Download or read book Dangerously Funny written by David Bianculli and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-12-01 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the rise and fall of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour -- the provocative, politically charged program that shocked the censors, outraged the White House, and forever changed the face of television. Decades before The Daily Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour proved there was a place on television for no-holds-barred political comedy with a decidedly antiauthoritarian point of view. In this first-ever all-access history of the show, veteran entertainment journalist David Bianculli tells the fascinating story of its three-year network run -- and the cultural impact that's still being felt today. Before it was suddenly removed from the CBS lineup (reportedly under pressure from the Nixon administration), The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was a ratings powerhouse. It helped launch the careers of comedy legends such as Steve Martin and Rob Reiner, featured groundbreaking musical acts like the Beatles and the Who, and served as a cultural touchstone for the antiwar movement of the late 1960s. Drawing on extensive original interviews with Tom and Dick Smothers and dozens of other key players -- as well as more than a decade's worth of original research -- Dangerously Funny brings readers behind the scenes for all the battles over censorship, mind-blowing musical performances, and unforgettable sketches that defined the show and its era. David Bianculli delves deep into this never-told story, to find out what really happened and to reveal why this show remains so significant to this day.

Download or read book Not Quite a Genius written by Nate Dern and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-08-08 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Highly recommended reading for those hungry for surprise” (A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author)—a rollicking collection of personal stories and essays on relationships, technology, and contemporary society from the news editor at Funny or Die and former artistic director at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. This hilarious collection of essays spans a wide variety of topics. There’s the open letter to Charles Manson, a brave archeologist’s journey into a suburban man cave, and a long overdue, sternly worded letter from Leif Erikson to Christopher Columbus. Walt Whitman even teaches a spin class. Nate Dern’s razor-sharp eye examines modern society and technology, man buns, dating apps, and juicing crazes. Anyone who’s ever scrunched their eyes at WiFi Terms & Conditions, listened to the reasons that led a vegetarian to give up meat, or looked on in horror at the evolving audacity of reality TV will appreciate Dern’s wicked and funny take on modern life. Not Quite a Genius is fun, and funny, “a breath of fresh air that you can eat up bit by bit or all at once” (Abbi Jacobson, cocreator and star of Broad City).

Download or read book It s Kind of a Funny Story written by Ned Vizzini and published by Disney Electronic Content. This book was released on 2010-09-25 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life—which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job—Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy. At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away.

Download or read book A Funny Little Bird written by Jennifer Yerkes and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A lonely, invisible bird adorns himself with brightly colored feathers and flowers hoping to attract friends. But after catching the eye of a fox he runs so fast he loses his treasures and learns a lesson about friendship. Full color.

Download or read book Do You Talk Funny written by David Nihill and published by BenBella Books, Inc.. This book was released on 2016-03-08 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Public speaking can be terrifying. For David Nihill, the idea of standing in front of an audience was scarier than cliff jumping into a thorny pit of spiders and mothers-in-law. Without a parachute or advanced weaponry. Something had to change. In what doesn't sound like the best plan ever, David decided to overcome his fears by pretending to be an accomplished comedian called "Irish Dave" for one full year, crashing as many comedy clubs, festivals, and shows as possible. One part of the plan was at least logical: he was already Irish and already called Dave. In one year, David went from being deathly afraid of public speaking to hosting a business conference, regularly performing stand-up comedy and winning storytelling competitions in front of packed houses. And he did it by learning from some of the best public speakers in the world: stand-up comedians. Do You Talk Funny?: 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker shows how the key principles of stand-up comedy can be applied to your speaking engagements and presentations to make you funnier, more interesting, and better looking. (Or at least two of the three.) Whether you are preparing for a business presentation, giving a wedding toast, defending your thesis, raising money from investors, or simply want to take on something you're afraid of, this book will take you from sweaty to stage-ready. You'll learn how to: - Craft a story and content that your audience will want to listen to - Find the funniest parts of your material and how to get to them faster - Deal with stage fright - Master the two most important parts of your performance: timing and delivery Ten percent of the author's proceeds from this book will go to Arash Bayatmakou via Help Hope Live until he is fully back on his feet and thereafter to one of the many facing the same challenges after suffering a severe spinal cord injury.

