Book Description
Oscar-winning producer Julia Phillips's work on Taxi Driver, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and The Sting made her famous. This is the memoir that made her infamous-a downfall chronicle of a private hell that could only have been written by someone with nothing left to lose.
"The hottest book of the year." (Newsweek)
"A hell of a story." (San Francisco Chronicle)
"One of the most honest books ever written about one of the most dishonest towns ever created." (Boston Globe)
"Gossip too hot even for the National Enquirer...(If your name's in here, take two Valium and read on)." (Los Angeles Magazine)
"A blistering look at la la land. A biting tale." (USA Today)
"Fuel-injected dishing." (New York Newsday)
"This no-holds-barred autobiography dissects Hollywood...in scathing detail...will no doubt bring Hollywood to its knees." (Mirabella)
"The ultimate Hollywood chronicle...the story of a life at the top." (Anne Rice)
Customer Reviews:
Talk about a guilty pleasure!.......2007-04-16
Julia Phillips wallows in being part angel, part devil, and that makes for a terrific story. This is the best insider's look at the Hollywood of today that one could wish for. Just goes to show why so much Hollywood output is dreck, and it's a miracle that a worthwhile film is ever made and often in spite of the creators. If you've ever had a dream of walking the red carpet, READ THIS!
Over the Top.......2006-12-18
Poor Ms. Phillips. The voice of this memoir comes across as brutally honest - perhaps too honest. The book is too long. I found the author's meteoric rise to fame fascinating and it proves the belief that the road to fame and fortune is often quirky to say the least. How many magazine editors reach the top of the heap in Hollywood? - not many I would guess. She was a fast learner but she must have also possessed charm. I kept thinking, these people don't even go to lunch unless they're stoned. I must lead a sheltered life as I had no idea the drugs were that rampant. But they destroyed her in the end. Anyway, the lesson to be learned is that the movie business is not for the faint of heart. The fact that it's full of phoney, disloyal, back-stabbing people is nothing new so there is a banal feeling throughout the book. After all, they aren't inventing a cure for cancer - they are just grossly overpaid people who create stories to be watched on a screen so that the masses can escape their dreary lives. She does go on and on about her friendship with Steven Spielberg - she obviously idolized him. It's too bad she was an addict because it certainly derailed her career prematurely.
Ahem...........2006-04-17
How does one evaluate something like this, which is rather unprecedented?
A blurbed review cited on the cover refers to this as "the Hollywood Chainsaw Massacre," and the description fits. Julia Phillips - R.I.P. - is clearly not a writer, and the clunky prose does drag in places, but I didn't go into this looking for Proust. The dirt she dishes is truly spectacular - moreso for her chutzpah in revealing it all than for any of the actual content.
Her description of her drug decline is grueling and lurid, but I suppose the reality was considerably worse, so her communication on this front is vivid and effective. Her descriptions of the behind-the-scenes politics of Hollywood could scare half of today's film students into rethinking their career aspirations. And it's worth it all for the inside details into the making of 'Taxi Driver' and 'Close Encounters.'
-David Alston
Great Stories and insight.......2005-12-29
A truly great read. Its stories have prepared me to deal with all of the Hollywood b.s. that an independent filmmaker like myself has to endure. This book gave me the confidence to complete three feature-length movies, the most recent being THE INDIE PENDANT. And, it has helped me in starting my own radio show, The Indie Film Hour, on World Talk Radio. Thank you Julia, and R.I.P.
Edward Dentzel
www.vdefilms.com
Just regular folks ..gone wrong.......2004-06-27
Not all HOllywood high rollers are born cool and ultra-confident. This book documents that fact and proves it, as it walks us through the rise and fall of one of Hollywood's finest. This book gets down to earth and tells the story of a young woman born into a middle class family in NY (where else?!) who rapidly rises to the heights of success and fame in her profession and spirals down, almost as rapidly. Truth is always more intersting than fiction and this book proves it.
