Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in Entertainment & Celebrities

Lana Turner was the last of the great screen goddesses. A legendary blonde bombshell, Turner led a fairy-tale life that turned into a nightmare following the bizarre murder of her gangster lover, Johnny Stompanato, in 1958. This detailed, honest, heartwarming account reveals the real woman behind the Hollywood facade, as well as a tender friendship that endured both heaven and hell for 25 years.

As host of Larry King Live, which was one of the most popular daily forums for political news and commentary, Larry King asked probing questions of major world leaders, politicians, pundits, spin doctors, and reporters. Drawing upon insights gained during those interviews, King takes an in-depth look at how the United States arrived at a pivotal point in its history. Bi-partisan politics, bimbo eruptions, grandstanding in Congress, backstabbing tactics, and more are covered in this fascinating and revealing memoir.

No one looked like her. No one walked like her. No one talked like her. Sexy, yet vulnerable, and unexpectedly talented, Marilyn Monroe was no ordinary screen goddess. But few really knew her. On June 1, 1962—Marilyn's 36th birthday—famed photographer and reporter George Barris visited Marilyn on the set of what would be her final, unfinished, film. For the next six weeks, Barris photographed and interviewed the actress. "Don't believe anything you read about me except this...." she told Barris.

In the 1960s and 70s, actor Steve McQueen was the king of cool, appearing in such classics as The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and Bullitt. McQueen left the world at age 50, a film legend who went from abandoned child to glittering superstar to a haunted man.

Norma Jean Baker was a Hollywood starlet who transformed into Marilyn Monroe, a Hollywood sex symbol and one of the world's most iconic figures. Sadly, she died at age 36 in 1962 from a drug overdose. Montgomery Clift was a highly regarded actor. Dependent on drugs and alcohol, Clift was only 45 when he died of heart disease in 1966. But imagine if the lives of the costars of The Misfits had not been cut short? In this pair of speculative biographies, two writers suppose what might have been if Monroe and Clift had survived their drug-related demises.

One of the world's most iconic performers, Elvis Presley died at the age of 42 from a heart attack complicated by years of drug use. By the time she turned 18, Frances Gumm had shot to stardom as Judy Garland, playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Sadly, at the age of 47, she died of a drug overdose. But imagine if the lives of these icons had not been cut short by drugs? These vividly imaginative "biographies" are thoughtful, honest, heartfelt—and entirely within the realm of possibility, as the authors engage in an intriguing exercise of “What if...?”

Seldom has the world seen a man with the grace, style, intellect, and success of journalist, author, publisher, Broadway and film producer, and husband to long-time Cosmopolitan head Helen Gurley Brown, David Brown. Throughout his remarkable life, he was a friend, acquaintance, and confidant of the world's most powerful, most famous, and most notorious.

From one of the most successful and influential producers in the entertainment industry—responsible for such classics as Roots, The Thorn Birds, and L.A. Confidential—comes a fascinating memoir of life at the very hub of Hollywood. Wolper enjoyed staggering success yet remained down-to-earth. By combining flexibility, resourcefulness, and determination, Wolper produced landmark documentaries, films, miniseries, and other cultural touchstones of the twentieth century. Producer is the engaging and inspiring memoir of a true entertainment pioneer.

Harry Cohn was the cofounder and president of Columbia Pictures, which he ran from the 1930s through 1950s. Cohn—who abhorred personal publicity—left no writings, made no speeches, and rarely submitted to interviews. Despite this, acclaimed biographer Bob Thomas brilliantly illuminates the life of the powerful but elusive studio head in King Cohn: The Life and Times of Hollywood Mogul Harry Cohn. Thomas details the studio head's rise from a New York City song-plugger to a Poverty Row impresario, highlighting his reign as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood.

More than 85 years after his untimely death at just age 37, Irving Thalberg remains a legendary Hollywood figure. Called the “Boy Wonder of Hollywood,” Thalberg quickly climbed the ranks at MGM studios to become one of the most powerful and high-profile producers of the time, elevating filmmaking to an art form. In this definitive biography, Bob Thomas brings Thalberg's legend to life, recounting how the producer's remarkable talent for developing stars and scripts led to the creation of beloved movies such as Ben-Hur, Romeo and Juliet, and Camille.

