The Arts & Entertainment category has 1,204 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 1,967 ratings. The most-rated is Alien: River of Pain.
The Beautiful Ones
Summary
The brilliant coming-of-age-and-into-superstardom story of one of the greatest artists of all time, in his own words - featuring the exquisite memoir he began writing before his tragic death. Prince was a musical genius, one of the most beloved, accomplished, and acclaimed musicians of our time. He was a startlingly original visionary with an imagination deep enough to whip up whole worlds, from the sexy, gritty funk paradise of "Uptown" to the mythical landscape of Purple Rain to the psychedelia of "Paisley Park". But his most ambitious creative act was turning Prince Rogers Nelson, born in Minnesota, into Prince, one of the greatest pop stars of any era. The Beautiful Ones is the story of how Prince became Prince - a first-person account of a kid absorbing the world around him and then creating a persona, an artistic vision, and a life, before the hits and fame that would come to define him. The audiobook is told in four parts. The first is the memoir Prince was writing before his tragic death, bringing us into his childhood world through his own lyrical prose. The second part takes us through Prince’s early years as a musician, before his first album was released, via an evocative scrapbook of writing. The third section shows us Prince’s evolution, going up to the cusp of his greatest achievement, which we see in the audiobook’s fourth section: his original treatment for Purple Rain - the final stage in Prince’s self-creation, where he retells the autobiography of the first three parts as a heroic journey. The audiobook is framed by editor Dan Piepenbring’s riveting and moving introduction about his profound collaboration with Prince in his final months - a time when Prince was thinking deeply about how to reveal more of himself and his ideas to the world, while retaining the mystery and mystique he’d so carefully cultivated. This work is not just a tribute to an icon, but an original and energizing literary work in its own right, full of Prince’s ideas and vision, his voice and image - his undying gift to the world. Includes a bonus PDF featuring never-before-seen photos and original scrapbooks and lyric sheets. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Prince (P)2019 Random House Audio
Music Theory: from Absolute Beginner to Expert
Summary
Discover the beauty of music theory and become a better musician through the power of understanding! Have you ever wanted: To unlock the mysteries of notes, intervals, music scales, modes, keys, chords and chord progressions and other important concepts in music? To understand where chords and scales come from, all the different types that exist and how they're built? To master your rhythm and time skills and understand how to practice and play easily in any time signature? To know what's behind all the beautiful music and learn how you can (re)create it? Have you ever been put off by music theory or thought that is too hard to learn? If you find yourself in any of this, then this book is the answer for you. It covers everything that anyone who plays (or wants to play) music, and wishes to become better as a musician, should know. This is the most comprehensive book on music theory that you can find today. Not only that, but this book is written in a way that is really easy to follow, understand and internalize all the concepts explained. You don't have to be a college degree music student in order to understand and use this - anyone can do it! It also doesn't matter what instrument you play (because music theory is universal) and it also doesn't matter what is your knowledge level or playing ability! This book will give you all the information necessary to become a true expert in music theory without frustration and feeling overwhelmed, and this will have innumerable benefits to your playing! Download this book now and solve all your problems with music theory! PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2016 Nicolas Carter (P)2016 Nicolas Carter
Bad Reception
Summary
Please note: contains explicit content. Get ready for a completely improvised and unscripted Audible Original that invites you to listen in on the funniest phone calls from the world’s weirdest town. “Welcome to South Grampers! Please enjoy our world-famous movie theater butter, and kindly stay away from the glowing toxic waste.” Ever been on a terrible conference call where nothing gets solved? Stuck on hold trying to cancel your cable service? Lonely and needed to talk to a friend? (Even if they’re a cat?) Bad Reception is an entirely improvised comedy, set entirely on the phone. A cast of over 40 top comedians and improvisers brings to life (and completely makes up) the story of South Grampers, Northern California – the Movie Theater Butter Capital of the World. The town is in dire straits and must launch their own film festival to raise some desperately needed cash. But an unexpected sequence of events ultimately leads to an event known as…The Incident. Only one person can solve the mystery and expose the terrible truth. He just doesn’t know it yet. Created and Directed by Justin Michael and Eric Martin Story by Justin Michael and Eric Martin Full Cast Includes (in alphabetical order): Alex Berg, Alex Fernie, Alexa Loftus, Ally Beardsley, Anthony Gioe, Ben Greene, Betsy Sodaro, Carl Tart, Casey Trela, D’Arcy Carden, Dan Gregor, Dan Lippert, Dhruv Singh, Drew Tarver, Echo Kellum, Ego Nwodim, Eric Martin, Gilli Nissim, Haley Hepworth, Jace Armstrong, Jessica McKenna, Jon Mackey, Julie Brister, Justin Michael, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Kyle Mooney, Lauren Lapkus, Lou Wilson, Madeline Walter, Mano Agapion, Marissa Strickland, Mary Holland, Mary Sasson, Matthew Brian Cohen, Nic Michaels, Nicole Byer, Oscar Montoya, Paul F. Tompkins, Peter Banifaz, Rene Gube, Ronnie Adrian, Ryan Rosenberg, Veronica Osorio, Zac Oyama, Zach Reino Editing and Sound Design by Nic Michaels, Jake Young, Grant Martz, and Emma Erdbrink Recorded by Emma Erdbrink, Brendan Lynch-Salamon, and Matt Brousseau Logo by Roxy Radulescu and Rustam Hasanov Executive Producer Morgan Jones Presented by Audible Originals and Audible Comedy This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 13 episodes to your Library now.
