Raised in the South Bronx projects, Jimmie Walker made his way out of the perilous ghetto thanks to an ability to make people laugh. Performing in small clubs alongside friends such as Richard Pryor, Freddie Prinze, David Brenner, and Richard Lewis; opening for Black Panther rallies; and emceeing at the Apollo and for Motown tours, he was a young, brash stand-up comedian for a new generation.By landing the role of J.J. Evans on Good Times, Walker became an icon of the ’70s...

The Palgrave Handbook of Criminal and Terrorism Financing Law focuses on how criminal and terrorist assets pose significant and unrelenting threats to the integrity, security, and stability of contemporary societies. In response to the funds generated by or for organised crime and transnational terrorism, strategies have been elaborated at national, regional, and international levels for laws, organisations and procedures, and economic systems. Reflecting on thes...

"A fast, funny and informative . . .memoir from one of the major comic stars of the 1970s . . .A unique perspective on the perils of modern comedy." — Kirkus ReviewsJimmie Walker was raised in a violent and abusive home in the Bronx. Starting in small clubs and eventually opening for Black Panther rallies, he ultimately became an icon playing J. J. Evans on Good Times. Walker was the first successful young black sitcom star, and h...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The legendary Hollywood star of classic films and TV shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bye Bye Birdie, and Mary Poppins shares intimate stories from six decades of his renowned career.“Earnest, funny, and appealing . . . captures the essence of an eventful life lived on and off the small screen.”—The Washington PostWith a foreword by Carl ReinerDick...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A New York Times Top 10 Book of the Year • A delicious romp through the heyday of rock and roll and a revealing portrait of Jann Wenner, the man at the helm of Rolling Stone magazine, with candid look backs at the era from major musicians • "Come for the essayist in Hagan, stay for the eye-popping details and artful gossip."–Dwight Garner, The New York Times"Through his nuanced portrait of We...

"Funny [and] fascinating . . . If you're a comedy nerd you'll love this book." — Pittsburgh Post-GazetteNamed a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, National Post, and SplitsiderBased on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, this groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years.Starting...

The story of Motown Records and how it changed the course of American music, as told by its founder—"an African American culture hero of historic stature" ( The New York Times).Berry Gordy Jr., who once considered becoming a boxer, started a record company with a family loan of $800 in 1959. Gordy's company, Motown Records, went on to create some of the most popular music of all time. By the time he sold the company nearly thirty years later, it was worth ...

Some Samples: 1) Late in life, Fanny Brice—radio's Baby Snooks—enjoyed interior decorating, often decorating her friends' houses for free (and disregarding their advice while doing so). She acquired her good taste in decorating through asking questions constantly and not pretending like she already knew everything. She also began talking about where to leave her money after she died. One day, when one of her little grandchildren was making more racket than usual, she said, "One more crack ...

**The New York Times bestselling memoir from the creator of some of the most iconic television programs ever, including All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.“Charming, candid, and copious . . . There is still a lot of zest, passion, and whimsy in the man who taught Americans to laugh at their failings.” —**The New York TimesNorman Lear’s iconic tel...

Laugh along with the men (and woman) who used comedy to reveal the human condition in probing, wide-ranging and provocative interviews that first appeared in Playboy magazine. From the seven-dirty words of George Carlin to the nothingness of Jerry Seinfeld to the political satire of Stephen Colbert, these comic geniuses reflect the very best of 50 years of the Playboy Interview. Funny People is part of the 50 Years of the Playboy Interview e-book series, for which the magazine's editors have...

In the mid-1970s, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, Richard Lewis, Robin Williams, Elayne Boosler, Tom Dreesen, and several hundred other shameless showoffs and incorrigible cutups from all across the country migrated en masse to Los Angeles, the new home of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. There, in a late-night world of sex, drugs, dreams and laughter, they created an artistic community unlike any before or since. It was Comedy Camelot -- but it couldn't last.William...

Who needs sleep anyway? The men (and woman) who established a genre of television—comedy after dark—are revealed in probing, wide-ranging and provocative interviews that first appeared in Playboy magazine. From pioneers Dick Cavett and Tom Snyder to the original meta-hosts David Letterman and Garry Shandling to contemporary keepers of the late-night flame Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel, these hilarious, ever-charming talkers reflect the very best of 50 years of the Playboy Interview. Late-Nigh...