From the revolutionary mind of television's legendary mad genius, a story of money, sex, greed, revenge, murder -- and reality TV The year is 2012, and as the Most Famous Television Producer in the World is walking down a wintry New York City block, he's accosted by a homeless-looking cripple who, like everyone else, insists he has the formula for the greatest TV show of all time. As it turns out, he does: Contestants will compete for one hundred million dollars. If they win, they're rich. If they lose, they face immediate on-camera execution. As the Producer begins scheming to steal the idea and revive his fading career, The Big Question introduces the extraordinary characters who will ultimately become the show's contestants -- a brilliantly rendered, Dickensian cast that includes the seventy-something Vera Bundle, with a taste for scotch and encyclopedias; Arthur Durch, a convicted sex offender-turned-relationship therapist; Retta Mae Wagons, a sixteen-year-old prostitute with an IQ of 170 and an ex-con-turned-Muslim fundamentalist boyfriend who doesn't appreciate her; Billy Constable, the Kentucky rube who gets off a bus in New York and promptly finds himself in trouble with the Mob; and Father Brady, the devout Catholic priest with a mortifying secret to hide at any cost. As the first episode is broadcast live in front of millions, the audience, the cast, and the crew behind the scenes do the unthinkable: they sit and watch, rapt and glassy-eyed, as the final contestant left on stage meets an unimaginable fate. To say The Big Question is a novel of greed and immorality would be putting it lightly. But to read this book without laughing out loud at every page would be impossible. This is more than just a funny book, though. With uncanny precision and razor-sharp wit, the inimitable Chuck Barris reveals the inconceivable lengths to which people will go for those priceless fifteen minutes, the fascination we have with the little black box in our homes -- and the horrifying deeds done in the name of entertainment.
Suspense, excess, danger, and exuberant fun come together in Chuck Barris's unlikely autobiography- the tale of a wildly amboyant '70s television producer nationally known as the host of The Gong Show. What most people don't know is that Barris also spent close to two decades as a decorated covert assassin for the CIA, claiming to have killed over thirty people. Honestly. Barris, who achieved tremendous success as the creator of the hit game shows The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, joined the CIA as an agent in the early 1960s. He inltrated the Civil Rights movement, met with militant Muslims in Harlem, and was sent abroad to kill enemies of the American state, even as his game shows began to soar to ratings success. Originally published in 1982, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind has been out of print for a number of years, but interest in Barris is about to reach an all-time high, with a major movie based on the book coming from Miramax Films in December 2002. The all-star cast includes Sam Rockwell, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Drew Barrymore. Barris will be covered extensively in the media this fall. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a wild and improbable tale spiced with intrigue, sex, bad behavior, and plenty of one-liners.
This surprisingly candid, often funny, and entirely moving memoir is Chuck Barris’s story about life with his only child, Della. Born on Christmas Eve in 1962, Della was a lovable charmer like her father, an adventurous and quick-witted kid. She had a carefree suburban childhood, even while her father was fast becoming an entertainment superstar, inventing, hosting, and producing his legendary game shows. When Barris and his wife eventually divorced, Della was shuttled between parents in New York and California, then moved from boarding school in Switzerland to Beverly Hills High, among other places. Bored, lonely, and often depressed, she discovered drugs and petty crime early in adolescence, and her escapades soon took on a far more alarming and dangerous aspect. She was lost, yearning for attention and guidance, and growing up in Los Angeles amid temptation everywhere. Her father felt helpless: caring for a daughter was more than Barris had bargained for. Ranging from late-night phone calls from the neighbors to emergency room visits, Della’s behavior was out of control. When Della decided at age sixteen to move out on her own, Barris didn’t object. He gave her a trust fund and let her go out into the world alone, a regret that he shares with readers here in heartbreaking and clear-eyed detail as he chronicles Della’s descent into addiction and her eventual death from an overdose at age thirty-six. But Della is not just a grief-stricken story. Filled with loving memories and spontaneous humor, it is a brave and hard-earned reflection on fatherhood and a tribute to innocence lost.
The Hollywood insider who moonlights as a CIA assassin releases more details from his life, including his efforts to recruit a Mexican terrorist and his discovery of a plot by an Egyptian biochemist to attack the United States.
