Books about Onscreen from Amazon.com

Step-by-step guide to creating compelling, memorable presentations

A chart that once took ten hours to prepare can now be produced by anyone with ten minutes and a computer keyboard. What hasn't changed, however, are the basics behind creating a powerful visual - what to say, why to say it, and how to say it for the most impact. In Say It With Charts, Fourth Edition --the latest, cutting-edge edition of his best-selling presentation guide -- Gene Zelazny reveals time-tested tips for preparing effective presentations. Then, this presentation guru shows you how to combine those tips with today's hottest technologies for sharper, stronger visuals. Look to this comprehensive presentation encyclopedia for information on:

* How to prepare different types of charts -- pie, bar, column, line, or dot -- and when to use each
* Lettering size, color choice, appropriate chart types, and more
* Techniques for producing dramatic eVisuals using animation, scanned images, sound, video, and links to pertinent websites.
Price: $24.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Jazz on Film reviews, analyzes, and rates virtually every appearance of a jazz musician or singer on film. After presenting a detailed essay on the history of jazz on film and television, Yanow reviews and rates 1,300 movies, documentaries, shorts, videos, and DVDs. This book lets readers know how to view the jazz legends and the greats of today, and what DVDs and videos are worth acquiring. Each film is a given a 1 to 10 rating and a concise description of its contents and value. Jazz on Film covers the entire jazz field, from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Wynton Marsalis, and Diana Krall..
Price: $15.68 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"Sweethearts" is the true story of one of Hollywood's greatest cover-ups: the love affair between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Known as 'America's Singing Sweethearts' of the 1930s and 40s, they made eight box office hits together for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and became the most popular singing team in movie history. Rumor had it that they hated each other off-screen but the truth was that they were secretly engaged in the summer of 1935 while filming their famous "Mountie" movie, "Rose Marie." Interference by studio boss Louis B. Mayer triggered a series of tragic events that caused them to self-destruct their film careers, health and ultimately their lives. Read about MacDonald's four pregnancies by Eddy, her relationship with studio boss Louis B. Mayer, her marriage to bisexual Gene Raymond (who flaunted affairs with Buddy Rogers, Robert Stack, Cesar Romero, Rock Hudson and Jan Clayton). On the rebound, Eddy wed a mentally unstable woman who blackmailed him into marriage, threatened to disfigure MacDonald, and vowed to go to the press with the scandal if Eddy tried to divorce her. Eddy turned to young women when he and MacDonald were at odds, and several of them have gone on record in this book for the first time. Despite all the high drama, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy had a fierce, spiritual bond and loved each other to the end. The author was a close friend of MacDonald's older sister plus had access to a wealth of unpublished letters, eyewitness accounts, diary entries, love letters and the unfinished memoirs of both Jeanette MacDonald and Isabel Eddy, Nelson's mother. Rich also interviewed over 200 co-stars, co-workers, family and friends. Included among her more famous sources were MGM stars Rise Stevens and Miliza Korjus, opera stars Rose Bampton, Helen Jepson and Theodor Uppman, MGM co-workers William Tuttle and Fred Phillips, and U.S. Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson who, in his youth, was MacDonald's butler/chauffeur and had occasion to observe her interaction both with Nelson Eddy and Gene Raymond. This is a completely rewritten and updated version of the 1994 edition, including an additional chapter, new information in every chapter, more photos and over 50 pages of source notes.

"Sweethearts" was a selection of the Entertainment Book Club and the #1 Best Seller on Booksurge.com for 4 weeks in March 2002.

Reviews:

"Offers considerable proof they may have been secret lovers for years." Robert Osborne

"Sweethearts" is one of the finest books about Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Hollywood during the Golden Era. It is a bittersweet love story of a famous couple whose musical duets on the silver screen thrilled a generation of moviegoers. They were a once-in-a-lifetime experience. With the knowledge, thanks to Miss Rich, that the actors were in love off the screen, gives their films a heartbeat. Included are love letters, notes from diaries, and observations of those who kept their secret. You will enjoy every word of "Sweethearts" and you will find a new meaning when viewing their musicals. Then you'll read it a second time." -Jane Ellen Wayne, Author, The Golden Guys of MGM

"The star-crossed love affair of the century....The account is anything but sugar-coated. Ms. Rich's book certainly contains much to raise the eyebrows. She names names and pulls no punches. Still, this is not a sensational expose; one comes away feeling sorry for the protagonists, and wishing that their story could have had a happier resolution....Scrupulously documented...give[s] credibility to an amazing story." Rob Ray, "Past Times"

"Rich affords a long, exciting, revealing look at two of the most important screen personalities of the 1930s. Vital reading to anyone interested in film history, Hollywood, or popular culture." Mike Tribby, "Booklist"