©2018 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC
The Daily Show (the AudioBook)
Summary
The complete uncensored history of the award-winning The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as told by its correspondents, writers, and host. For almost 17 years, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart brilliantly redefined the borders between television comedy, political satire, and opinionated news coverage. It launched the careers of some of today's most significant comedians, highlighted the hypocrisies of the powerful, and garnered 23 Emmys. Now the show's behind-the-scenes gags, controversies, and camaraderie are chronicled by the players themselves, from legendary host Jon Stewart to the star cast members and writers - including Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Steve Carell, Lewis Black, Jessica Williams, John Hodgman, and Larry Wilmore - plus some of The Daily Show's most prominent guests and adversaries: John and Cindy McCain, Glenn Beck, Tucker Carlson, and many more. This oral history takes the listener behind the curtain for all the show's highlights, from its origins as Comedy Central's underdog late-night program hosted by Craig Kilborn to Jon Stewart's long reign to Trevor Noah's succession, rising from a scrappy jester in the 24-hour political news cycle to become part of the beating heart of politics - a trusted source for not only comedy but also commentary, with a reputation for calling bullshit and an ability to effect real change in the world. Through years of incisive election coverage, Jon Stewart's emotional monologue in the wake of 9/11, his infamous confrontation on Crossfire, passionate debates with President Obama and Hillary Clinton, feuds with Bill O'Reilly and Fox, the Indecisions, Mess O'Potamia, and provocative takes on Wall Street and racism, The Daily Show has been a cultural touchstone. Now, for the first time, the people behind the show's seminal moments come together to share their memories of the last-minute rewrites, improvisations, pranks, romances, blowups, and moments of Zen both on and off the set of one of America's most groundbreaking shows. Full cast of narrators includes Ryan Vincent Anderson, Graham Halstead, Cheryl Smith, Christian Coulson, Tommy Harron, and Elece Green. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2016 Chris Smith (P)2016 Hachette Audio
The Big Picture
Summary
The stunning metamorphosis of twenty-first-century Hollywood and what lies ahead for the art and commerce of film In the past decade, Hollywood has endured a cataclysm on a par with the end of silent film and the demise of the studio system. Stars and directors have seen their power dwindle, while writers and producers lift their best techniques from TV, comic books, and the toy biz. The future of Hollywood is being written by powerful corporate brands like Marvel, Amazon, Netflix, and Lego, as well as censors in China. Ben Fritz chronicles this dramatic shakeup with unmatched skill, bringing equal fluency to both the financial and entertainment aspects of Hollywood. He dives deeply into the fruits of the Sony hack to show how the previous model, long a creative and commercial success, lost its way. And he looks ahead through interviews with dozens of key players at Disney, Marvel, Netflix, Amazon, Imax, and others to discover how they have reinvented the business. He shows us, for instance, how Marvel replaced stars with “universes”, and how Disney remade itself in Apple’s image and reaped enormous profits. But despite the destruction of the studios’ traditional playbook, Fritz argues that these seismic shifts signal the dawn of a new heyday for film. The Big Picture shows the first glimmers of this new golden age through the eyes of the creative mavericks who are defining what our movies will look like in the new era.
©2018 Ben Fritz (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
The XFM Vault
Summary
We're back with even more Best Bits of the Ricky Gervais Show on Xfm! The Ricky Gervais Show on Xfm is where Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant first met Karl Pilkington. The trio, who have been talking drivel ever since, later went on to create one of the most downloaded podcasts in history. This programme brings you a selection of Best Bits from archived material of the second series of The Ricky Gervais Show with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington and includes classic such as 'Man Moths', 'Do You Need 'Em', and 'Educating Ricky'.
