Read it!

The Bad & The Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties
Sam Kashner and Jennifer MacNair
W.W. Norton, $38.99
Behind the glitz and glamour of 1950s Hollywood, there was a darker side. The authors paint a vivid portrait of power, fame and sex in Tinseltown. Spicey rumors, skeletons in the closet and even a little humor fill the pages and whether you want the dirt on Lana Turner, Rock Hudson, James Dean, or Marilyn Monroe - it's all here. The era was infused with sex and scandal, but in public, performances remained chaste! You might be surprised to discover that Lana Turner was called the most jilted girl in Hollywood, that the director of Rebel Without a Cause was rumored to be having an affair with both a male and female star on set, and that Rock Hudson was careful throughout his early career never to be photographed with another man.




Shoot Out: Surviving Fame and (Mis)Fortune in Hollywood
Peter Bart and Peter Guber
Putnam, $38.99
If you love the stories behind the making of movies, these two Hollywood insiders recount some of the skirmishes and power struggles that they endured during their time in the movie biz (Bart at Paramount and Guber at Columbia). Includes tales of the rise and fall of the studio systems, the emergence of stars as "brands" and how some executives never seemed to learn from past mistakes resulting in some not so great movies and some large losses. Also details the efforts to have some of film's most memorable movies made (Love Story, The Godfather).

Use it!
Cyber Film School
Movie Encyclopedia CD-Rom
Making movies isn't just about the type of camcorder you use - it's about technique and craft. This instructional CD-ROM contains everything an aspiring moviemaker needs - lessons, assignments, tests, photographs, practice editing clips and video. Perfect for film students, hobbyists and home directors looking for a crash course on how to produce, direct, write, shoot and edit movies.


Hear it!

Stuart Little 2
Epic/Sony
The soundtrack music from Stuart Little 2 will get you out of your seat and moving. There's a great selection of good, old rock 'n' roll classics, such as "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf and "Alone Again Naturally" by Gilbert O'Sullivan, all the way to "I'm Alive" by modern diva Celine Dion. Add to that cuts from Chantal Kreviazuk and Mandy Moore and you have a CD you'll enjoy playing long after the film is just a memory.

Austin Powers in Goldmember
Maverick/New Line
Hey, baby - what's not to like? With tracks from the Rolling Stones, Britney Spears and Smash Mouth - you get a great mix on the soundtrack from the new Austin Powers flick. The Stones are here with their classic "Miss You" and Britney belts out some throbbing disco beat sounds on "Boys", accompanied by Pharrell Williams. And there's more than music on this CD. You get a bonus CD-ROM video of "Daddy Wasn't Here" with Ming Tea and Mr. Shagadelic, himself, Austin Powers. Groovy, baby!

Men in Black II
Sony Music
 This soundtrack has a techno beat meets Dick Tracy kind of feel to it. Lots of bouncy instrumental-only numbers, all written and produced by Danny Elfman. You've got a bountiful 20 tracks here ending with two vocal numbers. Worth the price of admission to this CD alone is a spoken version if "I Will Survive" by Frank the Pug (Tim Blaney). If a dog could perform rap - then this is one fine example. The final cut is "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)" with Will Smith introducing Tra-Knox. You'll be nodding your own head to the beat of this number.