No serious political science here, but these tales of the aristocracy of politics and showbiz joined at the hip offer...
An Emmy-winning producer clearly demonstrates, in case you didn’t know, that politicians and performers share identical genetic codes.
Showbiz has increasingly been allied with politics, notes Schroeder (Journalism/ Northeastern Univ.). Franklin Roosevelt clearly enjoyed birthday tributes from Groucho Marx and Ginger Rogers, though he also favored Myrna Loy and Donald Duck. Later, JFK was famously partial to Marilyn Monroe, Gene Tierney, and (with brother-in-law Lawford’s aid) backlots-full of ingénues. Presley paid his bizarre visit to Nixon. Politicos took note of the Gipper, Murphy Brown, Wayne Newton, and Ozzy Osborne—sometimes understandably unsure which were fictional. Frank Sinatra, sometime pal to several presidents, seems to have played the White House as often as Vegas, especially during the Reagan administration. Comics, rappers, actors, instrumentalists, dancers, and generic show people have all done their thing for the chief executive in what are generally considered stressful gigs. Frequently, performers like John Wayne on the right hand or Eartha Kitt on the left ventured to advise the president. Sometimes their advice was even sought. Robert Montgomery supervised Eisenhower’s TV appearances. Producers Bill and Linda Thomason were longtime Friends of Bill. Consider Ambassador John Gavin, posted to Mexico perhaps because he was so handsome. It’s a symbiotic arrangement, like it or not. Ike was wary, and LBJ didn’t even like Bob Hope. The venue at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is now run by “perhaps the least culturally attuned chief executive in modern history”—but don’t discount a Top Gun aircraft carrier performance for presidential showmanship. More likely to read the trades, certainly, were Clinton, JFK, and Reagan, who played the role of his lifetime as president. Schroeder seems to have checked all the White House logs as well as the appropriate tabloids for his lively report.
No serious political science here, but these tales of the aristocracy of politics and showbiz joined at the hip offer enjoyable entertainment and star-studded pop culture.Pub Date: March 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-8133-4137-X
Page Count: 384
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2004
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
