{"title":"Saul Austerlitz","description":"\u003cp\u003eDive into insightful cultural commentary with Saul Austerlitz. His books offer a witty exploration of television, film, and modern entertainment, perfect for curious minds and pop culture enthusiasts.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"generation-friends-book-saul-austerlitz-9781524743352","title":"Generation Friends","description":"\u003cb\u003eA fascinating behind-the-scenes look at \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e, published for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the show's premiere. \u003ci\u003eHowyoudoin'?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In September 1994, six friends sat down in their favorite coffee shop and began bantering about sex, relationships, jobs, and just about everything else. A quarter of a century later, new fans are still finding their way into the lives of Rachel, Ross, Joey, Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe, and thanks to the show's immensely talented creators, its intimate understanding of its youthful audience, and its reign during network television's last moment of dominance, \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e has become the most influential and beloved show of its era. \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e has never gone on a break, and this is the story of how it all happened. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Noted pop culture historian Saul Austerlitz utilizes exclusive interviews with creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, executive producer Kevin Bright, director James Burrows, and many other producers, writers, and cast members to tell the story of \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e' creation, its remarkable decade-long run, and its astonishing Netflix-fueled afterlife. Readers will go behind the scenes to hear from the people who were present as the show was developed and cast, written and filmed. There will be talk of trivia contests, prom videos, trips to London, Super Bowls, lesbian weddings, wildly popular hairstyles, superstar cameos, mad dashes to the airport, and million-dollar contracts. They'll also discover surprising details--that Monica and Joey were the show's original romantic couple, how Danielle Steel probably saved Jennifer Aniston's career, and why \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e is still so popular that if it was a new show, its over-the-air broadcast reruns would be the ninth-highest-rated program on TV. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The show that defined the 1990s has a legacy that has endured beyond wildest expectations. And in this hilarious, informative, and entertaining book, readers will now understand why.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49509270782225,"sku":"CIN1524743356G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49555180945681,"sku":"GOR010413900","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50213887869201,"sku":"CIN1524743356VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50498465988881,"sku":"GOR010946518","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50515035652369,"sku":"GOR012141946","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1524743356.jpg?v=1751456341"},{"product_id":"still-friends-book-saul-austerlitz-9781409193906","title":"Still Friends","description":"The one where we remember the good times with Friends.   Twenty-five years on from when it first aired, Still Friends dives behind-the-scenes of a TV show that defined an era, reminiscing through exclusive interviews with the show's creators, cast members and industry insiders.   In September 1994, six friends sat down in their favourite coffee shop and began bantering. Almost 30 years later, new fans are still finding their way into the lives of Rachel, Ross, Joey, Chandler, Monica and Phoebe, and thanks to a combination of talented creators, its intimate understanding of its youthful audience, and its reign during network television's last moment of dominance, Friends has become the most influential and beloved show of its era.   Noted pop culture historian Saul Austerlitz is here to tell us how it happened. Utilizing exclusive interviews with creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, executive producer Kevin Bright, director James Burrows, and many other producers, writers, and cast members, Still Friends tells the story of Friends' creation, its remarkable decade-long run, and its astonishing Netflix-fuelled afterlife. Readers will learn how the show was developed and cast, written and filmed. They'll be reminded of episodes like the one about the trivia contest, the prom video, and the London trip. And, of course, the saga of Ross and Rachel. They'll also discover surprising details: that Monica and Joey were the show's original romantic couple, how Danielle Steel probably saved Jennifer Aniston's career, and why Friends is still so popular today.   Friends has a legacy that has endured beyond wildest expectations. Now you can find out why.  As published in the US as Generation Friends.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49511925612817,"sku":"GOR010067377","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49655974265105,"sku":"GOR010258763","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50157729874193,"sku":"GOR010118139","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50373611061521,"sku":"CIN140919390XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52978973311249,"sku":"GOR010377353","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/140919390X.jpg?v=1750921967"},{"product_id":"generation-friends-book-saul-austerlitz-9781524743369","title":"Generation Friends","description":"\u003cb\u003ePraised by the \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eNew York\u003c\/i\u003e magazine, Saul Austerlitz's fascinating behind-the-scenes look at \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e, is, according to \u003ci\u003eNewsweek\u003c\/i\u003e, the \"next best thing\" to a cast reunion.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In September 1994, six friends sat down in their favorite coffee shop and began bantering about sex, relationships, jobs, and just about everything else. A quarter of a century later, new fans are still finding their way into the lives of Rachel, Ross, Joey, Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe, and thanks to the show's immensely talented creators, its intimate understanding of its youthful audience, and its reign during network television's last moment of dominance, \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e has become the most influential and beloved show of its era. \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e has never gone on a break, and this is the story of how it all happened.