I thought this was a joke at first - Farrah Fawcett’s friendship with Ayn Rand.
(Spotted on Bookslut)
Archive for the ‘TV’ Category
Cop Without A Badge - babes, brawls, botox & books?
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Several weeks ago I talked about an out-of-print book that was rumored to contain some rather, let’s say unflattering, information about one of the women of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”.
Since that post, Cop Without a Badge: The Extraordinary Undercover Life of Kevin Maher by Charles Kipps has not only become a revealer of buried secrets but also somewhat of a collector’s item. Once the cover of what was simply known as “the book” was revealed, demand for the book increased as did prices. At $23 nobody wanted the book but now that prices exceed $100…
So what is all this hubbub about? “The book” reportedly refers to socialite, “housewife” Danielle Staub as a “coke-sniffing stripper with an extortion conviction.” (Insert gasps of shock here.) It even includes mug shots of Staub pre-Botox. (GASP! Oh the horror!)
Although the focus of the book now is Danielle Staub, the book is in fact, a tell-all tale of her ex-husband and his life as an undercover cop.
After much backbiting and nasty comments from the other women in the season finale of the show (A co-incidence? I think not.) Staub produced the book during a dinner party at an Italian restaurant. Apparently, that action was a total mood killer. To make a long story short, the result was a total melee and a table was flipped over.
Not sure if the show or the book has more drama, but people are now clamoring for the printed action of Cop Without a Badge.
You just never know do you?
Out-of-Print Book May Feature Mugshot of Reality Show Celebrity
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
I’ve never seen the show so I can’t comment on the likelihood of a published mugshot but according to gossip columns, a moment of glory for Danielle Staub, a “Real Housewives of New Jersey” personality may be recorded in an out-of-print book.
Charles Kipps’ book Cop Without a Badge: The Extraordinary Undercover Life of Kevin Maher
Danielle Staub
is rumored to possibly include a mugshot of Staub. The book tells the true story of a conman who became a criminal informant.
Apparently in last night’s episode of “Real Housewives of NJ”, there was some trash talk about Staub’s sexual history which somehow leads to next week’s show which will reveal her Cop Without a Badge connection and whether or not the book contains her mugshot.
Can’t wait a week to find out? Of course, you can always get a copy of the book…
The Skinny On Losing Weight Without Being Hungry
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
The latest in weight-loss books is Dr. Louis Aronne’s The Skinny on Losing Weight Without Being Hungry.
Dr. Aronne tells us that it’s not willpower but “fill power” that will keep us from overeating. He says that certain foods will stop us from getting hungry while fattening foods (those yummy cakes, cookies and chips) don’t make us feel full. In fact, his belief is that the more you eat of these latter foods, the hungrier you’ll get.
According to Aronne, a few simple changes can make all the difference. He suggests:
- Start meals with a soup.
- Eat your vegetables first.
- Avoid calorie-dense foods. (Again those yummy cakes, cookies and chips.)
- Eat a protein breakfast.
Dr. Louis Aronne talked about his book on CBS’ The Early Show this morning.
Preconception Reading from What to Expect When You’re Expecting Author
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
Following on the heels of last year’s publication of the fourth edition of the perennially popular and bestselling book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting is Heidi Murkoff’s newest book, What to Expect Before You’re Expecting.
With an estimated 11 million American couples planning parenthood the book is bound to be a hit. Especially since medical experts are now recommending that hopeful parents prepare for at least three months before they begin trying to conceive.
For a sneak peak at some of the tips offered in the book, watch this video of Murkoff’s visit to CBS’ The Early Show yesterday morning.
Find new copies of What to Expect Before You’re Expecting starting for $8.94.
Andy Andrew’s The Noticer Gives Perspective
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Convincing a homeless 19-year-old whose mother died of cancer and whose father was killed in a car accident, to have perspective and hope would be a daunting task, if not slightly unsympathetic. But the counsel of one old man did just that for Andy Andrews and it was just the thing he needed to turn his life around.
Jones explains to Andrews that he has a gift of noticing things that others miss. “Your time on this earth is a gift to be used wisely,” he says. “Don’t squander your words or your thoughts. Consider even the simplest action you take, for your lives matter beyond measure…and they matter forever.”
