This book is absolutely amazing. Drew Barrymore takes readers through a very difficult time in her life. She describes her addictions with such force and honesty that you can't help but feel what she's going through. Throughout the book you feel her emotions as you read them, so that while she learns from her mistakes, you learn from them as well. I really appreciate that she never made excuses for her behavior at all throughout the book, she just showed what she did and how she learned from it. Drew shows such strength throughout the book and such wisdom, that at times it's hard to think that she was only about thirteen or fourteen while she was writting it. She makes a great contribution to society in writting this book, because she shows you the non-glamorous side of drugs, which makes you realize how horrible they actually are. This is a great book that I highly recommend.

There have been many books that I have read dealing with Drug additctions and family problems, but "Little Girl Lost" was by far the best book that I have read about this subject. Drew Berrymoore does a wonderful job showing the reader the life experiences that she encountered as a young girl and teenager. As a little girl in the spot light from the beginning due to a main roll in the movie E.T. Drew began her life knowing that she wanted to always act. Her mother being a single parent was not always there for Drew when she needed her the most and her father was never in her life. Drew started smoking cigarettes at the age of nine, drinking heavily and smoking pot by the age of twelve and then became addicted to coke soon after. Drew's book does not only give in full detail the experiences that she went through with her addictions but she really shows the reader exactly how hard it was to go through her life alone and what that did to her as a person. Soon after Drews addictions became out of controll,her mother admitted her into a hospital where she would begin her treatment. The way that Drew shared her experiences in the hospital made me feel like I was actually going through this at the same moment she talked about it. She showed the reader how powerful addictions are and how they really do take over your life. Also by writing about her experience she helped give hope to other people who can relate to having addictions, family problems, and then going through the process of recovery, the hardest step imaginable. Not only does she break down the steps of recovery but she also shows the reader that family problems are very complicated to deal with. Many people feel that just because some one is famous they live a life that is glorious. She was not affraid to come out and share her life changing story after her recovery and I feel that from her many people can learn a lot about family problems, addictions, and the way to help yourself and get through treatment.

They say that money can't buy happiness, and Drew Barrymore proves it. This is one of the most heart-rending books I've ever read.
Drew shows wisdom beyond her years as she invites the reader to look at her relationship with her mother, her non-relationship with her father, and her desent into drink and drugs.
Follow Drew as she goe's into and back out of rehab. What was the backlash on her career?
This book is so good I had to buy copies for my friends.

I've always enjoyed AM's performances whenever I come across them, but I wouldn't consider myself a fan. That's why I'm surprised to be rating this autobiography with 4 stars. I wanted to get the dish on Elvis, and yes, it's here. But there's more, too. She's refreshingly honest about the duality of her nature -- the onstage strumpet who can (to borrow a phrase) start a heat wave by letting her seat wave coexists with the "good girl" who brought friends with her on dates so she wouldn't have to be alone with a man before she was ready; the dutiful daughter who couldn't bear to disappoint her parents coexists with the reckless woman who truthfully, regretfully admits to having ended marital arguments by roaring off on her Harley with a good deal of alcohol in her system. It must be hard for her to live her life with, as she refers to it, "the two Ann-Margrets." I found that, and her enduring love story with Roger, to be the best and most surprising aspects of the book.

Ann-Margret showed a lot of class in the writing of this book and I just know she is a great person.This book is very discreet - not a tell-all like SOME people.Very informative about her life.For the record,I think Ann-Margret and Elvis should have stayed together,they made a lovely couple!

Ann-Margret is one of the most private Hollywood Legends ever...her candid tale is so riveting and just terrific, it's not to be passed up! She is truly a legend and always will be...you will respect her even more after reading this.

