Product Description

BIZARRE STUFF, AMAZING FACTS, ASTONISHING MYSTERIES, NATURAL WONDERS, LITTLE-KNOWN PEOPLE, USEFUL TIPS AND MUCH, MUCH MORE

From crime, movies and music to science, history and literature, this book offers an incredible array of intriguing top-10 lists, including:

• Urban Legends--Debunked
• Influential People Who Never Lived
• Ancient Methods of Execution
• Poisonous Foods We Love to Eat
• Inventions of the Middle Ages
• Gruesome Fairytale Origins
• Secret Societies
• Amazing Film Swordfights
• Bizarre Animal Mating Rituals
• Misconceptions About Evolution
• Tips for Frugal Living
• Fascinating Graveyards You Must See

About the Author

Jamie Frater is the creator of the popular website listverse.com. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Kindle Mess
The Kindle version of this book is replete with repeated phrases and broken up words, making it a very annoying read. As of this moment, after searching Amazon for nearly an hour, it appears there is no refund option available.

Fun with Facts--Very WEIRD Facts...
The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists is subtitled A Mind-boggling Collection of Fun, Fascinating and Bizarre Facts on Movies, Music, Sports, Crime, Celebrities, History, Trivia, and More, a mouth-boggling title/sub-title combination if ever there was one.

Like many other titles in this genre, it is filled with strange trivia and minutiae. Each entry in its lists of ten is described or its inclusion is justified in a brief paragraph. Unlike many other titles in this genre, it also contains some good advice -- hints and tips for living better, enjoying more, and preparing for the future (a lot of stuff that provokes, "hmmmm...why didn't I think of that?").

You may not need the "Top 10 Prison Survival Tips" if you take the "Top 10 Tips for Outrunning the Cops" to heart. There are top-10s of cooking tips; ways to appear intelligent, live frugally, win arguments, and remove stains; and prepare for another depression (important to read with the related "Top 10 Tips for Surviving the Street"). Of course, it's not the useful information that is the most entertaining.

The first of its 14 chapters gets right down to the good stuff, or as the author puts it, "Bizarre Stuff." Urban legends are debunked, medical anomalies are described, and (for the e-shoppers out there) "Top Ten Bizarre Things You Can Buy on Amazon.com" are revealed. Religion and science, people and nature, movies and music, and literature and history all have their own chapters (as well as food and drink, crime, tips for life, travel, and the ever-popular miscellaneous).

Browsing through the table of contents entices with "Codes You Aren't Meant to Know," "Poisonous Foods We Love to Eat," and "Modern Methods of Execution." The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists is 706 pages long, and even if you tell yourself you're not interested in some of the topics, you'll find yourself reading your way through to the last page.

Many of the lists are funny, some are sad, others are shocking; best of all, there's so much in The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists with which you are unfamiliar or were only vaguely aware that it could be included in "Top 10 Tips for Sounding Smarter than You Are."

Keep The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists in the car and read it while you're waiting in line at Motor Vehicles or sitting in a waiting room, the bathroom for brief reading (but don't tell anyone or you'll never have access to the privy), next to the bed for some light reading before dropping off, or anywhere that offers short reading opportunities. Warning: The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists is addictive and there's really no such thing as"reading just one list." As with potato chips, one leads to another, and another, and...

Bottom Line: Would I buy The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists? Yes, I've always liked books of lists, and this one is particularly entertaining. Turn to any page and be shocked, amused, scared, mystified, or amazed.

Excerpted from Blogcritics:[...]

Even my kids love it!!
I dont know that I can put into words how awesome this book is, but I will try!! I found the website earlier this year and thought that it was so much fun to read, well then it became an everyday thing!! In addition the the fun facts on the Top 10 Lists, I have learned so much. And like J. Frater I love the dark, death, and macabre! Its just something that fasinates me and scares me at the same time! I have turned lots of my friends and family on to the site and now with the book!! It stays on my coffee table and is loved by my family and friends alike! I have 6 kids raging in ages 17 to 7, and they all love it too! My oldest sometimes uses it as a reference for school papers!!!!! The younger ones just love the things that they learn, nad had no idea about!

