By Michael Karol & Craig HamrickCraig Hamrick (far left) and I created our TV Tidbits line of books in 2004.
Craig passed away in September 2006 after a long and courageous battle with cancer, but he wanted me to keep this line of books going. Four of my books have been about my favorite obsession, Lucille Ball: Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia; Lucy in Print; The Lucille Ball Quiz Book; and the latest, The Comic DNA of Lucille Ball: Interpreting the Icon. The fifth was a departure, a horror/vampire/mystery novel called Kiss Me, Kill Me (featuring Craig's fabulous, atmospheric photos) that has become a cult favorite and was nominated for several awards. A prequel, Sleeps Well With Others, came out in late 2006. Then, I returned to my TV trivia roots for The ABC Movie of the Week Companion and The TV Tidbits Classic Television Book of Lists.
Craig similary concentrated on one of his great loves, the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, for two of his books, Barnabas & Co., a complete review of the cast of that cult show (I'm working with his estate so that a new expanded version that Craig had almost completed will be coming out, hopefully this year); and Big Lou, a rare inside look into the life of one of soap's great actors — and Craig's friend — Louis Edmonds (Dark Shadows and All My Children). His last book was strictly Tidbits, and all fun: The TV Tidbits Classic Television Quiz Book.
Book News I revised Lucy A to Z (for the fourth time!) and the book was reissued in late Janaury 2008 as an oversized, expanded encyclopedia...with pictures (see below)! ... Craig's final manuscript, a TV trivia party-game-in-a-book called Reruns, was complete but in need of an edit at the time of his death, and I'm working with his partner, Joe, and his estate to see that it gets published. ... An updated version of my bestelling book, The ABC Movie of the Week Companion, with exclusive pictures, will be out later this summer. I'll keep you posted ... Keep checking back for the latest book updates, and remember: Reading is GOOD for you. —MAK
Return to TV TIDBITS PRESENTS THE LUCY [WEB] SHOW
Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia has been a best-seller since it was first published in 2001. It's a unique, A to Z look at the life and career of America's most popular comedian -- featuring exclusive reviews at the stage careers of the four I Love Lucy principals. This new, expanded Fourth Edition features many other exclusive interviews (including Jane Connell, Wanda Clark, Doris Singleton, Dann Cahn and William Asher), and, for the first time, pictures! Lucy A to Z has been called a "godsend" by Lucie Arnaz; a compendium of "insight, fact, and trivia" by Ball of Fire author Stefan Kanfer; and "the most enjoyable book available on Lucille Ball — a must-have!" by Classic Images magazine. The new Lucy A to Z is now available on Amazon.com and all other online retailers, as well as in-store via special order. For more, click here.
Lucy In Print Lucy in Print is a unique look at the career of Lucille Ball, her seminal sitcom I Love Lucy and her co-stars -- Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley -- from the perspective of the press coverage they received over the past 70 years. Why was Lucy branded a Red? Did Desi really love Lucy loosely? Could Viv's New Mexican hideaway have cost her her life? The answers to those questions and many more are found in this unique compilation. With author commentary, a trip to Lucy's birthplace, Jamestown, N.Y., and two "lost" plays about I Love Lucy!
Click here to buy it now on Amazon.com.
Barnabas & Co.: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows Barnabas & Co.: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows tells the tale of the (mostly) marvelous actors and actresses who came together in a tiny studio in Manhattan to make magic--both on screen and off. Dark Shadows innovatively broke all the daytime rules and blazed a trail other soaps are still following. Featuring sympathetic vampires and werewolves, decades before Buffy the Vampire Killer made slaying cool all over again, the show captured the nation's attention. In the actors' own words read about how it happened, and relive your own special memories of those Dark Shadows in the afternoon. Plus, a special trivia section includes information on the actors' other roles--on TV, stage and in movies. Buy it on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and many other sites on the Web, or order it in-store. Look for the new, expanded and revised version coming in 2008!
Big Lou Big Lou Louis Edmonds was well known for his TV soap opera roles as Dark Shadows' Roger Collins and All My Children's Langley Wallingford, but his career spanned much further than that. Working with such performers as Charlton Heston, Kaye Ballard, Joan Bennett, and Carol Burnett, he was a pioneer performer on live television in the 1950s and played numerous critically acclaimed roles on and off Broadway and on TV for five decades. Throughout his life, the gay actor battled--and conquered--depression, alcoholism, and cancer. In a revealing biography, author Craig Hamrick chronicles the life and career of this remarkable man. Click here to buy it now on B&N.com. Also available on Amazon and many other online sites, and via special order in your local bookstore.
Kiss Me, Kill Me Kiss Me, Kill Me was published in June 2003. A departure for me, this fiction novel is the story of Ray Abreu — a gay New Yorker who's looking for Mr. Right. Unfortunately, he's just found Mr. Wrong — Mr. Dead Wrong. With atmospheric, gothic photos by Craig Hamrick, this novel has been called "a sexy, well-made page-turner" and "a fun and easy read, with a touch of history" plus "plenty of vampiric punch and erotic imagery." It was a finalist in the 2003 Queer Horror Awards. Look for a new 2006 reprint and its soon-to-come prequel, Sleeps Well With Others.
It can be purchased at Amazon.com.
