dody Weston Thompson, Margaret Morton, and Judith Turner Midcentury modernists Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius, and Florence Knoll Charlotte Perriand, Lilly Reich, Anne Tyng, and Denise Scott Brown More anecdotal histories than authorized biographies, these daily profiles are not only fun to read but provide spot-on commentary for anyone interested in how designers and architects relate to each other as well as their place in history. It is the intersection of Biber’s life and the history of architecture and design.
One of NPR’s Best Books of 2023. A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice. Named a Most Anticipated Book by Vulture, Elle, Chicago Tribune, The Millions, and Lit Hub. “Comedy Book changes the way we talk about an art form that is more diverse and exciting than ever before.” —Seth Meyers “Energetic and wise . . . Comedy Book is not the definitive history of the past three-plus decades. It’s Fox’s history, and better for it.” —The New York Times Book Review From a beloved comedy critic, a wisecracking, heartfelt, and overdue chronicle of comedy’s boom—and its magic. In Comedy Book, Jesse David Fox—the country’s most definitive voice in comedy criticism and someone who, in his own words, enjoys comedy “maybe more than anyone on this planet”—tackles everything you need to know about comedy, an art form that has been under-considered throughout its history, even as it has ascended as a cultural force. Weaving together history and analysis, Fox unravels the genre’s political legacy through an ode to Jon Stewart, interrogates the divide between highbrow and lowbrow via Adam Sandler, and unpacks how marginalized comics create spaces for their communities. Along the way, Fox covers topics ranging from comedy in the age of political correctness and Will Smith’s slap, to the right wing’s relationship with comedy, to comedy’s ability to heal in the wake of tragedy. With memorable cameos from Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Ali Wong, Kate Berlant, and countless others, Comedy Book is an eye-opening education in how to engage with our most omnipresent art form, a riotous history of American pop culture, and a love letter to laughter.
Across or Down, The Best Crosswords Around! With 300 Brand-new Puzzles to Solve In 1924, Simon & Schuster published its first title, The Cross Word Puzzle Book. Not only was it the publisher's first release -- it was the first collection of crossword puzzles ever printed. Today, more than eighty years later, the legendary Simon & Schuster Crossword Puzzle Book series maintains its status as the standard-bearer for cruciverbal excellence. This series continues to provide the most challenging, fresh, and original puzzles on the market. Created by the best contemporary constructors -- and edited by top puzzle master John M. Samson -- these Thursday to Sunday-size brain breakers offer hours of stimulation for solvers of every level. With hundreds of puzzles in one volume, the Simon & Schuster Crossword Puzzle Book series will continue to test the knowledge of solvers everywhere. Can you avoid turning to the answer key? Sharpen your pencils, grit your teeth, and find out!
Everybody needs a role model! Discover true stories of superstars, war heroes, world leaders, gusty gals, and everyday women who changed the world. From Sacagawea to Mother Teresa, Annie Oakley to Malala Yousafzai, these famous women hiked up their pants and petticoats and charged full-speed ahead to prove girls are just as tough as boys...maybe even tougher. Complete with amazing images and a fun design, this is the book that every kid with a goal, hope, or dream will want to own.
It is our pleasure to present The Great Book of Trivia: 1000 Questions and Answers to Engage all Minds. We’ve brought together a host of fresh and intriguing questions that will test the limits of your knowledge across a huge range of subjects. The book is divided into 5 parts: Part 1 presents 400 challenging general knowledge questions, divided into 40 rounds. Part 2 introduces the “specialist rounds” at three levels of difficulty: medium, challenging and fiendish. Here you’ll find questions on geography, history, sport, science and nature, literature, art and architecture, and movies and TV. There are 200 questions in 20 rounds. Part 3 brings a lighter touch with 20 “bonus round” quizzes (200 questions in total), where you’ll be asked to spot connections, identify years from a series of clues, recognize famous monuments, and sort out lists of famous people, places and things. Part 4 contains 20 “family fun” quizzes (200 questions in total) that will be especially enjoyable for younger minds. There are straightforward general knowledge questions, alongside rhyming and alphabet quizzes. As a special bonus, the complete Elsinore Books Guess the Initial Quiz is included as the 5th part of this book. Here you’ll find 200 guess the initial challenges, also known as “ditloids”. At Elsinore Books we pride ourselves on creating beautiful e-books, and devote great attention to formatting, and ease of navigation. This book contains a cleanly-styled contents page that permits easy movement between quizzes. Each quiz occupies its own chapter, so you can move between quizzes by pressing a single button on your e-reader. You can access the answers to each quiz by following the links at the top and bottom of the question page. On the answer pages you’ll find each question rewritten and followed by its answer in bold. You can view a full listing of the games inside by clicking on the preview of this book and viewing the contents page. Some of the collection highlights are outlined below: General Knowledge Round 1 1. What colour are the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? 2. The Qudrilatero Della Moda is an upscale fashion district in which city? 3. Which land mammal has the largest eyes? 4. How many planets in our solar system have exactly one moon? 5. How many dice “pips” are there in total on the Domino’s Pizza logo? Movies and TV: Medium 1. Which city does Rocky Balboa come from? 2. Who directed the films Hunger, Shame, and 12 Years a Slave? 3. Who is the protagonist of the TV series Mad Men? 4. Which country produced the TV dramas Borgen, and The Killing? 5. Which city is home to the “Cinecittà” film studio? Trivial Disputes 1 1. Order the following animals by weight, from Heaviest to Lightest: Blue Whale, Bengal Tiger, Elephant Seal, Manta Ray 2. Order the following constructions by height, from Tallest to Smallest: Great Pyramid at Giza, Burj Khalifa, Shanghai Tower, One World Trade Centre 3. Order the following countries by population, from Most populous to Least populous: India, China, Indonesia, USA, Brazil 4. Order the following languages by number of first-tongue speakers, from Most to Least: Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, English 5. Order the following organs by weight, from Heaviest to Lightest: Brain, Heart, Skin, Pancreas, Thyroid Family Fun Quiz 1 1. What fruit is dried to produce raisins? 2. What kind of weapon was wielded by the Norse God Thor? 3. Which animal appears first in the Oxford English Dictionary? 4. Which fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson tells the story of a young swan?
Puzzle fans everywhere agree that the "New York Times" crossword is the gold standard of crossword puzzles. This collection features 165 easy to hard puzzles in a gorgeous gold foil hardcover.
