interesting little-knowns about the show about nothing
930867
for the deep Sein-fan! no plot summaries here..not many photos. this is a list of each episode, in order of telecast date and containing previously unknown tidbits about the particular episode.

it's very well written but for newer fans, more "casual" fans it's a want...not a need.

I still am searching for something on the progression/evolution of the series, as it suddenly turned from funny sitcom to a brilliant show "about nothing"! when instantaneously we had the arrival of the great characters, Peterman, Susan, the Costanzas, to make each episode an epic.
2114432
"The Lost Chronicles" is a nice look inside the making of the hit TV show.  The book tells how the pilot of the show was conceived and then filmed; has lots of pictures and interviews with the cast and crew; and a recap of every episode in the first season. There's also an in-depth report on the day by day filming of the episode "In Translation". Also included is a DVD with a behind the scenes look at how they prepared the plane used in the pilot episode; interviews with some of the cast; and some deleted scenes.

For the most part, this is a great companion guide to the TV Series "Lost". The behind the scenes details are fascinating including how they planned to initially kill off Jack and why the producers decided not to do so. The explanation of why they used certain plot devices was also interesting.  The interviews with the actors and actresses were fun to read. Especially fascinating was the chapter the covered the filming of one episode - it's amazing how much work is done to film one episode.

Unfortunately, the weakest part of the book is the episode guide. It's written in diary form, but no one person on the island would be able to know what was going on in other character's minds. I was hoping for a more detailed recap with an explanation of both what happened in "real" time and what happened in the flashbacks. I was also hoping for a mention of the "Easter eggs" that happen in most episodes (i.e. Sawyer being taken into custody while Boone is at the police station looking for Shannon).  These Easter eggs are an integral part of the show and I was disappointed that they weren't even mentioned in the book.

Other than the episode recaps, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to Lost fans.
3780477
Excellent music (especially by Janis Joplin, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, David Bowie, Paul Simon) and solid, serious-for-TV inteviews (good to see the Jagger interview in non-bootleg form, even if the songs are unfortunately cut short).

What's also great is that most of the shows are presented almost in their entirity -- which means that you can see some great musical acts but you can watch the other guests that were on the episode (for example Debbie Reynolds, Douglas Fairbanks, Raquel Welch), which really puts things in an interesting historical context.  This is a well-presented look at a talk show that seems truly innovative 30-35 years later.

Nice ironic, slightly surreal moment: There's an episode in which Cavett, having written an autobiography, allows himself to be interviewed by authors Jerzy Kozinski ("Being There") and Anthony Burgess (creator of "A Clockwork Orange," who's clad in yellow socks and a green blazer and smoking a very nasty-looking little cigar).

Both Burgess and Kozinski praise Cavett for being brave enough to shift from hosting a TV show (which, they both agree, is temporary; in an age before TiVo and VCR's they see a TV show as something that's here and then gone) whereas to write a book is to create a permanent document.  Both writers have long since left this zone but it's amusing and a little amazing to see them talking about the temporal nature of television... three decades after the fact.
4655507
I watch Ghost Hunters and I thoroughly enjoy the show so buying this book was a no-brainer for me. It is a simple read that you can enjoy in small incriments or read straight through. I was a bit dissapointed in the format. There is basically an introduction and then  a healthy list of small summarizations of past cases, though the format itself is technically not the problem with this book. It's the fact that each case is typically covered within two to three pages. Just as you gain an interest in what Jason Hawes is explaining about each individual case he quickly wraps it up with seemingly one of a handful of potential resolutions, consisting usually of T.A.P.S. members recommending a cleansing of the house, or the victims of the paranormal activity gaining a new perspective and/or acceptance of the activity. Furthermore, Co-founder Grant Wilson merely peeps his opinions in at the end of each segment with a throw-away comment that is usually so short and insignificant that the editor chose to encase it in a enclosed square titled "Grant's take". Not exactly the in depth coverage viewers have grown used to on the show.
That being said, the book still does contain some interesting thoughts and stories. If you are a fan of the show I would still recommend this book. However if you are looking for anything that does more than scrape the surface of paranormal investigating then, sadly, I would say look elsewhere.
4386461
There are so many piles of polished poo in the 'Little House' barn when it comes to books written by the show's former stars. This one glitters like a gem in the middle of that pile.

