Book Description
You might think that after ten seasons on the Peabody Award-winning TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000, Mike Nelson has seen enough bad movies for one lifetime. As the guys at Cahiers du Cinema say, au contraire! Hollywood's spigot of stupidity shows no sign of slowing, and cheesy films continue to flood our multiplexes and gunk up our home entertainment centers at an alarming rate. This dire situation calls for a specialist. A professional. An expert in wading through motion pictures so vile that they aren't released; they escape. We need Mike Nelson! Hey, settle down there, pal--you got him!
In more than sixty laugh-out-loud reviews and essays featuring his unique combination of erudite wit and shameless clowning, this screenscarred veteran takes us deep into the recesses of cinematic cheese. He examines legendary showbiz families like Culkin, Baldwin, and Estevez; uncovers an ancient quatrain in which Nostradamus foretells the coming of David Hasselhoff; makes the case for the Food Network and the Three Stooges; and skewers all kinds of movies, including Lost in Space, Twister, Anaconda, The Postman, Spring Break, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Bridges of Madison County, The Blair Witch Project, and many, many more. Here is a film critic for the rest of us: the outrageous, hilarious Mike Nelson.
Customer Reviews:
Mega-Macaroni and Cheese.......2007-09-14
"Movie Megacheese" is a perfect book for a rainy day:it's hilarious,and Mike Nelson has tried-heroically-to transfer his snarky remarks from his Mystery Science Theater 3000 to the book world.
Mike Nelson provides insights into "The Saint" (why doesn't Val Kilmer's character use the alias St.John Eudes?),"Action Jackson" (explaining why the hero doesn't have the surname Paulson or Thibedeau),and "Star Trek:Generations" (the villain dresses like Sting&wants to get hit by a dryer spark). His comedic assessment of Food Network is as relevant as ever-though Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay are notable omissions. His digs at Emeril Lagasse are worth the price of the book. Bam!
Mike Nelson's take on "Bridges of Madison County" is a disappointment,but his send-up of "Patch Adams" pretty much sums up the current state of Robin Williams' career (though "Happy Feet" and "Night at the Museum" weren't made yet). "Movie Megacheese" is mostly humorous,and it works as bite-size comedy. Unfortunately,it's too short. Considering how many awful movies have been made since the book first came out,it's time for an extended edition or a sequel.
good, could have been great.......2007-07-26
Being a rabid MST3K fan, I must confess this book was a bit of a letdown. Maybe my expectations were too high. There is humor here, but there were way more half-smiles than hearty laughs, and some of the swing-for-the-fences jokes definitely ended up in the catcher's mitt. Whenever you can guess the punchline before finishing the sentence, things are a little stale. I couldn't recommend paying retail price, but if you find it used like I did, you'll get your money's worth.
Mega-Laughs for Megacheese!.......2007-07-06
Having watched Mike on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" for many years, I had an idea of what to expect. Yet, "Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese" blew me out of the water with its laugh-out-loud reviews. Nelson is a gifted writer with a sharp tongue and an even sharper rapier wit. My only complaint is that he doesn't do enough of these! Who wouldn't pay $20 to see him tee off on "Gigli" or "Norbert"? We need another hit of the 'cheese, Mike! Overall, an enjoyable read from cover to cover!
Enjoyin' this big ol' honkin' bowl of "megacheese" dip.......2006-01-05
Thanks in large part to my exposure to "Mystery Science Theater 3000", I am now a stark-raving-mad cheeseball cinema aficionado. So it was a no-brainer that I'd eventually get around to reading former MST3K host Mike Nelson's essays on several big-budget cheddar-fests that the show could never hope to afford licensing rights to. I figured buying a copy of Mr. Nelson's book (from Amazon, `natch) and reading it would be the best way for me to pay the guy back for making me laugh occasionally at his not-half-bad-or better quips and put-downs. Sure, it took me over five years to finally up and get the book, and used from one of the Amazon Marketplace dealers no less. But hey, better late than never...
