Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
by Neil Postman
from Penguin (Non-Classics)
Originally published in 1985, Neil Postman's groundbreaking polemic about the corrosive effects of television on our politics and public discourse has been hailed as a twenty-first-century book published in the twentieth century. Now, with television joined by more sophisticated electronic media—from the Internet to cell phones to DVDs—it has taken on even greater significance. Amusing Ourselves to Death is a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment. It is also a blueprint for regaining controlof our media, so that they can serve our highest goals.
Get Real!: The Untold Story: Sexy, Scary, Scandalous World of Reality TV!
by Mike Walker
from Phoenix Books
A riveting expose of reality TV that reveals for the first time why it has exploded into a phenomenon that dominates network television by #1 New York Times best-selling author and National Enquirer legend Mike Walker. The real lowdown on all the "heroes" and "villains" of the genre - from Richard Hatch to Simon Cowell to Paris Hilton.
Coffee at Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest (Smart Pop series)
from Benbella Books
The Place to Be: Washington, CBS, and the Glory Days of Television News
by Roger Mudd
from PublicAffairs
In The Place to Be, Mudd tells of how the bureau worked: the rivalries, the egos, the pride, the competition, the ambitions, and the gathering frustrations of conveying the world to a national television audient in thirty minutes minus commercials. It is the story of a unique TV news bureau, unmatched in its quality, dedication, and professionalism. It shows what TV journalism was once like and what it's missing today.
Neptune Noir: Unauthorized Investigations into Veronica Mars (Smart Pop series)
from Benbella Books
The Star Trek Encyclopedia
by Michael Okuda
from Star Trek
This new version of the Star Trek Encyclopedia is a reissue of the 1997 edition, plus a 128-page supplement of additional material that updates Deep Space Nine to the end of its run and Voyager to midway through season five. It also covers the movie Star Trek: Insurrection. The supplement is as meticulously detailed as the rest of the volume, listing such fascinating trivia as chadre kab (Seven of Nine's first meal), 'Kahless and Lukara' (a Klingon opera), and voraxna (a Cardassian poison), as well as all the new characters and species. Appendices include illustrations of starships, cast and crew listings, a historical timeline, and a bibliography. All photographs and illustrations (except for a few historical shots) are in color. The encyclopedia was devised in part to help production staff on the various Star Trek TV series to keep up with the ever-increasing level of detail generated by over 30 years of creative effort. It is an excellent reference volume and, whether you want to settle an argument or write a novel, this book will answer your questions. But beware: the extensive cross-referencing leads to curious time-distortion effects, in which the unwary reader, dipping in to settle a single query, encounters an irresistible urge to browse further, during which hours of normal time can pass in the wink of an eye. --Elizabeth Sourbut
From 'audet IX to Zytchin III, this book covers it all. This is the ultimate reference book for all Star Trek fans!
Added to this edition are 128 new pages. This addendum highlights the latest episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine®, Star Trek: Voyager® and the newest feature film, Star Trek: Insurrection™.
The thousands of photos and hundreds of illustrations place the Star Trek universe at your fingertips. Planets and stars, weapons and ships, people and places are just part of the meticulous research and countless cross-reference that fill this book.
Lost and Philosophy: The Island Has Its Reasons (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)
from Wiley-Blackwell
Sometimes it feels like you need a Ph.D. to follow the show. But you don't. You just need this book in which twenty-one philosophers explore the deep questions we all face as survivors on this planet: Does "everything happen for a reason"? Is torture ever justified? Who are the Others? How do we know we're not patients in Hurley's psych ward? What if the Dharma Intitiative is experimenting on us? Desmond may not be able to save Charlie, but this book could save you.
- A provocative study of the hit television show, Lost, currently in its third season and set to reach its climax in 2010
- Highlights the sense in which Lost is a genuinely philosophical show
- Helps fans understand and navigate some of Lost’s deeper meanings
- Connects episodes and events in the show to core philosophical issues such as truth, identity, and morality
- Shows that it’s no accident that there are Lost characters names Locke, Rousseau, and Hume
Ships of the Line (Star Trek)
from Star Trek
They dared to risk it all in a skiff of reeds or leather, on a ship of wood or steel, knowing the only thing between them and certain death was their ship. To explore, to seek out what lay beyond the close and comfortable, every explorer had to embrace danger. And as they did so, what arose was a mystical bond, a passion for the ships that carried them. From the very first time humans dared to warp the fabric of space, escaping from the ashes of the third World War, they also created ships. These vessels have become the icons of mankind's desire to rise above the everyday, to seek out and make the unknown known. And these ships that travel the stellar seas have stirred the same passions as the ones that floated in the oceans.
While every captain has wished that their starship could be outfitted in the same manner as the sailing ship H.M.S. Beagle -- without weapons -- that proved
untenable. From the start, Starfleet realized that each vessel, due to the limited range of the early warp engines, must be able to stand alone against any
attack. Thus arose the idea, taken from the days of wooden sailing ships, that every Starfleet vessel must stand as a ship of the line. Through the actions of their captains and crews, countless starships have taken on that role. Here we remember some of those ships and their heroic crews.
In celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Star Trek, here for the very first time collected together are the spectacular images from the highly successful and acclaimed Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendars. Gloriously rendered, each of these illustrations was created exclusively for Pocket Books. With text by Michael Okuda (The Star Trek Encyclopedia), the story of each of these valiant starships comes to life.
Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe (Smart Pop series)
from Benbella Books
Finding Lost - Season Three: The Unofficial Guide
by Nikki Stafford
from Ecw Press
Whether new to the show or a diehard fan, this illuminating guide to the Emmy and Golden Globe Award–winning television program Lost helps viewers piece together the latest additions to the puzzle from season three with detailed discussions of the multitudinous characters, their spotty backgrounds, and the mysterious islands. Thorough examinations of each episode provide fresh insight into the baffling world of both the plane crash survivors and the Others—including why the Others have compounds on both the main and smaller islands, how each organizational hierarchy developed, and who is really behind the Dharma Project—while additional chapters explore the historical figures, books, religious iconography, and other clues scattered throughout the show. Dozens of previously unpublished on-set photos and new cast member biographies are also included.
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