Jack: The Great Seducer

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Jack Nicholson is one of the longest-lasting and most recognized sex symbols of our time. This sizzling biography goes deep in-depth, relating exclusive interviews with past flames and flings, to shed light on the unique charisma and magnetism of one of America's most respected and desired movie stars.

Among the startling revelations:

A longtime girlfriend who describes Jack's reaction when he at last discovered the long-buried, dark secret of his childhood
Jack's notorious penny-pinching, such as the time he came home from a movie set with a doggie bag of catered Mexican food
The woman Jack "shared" with Robert Evans and Warren Beatty
The night Christina Onassis, who'd had a fling with Jack in Los Angeles, got mad at him for seducing a girl in her party at Xenon
The beauty queen who was still married to drug dealer Tom Sullivan when she was drawn to Jack
The beautiful, talented costar who showed up at Jack's house at 1 A.M. and what happened when live-in girlfriend Anjelica Huston answered the intercom
The night Steve Rubell ran around Studio 54 saying, "We got to keep Ryan O'Neal and Jack Nicholson away from each other. There's going to be a big fight."
Why Rebecca Broussard refused him when Jack asked for her hand in marriage in 1993, even after having two children with him
Why Katharine Hepburn's goddaughter still loves Jack and has spent years looking for a man who can measure up to him
Diane Keaton's reaction to Jack passing gas during filming of a love scene for Something's Gotta Give
Jennifer Howard, who found Jack's lovemaking "very oomph! He knows what he's doing. You can kind of just let go. Let him le-e-e-ad the way!" In Jack, Edward Douglas offers us a provocative, fascinating portrait of the man, the legend, the star: Jack Nicholson.

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Among the startling revelations:

A longtime girlfriend who describes Jack's reaction when he at last discovered the long-buried, dark secret of his childhood
Jack's notorious penny-pinching, such as the time he came home from a movie set with a doggie bag of catered Mexican food
The woman Jack ""shared"" with Robert Evans and Warren Beatty
The night Christina Onassis, who'd had a fling with Jack in Los Angeles, got mad at him for seducing a girl in her party at Xenon
The beauty queen who was still married to drug dealer Tom Sullivan when she was drawn to Jack
The beautiful, talented costar who showed up at Jack's house at 1 A.M. and what happened when live-in girlfriend Anjelica Huston answered the intercom
The night Steve Rubell ran around Studio 54 saying, ""We got to keep Ryan O'Neal and Jack Nicholson away from each other. There's going to be a big fight.""
Why Rebecca Broussard refused him when Jack asked for her hand in marriage in 1993, even after having two children with him
Why Katharine Hepburn's goddaughter still loves Jack and has spent years looking for a man who can measure up to him
Diane Keaton's reaction to Jack passing gas during filming of a love scene for Something's Gotta Give
Jennifer Howard, who found Jack's lovemaking ""very oomph! He knows what he's doing. You can kind of just let go. Let him le-e-e-ad the way!"" In Jack, Edward Douglas offers us a provocative, fascinating portrait of the man, the legend, the star: Jack Nicholson.

Customer Reviews:

What's up with the pseudonym?.......2006-03-22

There's not much to say about this book other than it's a compliation of everything the author read with a few recent interviews sprinkled in.

Like a previous reviewer, I lost interest (starting with Chapter 2) when I saw that it was one quote after another. When I looked at the Bibliography to see the sources and saw Mike Walker's gossip column in The National Enquirer as a source, as well as other tabloids, I figured the book wasn't worth the time considering how "accurate" those tabloids are (The Enquirer *can* get it right more often than other tabloids, sure, but a book needs more solid sources than tabloids!).

I have always had the greatest respect for Nicholson's acting ability. Numerous times in the past, I've read about how he is the consummate professional: He gets on a set and knows his lines (*and* yours!), does what he has to do and leaves. (*That's* the mark of a professional!!!)

The title says it all: The focus is more on Nicholson's personal life rather than his professional life. I find him fascinating (and, yes, unbelievably sexy at his age!) and believe his accomplishments are just as, if not, more interesting (and important) than his personal liasons.

This doesn't do Jack justice and the fact the author hides behind a pseudonym really sucks.

Good book to say the least.......2006-01-12

For instance we learn that Nicholson was taught acting by veteran film and tv actor Jeff Corey. It gives a little vague when it describes exactly what kind of actor Nicholson is. Corey mostly taught Nicholson method acting but for some films like The Shining Nicholson was more old fashioned theatrically in his approach. We learn many more things about JN like that that Nicholson gave up being an actor for a while (I often wondered why Nicholson wrote Head for the Monkees)then he was brought back. I'm more interested in the book when it's
on Jn's acting career than personal life though they do intertwine a lot. If you want my opinion this book leaves me with the opinion that Nicholson is a little too clickish in who he works for. Director Bob Raffleson or Diane Keaton or with John and Angelica Huston (before JH died that is) and so on. But come to think of it most actors who are famous are somewhat clickish(John Wayne was with John Ford a lot in movies to give another example).

