Performing Arts

Here's the most comprehensive book of monologues ever compiled, with 144 audition pieces conveniently grouped into historical "periods" from the classical to the contemporary. The monologues selected for each historical period are representative of the competitive material you might expect to discover at auditions. Each selection also includes a brief character analysis. This text is more than just a fine collection, however. It's also a "how-to" guide, with the first chapters presenting a blueprint for preparing auditions and selecting audition materials. The fundamental performance principle that Ratliff develops in the introductory chapters suggests guidelines and strategies to enrich your distinct and individual audition style. There is also a chapter of interesting "non-dramatic" monologues adapted or edited from sources other than theatre playscripts that should challenge your skills in interpretation and characterization. Finally, there are a number of valuable resource materials that include selected readings, a survey of period dates, and a glossary of useful audition terms.

When TLC was between albums, I had no way to release my creativity. One night, feeling put-out by my boyfriend and wondering about how much women had to go through to make a relationship work, I sat down and started writing poems. Unpretty was the first. Up until then, I hadn't realized how badly I needed to release what I was feeling inside. They were my thoughts from the heart, and my art.

The poems cover a whole range of topics: Love, relationships, heartbreak, body image, family, society, abortion, and many other things. They each mean alot to me, and I hope they inspire you, give you a different perspective on what's going on around you, or just help you relax. You'll find a little bit of me in these words, and maybe you'll find a little bit of yourself or someone you know.

I reached out to my friends, including my fans, while I was putting Thoughts. together and they realty inspired me and helped me figure out which stories to tell. Stories about the important people in my life, like my mom who's always been there for me, my family, my TLC partners Lisa and Rozonda, and those who have all helped me along the way. I've had to deal with some tough stuff, like my relationship with my dad, who left when I was three, my never-ending battle with sickle cell, the bad high school years, my self-image problems, and my fight to survive in this crazy music business.

Sharing these stories and poems has helped me face big issues in my life. Maybe they'll help you, too. Or maybe they'll give you a better understanding of who I am as a person. I can only express myself so much through my songs. On my own, though, I can let you into my heart and mind.

Thank you for allowing me to share my Thoughts with you.

Thanks to Netflix and cable television, classic films are more accessible than ever. Now co-branded with Turner Classic Movies, Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide covers films from Hollywood and around the world, from the silent era through 1965, and from The Maltese Falcon to Singin' in the Rain and Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

Thoroughly revised and updated, and featuring expanded indexes, a list of Maltin's personal recommendations, and three hundred new entries--including many offbeat and obscure films--this new edition is a must-have companion for every movie lover.

The crucial sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Secret History of Twin Peaks, this novel bridges the two series, and takes you deeper into the mysteries raised by the new series.

The return of Twin Peaks is one of the most anticipated events in the history of television. The subject of endless speculation, shrouded in mystery, fans will come flocking to see Mark Frost and David Lynch's inimitable vision once again grace the screen. Featuring all the characters we know and love from the first series, as well as a list of high-powered actors in new roles, the show will be endlessly debated, discussed, and dissected.

While The Secret History of Twin Peaks served to expand the mysteries of the town and place the unexplained phenomena that unfolded there into a vastly layered, wide-ranging history, Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier tells us what happened to key characters in the twenty-five years in between the events of the first series and the second, offering details and insights fans will be clamoring for. The novel also adds context and commentary to the strange and cosmic happenings of the new series. For fans around the world begging for more, Mark Frost's final take laid out in this novel will be required reading.

Dubbed by the New Yorker as "one of America's very best singer-songwriters," Dar Williams has made her career not in stadiums, but touring America's small towns. She has played their venues, composed in their coffee shops, and drunk in their bars. She has seen these communities struggle, but also seen them thrive in the face of postindustrial identity crises.

Here, Williams muses on why some towns flourish while others fail, examining elements from the significance of history and nature to the uniting power of public spaces and food. Drawing on her own travels and the work of urban theorists, Williams offers real solutions to rebuild declining communities.

What I Found in a Thousand Towns is more than a love letter to America's small towns, it's a deeply personal and hopeful message about the potential of America's lively and resilient communities.