©2001 XFM (P)2009 XFM
How to Listen to Jazz
Summary
An Economist best book of the year In How to Listen to Jazz, award-winning music scholar Ted Gioia presents a lively introduction to the art of listening to jazz. He tells us what to listen for in a performance and includes a guide to today's leading jazz musicians. From Louis Armstrong's innovative sounds to the exotic compositions of Duke Ellington, Gioia covers everything from the music's history to the building blocks of improvisation. A true love letter to jazz by a foremost expert, How to Listen to Jazz is a must-listen for anyone who's ever wanted to understand America's greatest contribution to music.
©2017 Ted Gioia (P)2017 Hachette Audio
Invisible Ink
Summary
Acclaimed by successful screenwriters and authors, Invisible Ink is a helpful, accessible guide to the essential elements of the best storytelling. Brian McDonald, an award winning screenwriter who has taught his craft at several major studios, supplies writers with tools to make their work more effective and provides readers and audiences a deeper understanding of the storyteller's art. When people think of a screenplay, they usually think about dialogue-the "visible ink" that is readily accessible to the listener, reader, or viewer. But a successful screenplay needs Invisible Ink as well, the craft below the surface of words. Invisible Ink lays out the essential elements of screenplay structure, using vivid examples from famous moments in popular movies as well as from one of his own popular scripts. You will learn techniques for building a compelling story around a theme, making your writing engage audiences, creating appealing characters, and much more.
©2010 Brian McDonald (P)2013 Open Book Audio
The 23 Greatest Solo Piano Works
Summary
The piano is the most popular solo concert instrument in Western music. One of the key reasons is the fact that it has inspired many of the greatest masterpieces in the concert repertoire. To study these masterworks and to understand their genius and lasting appeal is to know one of the greatest accomplishments of Western culture, works that give great pleasure even as they deepen your insight into the meaning of music. The 23 works you'll study are carefully chosen to highlight the most important compositional and pianistic achievements in the solo piano tradition. These 24 enthralling lectures by Professor Greenberg take you through more than 200 years of piano music. Beginning with the monumental figure of Bach, followed by Mozart and Beethoven, you experience the piano music of such 19th-century masters as Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt, before moving forward to visionary modernists including Scriabin, Debussy, and Prokofiev. Each lecture presents a single work in a fresh, accessible encounter with its musical substance, welcoming listeners new to concert music as well as experienced concert music lovers. In addition to your study of the music, the lectures treat you to a rich panorama of music history. You dig deeply into the artistic and cultural environments that the compositions reflect, shedding light on what inspired these great works and how they were written. As a third layer of the course, you delve into the fascinating history of the piano itself, uncovering the ways in which the evolution of the instrument directly influenced the music that composers wrote for it. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2013 The Great Courses (P)2013 The Teaching Company, LLC
The Secret Lives of Colour
Summary
The Secret Lives of Colour tells the unusual stories of the 75 most fascinating shades, dyes and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso's blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history. In this book Kassia St Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colours and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilisation. Across fashion and politics, art and war, The Secret Lives of Colour tell the vivid story of our culture. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.
©2020 Kassia St Clair (P)2020 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
Summary
When the low-budget biker movie Easy Rider shocked Hollywood with its success in 1969, a new Hollywood era was born. This was an age when talented filmmakers such as Scorcese, Coppola, and Spielberg, along with a new breed of actors, including DeNiro, Pacino, and Nicholson, became the powerful figures who would make such modern classics as The Godfather, Chinatown, Taxi Driver, and Jaws. Easy Rider, Raging Bulls follows the wild ride that was Hollywood in the 70s - an unabashed celebration of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll (both on screen and off) and a climate where innovation and experimentation reigned supreme.
©1999 Peter Biskind (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion
Summary
Jazz is a uniquely American art form, one of America's great contributions to not only musical culture, but world culture, with each generation of musicians applying new levels of creativity that take the music in unexpected directions that defy definition, category, and stagnation. Now you can learn the basics and history of this intoxicating genre in an eight-lecture series that is as free-flowing and original as the art form itself. You'll follow the evolution of jazz from its beginnings in the music and dancing of the antebellum plantations to its morphing into many shapes as its greatest innovators gave us ragtime, the blues, the swing music of the big band era, boogie-woogie, and big band blues. You'll follow the rise of modern jazz in all of its many forms, including bebop, cool, modal, free, and fusion jazz. And you'll learn how the course of jazz was changed by key technological innovations, such as the invention of the microphone, which allowed smaller-voiced singers like Bing Crosby or Mel Torme to share a limelight once reserved for the bigger voices of stars like Bessie Smith or Al Jolson. Beginning the story on those antebellum plantations, Professor Messenger reveals how the "cakewalks" of slave culture gave birth to a dance craze at the end of the 19th century that was ignorant of its own humble roots. And he explores the irony of the minstrel shows, which derived from Southern beliefs of black cultural inferiority yet eventually spawned a musical industry that African-American musicians would dominate for decades to come. As a bonus, the lectures are also very entertaining, with Professor Messenger frequently turning to his piano to illustrate his musical points, often with the help of guest artists.
