It Had To Be Christmas!

As a special holiday treat, showbiz stars George and Lizette Amado-Bettinger are featured this month on Movie Addict Headquarters reading the first chapter of IT HAD TO BE US, a romantic memoir co-authored by my husband and me that’s now being adapted for the screen. George and Lizette play Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence (our pen names) in this audio version of Chapter One, which deals with two important Christmases for the estranged Lawrences. How does Christmas help bring these two together after being divorced for almost twenty years? Click on the link below this post to listen in and find out!

The Bettingers are a fun couple with a passion for bringing back the Golden Era of radio on their popular “Mom & Pop Shop Show” which airs on Tune In Radio in Florida each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. George is an actor, comedian, producer, writer and director. He’s won acclaim for his uncanny impressions including Groucho Marx, George Burns and the Three Stooges but may be best known as the voice of the red M&M. Lizette is a versatile actress and soprano singer with experience at the Metropolitan Opera. George and Lizette are truly Mr. & Mrs. Showbiz.

IT HAD TO BE US won first place in the Ebook category at the Hollywood Book Festival for its potential to be transferred to other mediums such as film, radio and TV. With the help of BlogTalkRadio listeners during the launch of the Kindle version a few years ago, the memoir hit Number One in the “Divorce” category for Kindle Ebooks. The memoir also caught the interest of filmmaker Misha Zubarev, who reports that the movie is now in pre-production. The screenplay is written, the casting complete and a shooting schedule -- in New York -- has been arranged.

    

Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence donate their author royalties from IT HAD TO BE US (published by the Long Story Short Publishing Company) to the IMAGINATION LIBRARY, a children’s literacy program sponsored by the Dollywood Foundation.

Listen to “It Had To Be Christmas" on BlogTalkRadio by clicking on the link below.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movieaddictheadquarters/2016/11/29/it-had-to-be-christmas-again

No Biz Like Show Biz

If you love show biz, please put My Hi-De-High Life by Peter Keogh on your must-read list! In this wonderfully entertaining memoir, the author recalls funny and sometimes shocking adventures of his life as a producer, stage manager, prop master, tour guide, dresser, night watchman and usher at various Australian and London venues. 

As the world’s most avid movie addict, I particularly enjoyed Keogh’s revealing descriptions of fascinating behind-the-scene situations involving so many stars of the Golden Years of Hollywood, including Debbie Reynolds, Carol Burnett, Raymond Burr, Peter O’Toole, Liv Ullman, Eve Arden and more.

Growing up gay in 1950s Australia was no picnic for Keogh, but he did more than survive. Even his later unlucky experience during a court case could not bring him down. Although parts of his life have been painful, Keogh clearly revels in his show biz activities. The book comes even more alive when he writes about the stars he’s come in contact with. For example, priceless is the only way to describe how he started out as a Debbie Reynolds fan, became her friend, and then the producer of Irene, her popular stage production in Australia.

Happily, Keogh writes with a breezy, chatty style that helped draw me into his world. It’s a real treat to read a memoir so genuine, amusing and candid as My Hi-De-High Life!

(Published by Apex Publishing Ltd. E-book version is available on Amazon.com.)

Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds

I stayed awake the whole night through reading Unsinkable: A Memoir. Thanks to Debbie Reynolds and Dorian Hannaway for giving me such enjoyable insomnia. But describing Unsinkable is not easy. Is it a thriller? A modern Book of Job? A humorous showbiz romp? A behind-the-scenes Hollywood exposé? A heartfelt love story? I think the answer has to be “Yes” to all of the above.

In this candid memoir, Debbie (now 81 years young) pulls no punches as she looks back at the ups and downs of her personal and professional life. Of course, her millions of fans know a great deal about Debbie because she’s been entertaining us – either on film, television or in live shows -- for over six decades. And she’s even joked openly about her bad luck with three husbands. But Unsinkable includes many intriguing surprises – and some quite shocking ones. For example, I did not know that Debbie actually feared someone might kill her at one point in her life. That part of her memoir comes across as more chilling than many a thriller I’ve seen lately on the big or small screen. And although I realized Debbie was having trouble trying to create a museum for her awesome collection of movie costumes and memorabilia, I had no idea how much that project cost her -- both emotionally and financially.

Remarkably, no matter how serious the problem, Debbie soldiered on – just like the character she plays in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, her favorite role. Writing about one dark point in her life, Debbie explains, “I thought about all the hard fights I’d had in my life and career and remembered that I love to work. I love to perform and make audiences happy. They make me happy, and it’s all joy.” As someone who’s seen Debbie’s live shows, I can vouch for how happy she makes her audiences.

Preserving important movie costumes and memorabilia ranks as another love of Debbie’s life. Unsinkable takes us though her trials and tribulations related to that goal. And they are absolutely heartbreaking! But, clearly, love for daughter Carrie Fisher and son Todd Fisher comes across as the most important thing for Debbie – and she dedicated this book to them.

Because I’m a practicing movie addict, my favorite section of the book is Debbie’s personal tour through every one of her films – from June Bride (1948) to Behind the Candelabra, scheduled for release this year (2013) and in which she portrays Liberace’s mother. Her amusing anecdotes concerning directors, fellow actors and the way she feels now about each movie are absolutely priceless! I’m also impressed by the beautiful photos included in this wonderful memoir.

How does Debbie sum up her remarkable journey? “In many ways, my life has been like a fairy tale. I kissed a lot of frogs, but I got a prince and Princess Leia. After thrilling triumphs and some terrible setbacks, I’m still here. I hope we all live happily ever after!” Amen to that, Debbie.

(Unsinkable: A Memoir is published by William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. It’s available on Amazon.com.)

Crawling into the Light

If you're looking for a compelling read with a dynamite message of hope and inspiration, Crawling into the Light by Marni Spencer-Devlin just might be the book for you.

Plus when you buy this book today, you'll download dozens of great bonuses. Check it out by clicking on the link below.

http://bit.ly/MS-Dbk

Important Life Lessons

Having written two memoirs myself, I’m eager to read "Our Journey in Life" by 86-year old Doyle Barnes. After regaling his family with his amazing stories for years, Barnes was urged to share his powerful personal tales and positive message with the world. Fortunately, he agreed – and his book of important life lessons is now available in print and on Amazon’s Kindle. Anyone who buys "Our Journey in Life" today (March 14, 2012) is eligible to download dozens of bonuses. That’s an offer hard to refuse! Here's the link for more information: http://bit.ly/OurJIL