Entertainment Books

Jenny Jameson, oohh I love the name. It sounds like there's always something going on behind the bedroom door. Anyone who's a fan can put his hands on an autobiographical book called "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star - A Cautionary Tale" -- a tale that oozes with sex, drugs, rock 'n roll, and Jenna the porn diva herself. If you're planning to sift through the book's pages (which shows Jenna in every shape and position possible) in the bus, bring on a bandanna to cover her, or else, a good number of creeps will be peeping from all directions.

Jenna's hardcover edition is a total blast for me. It talks about her sordid past - an affair with the tattoo guy in Vegas, getting raped, becoming a stripper, and ending up becoming the porn star, big time. I haven't even mentioned her life within the industry, when she messed with drugs and slept with rock and roll stars, actors, and bigwigs. Despite my low regard for women like her, Jenna has claimed her throne in the Queendom of Pornography - making her a living sexual Barbie legend.

Jenna's story does sound cheesy. Who would be surprised of her roots when she ended up a millionaire like that? Like all human beings though, whether they have bouncy chests or they don't, Jenna yearns for a normal life which she didn't quite succeed at getting. So many affairs, yet so little depth, and she wound up still wondering if there is a soul left in her. She did marry someone cool enough, and she still dreams of having her own children. You'd think it was redic, after all the sex she's had. Buy the book but don't puke while reading it, 'cause it's totally lowbrow.

We are a bunch of meddlers as we love to pry into other people's lives. We read autobiographies and other real-life accounts on Hollywood celebrities, political and historical figures, saints and the not-so-saintly. What do we get from them? Nothing really, we just love to sit back, curl up in bed and read. For us, it's plain old entertainment.

I read this book about the life of the most-loved female celebrity in Hollywood today, Julia Roberts. Written by Paul Simpson and published by Reynolds & Hearn, it's one of the three real-life recountals I've read in my life. I must say this one is a good read not because it features a very popular celebrity who happens to be my idol but because of the way the story was told. I advise you to read this one for yourself.

The book follows the life of one of the highest-paid actress in Hollywood from her roots as a little girl who grew in Atlanta. Everybody knows who Julia Roberts is, what we don't know is how exactly did she climb to top of the Hollywood ladder. This Pretty Woman and Oscar-award winning actress has everything under her feet yet she manages be a simple person far from the complexities of celebrity life.

Many cynics would claim that writing is not a lucrative profession. In fact most of the writers in history only earned fame and fortune, posthumously. But despite this bitter fact, many people still find joy in writing. Authors of endearing books have become well-accepted by their own niche in the market, some even reach the point of getting a film adaptation in Hollywood.

Among our contemporary writers, I would have to give two thumbs up to James Patterson, not only for his best-sellers but for the fact that he was an unusual writer. This author-multimillionaire will belie the preconceived idea that writers are poor people. Patterson who is now 59, was able to produce 39 books to date. Almost half of which landed at top spot of the list of New York Times Bestsellers. His books reached over 100 million in sales and has earned for himself a billion dollars in the US alone. His major titles include Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls, Cat and Mouse, Jack and Jill among others. The first two were made into movies while more Hollywood projects are at his doorstep.

Ever since a little girl Victoria Beckham wanted to be a star, and not just an ordinary star but a glamorously shining star. Victoria's autobiography, Learning to Fly, tells us of a heartwarming and honest story of how a lonely teenager rose through it all to became part of an internationally-famous girl group and becoming London's hottest couple with husband David Beckham.

Call it interesting, amazing or remarkable, but I'm never really fond of reading autobiogrphies of celebrities, except perhaps Oprah Winfrey's. But this book was all different, in the sense that it's not too common to hear endearing Hollywood (British-style) I-will-conquer-the-world stories of how one can get through the tough eyes of the public, marry a sports hottie and live a glamorous life while keeping her two feet on the ground.

This is a must read book for all Victoria fans out there and for those who simply want to know the true personality behind one of Britain's most celebrated women. Once your fingers and eyes flipped through pages, you'll never put it down.

