Favor!te Film: Bridesmaids

Favor!te Album: Adele – 21; Jack’s Mannequin – People and Things

Favor!te Book: Just Kids by Patti Smith; Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling

Favor!te Designer: DVF, Tory Burch

Favor!te TV show: Homeland, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Up All Night, New Girl

Favor!te Twitterer: Mindy Kaling; Sophia Rossi, Khloe Kardashian

Who do you most want to smooch on New Year’s Eve? My husband, this is our first New Year’s Eve as husband and wife!

What do you want the most as a holiday gift? Garmin Forerunner GPS watch for running, so I can track my pace and distance accurately. I could have used one in the NYC marathon this year, so hopefully it will inspire me to run some big races in 2012.

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS ACQUIRES NEWMARKET PRESS NAME AND CATALOG

Esther Margolis to Join the It Books Imprint

New York, NY (October 24, 2011) HarperCollins Publishers today announced that it has acquired the rights to the majority of titles published by Newmarket Press. As part of the agreement, Esther Margolis, Founder, President, and Publisher of Newmarket Press, will join the HarperCollins It Books imprint as an Executive Editor, where she will continue to acquire entertainment-related books to be published under the imprint Newmarket Press for It Books. The move is part of HarperCollins’s continuing expansion in the areas of pop-culture and entertainment publishing. The changes are effective immediately.

“For years, Newmarket Press has been the industry’s leading publisher of film-related books. Its list of screenplays, making-of books, tie-ins, and other titles on cinema is second to none. Esther Margolis is a highly respected veteran of both the publishing and the film industries, with unparalleled relationships with countless studios and filmmakers. Her wealth of knowledge and experience in publishing to this audience will be an invaluable asset to the growing It Books list,” said Cal Morgan, Senior Vice President and Publisher, It Books.

“HarperCollins Publishers makes a great home for the Newmarket list,” said Margolis. “The resources of HarperCollins and the It Books team will allow the Newmarket backlist to flourish in all channels and formats while enabling me to add to the list going forward.”

Newmarket Press was founded by Margolis in 1981. During its 29 years, the imprint has published more than 200 books in the areas of film, theater, and performing arts, including official tie-in books for films that have garnered more than 300 Oscar nominations and nearly 100 wins. Newmarket Press is especially noted for its illustrated books on such films as Milk; The Matrix; Gladiator; Moulin Rouge; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Chicago; Sense and Sensibility; Saving Private Ryan; and Dances with Wolvesand for its acclaimed Newmarket Shooting Script® Series, including screenplays for King’s Speech, The Hurt Locker, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine; Sideways; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; American Beauty; and Shawshank Redemption, among others. Other notable Newmarket titles about moviemaking include The Jaws Log, Final Cut, and Making Tootsie.

In addition, the Newmarket Press list has included more than 100 titles in the fields of parenting, psychology, health, biography, history, business, and fiction, including such popular and acclaimed books as the two-million-copy bestselling What’s Happening to My Body? series of puberty education books by Lynda Madaras; Daphne Oz’s national bestseller The Dorm Room Diet; Suze Orman’s national bestseller You’ve Earned It, Don’t Lose It; Dr. Georgia Witkin’s The Female Stress Syndrome; Gene Hackman & Daniel Lenihan’s first novel, Wake of the Perdido Star; Stuart Avery Gold’s international bestseller Ping: A Frog in Search of a New Pond; Shalom, Friend: The Life and Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin, winner of the National Jewish Book Award in nonfiction; The Words of Gandhi and The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.; and six works by William Wharton. All non-film-and-entertainment-related Newmarket Press titles acquired by HarperCollins will be published as trade paperbacks under the William Morrow Trade Paperbacks imprint.

Esther Margolis received the 2008 Poor Richard Award from The New York Center for Independent Publishing, given to a publisher who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of independent publishing. A member of the Women’s Forum, the Women’s Media Group, and Writers Guild of America, Margolis serves on the Trade Executive Committee of the Association of American Publishers, and the American Advisory Committee of the Jerusalem International Book Fair. She originated Bantam Books’ publicity operation in the 1960’s, later becoming Bantam’s first division head for marketing, publicity and communications worldwide, and worked closely with such authors as Jacqueline Susann, Maya Angelou, Louis L’Amour, Gail Sheehy, and E.L. Doctorow.