©1995 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)1995 The Great Courses
The Xfm Vault: The Best of the Ricky Gervais Show with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington
Summary
It's the third and final instalment of our best bits of the Ricky Gervais Show on Xfm. More drivel from the Ricky, Stephen, and Karl from the 3rd series.
©2001 XFM (P)2009 XFM
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme
Summary
WINNER of the BBC Audio Drama Award 2015 for Best Scripted Comedy (Studio Audience)
The complete third and fourth series of BBC Radio 4’s award-winning sketch show, written by and starring the writer of Cabin Pressure.
In the third and fourth series of his hit sketch show, John Finnemore examines a typically eclectic range of issues including making friends, the problem with polymath bestselling authors, the colour of posh men’s trousers, and a history of choice.
There’s also a sketch that is much, much too rude, advice on dealing with bullies, the truth behind some famous anecdotes, and the curious tale of a hard-bitten dame.
Intelligent, absurd and laugh-out-loud funny, John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme also features Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin and Carrie Quinlan. Awarded Best Radio Comedy at the Chortle Awards, John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme comes from the writer of Cabin Pressure and regular contributor to The Now Show.
©2014 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2014 BBC Worldwide Ltd
The Idea
Summary
Most screenwriting books tend to focus on story structure, scene writing, navigating the business, and other parts of the craft that come after the initial choice of the central concept for a story. Multiple Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning writer/producer Erik Bork (HBO’s Band of Brothers) takes a different approach. His experience in the industry and as a screenwriting professor and coach have led him to recognize that it's the selection of the initial idea that is the most important part of the process - with the most impact on the project's chance of success. And as Mr. Bork knows from experience, this choice takes a lot more understanding and work to get "right" than it might seem. Most screenwriters and fiction writers have difficulty getting their work read and accepted by agents, editors, and producers, mainly because their idea for a story presented in a query or pitch doesn't excite these "gatekeepers" like it would need to, for them to want to engage. And when they do read the whole story, their core reasons for "passing" are usually also about the basic idea (although lack of professional-level execution matters, too). But writers are usually in the dark about this, not realizing that the project they spent months or years on had fundamental flaws on a concept level, in the eyes of the people they most hoped to impress with it. But even the best fiction writing books and screenwriting experts tend to move quickly past the crucial step of choosing a viable idea, to get to the specific plotting and composition of it, because there is so much to master in those later parts of the process - which feel a lot more like "writing" than developing and mulling over potential story concepts. Professionals, though, tend to understand the primacy of "the idea", and learn that there are certain key elements in story or series premises that really work, and which are worth investing time and energy in. And that's what The Idea focuses on - laying out what those specific elements are, and how to master them. While its concepts originate from the author's screenwriting experiences, they apply equally to commercial fiction writing, playwriting, and other forms of "story" - because the focus is on what makes an underlying concept compelling enough to appeal to a substantial audience or readership. The "Seven Elements of a Viable Story" in The Idea form an acronym for the word PROBLEM, since every story is really about one, at its core. Each chapter focuses on one of these seven deceptively simple-looking aspects of a strong story, which are anything but easy to master. Mr. Bork highlights his own struggles as a writer, and his arrival at an understanding of how each of these elements works -- and how to know if one's idea really succeeds at each of them. A special section devoted to television writing (and its unique attributes) ends each chapter. Whatever your education and background in writing or story, this book and its unique focus contributes foundationally useful information not covered elsewhere - which may be the missing piece that leads to greater results, both on the page and in the marketplace.
©2018 Erik Bork (P)2019 Erik Bork
Notes to an Actor
Summary
"Do you have any notes for me?" Actors always ask for notes on their performance, and they will take them from just about anyone. Ron Marasco's Notes to an Actor grew out of the actor's profession. In his years as an actor, scholar, and teacher of acting, Mr. Marasco found that most acting books were either outdated classics that were rarely read, or quasi-textbooks that actors only "skimmed." So he developed Notes to an Actor, a compact, user-friendly audiobook geared specifically to the way actors work. The book is based on the innovative idea that notes, given one on one, are the essential tool of creative learning.
