The importance of opera houses to the cultural and community life in nonmetropolitan areas of the country from the last quarter of the nineteenth century to the advent of motion pictures in the 1920s has seldom been documented. The stories the reader will encounter here--related with a healthy dose of humor--are based on historical facts, anecdotes, urban legends, and tall tales associated with three of the more than one hundred opera houses that existed in Michigan during this period. As there are similar stories about similar structures throughout Michigan as well as in other Midwestern and Western states, this could be considered a storybook about the golden age of opera houses in many of America's rural regions.

Hailing from the tiny hamlet of Kitee, Finland (pop. 10,000) Nightwish has captivated the world’s imagination with magical million-selling releases like Once, Century Child, and Wishmaster. Their saga is a heavy metal fable as dramatic and tumultuous as the band’s epic symphonic music. In these details and confessions, a vivid and painfully honest portrait of a musical dream emerges--and tensions swell as a split with original singer Tarja Turunen becomes inevitable. In this remarkably revealing official biography, author Mape Ollila charts the rise from village student project to global stardom, gaining unprecedented access not just to the members of Nightwish past and present; but also their families, their loyal and lewd crew, their peers, their critics, and countless other insiders from the Nightwish adventure. The book lays bare the creative firepower and personal demons of songwriter Tuomas Holopainen; the unique talents and traits of guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, drummer Jukka Nevalainen, and bassist Marco Hietala; and the true reasons behind the 2005 departure of vocalist Tarja Turunen--in the band’s words and hers. Along the way, the band struggles with religious protesters, fortune-tellers, naked crew members, health problems, shady promoters, out-of-control fans, and the growing pains of an ever-steeper rock star learning curve. Happily ever after or not, these unique Finnish personalities are brought to life in this journey of into the mysteries of...Once Upon a Nightwish.

When sound arrived in Hollywood in the late 1920s, Canadians were already holding some of the most important roles in the motion picture industry. Louis B. Mayer, from New Brunswick, was boss at MGM; Jack Warner, from Ontario, was head of Warner Bros. Studio; and Mack Sennett, from Quebec, was still King of Comedy. Canadians like Mary Pickford, Marie Dressler, and Norma Shearer moved easily from silents to talkies - this illustrious trio won the first three Academy Awards for Best Actress. Canadians arriving in sunny California in the 1930s and 1940s were principally actors, including Yvonne de Carlo, Walter Pidgeon, Ruby Keeler, and many others. You will be amazed at the Canadian influence on Hollywood’s Golden Age.

A quote from the novel, motion picture, and theatrical musical, "Once Upon a Mattress." The play was written as an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale "The Princess and the Pea." *** This journal alternates between 9 LINED pages for writing and 1 BLANK page for sketching throughout - Size 5.2" x 0.2" x 8" with 110 pages total. *** It can be used for show notes, as a simple diary, a mini class notebook, prayer journal, a place to write goals, dreams, and milestones, and more. Make the book even more special by tucking tickets, a gift card, or a little cash in the folds. When you want to wrap something that is more personal than a greeting card, this book does the trick. Check out our other selection of witty blank journals, musical theater quotes, and gag gifts all available at amazon.com at writerunbooks.com. Related terms: Prince Dauntless, Princess Winnifred, Lady Larken, King Sextimus, Cinderella, Snow White, princes and princesses, royal wedding, fairytale, Carol Burnett and Ken Berry (1972), Queen Aggravain, Wizard, Jester, Ladies-in-Waiting, the Minstrel. On the BACK COVER: Novel, Motion Picture, and Broadway Musical: "Once Upon a Mattress" ---- A musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. "Many moons ago in a far-off place..." ***** Also Available from WriteRunBooks.com ***** ---- "I want some happily ever after to happen to me" ISBN-13: 978-1729620304 ---- "I want some happily ever after to happen to me" ISBN-13: 978-1729622025 ---- "Goodbye, good luck, and get out!" ISBN-13: 978-1729622162 ---- "Cinderella Had Outside Help" .ISBN-13: 978-1729622421 ---- "Once Upon a Mattress" ISBN-13: 978-1729622681 ---- "Then Who Sir? Where Sir and When Sir?" ISBN-13: 978-1729631386

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

Thomas Douglas Adelman looks back at an eventful life in this engaging memoir about growing up in a Jewish family and becoming a successful producer and director. Born in 1954, he grew up on the Upper East Side of New York City in an upper-middle-class family with the normal dysfunction that you find in all families. Notably, his family was Jewish but celebrated Christmas—although he never could figure out why. His father was a businessman passionate about politics, and his mother was an actress in the forties. When they met, it was love at first sight. The author looks back at his adventures growing up, including being thrown out of private schools as a boy and rubbing elbows with notable people. He also looks back at how he made his way into the entertainment industry, producing, directing, and working on numerous films and projects and ultimately launching his own company. Join the author as he looks back at his childhood, adult life, and his rise to the top of the entertainment industry.

"Once Upon a Time in the West was the movie that made me consider filmmaking."-Quentin Tarantino Sergio Leone's film Once Upon a Time in the Westset out to be the ultimate Western--a celebration of the power of classic Hollywood cinema, a meditation on the making of America and a lament for the decline of one of the most cherished film genres in the form of a "dance of death." With this film, Leone said a fond farewell to the noisy and flamboyant world of the Italian Western, which he had created with A Fistful of Dollars and sequels, and aimed for something much more ambitious--an exploration of the relationship between myth ("Once Upon a Time..."), history ("...in the West") and his own autobiography as an avid film-goer. This would be a horse opera in which the arias aren't sung, they are stared. Once Upon a Time has since inspired several generations of filmmakers worldwide. Its combination of "film about film" with an angry historical epic, told with great style, has resonated for half a century, and its reputation has steadily grown. This book, by the world-renowned authority on Sergio Leone, Christopher Frayling, includes revealing personal interviews with all the key players involved in the movie (in front of the camera and behind it) a wealth of never-before-published documents, designs and photographs, and the latest research into the making of a masterpiece, shot by shot. It is introduced with a foreword by Quentin Tarantino. This year is the 50th anniversary of Once Upon a Time in the West and this richly illustrated book is a suitably spectacular birthday tribute.

Actor and theatre aficionado Ron Fassler recalls his upbringing on Broadway, in conversation with Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bette Midler, Sheldon Harnick, James Earl Jones, Austin Pendleton, Ken Howard, Hal Linden, Stacy Keach, Jane Alexander and Mike Nichols among many others.

From master storyteller J. Randy Taraborrelli comes the powerful and moving story of one of royalty's most secretive families. Grace Kelly was swept away when the handsome Prince Rainier, a man she barely knew, asked for her hand in marriage. After a series of relationships with married co-stars, she was exhausted by the show-business lifestyle. If she married Rainier, she would be more than just a movie star, she would be Her Serene RoyalHighness Princess Grace. Once in the palace, however, Grace found herself trapped in a fairy tale of her own making. Forced to make sacrifices that cut deeply into the core of who she was as a woman, she would then surrender her desires and ambitions for her spouse and her children. Grace and Rainier may have been royalty, but they were also husband and wife, and parents- and, as such, just as vulnerable to the conflicts that can contaminate any household. Drawing upon hundreds of exclusive interviews with family and friends, ONCE UPON A TIME portrays its subjects with passion and sympathy, revealing Grace, Rainier, Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie in ways both startling and compelling.