Cant wait for the 2nd book to come out, since it is about bizarre things it should be amazing! Im sure reviewing it will be just as exciting!

A must read book from a must read site
I have always been a fan of listverse lists and loved the fact that they made a book. The book is a great source of random trivia that will never fail to entertain. Any one who is interested in random stuff should read this book. Can't wait for the next one

Awesome!!!
There are so many great topics in this book, and it's full of trivia about a wide range of subjects. Anyone who reads it will come away with new knowledge, and that's always a wonderful thing. It's definitely a cover-to-cover read!!! ... Read more

Product Description
The "Address Directory of Celebrities in Entertainment, Sports, and Business & Politics" has over 30,000 names with addresses of the most popular celebrities today as well as the stars of the past. Every effort is made to provide you with the current and complete address of famous people in entertainment, sports, business and politics you admire and wish to contact. The author and publisher have searched every source such as movies, TV shows, U.S. newspapers, magazines and the internet to provide you with celebrity names and addresses. A powerful database is used to identify the most current and accurate address of your celebrity. Along with the celebrity addresses are lists of the celebrity's hobbies, charity causes, their career awards, a complete list of celebrity birthdays, places to receive in-person autographs, sample letters, autograph associations and clubs, celebrity websites, celebrity biographies listed on the internet. In addition, the publisher has listed all celebrity updates on his website for free use by readers. There is an excellent customer service department with a toll free number available for you to use with questions about your celebrity. If you are an autograph collector, fundraiser, business person, student, teacher, researcher or anyone wanting to contact a celebrity, we are your trusted source of celebrity information. Buy your copy of "The Address Directory of Celebrities in Entertainment, Sports, Business and Politics" with confidence and satisfaction that you are getting the best source of celebrity addresses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Comprehensive Review
This is a very comprehensive review that left nothing out.Recommend this book as a very valuable reference tool to every professional.

Impressive customer service !
I e-mailed the publisher to ask for an update of a celebrity address. He was fast with an answer. He also mentioned he has started a new service to autograph collectors. He will answer any question on the subject of autoghaph collecting for FREE!
I will use the e-mail address for finding out autograph prices, how and where to buy and sell autographs plus anything else I can think of. A great offer!

Here's The List of Celebrity Autographs
I have known David Moore for many years and he is the only author of celebrity directories that uses and updates his address list on daily basis. For me, here is a list of celebrities who I have contacted and received autographs through the mail. They are: Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Gates, Roy Clark, Gillian Anderson, Nicholas Cage, Bill Cosby, James Garner, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Gary Trudeau, Olivia Newton-John, Brandi Chastain, James Watson, Sandra Day O'Connor, Harmon Killebrew, George Bush, Betty Ford, Jimmy Carter, Leann Rhimes, Muhammad Ali, Angela Landsbury, Reba McEntire, Jay Leno, Faith Hill, Tommy John, Tom Hanks, Michael Eisner, Nolan Ryan, Tony Bennet, Colin Powell, Robert Duvall, John Mellencamp, Whoopi Goldberg and many others. If you want excellent results and great customer service, I highly recommend David Moore's book.

This Author is an Expert
After I purchased this book I contacted the author, Mr. Moore to ask him about collecting autographs by index cards or by photographs. He was prompt and very informative with his reply. If you want questions answered about auotgraph collecting, get in touch with him, you will be happy you did.

Amazing book
The reader and reviewer who wrote this book is the ULTIMATE has it right. This book is everything an autograph collector needs. Besides the thousands of celebrity addresses, this book backs up the names with celebrity facts. If you want a complete history of actors it is there under the website named in the book, if you want other facts to write to the celebrity about it is there. (the book has celebrity hobbies, celebrity charities, celebrity birthdays, celebrity hangouts and a lot of useful facts about celebrities)This is the only celebrity directory I will ever need. The price of this book is well worth it!! ... Read more

Product Description
This Industry Risk Ratings report from IBISWorld evaluates the inherent risks associated with the Celebrity & Sports Agents in the US industry. Industry Risk is assumed to be 'the difficulty, or otherwise, of the business operating environment'.

The report looks at the operational risk associated with this industry. Three types of risk are recognized in our analysis. These are: risk arising from within the industry itself (structural risk), risks arising from the expected future performance of the industry (growth risk) and risk arising from forces external to the industry (external sensitivity risk).

