Luvvies. Tyrannical directors. Useless agents. Less job security than an England football manager. Who'd be an actor? Michael Simkins isn't sure even though he's been one himself for over thirty years. Join him backstage as he examines that business called showbusiness from am dram to Hollywood & from Shakespeare to ads for flatulence pills. In a career that started as a plump teenager in ballet tights at RADA Michael has appeared in countless West End plays & musicals presented safety training workshops for sewage workers & when resting worked as a crate smasher at a car factory. He's done movies soaps ads & voice-overs & worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Kelly Osbourne. As the ultimate jobbing actor he's flirted with triumph & oblivion without ever quite managing either. In The Rules of Acting he shares his hard-won wisdom. Covering everything from learning your lines to tilting for Oscar success in Hollywood surviving a flop to why it's advisable to read the whole script if you wish to avoid improper relations with a pig it's the ultimate survival guide for anyone contemplating a life in showbiz. Throw out An Actor Prepares! Michael Simkins' book tells actors all they need to know about the realities of the acting profession; the passion the struggle the noble idealism & the heartache". (Helen Mirren). " It is thrilling that Micahel Simkins is having such success as a writer
- anything to keep him off the stage". (Ian Mckellen)."
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The Rule Book of The FA from 1863 is one of the most important books ever published
- according to the writer & broadcaster Melvyn
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Carlos Fuentes isnt happy about leaving Mexico to start the new" life his older brother Alex has planned for him. Carlos liked his freedom; living life on the edge
- just like Alex did. Kiara Westford doesnt talk much; instead preferring to shut out the world. & when Carlos bounds into her life she struggles to understand him. Carlos is sure that Kiara thinks shes too good for him which is just fine because hes not interested anyway right? But when they finally open up to each other the connection they feel shocks them both. Can they overcome their fears & realise that sometimes opposites really do attract?"
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Incisive controversial & startlingly funny The Rules of Attraction examines a group of affluent students at a small self-consciously bohemian liberal-arts college on Americas East Coast. Lauren who changes the man in her bed even more often than she changes course is dating Victor but sleeping with Sean. Sean -- cool ambivalent & deeply cynical -- might be in love with Lauren but hes not going to let that stop him from bedding Paul. Paul as shrewd as he is passionate is Laurens ex-lover & the final point in this curious triangle. This is a breathtaking tale of sex expectation desire & frustration. A tour of the heart of darkness a moral armageddon The Times Compelling.. .sympathetic to his lost generation" the way only Fitzgerald was about his Vanity Fair One of the primary inside sources in upper-middle-class Americas continuing investigation of what has happened to its children New York Times Inspired. A wonderfully comic novel Gore Vidal" ...

WHAT THEY SAID about RULES OF CIVILITY: ' Everything about this novel set in 1930s New York is achingly stylish
- from the author's
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The Rules of Life are the guiding principles that will help you get more out of life shrug off adversity more easily & generally be a happier calmer more fulfilled person. You'll feel the benefits & so will everyone around you. Since it was first published The Rules of Life has become a global phenomenon topping bestseller charts around the world. Real readers have testified in their droves what a profound & positive effect the book has had on their everyday life. It's your life. How good could it be? ...

Love matters. Whether its the romantic kind or the emotional bond between you & family or friends. Indeed latest research suggests that those who love & are loved are significantly more likely to be alive in 10 years time than those without love in their lives. Love makes us happy & the happier we are the longer it seems we tend to live. But it isnt always easy to love & be loved. Love is also complicated. Relationships are invariably complex & they need to be attended to nurtured worked at & invested in. Its all too easy to neglect relationships often without realising it & this benign neglect leaves you one day wondering why this special relationship has crumbled unravelled waned or lost its sparkle. Forming good relationships isnt easy either. Same sex relationships can be tricky enough (mothers & daughters brothers & brothers) but when its the opposite sex especially boyfriend/girlfriend) you have the added complication that the other person is wired completely differently & may see things in completely different ways. If you study people who are so good at relationships you discover its not about their personality or gender or how self sacrificing they are. Those who are great in all relationships usually do have to work at it the secret is that they know exactly where to put their efforts. They know The Rules of Love. In this book these Rules are revealed so you too can benefit from the simple principles of forming & sustaining strong enduring & ultimately life enhancing relationships. ...

Strong loving relationships are what life's all about. & some people are really good at it. They find a partner who makes them happy & they seem to know instinctively how to handle tricky times & keep the relationship fresh & rewarding. They make friends easily & have lasting relationships that stand the test of time. They are the lynchpin of a strong supportive family. They make it look effortless. Yet for most of us it just isn't that straightforward. Love may be a basic human instinct but sharing your life with other people isn't always easy. Is there something these people know that we don't? Is there something we can all benefit from? The answer is a resounding yes. They know The Rules of Love. The Rules of Love are a set of guiding principles that will help form & sustain strong enduring & ultimately life enhancing relationships. This new edition

Includes:: 7 brand new rules for even happier & more fulfilling relationships. You'll feel the benefits
- & so will everybody around you.


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Some people find management so easy. They glide effortlessly onwards & upwards through the system the politics the people problems the impossible targets & the work overload. They always seem to say the right thing do the right thing & know instinctively how to handle every situation. These golden principles show you how to inspire your team to perform (and what to do when it doesn't). They reveal the secrets of managing yourself & your team in a way that gets results. Your life will be easier. Your successes will be greater. & when you are headhunted or promoted (again) nobody will be surprised. Least of all you. ...

Dont move! Youre surrounded by armed bastards! Viewers of Life on Mars" could be forgiven for thinking that the police force of the 1970s lived by the maxim The rules are: there are no rules yet it turns out that this was not the case. A fascinating historical document has now emerged which shows that there were indeed rules & in 1973 they were recorded on paper by none other than DCI Gene Hunt himself. Divided into ten sections " The Rules of Modern Policing
- 1973 Edition" covers everything from interrogating suspects & undercover operations to driving & dress code. Several of the rules are illustrated with diagrams & photographs of DCI Hunt himself illustrating the more physical parts of the job: how to hit suspects so you dont leave a mark; how to signal the importance of your arrival by crashing into inanimate objects (cardboard boxes are a perfect example here
- lots of noise; no damage to your motor); how to roll over the bonnet of your cortina without making a dick of yourself. Completing the book is an invaluable glossary of police terms covering everything from blag to lag & nonce to ponce. An essential reference work for fans of " Life of Mars" " The Rules of Modern Policing" offers a unique insight to seventies law enforcement that will make you laugh until you cry like the wet little turd you are."

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