"A surprisingly interesting look at two people so wrapped up in make-believe that they began taking it seriously." Harry Bowman, "Dallas Mor.
Price: $32.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Everyone knows Hercules is the toughest of the tough, but how well do you really know the star of The Legendary Journeys? You love this weekly dose of eye-candy, but do you know how it all began? The answers are all here. Now for the first time ever, get a behind-the-scenes look at how a handful of made-for-TV movies became a runaway syndicated phenomenon. Learn the answers to such tantalizing tidbits as:
How did a real-life sword wound come close to cleaving Sorbo's career? (page 12)
On which episode did we first meet Xena, the Warrior Princess, and why was she trying to kill Herc? (page 54)
What prompted co-executive producer John Schulian to leave the show after nearly three years? (page 29)
Why, out of three potential motion pictures, did Kevin Sorbo choose to star in Kull: The Conqueror? (page 3)
What red-caped superhero almost stole Kevin Sorbo before he could assume the role of Hercules? (page 6)
How does Sorbo see himself compared to such impressive predecessors as Arnold Schwartzenegger and Lou Ferrigno? (page 8)

The answers to these questions, and many, many more, are here for the taking. Hercules X-Posed includes an Internet directory and a complete encyclopedia of the Herc universe! Meet the real Hercules and join the adventure..
Price: $15.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

She's smart; she's sexy; she's dangerous She's television's most lethal heroine So far, however, she's been as enigmatic as she is beautiful You want to know more about her—and about her real-life persona, Peta Wilson—but until now everything about her has been classified. Now, access has been granted. With this book, you can uncover all the secrets Section One doesn't want you to know: Profiles on all operatives, dossiers on all missions, photographs of their beautiful agent at work. Now you can cut through the mystery and intrigue and get a glimpse into the soul of television's most captivating femme fatale.


Discover such confidential information as:


• How does the television series measure up to its two big-screen predecessors? (page ix)
• What psychological background has actress Peta Wilson created for her character? (page 45)
• Why did producer Joel Surnow have the initial episodes shot out of order? (page 54)
• How did cult sensation Roy Dupuis get cast as Nikita's fellow operative, Michael? (page 32)
• And finally, what's with the sunglasses?! (page 49)


LaFemme Nikita X-Posed includes an Internet directory, the hilarious "Idiot's Guide to Section One," and inside details on every explosive episode to date.


About the Author

Ted Edwards is a full-time writer and an expert on television drama. He is the author of Hercules X-Posed (Prima) and lives in Los Angeles..
Price: $40.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Actress Gillian Anderson is the thinking man?s sex symbol, the earth goddess of the paranormal—and an Internet pinup girl. She?s also FBI agent Dana Scully of The X-Files TV fame. Readers will discover the real person behind the character—and the character behind the person—in Scully X-Posed, the new unauthorized tell-all from Prima Publishing.

Covering everything from her early punk years to her new baby, Scully X-Posed is an indispensable guide to the life and times of Gillian Anderson and her character Dana Scully. The telling revelations include:

• The scoop on Anderson?s marriage and her daughter, Piper
• Scully?s twin passions for medicine and law enforcement
• Gillian?s tattoo
• Scullyisms (?No one does anything without a reason.? p. 164)
• Anderson?s beliefs about UFOs and the paranormal
• The truth about the X-rated photos of Anderson posted on the Internet

The quintessential private person, Anderson manages, despite her fame, to remain slightly detached and remote. Scully X-Posed offers a rare glimpse into the private life of this provocative woman and the fascinating television character she portrays.

Also provided are episode summaries that detail special points such as interesting things to look for, plot problems, and the best lines. Other features include details about costar David Duchovny and the murky origins, mysterious mythology, and latest facts and rumors about The X-Files TV show.

About the Author
Nadine Crenshaw is a die-hard X-phile and writer with a string of science-fiction/fantasy, romance, and historical novels to her credit, including Celtic Tales (Prima Publishing)..
Price: $4.85 [Notify me when price goes down.]

She's a high school student by day and a slayer of the undead by night. She's Sarah Michelle Gellar, and she's the prettiest girl ever to wield a wooden stake. Now for the first time ever, you have a guidebook to Buffy's world. You'll learn how it all began, from the start of Sarah's television career at the age of four to her current title as the queen of the new horror genre. With this inside look into the series and its star, you will answer all the questions you've ever asked about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, including:


At what time in her life did Gellar most relate to the character she portrays? (page 7)
In what ways is the original Buffy movie only a pale shadow of what the television show has become? (page 25)
How does Gellar sum up her experience on All My Children? (page 10)
How does series creator Joss Whedon explain his successful mixture of humor and horror? (page 66)
In what episode does Buffy cross stakes with another slayer? (page 112)
And much more!

Reviews every episode from the first two seasons and includes biographies of Gellar, the cast, and Joss Whedon!.
Price: $9.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]