Most of the movies Nelson takes on go about as far back as the mid-80s to just before the tome's 2000 publishing date. He goes after a few of the usual suspects ("Anaconda", "Independence Day", and "Action Jackson" are but a few examples), as well as a few not-so-obvious flix ("The Bridges of Madison County", "DragonHeart"). He even goes so far as to use the horrid "Batman & Robin" (which he declares is "not the worst movie ever", but "the worst THING ever") as a springboard to rip into the entire Burton/Schumacher "Batman" franchise in one essay. In some cases he teams up two or more particularly cheddary flicks that are connected by a theme, like "Action Jackson" and "Stone Cold" because of the movies' main stars' former careers in pro football.
But it's not just movies this former Satellite of Love co-denizen takes apart with his usually straightforward but occasionally rambling manner and incendiary wit that occasionally enters the realm of naughtiness, but rarely in a particularly overt manner. As opposed to, say, a subtly overt manner. Or (horror of horrors) an overtly overt manner. About the worst you can expect from him is the reason he is now "(unable) to eat any smoked pork products" since seeing Kevin Bacon's goods in "Wild Things." And I can't say I blame him. Kinda makes me wonder if he swore off loaves and fishes after seeing Graham Chapman lettin' it all hang out in "Monty Python's Life of Brian", doesn't it?
The second-worst you can expect from Mr. Nelson is his description of the cast-off crud coming offa Clint Eastwood's character during a shower scene in "The Bridges of Madison County." While the words he uses to describe the "soupy gray runoff" of shower water that contains "all manner of skin oil, dirt, dander, and body hair" aren't particularly nasty or obscene in and of themselves, their overall arrangement and vivid power of description meshed together in a hellish literary tag-team kept me from finishing off the steak dinner I was eating whilst reading that particular passage. Eh, I could stand to lose several dozen pounds, anyway...
Also hit are notable TV shows that were running at the time, like "Xena", the Kvin Sorbo "Hercules" series, and "Savannah". The latter show has Mr. Nelson visualizing the anguish that producer Aaron Spelling's going through with the show's relative lack of success compared to the Spelling-produced contemporaries "90210" and "Melsrose Place". An anguish he tries to eliminate by tossing a few more additions to his obscenely opulent estate. "Do you realize how many rooms he has to build on the South Wing to begin to stanch the wound?", Mr. Nelson asks the reader. Quite frankly, I don't think I can even begin to realize such emotional torture, nor would I want to...
Also given their just desserts (so to speak in the former case) is the Food Channel and Cartoon Network. It's pretty apparent from his writings that Mr. Nelson actually enjoys the Food Channel, but isn't too keen with Cartoon Network, which had a lotta Hanna-Barbera shows on heavy rotation at the time the book was published. Although he cites "Speed Racer", "Woody Woodpecker" and "The Smurfs" as examples of the CN's crappiness, I'm pretty sure it was the Hanna-Barbera stuff that really pushed him over the edge. Mainly `cuz just about alla Hanna-Barbera's `toonage sucks razor blade-studded hot coals smothered in Tabasco sauce. Well, that and he lets the reader in on the lameness of "Scooby-Doo", "The Flintstones", and "The Jetsons." `Course, in the five-plus years since this book came out, CN's line-up hasn't really improved all that much; I'd much rather endure Yogi's umpteenth insipid pic-a-nic basket pilferage than watch five seconds of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force"...
Anyhoo, Mr. Nelson also takes it to several notable Hollywood personalities whose contributions to film have made many folks rather cynical and jaded about the moviegoing experience, myself included. The woodenness of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Keanu Reeves (his response to Reeves' role in "Speed": "... (a) member of the L.A. bomb squad?! I wouldn't trust this man to sell me a stamp."), the hilarious yet awful screenplays of Joe Eszterhas, and the existence of Carrot Top are but three among a crop of (usually) rather obvious, riffed-on-to-death targets that even the most third-rate of third-rate standup comics abandoned years ago for fresher material. Like William Shatner's infamous method acting for example.
