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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Kath and Kim, the Al Franken Show, Slings and Arrows, City of Men, Ladette to Lady, Big Ideas for a Small Planet, Transgeneration, Monkey Dust, Spectacle: Elvis Costello With..., Anatomy of a Scene, the Hill. Excerpt:Anatomy of a Scene is a television series produced by and aired regularly on Sundance Channel since 2001. As a tagline for the series notes, each 30-minute episode "dissects the art of filmmaking " of a scene from a specific film, often a film previously showcased at a Sundance Film Festival . An episode examines the scene from multiple perspectives, such as production design , costume design , cinematography , storyboards , writing , music , acting , and directing . Interviews with the cast and crew are interspersed with snippets from the film. Episodes of the show are often included on the DVD release of the films they study. Films "dissected" As of 2005, episodes have been produced for the following films: Websites (URLs online) A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at Big Ideas for a Small Planet Big Ideas for a Small Planet is an American documentary series on the Sundance Channel which focuses on environmental innovations such as alternative fuel and green building index{g... ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Nonwovens Industry, published by Rodman Publishing on August 1, 2009. The length of the article is 1247 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: The Employee Free Choice Act: Al Franken wins, now what?(Capitol Comments)
Author: Jessica Franken
Publication: Nonwovens Industry (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2009
Publisher: Rodman Publishing
Volume: 40Issue: 8Page: 20(2)

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This digital document is an article from The Progressive, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1868 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Al Franken.(views)(Interview)
Author: Stephen Thompson
Publication: The Progressive (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 69Issue: 9Page: 37(4)

Article Type: Interview

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Chapters: Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, Outfoxed, Orwell Rolls in His Grave, Al Franken: God Spoke, Spin, the Life of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club, Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press, Journeys With George, Six O'clock News, Junket Whore. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 33. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism is a 2004 documentary film by filmmaker Robert Greenwald that criticises the Fox News Channel, and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, claiming that the channel is used to promote and advocate right-wing views. The film says this pervasive bias contradicts the channel's claim of being "Fair and Balanced", and argues that Fox News has been engaging in what amounts to consumer fraud. The documentary was not released theatrically, but rather was distributed in DVD format by the Political action committee MoveOn.org, and sold online through Internet retailers such as Amazon.com, where it was a top-seller in July 2004. MoveOn.org had helped promote the DVD release by taking out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times. The film examines the global growth of Murdoch's media enterprise in the context of concentration of media ownership considerations, and argues that having one person in control of a large media conglomerate might infringe freedom of the press. Outfoxed negatively portrays Fox News on several fronts: Former Fox News journalists appear in the film critiquing the methods and perceived integrity of their former employer. For example, Jon Du Pre, a former reporter for Fox News' West Coast bureau, said that he had been suspended by Fox News management because his live shots from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Ronald Reagan's birthday which Du Pre described was...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=896925 ... Read more

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This is nonfiction commentary. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: The Truth, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, Why Not Me?, Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, Oh, the Things I Know!. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: The Truth (With Jokes) is a book of political satire and humor by Al Franken, released in October 2005. The book's main focus is on the 2004 presidential election and Franken's research into the Republicans' strategy in their victory. The book opens with a retelling of the aftermath of November 2, 2004, as all the major news stations claim that Bush won a "mandate" in this election. Franken counter argues that the reasons Bush won could be summarized in three rhyming words: Franken uses several quotes from throughout the 2004 campaign. In several instances campaigners heavily relied on the events of 9/11 to paint President Bush as a strong military leader and John Kerry as a waffler. Franken counters with direct quotes from the 9/11 Commission that suggest Bush ignored or overlooked several key pieces of intelligence from the CIA that, if acted upon, could have prevented the attacks altogether. Franken also wrote that Bill Clinton received similar intelligence regarding potential attacks on January 1, 2000 and was able to quickly raise the security level and prevent terrorist activity. One chapter is devoted to exploring the idea that 9/11 was used, as the wife of blogger Dwight Meredith phrased it, as Bush's "little black dress" -- something he could slip on for any occasion, something he could use to justify any action he took. In "How Bush Won: Smear," Franken addresses the accusations of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group that alleged during the 2004 election that John Kerry's medals for valor were actually based on an act of cowardice. The incident, invo...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=3044782 ... Read more

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Features: Al Franken, Las Vegas, Halloween, setting up a home office, and more! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (26)

A Memorable Memoir
I agree with some of the other posts that you'll be disappointed if you're looking for a history of SNL.If you're looking for a history of SNL, check out "Live from New York," it's one of the best. This is a memoir.The subtitle suggests references to the early days of SNL but that's not the focus of the book.I repeat, do not look for a history of SNL here! With that in mind, I still find it a fascinating read.I am a HUGE SNL fan, but am a bigger fan, and always have been, of the writers not just the performers.It was fun to read some of the stories included in some of the other behind the scenes snippets from a different perspective.As an aspiring television comedy writer, I also enjoyed reading about someone else's creative process.The less die-hard SNL fan can still be entertained by some of the stories included, but as I said before, this is a memoir so the book is about Tom Davis's life, not just one part of it.