Excellent overview of his life and loves.......2005-10-26

as a casual movie goer who is no specialist on Jack's romantic and professional history, I found this to be a very comprehensive, continuously enlightening tour through all that he's accomplished in his amazing private and public life... although I couldn't help but be familiar with his reputation as the consumate rogue, I had no idea of the staggering quantity (and quality) of his conquests and of the 8 kids he's fathered and what's become of so many figures in his life... a very enjoyable read...

Quotes and Notes.......2005-04-20

This review refers to "Jack: The Great Seducer" by Edward Douglas....

As a big fan of Jack Nicholson, I was quite disapointed with this book. It is subtitled 'The Life and Many Loves of Jack Nicholson'. In that respect it did give quite a bit of information of his many loves and a good synopsis of his life before and after he became the great star that he is. If you are a fan and have never read anything else about him, you can probably add a star to my rating. However, although there are a few new interviews with various friends and girlfriends of the mega star, and the info is very up to date(going all the way through "Something's Gotta Give"), most of what you will read has been printed elsewhere. As a matter of fact, of the 436 pages, about 50 are devoted to the bibliographies and notes of quoted sources. I gave up by chapter 2 going back and forth to see where the quote came from. Each page has at least half a dozen noted quotes(sometimes there are that many in a paragraph). I also found at times, the book was nothing more than an X rated "Enquirer" as it couldn't have been more up close and personal when it comes to Jack's love life(and other big names as well). I was quite insulted by this part, as I feel most fans of this very talented actor, who has brought us so many hours of wonderful entertainment through the years, would be as well. It wasn't shocking, just sleazy.

What the book did have the warrants my 2 stars, is a good look at his life and loves, chronologically through his films. From the beginning of his career, each film is touched on, and the ones that really define Jack ("Easy Rider", "Five Easy Pieces", "Chinatown", etc) are quite detailed as to how he got the part, why he chose the roles, and what was happening in his life at the time.

Edward Douglas (a pseudonym, and I can't blame him for that) sheds some new insight into the what makes Jack tick, but for the most part I didn't think the as the front flap suggests, the revelations were "startling". I mean, what is so startling about a rich man wanting to take home left overs from his favorite restaurant. Maybe he LIKED the food and wanted a midnight snack.

Fans will not miss much by passing this one by....Laurie

An excellent chronological and referenced account........2005-01-31

"Jack: The Great Seducer" offers an excellent chronological and referenced account of his interworkings with the women in his life and career.

The book itself offers one new revelation I was unaware of in the likes of Cynthia Basinet. Depicted as one of Jack's gals and downplayed as an "aspiring singer", I found her compassion, courage, insight, and humor within what seems to have been a geninue love affair to be inspiring. Cynthia is a single mom who took to assisting W. Sahara refugees after separating from the actor. Upon further research, I discovered Miss Basinet single-handedly transformed her career as a successful model/actress into a recording artist with a philanthropic platform with no apparent assistance from JN. Her rendition of "Santa Baby" was originally recorded for Jack as a Christmas gift, and has gone on to become a Holiday favorite. It's the version often thought to be Marilyn Monroe, which appears in the 2003 film "Party Monster".

On the surface, the book resonates as a rah-rah "harem" lifestyle most men only fantasize about, however as I gave it more thought I couldn't help but wonder: where is the love?

Jack the Great Seducer: The Life and Many Loves of Jack Nicholson

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Jack the Great Seducer: The Life and Many Loves of Jack Nicholson
Douglas Edward
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U4Y6VA

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Jack: The Great Seducer - The Life and Many Loves of Jack Nicholson
Edward Douglas
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786272058

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Jack: The Great Seducer
Edward Douglas
Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEVPLU

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Detailed analysis of Berg's first opera........1998-12-27

The author has written perhaps the definitive analysis of Berg's Wozzeck. Mandatory backgound reading for true students of Berg's idoms.

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Works for String Quartet
Alban Berg , Igor Stravinsky , and Anton Webern
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486442926

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This impressive volume brings together three major twentieth-century chamber works: Berg's String Quartet No. 1, Op. 3; Stravinsky's Three Pieces for String Quartet; and Webern's Five Movements for String Quartet. Reprinted from authoritative sources, these works reflect the influence of Arnold Schoenberg and the musical sea changes of the early decades of the twentieth century.