On the upside: at least the author admits in his bash of Carrot Top that the pastime of Carrot Top-bashing has become a rather hackneyed and tiresome one... but after viewing "Chairman of the Board", he just can't help it. And I can't say I blame Mr. Nelson, though I must admit his shots at the fire-tressed prop comedian are ironic in a way, seeing as how he ("he" as in "Mike Nelson", not as in "Carrot Top") replaced Joel Hodgson on MST3K, who was himself a prop comedian, and took advantage of his mad skillz to assemble those silly doo-dads he'd show off to Dr. Forrester and Boob-Tube Francis during those "invention exchange" sketches. `Course, it'd be more ironic, not to mention downright hypocritical, if Nelson were a prop comedian himself while ripping on Mr. Top. Thankfully, his parents ("his parents" as in "Mike Nelson's parents", not as in "Carrot Top's parents") apparently gave him enough hugs and applied a tiny bit of corporal punishment on him when he was a lad, thereby sparing the world the agony of another Gallagher-wannabe...
As for Nelson's writing style: in some ways, it's reminiscent of the stuff he'd come up whilst locked in the SOL's screening room with his AI-endowed compatriots. While both Crow and Tom Servo had the ability to throw out an intellectual and/or esoteric reference or two, Mr. Nelson's references were by far the most intellectual and/or esoteric. Which is the main reason why I laughed at the robots' put-downs far more often than I did Mr. Nelson's. Fortunately, I was able to grok about 92.34% of these sometimes-laugh-out-loud-funny MENSA-level put-downs... which was about the rate of grokkery I had when I came across similar sometimes-laugh-out-loud-funny MENSA-level put-downs in this tome. Still, that 7.66% that I needed Google to figure out-- and had me letting out a staccato "D'oh!" whilst smacking the palm of my right hand to my forehead when I finally figured it out-- has been playin' hell on my self-esteem for a few days now...
But seriously: while I got a pretty good laugh at times from "Movie Megacheese", there were a few areas where Mr. Nelson's efforts at humor read like a cross between Larry King's insipid USA Today columns, and something Dave Barry would come up with whilst trying to overcome a really bad case of writer's block. Which is almost as corny and unfunny as Dave Barry withOUT writer's block. I mean, okay, every once in a while he'll will toss out a quip in his weekly column that gets a light chuckle from me. And his annual "Stupid Christmas Gift Guide" is kinda amusing in its own dumb little way. And that Harry Anderson sit-com that was loosely based on Barry's columnar ramblings had a few cute moments. But is he really all that and a side of curly fries? I think NOT! I will admit, however, that he's a little bit funnier than the Sunday comics... but that's only if the Sunday comics doesn't carry "Garfield." Otherwise, all bets are off.
But, I'm getting away from the main subject matter at hand, sorry about that. I go on weird tangents some times... which is something Mr. Nelson also does on occasion in "Movie Megacheese", albeit not to nearly the lengths that I do in some of my product reviews. He also throws out an agonizingly drawn-out (albeit usually amusing) analogy on occasion, like Dennis Miller without the smarm, and with only a small fraction of the obnoxious pomposity. Fortunately, the book's truly laugh-out-loud bits-- of which there were more than a few-- more than made up for the groan-inducing corny parts.
Bottom line: if you're into trashy movies & TV shows, as well as the personalities who have made those movies and TV shows so memorable (no matter how hard you try to forget), and you actually enjoy watching "Road House" for its cheeseball appeal whilst believing that Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey are demons set forth by Satan to destroy the genre of slapstick comedy as we know them, you might do well to pick up a copy of "Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese." And may be even read a few pages while you're at it...
`Late
If only it were Ebert & Nelson instead of Roeper..........2006-01-02
Mike Nelson proves why he was the head writer for the cult show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (which ran for 10 years) with this satiric and witty collection of essays on films and television shows.
