Books about Sitcoms from Amazon.com

Do you think you're funny?

Do you want to turn your sense of humor into a career?

If the answer is yes, then Judy Carter's The Comedy Bible is for you. The guru to aspiring stand-up comics provides the complete scoop on being -- and writing -- funny for money.

If you've got a sense of humor, you can learn to make a career out of comedy, says Judy Carter. Whether it's creating a killer stand-up act, writing a spec sitcom, or providing jokes for radio or one-liners for greeting cards, Carter provides step-by-step instructions in The Comedy Bible. She helps readers first determine which genre of comedy writing or performing suits them best and then directs them in developing, refining, and selling their work.

Using the hands-on workbook format that was so effective in her bestselling first book, Stand-Up Comedy: The Book, Carter offers a series of day-by-day exercises that draw on her many years as a successful stand-up comic and the head of a nationally known comedy school. Also included are practical tips and advice from today's top comedy professionals -- from Bernie Brillstein to Christopher Titus to Richard Lewis. She presents the pros and cons of the various comedy fields -- stand-up, script, speech and joke writing, one-person shows, humor essays -- and shows how to tailor your material for each. She teaches how to find your "authentic" voice -- the true source of comedy. And, perhaps most important, Carter explains how to take a finished product to the next level -- making money -- by pitching it to a buyer and negotiating a contract.

Written in Carter's unique, take-no-prisoners voice, The Comedy Bible is practical, inspirational, and funny.

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Price: $6.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Anyone who works in an office could use a little stress-reducing laughter The Office: Jokes, Quotes and Anecdotes 2009 Calendar fills that need. With ample amounts of silly office terminology, humorous quotes, funny one-liners, plus resume "don'ts," this calendar is just what every office employee needs. Tear off each self-adhesive page you'd like to keep and stick it anywhere, or add a message and stick it in a coworker's office to add a little humor to the workday.

* This calendar is a perfect fit for any employee's desk and is guaranteed to provide hours of laughter.

* You Know You Are the Office Dork If . . . You wear the company logo attire on non-mandatory days.

* This calendar's adhesive-backed pages allow anyone to keep a joke or funny office quip simply by sticking the page to any surface..
Price: $10.39 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In the newest collection of original crosswords from puzzle and trivia guru Stanley Newman, the focus is on sitcoms Each of the 50 puzzles has a classic TV sitcom as its subject and each is accompanied by several fascinating factoids. In addition, general TV-related clues abound. From I Love Lucy through Third Rock from the Sun, these puzzles are guaranteed to have something for everyone..
Price: $3.96 [Notify me when price goes down.]

At the core of this Hollywood howto guide is the concept of The Eight Characters of Comedy, the eight specific character archetypes used in sitcoms dating back to the advent of TV. Every actor can find a sitcom niche by identifying with one of these eight characters. Using past and current actors and sitcom personalities, Sedita describes in detail where these characters come from and how actors can play them truthfully. * who is normally cast as The Logical Smart One’ * why do we love The Lovable Loser’ * why is The Neurotic such a fun character to play’ In addition, readers learn how to break down a comedy script, how to identify different types of jokes, how to deliver them with comedic precision, sitcom auditioning techniques, and how to market themselves..
Price: $11.06 [Notify me when price goes down.]

After a slow and inauspicious beginning, Seinfeld broke through to become one of the most commercially successful sitcoms in the history of television.

This fascinating book includes classic articles on the show by Geoffrey O’Brien and Bill Wyman (first published in the New York Review of Books and Salon.com respectively), and a selection of new and revised essays by some of the top television scholars in the US – looking at issues as wide-ranging as Seinfeld’s Jewishness, alleged nihilism, food obsession, and long-running syndication. The book also includes a comprehensive episode guide, and Betty Lee’s lexicon of Seinfeld language..
Price: $14.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

All the Style of Famous TV Homes, Now in Yours!

From Archie Bunker’s Barcalounger to the framed peephole on Friends, sitcom decor sets the tone of our favorite shows—and defines the lives of its characters Now Sitcom Style brings you a behind-the-scenes peek inside more than two dozen of the most recognizable homes in American pop culture: the sets of our favorite TV shows from the past half-century.

The sets of situation comedies aren’t just a collection of random props that surround the actors; they’re statements of style. They’re designed to convey a particular mood, to both reflect and enhance the personalities of the people who live in them—just like anyone’s home. So Sitcom Style is more than a glimpse into a make-believe world; it’s also a fascinating exploration of how to bring personal style into your own living room. Set designers share their secrets and strategies for creating some of the most thought-out homes in America, and you can learn how to recreate these styles in your own home, complete with shopping resources!

What’s more, Sitcom Style is also a nostalgic stroll through the most beloved locations in the American consciousness. From the early days of I Love Lucy, The Addams Family, and I Dream of Jeannie through seventies’ favorites like Three’s Company and Happy Days to the eighties’ The Cosby Show and Roseanne and recent megahits like Friends, Sex and the City, and Will & Grace, Sitcom Style is an at-a-glance look at how America has lived for the past fifty years. And for true TV buffs, each chapter includes information on the set designers, years of production, favorite quotes, and trivia.

A completely unique combination of pop culture and interior design, Sitcom Style is a must whether you love the TV world or want to spice up your own decor at home..
Price: $19.74 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The most beloved, most groundbreaking, and most entertaining TV comedies of all time are celebrated in words and pictures—many of them rare—by the award-winning authors of Broadway Musicals.

In 101 lively chapters and lots of special features, the authors of Broadway Musicals explore our favorite form of popular entertainment—the TV situation comedy. Of the many hundreds of shows that have debuted over TV's 60-year history, the authors have carefully selected the most influential, popular, and enduring ones, from Gilligan's Island to Seinfeld, I Love Lucy to Will and Grace, creating a history of the medium that goes beyond stats and trivia to reveal all that goes into the creation of classic television, from the writing and all-important casting to the directing and, of course, the acting.

Each chapter of Sitcoms features numerous photos, many rare and behind-the-scenes, along with cast lists, artists' biographies, "off-set" tidbits, critical commentary, and all of the relevant statistics. Special features cover such topics as famous unseen characters, sitcom pets, spin-offs, sitcoms made from movies, and many more. It's a visual and informative feast for TV lovers, from nostalgia buffs to the TV Land generation..
Price: $9.58 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Half a century after its debut, "I Love Lucy" remains the most popular and influential sitcom phenomenon in TV history Jess Oppenheimer, "the brains" of "I Love Lucy," gives us an insider's view of this groundbreaking show, generously interspersed with actual recordings of classic Lucy performances--including her famous "Vitameatavegamin" routine. Sounding much like an episode of "Lucy" itself, Oppenheimer weaves a wonderfully entertaining tale of the creation of this landmark show. Lucy aficionados will also delight in his personal accounts of stars such as Desi Arnaz, William Frawley, Vivian Vance, and of course, Lucille Ball. Read by three-time "I Love Lucy" veteran Larry Dobkin, and featuring comedy performances by Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Gale Gordon, Hans Conried, Bea Benaderet, Frank Nelson, and more! Published in hard cover as "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time.".
Price: $9.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]