About It Books
Launched in September 2009, It Books is dedicated to publishing exceptional books in entertainment, music, fashion, design, art, celebrity, pop culture and sports. It Books has published numerous New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestsellers including the # 1 New York Times bestsellers Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern and Red by Sammy Hagar as well as Getting the Pretty Back by MollyRingwald, Booky Wook 2 by Russell Brand, The Red Hot Chili Peppers by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead by Neil Strauss, All My Life by Susan Lucci and The EveryGirl’s Guide to Life by Maria Menounos. Upcoming publications include Dear Cary by Dyan Cannon and Beauty, Disrupted by Carré Otis. It Books is an imprint HarperCollins Publishers, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). It Books can be found online at www.YourItList.com, www.Facebook.com/YourItList, www.Twitter.com/YourItList and www.Twitter.com/ItBooks.

About HarperCollins Publishers
HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups around the world including the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children’s Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. HarperCollins is a broad-based publisher with strengths in literary and commercial fiction, business books, children’s books, cookbooks, mystery, romance, reference, religious and spiritual books. With nearly 200 years of history HarperCollins has published some of the world’s foremost authors and has won numerous awards including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement HarperCollins is the first publisher to digitize its content and create a global digital warehouse to protect the rights of its authors, meet consumer demand and generate additional business opportunities. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com.

It Books Signs New Book by Justin Halpern, the # 1 New York Times Bestselling author of Sh*t My Dad Says

NEW YORK, NY (June 15, 2011) – It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced today a deal to publish the next book by New York Times bestselling author Justin Halpern. Halpern is the author and comedy writer behind the runaway bestseller Sh*t My Dad Says, which sold 1,000,000 copies within its first year of publication, appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for 40 weeks (including 11 weeks at number one), and has been sold to 20 countries worldwide.

The book, currently referred to as Unt*tled, was acquired by Mauro DiPreta, Vice President and Associate Publisher of It Books from Byrd Leavell of the Waxman Literary Agency. Unt*tled has a tentative publication date of Spring 2012.

Unt*tled will be a series of essays recounting the twists and turns Halpern’s romantic life has taken. Among the stories he has to share: how he learned about sex by walking in on his parents at age nine, getting caught burying stolen pornography in his back yard by his father a few years later, and surviving as the last of his college friends to lose his virginity. Finally (spoiler alert), having taken stock of his love life, Justin jumps on a plane to San Francisco to propose to his girlfriend.
“Growing up, every time I saw a men’s magazine cover that had a headline about ‘73 Ways To Please Your Girlfriend,’ all I could think was, ‘I’m good with one; just tell me one way to please her. Also, I don’t have a girlfriend. Is there an article about that?’” Halpern says. “Throughout my life, most of my brushes with sex and relationships ended with embarrassment. Now, that could be because I’m awkward and began balding at an incredibly early age, but I’d like to think lots of other people felt the same way, and this book is for all of them.”
“If Sh*t My Dad Says established Justin as a new comedic voice,” says DiPreta, “Unt*tled cements it. The man can write as insightfully and humorously about romantic relationships as he can about fathers and sons. We are thrilled to continue to publish Justin with It Books.”

About Justin Halpern: In the summer of 2009, Justin Halpern created a Twitter account as a way to archive his father’s no-holds-barred, expletive-ridden words of wisdom. Within a month, www.Twitter.com/shitmydadsays became an Internet sensation. More than 2.5 million people currently follow Halpern’s musings on Twitter and Facebook alone. Justin’s first book, Sh*t My Dad Says (HarperCollins / It Books), a collection of essays about growing up with his unapologetically honest father, is a #1 New York Times bestseller. Justin currently splits his time between Los Angeles, where he is a writer on the CBS show “How To Be A Gentleman,” and his parents’ home in San Diego. He can be found online at www.Twitter.com/Justin_Halpern and www.JustinHalpern.tumblr.com.

About It Books: Launched in September 2009, It Books is dedicated to publishing exceptional books in entertainment, music, fashion, design, art, celebrity, pop culture and sports. It Books has published numerous New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestsellers including the # 1 bestsellers Red by Sammy Hagar and Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern, as well as Getting the Pretty Back by Molly Ringwald, Booky Wook 2 by Russell Brand, The Red Hot Chili Peppers by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead by Neil Strauss, All My Life by Susan Lucci, and The EveryGirl’s Guide to Life by Maria Menounos. Upcoming publications include Dear Cary by Dyan Cannon and Beauty, Disrupted by Carré Otis. HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). It Books can be found online at www.YourItList.com, www.Facebook.com/YourItList, www.Twitter.com/YourItList and www.Twitter.com/ItBooks.