Average customer rating:
|
The New Best of the Moody Blues
Manufacturer: Alfred Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Popular
| Songbooks
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Blues
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Rock
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0769207197 |
Book Description
Contains: Gemini Dream * I Know You're Out There Somewhere * Nights in White Satin * The Other Side of Life * Ride My See-Saw * I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) * Question and more.
Book Description
Phil Hellmuth, Jr., the "Tiger Woods of Poker," demonstrates exactly how to play and win––even if you have never played poker before–– the modern games of poker, including: Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven–Card Stud, and Razz.
Play Poker Like the Pros is the perfect introduction to the world of poker, including tournaments, home games, and Online play as Hellmuth begins by laying how to set–up and play the games and then moves on to basic and advanced strategy.
Phil teaches exactly which hands to play, when to bluff, and when to raise, and when to fold. In addition, Hellmuth provides techniques for reading other players and avoid "going on tilt"–––poker speak for staying cool under pressure. There are also special chapters for advanced players on how to beat Online games and an inside look at tournament play.
Download Description
"
Nine-time World Champion of Poker Phil Hellmuth demonstrates exactly how to play and win -- even if you've never picked up a deck of cards -- the modern games of poker, including: Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and Razz.
In Play Poker Like the Pros, poker master Phil Hellmuth, Jr., demonstrates exactly how to play and win -- even if you have never picked up a deck of cards -- the modern games of poker, including: Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and Razz.
Phil Hellmuth, Jr., a seven-time World Champion of Poker, presents his tournament-tested strategies to beat any type of player, including:
- The Jackal (crazy and unpredictable)
- The Elephant (plays too many hands)
- The Mouse (plays very conservatively)
- The Lion (skilled and tough to beat)
Play Poker Like the Pros begins by laying out the rules and set-up of each game and then moves on to easy-to-follow basic and advanced strategies. Hellmuth teaches exactly which hands to play, when to bluff, when to raise, and when to fold. In addition Hellmuth provides techniques for reading other players and staying cool under pressure. There are also special chapters on how to beat online poker games and an inside look at tournament play.
"
Customer Reviews:
strategy.......2007-08-15
A great overview and basic skill training and up to advanced learning. Well worth the money because this book will improve your skills no matter what level you already play on
Not a Bad Beginner's Book. The Author's a Wind Bag........2007-05-30
Phil Helmuth is as annoying in his writing as he is around a poker table. The book is part infomercial for various preferred casinos and web sites, part instructional manual for novice to intermediate players, but mostly a vehicle for Phil's ego. Hardly a page goes by without Phil reminding us what a great poker player he is. A psychologist could have a field day w/ his overinflated ego. As far as the content on poker play goes, it's better than most books for novices on the subject.
GREAT BOOK!!.......2007-04-26
I read some books about poker but this one is simply great.it tells you how to play to be successful and i really enjoyed it. i recommend this book for every player. When you will read it you will really be a better player!!
Horrible.......2006-10-11
Do NOT buy this book. I made that mistake but you don't need to!
This book doesn't really teach you anything significant. Phil talks about how much he has won and how good he is and shows you some animal pictures sitting at a internet poker table. Then on the next line he says that you should read the other players body language. Over the internet?! He doesn't even know what he's talking about.
Phil is Great.......2006-09-20
Yes he's great. He wins alot and is possibly one of the best Hold'em players of all time. I dont know if he did it on purpose but he basically tells you just enough that you understand he can do it but he doesnt offer any help on 'how' to do it. I think maybe he doesnt want to actually help anyone get better at poker. He just wants to advertise he's awesome.
He says things like "then you have to figure out how to win the most money" after building up a whole story of a hand that you are going to win.
Sklansky and Harrington books tell you HOW to get the most money into the pot when you are going to win.
Book Description
In Play Poker Like the Pros, poker master Phil Hellmuth, Jr., demonstrates exactly how to play and win—even if you have never picked up a deck of cards—the modern games of poker, including: Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and Razz.