In chapter 20 of this book Richard Pryor offhandedly calls his comedy style "profane and profound" and inadvertently sums up his life and this book perfectly. This is at various times the most dirtyminded, hilarious, shocking, or downright disturbing autobiography you may ever read, but always with his great dark humor. With a bizarre and damaging childhood in Peoria, Richard Pryor was raised in his grandmother's place of business - which happened to be a whorehouse with all of its shady and unwholesome characters. A violent and painful childhood full of profanity and prejudice came out in Richard's comedy, which was truly groundbreaking in its shocking honesty. He lived a wild life in the spotlight, with addictions and a constant parade of rough women, including five wives that he divorced six times. The wives are hard to keep track of, but Richard is always brutally honest about his attitudes toward women even if it's rarely pretty. He also has a very refreshing outlook on racial matters, as the prejudice that was so damaging failed to ruin his respect for all people of any color. Most of the tail end of the book concerns his nearly born again soul searching about his infamous addictions and latest losing battle with multiple sclerosis. In addition to Richard's straightforward and unforgiving narratives, there are very frequent asides from one of his stage characters, Mudbone, who here is acting as his even more brutally honest alter ego. This gives the book an often jarring schizophrenic character, and surely reflects the true workings of Pryor's dark genius.

This has to be one of the most honest and compelling autobiographies I ever read! I have an immense amount of respect for the intimate details that Rich felt comfortable with sharing with readers about his early life and personal problems. Though some parts dealt with painful issues, the comedic genius he is, he manages to have readers smiling through tears. I found it particularly painful to read his battle with MS, which I watched my mother suffer with, but again, the humor is always there. Richard Pryor is the epitomy of a survivor, not to mention one of the most talented comedians of our time. This was a very inspirational and enjoyable read and I recommend the purchase A.S.A.P.

PRYOR CONVICTIONS made have changed the names to protect the innocent, but the story that unfolded made up for it. Richard Pryor's life has been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, starting with his childhood, his molestation and rearing in a brothel to his complicated teens and young adulthood, when he felt he needed everyone's approval to live his life. Even as he reached maturity, he still felt he needed to belong to someone and needed to believe in something. It is this pyschological imbalance that drives him to drugs, numerous wives, and even more sexual conquests, but, in the end, he still felt alone and lost. He found out that the only need he couldn't live without was the need to be himself and the power to love who he is. Very candid and explicit, this is the real Richard Pryor, and, for better or worse, this is his story.

The Osbournes have gained fame not just for pioneering the reality TV show (and succeeding in it the way pretty much nobody else has), but for letting the masses in on their family life. It's weird, it's wacky, and when you pare it down it's pretty close to anyone else's family life. And that includes dogs peeing on the furniture, music, thongs, the arrogance of big sisters, getting tattoos, and much more.

"Officially Osbourne" is an episode guide (first season) interspersed with biographies, interviews, and information. Each of the bios includes favorite music, birth date, video games, personal philosophies, what their family members say about them, and then an interview. Each episode has a basic summary (about two or three paragraphs) and a slew of pictures. Also there are best lines ("Bubbles? Oh come on, Sharon! I'm the Prince of #$&*in' Darkness!"), and highlights (a fire in the kitchen -- "the first one in the new house").

There are chapters on other topics too: On Melinda Verga, a lower-key employee, on home decor (black, antiques, and crucifixes), the different rooms in the house, and on the pets (dogs and cats, most memorably Lola). One chapter is devoted to Ozzy and Sharon's parenting methods, and what their kids think of those methods. And most tantalizing of all is the chapter where they talk about what never made it onto your TV screen...

This book captures some of the spirit that infuses the Osbourne TV show. The coverage and interviews with Ozzy, smart wife Sharon and kids Jack and Kelly (Aimee declined to be in the show). Their attitudes are refreshingly honest and open -- in a celebrity subculture where people say prescripted, inoffensive lines, the Osbournes will tell the world what they do and don't like (Kelly hates pop singers, for example).

The pages are likably colorful, not just black text on white paper. The pictures are a slightly more mixed bag -- there are a lot of them on almost every page in the book, of everyone: The house, the furnishings, the dogs... unfortunately, many are too small to look at easily, and some are blurred. Many are quite good, clear and well-lit.