It’s all about perspective and our inborn desire to understand why things happen and what we can do about it.
Andy Andrews’ new book, The Noticer: Sometimes, All a Person Needs Is a Little Perspective, a semi-autobiographical account, teaches about the strength gained from perspective and how hope inspires positive change. Andrews is living proof - he’s gone from living under a pier to penning a book that is now on bestseller lists.
Earlier today, Andy Andrews spoke about his latest book and his amazing life, with Robin Roberts of ABC’s Good Morning America.
The Quantum Wellness Cleanse - Ditching “The Big 5″
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Bestselling author, Kathy Freston visited ABC’s Good Morning America today to discuss her new book, The Quantum Wellness Cleanse.
Freston, who advocates replacing foods with healthier choices rather than depriving yourself, claims that in just 21 days without “the big 5″ - caffeine, gluten, sugar, alcohol and animal products - you’ll experience more energy, lessened cravings and a change in your tastes. Freston herself engages in these three-week cleanses a few times each year. She also says if you can’t handle removing all five things at once, try just abstaining from one or two.
TV maven, Oprah Winfrey praises the cleanse and even blogged about her own 21-day experience. (Ironically, Oprah has just posted a coupon for a grilled chicken two-piece meal from KFC on her website…)
Although it is said to help with dropping a few pounds, Freston’s cleanse is more than a weight-loss plan; she suggests trying it as a way to jump-start an inner makeover. The program actually has its roots in Freston’s third book, Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness which details how incremental changes can reap large rewards.
Ready to give it a go? You can pick up your own copy of the Quantum Wellness Cleanse: The 21-Day Essential Guide to Healing Your Mind, Body and Spirit starting for just $ 9.79.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck Writes About Her Gluten-Free Lifestyle
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of the popular daytime chat-show, The View appeared on Good Morning America earlier today to discuss her new book The G-Free Diet: A Gluten Survival Guide.
Hasselbeck, who suffers from celiac disease, says she “learned about gluten the hard way. I wrote this book so you don’t have to.”
Ironically, Hasselbeck discovered that gluten was making her sick while living off the land as a contestant on Survivor: Australian Outback. I guess bugs are pretty good for you!
A personal account of Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s life without gluten, The G-Free Diet is summed up this way:
In this all-inclusive book, Hasselbeck shares her hard-earned wisdom on living life without gluten and loving it. She gives you everything you need to know to start living a gluten-free life, from defining gluten - where to find it, how to read food labels - to targeting gluten-free products, creating G-Free shopping lists, sharing recipes, and managing G-Free living with family and friends.
How AbeBooks Helped Me as a Chuck Fan
Monday, April 27th, 2009
I am unabashedly a fan of NBC’s comedy-drama series Chuck. I love the humor, I love the music, I love the 80’s references, I love John Casey’s sarcastic barbs. Hence, the fact that the fate of the show for the next season is in question is of concern to me - great concern. So much so I’ve had to join ranks with fans such as the Chicago Tribune’s Maureen Ryan, and jump onto the “Save Chuck” bandwagon.
Working at AbeBooks has actually helped in my appreciation of the show. For example, in one episode, a character was named “Harry Lime”. Thanks to having worked on our Graham Greene feature, I knew that Harry Lime was the name of the character in The Third Man.
Not being much of a comic person, I wouldn’t really have known about Comic Con (which features prominently throughout the show via posters etc.) without AbeBooks. But it’s hard not to learn about Comic Con when reading about Neil Gaiman or Alan Moore.
Then there are the actual Chuck comic books. I came across these in NBC’s store and thought they’d be a neat gift for a fellow Chuck fan that does have an appreciation for comic books. Good idea but they don’t ship outside of the US which isn’t helpful for a Canadian resident. Hurrah for the AbeBooks Wants system that will notify me when more of these comic books are listed now that the copy I’d looked at has sold!
Oh and I can’t forget Twitter. Through my job, I was introduced to Twitter and how it works. This turned out to be a vital bit of information - the Chuck campaign and fans’ Twitter efforts have reached as far as the NPR.