Average customer rating:
- Would-Be Frailers, Look No Further
- NOT OUT OF PRINT!
- best book i've found on "frailing"
- The very best if you want to frail
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Frailing the Five String Banjo
E. Muller
Manufacturer: Mel Bay Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0871668785 |
Customer Reviews:
Would-Be Frailers, Look No Further.......2004-09-21
Not only is this the best starting-from-scratch method for frailing I've ever seen, it may be the best overall banjo method that I've seen. Beyond its helpfulness, it's filled with great photographs, and is laid out in such a friendly, completely self-explanatory manner that I can't think of a single criticism to level against it. I haven't even spotted any misprints (in that regard, it's also the best resource I've seen from the vast Mel Bay catalogue). If you're looking at learning how to play frailing, i.e. claw-hammer style banjo, start and end with this excellent resource.
NOT OUT OF PRINT!.......2004-01-30
See the recommended instead of section above.
best book i've found on "frailing".......2002-08-31
I've bought 'em all, and this one is the ONLY book so far that has actually made it easy to learn to "frail" the banjo in the old-time style. To find a book like this is a rare thing; most music books simply assume too much for the beginner to really gain any useful knowledge from. With this book, I was clearly able to understand each step that comprises the "clawhammer" motion, as well as songs written in a form of tab that I can actually read! If I can benifit from this book, I think it's a great choice for anyone wanting to learn from scratch, because I must admit I'm slow in the dept. of learning from a music instruction book. The accompanying CD of tunes are played slowly and clearly, and help to solidify the lessons. I have one minor gripe, in that there's a typical mistake that all of these sorts of instruction/tape manuals contain, and that is that some of the tunes get lost in a sea of instrumentation, making it difficult for the beginner to pick out JUST the banjo for learning purposes. With this recording it's minimal, however, only a few tunes are like this. The choice of songs are good too, and that's another point for this book, since a lot of beginner books from others typically contain tunes that I personally don't want to learn to play, even for learning purposes. Less of the folk revivalist type of song, and more of the original old-time tunes. I can't recommend this book highly enough, but make sure you get a copy with the tape/cd included, AND do not pay the ridiculous 40 or 50 dollar price tag for a used one that seems to be floating around on here. That's simply silly, and it can be gained for under 20 bucks NEW, with a bit of research.
The very best if you want to frail.......2001-04-04
This is the only banjo instruction book that I'm aware of that would eventually enable a complete novice to the banjo to learn how to frail. In fact, even if you have never played a musical instrument before, after a few weeks practicing with the aid of this book, and the accompanying tape, you'll be able to get the hang of it. The practice songs are set up from easy to difficult and the tablature is easy to read and follow. Highly recommended.
Book Description
QUICK AND EASY TEXAS HOLD'EM—with instructional DVD—teaches the essentials of low-limit hold'em poker, from basic concepts such as starting hands and position to the subtle strategies of reading games and outfoxing opponents. In this entertaining and easy-to-follow guide, aspiring players get comprehensive explanations and no-nonsense analysis of the most common situations they will encounter at the poker table, written by someone who knows the low-limit game inside out. Self-made poker expert Neil Myers gives readers the real truth about what it takes to win the low-limit game:
·Which hands to play, when and how to play them
·What size bankroll you'll need
·Which games to play and which to avoid
·Poker room etiquette
·And an instructional DVD to bring these lessons to life!
Complete with one of the most extensive glossaries to ever appear in any poker book, this is this book that will enable you to learn hold'em poker more quickly and easily than you would have thought possible. After reading this book, you will be able to play at poker tables everywhere—in poker rooms and neighborhood poker games, in casinos and online—and discover the thrill, challenge, and excitement of poker's most exciting game.
WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?
·Complete Beginners: If you have never played any form of poker before, fear not. You don't have to learn another poker style before becoming proficient at Texas Hold 'Em. This volume will prove an ideal primer.
·Players Who Have Played a Little Poker: If you have played some poker of any type, either as a youth, in college, with friends or family, and want to learn about this most popular and exciting form of poker, you will find in this book everything you need to become a good player. You will learn what real poker players need to know and how the casino game differs from a home game. You will learn what makes Texas Hold 'Em different from other poker games and why it's so much fun to play. You will learn a conservative but winning method of play.
· Players Who Have Played Another Form of Poker and Wish to Learn Texas Hold 'Em: You play other styles of poker—perhaps quite well—but have as yet not tried Texas Hold 'Em. This may be because up to now you have only played say, Seven Card Stud and have decided to expand your poker horizons. This book will be very valuable because it will stop you making the common mistakes that stud players make when they try Hold 'Em for the first time. You will learn what makes community card poker unique and how card values and starting hands are different from those of other poker games. You will learn a solid style of play that you can use as the foundation for going on to bigger games if you wish.
· Players Who Have Played Some Texas Hold 'Em But Are Losing Consistently: You've got the bug. You somehow learned and began playing Texas Hold 'Em, but your game is full of holes. You are losing money and not having fun doing so; other players are beating you up at the table and you want it to stop. This book will turn you from a 98-pound poker weakling into a he-man (or woman) at the Low Limit Tables. You will no longer have sand kicked in your face! If you follow the book carefully, you will realize why you have been losing, and you will know exactly what to do about it. You will realize that poker is a game of skill, not chance, and that you can become a skillful player by following the methods I describe.
· Players Who Want To Play Casino Poker For The First Time: You've seen it on TV; your friends are doing it; your neighbors are at it and so are your work colleagues—even your mother-in-law; they're going off to the casino to play poker! Are you feeling left out? Well, now you can join in the fun—because this book will show you everything you need to know to play poke in a casino or public card room. By using this book, you will save years gaining painful "experience" and save a ton of money that is normally lost by novices when they play in card rooms for the first time. You will no longer feel overwhelmed, and by studying and applying the methods in this book, you will have a far more enjoyable time when at a casino than you would have playing slots, roulette or blackjack. You won't be playing an unbeatable game against the house, but playing a game of skill against other players. You will be able to dominate most low-limit games.
·Higher-Stakes Players Who Wish to Learn About Low-Limit Texas Hold 'Em: If you play mid-stakes or higher stakes poker in another game, you may decide to try your hand at Hold 'Em. This book will explain why the low-limit game has to be played differently from the mid-and high-limit games if you want to win. It also shows why you may at times prefer to play in lower-limit games. It may even tell you things you never knew or remind you of things you did, but have since forgotten.
·The Intellectually Curious: Are you the type who is fascinated by all human endeavor? Then for goodness' sake, pick up another book and stop reading about poker, unless you intend to play! What are you, nuts? Read about something else like philosophy, history, ethics or stamp collecting. This book is for people who want to play!
Neil D. Myers is a self-made poker player. He honed his skills in private poker clubs and Atlantic City's casinos. For years, he made a comfortable side income playing low-limit games. When he is not playing poker, Neil is a sales and marketing consultant.
Customer Reviews:
Gave me a good foundation for solid play.......2007-08-08
After playing for a year in home games and doing fairly well, I decided to read up a bit more. Neil Myers book was then handed to be by a friend.
Simply put, the book is an asset to understanding Hold'em and giving you a foundation to grow your skills on. He doesn't throw all kinds of unnecessary terms, ideas, or all the concepts at you in one swoop. The book was meant to give you a good idea of what to do in common play scenarios and a bit beyond. It won't make you an pro, as the book was not designed to do. It is designed to help you play smart poker.
After absorbing a lot of the concepts, I used them at the table and at online games. In instances where I would of normally called or raised, his book enlightened me to fold. It has saved me a lot of time, money, and taught me to be patient with the game. The bottom line is if you don't have a good hand, toss the cards. His book explains why.
Quick and Easy Texas Hold'em is an asset to anyone who wants to study it and use it to play better poker at any entry level player.
Solid, Straightforward and Entertaining.......2007-07-14
Myers delivers by providing a solid book for beginners. The premise is that you are given a simple method to take to the casino or Internet card room.
The method is easy to follow and put into practice.
Myers writes in an entertaining, straightforward style and (thankfullY) keeps the math to the minimum. It also comes with a DVD
Given the choice of poker books for new players, I liked this one best for its clarity and user-friendliness.
Disapointing.......2006-03-15
I read this book with hope that it would be better than the other beginner level poker books I read but it wasn't. The DVD was not helpful either. I enjoy playing Texas Holdem and I want to boost my winnings and this book isn't helping me enough.
Great Book for Beginners!.......2006-03-04
This book is a great place to start for beginning players.
Some reviewers complain that his starting hand guide is much too tight, and it is for an "advanced players", but not at all for a real beginners, the whole point of the book is to give new players a good solid place to start and then work up and out from there. Myers doesn't say to the reader, "play these tight starting hands for the rest of your poker life", he says START here!
I've read every Poker book out there, and this is among the best of it type for the reader because it plainly focuses on the subject explained in the title.
"LEARN TO PLAY POKER!"
If you are just starting out or still have leaks and wholes in your game, or just want to go back over the basics once in a while, get this excellent book!
This is the book I would start anyone with and after you master the point in this book, then go on to other great books.
This book is not a waste of money as some reviewer said, because the money you'll save NOT making bug mistakes covered in this book will save you a hundred times as much money as you spent on this useful and constructive book on Hold'em Low Limit Poker.
Conservative, Yes.......2006-01-23
I agree that the author is conservative. Maybe TOO conservative in fact. I found that following his tips made the game tedious. It is supposed to be about fun, and I got bored fast. In a friendly game, the pace should be brisk and taking some risks adds to the excitement.
Book Description
Leading Minds and Landmark Ideas In An Easily Accessible Format
From the preeminent thinkers whose work has defined an entire field to the rising stars who will redefine the way we think about business, The Harvard Business Review Paperback Series delivers the fundamental information today's professionals need to stay competitive in a fast-moving world.
From managing diversity to exploring alternative workplaces to debunking myths about compensation, the topics covered in this collection address how to build organizations with judicious and effective systems for managing people. A Harvard Business Review Paperback.
Download Description
From managing diversity to exploring alternative workplaces to debunking myths about compensation, the topics covered in this collection address how to build organizations with judicious and effective systems for managing people. The Harvard Business Review Paperback Series is designed to bring today's managers and professionals the fundamental information they need to stay competitive in a fast-moving world. Here are the landmark ideas that have established the Harvard Business Review as required reading for ambitious business people in organizations around the globe. Articles inlcude: What Holds the Modern Company Together? by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones; Pygmalion in Management by J. Sterling Livingston; Six Dangerous Myths About Pay by Jeffrey Pfeffer; Empowerment: The Emperor's New Clothes by Chris Argyris; How the Right Measures Help Teams Excel by Christopher Meyer; Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity by David A. Thomas and Robin J. Ely; The Alternative Workplace: Changing Where and How People Work by Mahlon Apgar, IV; The Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrom by Jean-Francois Manzoni and Jean-Louis Barsoux; and The Necessary Art of Persuasion by Jay Conger.
Customer Reviews:
Very disappointing........2005-05-18
I regularly read great articles from the subscription program of HBR and rely on its contents for great insight into today's business environment.
Unfortunately, the HBR book series make a poor comparison. I have even wonder if HBR is recycling unused, or rejected submissions for these books.
I bought Managing People, Brand managment and Marketing and stopped reading each after just two articles. They were just all a waste of time.