This approach is new in that it analyses non-financial information surrounding each industry. Industries are scored on a 9-point scale, where 1 represents the lowest risk and 9 the highest. The Industry Risk score measures expected Industry Risk over the coming 12-18 months.

Industry Definition
Agents and managers represent creative and performing artists, sports figures, entertainers and other public figures. Agents typically focus on finding a client work and engage in contract negotiation and management for a client, for which they are entitled to a pre-determined commission. Managers have a more wide-ranging role that includes contract negotiation, finding sponsorships and endorsements and other services such as diary scheduling, career advice and financial planning.

Report Contents

Risk Overview

The Risk Overview chapter includes sections on Industry Definition and Activities, Industry Risk Score and Risk Rating Analysis.The Industry Definition and Activities section provides a detailed definition of the activities carried out by operators in this industry as defined in NAICS.A list of the primary activities of the industry is also included. The Industry Risk Score section provides the Overall Industry Risk Score as well as the Risk Scores for each of the three types of risk covered that combine to form the Overall Industry Risk Score. These three types of risk are Structural Risk, Growth Risk and External Sensitivity Risk. The Risk Rating Analysis section discusses the underlying factors contributing to the Overall Industry Risk Score.

Structural Risk

The Structural Risk chapter looks at risk arising from within the industry itself and provides a detailed discussion of the industrys level of exposure to seven key indicators.These key indicators are Barriers to Entry, Competition, Industry Exports, Industry Imports, Level of Assistance, Life Cycle Stage and Volatility of Industry.The Overall Structural Risk Score is a weighted aggregation of these seven key indicators.Each of the key indicators is discussed in detail in this section.

Growth Risk

The Growth Risk chapter looks at risks arising from the expected future performance of the industry. The Overall Growth Risk Score is determined by amalgamating the scores for Recent Industry Growth and Forecast Industry Growth. Detailed analysis is provided discussing the reasons for the growth scores of both.

Sensitivity Risk

The Sensitivity Risk chapter looks at risks arising from forces (sensitivities) external to the industry. The Overall External Sensitivity Risk Score is determined by identifying the most significant (up to 6) external factors and weighting them to represent how significant each sensitivity is to the performance of the industry.Examples of External Sensitivities are Exchange Rates, Interest Rates, Commodity Prices and Government Regulations. There is also a detailed analysis of the affect each of the sensitivities has on the industry, including charts and data tables where appropriate.

Industry Risk and Industry Risk Scoring Methodology

This chapter provides an overview of how IBISWorld defines Industry Risk and discusses the methodology used to arrive at an Industry Risk Score.There is also a table that provides a definition of the seven levels of Industry Risk.

71141 - Celebrity & Sports Agents in the US
51211a - Movie & Video Production in the US
51211b - Television Production in the US
51221 - Independent Label Music Production in the US ... Read more

Product Description
Sports Stars investigates the nature of the contemporary sporting celebrity including Diego Maradona, Michael Jordan, Venus Williams and David Beckham, examining their often turbulent relationship with the media and the sporting establishment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Exquisite Postmodern Critique of Celebrity-hood
This is an excellent, accessible collection of well-written essays on the intersection of sport, celebrity, and culture.In particular, the essays on "Gretzky Nation," "Global Hingis," and Michael Jordan were thought-provoking and did more than just glamourise the world of celebrity athletes.Highly recommended to anyone interested in seeing the cultural relavance of sporting figures in everyday global culture.

Brilliant!
Great book.Complete, and thought provoking.I especially enjoyed the chapter on "Global Hingis"! ... Read more

Product Description
The Beckham enigma continues. Since the publication of Cashmore’s challenging social biography in 2003, the working-class kid from the East London has left Manchester and conquered the world. Undisputedly one of the world’s most famous men, Beckham has transcended sport to become an all-purpose cultural icon for the twenty-first century.

What are the sources of Beckham’s godlike status? Why does someone who looks good, but speaks in platitudes and does little but play football, command the adulation of the planet? By dissecting his life and setting it in context of the age of celebrity, Cashmore argues that Beckham has been turned into a product, a commodity that can be bought and sold like any other piece of merchandise. There is not just a person named Beckham: there are countless Beckhams that exist independently of time and space, constructions of peoples’ imaginations.

