Month: December 2011

Title: Hollywood Stories: Entertaining Anecdotes about the Stars and the Legends of the Movies!
Author: Stephen Schochet
Pub Date: June 2010
Publisher: BCH Fulfillment & Distribution
Pages: 324

About The Book:
high noon on a cold November day in 1974, sixty-seven-year-old John Wayne faced off with the staff of the Harvard Lampoon on the famous campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The students had issued their challenge by calling the beloved American icon a fraud. Wayne, who had his new movie McQ to promote, responded by saying he would be happy to show his film in the pseudo-intellectual swamps of Harvard Square. After the screening, without writers, the former USC footballer delivered a classic performance. When one smart young man asked where he got his phony toupee, Wayne insisted the hair was real. It wasn’t his, but it was real. The appreciative underclassmen loved him and after the Q and A session, they all sat down to dinner. Later Wayne, who was suffering greatly from both gout and the after effects of lung cancer (sadly the Duke only had five years to live), said that day at Harvard was the best time he ever had.

Just when you thought you’ve heard everything about Hollywood comes a totally original new book — a special blend of biography, history and lore.

Hollywood Stories is packed with wild, wonderful short tales about famous stars, movies, directors and many others who have been a part of the world’s most fascinating, unpredictable industry!
What makes the book unique is that the reader can go to any page and find a completely engaging and illuminating yarn. Sometimes people won’t realize that they are reading about The Three Stooges or Popeye the Sailor until they come to the end of the story. The Midwest Book Review says Hollywood Stories is, “packed from cover to cover with fascinating tales.” A professional tour guide in Hollywood, Stephen Schochet has researched and told thousands of entertaining anecdotes for over twenty years. He is also the author and narrator of two audiobooks Tales of Hollywood and Fascinating Walt Disney. Tim Sika, host of the radio show Celluloid Dreams on KSJS in San Jose has called Stephen,” The best storyteller about Hollywood we have ever heard.”Full of funny moments and twist endings, Hollywood Stories features an amazing, all-star cast of legendary characters and icons and will keep you totally entertained!

Q: Will you share with us what’s your favorite decade or trend in Hollywood movies and why. What stands out the most during that time period?

The 1960’s for me stands out because it was when I was first introduced to movies and I love musicals; Seeing West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and Oliver on the big screen, just incredible experiences especially when you are a kid and every thing seems bigger. West Side Story is often made fun of movie because the gang members didn’t look so tough to everyone but the energy level of that movie is off the charts, especially if you can suspend disbelief:

When Robert Wise directed West Side Story, he was faced with the challenge of making cinemagoers believe that street hoods would suddenly burst into song. He insisted to reluctant studio bosses that the movie’s prologue be shot expensively on

location in New York. The musical started with panoramic views of Manhattan taken

from a helicopter, then seamlessly closed in on the dancing gang members. Later, all

the interiors were filmed on Hollywood sound stages. The only giveaway that the

company was no longer in the Big Apple came during the violent rumble scene.

Written on the wall, behind the on-camera knife fight, there was graffiti that clearly

said, “GO LAKERS!”

My Fair Lady was another favorite. I actually got to see Rex Harrison perform on stage as Henry Higgins; he was in his eighties so the potential love connection with a twenty-something Eliza Doolittle was a little hard to swallow so I was happy I got to see the film. Apparently in real life Rex Harrison had some real life Higgins-like qualities he saw right through Jack Warner’s companion at the premiere:

A lifelong gambler, seventy-two-year-old Jack Warner spent seventeen

million on My Fair Lady, more than any other film in his career. The wisecracking

tycoon had fallen in love with the story of a cockney flower girl who tries to better

herself by taking lessons from a snobbish English professor. Warner insisted that the

musical be a first-class production all the way. The cream of New York society was

invited to the premiere, the picture was well received and it went on to be extremely

profitable. But at the after party at the Sherry Netherland Hotel, there was a great

deal of talk about Warner’s companion. Who was this stunningly dressed, quiet

twenty-something beauty that looked like My Fair Lady’s fictional Eliza Doolittle at

the ball? The mogul referred to her as Lady Cavendish, but no one there had ever

heard of her. At the end of the night, Warner instructed his limo driver to return his

date home. The mysterious girl, whom Jack had met earlier that night in the lobby,

told the chauffeur, “You know, I had such a fun time; I’m not even going to charge

him!”

