Joel Grey, the Tony and Academy Award-winning Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret finally tells his remarkable life story. Born Joel David Katz to a wild and wooly Jewish American family in Cleveland, Ohio in 1932, Joel began his life in the theater at the age of 9, starting in children’s theater and then moving to the main stage. He was hooked, and his seven decades long career charts the evolution of American entertainment - from Vaudeville performances with his father, Mickey Katz to the seedy gangster filled nightclubs of the forties, the bright lights of Broadway and dizzying glamour of Hollywood, to juggernaut musicals like Cabaret, Chicago, and Wicked. Master of Ceremonies is a memoir of a life lived in and out of the limelight, but it is also the story of the man behind the stage makeup. Coming of age in a time when being yourself tended to be not only difficult but also dangerous, Joel has to act both on and off the stage. He spends his high school years sleeping with the girls-next-door while carrying on a scandalous affair with an older man. Romances with to-die-for Vegas Showgirls are balanced with late night liaisons with like-minded guys, until finally Joel falls in love and marries a talented and beautiful woman, starts a family, and has a pretty much picture perfect life. But 24 years later when the marriage dissolves, Joel has to once again find his place in a world that has radically changed. Drawing back the curtain on a career filled with show-stopping numbers, larger-than-life stars and even singing in the shower with Bjork, Master of Ceremonies is also a portrait of an artist coming to terms with his evolving identity. When an actor plays a character, he has to find out what makes them who they are; their needs, dreams, and fears. It’s a difficult thing to do, but sometimes the hardest role in an actor’s life is that of himself. Deftly capturing the joy of performing as well as the pain and secrets of an era we have only just started to leave behind, Joel’s story is one of love, loss, hard-won honesty, redemption, and success.

Special event planners know the importance of having a Master of Ceremonies. Someone needs to orchestrate the occasion and serve as a kind of host in welcoming guests, introducing speakers, and guiding people through the program. A wedding reception has the same requirements. It needs structure and leadership -- which is exactly what a good Master of Ceremonies can provide. Here's a handy little book to help the wedding emcee through every step in that process. It's an invaluable guide for the Best Man, a close friend or family member, a professional Disc Jockey or anyone else asked to serve as the Master of Ceremonies or make a toast at a wedding reception. It includes a wealth of advice on how to plan the reception for best results, tips on how to write and deliver a compelling toast, proven methods to deal with nerves and stage-fright, suggestions on humor (how to keep it clean but funny), ways to increase presentation power, plus a compendium of crowd-pleasing toasts/quotes.

The author presents a collection of ways to reap the proven human and corporate benefits of humor at work, organized by core business skill and founded on his own work as a business speaker and coach with the consulting company, Humor That Works.

"A complete guide to the art and craft of the MC, anyone who's serious about becoming a rapper should read this first."--Hip Hop Connection magazine "A clever breakdown of the art form of hip-hop rhymes ... It's about time someone actually recognized this powerful music for its artistic integrity." -Speech, Arrested Development Examining the dynamics of hip-hop from every region and in every form-mainstream and underground, current and classic-this compelling how-to discusses everything from content and flow to rhythm and delivery. Compiled from the most extensive research on rapping to date, this first-of-its-kind guide delivers countless candid and exclusive insights from more than 100 of the most critically acclaimed artists in hip-hop-including Clipse, Cypress Hill, Nelly, Public Enemy, Remy Ma, Schoolly D, A Tribe Called Quest, and will.i.am-revealing the stories behind their art and preserving the genre's history through the words of the legends themselves. Beginners and pros alike will benefit from the wealth of rapping lore and insight in this remarkable collection."--

Learn the 25 rules of hosting that should never be broken. Read "Words of Widsom" and stories from some of the top comedians working today.

Ceremonies Explained for Servers may well be called the "mother of all servers' manuals". This is the most detailed guide available for servers and those who train and supervise them at the altar. In accessible language, Ceremonies covers the roles of servers in a wide range of Catholic liturgical celebrations. These are described in full, such as: the Mass in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms, the seven sacraments, the ceremonies of Holy Week, the Liturgy of the Hours, funeral rites, the liturgies that are celebrated by a bishop and major blessings. Ceremonies also provides accurate explanations for each of these rites, with Catholic teaching on the liturgy and sacraments and a history of the ministry of servers. The skills, techniques and discipline involved in serving are explained, such as: how a procession should move, how to assist with incense, team-work and responding in emergencies and unforeseen situations. A spirituality of this ministry runs through the manual, with an underlying theme of service and vocation. In an encouraging personal way, Ceremonies sets out high spiritual ideals that can inspire and guide those who enhance Catholic worship through their ministry.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XT. PONTIFICAL MASS AT THE THRONE. ARTICLE I. PREPARATIONS. 67 I. At the High Altar1. 1. Six wax candles, lighted, and if the Ordinary is cele brant, a seventh2. 2. The altar should be richly ornamented with flowers, and reliquaries may be placed between the candlesticks. 3. Antependium of the same color as the vestments3. 4. The Canon cards are removed. II. At the Altar of the Blessed Saqrament. 1. Six wax candles, lighted. 2. Kneeling-desk, draped in green. (Glossary.) 1 "Si in altari, in quo celebrandum erit, Ss. Sacramentum asservatur, ab eo in aliud transferendum est, ne propterea ritus et ordo caeremoniarum, qui in hujusmodi Missa servandus est, turbetur." (Caer. Ep. I, c. 12, n. 8.) 2 "Candelabrum septimum tantum apponitur in missa solemni non autem in missa defunctorum, neque in vesperis; et solummodo adhibetur celebrante Episcopo loci ordinario, non vero celebrante Episcopo extraneo, neque administratore, neque suflraganeo, neque abbate, neque quibuscumque praelatis Episcopo inferioribus celebrantibus." (De Herdt, Prax. Pont., I, 93.) -- "Crux ante altius candelabrum in medio cereorum positum locabitur." (Caer. Ep. I, c. 12, n. 12.) 3 "Antipendium apponendum est ad quodcumque Altare, nisi ipsa structura Altaris, lapidea, vel lignea, decore ornata sit metallo, vel lapide pretioso, vel figuris, aut per modum tumbae sit confecta. Attamen in solemnioribus festivitatibus etiam pro hujusmodi Altari requiritur, aut saltern convenit pallii pretiosioris ornatus." (Van der Stappen, III, Q. 44.) (67) III. On the Credence at the Epistle Side. 1. The chalice with purificator, paten, host and pall, burse with corporal, covered with the subdeacon's humeral veil. The chalice veil is placed not over the chalice but on the credence1. 2....