The former host of "The Gong Show" discusses his creation of "The Newlywed Game," "The Dating Game," and other television programs, his fall from grace, and life in his adopted France. 40,000 first printing. $25,000 ad/promo.
Published to acclaim in 1974—and substantially rewritten and expanded in this new edition—You and Me, Babe was the New York Times best-seller that launched Chuck Barris's career as a top-selling author. But unlike his later books (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Bad Grass Never Dies), You and Me, Babe is the irresistible combination of a truly affecting love story motored by Barris's classic brand of unique humor. Set in 1960s New York City, the novel centers on Tommy, a blue-collar schemer, who sets out to marry Sammy, an opinionated but dysfunctional young heiress with enough smarts to stand up to his shenanigans, though not enough to see his true motives. Her parents, however, see all too clearly, and when Tommy and Sammy announce their intention to marry, the family disinherits their firebrand daughter. Not to worry: Tommy has fallen in love with Sammy in the meantime, and the couple's fortune and fame all on their own becomes the source for this winning, and ultimately moving, New York tale.
Art Deco Jr. is heir to a vast fortune, scion of one of America's most powerful men -- Art Deco Sr. -- though by the time we meet him in these pages, Art has fallen into a life of depravity: booze, drugs, you name it. The Deco family is almost too embarrassed to acknowledge him as their own. And by the time Art is found shot dead in his elegant Manhattan apartment, there is a long list of friends and family who may have wanted to kill him -- so the police have their work cut out for them. NYPD detectives Eddie Roach and Jackie Hallerhan are up against a wall when private investigator Jimmy Netts is called on the case by Art Deco Sr. His first case, no less! Netts teams with the NYPD (mostly because he's not exactly sure how to go about solving crimes, much less understands the procedure, and doesn't have a detective's license) to find out who killed poor Art Jr. It could be just about anyone. As a storyteller, the infamous Chuck Barris is the blackest comedian there is. As a satirist, his is a wickedly razor-sharp voice. The deadpan dialogue, investigative snafus, crime drama parody, and cast of hilarious characters in Who Killed Art Deco? bring to mind an unholy combination of Agatha Christie and the Pink Panther, with just a dash of Homicide. This is a dark and delightfully funny book from an equally, delightfully, troubled mind.
You love the show, now get the cookbook and get inspired Chef Chuck Hughes cooks in his restaurants all week, making sure that every dish he sends out at his two Montreal spots, Garde Manger and Le Bremner, is perfect, and that every client leaves happy. He cooks for love and for fun, and what he cooks up makes for fabulous and engaging television viewing on the hit Food Network Canada and Cooking Channel (U.S.) show Chuck’s Day Off. This cookbook features over 100 recipes: favourite dishes and menus from the long-running show, plus all-new recipes developed just for the book. The flavour-packed dishes are grouped into menus and connected to stories that Chuck tells, providing a behind-the-scenes look at Chuck’s life and the challenges he faces in balancing his dedication to great food with the daily realities of running restaurants. Food lovers and cooks of all levels will fall in love with Chuck’s open and honest cooking and easy and incredibly addictive style of comfort food.
This is the astonishingly candid autobiography of Chuck Berry, the man who created rock'n'roll. It includes a discography and filmography, and details of all of his recording sessions.
