Ben Sztajnkrycer's Books

Biography of Shaquille O'Neal

By: Ben Sztajnkrycer

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ABOUT THE BOOK He’s got dozens of nicknames: Shaq Fu, The Big Shaqtus, The Big Daddy, The Big Baryshnikov, The Big Shamrock, The Diesel, Dr. Shaq, The Real Deal, Superman. But no matter what you choose to call him, Shaquille O’Neal is a living legend. He’s larger than life...literally. He stands a breathtaking seven-feet, one-inch tall, making him lofty even by the standards of the NBA. He weighs 325 pounds. He was a star athlete at Louisiana State University, where the Associated Press named him College Player of the Year in 1991. The Orlando Magic drafted him number one overall in 1992, and in 1993 he became the NBA Rookie of the Year. He was an unstoppable center, and went on to play in the league for 19 years, amassing four NBA titles. He was named MVP in the regular season, the Finals, and the All-Star Game. MEET THE AUTHOR Ben Sztajnkrycer was born in Montreal, Canada and moved to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking. He is a graduate of UCLA’s prestigious screenwriting program, where he won numerous awards for his work. He teaches screenwriting at Cal State Fullerton. In his free time, Ben loves watching “Polar Express” and “Thomas the Tank Engine” over and over and over and over with his four-year-old son. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK In his second year, Shaq led the Magic to finish the season with a record 50 wins, enabling them to make the playoffs for the first time. The Magic ultimately lost every playoff game to the Pacers, but this did not stop Shaq from being voted into the All-Star game. In his third season, Shaq led the NBA in scoring, helping the Magic secure a phenomenal 57 wins (the best record in the Eastern Conference). But once again the team was routed in the playoffs, with the Houston Rockets sweeping the series. Shaq finished in second place in the MVP voting. Shaq was sidelined by injuries for much of his fourth and final season with the Magic, ultimately missing 28 games. His time on the court nonetheless helped the Magic win 60 games. But his team was once again defeated in the post-season, when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls swept the Eastern Conference Finals. Shaq became a free agent at the end of this season... Buy a copy to keep reading!

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Hyperink Inc

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ISBN 10

161464196X

ISBN 13

9781614641964

Quicklet on 60 Minutes Entertainment Profiles: Trey Parker and Matt Stone

By: Ben Sztajnkrycer

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Quicklet on 60 Minutes Entertainment Profiles: Trey Parker and Matt Stone

By: Ben Sztajnkrycer

ABOUT THE BOOK DISCLAIMER: This contains explicit language that may not be suitable for readers of all ages. It’s hard to believe that South Park has been on the air for 15 years. The show features four trash-talking ten-year-olds – Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny – who somehow find themselves in the midst of every political, religious, and cultural crisis facing America. It is fearless and crude, and it created an instant uproar when it first debuted on Comedy Central. The animation is deliberately and laughably bad, and most of the voices are provided by its two creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. But it was the freshest thing that anyone had seen on TV in years. And it’s still fresh to this day. Parker and Stone recently sat down for an interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft. When I watched the segment, I was amazed to see that this dynamic comedy duo have lost none of their edge. As the segment pointed out, they’re in their 40s now, but they still want to tackle the most pressing and controversial issues that other media personalities are afraid to touch. Not necessarily to be inflammatory, but rather to push the envelope of comedy. In Stone’s own words, “We want to do jokes other people haven’t done, you know.” And they’ve recently taken their unique comedy sensibilities to Broadway, where they have created the subversive musical The Book of Mormon. The show is a smash hit and the winner of nine Tony awards, including the award for Best Musical. MEET THE AUTHOR Ben Sztajnkrycer was born in Montreal, Canada and moved to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking. He is a graduate of UCLA’s prestigious screenwriting program, where he won numerous awards for his work. He teaches screenwriting at Cal State Fullerton. In his free time, Ben loves watching “Polar Express” and “Thomas the Tank Engine” over and over and over and over with his four-year-old son. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Steve Kroft led Parker and Stone down memory lane, where the two revealed that they attended film school together at the University of Colorado. They each possessed an edgy sense of humor – which could be grating to their fellow students. As Parker recounted, “Our senses of humor were just so similar that we would just really crack each other up and it got...annoying for everyone else in film school.” But these two clowns took their work very seriously. While still in school, they raised enough money to make the feature film Cannibal! The Musical! This bizarre low-budget musical comedy lived up to its title, recounting the story of a prospector who turned to cannibalism to survive winter in the mountains. The film was rejected from the influential Sundance Film Festival, but it went on to a limited release anyway. From there, Parker and Stone moved to Hollywood, where a studio executive commissioned them to make a short Christmas video for a paltry $1,200. Using crude, cardboard cut-out animation, they put together The Spirit of Christmas, a hilarious skewering of the commercialization of Christmas that pit Jesus against Santa Claus. Buy a copy to keep reading!

