Performance World

How much specialized training must a world-class athlete put in before they reach that coveted top step, hear their country's national anthem played, and receive the gold medal? The answer varies by country and by specialty...but it is always measured in years and sometimes even in decades.

From Benjamin Franklin's newspaper hoax that faked the death of his rival to Abbie Hoffman's attempt to levitate the Pentagon - pranksters, hoaxers, and con artists have caused confusion, disorder, and laughter in Western society for centuries. Profiling the most notorious mischief-makers from the 1600s to the present day, Pranksters explores how "pranks" are part of a long tradition of speaking truth to power and social critique.

“Kids always search for heroes, so we might as well have a say in it,” Brad Meltzer realized, and so he envisioned this friendly, fun approach to biography - for his own kids, and for yours. Each book tells the story of one of America’s icons in a vivacious, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction listeners, those who aren’t quite ready for the Who Was biography series. Each book focuses on a particular character trait that made that role model heroic. For example, Lucille Ball could make any situation funny.

This audiobook is a collection of the crazy and stupid emails nationally touring comedian Traci Kanaan received via numerous online dating sites and her hilarious responses (and non-responses) to the men "trying" to woo her. Traci dissects online dating facts and figures, lists several scathing things you should never say on a first date, and describes in hilarious detail several of her strange but true online dating stories. She also shares her comedic insights into what your online profile should contain, how to choose someone to date, and more....

Discover richly written insights into the locations, characters and adventures featured in the hundreds of episodes across Critical Role's two campaigns, Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein. Go behind the scenes with exclusive interviews with Dungeon Master Matt Mercer and the entire Critical Role cast as they explore their characters' most triumphant moments and darkest hours. And celebrate the massive community of Critters who support and expand the show's world through a highlighted tour of the crafts, cosplay and art they create every day.

Leadership Results explores the fall of traditional leadership thinking and the struggling multibillion-dollar leadership development industry that is failing to deliver results, and explains the mindset, skills, ways of being, and methods that will get results in the evolving paradigm. The Leadership Results model is practical and predictive, providing a way forward for companies seeking to build sustainable leadership capacity, develop individual leaders, boost employee engagement, and deliver breakthrough results through shared and collective leadership.

A Thousand Cuts is a candid exploration of one of America's strangest and most quickly vanishing subcultures. It is about the death of physical film in the digital era and about a paranoid, secretive, eccentric, and sometimes obsessive group of film-mad collectors who made movies and their projection a private religion in the time before DVDs and Blu-rays.

For decades people have been told the secret to success is a good education. But is it true? Many of the biggest names in the business world today never received a college degree. After much research and thought, Steve Lover concludes that confidence is the most important characteristic to determine success. However, even more important than developing your own confidence is the ability to ignite your employees’ confidence. The leader who knows how to do that creates a different kind of organization.

Japanese animation—or anime—holds a special place in the hearts of countless fans around the globe. Since the early days of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy to Makoto Shinkai’s astounding success with Your Name, anime has left an undeniable impact on our culture. Anime Impact explores the impression the medium has left on various fans with detailed discussions on television shows and movies from the 1960s all the way to the present.

See him? That little tramp twitching a postage stamp of a mustache, politely lifting his bowler hat, and leaning on a bamboo cane with the confidence of a gentleman? A slapstick comedian, he blazed forth as the brightest movie star in the Hollywood heavens. Everyone knew Charlie - Charlie Chaplin.

Are you auditioning, and want something fresh to recite? These monologues are character-driven, and full of the opportunity to really show your ability to take on a role, in your own way. They cover a variety of topics, and they are interesting to listen to. Display your abilities in a new light. These speakers are in assorted situations, and trying to make sense of the world.They are NOT ONLY FOR AUDITIONS, they are for anyone who would like to understand people attempting to decipher the world around them. Share as others look at their confusions and their options in life. When someone is...

Sanditon, the final novel Austen was working on before her death, has been given an exciting conclusion, and will be brought to a prime-time television audience on PBS/Masterpiece for the very first time by Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning screenwriter Andrew Davies (War and Peace, Mr. Selfridge, Les Misérables, Pride and Prejudice). This, the official companion to the Masterpiece series, contains everything a fan could want to know.

The terror of the coming of the Martians is all but a distant memory, a bad dream that has faded with time. All George wants is a quiet suburban life – but at breakfast one morning his newspaper reports the shocking discovery of a Martian cylinder, found intact and unopened, and carefully transported to London. Could it be from the first alien invasion and are Martians still alive inside after more than ten years?

As a shy young boy, Fred Rogers found comfort in telling stories through puppets. When television grew in popularity, he knew he wanted to create a show that encouraged kindness and goodness. His show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood shaped modern television and cemented his legacy.

Lillian Stone—childhood evangelical, AOL girlfriend, and professional nail biter is always living on the edge of anxiety. From the pitfalls of a girl plagued by religious trauma, the incomprehensible yet unforgiving need for perfection, and a poorly-behaved twenty-pound beagle, Everybody’s Favorite is a refreshing story of what it means to pick yourself when the world is telling you otherwise.

Access Accents bring the highly sought-after voice techniques of top voice coach Penny Dyer to the actor's audio device. A unique opportunity to prepare for auditions at short notice.

A tale of some of the most amazing creatures ever to grace this tiny planet - unearth how the science fiction of the Jurassic World franchise inspired the evolution of dinosaur science.

Operation Chastise was one of the most extraordinary episodes of the Second World War, yet it has also become one of the most misunderstood. Max Hastings tells the gripping story of the Dambusters raid, from the invention of the bouncing bomb to the moonlit cockpits of young pilots flying at treetop height through lethal enemy fire. But Hastings also challenges what we think we know about the Dambusters, bringing to light the difficult truths that have often been left out of the legend.

A MONOLOGUE BOOK FOR ANYONE TRYING TO FIGURE LIFE OUT. YOU'LL APPRECIATE THERE ARE OTHERS OUT THERE, TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD. GREAT FOR AUDITIONS AND FOR GENERAL DISCUSSIONS. UNIQUE AND ORIGINAL, ESPECIALLY GREAT FOR PERFORMANCE PIECES WHEN YOU WANT TO STAND OUT. MALE AND FEMALE AND ANDROGYNOUS CHOICES

A voice is calling across the land, "Bombardier Milligan." "Bombadier Milligan is dead," I replied in a disguised voice. The voice replied, "Then he's going to miss his breakfast." The fourth volume of Spike Milligan's legendary account of his time in the army during World War Two begins as he and his regiment land in sunny Italy in 1943 ("The ship touched the beach very gently, so gently I suspect it's not insured").