In response to some of the other reviewers who thought the book felt disjointed, I didn't mind it so much.Someone even seemed shocked that based on Davis's style that he was a writer at all.I think the disjointedness was a style choice.First off, he's most comfortable writing sketch comedy, scenes that take up 10 minutes max.To go from that to writing a novel is a bit of a stretch so he stuck more with his comfort zone.After learning he never went to college, that could have some influence on his style, as he's not caught up in rules and what's considered proper writing, which in some cases takes the humanity out of the story.Also, a lot of the stories included are about his drug use.The title is 39 Years of Short Term Memory Loss.When you've done as much as this man has, your memory will end up a little shot, so when you do sit down to go over what's happened in your life, the stories and memories will come out disjointed and sort of bounce all over the place.Once you look past the fact that this isn't meant to be included in the literary canon as what typifies the classic American novel, it's quite endearing.He voice comes across clearly and genuinely. I highly recommend it to anyone who's a real SNL fan, a comedy writer or aspiring one, or even anyone who lived through that crazy decade that was the 1970s.

Sorry about the cancer, Tom
From an ad on the back of the NY Times Magazine, I found out that Tom Davis was treated for tongue cancer and is in remission. I wish him well. Surprising though that his body didn't fail him previously, based on this tedious recounting of a charmed life on drugs.

Hearing endless descriptions of how cool it was to do crack with Jerry Garcia, and how a person with incredible opportunities, access, and, maybe, some talent, threw it all away, was even more of a drag than I thought it could be. I listened to this entire poorly written, rambling, annoying book, read by the author, waiting for
a. the funny, b. any insight that age brings to a wasted life, c. recognition of the obvious deep-seated, self hatred told in a post-modern, clever way. Other than a mention of suicide in a final epigram, this guy remains entirely clueless about what a fool he was/is.
Note to Tom and others who might think their lives are interesting.
A readable memoir should not include:
How many stunningly gorgeous women you slept with.
How many hits of acid you consumed or procured for famous people.
How terrific you thought that comedy you wrote decades ago was.
How you went to amazing places around the world and missed everything important because all you wanted to do was be stoned.

Watch some old SNLs and try not to think about him. I also feel sorry for Al F. He must have borne the brunt of this guy's pathology.

My Memoir of Every Drug I Took - And How to Make Money Off of Al Franken
Other reviewers have already mentioned the disjointed, poorly edited story of someone who seems to remember every drug he took and was clueless about the life he led.

Tom Davis comes across as a 20-something creative kid who had a few years of fame and snorted, smoked and drank it all away - and never grew up.

Given that nothing is said of Davis's last 15-years, one can only conclude that this is a sad, money-making opportunity piggybacking on Al Franken's senate campaign.

This book is Hilarious
This book is hilarious - laugh out loud funny - those giving it a poor review are looking for intimate details of back stage - oooohhhhh the intrigue - who's sleeping with who did Danny yell at John - what was Lorne wearing?Nope this is an entirely different look - more autobiographical with SNL tidbits thrown in along the way and the campy spaced out adventures of Tom Davis - how he and Al joined forces their success, failures and struggles - from Johnny Carson to Tim Leary.If you liked Fear and Loathing - you'll appreciate Tom's arc and life adventure.

Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home
Journey Home

Perfect for any general lending library
Thirty-Nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss: The Early Days of SNL From Someone Who Was There is a funny and pointed memoir about the evolution of Saturday Night Live by one who was there to chart its birth and rise. The author and Al Franken met in prep school, wrote and starred in a show banned by school authorities, and enjoyed early success as a comedy team. Davis was there for Saturday Night Live's first day and his memoir brings alive those early, heady years. Perfect for any general lending library.
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This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by Thomson Gale on February 18, 2006. The length of the article is 957 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Franken's sense of political humor leaves crowd in stitches.(Entertainment)(Progressive talk show host trades comic banter with liberal audience in Eugene)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: February 18, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: D1

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