Phil Hellmuth, Jr., a ten-time World Champion of Poker, presents his tournament-tested strategies to beat any type of player, including:
The Jackal (crazy and unpredictable)
The Elephant (plays too many hands)
The Mouse (plays very conservatively)
The Lion (skilled and tough to beat)
Play Poker Like the Pros begins by laying out the rules and set-up of each game and then moves on to easy-to-follow basic and advanced strategies. Hellmuth teaches exactly which hands to play, when to bluff, when to raise, and when to fold. In addition Hellmuth provides techniques for reading other players and staying cool under pressure. There are also special chapters on how to beat online poker games and an inside look at tournament play.
Written and read by Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Customer Reviews:
Rivered by Phil.......2007-01-27
This CD set was just a re-hash of his other books...Great Bluff Phil
Book Description
Phil Hellmuth, Jr., winner of nine WSOP titles and author of Play Poker Like the Pros "Blackjack is definitely a game that you can make money playing, and this book shows you how to do it!"
Blackjack is by far the most popular casino table game. The reason is because it has the lowest house edge. While other table games give the house a minimum 3% edge, blackjack provides close to even odds for players willing to learn what is called "basic strategy." And for players who are able to learn card counting, blackjack is actually a beatable game.
But the reality is that out of the millions of people who play blackjack, only a small percentage will take the time or make the effort to play perfect basic strategy. And very few players will take the time to learn card counting. Most of those who do will ultimately fail in a live casino environment.
So what's a reasonably intelligent person to do? Among the blackjack books available today, few take readers beyond basic strategy, and of those that do, virtually none balance the necessary level of detail with a simple approach that is easily understood by everyone (not just math whizzes and autistic savants).
BLACKJACK: PLAY LIKE THE PROS is a comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide to playing and winning at blackjack. John Bukofsky—an expert player and card counter with over twenty years experience—provides readers with clear and engaging instruction in everything from the basics of game-play and strategy, up to and including card counting at the professional level.
In it, readers will find:
• A step-by-step approach that is easily understood by both beginners and serious players looking to take their game to a higher level. Though the book involves a technical subject, the writing style is casual yet clearly defines and explains each facet of the process. • Attention to details and finer points that are only touched on in many other books. • Chapters on betting and bankroll, casino countermeasures, camouflage techniques, and many of the other topics necessary to become a successful advantage player. • A chapter dedicated solely to "negative swings," which are the number one reason many aspiring serious players end up leaving the game. • Presentation of two separate point counts, which allows the reader to choose the system most suitable to him or her, depending on individual goals, time allowances, motivation, interface, etc.
The greatest feature of this book is its instruction in the holy grail of blackjack: card counting. Bukofsky shows readers how to learn and master the technique that many think is simply too difficult to learn, much less use in an actual casino. He also covers the intangibles playing under real world conditions, including many aspects not in any way associated with the actual mechanics of card counting.
How do we know that John Bukofsky is an expert card counter? Simple: he's been barred from playing blackjack in Las Vegas and harassed in Atlantic City and Connecticut. He's also played alongside some of the most prominent and prolific gamblers in the world at the Casino de Monte Carlo.
John's expertise in the mathematics of card counting became apparent by age thirteen, which led to a life-long interest in the game. An engineer by profession, John understands the need for precision and clarity, which he brings to this book. As a result, he has written the most intelligent and up-to-date book on blackjack ever written, one that goes into every level of the game. BLACKJACK: PLAY LIKE THE PROS is destined to become the bible for the next generation of blackjack players.
"A savvy, comprehensive text that covers the essentials of winning blackjack from soup to nuts. Bukofsky is an excellent writer, whose `hold-your-hand' style makes it easy for the reader to master, sequentially, the skills needed to become a successful player. Many blackjack books skimp on details, especially when it comes to the mathematics of the game or complete card-counting systems. Not so here. I highly recommend it."--Don Schlesinger, author of Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros' Way
Customer Reviews:
Excellent EXCELLENT book on Blackjack!!.......2007-04-24
If you are a blackjack player this book will help you win. It is worth more than the price. It is endorsed by well-known experts. Many of the books published about blackjack are manuals. This book is more than just a manual. I highly recommend this book if you would like to win at blackjack consistently.