One of the most influential musical forces of our time, David Foster—producer, arranger, songwriter, performer—has worked with superstars every decade since the 1970s. In this compelling and outspoken memoir, Foster shares revealing portraits and stories from over five decades of working with music superstars, including Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, Josh Groban, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, and many others. A hitman who produced the soundtrack of our lives, Foster offers glimpses of the musical icons at work and shares secrets for success in the music industry.

Recognizable for his cherubic countenance and roles playing mild-mannered fathers in movies and on TV, Dick Van Patten had one of the lengthiest and most impressive track records in the acting business. As a child, Van Patten performed alongside Broadway stars such as Melvyn Douglas, Tallulah Bankhead, Alfred Lunt,and Lynn Fontanne, often winning roles over newcomers such as Marlon Brando and Roddy McDowell. He worked in radio and became a familiar face in the early days of television, ultimately becoming an "everydad" in the1970s comedy/drama Eight Is Enough.

Lisa Kron invites her audience on a roller coaster ride through the Kron family album in 2.5 Minute Ride. Rising and falling between high hilarity and deep disquiet, Kron demonstrates with disarming simplicity that humor and horror can share the same human moment. Kron's' performance switches back and forth between her journey to Auschwitz with her septuagenarian father, a Holocaust survivor; her Michigan family's annual pilgrimage to a Sandusky, Ohio amusement park, and more.

Here is the absolute best of Dave Barry; selections from four of his most popular books, including the hilarious Guide to Guys. Dave Barry is on the loose and no one is safe....

It's hard to believe there was only one Steve Allen! This same person created The Tonight Show, wrote more than 50 books, composed more than 8,500 songs, recorded some 40 record albums, starred on Broadway and in motion pictures, composed Broadway, television, and film scores, starred in his own television series, and created, wrote, and hosted the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Meeting of Minds.

It was the triumph and the tragedy of his life. As a producer, he had reached the pinnacle of success; there was nowhere else to go. In this biography, noted Hollywood chronicler Bob Thomas reveals the stormy career of a shrewd, self-confident intellectual whiz kid who today personifies the image of a studio head during the Golden Age of movies. It tells of the women Selznick loved and the fortunes he amassed and lost; of the great stars he made and the magnificent motion pictures he created— the man who was an entrepreneurial genius, a driven perfectionist, and the author of endless memos.

Long before Shark Tank, there was Ron Popeil, the man who demonstrated products on the small screen with enthusiasm and a mega-watt smile. For five decades, the late-night, rapid-fire pitchman was a television staple, and virtually every corner of America knew who he was and bought in the millions the "indispensable" products he hawked. Here is the rags-to-riches story of Popeil, the man who sliced, diced, and julienned his way into our hearts and wallets— packed with hands-on, nuts-and-bolts guidance on how anyone with a product idea can make big money.

One of America's most beloved social commentators—Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author Russell Baker—followed up his bestselling memoir, The Good Times, with this collection of his best New York Times columns, dating back to 1962. There' s a Country in My Cellar covers Baker's usual wide range of topics, told in a wonderfully funny style, and many of which are profoundly serious beneath the banter.

This audio contains two best sellers that relate the extraordinary, courageous life of actress Jill Ireland. These revealing autobiographies cover the joys and tragedies of Ireland's life, from her marriage to movie star Charles Bronson, to their family of seven children, to her courageous battle with breast cancer, and the fight to save her 22-year-old son from the maze of drug addiction. These memoirs are candid, inspiring works from a truly remarkable woman.

There is a theater superstition that if the emptied house is ever left completely dark, a ghost will take up residence. To prevent this, a single "ghost light" is left burning at center stage after the audience and all of the actors and musicians have left. In this eloquent and moving memoir, celebrated New York Times drama critic and columnist Frank Rich reveals how theater became a beacon of security for him as a child. As he struggled with his parent's divorce, Rich found his way in a tumultuous world, transformed by the magic of Broadway.