Download or read book It s Called a Spade written by JJ Barrows and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2019-10-04 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “it’s called a spade” is a reference to calling life like it is instead of hiding the tough stuff and pretending like everything is fine. It’s a collection of stories about life, about people and God, recovery and relapse, heartache and brokenness, and the reality that life is hard, even if you believe in God, even if you don’t. But there is also hope and humor and healing that comes without answers. This is a collection of stories from a human who almost disappeared in her efforts to be seen, a girl who called spades hearts and smiled while bluffing.

Download or read book Life Is Funny written by E. R. Frank and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-05-31 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: E. R. Frank’s seminal first novel weaves together the stories of eleven teenagers in one city over seven years in this groundbreaking and “impressive debut” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Why does Gingerbread always have a smile on his face? “Because life is funny,” he tells Keisha. But for her—and almost everyone else in her Brooklyn neighborhood—there doesn’t seem to be much to laugh about. China, Ebony, and Grace are best friends, but Grace’s mother isn’t crazy about her being friends with two girls who aren’t white, and each cut Ebony makes on her wrist seems to drive them even further apart. Just across the schoolyard there’s Eric who has to raise his younger brother Mickey, even though no one expects him to amount to anything. Meanwhile, Sonia’s Muslim parents expect everything of her, and it may be more than she is able to give after she suffers a shattering loss. When Drew brings his father’s Jaguar into Sam’s family’s auto body shop across town they seem to be from opposite sides of the tracks, but Drew’s the one hiding a dark family secret. And he’s not the only one.

Download or read book My Confessional written by Janet Devlin and published by . This book was released on 2020-06-25 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2011, Janet Devlin wowed X-Factor judges and charmed the nation with her unique vocals and performances. She consistently received the highest consecutive public vote out of all the contestants and gained a place on the live arena tour. But rather than this steering her towards greater musical success, Janet faced numerous challenges which almost cost her her career... "Believe it or not, you're holding my life in your hands. Not the picture-perfect version we've all become accustomed to, thanks to social media. This is my life as I've lived it - no filters.Each chapter in this book unlocks the truth behind a song from my album Confessional. They span ten years of intense self-discovery married with a lot of self-sabotage. My broken brain has taken me to dark places both in my own head and in the real world. But, with destruction comes creation. I genuinely hope that My Confessional does not personally resonate with you and that you've not been to the same Hell that I've come to call Home, but if you have let my life be proof that it all works out in the end. I see now that the world is truly what we make of it and that everything happens for a reason. Or, at least, that's what I tell myself. Here lyeth my confessional of the sins I want so much to be free from and to finally forgive myself for what I've done. I confess.Janet Devlin"

Download or read book The Accidental Diary of B U G written by Jen Carney and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2021-04-15 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meet Billie Upton Green and her VERY accidental diary - and don't you DARE call her B.U.G! Billie has taken the new girl at school under her wing. She'll teach her the important stuff - Biscuit Laws, Mrs Patterson and of course where to sneakily eat a Jaffa Cake. She might even get invited to the EVENT OF THE YEAR (Billie's mums' are getting married). But then suspicion sets in. The new girl seems VERY close to Billie's best friend Layla. And she knows a LOT about the big school heist - the theft of Mrs Robinson's purse. But, Billie is on to her. Well, as long as Patrick doesn't catch her eating biscuits first. Join Billie in this laugh-out-loud adventure! A sparky, funny new series perfect for fans of Diary of A Wimpy Kid - Daily Mail Jen Carney knows how to make kids laugh . . . and I mean totally unreserved roll-on-the-floor belly laugh. Billie Upton Green is a firm favourite in our house - Emma Mylrea, author of Curse of the Dearmad

Download or read book Whatever Love Means written by David Baddiel and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2021-07-29 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like most people, Vic Mullan - once described by his best friend Joe as 'a man whose sense of social responsibility is exhausted by pulling over to let an ambulance by' - can remember where he was and what he was doing on the day of Princess Diana's death. Yes, he can remember it particularly well: he was at home, beginning an affair with Emma, Joe's wife. The opening sections of David Baddiel's second novel chart the history of an intense and passionately sexual liaison set against the background of the most hysterical time in recent memory. But as the months wear on, and life and love return to normal, so things become more complex between Vic and Emma. And then, tragedy - a real, local, small-scale tragedy, as opposed to a national, iconic, mythological one - intervenes. Part-satire, part-love story, part-whodunnit, and part-meditation on the nature of sex and death, WHATEVER LOVE MEANS confirms Nick Hornby's assertion that David Baddiel has 'gone straight into the First Eleven of young contemporary British novelists'.

