Author Sara Shepard will add four new books to her Pretty Little Liars series, starting with a July 2011 release, EW has learned exclusively. The new books — from Alloy Entertainment and HarperCollins — will bring the total in the series to 12. Though the number was originally capped at eight, the ABC Family show based on the young-adult mystery series — which follows the aftermath of a popular girl’s disappearance — has been a ratings success and renewed interest in the books. The first new installment, Twisted, will be on sale July 5; Shepard’s The Lying Game was just released.
Category: TV (71-80 of 81)
'Kardashian Konfidential': I read it so you don't have to
Confession: While I might have read Kardashian Konfidential so you can avoid the latest in celebrity book ventures, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to read it. As a matter of fact, I offered. Somebody call MTV because True Life: I love the Kardashians. So naturally, I had to read Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe’s sisterhood autobiography (out today).
And even if you don’t care for the Kardashian clan, there’s no denying that they aren’t everywhere you look. (As I write this, Kim is hosting a special on ABC. See? They’re everywhere.) Konfidential — part memoir, part self-help –has the sisters reflecting on their childhoods, talking about their relationships, and sharing their beauty and style tips. A seemingly ridiculous concept for a group of people who are basically famous for being famous. Yet it’s all relatively endearing coming from this bunch, and a must-read for any true Kardashian fan. ”We’re not actresses or performers. We are business women, sisters, a mother, a wife, entrepreneurs, fashion designers … And we didn’t set ou to be celebrities. We’re just living our lives, and our claim to recognizability is that we do it in front of the cameras, and people like watching it.” Well said, ladies.
Here are some of the book’s highlights:
- Their momager, Kris, was always highly involved in their lives. (Not surprising.) Kris was Kourtney’s Brownie troop leader, so the girls often compare those experiences to Troop Beverly Hills. Picturing Kris at Phyllis Nefler = Priceless.
- Kim, who always wanted to be on reality TV, wanted to make an audition tape for The Real World. (She never got around to it.)
- Kourtney was on another E! reality show series, Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive. (How did I miss this?!)
- The ladies mostly ignore talk of anything negative (no chapter on why Kim ran off and got married at such a young age), but they do talk about the O.J. case. Their dad, Robert Kardashian, was one of O.J.’s best friends in college, and later became one of the lawyers on Simpson’s infamous trial. Fun fact: The white Bronco car chase started at the Kardashian home.
- The book is full of copies of handwritten notes, letters, and cards. I couldn’t begin to tell you about them all, but my favorite was the copy of the contract Kim’s late father gave made her sign when she got a new BMW on her 16th birthday. The seven-part contract included a stipulation that if she ever smoked cigarettes or marijuana or drank alcohol her car would be taken away immediately. (Maybe spoiled, but down-to-earth.)
- Kathie Lee Gifford is the godmother of the Kardashian’s half-sisters, Kendall and Kylie.
- Kim says “When no one in your family likes a person, there’s got to be something to it.” She’s referring to her early divorce (which she doesn’t really discuss in the book), but all I could think of was Kourtney’s baby daddy, Scott. (Scott talk is avoided, as well.)
- When Khloe married Lamar Odom, she dropped her middle name (Alexandra) and legally became Khloe Kardashian Odom.
I wasn’t really that interested in the advice portion of the book, but they do give various makeup and style tips. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no groundbreaking advice to pass along. (But then again, I’m a pretty frumpy person. So if you’re interested in styling your closet to perfection, than maybe you should check it out.) I was, however, intrigued by one tip which I just might have to try: Khloe’s go-to product? Vaseline. Once a week, she recommends you slather it onto your feet, and then put socks on. Wear them for about an hour, and walk away with smooth feet.
What do you think, Shelf Lifers? Do you have any interest in reading Kardashian Konfidential? And are you, like me, on the Kardashian bandwagon? Or are you sick of this famous fam?
Chelsea Handler gets her own imprint and a three-book deal
Image Credit: Jason Merritt/WireImage.comGrand Central Publishing has given comedienne and late-night host Chelsea Handler her own imprint, Deadline reports. It makes sense, considering that Handler has written three books already, all of which have sold like hilarious, readable hotcakes—Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea and her latest Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang both spent weeks numbering in the double-digits on the bestsellers chart. Handler already has a three-book deal for the new imprint, Borderline Amazing / A Chelsea Handler Book, the first of which, titled Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me, is set to release in May 2011.