"We're not the #$&*ing Partridge Family" -- Sharon said it best. And "Officially Osbourne" takes some of the best elements from the TV show and commits them to paper. Definitely recommended for people who watch the show.

Officially Osbourne is an excellent guide to the Osbournes. It shares details of the episodes, profiles of the family members, untold stories, interviews, parents' advice from Sharon and Ozzy, and more. The pictures in this book are mostly animated, and while regular photos would have been great, it does add a more fun approach to the book. This is a must have for fans. You'll learn so much more about the Osbournes.

For any Osbourne fan, this is the book to get. It has every detail you ever wanted to know about the show. Great pictures and interviews, as well as info you didn't know!

Those of us who gained immensely from Kubler-Ross' first book "On death and dying" will be interested to read her final book. And what a dichotomy from the first! Instead of a carefully reasoned, almost scientific treatise on the subject of life and death, Kubler-Ross throws us onto the roller coaster that has been her life. Unsatisfactory relationships, a definite superiority complex (Kubler-Ross is always right) and a profound belief that her life has eveolved the way it has in order for her to learn the lessons she needs to - and yet mysterious and thought-provoking. The way in which she refers to her "spooks" (her term), the spirit guides which live with her each day, and her encounters with out of body experiences leave us more grounded souls with a high degree of scepticism. And yet ... Read this book and make up your mind for yourself.

This is a wonderful book. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross has done the world a tremendous service by helping to humanize death and the process of dying, and in this autobiography she tells of all the surprises and inevitabilities that marked her own growth, and the growth of her work. Somewhere along the line, however, a few years back, Kubler-Ross adopted the role of an amateur prophet, and some of her later works deliver a confusing, inconsistent, and often strident set of contradictory neo-Jungian messages about matters spiritual. Those who think she lost her marbles will find plenty of evidence here as elsewhere to support their views. But this book is actually a whole lot more accessible, and far less preachy, than some of her other books have been. I think one would be unwise to ignore the complications entailed by Kubler-Ross's many spiritual injunctions, but one would be uncharitable to also dismiss the tremendous good that has come out of her life's work. I don't find in this book the accepting, non-ideological compassion of Stephen Levine, nor the unassuming experimental spirit of Raymond Moody, but Kubler-Ross remains incomparable as the initiating spokesperson for a humane death. Her tale is extraordinary, and this book is an exceptional, welcome, and one-of-a-kind read.

After I read this book,I know more about death and dying.But what really attract me?I think it's the writer-Elisabeth Kubler Ross-herself.This book is just like a autobiography of herself.Tell us all about her family and her school life.Let us not only know more about what is death and dying but why and how she would like to devote herself to study thanatology.Everyone should read it,because it is really a book about life itself.

I found this book to be excellent. The photos were all shot during the week of taping the last episode. The quality and richness of the pictures are spectacular! Here the photographer conveys the emotion, closeness and camraderie of cast and crew alike. Comments and reflections from the "Fab 4" are included as well, under each photo. There personal feelings, reactions, and thoughts on how the show changed them, and how the show changed the TV world as we know it. I am a die-hard seinfeld fan, and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to further there memorabilia collection.

I bought this book as a present for my husband who happens to be a major Seinfeld fan. The book was terrific! It has black and white photos of the casts last days on the set with their comments. This book is perfect for all heavy duty Seinfeld fans. Crys

I am a huge Seinfeld fan and I became even more crazy about the actors of the program after reading this book. You can experience the final days of Seinfeld through the eyes of the actors themselves. It is all very special and emotional.