Alison Arngrim, famous as the execrable Nellie Oleson, has a sense of humor, natural self-deprecation and relatable writing style that make this book a joy to read, even when she's discussing darker chapters of her life, including sexual abuse by a family member at a very young age. Unlike so many of her peers, she never appears to suggest that the reader should feel sorry for her, largely because she doesn't feel appear to feel sorry for herself. She is funny, refreshing, and seemingly completely devoid of any over-inflated opinion of herself or her own notoriety, even in the years when she was certainly one of TV's most recognized child stars.

As the book's title would suggest, and unlike Melissa Gilbert's "Prairie Tale," her book really DOES devote considerable time to her years on 'Little House.' Her insights on the show are interesting and feel like insider information without ever being disrespectful to other cast members. (There is some dislike expressed for Melissa Sue Anderson, but the more I read, the more I think that the real 'Prairie B---- was Melissa Sue Anderson.)

It's not all about LHOTP, and the book also includes insights into the rest of Alison's life and the niche she found later.

Even if you're not a 'Little House' fan, but would enjoy a breath of fresh air by an actor who's open, honest, entertaining and never takes herself too seriously, don't miss this book.
1129320
Lots of good stories and information from a man who grew up inside the show
1461465
I saw this in the gift shop at the Mesa Historical Society Museum when I visited to see the Wallace and Ladmo exhibit.  I didn't care for the cost at the time so I didn't buy it and had regretted it since.  Luckily I was able to find it online and promptly bought it.

Pat McMahon played Aunt Maude, among a half-dozen other characters on the show.  Gerald was his most famous character but Aunt Maude was probably my favorite.  (S)he was played as a crotchety old woman (not as a man in drag) that reveled to reading children (or in most cases, Ladmo) stories from her books, but they never had happy endings and always ended up with Ladmo crying.  The subversive humor behind this was totally unheard of for a children's show but I am sure it was more for their parents and adults who grew up watching as kids themselves.

While the book isn't very long and some of the stories are hit or miss, there are a lot of illustrations that go along with the stories.  Still, a good read at least for the nostalgia.
402682
I really enjoyed reading this book. Melissa takes you by the hand and gives you a tour of the Little House sets and you get to see what a day in the life of a tv show actor is really like. I really wanted details of how things are done on the set, and what certain terms really stand for, like 'gaffer' or 'foley'. Like many reviews have stated, she does use up many pages to go through the plots of several episodes she was in, but she includes a few notes here and there that give her own personal insight or observations of things that went on on set. If I had seen those episodes, I ended up flipping through those pages, but there were a couple I hadn't seen, so I read through them. She includes a great selection of pictures. There are a few times when she does use 'script page text' style to describe an event in her life. I didn't mind that and thought it was another way to show us part of her life, as she had to look at many scripts throughout her career.  This is not a tell-all, for sure, but if you really want to find out more about life as an actor, or the goings-on on the Little House set, then ignore the harsh reviews and read this one. I checked it out at my local library.
2503531
Good recollections from someone on the inside ... if you like Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley (wow, the in-fighting on that set!), and/or Mork and Mindy, it's a must. Other sitcoms like Family Ties and Cheers are covered, but backing up a bit, some true late-'70's oddities are mentioned ... good stuff!
3584740
A lot of the book as been discussed on so many talk shows that there was little you hadn't already know.
3658157
Digging up information about this old and somewhat obscure show must not have been easy.  That makes it all the more special, and it was nice to hear people reminisce about this quirky old show.
4492653
Been so long since Elmer the Elephant and Garfield Goose have been gone that one forgets the names. Not to mention Family Classics Theater. And how about Romper Room and Lunchtime Little Theater (the precursor) to Bozo's Circus. Lots of good insight into the shows that blotted early TV in Chicago. Who knew that all the sky writing and incredible build up lead to Ray Rayner's "Dick Tracy Show" ? Too often the ad libs between Bozo, Sandy, Wizzo, Cookie and Oliver O. Oliver went over the kids' heads, to the delight of adults who happened to be watching. Read about it here.
2440215
Now I have something to share with my friends. Its an incredible amount of interesting information, many of which was unknown to me. For example, did you know Ian Whyte played four different roles in the show? I bet you didnt))
1991691
Ghost Adventures is my favorite show on tv and I figured this would be background stories. It had that but it was also part ghost hunting guide, more details about his personal experiences that haven't been featured on the show as well as the science behind what he and the guys do. Was surprised that he threw quantum physics theories in there but how he connects things makes sense. Very interesting read and I liked that it had the trademark humor seen on their investigations.
1934260
For fans of the show (which ran from 1985-88) the best thing about this book is definitely the Introduction "Two Years in the Twilight Zone" by Alan Brennert. On about 16 pages he describes how he came to  work on the show, what working for it was like, what happened when it  finally got cancelled and most interestingly he makes some remarks about  the dreaded third season, which was done for half the budget by completely  different people and he talks about the editing process of the first two  seasons. After the introduction you get 21 stories from the show, which are  interesting in their own right since sometimes they differ a lot from the  final product.
4346878
I am a great admirer of Joss Whedon's various exploits, from Buffy The Vampire Slayer to Firefly, a show I consider to be some of the best Sci-Fi ever shown on television. So although I don't read that many biographies, I had to snap this one up as soon as it was available.