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The Music of Alban Berg
Douglas Jarman
Manufacturer: Univ of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0520049543

Alban Berg: Wozzeck (Cambridge Opera Handbooks)

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Alban Berg: Wozzeck (Cambridge Opera Handbooks)
Douglas Jarman
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521284813

Book Description

Alban Berg's Wozzeck is one of the most significant operas of the twentieth century. Douglas Jarman's study provides a clear and accessible introduction to this work, placing it in the context of the radical developments in musical language during the early decades of the century and of the development of Berg's own musical style.

The book covers all aspects of the work. Early chapters are devoted to the history and discovery of the Buchner play Woyzeck on which Berg based the libretto and to the background and composition of the opera. A detailed synopsis takes the reader through the events on stage in relation to the structured musical effects. Particular attention is given in the subsequent chapter to the unique dramatic and musical design of the opera. In offering a possible interpretation of the work Douglas Jarman considers this closely organized structure in relation to the expressionistic language of the music. A final chapter charts the performances of the opera, in particular early productions, which are illustrated with many hitherto unpublished photographs from Berg's own lifetime.

An important feature of the book is the inclusion of many important and otherwise unobtainable contemporary documents concerned with the play and the opera, including Karl Emil Franzos's description of the reconstruction of the fragmented Buchner play and three commentaries by Berg himself on the opera.

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Described by Aaron Copland as "among the finest creations of the modern repertoire," Berg's Violin Concerto has become a twentieth-century classic. In this authoritative and highly readable guide the reader is introduced not only to the concerto itself but to all that surrounded and determined its composition. The book puts the concerto in its cultural context, provides biographical information on the composers and others associated with the work, gives an accessible guide to the music, and provides scholarly discussion for specialists. The author's ability to combine musical anecdote with scholarly analysis makes this guide compelling reading for amateur and specialist alike.

Customer Reviews:

Maybe the single most useful Cambridge Music Handbook yet.......2005-12-12

Anthony Poole's study of Berg's violin concerto is one of the standouts of the Cambridge Music Handbooks series, exploring every facet of the work and giving a vivid picture of the society in which the book was written. If you love Berg's quirky yet moving masterpiece, or are trying to understand what all the fuss is about, this is a vital book to have. Note, however, that one must also have a copy of the score to fully use this handbook, as Poole makes frequent reference to rehearsal numbers.

Poole's work consists of four parts. In the first, Poole presents the music scene of the 1930s, paying especial attention to the style of allusion used by Stravinsky et al. and the conservatism of Rachmaninoff and even some of Schoenberg's American works. Berg, writes Poole, elegantly balanced between the competing musical philosophies of the time. The second part of the book takes up this theme, showing the breakthroughs Berg made in the works written up to the violin concerto, such as the Three Orchestral Pieces, the "Lyric Suite", and parts of "Lulu".

Yet it is the latter half of the book that will be most fascinating to many readers, getting as they do to the violin concerto itself. In the third part, Poole tracks the composition of the work, explaining how it was partially inspired by the death of Manon Gropius. A big bombshell is that parts of the work are inspired by a bawdy Carinthian folk song; a work often seen as of angelic purity (dedicated as it is "to the memory of an angel") has a rather risque subtext. Poole also mentions Berg's fathering of an illegitimate child by a servant girl in his boyhood home, memories of which, which he says, leave meaningful traces in the work.

The next two chapters form the musicological analysis of the work. Some of it is accessible to everyone. For example, he goes step by step through the various portions of the concerto. The two movements break nicely into two sections each, and each section has several distinct parts of its own. Poole helps the reader follow these developments in a way that greatly enhances appreciation of the concerto. The discussion of tonality in the work, however, supposes some knowledge of music theory, and makes heavy use of Schenkerian/Neo-Schenkerian theory. Poole reveals the work to be much more traditional than is often let on--which, incidentally, vindicates Boulez, who over fifty years ago famously dismissed Berg as too bound by early notions of form and tonality. The final chapter of the work talks about the critical reception that the concerto met.

An admirable handbook, and much more successful than most entries in the CMH series.

An outstanding guide to a complex piece of music........1999-05-18

This book covers almost everything you could want to know about this concerto, which is difficult but full of powerful emotion. It explains the commission, the performance history, the program, and the tonality. I wish the book had more short musical examples in the program section, but that is a small caveat. The discussion of tonality is much clearer than in the other works I have read on this concerto.

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not entirely vintage Adorno,yet lightyears beyond academia

Alban Berg: Master of the Smallest Link
Theodor W. Adorno
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521338840

Book Description

Adorno's study of Austrian composer Alban Berg (1885-1935) is a sui generis document. In addition to Adorno's personal account of of the life and musical works of his mentor, friend, and composition teacher, the book explores the historical and cultural significance of Berg's music, its relationship to that of other nineteenth- and twentieth-century composers, and to the larger issues of contemporary life.