Larry Hagman was born September 21, 1931 in Forth Worth, Texas. His 17 year old mother, Mary Martin, was a perpetual Peter Pan, who did not want to grow up. After a stint as a TV astronaut with a Jeannie in a bottle, Larry finally made it over to Dallas. Here's what he says about his autobiography: "In this book I'm going to describe how I did my best. A lot already has been said about me. I've been described as the Mad Monk of Malibu, the kooky actor in the caftan who led flag parades up and down the beach, didn't speak on Sundays, and occasionally roared up to the grocery store on a Harley while dressed in a yellow chicken suit. It's also no secret that I'm a recovering alcoholic whose life has been prolonged by a liver transplant. It's all true, but there's more to say, lots more. Some of it's funny, some of it's serious, and some contains the wisdom that comes from discovering that having it all doesn't mean you *actually* have it all. In writing this book, I decided to throw all that mumbo in the gumbo, to stir in the stories, the little-known details, and the lessons I've learned, and I wanted to do it before I couldn't remember it anymore or we destroy the planet, whichever comes first."

Larry Hagman shines through and co-writer Todd Gold doesn't get in the way. "As I see it, I've spent much of my life in the business of crowd control. Each night, millions of people are at home staring at a box, and I'm inside it. If they weren't watching TV, they'd be outside rioting in the streets, breaking windows, and overturning police cars. I help keep them sedated, and at the same time I help sell cars, aspirin, deodorant, and feminine hygiene products. So far I've been pretty good at it. ... I even take a little credit for helping bring down the Eastern bloc."

That's not all faux bravado. As an amateur philosopher/sociologist, the "man in the hat" does a pretty fair job that'd make Marshall McLuhan proud.. While filming episodes of *Dallas* on-location in Moscow, Larry, a/k/a J. R. Ewing, "Walked around the city unrecognized. It felt great to be anonymous again. I walked leisurely through museums and churches without being stopped once for an autograph. All of us actors remarked on a similar experience. But then we ran into a group of East German tourists who picked up television signals from West Germany and they were fanatical *Dallas* fans. Our guide, a pretty little girl, had no idea why four hundred people suddenly went nuts seeing us. ... 'That's J.R.!' they screamed. 'J.R., we love you!' Our guide didn't understand and called for security. 'But you're just an actor.' She kept saying . ... Nine months later, I watched CNN's coverage of the Berlin Wall being torn down and realized that *Dallas* had impacted that side of the world. Pop music also had an effect, but ideas combined with pictures were even more powerful. Every time people in Hungary, Poland, and East Germany watched *Dallas*, they saw what they didn't have - the beautiful clothes, the big homes, the abundant food, and the lifestyle. Eventually, enough people began to say, 'Wait a minute, I want that stuff too! And why don't we have it?' ... When the people from the Eastern bloc countries saw what they were missing, they realized what a farce communism was."

How much did the Ewing family mean to Larry Hagman? Remember the oil painting of Jock Ewing (Jim Davis) that hung over the mantle at Southfork? It's the first thing one sees when entering Hagman's house.

This is an entertaining celebrity bio that gets its points across - the good, the bad, the happy and the sad.

With rumors abounding about the casting in the in-the-works big screen adaptation of the hit series "Dallas", I summit that the life of star Larry Hagman is more enticing than any episode of the landmark series.

Hagman, along with co-author Todd Gold, has written a thoroughly fascinating autobiography of a man that is a complex as any ever to be a Hollywood mainstay. Like his birthplace of Texas, Hagman is wide and vast and most intriguing. Telling of his beginnings as the offspring of Broadway legend Mary Martin and his lawyer-father, the actor reveals his many highs and lows in his ascent to the heights of iconic status.

He lets us in on his "experiments" with drugs, his "lean" years as a struggling actor, his marriage to his beloved Maj, his television successes (both "I Dream of Jeannie and "Dallas", as well as the many featured roles in big and small screen films), and his interactions with the famous and not-so-familiar.

With a wry wit and genuine humility, the star comes across as a man at peace with himself and so self-assured that he can alternately and honestly tell of his strengths and shortcomings.

He may have never won an award for his distinctive television characters but to his legion of fans, he is a winner.