Sitcom Queens: Divas of the Small Screen Maybe it's Eve Arden. For some it's Bea Arthur. Or perhaps Beaver's mom, Barbara Billingsley. Did sultry Ann Sothern slay ya? What do these ladies all have in common? They starred in some of the best-loved sitcoms ever aired. And they were funny, funny, Funny Ladies. Sitcom Queens is the revamped and updated version of his original best-seller, Funny Ladies: Sitcom Queens, by acclaimed TV trivia expert Michael Karol...with mostly new material, including a Foreword by Larry Storch, an introduction by Doris "Carolyn Appleby" Singleton, and original essays with tons of trivia boxes spotlighting your sitcom femme faves, everyone from Gracie Allen to Zasu Pitts. Literally hundreds of stars are given the TV Tidbit treatment in Sitcom Queens; includes a Top Ten and a sitcom timeline.
Buy it now on Barnes & Noble.com.
The TV Tidbits Classic Television Trivia Quiz Book The TV Tidbits Classic Television Trivia Quiz Book was published in February 2004. How much do you know about your favorite TV shows? On Dallas, who shot JR? What town do The Simpsons live in? What did Donna's husband do for a living on The Donna Reed Show? If you can rattle off answers to questions like these -- then this is the book for you. Just sit right back and begin; with more than one thousand questions on every one of your favorite classic television shows, characters, and actors and actresses, you won't get up for months! It can be purchased at B&N.com, Amazon, other online locations, or via special order in your local bookstore.
The TV Tidbits Classic Television Book of Lists We have a fondness for lists, and while we knew that there would ultimately be a TV Tidbits Book of Lists, we wanted to wait and make it as special, and unique, as we possibly could. Thus, you'll find lists here that have never appeared anywhere else, such as those classic TV characters who've had statues erected honoring them, Replacements, the Television's Top Moments, Stars Who've Played Superman & Lois on TV, Shows That Jumped from Live Action to Animation, and vice-versa, and much more! Named one of the best new books of the year (2007) by Classic Images magazine!
Buy it now at Barnes&Noble.com.
The Lucille Ball Quiz Book In 1953, Desi Arnaz surprised Lucy with a 13th Anniversary party at this Hollywood club. Name the club.
a. Ciro’s
b. The Mocambo
c. The Palladium
d. The Trocadero
The answer to this question, and hundreds of others, is in this little bottle....er, book! The Lucille Ball Quiz Book is the first Lucy quiz book in more than 20 years, and the only one to concentrate on her entire life and career, not just I Love Lucy. More has been written about Lucille Ball, and her landmark sitcom I Love Lucy, than just about any other entertainer in history. But how much do you really know? The Lucille Ball Quiz Book offers hundreds of chances for you to prove (and improve!) your Lucy IQ. Six main quizzes focus on Lucy, while others tackle her TV co-stars (Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley, Frank Nelson, Mary Jane Croft, Gale Gordon, Lucie Arnaz, and Desi Arnaz Jr.), her five TV series, Lucy’s specials and guest-star appearances, Desilu series and stars, and Lucy collectibles, round out the book. Bonus: Blocks of TV Tidbits, fresh trivia about your favorite redhead, are sprinkled throughout the quizzes. As a Lucy fan — and who isn’t one? — you can’t afford to miss this chance to test your mettle.The ABC Movie of the Week Companion THE BESTSELLING MOVIE GUIDE! A loving tribute to the classic series of TV films includes a little history, reviews of more than 200 films in the series, and a lotta trivia, as befits the newest entry in the TV Tidbits book series. Books in the series take an affectionate look at the TV shows we grew up watching, and feature fun trivia and historical facts. The ABC Movie of the Week series was a cultural touchstone for a generation of Americans. The weekly films introduced cultural icons like The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, and a certain Zuni fetish doll that terrorized Karen Black (see the front cover). So sit back, relax, and let's return to a time when the counter-culture was in full swing, and you could tune in every week for one or more original films, made just for you. You're gonna love it.
Click here to buy it now at Barnes & Noble.
The Comic DNA of Lucille Ball It's been said that Lucille Ball's face has been seen more times, by more people, than the face of any other person who ever lived.
Fifty-five years ago, a sitcom called I Love Lucy transformed the television landscape and made its leading lady, Lucille Ball, a superstar. No one could have known that Ball, formerly a showgirl, B-movie queen, and radio actress, would become one of the world's most beloved performers, and take her place in a rare pantheon reserved for the likes of Elvis, Marilyn, and Chaplin. This book, by acclaimed Lucy author Michael Karol-Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia, The Lucille Ball Quiz Book, Lucy in Print-examines Ball's impact and dissects what it was, and is, that makes Lucy not only an icon of laughter, but a powerful tonic in a troubled world.Sleeps Well With Others Ray Abreu, the hero of the the 2003 gay vampire hit Kiss Me, Kill Me is back -- as a gay youngster, growing up in a repressed small town and feeling the pain...that is, until he gets sent by his parents to an all-male sleepaway camp in the Adirondack Mountains in upper New York State. There, Ray experiences a gradual flowering and realization of his homoerotic feelings, and grows from a shy, retiring boy into a person who can stand up for himself. But he's unaware of the deadly presence "standing up" for him behind the scenes. This unique prequel is spiked with sex, thrills, and chills -- but then, whose adolsecence isn't? Coming in 2006!
Coming soon on Barnes&Noble.com.
Copyright 2004-2008 by Michael Karol and The Estate of Craig Hamrick; all rights reserved. No one may reproduce
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