During the late '60s Hollywood movies have plunged down into an almost near-death decline that even big-budgeted productions coming from the major studios are turning into flops. In addition, audiences of Hollywood movies slid into an all-time low. But in time before a total collapse, there came a new breed of filmmakers, considered kiddos because of their fresh unconventional approach to film-making, seduced audiences to go back and watch a movie. Directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and William Freidken among others, who literally saved the day for Hollywood.

These and all other facets of the astounding success of the films such as Easy Rider, Bonnie & Clyde, The Graduate, and the new generation filmmakers and their effects on the history of film making is laboriously noted in this book by film writer Peter Biskind.

Biskind chronicles one of the most important era in the American cultural history through an in-depth first-hand approach. He talked with the creative talents from the talents, writers to the directors behind the films Bonnie & Clyde and Raging Bull to discuss their personal stories, insights, and experiences and turn them into an intriguing collection of recountals. An amazing read as expected.

In less than two months, the whole world will have the chance to watch the movie adaptation of the most controversial novel Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. But, before this intriguing book, came first the Angels and Demons. Released in 2000, and re-released in 2003, this novel about an ancient brotherhood entered the Bestseller List of New York Times. It sold over eight million copies, and was translated into different languages.

So, what is so special about this novel? Aside from featuring beautifully crafted ambigrams, Angels and Demons gives its readers the special privileges to not only delve into the mysteries behind the Roman Catholic Church and the establishment of the Vatican. The said movie has another perk for the readers.

The said perk makes the readers to travel Rome. Readers will be able to go deep down to the underground tunnels of the Vatican and the brotherhood that pioneered the building. As with its follower, many artworks and famous names were mentioned in Angels and Demons. All the masterpieces played a role in unveiling the mysteries. The novel is action-packed right from the beginning and is constantly requiring clues in order to advance from one level of adventure to the other. Facts and fiction were intricately interwoven in the novel, while religion and science fight against each other.

I just can't resist reading a good book during my free time. Although I try not to restrict much of my preferences, I must say though that there are authors whose works are simply irresistible. One of my favorite picks in the rack is Sidney Sheldon. Well, I've known the best-selling author since my early college years; thanks to a good friend of mine. If that book swapping didn't happen, perhaps, I wouldn't have discovered such a great storyteller.

Of course, I also read several authors aside from him. Yet, holding a new Sheldon book each time is always a different experience. Surely there are many more authors as capable and brilliant as him. Yet he's simply unique. He's a master storyteller since he has a way of capturing the interest and rousing the excitement of its readers from cover to cover. Moreover, he can create as many plots as possible, and yet blend them smoothly and flawlessly in order to make a fine novel. For those who haven't tried Sidney Sheldon, I recommend "The Other Side of Midnight," "Master of the Game," "Sands of Time," "Bloodline," "Nothing Lasts Forever", and his latest best-selling book, "Are You Afraid of the Dark."

Were you addicted to Sex and the City? Well, here's a really seriously fabulous entertainment book! Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar. It's just addictive, the reality of teenage life mixed with love and the glamorous and celebrity-like lives of the elite teens of New York city. These series of novels are must-reads, I tell you! Starting with the first novel to the next, it keeps getting better and better, it's interesting because it's not sugar-coated at all, so anyone could relate to the feel of it. Believe me, you're missing half of your life if you haven't read this! So, if you're looking for entertainment and a great read, Gossip Girl is "the" entertainment for you.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, is one of the most entertaining, funny and witty books that Ive ever read! It's about this woman who cannot seem to stop shopping, and worst, she craves for the designer items, shoes, bags, scarves, clothes, shades, from Prada to Gucci, she has it all. But, the funny thing is, she's not rich, at all! Now that's an adventure! She buys everything but can't seem to pay her bills in the end, that's where it gets very exciting and funny! Grab a copy, because, I couldn't seem to put mine down when I started!