This book has it all. I could not put it down. It takes you from the Larry Hagman who had about 30 cents in his pocket, to the wheeling & dealing of his contract on "Dallas". It is funny, it is sad. It is the closest you can get to knowing the man without being married to him. It is full of advice & philosophies that I feel will enhance my own life. It truly is an intimate look at the life of one of the greatest actors and entertainers that ever lived.

When I closed the last page of the book, I realized that without knowing it, I was reading a love story. In Hollywood where stars change spouses like the seasons, Larry Hagman has been married to his wife "Maj" for almost 50 years! After reading the book, upon reflection, I remembered how Larry was advised by his wife, how he has always treated her with respect & admiration. You can still see the sparkle in his eye when reading the words he writes about his wife. Their relationship is truly one of equals. It is heartwarming to see a man who is wise enough to know that nothing can replace the love of one good woman, and a best friend for life.

The book is written in his own words and style, and you can tell by reading it that it was not done by some ghost writer looking to make a buck. The only problem with the book is that when I finished it, I wanted to pick up the phone, call Larry, and say "Hey let's go fishing". He truly seems like an old friend by the end of the book!

I had heard amusing stories about how messed up Brian Wilson was at one point, but until reading this I never realized how NOT funny his condition was! It must have been as painful writing it as it was living it. I dont think I've ever heard such brutally honest confessions and stories from such an important icon as Wilson is. Additionally, this is probably one of the best source for inside info on the Beach Boys, since Brian practically was the Beach Boys. I am aware of some other books being written, but who could tell a better story than the person who lived it? in this case this story cant be effectively told by anyone BUT Brian(...who else would know about what the voices in his head said, etc.) While reading, you get the imoression (actually its quite obvious) that this book was written during a time when relationships with the other bandmates were obviously strained, and it is particularly evident in the latter part of the book. Much of the bitterness is directed at Mike Love, perhaps justifiably so based on other accounts I've read about him. After reading, I'm not sure I agree totally with Dr. Landy's methods, but I do believe Brian wouldnt have been around to write this book were it not for Landy. This book could have ended with Brian's "resurrection" in 1983, all the events descrbed after that are really alot of bitterness and downright nastiness directed at the other Beach Boys. I'm not faulting Brian for this, it seemed to me that most of it was Landy's influence. It seemed like Landy's way of getting back at the other Beach Boys for exposing him as the fraud he really turned out to be at Brian's expense, and Brian ended up being sued over this book from what I understand. Still though, this book offers first hand accounts of some of the events that inspired (or in the case of Smile, destroyed) most of the Beach Boys material. I hope someday that this book can be de-Landyized and re-written by Brian. This is a fascinating and important insight into pop music that should not be out of print. How important? Name at least one other major icon of the sixties that ever published an auto-biography. The Stones? Dylan? The Beatles? None, all 3rd party observation and speculative accounts. And besides, as much as I love these other bands, they cant hold a candle musically to Brian Wilson. Read this book ,but stop after you get to 1983.

I must say that this has to be the most brutally honest book that I have ever read. Starting with his birth and going all the way up until age 49 in 1991, Brian Wilson takes us on the harrowing journey that was his life. No stone is left unturned. Nothing was too abusive to leave out. In recovering from addiction, you have to be raw with your feelings and honest with yourself, and I think Brian Wilson has been both. Before reading this book, I had known about the controversy surrounding Dr. Landy and his treatment of Brian, and at the time I was on the side of Brian's family and the other Beach Boys, feeling that he had been brainwashed and was being controlled by Dr. Landy. However, after reading this book, although I still do not agree with the way some things were handled, I can see that it was necessary for someone to take control of Brian. He certainly could not do it himself. He needed to be literally rebuilt from the ground up and from inside out. I think he needed to be shown that he had the power within himself to recover. Dr. Landy did a fabulous job, and at times I'm sure it was a thankless job. Without him and his therapy, I am quite sure that Brian Wilson would no longer be with us. I don't know how Brian is doing today, but hopefully he is still living a clean and sober life. I'm glad that we still have him around.

