Earth (the book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race / by Jon Stewart

With America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (817 STEWART), Daily Show host Jon Stewart and some others turned essentially turned their cheeky daytime humor into an equally irreverent mock textbook--equally funny as well--which hilarilously poked fun at both politics and education. With this book, the mileu of the mock textbook is still dead center but the focus has shifted to everything planet earth and the human race. The audience is aliens who have arrived on earth only to find it deserted after man has been wiped out by their own self-destructive technology. The book pokes fun at anything and everything, delightfully deconstructing all aspects of society from our perceptions of aliens themselves and the planet itself, "Due to scientific limitations and more than a touch of narcicissm, we believed everything in the universe literally revolved around us. It was a theory called geocentrism, which was originally egocentrism, but they spelled it wrong." (p. 3). There's observations on everything from commerce to culture and from biology to religion, all of it riddled with somewhat shallow idiosyncracies and just begging to be read out loud. (817 STEWART)

Don't Be That Girl: A Guide To Finding The Confident, Rational Girl Within / by Travis Stork & Leah Furman

"Don't be that girl or you'll end up with that guy." (p. 3). So says Travis Stork, an ER doctor from Tennessee, who was chosen as the bachelor for the eighth season of the same-named reality television show. His subsequent experiences--both on TV and in his own time--helped him parlay his wisdom into book form. That girl, Stork claims, might fit any combination of undesirable qualifications. But of the variety of women he's met, the ones deemed most preferable and well-suited to successful relationships most certainly do not fall into the following categories: 1) Agenda Girl, 2) Yes Girl, 3) Drama Queen Girl, 4) Bitter Girl, 5) Insecure Girl, 6) Desperate Girl, 7) Working Girl & 8) Lost Girl.
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Nothing is more important, if you're a woman, than finding the right guy. But if categorized within one or more of these 'girl-types'--there's quizzes and surveys to determine if you are--then you're no doubt, as Stork puts it, "walking, talking man-repellant" (p. 10). But there's hope. The author discusses all of these damaging qualities in depth, but he also illuminates how you can steer clear of potentially plaguing personality flaws and reposition yourself apart from these eight types of which you "absolutely, positively do not want to be . . .", thus providing you with "both long-term and short-term solutions to help you stop acting crazy right here and now." (p. 10). Despite its laughable, unintended comedic quality, this book can be found in the self-help section. (155.6423 STORK)

We Have Books About TV

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Brought to You in Living Color: 75 Years of Great Moments in Television & Radio from NBC / by Marc Robinson; w/ foreword by Tom Brokaw
Beautifully illustrated with digitized photographs and footage stills from some of TV's most memorable programs, this book looks back at some of the greatest moments in the NBC network's illustrious 75 year broadcast history. Like with television, Robinson as much as lets the pictures do the talking, merely supplying filler material in between the tell-it-all photos. Still, his colorful captions and behind-the-scenes tidbits on some of the most popular and long-lived shows provide this coffee table book with some gloss to go with its well-preserved glamour.

The PBS Companion: A History of Public Television / by David Stewart
From its inception in 1969 until the present day, America's public network has hosted some of television's most beloved series. Renowned for children's programs like "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" and "Sesame Street", this member funded station has succeeded in virtually all demographics, even generating sizable ratings shares for shows like "Masterpiece Theatre" and "NOVA". Additionally, PBS has flourished for its ability to facilitate broadcast listings for local markets, long-providing it with a decided edge over national and private sectors in that regard.

TV Guide Book of Lists / by the Editors of TV Guide Magazine
So just what are the 50 greatest shows ever? What about the funniest TV characters? The top female leads? This is the 'list book' to trump all other list books--and blogosphere pundits--when it comes to nailing down just who was the best TV dad, the most colorful sports analyst or the roguest detective in a police drama. Written and annotated by the best critics (in the magazine business) to ever review the not-so-silver screen, this is a fun and informing read for anyone wishing to see just who cracked what list.

Get on TV!: the Insider's Guide to Pitching the Producers and Promoting Yourself / by Jacquie Jordan; w/ foreword by Donny Osmond
With winning candor, this shameless how-to book by a veteran TV producer lays down some can't miss tips on promotional marketing for all the small screen wannabees out there. Jordan states that while looks and talent certainly help, they aren't always what producers look for when auditioning for a potential role or reality TV spot, nor are they always the necessary qualities which can launch a budding career in the right direction.

Network (DVD) 1975 / w/ William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty, et. al.

Ratings for a national TV network soar one night when news anchor Howard Beal (Finch) announces his impending suicide on the air. Pleasantly intrigued network heads give Beal his own show--"Mad Prophet of the Airwaves", on which he raves about television's counterproductive influence on society. Friend and program director Max Schumacher (Holden) attempts to shield Beal (now clearly deranged) from unfeeling executives wishing to further exploit the situation.

William Holden was a man with "voice"; a sort of primal authority extending from his vocal chords. He was a good actor too prompting Hollywood scripts to provide Holden's characters at least one passion-driven monologue per film intended to vocally 'stamp' the movie (think Sunset Blvd, Born Yesterday, Stalag 17, etc.). Here he has like 3 or 4 such rants and yet is almost (though not altogether) overshadowed by Peter Finch's oscar-winning performance of a man driven to fanatical 'revelations' about television's vacuous hold over the masses. Faye Dunaway is the cold-hearted executive willing to sacrifice humanity for higher ratings and only prevented so by Schumacher, an on-the-outs program manager and Beal's longtime friend. In his only scene, Ned Beatty delivers a core truth (worth at least some 'real world' validity) about network television's partnership with corporate enterprise.

Ironic Footnote: (SPOILERS!!!) Howard Beal dies at the end of the movie and Finch himself died from a heart attack only months prior to being awarded a (posthumous) best-actor oscar for 'Network'.