This revised edition of "The World According to Chuck" covers three years of weekly writing from popular Washington State newspaper columnist Chuck Sigars, touching on current events but mostly documenting personal changes and growth. From the aftershocks of 9/11 to the beginnings of war, Sigars notes the world but focuses on life. You'll read of the challenges and joys of parenting an autistic son in "The Inside-Out Boy," see the pride in watching his wife change careers from successful singer to minister in "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," and observe a father flail away at time passing and find a picture of the future hiding in the past in "The Prophecy." Mostly, though, "The World According to Chuck" shares the stories of a middle-aged man who looks at his world and finds it funny, from his frustration at being "an unnatural tool user" in "If I Had A Hammer" to his description of a Christmas tree that lingers into spring in "March Madness." If you've ever put off a trip to the dentist until your hand was forced, you'll appreciate "Real Men Don't Floss." If you've reached a certain age and find yourself looking back at high school adventures and friends with affection, you'll smile at "The Lion, The Witch, and The Other Witch." And if you've ever wondered what might happen late on Christmas Eve if you were to wander into the living room and surprise a large man in a red suit, you're in for an adventure in "A Winter's Tale." "I have been chasing after moments my entire life," Sigars writes in "One Particular Spring." "I want to snag them, slap them in some amber and study them. I want to know what will happen, what might, what could, what did. I am a temporal archeologist, looking for answers in slivers of time." This is essentially the structure of "The World According to Chuck," a search for moments, told in the short-essay style of a weekly newspaper column and taken from the calendar pages of the early 21st century, from rumors of war to goofy weather, from the Columbia shuttle tragedy to Randy John's perfect game. It's also a book about loss, about a daughter leaving home for college and the rest of her life, and about a dying father's legacy, but mostly and mainly this is about the world according to one ordinary man, watching and remarking, taking life as it comes, usually baffled by changes, and, as we said, finding it funny. You will, too.
This surprisingly candid, often funny, and entirely moving memoir is Chuck Barris’s story about life with his only child, Della. Born on Christmas Eve in 1962, Della was a lovable charmer like her father, an adventurous and quick-witted kid. She had a carefree suburban childhood, even while her father was fast becoming an entertainment superstar, inventing, hosting, and producing his legendary game shows. When Barris and his wife eventually divorced, Della was shuttled between parents in New York and California, then moved from boarding school in Switzerland to Beverly Hills High, among other places. Bored, lonely, and often depressed, she discovered drugs and petty crime early in adolescence, and her escapades soon took on a far more alarming and dangerous aspect. She was lost, yearning for attention and guidance, and growing up in Los Angeles amid temptation everywhere. Her father felt helpless: caring for a daughter was more than Barris had bargained for. Ranging from late-night phone calls from the neighbors to emergency room visits, Della’s behavior was out of control. When Della decided at age sixteen to move out on her own, Barris didn’t object. He gave her a trust fund and let her go out into the world alone, a regret that he shares with readers here in heartbreaking and clear-eyed detail as he chronicles Della’s descent into addiction and her eventual death from an overdose at age thirty-six. But Della is not just a grief-stricken story. Filled with loving memories and spontaneous humor, it is a brave and hard-earned reflection on fatherhood and a tribute to innocence lost.
From the revolutionary mind of television's legendary mad genius, a story of money, sex, greed, revenge, murder -- and reality TV The year is 2012, and as the Most Famous Television Producer in the World is walking down a wintry New York City block, he's accosted by a homeless-looking cripple who, like everyone else, insists he has the formula for the greatest TV show of all time. As it turns out, he does: Contestants will compete for one hundred million dollars. If they win, they're rich. If they lose, they face immediate on-camera execution. As the Producer begins scheming to steal the idea and revive his fading career, The Big Question introduces the extraordinary characters who will ultimately become the show's contestants -- a brilliantly rendered, Dickensian cast that includes the seventy-something Vera Bundle, with a taste for scotch and encyclopedias; Arthur Durch, a convicted sex offender-turned-relationship therapist; Retta Mae Wagons, a sixteen-year-old prostitute with an IQ of 170 and an ex-con-turned-Muslim fundamentalist boyfriend who doesn't appreciate her; Billy Constable, the Kentucky rube who gets off a bus in New York and promptly finds himself in trouble with the Mob; and Father Brady, the devout Catholic priest with a mortifying secret to hide at any cost. As the first episode is broadcast live in front of millions, the audience, the cast, and the crew behind the scenes do the unthinkable: they sit and watch, rapt and glassy-eyed, as the final contestant left on stage meets an unimaginable fate. To say The Big Question is a novel of greed and immorality would be putting it lightly. But to read this book without laughing out loud at every page would be impossible. This is more than just a funny book, though. With uncanny precision and razor-sharp wit, the inimitable Chuck Barris reveals the inconceivable lengths to which people will go for those priceless fifteen minutes, the fascination we have with the little black box in our homes -- and the horrifying deeds done in the name of entertainment.
