Entertainment History

From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki, the first living classical composer to get into the pop album charts, here is the fascinating story of over a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest of human feelings and emotions. Also available: The History of Opera.

Spanning from the classical sculpture of Ancient Rome to contemporary performance art, this guide provides a rich overview of art history, covering many topics explored in a history of art degrees.

What is art? Why do we value images of saints, kings, goddesses, battles, landscapes or cities from eras of history utterly remote from ourselves? This history of art shows how painters, sculptors and architects have expressed the belief systems of their age: religious, political and aesthetic. From the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, to the revolutionary years of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the artist has acted as a mirror to the ideals and conflicts of the human mind.

Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier, ER, Cheers, Law & Order, Will & Grace…Here is the funny, splashy, irresistible insiders’ account of the greatest era in television history -- told by the actors, writers, directors, producers, and the network executives who made it happen…and watched it all fall...

The latest blockbuster from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ann Coulter. Ann Coulter’s many dedicated fans are eagerly anticipating this all new, completely original audiobook, which follows her 6th bestseller, If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d All Be Republicans. Not one to shy away...

In this book, comedian and art historian Verity Babbs journeys through 50 key art movements across history, answering ten questions for each in just one sentence at a time. Within these fascinating, and sometimes hilarious, nuggets of art wisdom, Verity covers everything from who inspired the movement and its impact on history, to the key artists and artworks for each.

In the executive offices of the four major networks, sweeping changes are taking place and billions of dollars are at stake. Now Bill Carter, bestselling author of The Late Shift, goes behind the scenes to reveal the inner workings of the television industry, capturing the true portraits of the...

Ancient images can feel distant—formal, silent, as if speaking an unknown language. And yet, they were designed to communicate with absolute clarity. Why is the pharaoh always larger? Why do figures appear flat, shown in strict profile? Why do certain symbols repeat with such insistence? Why do temples, tombs, and palaces take the shapes they do? These aren't accidents. They're choices—visual strategies born from what these cultures valued most: power, order, memory, the divine.

Here is the colorful story of sometimes temperamental composers and even more temperamental singers working in an art form which has produced some of man's noblest artistic creations. This absorbing history is illustrated by over 100 musical examples by Naxos artists as well as some of the greatest singers of the 20th century, including Enrico Caruso and Fyodor Chaliapin.

¿Sabía que Akira Kurosawa, el director japonés más célebre y admirado, intentó quitarse la vida tras el fracaso comercial de Dodeskaden? ¿Que Martin Sheen sufrió un infarto durante el rodaje de Apocalypse Now, uno de los más infernales que se recuerdan? ¿Sabía que el principal creador del lenguaje cinematográfico era un fervoroso partidario del Ku Klux Klan? ¿Que en 1921 Fatty Arbuckle, uno de los cómicos más célebres de su tiempo, fue acusado de asesinar a la joven actriz Virginia Rappe?

Here is a diverse and fascinating story of the Theatre, from the first tragedies and comedies of Ancient Greece to the high-tech mega-musicals of the late 20th century. It is an absorbing listen, encompassing ancient tales, medieval theatre, Commedia dell'Arte, the great dramas of the Elizabethan age, and more.

Using detailed contemporary case histories, theatre artist, scholar and activist Ali Campbell demonstrates how the underlying principles of Boal's practice are today enacted in the work of - among others - an urban network (Theatre of the Oppressed NYC), a rural and developmental theatre organisation (Jana Sanskriti, West Bengal), Boal's original company CTO Rio (Brazil), and a theatre-based group led by learning-disabled adults in the UK (The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company).

How did we get from silent black-and-white films to streaming, blockbusters, and AI-powered filmmaking? Reel History takes teens on a fast, engaging journey through the evolution of cinema—without turning film history into homework.

Blending film criticism with creative nonfiction, each book in the Timecodes series focuses on one film, exploring it minute by minute beginning with minute one, and ending with the final minute before the closing credits. This book uses a close study of Dazed and Confused to tell three interrelated stories of adolescent development: the filmmaker's, the film's characters, and the author's own.

Celebrating over 200 films from the greatest decade of horror – the 1980s – In Search of Darkness is the definitive guide to this iconic era in genre filmmaking. In Search of Darkness will allow listeners to immerse themselves in the history of their favorite horror movies and discover hidden gems from this iconic time period.

In Life Lessons from Memorable Movies, executive coach and storyteller David Langiulli reveals the surprising depth hidden in iconic film moments—from The Godfather to Step Brothers, from Star Wars to Forrest Gump. With warmth, humor, and hardearned insight, he shows how unforgettable movie lines can become powerful tools for resilience, courage, authenticity, and personal transformation.Across multiple films, Langiulli uncovers the deeper meaning behind scenes we quote for fun but rarely examine.

This book chronicles the movement's origins with the advent of punk in the 1980s, its commercial and creative pinnacle in the 1990s, and the transformations it faced due to the music industry crisis in the 2000s. It connects Alterlatino with the pioneering mixture of rock and traditional music in the 1970s and projects its influence into the indie scene that emerged in the 2010s, opening a door to the last great Latin American revolt.

Whether you are a fan of hip-hop, or you are just curious about it, you will not have to look further after finding Eric Reese's The History of Hip Hop. This concise but in-depth audiobook explores all the distinguishing traits of what is not only a genre of music but a lifestyle. Reese traces the history of hip-hop from its beginnings in the 1970s and reveals how it changed in the next decades until it became a worldwide phenomenon. The author gives attention to the influence of hip-hop at every level, including art and fashion.

Discover the ultimate trivia collection to ignite your curiosity and captivate your conversations, all without the overwhelm of misinformation! Are you constantly on the hunt for fresh facts to fuel your love of learning? Do you crave trivia gems that transform ordinary exchanges into captivating conversations? If you’re nodding, this brain-boosting guide is exactly what you need!

The co-founder of The Cure and author of Cured delivers a fascinating deep dive into the dark romanticism of Goth music, a misunderstood genre and culture. GOTH is an entertaining and engaging historical memoir, and a journey through Goth music and culture, exploring creative giants like The...