Readable papers on broad topics in management.......2004-07-26
Whether you're just entering people management or have been doing it for years, this book grabs a selection of readable papers on a variety of topics from compensation to handling 'poor performers' to more effective (but non-manipulative!) means of persuasion.
Especially interesting were the two articles on the performance of individuals and the messages -- both explicit and implicit -- that managers give to their reports and how they affect performance. You should definitely give them a read if you think you have an average to poor performer that you're actively working with right now.
HBR Managing People.......2000-04-05
Definitely one of the better books in the series. Discussion of common corporate issues. Provides good solutions. I've read 4 in the series and like this one the most.
Average customer rating:
- A must for the managers in "Digital Economy"
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The Learning Imperative: Managing People for Continuous Innovation (Harvard Business Review Book)
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Business & Investing
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Human Resources
| Harvard Business School Press
| By Publisher
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Management
| Harvard Business School Press
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Human Resources & Personnel Management
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Management
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Entrepreneurship
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ASIN: 0875844324 |
Customer Reviews:
A must for the managers in "Digital Economy".......2003-08-26
The book brings together eleven articles and four interview which were published in Harvard Business Review during 1990-1993. The Foreword by Chairman and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co Robert Haas sets the tone of the book and Introduction by Robert Howard gives the panoramic view of the topics to be covered. The book is organized in four parts: namely I) Decoding the Business Logic II) Designing New Behaviors III) Managing New Psychological Frontiers and IV) Getting from Here to There. Each part ends with an interview of an industry leader broadly covering practical aspects of the themes discussed under that part.
Part-I discusses the core of businesses in emerging New Economy with focus on knowledge-creation, -organization and -integration. This part put in perspective the role, status and orientation of organization in 21st Century in light of Knowledge Society and IT. Peter F. Drucker very lucidly explains these principles in his curtain raiser article "The New Society of Organizations". In the article "Competing on Capabilities: The New Rules of Corporate Strategy", George Stalk et. al. successfully highlights the essence of competing on capabilities and supports it with the example of Wal-Mart, Honda, Xerox etc. Article also brings out the difference between "Core Competence" and "Capabilities" while explaining the concept such as cross-docking and capabilities predator. Knowledge creation is one of the very important steps in the knowledge management and learning Organization and Ikujiro Nonaka is an authority in this field. It is once again reflected in his article "The Knowledge Creating Company". While quoting examples from Japanese Companies, he convincingly establishes importance of continuous innovation and "Knowledge Spiral". According to him another aspect of knowledge creation is continuous interaction of Tacit and Explicit knowledge to arrive at "Model" from "Metaphor" through "Analogy". This section ends with an interview of Swatch Titan Nicolas Hayek by William Taylor. Hayek is the success personified. He swam against the course in early nineties to snatch back market share from Japanese and Hong-Kong-based watch maker in favor of SMH by his total belief in the Philosophy: "... if you have a manufacturing process in which direct labor cost is less than 10% of total costs, you have eliminated those costs from the competitive equations...". By his total commitment towards the domestic manufacturing he could come out with the automation process to nullify the effect of labor wage differential.
Part-II deals with the behavioral aspects of Learning Organization. Simply changing technology, implementing BPR and restructuring organization is not enough; suitable and compatible behavioral aspects should also be incorporated. One can buy technology but organizational culture needs to be inculcated. John Seely Brown in his article "Research That Reinvents the Corporation" cogently brings out that innovation itself is not sufficient but what needed is learning from it and applying it immediately to all other aspects of organizational thinking. Through the example of Xerox's innovation efforts he explains various concepts such as "Technology Gets out of the Way", "Harvesting Local Innovation", "Coproducing Innovation" and "Innovating with the Customer". Robert Howard in his article "The Designer Organization: Italy's GFT Goes Global" traces the journey of GFT from local to global brand. In doing so he persuasively brings out the concept "Think Globally and Act Locally". As organizations restructure to respond to their environment, there has been a growing recognition of the need for new kinds of organizational structure. The Networked Organization is one such response. The notion of a network implies nodes and links. The nodes can be people, teams or even organizations - networks operate at many levels. These are few salient aspects which Ram Charan brings out in his article "How Networks Resahpe Organizations- For Results". This section concludes with an interview of Xerox Chairman and CEO Paul Allaire by Robert Howard. Allaire coined a phrase: "CEO as Organization Architecture" to describe the importance of CEO in the Organizational Framework in the context of Learning Organization.
