Out of print for more than 30 years, now available for the first time as an eBook, this is the controversial story of John Wooden's first 25 years and first 8 NCAA Championships as UCLA Head Basketball Coach. This is the only book that gives a true picture of the character of John Wooden and the influence of his assistant, Jerry Norman, whose contributions Wooden  ignored and tried to bury.

Compiled with more than 40 hours of interviews with Coach Wooden, learn about the man behind the coach. The players tell their their stories in their own words.

Click the book to read the first chapter and for ordering information. Also available on Kindle.


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by Tony Medley

People Like Us (9/10): This passed the watch test with flying colors as I never was cognizant of time passing. While part of that is the sheer enjoyment of looking at Elizabeth Banks' remarkable beauty, most of it is the excellence and tenderness of the story and the wonderful acting by the principals, Banks, Chris Pine, 11-year-old Michael Hall D'Addario, and Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays Pine's mother, directed with sensitivity by writer Alex Kurtzman, who created the intriguing story from his childhood experiences.

To Rome With Love (8/10): Woody Allen's refreshing European renaissance continues with this beautifully photographed homage to Rome and its people. At the same time he skewers actors, the paparazzi-Kardashian creation of ill-deserved fame of mediocre, talentless people, the insincerity of actors, the folly of youthful infatuation, and lots more in a rollicking kaleidoscope comedy.

Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story (8/10): Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is Prime Minister of Israel and Chairman of the Likud Party. This is the little-known story of his older brother, Yoni, who was the leader of the heroic raiding party that flew 2,600 miles from Israel to Uganda to rescue hostages taken by militant Islamics on July 4, 1976 with only one casualty, Yoni. The actual raid itself takes up a mere 10 minutes of the film. Rather, this is a fascinating, in-depth examination of the charismatic man himself, about how he thought and felt, how he lived his life, how he came to make the decision to devote his life to his country told through his letters and interviews with friends and relatives.

Snow White and the Huntsman (7/10): Kristen Stewart's dispiriting, lackluster performance as Snow White is more than overcome by Charlize Theron's sparkling turn as the evil queen. While this is a good entertainment, it's disappointing that the dwarfs are not played by little people. When MGM made The Wizard of Oz (1939), all the munchkins were played by people who were legitimately little. Here, the dwarfs are played by regularly-sized people who were digitally shrunk in post production.

Men in Black 3 (7/10): I had no desire to see this. The first two were ridiculous, populated by bizarre aliens, and less than involving. This started out he same way. But then, after about a half hour, it segued into a time travel film with Will Smith going back to 1969 to find a young Tommy Lee Jones in the body of Josh Brolin to try to save his life, becoming a film with real people looking to find the bad guy and reverse history.

Your Sister's Sister (Women 7/10; Men 3/10): This is chick flick city. I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. But the thing that kills most chick flicks is the annoying, slice of life dialogue. And that's what killed this flick for me. It was agonizing to watch poor Emily Blunt laugh uproariously at contrived, "everyday" conversation with her sister.

Rock of Ages (1/10): If this movie is not the worst film I've ever seen, it is at least the most disappointing I've seen this year. Director Adam Shankman's conversion of the hit stage play is apparently a satire about 1980s hard rock bands. But what he has concentrated on is making it in as poor taste as possible. Even considering that the two young lovers, Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough, are vaguely reminiscent of Grease (1978), they don't come close to the appeal of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Without even one likeable character, the engaging production numbers and '80s music aren't enough to make it worthwhile.

 

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