Now, new-ish television network The Hub has been rolling out some of the 80s classics recently, including the holy grail of 80s cartoons, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. I could talk about He-Man for a day, but that’s not why I’m here. What I want to share with you, dear reader, is the return of Jem! For those not aware, Jem was a show about a woman named Jerrica Benton who ran a record label, but also had an alter-ego, Jem, who was the front woman to the band Jem and the Holograms. Jerrica was able to transform into Jem by using holographic projectors in her earrings which were connected to a huge computer (named Synergy) that ran the show. Jem is basically every over-the-top and garish theme from the 80s rolled into a 22 minute cartoon. If you never saw the show it’s totally worth a shot. If you saw it in the 80s, you MUST re watch it as an adult. It wasn’t until I saw it as an adult that I realized why I liked it as a kid; it’s essentially a cartoon all about high tech computers, women in business, and drag queens. Just like my life today.

Also, The Hub, which clearly has it’s fingers on the pulse of what’s hot today, got Randall from the hilarious Honey Badger Don’t Care video to dub a trailer for the relaunch. The head of programming and marketing team of The Hub clearly deserve our thanks.

Check out the new trailer below:

NEW YORK, NY (May 9th, 2011) – It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced today a deal to publish television icon Regis Philbin’s next memoir in Fall 2011. Philbin, an Emmy Award winner and Hall of Fame broadcaster, has entertained millions of Americans for the past five decades – and every weekday morning for the past 28 years hosting the popular show LIVE! with Regis and Kelly, in its various incarnations.

The book was acquired by Lisa Sharkey, Senior Vice President and Director of Creative Development for HarperCollins, and Hope Innelli, Vice President and Executive Editor for It Books, from Mel Berger of William Morris Endeavor. Innelli will edit the book.

Philbin will share inspiring anecdotes, laugh-out-loud tales and awkward celebrity moments, making the book more than a memoir—it will be his guide to living a positive life. Marked by the same tongue-in-cheek humor and candor Philbin has always displayed, this book will serve and endure as a reminder of why America has related to and loved this one-of-a-kind television legend for so many decades.

“When I look back over my five decades of working in television–practically the last thirty of them spent with our devoted morning viewers–I realize what a lucky guy I’ve been,” says Philbin. “I’ve had a chance to get to know and to learn from some of the greats, not only in our business, but from plenty of early influential people along the way.  I’m so pleased to share those special adventures and lessons, collected together in one book, as kind of my ‘valedictory’ tribute to many of those who helped me realize how to live a happier life.  (And, believe me, I keep learning more every day.)  It’s also meant to be my personal thank-you to everyone–our fans, especially–who’ve made this ride of mine such a remarkable experience…. so far!  Because, let me tell you, Regis isn’t done with this ride yet–not by a long shot.”

Philbin will recount memories about chance meetings, interactions and full-blown adventures with Jack Nicholson, Donald Trump, Dave Letterman, Johnny Carson, Jerry Seinfeld, Don Rickles, George Clooney, George Steinbrenner, Howard Stern and others. He will also share his experiences of working with Kelly Ripa and Kathie Lee Gifford, and discuss his relationship with his wife of 41 years, Joy Philbin.

Visit Regis’ Official Facebook Fan Page here and suggest a title for the book!

About It Books:
Launched in September 2009, It Books is dedicated to publishing exceptional books in entertainment, music, fashion, design, art, celebrity, pop culture and sports. It Books has published numerous New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestsellers including the # 1 bestsellers Red by Sammy Hagar and Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern, as well as Getting the Pretty Back by Molly Ringwald, Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead by Neil Strauss, All My Life by Susan Lucci, and The EveryGirl’s Guide to Life by Maria Menounos. Upcoming publications include Dear Cary by Dyan Cannon and Beauty, Disrupted by Carre Otis. It Books is an imprint HarperCollinsPublishers, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV).   It Books can be found online at www.YourItList.com, www.Facebook.com/YourItList, www.Twitter.com/YourItList and www.Twitter.com/ItBooks.

Then it hit me: Grace Kelly. Hey, if you’re going to be inspired, I say, Princess Grace is not a bad way to go.

An go they did, because as soon as I got to work I found a picture of lovely Grace and the shockingly unattractive Prince Rainier on their wedding day. Yep, definitely practically the same dress.

But my coffee-fueled brain worked overtime and came up with another comp: Princess Margaret. Poor Margaret—so pretty, so vivacious…so tragic. Here she is with the unfortunately dour Earl of Snowden, who perhaps already knew that this marriage was going to be a bust. Still, William and Kate, I mean Catherine, seem like they might just make this work out. So good luck you crazy kids! And good show today. Now, just be sure you watch out for Pippa when Harry corners her in the bar.

