Legend has it that the triumphal march of television began in the United States in the 1950s but in reality its origins hark back much further. Nazi leaders, determined to beat Great Britain and the U.S. to be the world's first television broadcaster, began Greater German Television in March 1935. German viewers enjoyed their TV broadcasts until September 1944, as Allied troops closed in. Making use of 285 reels of film discovered in the catacombs...

"What happens when television is part of your cultural DNA? Twelve writers talk about their influences, and they're more Magnum PI that Marcel Proust. This is cultural criticism from an enthusiast's point of view--taking sitcoms and dramedies and very special episodes seriously, not because they're art, but because they matter to us. Little Boxes is TV writing not as "Why I Loved Parker Lewis Can't Lose" but "What Is Up with Everyone in the 80s Having...

"The arrival of spaceships can bring up a lot of big questions: What does it mean that we're not alone? Why did aliens come here? Who knew beforehand? Where.... are the aliens going? Wait... They can't just leave! Without inviting us into their galactic federation-or at the very least obliterating us! In Emily Jane's debut-a rollicking paean to what it means to be alive in the twenty-first century-the fleeting presence of alien vessels, and the certainty...

Television is a form of media without equal. It has revolutionized the way we learn about and communicate with the world and has reinvented the way we experience ourselves and others. More than just cheap entertainment, TV is an undeniable component of our culture and contains many clues to who we are, what we value, and where we might be headed in the future. Media historian Gary R. Edgerton follows the technological developments and increasing cultural...

"From a leading cultural journalist, a definitive look at the rise of the female showrunner--and a new golden era of television. Female writers, directors, and producers have radically transformed the television industry in recent years. Shonda Rhimes, Lena Dunham, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Mindy Kaling: These extraordinary women have shaken up the entertainment landscape, making it look like an equal opportunity dream factory. But things weren't always...

Learn first-rate techniques and tips from some of the best makeup artists in the business in the new edition of The Makeup Artist Handbook. Renown makeup pros Gretchen Davis and Mindy Hall bring an impressive set of experience in all areas to the book, including work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Steve Jobs, The Wolf of Wall Street, Blue Jasmine, Star Trek, Pearl Harbor, HBO's Looking and many other films and TV shows. This full-color, comprehensive...

A suite of dances made for television from award-winning director Douglas Rosenberg, this project is based on the work of renowned choreographers Sean Curran, Li Chiao-Ping, and Amy Sue Rosen: "Real Boy" (Sean Curran) "Hope" (Amy Sue Rosen/Derek Bernstein) "Odyssey" (Li Chiao-Ping) "Residues" (Li Chiao-Ping).