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Noted pop culture historian Saul Austerlitz utilizes exclusive interviews with creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, executive producer Kevin Bright, director James Burrows, and many other producers, writers, and cast members to tell the story of \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e' creation, its remarkable decade-long run, and its astonishing Netflix-fueled afterlife. Readers will go behind the scenes to hear from the people who were present as the show was developed and cast, written and filmed. There will be talk of trivia contests, prom videos, trips to London, Super Bowls, lesbian weddings, wildly popular hairstyles, superstar cameos, mad dashes to the airport, and million-dollar contracts. They'll also discover surprising details--that Monica and Joey were the show's original romantic couple, how Danielle Steel probably saved Jennifer Aniston's career, and why \u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e is still so popular that if it was a new show, its over-the-air broadcast reruns would be the ninth-highest-rated program on TV.  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The show that defined the 1990s has a legacy that has endured beyond anyone's wildest expectations. And in this hilarious, informative, and entertaining book, readers will now understand why.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":49518739685649,"sku":"CIN1524743364A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49770126573841,"sku":"CIN1524743364G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50001280139537,"sku":"GOR012010838","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51034025820433,"sku":"NIN9781524743369","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52816140337425,"sku":"CIN1524743364VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53631082365201,"sku":"GOR014988120","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1524743364.jpg?v=1750861249"},{"product_id":"sitcom-book-saul-austerlitz-9781613743843","title":"Sitcom","description":"A carefully curated tour through TV comedy series, this mixtape of fondly remembered shows surveys the genealogy of the form, the larger trends in its history, the best of what the genre has accomplished, and the most standard of its works. From I LoveLucy, The Phil Silvers Show, and M*A*S*H to Taxi, The Larry Sanders Show, and 30 Rock, this guide presents the sitcom as a capsule version of the 20th-century arts--realism giving way to modernism and then to postmodernism, all between the hours of 8 and 10pm on weeknights. Each chapter springs from an individual representative entity, including The Simpsons' 22 Short Films About Springfield, The Mary Tyler Moore Show's Chuckles Bites the Dust, Seinfeld's The Pitch, and Freaks and Geeks' Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers, where Martin Starr's nerdy Bill takes comfort in--what else--the pleasures of laughing at TV.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49618609864977,"sku":"CIN161374384XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51101474095377,"sku":"NIN9781613743843","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":51328765559057,"sku":"CIN161374384XA","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51535631712529,"sku":"GOR007671803","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52995766223121,"sku":"CIN161374384XVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/161374384X.jpg?v=1751422501"},{"product_id":"kind-of-a-big-deal-book-saul-austerlitz-9780593186848","title":"Kind of a Big Deal","description":"Named one of the best comedies of all times by Bravo, Time Out, and Empire, and one of the most quotable films of all time by Esquire, Hollywood.com, and Yardbarker, Anchorman is arguably the most popular comedy of the last twenty years. In Kind of a Big Deal, author and comedy historian Saul Austerlitz explores the making of the movie, its status as a legendary comedy. Kind of a Big Deal will be both a narrative history of how Anchorman was developed, written, and cast, and how it launched the careers of future superstars like Will Ferrell, Steve Carrell, and Paul Rudd, also setting the stage for a whole decade of comedy to come and influencing films like The Forty-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Superbad, and so many more. It's also a cultural analysis of the film's significance as a sly commentary on feminism, the media, fragile masculinity, 1970s nostalgia, and more. Featuring brand-new interviews with stars such as Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay, the book will feature both the insider commentary and updated, intelligent commentary that pop culture readers love. And it will also be published just in time for the film's 20th anniversary, a date that will definitely resonate with both publicity outlets and readers.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49745884676369,"sku":"NGR9780593186848","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50283809800465,"sku":"CIN0593186842G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50784242794769,"sku":"CIN0593186842VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51004284043537,"sku":"NIN9780593186848","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51147695620369,"sku":"GOR013543714","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0593186842.jpg?v=1751136345"},{"product_id":"just-a-shot-away-book-saul-austerlitz-9781250083197","title":"Just a Shot Away","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe most blisteringly impassioned music book of the season. --\u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eBook Review\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA thrilling account of the Altamont Festival--and the dark side of the '60s.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIf Woodstock tied the ideals of the '60s together, Altamont unraveled them. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eJust a Shot Away, \u003c\/i\u003ewriter and critic Saul Austerlitz tells the story of Woodstock West, where the Rolling Stones hoped to end their 1969 American tour triumphantly with the help of the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane, and 300,000 fans. Instead the concert featured a harrowing series of disasters, starting with the concert's haphazard planning. The bad acid kicked in early. The Hells Angels, hired to handle security, began to prey on the concertgoers. And not long after the Rolling Stones went on, an 18-year-old African-American named Meredith Hunter was stabbed by the Angels in front of the stage. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe show, and the Woodstock high, were over. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Austerlitz shows how Hunter's death came to symbolize the end of an era while the trial of his accused murderer epitomized the racial tensions that still underlie America. He also finds a silver lining in the concert in how \u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e's coverage of it helped create a new form of music journalism, while the making of the movie about Altamont, \u003ci\u003eGimme Shelter, \u003c\/i\u003e birthed new forms of documentary. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Using scores of new interviews with Paul Kantner, Jann Wenner, journalist John Burks, filmmaker Joan Churchill, and many members of the Rolling Stones' inner circle, as well as Meredith Hunter's family, Austerlitz shows that you can't understand the '60s or rock and roll if you don't come to grips with Altamont.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49949957849361,"sku":"CIN1250083192G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51068262154513,"sku":"CIN1250083192VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53566290755857,"sku":"GOR010076997","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1250083192.jpg?v=1750889004"},{"product_id":"money-for-nothing-book-saul-austerlitz-9780826418180","title":"Money for Nothing","description":"Tells the history of the music video, delving into its origins, function, stars, motifs, genres, conventions, and masterpieces. The author sees the music video as a fascinating oddity, capable of packing great wit, emotion, and insight into its brief span.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49955221963025,"sku":"GOR001895147","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50943148654865,"sku":"CIN082641818XVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51322414530833,"sku":"CIN082641818XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/082641818X.jpg?v=1750818526"},{"product_id":"another-fine-mess-book-saul-austerlitz-9781556529511","title":"Another Fine Mess","description":"Charlie Chaplin.Buster Keaton.The Marx Brothers.Billy Wilder.Woody Allen.The Coen brothers.Where would the American film be without them?Yet the cinematic genre these artists represent--comedy--has perennially received short shrift from critics, film buffs, and the Academy Awards.Saul Austerlitz s Another Fine Mess is an attempt to right that wrong.Running the gamut of film history from City Lights to Knocked Up, Another Fine Mess retells the story of American film from the perspective of its unwanted stepbrother--the comedy.In 30 long chapters and 100 shorter entries, each devoted primarily to a single performer or director, Another Fine Messretraces the steps of the American comedy film, filling in the gaps and following the connections that link Mae West to Doris Day, or W. C. Fields to Will Ferrell.The first book of its kind in more than a generation, Another Fine Mess is an eye-opening, entertaining, and enlightening tour of the American comedy, encompassing the masterpieces, the box-office smashes, and all the little-known gems in between.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50097867030801,"sku":"CIN1556529511G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1556529511.jpg?v=1763220241"},{"product_id":"therapeutic-yoga-book-jt-shah-9788187111283","title":"Therapeutic Yoga","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50158592590097,"sku":"CIN8187111283G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51523545334033,"sku":"GOR007547157","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51533305151761,"sku":"GOR003707361","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/8187111283.jpg?v=1750935872"},{"product_id":"money-for-nothing-book-saul-austerlitz-9780826429582","title":"Money for Nothing","description":"Saul Austerlitz's fascinating book tells the history of the music video, delving into its origins, function, stars, motifs, genres, conventions and masterpieces.Picture yourself in a darkened movie theater, or soothed by the pleasing glow of a television screen. You are watching as a history of the moving image unfolds onscreen, but this history will not take note of D. W. Griffith or Jean Renoir, nor will King Kong or Jaws make an appearance. As the images flicker past - of four ebullient Britishmen turning cartwheels in an open field, a man tap-dancing on an urban sidewalk, a wedding party in a rainstorm, a tragedy in a school classroom - they wax more familiar, the theme growing more coherent, more stable. They keep coming, though, quickly, relentlessly, constantly changing form, changing style, shapeshifting. The parade of images appears to possess a logic of its own, a guiding hand to steer its ship.Finally, as the last picture fills the screen - it happens to be of a shooting on a Brooklyn street - a light bulb goes off: these are all images from music videos, the short films that once ruled the airwaves, and still possess a significant hold on the generations raised by MTV. \"I wonder what those were all about,\" you say...The music video is a medium that appears to have run its course, or at least hit a substantial rut in its evolution. MTV and VH1 have morphed into lifestyle channels, the musical component of their programming reduced to a mere blip on their schedule. BET, CMT, and other music channels still maintain their dedication to showing music videos regularly, but their narrower audiences render them distinctly niche channels. And yet the video's shining moment as part disposable crap, part momentary, fleeting genius (the exact cinematic\/televisual equivalent of the pop song, of course) renders it a subject worthy of some serious attention. Saul Austerlitz's fascinating book tells the history of the music video.Austerlitz sees the music video as a fascinating oddity, capable of packing great wit, emotion, and insight into its brief span. A compelling marker of cultural history, the video emerged onto television screens nationwide and shone gloriously for a brief moment before disappearing into the remembrance of television past. Informed, opinionated, and always entertaining, \"Money for Nothing\" goes a long way toward retrieving the memory of this fleeting, evanescent art-form.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50968854036753,"sku":"GOR004057205","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51331180495121,"sku":"CIN0826429580G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52351024038161,"sku":"NLS9780826429582","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53389123944721,"sku":"GOR013655674","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0826429580.jpg?v=1751457527"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-saul-austerlitz.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}