While Chelsea Lately may not get quite as many eyes as her competitors, being a successful enough writer to garner your own imprint at a major publishing house is no mean feat. I’m sure Chunk is quite proud of his owner.
Top 5 Stoner Movies That Don't Feature Any Actual Weed-Smoking: As chosen by the co-author of 'Reefer Movie Madness'
“18 months. 660 movies. 1 definitive book.” So promise Shirley Halperin and Steve Bloom, co-authors of the new tome Reefer Movie Madness: The Ultimate Stoner Film Guide, which in addition to featuring reviews of assorted cinematic “joints” also boasts “Stony Movie Picks” from Jason Mraz, Andy Milionakis, Adrianne Curry, and Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill. Also included? Informative guides to “Far-Out Acid Flicks,” “Foreign Stoner Films,” “Trippy Spaceships,” “Smoking Animals,” “Smart Stoners,” “Will Ferrell Movies To Watch Stoned,” “Stoner Cops,” “Stony Dream Sequences,” “Stony Mockumentaries,” and “Ganja Girls.” Wow, I think I’ve gotten a contact high just writing that list.
But can we really trust anyone who would pen a stoner film guide to count accurately up to 660? Or 18? Or 1? Actually we can, given that Halperin is a former EW staffer. What we can’t do, on the other hand, is promote or condone the smoking of what I believe the kids like to refer to as “the Mary Jane wacky backy.” Which is why we asked Halperin to recommend her Top 5 Stoner Movies That Don’t Feature Any Actual Weed-Smoking.
You can check out her list after the jump.
'The Vampire Diaries' prequel novel: An exclusive cover peek
While Damon from The Vampire Diaries is busy tearing up the polls in EW’s official Sexy Beast competition, the show’s other bloodsucking protagonist is set to get a series of prequel books named after him. HarperCollins Children’s Books and Alloy Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing Stefan’s Diaries #1: Origins, the first in a planned trilogy of novels that will shed sunlight on the vampire brothers’ long, troubled history, including the Civil War-era romance that turned them against each other. The CW series, like fellow hyper-sexualized-neckbiter show True Blood, was based on a run of novels, and although it doesn’t appear that original author L. J. Smith will be penning this new trilogy, her creations have come full circle back into book form. The first entry of Stefan’s Diaries is scheduled to hit bookstores in November.
Fans of the show, what do you think? Will you still be gripped by the characters without all the brooding, occasionally shirtless eye-candy? How about those of you who read the original books?
Harvey Pekar, a great writer, comics innovator: His splendid American life is over
Harvey Pekar was one of the most important, idiosyncratic, and eccentric writers that the comics medium has ever produced. He ushered in a new age of autobiographical realism to comic books and graphic novels, writing scripts that were illustrated by artists such as R. Crumb, Gary Dumm, Dean Haspiel, Drew Friedman, and Rick Geary. He enjoyed a brief period of TV stardom as an occasional guest on David Letterman’s NBC talk show, and his READ FULL STORY »
Rob Lowe to write a memoir; how long before the rest of the Brat Pack follows suit?
Image Credit: John M. Heller/Getty ImagesWe’ll soon be getting the Lowe-down straight from the actor’s mouth. Rob Lowe, currently aboard the good ship Parks and Recreation, is set to pen a memoir about his life and a career chock-full of comebacks (and at least one notorious sex tape). Henry Holt and Co. has set the release date for Stories I Only Tell My Friends as May 2011, and claims the book will be written entirely by Lowe without the aid of a ghostwriter. Judging by his history of leaving TV shows after only a few seasons, Holt had better hope he doesn’t quit halfway through the memoir to move on to writing a sci-fi novel or something.
What do you think, Shelf-Lifers? Interested in having a Lowe profile? Or are you holding out for a collected volume of life lessons from Judd Nelson or one of Lowe’s other ’80s costars? (Demi Moore’s is already in the works.)
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