©2007 Ron Marasco (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Ma vie rouge Kubrick
Summary
The Shining, de Stanley Kubrick, cette histoire étrange située dans un hôtel où s’installent hors-saison un écrivain, sa femme et leur garçon aux pouvoirs extrasensoriels, a impressionné une foule de spectateurs depuis sa sortie en 1980. C’est à l’âge de dix ans que Simon Roy a découvert ce film, médusé par une réplique: «Tu aimes les glaces, canard?» Depuis, il l’a revu au moins quarante-deux fois, sans doute parce qu’il «contient les symptômes tragiques d’une fêlure» qui l’habite depuis des générations. La relation méticuleuse entretenue avec le maléfique récit lui aura permis d’intégrer les éléments troubles de sa «généalogie macabre», d’en accuser le coup. Un ouvrage singulier, stupéfiant.
©2014 Les Éditions du Boréal (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
Guitar Zero
Summary
On the eve of his fortieth birthday, a professor of no discernible musical talent learns to play the guitar and investigates how anyone of any age might master a new skill. Just about every human being knows how to listen to music, but what does it take to make music? Is musicality something we are born with? Or a skill that anyone can develop at any time? If you don't start piano at the age of six, is there any hope? Is skill learning best left to children or can anyone reinvent him-or herself at any time? On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Gary Marcus, an internationally renowned scientist with no discernible musical talent, becomes his own guinea pig to look at how human beings become musical- and how anyone of any age can master something new. Guitar Zero traces his journey, what he learned, and how you can learn, too. In addition to being a groundbreaking look at the origins and allure of music, Marcus's journey is also an empowering tale of the mind's plasticity. In a quest that takes him from Suzuki classes to guitar gods, Marcus investigates the most effective ways to train your brain and body to learn to play an instrument. How can you make your practice more deliberate and effective? How can you find the best music teacher for you or your child? Does talent really exist? Or is hard work all you need? Guitar Zero stands the science of music on its head, debunking the popular theory of an innate musical instinct and many other commonly held fallacies. At the same time, it raises new questions about the science of human pleasure and brings new insight into humankind's most basic question: what counts as a life well lived? Does one have to become the next Jimi Hendrix to make a passionate pursuit worthwhile? Or can the journey itself bring the brain lasting satisfaction? For those who have ever set out to learn a musical instrument-or wishes that they could- Guitar Zero is an inspiring and fascinating look at music, learning, and the pursuit of a well-lived life.
©2012 Gary Marcus (P)2012 Penguin
Classic Radio Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest (Dramatised)
Summary
Algernon Moncrieff, a bachelor-about-town, has invented an invalid friend called Bunbury in order to get out of tiresome family engagements. At the same time, his friend Jack Worthing has invented a wicked brother called Ernest to disguise his own misdemeanours. When Algernon poses as Ernest to win the heart of Cecily Cardew, confusion reigns, and it takes the discovery of an old black handbag to reveal the truth...
Oscar Wilde's dazzling comedy about mistaken identities and secret engagements still delights audiences over a century after its first performance in 1895. This BBC Radio production, first broadcast in 1977, features Jeremy Clyde as Algernon, Richard Pasco as Worthing, Prunella Scales as Cecily and Maurice Denham as the Rev. 'Canon Chasuble' is the first broadcast of the original four-act version of the play.
"The Classic Radio Theatre" range presents notable radio productions of much-loved plays by some of the most renowned playwrights, and starring some of our finest actors.
Public Domain (P)2010 BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Photography Exposure
Summary
Learn How to Take Stunning Photos Effortlessly! Ever wonder what exposure is? Well, this audiobook will make it all clear. It will also teach you how to make a proper exposure time and time again. Here is a preview of what you'll learn: A general overview of what exposure is The components it's made up of: ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. ISO: the speed at which light is allowed into the camera Shutter speed: the amount of time that light is allowed into the camera How much light is coming into the lens I also explain how to make proper use of them and how they work, being systems based on fractions I explain how aperture controls depth of field and the concept of depth of field Camera modes can help you figure out where you need to be with your exposure. I explain the four most common and their uses as well as the concept of equivalent exposure. Finally, if you do need to fix your exposure for any reason, I give tips for both underexposure and overexposure. This book will give you a rounded and complete idea of how to control exposure. The book isn't DSLR or analog specific and covers aspects of both. It explains the three components to exposure, which are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Concepts such as depth of field and a quick overview of Ansel Adams' zone system are also covered. The focus is mainly on how to get a great exposure from the start, but there are also tips on how to fix an overexposed or underexposed photo. At the end of the book, you should feel more at ease with your camera and be able to take a technically solid photograph. Hurry! Take action now, and download your very own copy today!
©2015 Sender Publishing (P)2015 Sender Publishing