Leonard Pierce, an interview

Onstage and Backstage podcast from Hal Leonard is available on iTunes and Libsyn. Each episode authors and their guests have a chat about the topics of their books. Today, to celebrate the birthday of James Gandolfini, who plays Tony Soprano, we’re highlighting our podcast episode with Leonard Pierce, author of If You Like the Sopranos…, chatting with Scott Von Doviak, author of If You Like The Terminator…

>>>LISTEN HERE<<<

If You Like the Sopranos… by Leonard Pierce is the first book that starts with Tony and the gang in their humble homes in the Garden State and explores the astonishing amount of great films, TV shows, and other pop-culture wonders that any fan of the Sopranos will love. From The Godfather andBonnie and Clyde to The Wire, to lesser-known noirs, Jimmy Cagney classics, contemporary HBO dramas, Martin Scorsese’s best work, and even the rock’n'roll that inspired the classicSopranos soundtrack, this is the one book that every fan needs if he or she ever has to go on the lam.

The Terminator and The Sopranos, interviews

Onstage and Backstage podcast from Hal Leonard is available on iTunes and Libsyn. Each episode authors and their guests have a chat about the topics of their books. Today, we have two interviews with fellow If You Like authors Scott Von Doviak (If You Like The Terminator…) and Leonard Pierce (If You Like The Sopranos…) about their books.

If You Like The Sopranos…
>>>LISTEN HERE<<<

If You Like The Terminator… 
>>>LISTEN HERE<<<

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About the Books

Here is the first book to explore the spectacular array of films, television shows, and other works that helped inspire The Terminator, as well as those that have drawn inspiration from it. If You Like The Terminator… delves into the history of science-fiction cinema, from its earliest days to the golden age of the 1950s and beyond, encountering killer robots, time travelers and postapocalyptic wastelands along the way. This turbo-charged journey through time also reviews the improbable career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, revisits the action heroes of the 1980s, and reevaluates the films of James Cameron, before touching down in the computer-dominated realm of today’s science fiction cinema and projecting the future of the Terminatorfranchise.

If You Like the Sopranos… is the first book that starts with Tony and the gang in their humble homes in the Garden State and explores the astonishing amount of great films, TV shows, and other pop-culture wonders that any fan of the Sopranos will love. From The Godfather andBonnie and Clyde to The Wire, to lesser-known noirs, Jimmy Cagney classics, contemporary HBO dramas, Martin Scorsese’s best work, and even the rock’n'roll that inspired the classicSopranos soundtrack, this is the one book that every fan needs if he or she ever has to go on the lam.

Q & A with Leonard Pierce

Leonard Pierce, author of If You Like The Sopranos… (Limelight Editions) answers questions from Kirkus Reviews:

Kirkus: The idea behind the If You Like… series fascinates me. These books are basically trying to beat the Web at its own game of recommending related content—taking that function away from the algorithms and putting it back in the hands of human curators.

Leonard: I’d say that’s fair, and I think that human curators, as you put it, will always be superior to a computer algorithm, because a computer can only sort and prioritize various points of data: a film’s director, say, or genre, or an aggregate of critical ratings. It can’t capture the most essential elements of criticism, which are passion and value. A piece of art appeals to us is because it triggers our passions, our emotions, our deepest fears and desires. A computer can tell you what elements are present in a story, but it can’t tell you why White Heat might be more likely to appeal to a fan of The Sopranos than, say, Mildred Pierce, because it only knows the similarity of the elements of those films, not the emotional triggers that made them what they are….

Keep Reading on Kirkus Reviews…

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If You Like The Sopranos… is the first book that starts with Tony and the gang in their humble homes in the Garden State and explores the astonishing amount of great films, TV shows, and other pop-culture wonders that any fan of the Sopranos will love. From The Godfather andBonnie and Clyde to The Wire, to lesser-known noirs, Jimmy Cagney classics, contemporary HBO dramas, Martin Scorsese’s best work, and even the rock’n'roll that inspired the classicSopranos soundtrack, this is the one book that every fan needs if he or she ever has to go on the lam.

Available now from Limelight Editions | Amazon | BN.com

Book Signings 2011-2012:
Barnes and Noble in Denton, TX (Golden Triangle location) on Dec. 10 at 3pm
Barnes and Noble in Austin, TX (Arboretum location) on January 28 from 2-4pm
Book People in Austin, TX on Feb. 18 at 7pm

 

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 Split Reel: Crime Cinema [95:49m]

The Sopranos As A Product of Its Time

Guest Blogger: Leonard Pierce, author of If You Like The Sopranos…

Creator David Chase had the foresight and the good luck to set his story of a mobster facing tumult from both his crime family and his biological family at a time when the real-world Mafia was in a similar state of turmoil.  He pioneered the prime-time serial drama at a time when the public was ready for it.  And, uniquely, he was in charge of a critically acclaimed and widely popular television show that bridged the pre- and post-9/11 eras.

In a 24-hour media cycle, where viewers are overwhelmed with entertainment choices and cultural trends come and go in an eye-blink, 2007 seems like ages ago.  Regardless of its greatness, how much can a show that started in the 1990s still have to teach us?  A great deal, it seems.  Serial storytelling is the new normal for television dramas, and crime shows like Breaking Bad, Justified, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy and Boardwalk Empire are critical and commercial favorites.  At the box office, noir-influenced dramas like Drive and the Robert De Niro crime thriller Killer Elite draw audiences, and on video game consoles, L.A. Noire and the Saints Row series pull in gamers by the millions.  It’s clear that the Century of Crime has only expanded since The Sopranos came to an end.

But it was more than just good timing that made The Sopranos such a cultural keystone.  Its genius was to take the ideas, themes, and tropes of crime drama from past decades and amalgamate them into a riveting entertainment that pointed the way forward to a new world both strange and familiar.  It placed an entire world of crime stories into a crystal ball; my book tries to pluck those stories out one by one and show how they informed The Sopranos.  I hope you’ll join me.

Book Signings 2011-2012:
Barnes and Noble in San Antonio, TX (15900 La Cantera Parkway) on December 2nd at 7pm.
Barnes and Noble in Denton, TX (Golden Triangle location) on Dec. 10 at 3pm
Barnes and Noble in Austin, TX (Arboretum location) on January 28 from 2-4pm
Book People in Austin, TX on Feb. 18 at 7pm

If You Like The Sopranos…Here Are Over 150 Movies, TV Shows, and Other Oddities That You Will Love

If You Love the Sopranos… is the first book that starts with Tony and the gang in their humble homes in the Garden State and explores the astonishing amount of great films, TV shows, and other pop-culture wonders that any fan of the Sopranos will love. From The Godfather and Bonnie and Clyde to The Wire, to lesser-known noirs, Jimmy Cagney classics, contemporary HBO dramas, Martin Scorsese’s best work, and even the rock’n'roll that inspired the classic Sopranos soundtrack, this is the one book that every fan needs if he or she ever has to go on the lam. Available for purchase here.