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not entirely vintage Adorno,yet lightyears beyond academia.......1999-06-22

Adorno first met Alban Berg in Frankfurt during a festival of new music in June 1924. Excerpts from Berg's opera "Wozzeck" was being performed. Adorno ultimately studied composition with Berg but did not pursue a career as a composer rather Adornor became a brilliant philosopher of negative dialiectics with a profound work on aesthetics,his last major statement. In these short essays on Berg written over the course of his life, Adorno is at his weakest link. They are analytical in content traversing all of Berg.The "First Piano Sonata", The"Lyric Suite" for string quartet. Although brilliant, the complexity of thought we usually encounter in Adorno, dense loci of continuous cross-referencing, and associations of images interspersed with other artisitic genres is not to be found here. And in terms of pure musical analysis this is fairly basic representations,and ultimately not Adorno's possessive thinking realm.Academia today hates Adorno for his philosophical more socially-bound emphasis away from just this kind of note-for-note, moment-to-moment analysis along Schenkerian dimensions. Still there are conceptual meeting places in the center as George Perle's excellent work on the two Berg operas. And academia has much to fear given Adorno's impressive legacy of his writings on music . In this brief volume Adorno's thoughts on Berg's opera "Lulu" is the high point.And in a way we meet the more personal,conversational Adorno, a rare treat.

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The Berg Companion

Manufacturer: Northeastern Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Music of Alban Berg

ASIN: 1555530680

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Correspondence, 1925-1935
Theodor W. Adorno , and Alban Berg
Manufacturer: Polity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0745623352

Book Description

In December 1945 Thomas Mann wrote a famous letter to Adorno in which he formulated the principle of montage adopted in his novel Doctor Faustus. The writer expressly invited the philosopher to 'consider, with me, how such a work - and I mean Leverk ühn 's work - could more or less be practically realized '. Their close collaboration on questions concerning the character of the fictional composer 's putatively late works (Adorno produced specific sketches which are included as an appendix to the present volume) effectively laid the basis for a further exchange of letters.The ensuing correspondence between the two men documents a rare encounter of creative tension between literary tradition and aesthetic modernism which would be sustained right up until the novelist 's death in 1955. In the letters, Thomas Mann openly acknowledged his 'fascinated reading ' of Adorno 's Minima Moralia and commented in detail on the 'Essay on Wagner ', which he was as eager to read as 'the one in the Book of Revelation consumes a book which tastes "as sweet as honey " '. Adorno in turn offered detailed observations upon and frequently enthusiastic commendations of Mann 's later writings, such as The Holy Sinner, The Betrayed One and The Confessions of Felix Krull. Their correspondence also touches upon issues of great personal significance, notably the sensitive discussion of the problems of returning from exile to postwar Germany.The letters are extensively annotated and offer the reader detailed notes concerning the writings, events and personalities referred or alluded to in the correspondence.

Alban Berg and Hanna Fuchs: The Story of a Love in Letters

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Alban Berg and Hanna Fuchs: The Story of a Love in Letters
Constantin Floros , and Ernest Bernhardt-Kabisch
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0253349664

Book Description

In the fall of 1976, 14 letters by Alban Berg, renowned composer of the Second Viennese School, were discovered in the posthumous papers of Hanna Fuchs-Robettin, wife of a Prague industrialist and sister of Franz Werfel, the well-known Austro-Czech writer. In the 1920s Berg gained international notoriety with his opera Wozzeck and the Lyric Suite, which was largely inspired by his relationship with Fuchs.

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Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern, modern composers living in Vienna near the turn of the 20th century, are examined in a broad artistic context illustrating how their works grew from earlier Viennese musical developments. Presenting a coherent analysis of a central school of modern musical composition, the essays compare the artists' music to that in the nonmusical arts in Vienna at the time. A prominent musical phenomenon during the period, the Second Viennese School of Music would exert a profound impact on European and American composers in the decades following World War II. The recent discoveries and critical perspectives on the composers discussed in these essays detail new information on central aspects of their work, including the origins of atonal composition, the 12-tone method, and the literary models that often inspired their works. Coherent and current, this collection of essays offers unique insight into the personalities and artistic accomplishments of these three major figures who intoduced modernism to music. Contributing to the continuing fascination with the modern culture produced in Vienna and other European cities near the turn of the century, these clear, accessible writings on the Second Viennese School will appeal to musicians and scholars alike. Each chapter, written by a different specialist, focuses on the artistic milieu of these three composers, avoiding a particular hypothesis and offering instead a broad, multifaceted discussion. This selection of new knowledge about aspects of the composers' work complements the valuable information also detailed about their music.

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