Part-III of the book deals with "Managing the Psychological Frontiers of the Learning Organization". The articles incorporated in this part address the area of invisible psychological boundaries in the organizations. Larry Hirschhorn and Thomas Gilmore pickup the concept of "Boundaryless Organization" from the then GE Supremo Jack Welch in their article "The New Boundaries of the Boundaryless Company" and from there built up the case for demonstrating the invisible boundaries such as Authority Boundary, Task Boundary, Political Boundary and Identity Boundary. Article "Teaching Smart People How to Learn" by Chris Argyris makes a very interesting reading because of very fact that it try to address a paradox "... those members of the organization that many assume to be the best at learning are, in fact, not very good at it..." It elucidate "How Professionals Avoid Learning", "Defensive Reasoning and the Doom Loop", and "Learning How to Reason Productively". In the section-closing interview given to Robert Howard, Robert Haas, Chairman and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. lucidly expound the importance of value statement for success of an organization.
Action speaks louder than words. Part-IV is all about actions. How to get from theory to actions. Creating theoretical framework for learning organization is not enough, it should be inculcated into organizational behavior and actions. Michael Beer et. al. in their article "Why Change Programs Don't Produce Change" argue coherently that "most managers understand the need for organizational change but don't know how to bring it about". The authors describe "six steps to effective change" and "the role of top management in affecting change". In article "Motorola U: When Training Becomes an Education", William Wiggenhorn highlights the importance of continuous training for the quality improvement in the context of Motorola taking inter-alia example of "Six-Sigma". Paul Adler argues in his article "Time and Motion Regained" that "... standardization and specialization properly understood and organized, can be a tremendous stimulus to learning... it can result in learning bureaucracy". He present the case of NUMMI, a joint venture of GM and Toyota to support his observations. Arden C. Sims, the CEO of Globe Metallurgical reveals many aspects of managing high-value-added specialty products through continuous innovation to Bruce Rayner in an absorbing interview.
Average customer rating:
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Managing With People in Mind (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)
Harvard Business Review
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Human Resources
| Harvard Business School Press
| By Publisher
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Harvard Business School Press
| By Publisher
| Business & Investing
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| Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management
| Industries & Professions
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Management
| Management & Leadership
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ASIN: 0875842658 |
Books:
- A History of the French New Wave Cinema (Wisconsin Studies in Film)
- About John Ford
- Amistad: "Give Us Free" (Newmarket Pictorial Moviebooks)
- An Introduction to World Cinema
- Angela Lansbury: A Life on Stage and Screen
- Angelina Jolie's: Notes from My Travels
- Anthony Hopkins: A Three Act Life
- As Found: The Discovery of the Ordinary: British Architecture and Art of the 1950s, New Brutalism, Independent Group, Free Cinema, Angry Young Men
- At the Center of the Frame: Leading Ladies of the Twenties and Thirties
- Avengers Files
Books Index
Books Home
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- First Responder Handbook: Fire Service Edition
- Violent Screen: A Critic's 13 Years on the Front Lines of Movie Mayhem
- The X-Files, Vol. 1
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- Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century
- Working Papers, Chapters 17-24 for Gilbertson/Lehman/Ross' Century 21 Accounting: Multicolumn Journa
- Towards Environmental Innovation Systems
- A Ghost in the Machine: A Chief Inspector Barnaby Novel
Hello, He Lied -- and Other Tales from the Hollywood Trenches
Hit and Run
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up
The Hollywood Rules
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