For production values The Sound of Music beat them all. One thing I learned though if I have tour customers from Austria don’t bring that movie up, they are tired of it. So apparently was Christopher Plummer who usually won’t speak about it interviews; over the years it became a bit of a sore spot:

Sixty-year-old Maria von Trapp had a great time watching Hollywood change her life

history for the 1965 musical, The Sound of Music. The escape from the Nazis in the

film was so exciting. Audiences would be bored to find out that the von Trapps left

Austria in 1938 with a tourist visa; no one had tried to stop them — the train station

was actually right behind their family estate in Salzburg. And they made her seem like such a wonderful governess and mother. Nobody wanted to hear how in real life,

Maria, the driven leader of the von Trapp Family Singers, verbally battled with her

stepchildren when they wanted to quit their music careers. While constantly touring

around America, the kids complained so much to her about living out of a bus for

eighteen years. The best thing about the picture was this handsome Christopher

Plummer who played her late husband, Captain von Trapp. So romantic was this

movie! In truth, young Maria had at first loved her seven stepchildren far more than

her twenty-five-years-older spouse. When introduced to the thirty-six-year-old

Plummer on The Sound of Music set, Maria, who once intended to be a nun, shocked

the actor by greeting him with a big kiss on the lips. “My God, darling, I wished my

real husband had looked as good as you!”

Mary Poppins was actually the first movie I ever saw. Again when you are a little kid tea parties on the ceiling are the bomb. It took me a long time to realize that Dick Van Dyke played not only Bert the chimney sweep, but also the avaricious old banker who steals the tuppence out of little Michael’s hand (reflecting Walt’s real life views about bankers). Van Dyke’s co-stars didn’t realize it either:

Thirty-nine-year-old Dick Van Dyke fooled both audiences and co-stars, playing an

old banker in the 1964 classic Mary Poppins. The TV sitcom star, who was already the

leading man in the film, donated four thousand dollars to Walt Disney’s newly

formed Cal Arts University in exchange for getting the secondary role. With his cane,

white hair and whiskers, the two child actors who had already worked with Van Dyke

had no idea who he really was. One day in front of the Disney Studio, a bus full of

tourists caught sight of the make-believe geezer just as he was about to cross the

street. Leaning on his cane, he slowly walked to his destination, pausing sometimes to clutch his chest for dramatic effect till he made it. As the vehicle pulled forward, the passengers’ sighs of relief turned to gasps of surprise when they saw the grinning

senior citizen running full speed alongside them.

Of all the 60’s musicals Oliver! was probably the scariest to me because of the chilling performance of Oliver Reed as the murderous Bill Sykes. One of my buddies who worked at a movie theater in Westwood met him and said once you got over the intimidation factor Reed was a great guy. He turned out to be quite the character:

When Oliver Reed joined an all-star cast in Madrid to film the 1973 version of The

Three Musketeers, the producers fretted about his hell-raising reputation. Yet, in

spite of his all-night booze festivals, the British actor endeared himself to his coworkers

by always being on time and knowing his lines inside and out. The biggest

hurdle for Reed’s bosses was keeping a roof over his head. One night, in the lobby of

the posh resort the cast was residing at, Oliver reached into an aquarium, pulled out

one of the tank’s inhabitants and appeared to bite its head off, causing some old

ladies standing nearby to faint dead away. It was revealed that Reed had gotten the

hotel chef to mash some carrots together in the shape of a fish, and after some hasty

bribes and apologies, he was allowed to continue staying there.

Extra: Playing the world-weary musketeer Athos in The Three Musketeers (1973),

Oliver Reed (1938-1999) had no prior experience with sword fight scenes. Yet he

refused to rehearse for them and insisted on performing his own stunts with great

ferocity. The Spanish extras who fenced with Oliver were literally shaking with fear

after their on-camera battles. Finally, one burly man stabbed Reed in the arm sending

the British actor to the hospital, where his room, not surprisingly, became the scene

of a wild, overnight booze binge for him and his pals.

I want to send out a huge thank you to Rebecca at Pump Up Your Books for contacting me and allowing me to showcase this book & author and for also allowing me to have Stephen guest post today.

I also want to thank Stephen for taking the time out of his busy schedule to do this guest post.

About the author:
professional tour guide in Hollywood, Stephen Schochet has researched and told thousands of entertaining anecdotes for over twenty years. He is also the author and narrator of two audiobooks Tales of Hollywood and Fascinating Walt Disney. His latest book, Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes About the Stars and Legends of the Movies!

Tim Sika, host of the radio show Celluloid Dreams on KSJS in San Jose has called Stephen,” The best storyteller about Hollywood we have ever heard.”

You can check out The Hollywood Stories webpage by clicking on this for more information.

You can check out Stephen Schochet’s page on Pump Up Your Book  to see the rest of his virtual tour.

Here is a clip about the book:

Title: Dreaming of the Wolf (bk 8 in the Wolf Series)
Author: Terry Spear
Pub Date: December 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Pages: 384

About the book:
A FIERCE HUNTER…

Alicia Greiston is a no-nonsense bounty hunter determined to bring a ring of mobsters to justice. Her dogged pursuit of the crime family has forced her to avoid relationships— any man would only become a target for retribution. Luckily, Jake Silver is more than a man, and his instincts are telling him to stop at nothing to protect her.

AN ANIMAL PASSION…

However, the mob isn’t entirely human either, and soon Alicia must flee for her life. When Alicia and Jake’s passion begins to spill over into their dreams, Jake learns he will have to do more than defend her— he’ll have to show his mate the way of the wolf.