________

Lucia Macro is an Executive Editor for Avon and unofficial royal expert.
Avon Romance
Photo: People Magazine

Favor!te Book: The Hunger Games series. (Yes, I am still 12 years old at heart.)

Favor!te Designer: Karen Millen, because of her stunning and uber-flattering and tantalizingly close-to-affordable dress collection.

Favor!te TV show: Fringe, Castle, and Boardwalk Empire are in the running, but… Glee. (See above, re: 12 years old.) 

Favor!te Blog/Website: Hyperbole and a Half. “This is why I’ll never be an adult” is a must read.

Favor!te Twitterer: Shameless author plug alert! @evilwylie (a.k.a. @andrewtshaffer)

Favor!te YouTube Video: OK Go!, This Too Shall Pass


What are you most excited about for 2011? Well, according to AstrologyZone, “Cancer, your career soon on fire. Best career aspects you’ve ever, ever seen.” So that sounds pretty good!

What do you want the most as a holiday gift? For everyone to buy The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas! Royalties go to a charitable cause, eternal glory goes to me.

Favor!te Album (all time): Roxy Music

Favor!te Book (all time): The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald

Favor!te Work of Art: The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass), by Marcel Duchamp

Favor!te Designer: Alexander McQueen

Favor!te TV show: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

Favor!te Blog/Website: Mara Castilho.co.uk

Favor!te You Tube Video: Fla & Flu by Los Super Elegantes

What are you most excited about for 2011?Watching my son Sasha Blow, now aged 2 years 4 months grow up

Who do you most want to smooch on New Year’s Eve? Mara Castilho

What do you want the most as a holiday gift? Books on Ernest Hemingway

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Detmar Blow is the author of Blow by Blow.

Favor!te Film: The Social Network

Favor!te Album: Because I have a 13-year-old son and live in Los Angeles, I end up logging many, many miles of hip-hop radio in the car.  I am age-appropriately shocked at most of it, but I will say Drake is very impressive. And Lil Wayne has quite the knack for melody.

Favor!te Book: I’ve had the same favorite book for years now:  Passionate Marriage by David Schnarch – changed my understanding of relationships.  For current books, I know I will love Freedom by Jonathan Franzen – but I’ve been too damn busy to read it.

Favor!te Work of Art: Loved the William Eggleston show at the LA County Museum of Art.

Favor!te Designer: Rodarte.  And Vuitton.  But my real fashion-world fave:  photographer Scott Schuman’s Sartorialist.  Genius!

Favor!te TV show: Friday Night Lights, hands down.  And always, the cheesy real-estate show Property Virgins, on the Home and Garden Channel.  It’s my guilty pleasure.

Favor!te Blog/Website: I do all my procrastinating on the New York Times online.  My two favorite jams:  Weddings and Celebrations, and Great Homes and Destinations.

Favor!te Twitterer: The novelty wore off very quickly.  Now it’s just a horn-tooting, cleverness machine for writers and comedians.

Favor!te You Tube Video: I’m always shocked at how great stupid videos are once you actually watch them.  Antoine Dodson is a classic.  Also, Teach Me How to Dougie.  Obviously, I live with a teenager.

Favor!te Internet Meme: I think maybe I’m too old for internet memes.

What are you most excited about for 2011? Another great year of life.

Who do you most want to smooch on New Year’s Eve? I’d give my kid a kiss, but he pretends not to know me when we’re in public.

What do you want the most as a holiday gift? It’s boring, but I would really love a great pair of slippers.
___________________________________________________

Tracy McMillan is a television writer and the author of I Love You and I’m Leaving You Anyway

Favor!te Film: The film I haven’t seen yet, Somewhere.

Favor!te Album: Pandora: the “New Order” channel

Favor!te Book: You can’t ask me that – I love all my children.

Favor!te Work of Art:    Olympia Le-Tan’s handbags    http://www.olympialetan.com/

Favor!te Designer: It was the year of McQueen

Favor!te TV show: Project Runway never fails to amuse

Favor!te Blog/Website: Ours, silly.

Favor!te Twitterer: @ Karl_Lagerfeld

Favor!te You Tube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfi4X13fGCU

Who do you most want to smooch on New Year’s Eve? Sad Keanu

What do you want the most as a holiday gift? All of this: http://www.viviennewestwood.co.uk/