Chart Throb

Chart Throb.The ultimate pop quest. Ninety five thousand hopefuls. Three judges. Just one winner. And that's Calvin Simms, the genius behind the show. Calvin always wins because Calvin writes the rules. But this year, as he sits smugly in judgement upon the mingers, clingers and blingers whom he has pre-selected in his carefully scripted 'search' for a star, he has no idea that the rules are changing. The 'real' is about to be put back into 'reality' television and Calvin and his fellow judges (the nation's favourite mum and the other bloke) are about to become ex-factors themselves. Ben Elton, author of Popcorn and Dead Famous returns to blistering comic satire with a savagely hilarious deconstruction of the world of modern television talent shows. Chart Throb. One winner. A whole bunch of losers.

This interdisciplinary volume is devoted to diverse topics, ranging from sex/gender and fame to celebrities as embodiments of Zeitgeist; from identity formation, star-making and 'star-consuming' to the humanising of 'icons.'

Gridlock Too many cars and not enough space equals gridlock. Gridlock is when a city dies. Killed in the name of freedom. Killed in the name of oil and steel. Choked on carbon monoxide and strangled with a pair of fluffy dice. How did it come to this? How did the ultimate freedom machine end up paralysing us all? How did we end up driving to our own funeral, in somebody else's gravy train? Deborah and Geoffrey know, but they have transport problems of their own, and anyway, whoever it was that murdered the city can just as easily murder them. Chart Throb Chart Throb The ultimate pop quest. Ninety five thousand hopefuls. Three judges. Just one winner. And that's Calvin Simms, the genius behind the show. Calvin always wins because Calvin writes the rules. But this year, as he sits smugly in judgement upon the mingers, clingers and blingers whom he has pre-selected in his carefully scripted 'search' for a star, he has no idea that the rules are changing. The 'real' is about to be put back into 'reality' television and Calvin and his fellow judges (the nation's favourite mum and the other bloke) are about to become ex - factors themselves. Chart Throb. One winner. A whole bunch of losers Blind Faith Imagine a world where everyone knows everything about everybody. Where 'sharing' is valued above all, and privacy is considered a dangerous perversion. Trafford wouldn't call himself a rebel, but he's daring to be different, to stand out from the crowd. In his own small ways, he wants to push against the system. But in this world, uniformity is everything. And even tiny defiances won't go unnoticed. Ben Elton's dark, savagely comic novel imagines a post-apocalyptic society where religious intolerance combines with a sex-obsessed, utterly egocentric culture. In this world, nakedness is modesty, independent thought subversive, and ignorance is wisdom. A chilling vision of what's to come?Or something rather closer to home?

For amiable City trader Jimmy Corby money was the new Rock n' Roll. His whole life was a party, adrenaline charged and cocaine fuelled. If he hadn't met Monica he would probably have ended up either dead or in rehab. But Jimmy was as lucky in love as he was at betting on dodgy derivatives, so instead of burning out, his star just burned brighter than ever. Rich, pampered and successful, Jimmy, Monica and their friends lived the dream, bringing up their children with an army of domestic helps. But then it all came crashing down. And when the global financial crisis hit, Jimmy discovers that anyone can handle success. It's how you handle failure that really matters.

Illuminating the life of Simon Cowell and delving into backstage scandal, tabloid rumour and the cut-throat worlds of music and television, Tom Bower leaves no stone unturned in this must-read biography. This is a detailed insider's account of entertainment mogul Simon Cowell's rise to meteoric fame and all of the controversial highs and lows along the way. Packed with juicy details, exclusive interviews and sensational revelations, Sweet Revenge is an incredible portrait of Simon Cowell which also uncovers the real stories behind The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol. Tom Bower is the author of nineteen books, including biographies of Robert Maxwell, Mohamed Fayed, Gordon Brown, Richard Branson, Conrad Black and, more recently, Bernie Ecclestone.

The Jackson family, between them, have scored over 200 hits since November 1969, when the Jackson 5's I Want You Back entered Billboard's Hot 100 and Hot R&B singles charts in the States. I Want You Back went on to become the first Jackson no.1 - the first of 50 (and counting!). It is these chart toppers that form the A-Z backbone of this book - 20 by Janet, 20 by Michael, seven by the Jackson 5, two by Jermaine and one by the Jacksons, plus a further seven with a Jackson connection. The book also features a comprehensive Fact File section, including: Top 100 Jackson singles, Chartography (USA & UK), the Jacksons in the USA, and the Jacksons in the UK and around the world.