The second edition of Beckham updates the original’s arguments, covering the events that have shaped the Beckham phenomenon: the Flying Boot that symbolized the growing disquiet at Manchester United, the replacement of his first agents SFX with Simon Fuller (the creator of Pop Idol), the failed attempt to capture a US market, the growing presence of adidas, the sportswear giants, and the transfer saga that took Beckham to Madrid – and his influence beyond.

Among the other features of the second edition are chapters on: Manchester United, the club that provided Beckham with his first showcase; Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of British football; Beckham’s ambiguous sexual image and his gay following; the importance of Madonna in kick-starting the age of celebrity in which Beckham prospered; Beckham’s curious relationships with the legacy of Warhol.

Completely revised and updated, the new text emphasizes the often overlooked part played by Victoria in the making of the icon and the guile with which she helped plan an enterprise that had no precedents. ... Read more

Product Description
For those who dream of breakfast with Olympic Gold medal-winner Bruce Jenner, of discussing boating or music over a plate of marinated cucumber salad with piano man Billy Joel, or of ending a long day with a batch of chocolate chip cookies with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Cooking With The Stars is the next best thing. It is sure to help anyone serve up the perfect meal at any time of day or night.

Cooking With The Stars is filled with more stars than the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Oscar Night. Featuring 134 mouth-watering recipes from celebrities in television, film, politics, fashion, music, sports and many other walks of life, this is no ordinary cookbook.

From the likes of New York City's hottest chef Daniel Boulud, ofCaf Boulud, the Today Show's Katie Kouric, Academy award-winningactress Angelica Houston, fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and formermember of the Mama's and the Papa's Michelle Phillips comesrecipes for any occasion, and any meal. Readers sampling AlanKing's U.S. Open Chili will feel like they are at Arthur AsheStadium watching Monica Seles, Andre Agassi or Pete Sampras. Any homewill feel like the Governor's mansion while one is savoring MarioCuomo's Spinach Frittata. Reader's will feel like a guest onRegis and Kathy Lee when enjoying Kathy Lee Gifford's Mom'sBaked Chicken Salad or Banana Nut Bread and Regis Philbin'sJoy's Perfect Bow Ties.

Complete with easy-to-follow recipes, the book also includes:
- A glossary of herbs and spices
- A glossary that will teach anyone the difference between blanch and braise, coddle and curdle, and, finally, the true meaning of julienne
- A celebrity index
- An alphabetical recipe index
- A recipe index divided into Soups and Breads; Salads; Main Courses (Fish, Seafood, Meatless, Meats, Poultry); Pasta; Side Dishes; Vegetables; Sauces/Dressings/Condiments; Cakes; Candies; Cookies; Custards/Puddings/Mousse; Dessert Frostings/Fillings

Among other celebrities who contributed recipes include:
- Shirley MacLaine
- Bill Cosby
- Johnny Mathis
- Tipper Gore
- Oliver Stone
- Michael Feinstein
- Joan Rivers
- Ted Turner
- Oprah Winfrey
- Julie Andrews
- Tim Allen
- Bill Blass
- Dick Clark
- Bob Costas

While Cooking With The Stars is fun and entertaining, the project is also for a good cause. Proceeds from the book go to the Spirit of Christmas Foundation, which directly helps children in need, families in crisis, low-income seniors and the working poor. Its programs include giving away free Christmas trees, holiday food boxes and toys during the holiday season. Proceeds also go to the Koroibos Foundation, named for the first known Olympic champion, and run by Olympians, which helps contending Olympic hopefuls in financial need. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fun and Easy Recipes By Favorites!
These are very good recipes, they're fun and most are easy. I mean, if you can't handle Joan Rivers' recipe for Toast, there's something wrong! I tried Barbara Bush's Barbecue Chicken recipe and it's great. And myfavorite star Johnny Mathis provides 6 recipes including Southern CornBread, which I haven't tried, because I make mine with whole wheat blendflour, but I'm sure his is good, too! But the thing I like best about theserecipes is that they are developed obviously by people who have to usetheir time wisely and don't like to spend forever in the kitchen! ... Read more

Product Description
Do you find yourself gathering all the gossip you can about your favorite celebrities? Are you interested in putting your knowledge to the test? With Brain Games: Celebrity Puzzles, you can exercise your body s most important organ, your brain, as well as entertain yourself.

