Perverse Adverse And Rottenverse

June Foray, voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha on Rocky and Bullwinkle, has assembled a hilarious collection of humorous essays aimed at knocking the hats off conventions and conventional sayings. Her highly literate work is reminiscent of John Lennon, S.J. Pearlman, with a smattering of P.G. Wodehouse's love of language. This is the first book from the voice of Warner Brothers' Grandma (Tweety cartoons) and Stan Freberg's favorite gal! FOREWORD If "virtue is its own reward", then who in this world of sophistication and fierce competition wants to cling to virtuosity with a pay-off like that? "Love is blind." Absurd! Our flower children in the 60s dispelled that cock-eyed notion for a decade because of the evolution of various kinds of love - love for humanity, animals, peace and the great outdoors. Love has its eyes realistically open for the first time in our phrenetic world, and it's hanging right in there. "Like father like son." Ho, ho, ho! Have you heard the far right, on gay guys lately? I am resolutely determined to explode all the obsolete shibboleths that our parents drove into our adolescent, little minds, and I'm brazen enough to offer my, perhaps outrageous, judgment of the morals and mores of the establishment. It is my critique on society as it stumbled into the last quarter of the 20th Century and the first of our 21st, having lived by the myths given to us in centuries long gone. "FOUR STARS (Highest Rating). One of the wittiest, snappiest must-reads of the year. June Foray is best known as the voice of Rocky, of Rocky & Bullwinkle fame, but there's clearly much more to the woman than her ability to put words in the mouth of an animated flying squirrel. This book is a deliciously unexpected foray into the mind of Foray. It's one diabolically clever, entertaining tome." - Todd David Schwartz, CBS "I didn't know you were such hot stuff. This is fun. The acid wit that burns right through the surface is really good. I admire the kind of mind that can boil off puns and rhymes." - Frank Pierson, President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscar-winning writer of Dog Day Afternoon

The entertainment world lost many notable talents in 2017, including iconic character actor Harry Dean Stanton, comedians Jerry Lewis and Dick Gregory, country singer Glen Campbell, playwright Sam Shepard and actor-singer Jim Nabors. Obituaries of actors, filmmakers, musicians, producers, dancers, composers, writers, animals and others associated with the performing arts who died in 2017 are included. Date, place and cause of death are provided for each, along with a career recap and a photograph. Filmographies are given for film and television performers.

The creators of Total Television, the brains behind Underdog, Tennessee Tuxedo and many classic cartoons, reveal the origin of one of cartoon's greatest champions - Underdog! From conception to worldwide megahit, the entire story of the birth of Total Television at last closes an important gap in animated television history. Includes * Original sketches for this biography by artist/creator Chet Stover * Unused story ideas for the 25th anniversary Underdog series * Storylines and summaries for The World of Commander McBragg, Underdog, Go Go Gophers, Tennessee Tuxedo, and King Leonardo and His Short Subjects * And more!

"Like millions of people, I've been listening to June Foray for most of my life. I remember when I first encountered Rocky and Bullwinkle in their first season on TV, and falling under the spell of Jay Ward's sharply-written, wonderfully performed cartoons. What I can't remember is when I learned that the same woman who provided the voice of Rocky also acted as Natasha, Nell, and a host of other characters on the series, including the gravely-voiced fairy godmother who was patterned after character actress Marjorie Main. But as a diehard cartoon fan, it didn't take me long to memorize the names of the actors in the show's credits (fleeting though they were). "Around the same time I became enamored of Stan Freberg's comedy records, including such hit singles as "St. George and the Dragonet" and classic albums like Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America. The rich, colorful voices on those records became permanently ingrained in my consciousness, and in time I connected the dots and realized that June, Paul Frees, and Daws Butler were the same people I heard on so many cartoon soundtracks." - Leonard Maltin, from his Foreword

She’s not Miss Marple. Her friends are no Charlie’s Angels. Nevertheless, 75-year-old Gladdy Gold and her gang of eccentric Fort Lauderdale retirees are out, about, and hunting down a killer–one who is silently stalking them. Selma Beller was the first to go–but Gladdy and her neighbors never suspected murder until another of their friends died in an eerily similar way. Now a handsome young detective won’t listen to them, Hy Binder won’t stop telling them dirty jokes, and crazy old Greta Kronk is doing everything humanly possible to make herself into a suspect. But amid the endless rounds of poolside kibitzing, early-bird specials, bittersweet memories, and interminable grocery-shopping trips, Gladdy and her gals are about to discover how the murders are being committed. And when it comes to catching this culprit–time really is running out….

The Magic Behind the Voices is a fascinating package of biographies, anecdotes, credit listings, and photographs of the actors who have created the unmistakable voices for some of the most popular and enduring animated characters of all time. Drawn from dozens of personal interviews, the book features a unique look at thirty-nine of the hidden artists of show business. Often as amusing as the characters they portray, voice actors are charming, resilient people—many from humble beginnings—who have led colorful lives in pursuit of success. Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill's Mike Judge was an engineer for a weapons contractor turned self-taught animator and voice actor. Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) was a small-town Ohio girl who became the star protégé of Daws Butler—most famous for Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, and Quick Draw McGraw. Mickey Mouse (Wayne Allwine) and Minnie Mouse (Russi Taylor) were a real-life husband-and-wife team. Spanning many studios and production companies, this book captures the spirit of fun that bubbles from those who create the voices of favorite animated characters. In the earliest days of cartoons, voice actors were seldom credited for their work. A little more than a decade ago, even the Screen Actors Guild did not consider voice actors to be real actors, and the only voice actor known to the general public was Mel Blanc. Now, Oscar-winning celebrities clamor to guest star on animated television shows and features. Despite the crushing turnouts at signings for shows such as Animaniacs, The Simpsons, and SpongeBob Squarepants, most voice actors continue to work in relative anonymity. The Magic Behind the Voices features personal interviews and concise biographical details, parting the curtain to reveal creators of many of the most beloved cartoon voices.

On a manic ride from the mixing boards of hip-hop recording studios to mansions in the Hamptons and the projects of the urban ghetto, Detective Black Sallie Blue Eyes ventures behind-the-scenes of the record business in search of a street-side assassin. Casting a widely satirical net on all spectra and species of the Manhattan social scene—from tweaking downtown hipsters, wrestling fetishists, and rapper wannabes to real estate moguls and hip-hop impresarios—this satirical urban noir novel offers intrigue, insight, and an innovative brand of humor.