When It Comes to Blackjack, He's a Genius.......2006-11-15
I loved this book. I've been interested in blackjack and the science of card-counting for a long time. Thing is, nobody has really written much about the game. And, upon reading this book, I am secure enough to admit this is the definitive book on the game of blackjack and the tools you need to beat the casino. Not only do you learn about the game but you also come to understand the intricacies of the casino. Mr. Bukofsky explains what to look for in the casino regarding how casino management tend to get the odds in their favor. However, this book puts the odds in the reader's favor. Thanks for the tips.
Great Book, even if you don't play Blackjack!.......2006-10-31
The author starts at the lowest level, and leads the reader by the hand through the complexities of "pro" level Blackjack. Even if you don't plan to play the game at the casinos, the book is a must read for entainment value alone. He covers every aspect of the game, up to and including, behavior at the table and proper dress code to avoid suspicion.
In additon to the technical aspects of the game, he spices the book with personal experiences, successes and failures. A great book for knowledge and entertainment. Should be a must reference for all who plan to try their hand (not luck) at the casino tables.
Great Resource!.......2006-10-02
This book is interesting, well written, well researched, and very readable. It explains the whys and wherefores of each combination, and the logic behind them. It is the best book I have on the subject. (Review by R.T. Hubbard)
A Must Read For Any Serious Player.......2006-08-27
A must read for any serious player who wants to get to the next level. Two card counting methods are presented with lots of helpful hints on how to make learning the whole process easier. The Casino Countermeaure Chapter is an excellent description of what happens to good players when the casions discover someone can beat them, and many helpful tactics are covered in the next chapter on how to remain undetected once you are playing at that level. The chapter Blackjack Team Play also describes and teaches the nuances of this fascinating approach to the game. Overall, a sound and technically well written book with the player in mind that focusses on exactly what you need to know.
Book Description
The Only Poker Book You'll Ever Need makes picking up the smartest tips and slyest tricks a cinch. In a brief, to-the-point format, this plucky guide helps readers master the basics of play and use poker probability and psychology to the best advantage. This savvy, straight-shooting handbook explains:
The ins and outs of the most popular poker games
The vitals on betting, bluffing, and blinds
The secrets to zeroing-in on other players' tells
Whether a novice is planning her first at-home poker party or a card shark is craving casino action, this book is a sure bet every time.
Product Description
3 Gambling Book Set; Poker Nation; Bringing Down the House; Play Poker Like the Pros
Product Description
3 book poker collection.
Average customer rating:
- TV brings our family together thanks to this book
- My kids love it
- Practical and useful!
- It works!
- Turns TV into a "good guy" -- activities galore!
|
Tv Time: 150 Fun Family
Debra K. Traverso
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Television
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Guides & Reviews
| Television
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Marriage & Family
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Social Situations
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Family Activities
| Parenting & Families
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Parenting & Families
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Accessories:
-
philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
ASIN: 0380797186 |
Book Description
Today's parents have a good reason to be concerned about both the quantity and quality of the TV programs their children are watching. Now TV TIME offers creative, "take charge" methods that enable parents to use television to help their children grow. Instead of turning parents into TV police or kids into TV addicts, this guide gets children actively involved in managing their TV choices with easy-to-play games, dialogues, mind-teases, and memory quizzes. Television time becomes not play fun, but educational, with ingenious ideas that will entertain, inform, and stir a child's imagination and creativity--
Intriguing, interactive games that foster alertness while programs are in progress.
Fun-filled TV-inspired projects a child can do before and after viewing.
Video ventures that inspire expanded learning adventures at the library or bookstore.
Challenging TV games that improve vocabulary and spelling.
Activities kids can do on their own or with other children.
Before-and after-show fun that encourages independent thinking.
Mind-expanding, TV-sparked discussions that bring the whole family together.
AND MUCH MORE!