Part of the highly popular Brain Games series, this book features a variety of mental challenges and puzzles that focus on a well-known film star, musician, athlete, movie or television show. Here are some of the celebrities featured in the book s puzzles:
Muhammad Ali
Drew Barrymore
Humphrey Bogart
Cher
George Clooney
Tom Cruise
Leonardo DiCaprio
Johnny Depp
Clint Eastwood
Elvis
Brett Favre
Tina Fey
Morgan Freeman
Tom Hanks
Derek Jeter
Angelina Jolie
Madonna
Al Pacino
Meryl Streep
Reese Witherspoon
Tiger Woods

Brain Games: Celebrity Puzzles has variety of mental challenges and puzzles designed to cross-train your brain and test your celebrity trivia knowledge. Puzzles types include:
Anagrams
Crosswords
Cryptograms
Language puzzles
Word searches

Answers to each puzzle are provided at the end of the book. Brain Games: Celebrity Puzzles is spiral-bound and easy to use, regardless of whether you re at home, on public transportation, in a long security line at the airport, or at the beach. Use it any time to boost your concentration, logic, and reasoning. ... Read more

Product Description
The Other Sides of an Uncommon Athlete

There are athletes and there are uncommon athletes...and then there is Robert Smith, who fits no conventional mold. In The Rest of the Iceberg, the Minnesota Vikings’ all-pro and Ohio State All-American tells his full and complete story for the first time since his surprise retirement in February 2001. Told through the remarkable prism of Smith’s eyes, this book will take you on a journey to places you’ve never been...and won’t forget.------

At times in our society, we long to be like everyone else, or failing that, at least fit in. But at the same time, we are also ultra-competitive and long to stand out from the rest of the crowd—not to be different, but to be special. It almost sounds silly, but being "special" helped me stand out from the beginning. For one thing, I had the gift of speed. It’s not that I wasn’t a bright or charming boy. In fact, I was considered to have both of those qualities. But when you’re a kid, athletic prowess is considered the best of all talents...I was like a sideshow performer at recess or gym. We would set up races and when some loud-mouth kid wanted to race me, I’d give him this huge advantage...and still win. It was my introduction to the pure joy of running. —From The Rest of the Iceberg ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Book review
My son really enjoyed this book and found it to be a good read! Smith is a great as author as he was a football player

True to his word
I played High School football against Robert and everyone knew then that he was going pro.In fact when he was done beating us up he would switch to quarterback and we would get gouged by another tailback, I think it was Pepe Pearson.Most importantly is that anyone who talked to Robert knew that football was a means to an end.He would use his talent to pursue other goals and he often mentioned medical.

In a world where people are patently fake he was true to his dream.

Philly Eagles addictfrom NY who's also a Robert Smith fan (yea im confused, so what)
Although this book would probably be best appreciated by those of us who were already Robert Smith fans, it should also be interesting to anyone who follows football. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because he kept it real--he was honest about the good and not-so-good things he had done in his life and throughout his football career. He gives readers insight into a player's frame of mind before and after games, and the drama that can sometimes occur between players in the locker room. I was a little disappointed that he didnt address some of the rumors that he has to know we have heard, but I liked that he wasn't afraid to give his opinions on divisive issues like race and religion, even though I didnt agree with some of them. I will definitely be reading this book again.

Pass On This One
I was very disappointed in the overall content of the book.Very little insight into the game of football.The author's view of race, religion, and politics added nothing but a few pages to the length of the book.