Download or read book Mom It s My First Day of Kindergarten written by Hyewon Yum and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2012-07-03 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A five-year-old boy, ready and eager on his first day at "the big kids' school," must calm his very worried mother.

Download or read book The Princess and the Pony written by Kate Beaton and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2015-06-30 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introducing Kate Beaton, a major new picture book talent, and author/illustrator of #1 New York Times bestseller Hark! A Vagrant! Princess Pinecone knows exactly what she wants for her birthday this year. A BIG horse. A STRONG horse. A horse fit for a WARRIOR PRINCESS! But when the day arrives, she doesn't quite get the horse of her dreams...From the artist behind the comic phenomenon Hark! A Vagrant, The Princess and the Pony is a laugh-out-loud story of brave warriors, big surprises, and falling in love with one unforgettable little pony.

Download or read book Snappsy the Alligator Did Not Ask to Be in This Book written by Julie Falatko and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-02-02 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Snappsy the alligator is having a normal day when a pesky narrator steps in to spice up the story. Is Snappsy reading a book ... or is he making CRAFTY plans? Is Snappsy on his way to the grocery store ... or is he PROWLING the forest for defenseless birds and fuzzy bunnies? Is Snappsy innocently shopping for a party ... or is he OBSESSED with snack foods that start with the letter P? What's the truth? Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) is an irreverent look at storytelling, friendship, and creative differences, perfect for fans of Mo Willems.

Download or read book Discovering the Clown or The Funny Book of Good Acting written by Christopher Bayes and published by Theatre Communications Group. This book was released on 2019-07-16 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Christopher Bayes is a master, an extraordinary visionary who has done more to liberate young American actors over the last two generations than I can possibly express. His classes in Clowning are philosophical manifestos; the power of his laughter inextricable from the depth of his spirit. This book is a treasure. Nothing can replace the experience of being in the room with a master teacher, but this practical, playful, brilliant book is the next best thing. Read it. It is indispensable.” —Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, The Public Theater Discovering the Clown, or The Funny Book of Good Acting is a unique glimpse into the wild world of the Clown, unveiling “the playful self, the unsocialized self, the naive self…the big stupid who just wants to have some fun with the audience.” An essential guide for artists and actors wanting to set free the messy and hilarious Clown within.

Download or read book A Little Bit Funny written by Patrick Humphries and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Little Bit Funny is a detailed emotional & musical biography of one of the world''s most loved pop star s. From his troubled childhood through a confused adolescenc e, and spectacular career, this story examines the life of E lton John. '

Download or read book Beat Boredom written by Martha Rush and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-10-10 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are your students bored in class? According to research, a majority of American high school students report being bored in class and fewer than 5% claimed that they were rarely bored during a typical day in school.Former journalist and veteran teacher Martha Rush decided this would not do for her Minnesota students. Moving beyond asking open-ended questions and making connections to their own lives, Martha began to engage her government, journalism, and economics classes in meaty discussions, competitions, simulations, and authentic work, like running a newspaper or starting a business.Building on her more than 800 interviews with high school graduates, she offers up strategies in all subject areas for active engagement, moving way beyond traditional passive memorization of information. She describes how to create innovative experiences in your classroom, and shares her own lessons and her students' work. Beat Boredom will help you join the ranks of teachers who have challenged the status quo and found ways to motivate even the most reluctant learners.

Download or read book Franklin Is Messy written by Paulette Bourgeois and published by Kids Can Press. This book was released on 2013-08-01 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this Franklin Classic Storybook, our hero can count forwards and backwards. He can zip zippers and button buttons. He can slide down a riverbank by himself. He can even sleep alone in his small, dark shell. But Franklin is so messy that he can hardly ever find his things!