I enjoyed the book. It's a smooth read and keeps enough interesting story lines going to propel you into the next section. The book covers Whedon's life story, focusing on his career as a television and film writer, director, and producer, back to his invention of the name "Joss," in his school days. It describes the progression of his career with enough interesting detail to keep at least fans of his work throughly engaged. I enjoyed reading about his early influences, including a teacher who played a pivotal role, and some of the rollercoaster drama of life in network television.

I did think the book was missing some color. There's not a lot of insight into Whedon personally, which is a valid choice for a biography, but sacrifices some of whatever emotional resonance a bio might have. The book reads a bit like a very friendly long-form magazine article. There aren't a lot of angles or fresh observations going on here, although again, the book does pull off some decent storytelling.

It also feels a bit sanitized. The bio was clearly done with Whedon's approval and cooperation, and is careful to be vague about any unpleasant (or overly "interesting") bits over the years. For example, the book alludes to a lot of drama over Sarah Michelle Gellar's various feints toward walking off the Buffy show, but grazes lightly over the whole affair, giving no insight or detail not already public. There was a lot going on with that cast, and it would have been interesting to know more about how the dynamics evolved and resolved. The book does a little better with the network tumult over moving Buffy around, but then goes lightly again when it comes to Fox's cancellation of Firefly, focusing more on the Whedonesque fan group, of which I think the author was a part. The style of the writing itself is fairly flat, sometimes verging on the book-reportish. You get the feeling a huge amount of time was spent assembling various anecdotes into chronological order, and eventually there is a "getting through the whole history" element.

And even for fans, the book is an awfully sweet love letter to Whedon's talents and overall wonderfulness. The number of quotes from various people regarding his amazing "one draft" writing abilities and general genius is staggering. We get it. The man can write, and has become a powerful voice in television and Hollywood as a result. But what else? I would have liked to have heard more from the people who worked with him through what must have been extremely interesting projects than, "He's great. Writes everything in one go. Can't wait to work with him again." I got the feeling Whedon has so much clout at this point, and the author such a fan herself, that the scope and tone of the bio were hemmed in a bit.

All of that said, the book held my interest, presented a coherent narrative, and provided enough facts and detail to be worthwhile, at least for anyone with an interest in Whedon and his work, and is probably a must-read for serious fans.

Three stars.
1387683
"Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything" (2016 publications; 320 pages) is a non-fiction book from erstwhile Entertainment Weekly writer Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. In the book's Introduction, the author retells of a 2014 Seinfeld-themed baseball night at the Brooklyn Cyclones, and tells us that "The history of Seinfeld is not complete, and may never be." The book then goes back in time, and looks at the very humble beginnings, when Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld get together to discuss possible ideas for a TV show.

The book is most interesting when it looks at the various 'side men' around the core of five (David, Seinfeld, Alexander, Louis-Dreyfus, Richards), and in particular the various writers and directors that surrounded the Big 5. Turns out that some of them had quite interesting backgrounds. The other point that really struck me is how much of the episodes are based on real life incidents. I guess I was vaguely aware of it, but when you read it as a matter of fact, it's pretty amazing, And where was NBC in all of this? Pretty hands-off in the early days, and then totally hands-off when the show hit it big, that's where. It blows the mind to think that with a couple of network mishaps or lesser patience, we might have never gotten Seinfeld as we know it now.

2016 marked the 18th anniversary of the last Seinfeld, in other words, it's been in syndication now for twice as long as it was on the air originally (9 seasons), and yet there seems to be no end in sight for this. I'm sure I've seen all 180 episodes a number of times, some of them MANY times, and yet it never seems stale. I truly believe that Seinfeld is indeed the cleverest TV sitcom ever, and pretty timeless, reason it continues to flourish. The author does a good job gathering all the background stuff and putting it together in a way that makes this book pure fun for any Seinfeld fan.