A positive review...
I purchased this book because I find it intriguing that a guy with a gazillion dollar future ahead of him walked away from it all to pursue another path.How many of us would do the same I wonder? Smith consistently had an interesting and thoughtful perspective throughout his athletic career.And that's exactly what he still manages to deliver in this book.For those of you looking for solutions to resolve all that ills our society or a good dissing on Randy Moss for that matter, you are not going to find it here.Just his point of view, which is personally why I bought it to begin with.And whether you agree with his thought process or not, I don't think the guy needs any validation.His actions have always spoke volumes about his character.Overall, I found this book to be a commendable first time effort from a notable personality that I hope we hear more from in the future. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Celebrity Sports Center, Water World, Colorado, Island Kingdom Water Park. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 24. 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: Celebrity Sports Center (CSC or Celebrity's) was a family-oriented entertainment business and landmark in metropolitan Denver. Celebrity's was located in Glendale, Colorado at 888 South Colorado Boulevard near East Kentucky Avenue. It opened in 1960 and operated continuously for 34 years before closing in 1994. The original investors included Walt Disney, his brother Roy, Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, George Burns, Charles Laughton, Burl Ives, Art Linkletter, John Payne, Spike Jones and Jim and Marion Jordan (Fibber McGee and Molly). There are some sources that suggest Walt Disney Company used the business as a training facility for its employees prior to deployment to other attractions such as Disneyland and Disney World. Walt Disney and the original investors built the Celebrity's complex at a cost of $6 million. The bowling lanes opened first in 1960 and the rest of the center opened in 1961. In 1979, a group of private investors led by Bob Leavitt and Neil Griffin purchased Celebrity's for $1.9 million. The three signature water slides that were visible from outside of the building were added after Leavitt/Griffin purchase. In the early 1990's, Celebrity's was losing money and apparently in need of significant maintenance. In 1994, the complex was sold to Acquisition Corporation of the Rockies for $10.8 million, a subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company. The new owner demolished Celebrity's by March, 1995. Today the 7.1 acre site is a Home Depot store and retail space. Celebrity's was home to 80 bowling lanes, more than 300 video games spread across three arcades, a 50-meter pool with three water slides, a billiard room, a full-serv...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=20059425 ... Read more

Product Description
Hunters of sports and celebrity signatures will find this reference to be an authoritative price guide with attractive photos and sample signatures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Waste of time and money
I purchased this book expecting to get a complete listing of values for autographs of celebrities and athletes.What I got was nothing more than a reproduction of the listings that Beckett includes in its monthly publications.With the exception of about 200 prices for celebrityautographs (which is a far cry from the thousands you would find in otherpublications), this book has nothing that you can't get in a monthly issueof Beckett.It may have a few nice pictures, but that does not make up forits lack of content.And the prices are obscene!Is a Dean Cain sig worthmore than Willie Mays?Or for that matter is Dean Cain worth more thanJack Nicholson? Where do they get their information? They spend way toomuch time listing prices for autograph inserts manufactured by cardcompanies, and not enough time listing prices for REAL autographs obtainedby collecters.Can I get my twenty-five bucks back?

Not a review, but info from a reader
I am not being critical when I say, in retrospect I would not have purchased this book.The general info listed above doesn't really tell what you what you're buying, so I'll try to give you a bit more info here. Don't expect to learn a price estimate for your John Wayne photo here. There are about 500 Hollywood celebrity names and price estimates, but theyare all living performers.The baseball section is better.There's anactive player section as well as a lengthy retired section, includingdeceased players -- with price estimates.NO signature samples of thecelebrities are included.About 150 baseball players (past and present)signature samples are included.There are football, basketball hockeyboxing and other sports sections which are similar to the baseball section. There's also a lot about trading cards, but I'm no expert on how good thatis.I'm not saying how good or bad this book is. I just want to help youknow what you're buying. ... Read more

Product Description
5X7 COOKBOOK ... Read more

Product Description
Why are sport stars central to celebrity culture? What are the implications of their fame?

Proceeding from a broadly based discussion of heroism, fame and celebrity, Smart addresses a number of prominent modern sports and sport stars, including Michael Jordan (basketball), David Beckham (football), Tiger Woods (golf), Anna Kournikova and the Williams sisters (tennis).

He analyses the development of modern sport in the UK and USA, demonstrating the key economic and cultural factors that have contributed to the popularity of sport stars, while examining issues such as race and gender, the impact of professionalization, growing media coverage, the role of agents and the increasing presence of commercial corporations providing sponsorship and endorsement contracts.