Customer Reviews:
TV brings our family together thanks to this book.......2000-05-19
I'm a single mom with three kids. I work two jobs and take care of an invalid mother. As a result, my kids see a little too much TV for my comfort. With my busy schedule, I needed some way that I could let the kids watch TV without having to be there to monitor every moment, and a way that wouldn't require much of my time. This is it. I spend less than 5 minutes with it each day challenging my kids with a TV project, and I'm set to go do what I want. My hats off to the author for finding a way to use TV to actually bring us all together.
My kids love it.......2000-05-12
This book is great! My kids love it. I find the activities for older teenagers (15 and up) a little impractical for my kids, but they actually enjoy helping the younger ones since the projects are creative and involve TV. So either way, my kids are actually doing things together and learning! Thank you! Finally my TV is harnessed.
Practical and useful!.......2000-05-08
I found TV Time to be very practical. At first I thought it might be another book that assumes I have a craft store in my house, but no. Not much is necessary beyond cardboard, paper, crayons, pencils, books, and the usual stuff you find in every house with a child in it.
It works!.......2000-04-19
I was skeptical when I ordered the book, but it really does work. I only have to spend two minutes a day with the book to find a new idea and that quickly my kids are automatically using it in a creative and educational way. When I see all the pictures they color and projects they make now while watching TV, I don't feel guilty letting them watch anymore. One less reason to feel guilty about being an overworked Mom.
Turns TV into a "good guy" -- activities galore!.......1999-03-15
Journalist and mom Debra Koontz Traverso shares the same concerns that other parents have about the wasteland that in general characterizes TV for children. But she's not willing to throw the baby out with the proverbial bathwater, preferring instead to use TV for the educational and mind-expanding experience it can be. So, she's written TV Time to help parents learn how to get kids actively involved in managing TV choices and making the most of them.
With 95 percent of the households in this country sporting at least one television set, the medium obviously has an impact on a child's life. Although much has been written about the evils of children watching television, little concrete guidance has been provided for parents in palatable form .. until now, Traverso remedies this situation in her book by providing unique and fun ideas on how to transform the television into an educational tool by incorporating the fun of watching the tube with the stimulation involved in learning.
And here's the best part: the book is divided by age groups, activities and subjects, so it makes an easy reference that can grow with a child as his/her TV selections change through the years. Most of the activities take less than a minute to read and apply, a welcome blessing to busy working moms who otherwise would feel angst about allowing their children to watch TV.
The author suggests lots of easy-to-play games, dialogues, mindteasers and memory quizzes to help turn sitting in front of the TV into an active rather than passive experience. Traverso also suggests unusual and subtle ways parents can stimulate their children's thinking to critique content as they watch television, and she also helps them understand the subtle messages presented on the screen.
Most educators would agree, it's a book that should be referred to each time the TV is turned on.
Books:
- Monster: Living Off the Big Screen
- More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded (Popular Culture and Philosophy)
- Moulin Rouge: The Splendid Illustrated Book That Charts the Journey of Baz Luhrmann's Motion Picture
- Movies to Manage By
- My Autobiography (Plume)
- My First Movie: Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk About Their First Film
- My Last Sigh
- My Mother's Keeper: A Daughter's Memoir Of Growing Up In The Shadow Of Schizophrenia
- My Wicked Wicked Ways: The Autobiography of Errol Flynn
- Narrative in Fiction and Film: An Introduction
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The World Is Flat
- Professional Practice for Interior Designers, 3rd Edition
- Flash Site Workshop
- History: Fiction or Science
- Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny
- Salem's Lot
- Plant Pathology
- Glencoe Accounting: 1st Year Course, Adventure Travels
- IBM Redux: Lou Gerstner and the Business Turnaround of the Decade
- Sarrasine
Mike Nelson's Mind over Matters
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide
A Year at the Movies: One Man's Filmgoing Odyssey
Mike Nelson's Death Rat!: A Novel
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 3 (The Atomic Brain / The Sidehackers / The Unearthly / Shorts, Vol. 2)