Thanks a Lot, Murphy! By: Chuck Morris I am. You are. He is. And so is She. We are all Murphies. We should all change our middle name to Murphy because, although we don’t want to admit it, we are our own worst enemies. Murphy is our alter-ego. No one wants to admit that we suffer minor or severe pain due to our own stupidity. It is foresight versus hindsight that always has the inside post-position. But this is natural. As human beings we are not programmed to do everything step-by-step and in the exact right order. Both parts of this collection narrate the autobiography of Chuck Morris through his adventures which include a fascinating trip to Hong Kong, stewed chicken heads, anecdotes, and tasty recipes from Louisiana.
Art Deco Jr. is heir to a vast fortune, scion of one of America's most powerful men -- Art Deco Sr. -- though by the time we meet him in these pages, Art has fallen into a life of depravity: booze, drugs, you name it. The Deco family is almost too embarrassed to acknowledge him as their own. And by the time Art is found shot dead in his elegant Manhattan apartment, there is a long list of friends and family who may have wanted to kill him -- so the police have their work cut out for them. NYPD detectives Eddie Roach and Jackie Hallerhan are up against a wall when private investigator Jimmy Netts is called on the case by Art Deco Sr. His first case, no less! Netts teams with the NYPD (mostly because he's not exactly sure how to go about solving crimes, much less understands the procedure, and doesn't have a detective's license) to find out who killed poor Art Jr. It could be just about anyone. As a storyteller, the infamous Chuck Barris is the blackest comedian there is. As a satirist, his is a wickedly razor-sharp voice. The deadpan dialogue, investigative snafus, crime drama parody, and cast of hilarious characters in Who Killed Art Deco? bring to mind an unholy combination of Agatha Christie and the Pink Panther, with just a dash of Homicide. This is a dark and delightfully funny book from an equally, delightfully, troubled mind.
Chuck Hansen's "Nose-Sucker Thingees, Weeds Whacking Back & Cats in the Tub" is a collection of his humor essays that provide a funny, refreshing, positive and insightful look at life, and holding onto balance and perspective throughout life's daily trials.
In this series of insightful, humorous essays, Chuck Thurston delights, informs and inspires his readers. This second in a series of wide-ranging vignettes is full of misdirection, nostalgia, personal insight, warmth and beautiful writing.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Following Star Wars: Aftermath and Star Wars: Life Debt, Chuck Wendig delivers the exhilarating conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy set in the years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. EVERY END IS A NEW BEGINNING. As the final showdown between the New Republic and the Empire draws near, all eyes turn to a once-isolated planet: Jakku. The Battle of Endor shattered the Empire, scattering its remaining forces across the galaxy. But the months following the Rebellion’s victory have not been easy. The fledgling New Republic has suffered a devastating attack from the Imperial remnant, forcing the new democracy to escalate its hunt for the hidden enemy. For her role in the deadly ambush, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane is the most wanted Imperial war criminal—and one-time rebel pilot Norra Wexley, back in service at Leia’s urgent request, is leading the hunt. But more than just loyalty to the New Republic drives Norra forward: Her husband was turned into a murderous pawn in Sloane’s assassination plot, and now she wants vengeance as much as justice. Sloane, too, is on a furious quest: pursuing the treacherous Gallius Rax to the barren planet Jakku. As the true mastermind behind the Empire’s devastating attack, Rax has led the Empire to its defining moment. The cunning strategist has gathered the powerful remnants of the Empire’s war machine, preparing to execute the late Emperor Palpatine’s final plan. As the Imperial fleet orbits Jakku, an armada of Republic fighters closes in to finish what began at Endor. Norra and her crew soar into the heart of an apocalyptic clash that will leave land and sky alike scorched. And the future of the galaxy will finally be decided. Praise for Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath “Star Wars: Aftermath [reveals] what happened after the events of 1983’s Return of the Jedi. It turns out, there’s more than just the Empire for the good guys to worry about.”—The Hollywood Reporter “The Force is strong with Star Wars: Aftermath.”—Alternative Nation “The Star Wars universe is fresh and new again, and just as rich and mysterious as it always was.”—Den of Geek! Aftermath: Life Debt “Compulsively readable, the kind of caramel-corn book you just keep stuffing in your face until it’s gone.”—Tordotcom “Man oh man, this is good stuff. [Life Debt] reveals what Han and Chewie were up to after Return of the Jedi.”—io9 “Gripping reading . . . [This novel] hits the ground running.”—New York Daily News
* Now In Paperback * Cleveland TV legend "Big Chuck" Schodowski tells hundreds of funny and surprising stories from a lifetime in television--in his familiar, good-natured, Cleveland-to-the-bone style.Since 1960, Chuck has been on camera, behind the camera, and in the director's chair. He collaborated with Ernie Anderson on the groundbreaking "Ghoulardi" show, and continued to host a late-night show across four decades--the longest such run in TV history. He worked alongside a host of talented people, from Tim Conway to Burgess Meredith to Muhammad Ali.Chuck literally has fans of all ages. This book will entertain them and anyone else who enjoys behind-the-scenes tales of television and celebrities. Great fun at a great price!
