"The two sides of Shaw…are at the center of…[this] compulsively readable biography." —Daniel Akst, Wall Street Journal During America’s Swing Era, no musician was more successful or controversial than Artie Shaw: the charismatic and opinionated clarinetist-bandleader whose dozens of hits became anthems for “the greatest generation.” But some of his most beautiful recordings were not issued until decades after he’d left the scene. He broke racial barriers by hiring African American musicians. His frequent “retirements” earned him a reputation as the Hamlet of jazz. And he quit playing for good at the height of his powers. The handsome Shaw had seven wives (including Lana Turner and Ava Gardner). Inveterate reader and author of three books, he befriended the best-known writers of his time. Tom Nolan, who interviewed Shaw between 1990 and his death in 2004 and spoke with one hundred of his colleagues and contemporaries, captures Shaw and his era with candor and sympathy, bringing the master to vivid life and restoring him to his rightful place in jazz history. Originally published in hardcover under the title Three Chords for Beauty's Sake.

An up-to-date and indispensable guide for film history buffs of all kind, this book surveys more than 500 major films based on true stories and historical subject matter. When a film is described as "based on a true story" or "inspired by true events," exactly how "true" is it? Which "factual" elements of the story were distorted for dramatic purposes, and what was added or omitted? Inspired by True Events: An Illustrated Guide to More Than 500 History-Based Films, Second Edition concisely surveys a wide range of major films, docudramas, biopics, and documentaries based on real events, addressing subject areas including military history and war, political figures, sports, and art. This book provides an up-to-date and indispensable guide for all film history buffs, students and scholars of history, and fans of the cinema.

Get this, I'm supposed to be starting a journal about "my journey." Please. I can see it now: Dear Diary, As I'm set adrift on this crazy sea called "life" . . . I don't think so. It's been seventy-five days. Amy's sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her. And she's really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia's gone now, and she doesn't want to talk about it. They wouldn't get it, anyway. They wouldn't understand what it feels like to have your best friend ripped away from you. They wouldn't understand what it feels like to know it's your fault. Amy's shrink thinks it would help to start a diary. Instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia. But as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past wasn't as perfect as she thought it was—and the present deserves a chance too.

She accepted his marriage proposal without knowing the kind of person he was. She soon discovered that he was a mean and ruthless guy who was always ready to get whatever he wanted by all means even if he has to pay for it with the lives of others. She was in his bondage, especially when her parents who believed he was a generous and gentleman were on his side. Because she considered the proposal to marry him as a marriage engagement with the devil incarnate, she decided that she would rather die than to share her life with him. Then out of the blues, this passionate gentleman sneaked into her life despite all she did to discourage him. She could not resist his love for her when he offered to set her free from the devil incarnate. Then the battle began - sooner than they anticipated.

I dont know a lot about too much of anything. Never did really used to think I did, but I didnt. A Midsummer Nights Dream, the classic Shakespearean tale of intricate sylvan misadventures, provides the inspiration for this contemporary retelling, shaped with a more modern sensibility. Stalled party plans, religious services, romance, and a midlife crisis lead earnest people into a forest for escape, blessings, notice, and solace. Incarnate deities take too much interest in the seekers lives for no better reason than the mismanagement of their own affairs and instigate the unintentional but escalating deterioration of matters for the bewildered mortals. Theres no tree too tall, or insect so small, that cant add more nonsense to the foolishness transpiring. These are mysterious circumstances for people who didnt know that miracles are real, are as old as the universe, and will continue in some form or another, somewhere or another, until the end of time.

An English-language school for prostitutes opens in Taiwan. It is the brainchild of a pimp who is keen to improve service for American soldiers on R & R from the Vietnam War. A first novel.

Music, Movies, Meanings, and Markets: Cinemajazzamatazz focuses on (macro)marketing-related aspects of film music in general and on the cinemusical role of jazz in particular. After a review of other work on music in motion pictures, the book explores and illustrates the ways in which on-screen jazz performances contribute to the development of dramatic meanings in various films, many of which address the art-versus-commerce theme as a central concern.