Today I am truly honored to have Terry Spear stop by my blog once again for a guest post. I absolutely love, love, love Terry’s books as I am sure you have heard me gush about with all the reviews for her books and if you haven’t read any of them yet that I have to highly recommend them.

When I write my wolf books (werewolves, that is), I do a lot of research about their characteristics and use this in the development of the werewolf characters.

In my books, I try to show that the werewolf, when in human form, is still part wolf. They still have the heightened senses of the wolf, the enhanced sense of smell, night vision, ability to see movement, and hearing. But they also have some of the personality of the wolf.

All wolves do have their own personalities. They may look very similar, but each is a unique individual, just as humans are. Just as your pets are. Each has their own personality.

I often use something from research I’ve done on wolves in each of my stories. In the tenth book, A Highland Wolf Wedding, Duncan MacNeill (of Heart of the Highland Wolf), is searching for the crook that stole his pack’s money. The heroine is an American wolf who is a botanist doing research in the Grand Cayman Islands when he arrives.

Here is an excerpt from A Highland Wolf Wedding, due out in December 2012.

With his ground-eating stride, he raced to catch up to her. She was like a greyhound, and he loved stretching out his legs to join her. He definitely wanted to protect her from the sharks in the sea some more, but running as wolves was just as exhilarating.
****

In this excerpt, I described Shelley Campbell in her wolf form as being as fast as a greyhound. When doing research, I actually found a reference to a real wolf that was the sister of the alpha female that actually chased down more prey than her pack members and the biologist who studied the pack dynamics described her as being as fast as a greyhound.

In another wolf story, I mentioned a wolf who had hair that stuck out all over the place. This was also mentioned by another wolf biologist as he observed a different wolf pack. 

I often mention how curious wolves are, and werewolves are. In one case, a wolf biologist was trying to become one of the pack to observe them. He was wearing a cap and crouched down, trying not to upset the wolves. He saw the alpha male watching him, but didn’t make any move to look him in the eye, which could be considered aggression. After staying like that for quite a while, the alpha wolf finally approached the man. He finally looked the wolf in the eyes. And then the wolf lunged for his hat, but the man anticipating the lunge, quickly removed his hat and the wolf was startled to realize he didn’t have it in his grasp. From then on, the man was part of the pack.

I love stories like this because I use them to show the playful side, the humorous side, the serious side of pack dynamics, and how this becomes a werewolf’s characteristics too.

In Dreaming of the Wolf, I had to research about keeping wolves in confinement when Alicia Greiston is being questioned by a detective about a dead man found in her hotel room and another man who’s thought to have been bitten by a wolf.
       
Excerpt from Dreaming of the Wolf:
      “It’s not illegal to own a wolf,” Jake interjected, his voice quietly firm, as if he was a lawyer who knew her rights when it came to pet wolf ownership.

      She supposed that to protect themselves, Jake and the rest of the pack would know about such a thing for self-preservation.

      The detective switched his attention to Jake. She thought Detective Simpson was fighting a smile. Jake to the rescue. But it was more than that. It was as if the detective had caught them in a falsehood. But she wasn’t rolling over and playing dead yet.

      “No, you’re right, Mr. Silver,” the detective said with emphasis, “not unless the wolf owner takes the wolf within the city limits of some cities, which is illegal. Crestview is not one of those cities. But the wolves have to be fenced in with at least eight-foot-tall fencing. Every access has to be locked to prevent the wolves from escaping.

      “Taking a wolf into a motel room isn’t legal, nor a safe thing to do. If Miss Greiston was afraid for her life and was using the wolf for protection, it wasn’t really a smart idea. Nor was it legal. The wolf could have injured anyone. Since it has bitten someone now, we’ll have to hunt it down and make sure it wasn’t rabid.” He sat taller and turned to Alicia. “So what about this wolf, Miss Greiston?”

      “He wasn’t mine,” she said stubbornly, head held high, voice confident.
***

So you see? Wolf research is extremely important, not only for creating werewolf characters, but for letting the werewolves know what they can and cannot do when it comes to “owning” wolves!

So what would you do if you were in Alicia’s place? Trying to explain how other hotel guests had seen a wolf race out of her room? Take the 5^th? Or square your shoulders and well…what would you say?

Especially if it was YOU who had bitten the man and run from the room?

Terry Spear
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality.”

Here are some ways you can contact Terry:
www.facebook.com/terry.spear
www.terryspear.com
www.myspace.com/terryspear
http://terry-spear.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/TerrySpear

About the author:

Award-winning author Terry Spear has written a dozen paranormal romance novels, with over 60,000 copies sold. She received Publishers Weekly’s Best Book of the Year in 2008 for Heart of the Wolf. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry is a librarian by day. She lives in Crawford, Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.terryspear.com/.

The next book in the Wolf Series is:
A Seal in Wolf’s Clothing (bk 9) and its set to release March 2012

Check back later this morning for my review of Dreaming of the Wolf.