This book situates the sport star as the embodiment of the various tensions of age, class, race, gender and culture. It argues that sporting figures possess an increasingly rare quality of authenticity that gives them the capacity to lift and inspire people. The book is a major contribution to the sociology and culture of sport and celebrity. ... Read more

Product Description

In Seeing Stars, Dennis J. Frost traces the emergence and evolution of sports celebrity in Japan from the seventeenth through the twenty-first centuries. Frost explores how various constituencies have repeatedly molded and deployed representations of individual athletes, revealing that sports stars are socially constructed phenomena, the products of both particular historical moments and broader discourses of celebrity.

Drawing from media coverage, biographies, literary works, athletes’ memoirs, bureaucratic memoranda, interviews, and films, Frost argues that the largely unquestioned mass of information about sports stars not only reflects, but also shapes society and body culture. He examines the lives and times of star athletes—including sumo grand champion Hitachiyama, female Olympic medalist Hitomi Kinue, legendary pitcher Sawamura Eiji, and world champion boxer Gushiken Yokoō--demonstrating how representations of such sports stars mediated Japan’s emergence into the putatively universal realm of sports, unsettled orthodox notions of gender, facilitated wartime mobilization of physically fit men and women, and masked lingering inequalities in postwar Japanese society.

As the first critical examination of the history of sports celebrity outside a Euro-American context, this book also sheds new light on the transnational forces at play in the production and impact of celebrity images and dispels misconceptions that sports stars in the non-West are mere imitations of their Western counterparts.

Product Description

A collection of offbeat, funny, and often moving backstories of the many entertainers and athletes covered by award-winning Newsweek journalist Allison Samuels, Off the Record reveals the inner worlds of today's A-list black celebrities.

Customer Reviews (6)

Really Good Read
The ediors were right when they said the book was superficial but that doesn't me it's not enjoyable. I couldn't put it down.

Allison, You Go Girl!
Allison is an excellent writer! I like the way she shared information on the top stars. The information was mostly positive and she kept the audience interest. We all don't have to read negative information about stars to enjoy a great book. In fact, I was more fascinated about the author's early career. Allison wrote about the sentimental side of each star.

Book "Off The Record"
Enjoyed this book a great deal. It was very well written, and I learned some interesting things about interesting people. Allison you did a great job!E. Gossett

An Insider's Look into American Pop Culture
Written by Allison Samuels, Newsweek magazine's longtime entertainment reporter, OFF THE RECORD is a compilation of personality profiles of African-American celebrities, including musicians, athletes, actors and other icons.Recommended to anyone interested in pop culture, this book reads like a magazine.Most chapters are relatively short articles that focus on two or three similar personalities, though some chapters are much longer and are dedicated to the exploration of one major cultural icon.

A fearless writer, unafraid to take a jab or two at the mighty and the dangerously sensitive, Samuels uses her 13 years of experience covering the entertainment industry to reveal the surprisingly contradictory personality traits of her subjects.Here you will read about

∑ How the late rapper Tupac Shakur was transformed from an ambitious, sweet, well-read, former ballet dancer to frightening thug, once he was recruited by record executive, Marion "Suge" Knight;

∑ How NBA all-star Kobe Bryant immaturely alienated himself from his Lakers teammates and in the process destroyed his own reputation and his relationship with Shaquille O'Neal by foolishly believing he did not need the guidance and advice of NBA veterans;

∑ How actress Halle Berry offended Whoopi Goldberg when she tearfully accepted her Oscar win for best actress without acknowledging the African-American women who had won before her, including Hattie McDaniel and Goldberg; and

∑ How Mike Tyson is extraordinarily generous, perhaps because as the author notes it is his way of coping "in a world that had not given him very much in the way of kindness or sympathy."

Plus there are other fascinating profiles of Angela Bassett, Denzel Washington, Dr. Dre, Snopp Dogg, Eddie Murphy, Bill Cosby, Ray Lewis, Allen Iverson, Tyra Banks, Lil' Kim, Suge Knight, Coretta Scott King and Malcolm Shabazz.

- Regina McMenamin

it's good
some interesting tidbits here&there,nothing earth shattering but a good read to have on your book table or something to share some of the qoutes with folks here&there. it's entertaining&is a good read.this Book represents some of the biggest Names of Black Entertainment in various aspects. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3973 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more