It's sad how often the words "tragic genius" get mentioned in the same sentence. Brian Wilson is Exhibit A for the term in the contemporary American pop music world. This book is riveting, revealing in ways even Wilson himself might not have been aware of. The basic facts of his life--the abusive father, drug use, sandbox in the bedroom, his firing from the band, estrangement from family--were well known before the book's publication in 1991. But a good deal is added to the mix (including cruel stories meant to make enemies like Mike Love look bad). I think the moment that hit me the hardest was how employees in his house would walk around him when he was comatose on the floor, merely calling it "Brian being Brian." His stupor helped them exploit his position without interference. I was less interested in Landy's position in his life (the psychiatrist turned album producer is up there with the hairdresser who did the same thing in the 1970s) than in Wilson's revaluation of his career and life. The book is full of backgrounds on the songs that made the Beach Boys famous, which fans of the music will appreciate. This book sent me back to the music itself, deepening my appreciation for it. As a human document, it pays tribute to Wilson as a survivor--few could have lived through what he did. No history of the 60s pop music era will be complete without consulting this book.

On the back book cover of this book it bills itself as The Mother of All Comedy Books...and it is.

Comic Relief is a quick-read, laugh-out loud collection of some of the very best comedy routines that appeared on the Comic Relief HBO specials from 1986-1995. Among the many (not all are listed in this review) comedians' work contained here are: Louie Anderson, Richard Belzer, Elayne Boosler, Billy Crystal, Whoppi Goldberg, Richard Jeni, Richard Lewis, Bill Maher, Dennis Miller, Paula Poundstone, Gary Shandler, Bob Saget -- you get the idea.

A question does arise: if you READ a comedian's routine (his or her "set") is it still funny? The unequivocal answer is: it depends.

I loved this book. I laughed at loud when I read this book. But it's interesting how some comedians you like a LOT are not as funny when you read what they are actually saying. The reason: their personna (their body language, their speech pattern) has a lot to do with the laughs they elicit. On the other hand, there are others who you may not have appreciated whose material is an absolute howl when you read it on the page.
It's easy to see which comedians have achieved success partly due to their personna and which other ones seem to have risen to the top largely due to sharp writing and editing that's funny even when you read it without seeing the delivery.

So this book is worth OWNING for several reasons:
--If you love comedy, there's some great stuff in it. You can put this book down, then go back after a year and read it again and it's still funny.
--If you are a student of comedy, it shows you some great comedy scripts. You'll be amazed at how you'll react at some of these bits if you don't SEE the comedians...and how amazed you'll be at how well written some of these monologues are. If you're doing comedy writing or performing it has some excellent routines that you can analyze to see what makes audiences laugh.

Standouts as far as being funny in script form include routines by Louie Anderson (the most anecdotal of all comedians), Gary Shandling, Richard Belzer, Richard Jeni (truly hilarious), Elayne Boosler, Rita Rudner, Stephen Wright (the best modern comedian to read in printed form), Bob "Bobcat" Goldthwait (whose mantra is "Scott Baio is the antichrist...") and Richard Lewis (who seamlessly blends strong personna and extremely strong comedy script).
This book also has short sections on homelessness and is a pitch for getting more money for "the cause."

Overall, a fun book to read, to own, to study (if you're into comedy and/or a comedian) and to re-read.

Comic Relief was excellent. It was probably the fastest I have ever finished a book. It had all the stand-up comedians from comic relief years past and they kept me laughing non stop. If you like to laugh then you'll love to read this book.

This is a great book for fearful flyers. It explains many minor and important features of air travel including: noises in a commercial jet, what's involved in takeoff & landing, and how a plane actually flies. Sternstein is a former pilot, and his reassuring and knowledgable manner are *very* useful for someone who's afraid of flying