The King of Comedy
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Nero, Jerry Lewis
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 25, 2014
Retail: $24.99
ASIN: B00I4X8KU2
Running Time: 109 minutes
Rating: PG

Review:

Arriving last month on Blu-ray for the first time is 1983's The King of Comedy directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Nero and the legendary comedian, Jerry Lewis. Special Features include Tribeca Film Festival: A Conversation with Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis; A Shot at the Top: The Making of The King of Comedy; deleted and extended scenes; and the theatrical trailer.

The King of Comedy is a dark-satire film about the celebrity and media obsession in America. Robert De Nero plays Rupert Pupkin, and aspiring stand-up comedian, who wants his big-break in showbiz. After briefly meeting talk show host, Jerry Langford (played by Jerry Lewis), he believes his opportunity for fame has finally arrived, but he is quickly shoved aside by Langford.

Pupkin has a delusional disorder that cause him to believe that he is close personal friends with Langford. He enlists the help of Masha (played by Sandra Bernhard), who has been stalking Langford, in helping him kidnap Langford for ransom. Pupkin doesn't want any money in return; he only wants a spot on Langford's talk show.

The film was a box-office flop back in 1983 and received mixed-reviews; though over the past thirty years, the film has been more accepting from critics.

Since this is primarily a book blog, I thought I should at least feature a few books for the Easter Gift Guide. I was contacted by Near Year Publishing about featuring the My Friend Paris picture book series, which I eagerly agreed to review one of the books.

The series was created by a fourteen-year-old author, Paris Morris. The first book, I'm Having Twins, in the "My Twins" series was published when she was a ten-year-old. The main character is loosely based on herself and is also named Paris. Paris is a three-year-old who is trying to adjust to the fact that she will no longer be an only child, as her parents are expecting twin girls.

The best recipes collected over the years by a 100 year old Jewish Grandmother who considers entertaining a competitive sport. Her recipes not only taste good, but they have to look good, too. Belle's recipes are practical and unusual, and her ingredients are everyday item found in every kitchen. Although the book is written by a Jewish grandmother, this is not a kosher or even strictly Jewish cookbook. There are Chinese, Italian, German, Danish, and other nationalities represented among the recipes. Another lure to the book are the interesting tales of where and how she found many of the recipes, and events where she has used them. Finally, there are ideas of recipes that can be combined to present and unusual visual effect, like her 7 layer Jello mold table centerpiece, or her combination salad mold appetizer. Belle is a kitchen artist as well as a great cook and baker.

Many of you probably don't know that I'm a decent cook. Though I learned a few things from mother, I'm mostly self-taught,which started when I became in charge of cooking dinners when my mother went back to work when I was a teenager (I believe it was in 1995). As an adult, I have continued to cook my own meals (though I do get takeout once in awhile) and I own a wide variety of cookbooks (Taste of Home, Rachel Ray, etc.). 

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Anne!

 

What do you think is the best book marketing tool? Blog, facebook, twitter, pinterest, or goodreads?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

  

My Answer: 

Wow! That is a great question. I would probably go with Goodreads, Shelfari and LibraryThing as great social marketing tool to learn about upcoming books. My second choice would be blogs. As a reader, when I hear about a book or author I have never heard of before, I "google" the book title and see what the buzz is all about. Mainstream critics are somewhat lazy about book reviews anymore, as they mostly copy the description from the back of the book and leave out their personal opinions. What I like about book blog reviews, is that they will give their honest thoughts about the title.

Book Description: 

After a pine tree falls and knocks the rabbit pen fence, Brownie asks Rascal if anyone escaped. Rascal thinks this was the silliest thing he had ever heard. As usual, Rascal talks to Aunt Paula Rabbit about what Brownie had said to him. Rascal is shocked to learn that his family is actually quite adventurous! Join Rascal and his adventurous bunny family in My Hare Line and the Hat.

About the Author:

Patsy M. Henry is newly retired, having worked twenty-five years in banking and eight years as an office manager. Her goals for retirement were to take better care of herself and to write. The first goal was easy to slip into. The second goal has been both challenging and rewarding. She had been encouraged to write by family and friends who told her that she missed her calling. It came naturally for her to write about her newfound love for her rabbits first. The author of My Hare Line Meets the Brown Rabbit is from a large family that gets together often. Patsy and her husband, Jerry, live in Bainbridge, Georgia where they are active members of First Baptist Church. They enjoy spending time in to the mountains. They have two grown sons and four grandchildren.

Review:

When you think of buying a gift for Easter for a loved one, you probably think of candy or flowers. Yes, a chocolate bunny or a bouquet of flowers can make a good gift, but it is a little cliche and it can become old when you give someone the same present year after year, which is the main reason why I'm hosting an Eater Gift Guide this year.

The computer-animated film, The Nut Job, is arriving on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD on April 15th, which is just in time to a make a nifty Easter gift. Blu-ray exclusive features include deleted scenes, storyboards, The Great Nut Heist and Dance-Off End Credits. Additional features include animated shorts.

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Zeb!

 

To you, what qualifies a book as good or bad? Are some books objectively better than others, or is it purely a matter of opinion?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

  

My Answer: 

I know some people consider "good" books as only being what mainstream critics call "classics" or "superb," but that's not always the case with me, as you can find a few trashy or tie-ins in my collection. For me to like a book, the book has to grab my interest from the first few pages, if it starts to get boring, there is better chance that I will close the book and toss it on a shelf to collect dust. The meaning of a "good" book is different for every reader. Just because I like reading one book doesn't mean somebody else will.

Readers get a chance to participate in James Patterson's wildly successful Middle School series in this interactive book featuring more than 80 hilarious anecdotes from dueling siblings Rafe and Georgia Khatchadorian--plus dozens of fun-filled activities!

The Khatchadorian kids are an opinionated duo, and as readers of the Middle School stories know, they don't exactly see eye to eye. But when wild-card Rafe and mostly-straight-laced Georgia go at it, the only thing more fun than their ranting is getting to join in! Their back-and-forth banter on a range of topics--from bullying to cafeteria food to school dress codes--introduces more than 40 writing and drawing prompts and other games, along with room for readers to share their own points of view. (Includes over 200 illustrations.)

As many of my readers know, I have been trying to lose weight since last year, but it hasn't been easy to drop those unwanted pounds. Whether it is the first ten pounds or the last ten pounds, it it isn't an easy thing to accomplish without getting liposuction or getting your stomach stapled, which can both be costly and have some negative side-effects, as it is surgery.

Most doctors will probably recommend old-fashioned dieting and exercising to help you lose weight, but most people today are lazy and want everything to happen within seconds, as people want to slim down in time to visit the beach at Boca Raton, Florida.

Not unless you want to have painful surgery, the only other option is coolsculpting, which is a new way to sculpt your body without surgery and is a great way to get rid of the that extra layer of fat that just won't come off no matter how much you exercise and diet. There are many dermatologists, such as Dr. Hershthal, that can preform this procedure. It basically involves freezing your fat cells until they fall off. It may sound easy, but it can be a bit costly if your on a budget.