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1484006569

ISBN 13

9781484006566

Stephen Hawking and The Universe: A Biography

By: Ben Sztajnkrycer

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Stephen Hawking and The Universe: A Biography

By: Ben Sztajnkrycer

ABOUT THE BOOK Stephen William Hawking is arguably the most famous scientist since Albert Einstein. He is a theoretical physicist, applied mathematician, and cosmologist, but he is best known to non-scientists as the author of “A Brief History of Time,” his best-selling book that unraveled the origins of the universe. His fame is so far-reaching that he has appeared on such popular entertainment as “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” He has even been animated as a character on “The Simpsons.” Hawking is also well known for being the longest-living survivor of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or “Lou Gehrig’s disease”). Most patients can expect to live for no more than ten years following a diagnosis of ALS, but Hawking has survived for almost 50 years since the onset of the disease. The condition has caused him almost total paralysis, confining him to a wheelchair and forcing him to speak through a voice synthesizer activated by his cheek muscle. MEET THE AUTHOR Ben Sztajnkrycer was born in Montreal, Canada and moved to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking. He is a graduate of UCLA’s prestigious screenwriting program, where he won numerous awards for his work. He has written several successful telefilms, and has a feature horror screenplay in development with a prominent Hollywood producer. He also teaches screenwriting at Cal State Fullerton. In a past life, he worked as an editor of academic journals (so he can tell you everything you need to know about lower extremity wounds or human lactation). In his free time, Ben loves watching “Polar Express” and “Thomas the Tank Engine” over and over and over and over with his four-year-old son. When his son goes to bed, Ben stays up late and watches horror movies. His other interests include eating fatty foods and coming up with creative new excuses not to exercise. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK In addition to his scientific research, Hawking has been a fierce advocate of exposing general audiences to cutting edge science. He rose to international prominence following the 1988 publication of “A Brief History of Time.” The book received glowing reviews and went on to sell over 10 million copies. It was also adapted into a documentary film of the same name by acclaimed filmmaker Errol Morris; the film summarized not only the important themes of the book, but also provided a biography of Hawking’s life. The documentary won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Hawking followed up “A Brief History of Time” with several more books aimed at general audiences, including “The Universe in a Nutshell”, “A Briefer History of Time” (co-written by Leonard Mlodinow), and “The Grand Design” (also co-written by Mlodinow). He also edited “On the Shoulders of Giants,” a collection of works by such famous physicists and astronomers as Einstein, Newton, Kepler, Copernicus, and Galileo. Buy a copy to keep reading!

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1614642338

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9781614642336

Biography of Manny Pacquiao

By: Ben Sztajnkrycer

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Biography of Manny Pacquiao

By: Ben Sztajnkrycer

ABOUT THE BOOK Manny Pacquiao has a record unrivaled in the history of boxing, including titles in eight different weight divisions. Experts consider him, pound-for-pound, the best boxer in the world. He is an unstoppable force, with punches of lightning speed and razor-sharp accuracy. He has amassed a vast personal fortune from his fights, endorsements, and real estate investments. He has received humanitarian awards in his native Philippines. Time magazine even named him one of the 100 most influential people of 2009. His fans the world over include politicians (such as Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) and superstar athletes (like Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett). He goes by many nicknames, including Pac Man, The People’s Champ, and The Destroyer. And in the Philippines, he is revered like none other. His persona has taken on a legendary status, thanks in great part to his love for his nation. Despite his wealth, he lives in his impoverished hometown of General Santos City. He is known to be generous and charitable, handing out money and gifts to those in need. He is the founder of the Manny Pacquiao Foundation, a philanthropic organization aimed at improving the lives of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans. He has even become a congressman in his native country. MEET THE AUTHOR Ben Sztajnkrycer was born in Montreal, Canada and moved to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking. He is a graduate of UCLA’s prestigious screenwriting program, where he won numerous awards for his work. He teaches screenwriting at Cal State Fullerton. In his free time, Ben loves watching “Polar Express” and “Thomas the Tank Engine” over and over and over and over with his four-year-old son. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK He has starred in a number of Filipino action films, including “Wapakman,” in which he played a septic tank repairman who becomes a superhero to foil the doomsday plot of a nuclear terrorist. He also portrayed a Robin Hood-esque rebel fighting the oppression of drug dealers and corrupt politicians alike in “Fist of Folly” (aka “Anak ng Kumander.”) He has even starred in his own sitcom entitled “Show me the Manny.” Reviews have not been kind. As a businessman, Manny Pacquiao owns a substantial amount of commercial real estate in General Santos City, from convenience stores to large buildings. He owns a Pacquiao souvenir shop, which sells any kind of Pacquiao memento you could dream of. He even owns a basketball team, the Pac Man Gensan... Buy a copy to keep reading!

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