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Ally McBeal: The Official Guide

Ally McBeal: The Official Guide

List Price: $18.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 0 stars
Summary: Get the inside skinny on Ally
Review: Is Calista really anorexic? What's the truth about Courtney Thorne-Smith's nude scene? How much did David Kelley base the characters on the actors' actual personalities? Find out the dish by clicking the words "related articles" on this page--it takes you to my answers to FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about Ally McBeal. And if you want great, analytical gossip about other shows, check out these essential titles by David Wild, past master of the TV-book art form: The Showrunners: A Season Inside The Billion-Dollar, Death-Defying, Madcap World Of Television's Real Stars, Seinfeld: The Totally Unauthorized Tribute, and Friends: The Official Companion. Baby, it's a Wild world--we just watch TV in it!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A decidedly mixed verdict
Review: Not much of a book -- if this is the official book, how come it feels so insubstantial? Slightly out of focus, like the photo on the book cover.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not perfect, but still recommended
Review: There seem to be a lot of rather negative reviews about this official guide, but I have to admit that I rather enjoyed it. In fact, for those of you out there who like the show but are not obsessed with it to the point of taping and scrutinising every episode, I would recommend it. Just by flipping through the pages, a lot of smiles and good memories from favourite episodes are brought back to the reader by all the text and pictures. My personal favourites out of the special features included in the guide, are: Ally's Passionometer, the ISMS, the interview with David E. Kelley and Elaine's Inventions. Of course this guide is not perfect. I have many of the same complaints as the other reviewers have already pointed out (especially the lack of a list of guest stars/cameo appearances), but all this aside, I recommend 'Ally McBeal: The Official Guide' because of all the pleasure you will receive when reading it. And I guarantee that you will find yourself returning to it over and over again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not perfect, but still recommended
Review: There seem to be a lot of rather negative reviews about this official guide, but I have to admit that I rather enjoyed it. In fact, for those of you out there who like the show but are not obsessed with it to the point of taping and scrutinising every episode, I would recommend it. Just by flipping through the pages, a lot of smiles and good memories from favourite episodes are brought back to the reader by all the text and pictures. My personal favourites out of the special features included in the guide, are: Ally's Passionometer, the ISMS, the interview with David E. Kelley and Elaine's Inventions. Of course this guide is not perfect. I have many of the same complaints as the other reviewers have already pointed out (especially the lack of a list of guest stars/cameo appearances), but all this aside, I recommend 'Ally McBeal: The Official Guide' because of all the pleasure you will receive when reading it. And I guarantee that you will find yourself returning to it over and over again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Guide!
Review: This book offers an excellent guide to every lover of "Ally McBeal"; for those who adore this heartwarmingly, funny show-you're sure to love to curl up and remember all those great McBealistic moments!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Guide!
Review: This book offers an excellent guide to every lover of "Ally McBeal"; for those who adore this heartwarmingly, funny show-you're sure to love to curl up and remember all those great McBealistic moments!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hung Jury on this case, your Honor
Review: Yes, we love Ally. And yes we have as much right as the Trekkies, to have our Ally books... but this being the official guide, you'd expect something else, something beyond the average.

I think the summaries made by fans are much better than those presented in this book, for starters; they are spare and those of the end of the second season seem rushed, as if they couldn't wait to finish the book properly.

High points? the interviews with Gil Bellows, Jane Krakowski, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Lisa Nicole Carson, Portia DeRossi, Lucy Liu, Vonda Shepard, et al. It's an insight, if not overtly deep on the talented players that weekly pull off the magic trick from their respective hats. Just one complaint on this area: where's Calista?

On the other hand, the interview with David E. Kelley seems more like a rehash of everything that has been said about how the shiow came to be and there is no novelty there, to be appreciated.

The color pictures are actually video captures, and sometimes they suffer the strain of being translated to print.

All in all, a very, but very, very nice book to have, but so bland and superficial altogether that one gets the feeling of something amiss... and this probes that most "official" things (either be books or websites) are not exactly the best sources of information for fans.


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