Can’t wait for The Last Jedi? Lose yourself in a galaxy far, far away with this ebook sampler of excerpts from Del Rey’s latest Star Wars novels—including a Rogue One adaptation and prequel. Timothy Zahn returns with a revealing portrait of one of the most cunning and ruthless warriors in the history of the Galactic Empire. Chuck Wendig completes his epic trilogy bridging the gap between Episodes VI and VII. And Senator Leia Organa stars in her own novel set in the years before The Force Awakens. Plus, don’t miss five Star Wars short stories new to the 2017 sampler: “Scorched” by Delilah S. Dawson, “Blade Squadron: Kuat” by David J. Williams & Mark S. Williams, “Voice of the Empire” by Mur Lafferty, “Turning Point” by Jason M. Hough, and “TK-462” by Sylvain Neuvel. THRAWN by Timothy Zahn In this definitive novel, readers will follow Thrawn’s rise to power, uncovering the events that created one of the most iconic villains in Star Wars history. BLOODLINE by Claudia Gray Following the Battle of Endor, Leia Organa—now a respected senator—must protect the fledgling democracy from both outside dangers and treachery from within. AFTERMATH: LIFE DEBT by Chuck Wendig As the New Republic fights to restore peace to the galaxy, Norra Wexley leads a search and rescue mission to the Wookiee homeworld, where Chewbecca has been captured and Han Solo has disappeared. CATALYST by James Luceno In this prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Jyn Erso’s family must untangle a web of deception to save themselves—and the galaxy itself. ROGUE ONE by Alexander Freed A new hope rests in the hands of an unlikely band of allies—if only they can capture the plans to a machine of unimaginable destructive power. Go beyond the film with a novelization featuring new scenes and expanded material. AFTERMATH: EMPIRE’S END by Chuck Wendig As the final showdown between the New Republic and the Empire draws near, all eyes turn to a once-isolated planet: Jakku.
Beautiful, sparkling, lyrical harp solos on 40 Christmas songs and carols gathered from around the world. The arrangements are wonderfully scored and may be played by non-pedal or pedal harp.
These innovative musical creations are not only fun and easy to play but will delight the harpist by using the full spectrum of the pedal harp's abilities. Arrangements contain fingering, standard harp notations plus explanations to execute the lesser-known effects. Also contains lyrics where applicable. the book has interesting prose on how the authors emulated the feel of the bagpipe sound on the harp plus Scottish trivia and information on Scottish music. Free audio downloads are available for use with this title.
Chuck Klosterman has become the pop culture commentator of his time. Now, our favourite popular phenomenon offers new introductions, outros, segues, and footnotes around a collection sure to enlarge his following. Chuck Klosterman IV is divided into three parts: Part I: Things That Are True showcases Chuck's best profiles and trend stories from the past decade. Billy Joel, Metallica, Val Kilmer, U2, Radiohead, Wilco, The White Stripes, Steve Nash, 50 cent - they're all here, complete with behind-the-scenes details and ingenious analysis. Part II: Things That Might Be True assembles the best of opinion pieces that brim with a characteristic candor - always interesting, often infuriating, occasionally insane. Now fortified with twenty new hypothetical questions. Part III: Things That Are Not True At All offers an unpublished short story. While semi-autobiographical, it features a woman who falls out of the sky and lands on a man's car.
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