Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in Arts & Entertainment

In this book, horror-expert Mathias Clasen delves into the psychological science of horror cinema to bust some of the worst myths and correct the biggest misunderstandings surrounding the genre. In short and highly enjoyable chapters peppered with vivid anecdotes and examples, he addresses the nervous person's most pressing questions: What are the effects of horror films on our mental and physical health? Why do they often cause nightmares? Aren't horror movies immoral and a bad influence on children and adolescents?

If you want to understand the Black experience in the US, you must understand hip-hop, and Psalms of My People is your guide. Treating hip-hop like sacred scripture, lenny duncan traces its history—the artists, their lyrics, and the cultural context—to reveal its role as a conduit to tell the modern story of Black liberation in this country, following the bloody trail from the end of the Civil Rights Era through the day George Floyd was sacrificed on the streets of america.

Emerging from the intersection of pandemic and uprising, The Déjà Vu activates forms both new and ancestral, drawing movement, speech, and lyric essay into performance memoir. As Civil considers Haitian tourist paintings, dance rituals, race at the movies, black feminist legacies, and more, she reflects on her personal losses and desires, speculates on black time, and dreams into expansive black life. 

America’s 911 system is supposed to be for emergencies only. But some people apparently didn’t get the memo, because the following are some of their responses when asked by dispatchers, “What’s your emergency?”, “Yeah, I want to order a pizza.”, “I’ve been standing all day and my feet hurt.”, “I just swallowed a penny. Am I going to die?”, “I want an officer to come out and take care of a low-flying aircraft.”,“When does the Burger King open?”

Founded in 1922, over the last century the BBC has become Britain’s most influential broadcaster. Its programs have been part of everyday life in the UK and around the world, from Its That Man Again to Life on Earth, Doctor Who, and Eastenders, reflecting social change and reshaping our culture. However, the BBC now faces significant challenges, which may even jeopardize its continued existence. This new book draws out these issues and looks at how similar threats—including hostile governments, management failures, and new technologies—were met and overcome in the past.

A debate, nearly to the death, about life and art, cocktails included. And a soon-to-be major motion picture from James Franco! Caleb Powell always wanted to become an artist, but he overcommitted to life (he's a stay-at-home dad to three young girls), whereas his former professor David Shields always wanted to become a human being, but he has overcommitted to art.

Fans of Veronica's Closet, MTV Sports, What I Like About You, 8 Simple Rules, and Castle will relish this exclusive account of Dan's life and career. Step Off! is a hilarious look inside the eccentric experiences of a Hollywood favorite. He discusses life from his own honest, outrageous Hollywood perspective. Cortese shares the lessons he's learned - and a few he hasn't - working on screen for over two decades as an American actor. He also reveals details about his most rewarding job: being a father.

The legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar takes listeners back to the Harlem Renaissance - a time and place when jazz was king. Famed jazz critic Stanley Crouch narrates as Kareem shares thoughts on this distinctly American musical style and its profound influence. Also offering insights are such iconic figures as Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, and Maya Angelou.

Gaston Leroux's phenomenal novel, which inspired the hit Broadway musical, remains one of the most original suspense stories ever written. Erik, a brilliant but hideously disfigured musical genius, lives in the basement of Paris's National Academy of Music, where he haunts the opera crowd in his mask and fancy clothes. A haunting tale of obsession, a touching story about internal beauty, and a top-notch detective drama, The Phantom of the Opera is a remarkable novel, narrated to perfection by Henry Butler.

In Fooling with the Amish, Dirk Eitzen examines the fakery in Amish Mafia and how actual viewers of the show responded to it to discover answers to two questions that have long puzzled media scholars: What is it about the so-called reality of reality shows that appeals to and gratifies viewers? How and why are people taken in by falsehoods in the media? Eitzen's ultimate answer to these questions is that, in taking liberties with facts, Amish Mafia works very much like gossip.

From its modest beginnings in the 1960s in a Harlem church basement, to its meteoric rise to international fame, the Dance Theatre of Harlem ignited the world with one simple, still-revolutionary statement: All can do ballet. Into the 21st century, as the world, and the country, continue their historical struggles and triumphs, the story of this haven for dancers of all colors and backgrounds resonates more than ever. Here is the definitive portrait of the one-of-a-kind dance company that reflected—and shaped—our times, and whose enduring principle continues to inspire the future.

Part biography, part social history, Being Britney pieces together a collage of stories, interviews, legends and fan experiences to construct a definitive portrait of one of the biggest stars in recent history. In her unique narrative, acclaimed music author Jennifer Otter Bickerdike provides a sympathetic yet objective re-examination of Britney's trajectory from girl next door to woman trapped by fame. Being Britney is the compelling account of a talented, troubled and much-discussed modern icon whose life, work and individual significance will be recognized for many decades to come.

Dumped by his fiancée, Ferentz Lafargue had a chance encounter with the seminal Stevie Wonder album Songs in the Key of Life. Healed by the songs, Lafargue was inspired to look at how music has shaped his life. In this entertaining memoir, he shares recollections of Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Kanye West, and many others.