So there you go - my appreciation for the TV series Chuck and my job at AbeBooks go nicely hand-in-hand. It would be a terrible shame to lose this synergy. So NBC execs, PLEASE renew Chuck for a third season…and if you’re another viewer who’d like to save the show (or if you’re just a terribly kind person who’d like to help a girl out), add your name to the petition, buy a footlong sub sandwich at Subway and support the show by watching tonight’s finale! If you could, that’d be AWESOME. :)
The 100-Mile Diet Book Inspires Reality TV
Monday, March 30th, 2009
The 100-Mile Challenge, a six part series based on the bestselling book The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith is scheduled to air on Food Network Canada starting Sunday, April 5 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.
The program follows six families in Mission, BC as they spend 100 days completely living the 100-Mile Diet. Authors MacKinnon and Smith were on hand as guides.
Interestingly MacKinnon noted, “[The families] couldn’t get their kids to eat spinach from the store, but when they grew it they ate it.”
Parents, get ready to plant!
A Separate Reality by Carlos Castaneda…
Thursday, March 26th, 2009….was the latest book to be featured in Lost. A Separate Reality is supposed to be non-fiction and tells the story of the author’s apprenticeship under a Yaqui Indian sorcerer, who used plants such as peyote to see the energy of the universe. I can safely say that I will never read this book.
Visit the Lost show’s Book Club.
A Career in Getting Dumped
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
It sounds rather tragic, funny but tragic - being left at the alter and having to share honeymoon suites with your brother.
That’s what happened to Franz Wisner who managed to turn the negative into the positive, books relating his world travels and his quest to learn more about love. NBC’s Today Show has posted an excerpt from Wisner’s book, How the World Makes Love: A Memoir which was released just last week.
Three years ago, Wisner’s related book Honeymoon With My Brother was published.
“Franz,” said one earnest producer. “You don’t understand. You’re the world’s number-one authority on getting dumped.”
But so it was. The producer’s words confirmed my fate. I had become a professional dumpee.
Children’s Character Arthur Needs a New Friend!
Monday, March 9th, 2009
A contest from PBS Kids is asking for submissions for a new friend friend for the popular character, Arthur. Children aged 6-12 are invited to enter until March 31, 2009.
The chosen entrant will get to meet author, Marc Brown, the creator of Arthur and will appear with their new character on a segment of an Arthur show.
The entry form and rules are available on the PBS Kids web site.
Kids can get ideas for a new character by reading the books!
Weight-loss secret - Blogging!
Monday, January 26th, 2009There’s never a shortage of diet and weight-loss books but I’ve never heard of blogging as a technique for dropping unwanted pounds. But it’s a solution Shauna Reid documents in her book The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl.
It seems an odd thing to suggest but I’m not one to argue
with anything that helped Reid drop 175 lbs!
Surrounded by skinny friends and a body weight exceeding the Weight Watchers scale, Reid turned to blogging to find support. She posted full-body photographs (with her face blurred out) and began DietGirl.org which now boasts more than 500,000 readers.
Reid now blogs about the challenges of maintaining a healthy weight. (I guess we can watch for another book in the future??)
In The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl, Reid chronicles her journey to becoming half the woman she was while finding fuller happiness from the inside out.
Shauna Reid visited CBS’ The Early Show this morning to tell her story. Watch the interview.
Lost the TV Series - ABC Promotes the Show and Reading
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009Fans of the TV series Lost are eagerly anticipating tonight’s 2-hour season premiere. I, on the other hand, am disgracefully behind (although frantically trying to catch up) so am avoiding anything to do with the premiere including closing my eyes, plugging my ears and chanting “La-la-la-la-la-la” any time advertisements come on. With the popularity of the show, it’s a tough job avoiding anything that could be a Lost spoiler.
Lost is a TV show that is full of literary references. In fact, within the first 4 seasons there are more than 40 books weaved 
throughout the episodes. The incorporation of the books is done in several ways; 1) Books read by the characters, 2) Books on shelves seen in the show, and 3) Connection to themes of the series.
If you’d like to catch up on some Lost reading, I’ll get you started with a slightly shorter “to read” pile than the 40 books and list only those connected with the island’s most avid reader, Sawyer. (It still offers an incredible variety!)
James ‘Sawyer’ Ford’s Books
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Bad Twin by Gary Troup
Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Lancelot by Walker Percy
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Watership Down by Richard Adams
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle