Product Description
One of America's most famous celebrities, a movie andtelevision star, offers an honest and revealing portrait of his life and career, reviewing his many loves, his many successes, and his many heartaches. $150,000 ad/promo. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Great read
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I thought it would be a lot about his football days, but it was mainly about his acting career and the women in his life. I would have liked to read more about Loni.I read this book after reading Loni's book, my life in high heels, of course they both blame the other for infidelity and breaking up the marriage, and I would think that they are both to blame.Burt acts like he was faithful to Loni throughout their romance, but in Loni's book, countless people told her he always had another girlfriend while he was dating Loni.But it was an interesting book and gives you an insight into the hollywood business.

Exciting read
Burt's tough guy image is real! He needs to go to clean action hero school with Bruce Willis! I found the book hard to put down and read it cover to cover. He starts out talking about his dad, a veteran/construction worker/police chief who made a mobster that tried to bribe him eat dollar bills. He also lost his virginity to a woman in her forties and nearly died after a car crash when his heart stopped. In some ways his troubled marriages and partnerships defy belief. He asks for the divorce first. Yet he knew what was wrong before the marriage, so why did he say "I do"? The long relationship with Dinah Shore ended because he wanted children and Dinah was too old. But the first thing Loni Anderson says when she meets him is "I want to have your baby." When they marry, she can't seen to have children and he is not infertile. If they are notinfertile then why did his son, Quentin, have to be adopted? There must have been three possible reasons: Contraceptives, cheating or menopause. Her overspending and infidelity would have caused any man to ask for a divorce. But the mystery remains. Why did he marry her when he knew this could happen?Why couldn't they have children? The gripping story of breaking his jaw and becoming addicted to pain relievers also stands out.

So Much Sex, So Few Babies
Meditating on morality and the Spitzer-Dupre debacle which is currently in the news, I recalled reading this book.IIRC, towards the end Burt muses that as-far-as-he-knows, he never actually fathered any biological children, believe it or not !Plus which the book was entertaining I thought, at about a 3-star level.So for a book with implicit moral lessons to be 3-star-readable, that beats trudging thru Dr. Laura !

BURT
This book was pretty good but I gave it 4 stars because Burt did not talk about his relationship with Tammy Wynette I read in Tammy's book about it and wanted to hear Burt's side.
He does tell us a lot about the women that have passed through his life it was pretty interesting. I never would have thought Sally was so petty.
and Loni was after money. I think the only woman who really loved Burt was Dinah Shore. I think maybe that was the only woman Burt really loved too.
He tells us the age difference got in the way.
He let other people put doubts in his head about Dinah he should of not listened to others but followed his heart.

Hard to believe
I really liked this book, but some of it was hard to believe. Case in point, Chapter 56, Burt says that as late as 1994 he was on the short list to be be archbishop for the Rochester, NY archdiose. Is he even Catholic? Further Burt says in the 70s he was in separate fistfights with former president Jimmy Carter and TV superstar Nell Carter ... and that he broke his nose and her clavicle. That can't be true, can it? And this is the one I had the most diffcult time swallowing -- Burt refuses to recognize Guam as a Commonwealth of the United States all because in a review a newspaper critic in Agana called "Evening Shade" -- "awful." ... Read more

Product Description
Here is the Burt Reynolds nobody knows, from his superstar lifestyle to his bitter divorce battle with Loni Anderson. Elaine Hall, Burt's former producer, secretary and confidante, breaks decades of silence to share her personal experiences with one of America's favorite leading men. 24 pages of never-before-seen photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

SHOULD BE TITLED- burt AND ME!!!!!
Terribly boring!!!I wanted to finally read a book about Burt that would share more about the man behind the image.Instead I found out more about the author.The author spent entirely too much time on sharing her feelings and what she did and how terribly important she was.Don't waste your time. If you want to read a good book about Burt, read his autobiography!

Former Employees
Typical "former employee" fare which leaves huge holes in the dragging story for obvious reasons and falls deeply into the "it's all about me" trap. Reynolds' own bio was more entertaining and more forthright.

Terrific, excellent, entertaining and great book!!
A revealing, intelligent and entertaining book: Elaine Blake Hall was Reynolds'secretary for plenty of time, but what really counts here is the fact that, besides secretary, she was a mother and a best friend for BurtReynolds. With an agile and simple narrative, Burt and Me is an excellentbook and a great way to know more about this terrific celebrity: hisproblems with drugs, his turbulent divorce, his family, the friends whonever abandoned him in the bad times (like Tammy Winette, Jon Voight,Martin Sheen, Ned Beatty, Ann Margret and Dinah Shore. The chapter aboutShore is particularly touching and thrilling) and his films (like theshooting of Cop and a Half, a movie that had many troubles and set backs).The author demonstrates capacity and intelligence in condensing all herexperience in this book, and she reveals to be a special, dedicated andkind-hearted woman, demonstrating that she cared (and still cares) for BurtReynolds, not because he is a movie star, but because she knows that insideof him, there is a sad, unsecure, but kind child. Burt and Me tells thetrajectory of Reynolds, but, parallelly, it traces a small biography forElaine, a simple woman who faced great challenges...and came outtriumphant! buy this book, you won't be sorry! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

If you're a fan, like me, this is the book to get
Plenty of stills, slight reviews, a few words from Burt, what more do you want? I love it, but I'm not looking for dirt or insight. Taken as a fan's overview of Burt's career up to the early eighties, it's great. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A beautifully photographed collection of private moments
If you're researching Burt Reynolds, this book is a must-have. Since I was, it was of great help to me. The photography of Lisa Smith is great. I found out she recently passed away and all the proceeds of the book now go to a charity she contributed to. A great behind-the scenes biography. ... Read more

Product Description
Andrew Vachss's writing has been described as "red-hot and serious as apunctured lung" (Playboy), "hypnotically violent ... made up of equal partsbroken concrete block and razor wire" (Chicago Sun-Times), and "short andchoppy, like the ticking of a time bomb" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer).

In this audiobook, Burt Reynolds brings to life 27 of Vachss's trademarklife-at-ground-zero stories. In "Dope Fiend," a woman suffering from bothterminal cancer and a drug-withholding doctor finds the hard answer toeach. "Dead Game" illustrates the horrible consequences of misplaced loyalty. And an ex-con finds that, sometimes in life, payback is a beautiful thing, inthe story "Proving It." After you hear these 27 stories--and the bonustrack of David Joe Wirth reprising his stage performance of "Placebo"--you'llunderstand why The Washington Post declared Vachss "Lord of the AsphaltJungle."

Andrew Vachss is the author of the Burke series of novels, the 13th ofwhich, Pain Management, will be released Fall 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf.Vachss has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, asocial services caseworker, and a labor organizer, and has directed amaximum-security prison for violent youth. Now a lawyer in privatepractice, he represents children and youths exclusively. He lives andworks both in New York City and the Pacific Northwest. More information aboutAndrew Vachss and his work is available at www.vachss.com. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

PROVING IT proves worthy of a listen
I just listened to Andrew Vachss' audiobook PROVING IT performed by Burt Reynolds with a bonus track "Placebo" performed by David Joe Wirth.WOW!What great material! 28 of Andrew Vachss' short stories filled with surprising and sometimes terrifying twists.Mr. Reynolds does a wonderful job.You can feel the love and pain behind the material.He also commendably varies his voice to give a suggestion of character, helping to illuminate the stories as well as entertain the listener.However, I do think the audiobook would be better if more actors were involved.Although Mr. Reynolds is excellent on some stories, he seems to run out of steam in places, and lapses into a delivery that unfortunately does not serve the material as well as it could.Due to the enormous volume and constantly changing nature of the stories, it might have been more effective if the stories were read by a number of actors, rather than just one.David Joe Wirth's "bonus" track reading of PLACEBO is a perfect example of a welcome change of voice and delivery style.PLACEBO is truly a bonus because, as it says on the inside cover, Mr. Wirth has been closely involved in Mr. Vachss' work for the past ten years, and it shows.The reading not only demonstrates a deep understanding of the material; it is clear, direct, and extremely well paced.Bravo to David Joe Wirth, I hope to get the opportunity to see him on stage or in films soon!Bravo to Burt Reynolds for doing this audiobook!Bravo to Publishing Mills for producing a tape of Andrew Vachss' short fiction!

"Proving It" does just that!
Being a long-time fan of Vachss' work, even I was skeptical that Burt Reynolds could bring the right voice to his short fiction. But "Proving It" proves that the combination of Vachss' hard-hitting truth and Burt Reynolds' range makes this a winner. This isn't the Reynolds of his comic capers, think hard-boiled like "Sharky's Machine," reading some of the best written and honest short fiction around.

This 27 story collection includes a chilling portrait of a family gone horribly wrong ("Anytime I Want"), a loyal warrior sacrificing it all to honor the life he couldn't save and protect the ones he can ("Mission"), and the frightening result of an abused child who isn't heard ("Witch Hunt"). But my all time favorite has got to be the title track, "Proving It." Burt Reynolds brings a haunting and beautiful voice to a story of true love and loyalty that only Vachss could write.

And finally, don't miss the bonus track of David Joe Wirth reprising his stage role of "Placebo." The liner notes say he's been involved with Vachss for a long time and his performance here shows his knowledge and feeling for the material and the message. Mr. Wirth should certainly be a name we all know, hopefully this brilliant performance will make that happen for him.

There are so many more, too many to list in fact, but all winners. Everyone who hears this collection will find something that speaks to them.

Burt Reynolds brings Vachss to life!
I don't normally get audiobooks. I like reading more than listening. But I'm a longtime fan of Vachss's work, so I made an exception--and I'm glad I did. I don't know what other audiobooks are like, but what Burt Reynolds did here feels more like a performance to me than a reading. His range of voices is terrific, and he really taps into the themes in Vachss's writing. And the bonus track, "Placebo," is not to be missed. Never heard of the actor before, and I haven't found any other audiobooks by him, but I'll be looking. ... Read more

Product Description
JULY 1981 ISSUE OF PENTHOUSE MAGAZINE. ARTICLES INCLUDE "BURT REYNOLDS ROOMMATE: NO MORE BONES TO BREAK", "REAGAN'S ECONOMY: THE FATAL FLAW", PLUS BEN STEIN, AND INTERVIEW WITH ROY COHN, AND MORE. ... Read more

Product Description
This is nonfiction commentary.Chapters: Sharky's Machine, Stick, the End, Gator, the Last Producer. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 22. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Sharky's Machine is a 1981 motion picture directed by Burt Reynolds, who stars in the title role. The movie is an adaptation of William Diehl's first novel Sharky's Machine (1978), with a screenplay by Gerald Di Pego. Diehl, who was age 50 when he wrote the novel, saw the movie shot on location in and around his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Its cast included Vittorio Gassman, Brian Keith, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman, Rachel Ward, Bernie Casey, Henry Silva, and Richard Libertini. It has been the most successful box-office release of a film directed by Reynolds. Tom Sharky is a narcotics cop in Atlanta who is demoted to vice after a botched bust. Another member of the force, Smiley, shows up unexpectedly during the sting, causing the drug dealer to run and Sharky to give chase, ultimately shooting the suspect on a city bus. In the depths of the vice-squad division, led by Friscoe, the arrest of a small-time hooker named Mabel results in the accidental discovery of a high-class prostitution ring that includes a beautiful escort named Dominoe who charges $1,000 a night. Sharky and his new partners begin a surveillance of her apartment and discover that Dominoe is having a relationship with a man named Hotchkins who is a candidate for governor. With a team of downtrodden fellow investigators that include Papa, Arch and Nosh, referred to by Friscoe sarcastically as Sharky's "machine," he sets out to find where the trail leads. A mysterious crime kingpin called Victor comes to Dominoe's apartment. He has been controlling her life since Dominoe was a young girl, but now she wants out. Victor agrees but forces her to have s...http://booksllc.net/?id=8141252 ... Read more