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Obsessed with the movies, Stockstill was especially interested in Oscar Award trivia. By 1982 he had more than 10,000 index cards cataloging Oscar data, and applied at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an assistant librarian. "It's the one job in the world that I wanted to get," he once said. They hired him, and the Academy bought its first computer so his data could be digitized. Within a year, Stockstill was the Academy's official historian, and he made his data base available on the Internet. One of his job perks: guarding the Oscar statuettes at the annual award shows; he was the one who handed them to the presenters. Stockstill, who long suffered from heart disease, recently had a heart-liver-kidney transplant. Complications after the surgery killed him on May 24. He was 57. From This is True for 27 May 2007 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Robert Osborne List Price: $75.00 Amazon Price: $47.25 Editorial Review: For the film industry, the Academy Awards is the most celebrated and most significant night of the year: everyone longs for the recognition of being nominated to win a little golden statuette. For most of us, however, even a walk down the red carpet is just a dream. 80 Years of the Oscar puts readers into those iconic plush seats for the thrill of the Academy Awards, from the first show in 1928, shortly after the introduction of the talking picture, to this year's eightieth anniversary. With hundreds of photographs and an informative text by Hollywood insider Robert Osborne, 80 Years of the Oscar is the official history of the Academy Awards. Organized by year, 80 Years of the Oscar chronicles the ceremonies themselves, as well as the accomplishments, trends, developments, and events that occurred, both within the Academy and for the film industry as a whole. Osborne comments on each year's most important films and shares the stories behind them. He also transports readers into the awards show, quoting from notable acceptance speeches and celebrity reactions, as well as regaling readers with anecdotes from each year. All award nominees and winners are included, with a special listing of Oscar record-holders. An indispensable and encyclopedic reference for the amateur and expert alike, from the struggling actor to the film critic, this book has been a popular favorite since its first edition was published twenty years ago, just after the sixtieth awards ceremony. The authoritative 80 Years of the Oscar provides a depth of coverage found nowhere else, and it is sure to please movie-goers around the world. 855 illustrations, 85 in full-color  By: The Usual Gang of Idiots List Price: $12.95 Amazon Price: $10.36  By: Mary McNamara List Price: $24.00 Amazon Price: $18.72 Editorial Review: Hollywood is about to get Everyone goes a little crazy during Oscar Season -- the campaigns, the parties, the seductions, the paybacks. Hollywood is never so cutthroat as it is at the turn of each year, when celebrities and their millions of fans across the globe begin their weeks-long, exclusive obsession with the Academy Awards. With so much money, so much power, so many egos, and so much to hide, how surprising is it when Industry players begin turning up dead? At the heart of Los Angeles Times reporter Mary McNamara's novel, Oscar Season, is the Pinnacle Hotel, the hub of the Oscar maelstrom. Everyone who's anyone winds up under its luxe care and the watchful eye of its PR director, Juliette Greyson. When Juliette begins to suspect that conspiracy,nrather than coincidence, links what some are calling an Oscar Curse, more than just her job is threatened. But this is Hollywood after all -- and during Oscar season it's almost impossible to know what is real and what is staged. Even when it comes to murder. Who is lying and who is merely acting? When does murder stop being murder and start becoming really good publicity? Erudite and whip smart, suspenseful and sexy, Oscar Season is the perfect read to sneak in between red carpet interviews.  By: Nick Katsoris List Price: $19.95 Amazon Price: $15.96 Editorial Review: In Growing Up With Loukoumi by Nick Katsoris, a lamb named Loukoumi (Greek for sweet ) struggles with what she wants to be when she grows up. She considers becoming a firefighter, a judge or a doctor. As she walks along, she encounters her friends including Gus the bear, Fistiki the cat, Dean the dog and Marika the monkey. Each friend explains to Loukoumi that she can be whatever her heart desires. If she wants to be a singing star, a policeman or even an Oscar winning actress, then she can do it! The key is that she must always believe in herself, stay positive and work hard, because if you believe in yourself your dreams will come true! The CD version of the book (included) features the voices of singing legend Gloria Gaynor, (Grammy Award winner for I Will Survive) Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis, national CBS correspondent and MarketWatch anchor Alexis Christoforous, American Idol Heartthrob Constantine Maroulis of American Idol fame, and Guiding Light actor Frank Dicopoulos. Each voices a character that encourages Loukoumi to reach for her dreams, which is especially meaningful when being heard from such inspirational and successful adults. The package also includes an original song from Gloria Gaynor called, Believe.  By: Michael Bowen List Price: $14.95 Amazon Price: $14.95 Editorial Review: "Bowen...writes with such swift and cynical humor that you are sure to be entertained." —Washington Post Book World Rep Pennyworth faces the client from hell. She is Charlotte Buchanan, author of And Done to Others’ Harm, a mystery of no particular merit. Charlotte contends the 1997 novel is the basis for the 1999 film Contemplation of Death. She wants to sue. Rep would blow her off, but Charlotte is the steely daughter of the CEO heading the firm’s major corporate client, Tavistock, Ltd. Charlotte is resolute in demanding recognition. Rep digs in, aided by his literature-addicted wife Melissa, and files suit. By return mail comes a death threat, a grisly (and gristly) version of “Hold Your Tongue.” Research shows the film’s director to be Aaron Eastman, Hollywood legend, whose Red Guard should have been a box office and critical smash but fell oddly short. Eastman contends the Oscar balloting was sabotaged. Now he’s on the comeback trail and anxious not to derail. He and Rep talk and, bit by bit, the outline of a bizarre scheme to destroy the credibility of Red Guard—and Eastman—emerges. Hoosiers Rep, who enjoys a little spanking, and Melissa, who smokes a little dope, aren’t prepared for the larger licenses granted to political powerhouses, but they’re quick on the uptake and soon armed.... Wisconsin lawyer Michael Bowen is the well-reviewed author of numerous crime novels published by Crown (Worst Case Scenario) and by St. Martin's Press. Of Collateral Damage (0-312-20289-X) "this the cleverest whodunit of the season, wrapped up in the cleverest dialogue" —Kirkus Reviews |
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