Curb Enthusiasm

What makes Larry a monster, and why doesn't he know that he's a monster? This title discusses philosophical answers to these questions. It also discusses the ethical and existential issues, such as whether Larry is a bad apple or perhaps worth emulating.

Larry David, the man behind two of the most successful and critically acclaimed sitcoms in television history, is the focus of this biography. This unofficial guide follows the career that has accorded him status as a comic genius and garnered a fanatical following—from his early exploits as a stand-up comic to his role as producer and cocreator of Seinfeld and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. It explores the back-story of the conception and development of Curb Your Enthusiasm, a mostly improvised sitcom in which the actor stars as a fictionalized version of himself. The comic’s on- and off-screen relationships with colleagues and friends such as Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, Wanda Sykes, Mary Steenburgen, and the cast members of Seinfeld are discussed, and a detailed episode guide to every season of Curb Your Enthusiasm completes this informative and entertaining glimpse into the life and creative process of a great comic talent.

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: THE BOOK is the much-anticipated and official companion volume to the hit TV show, rapidly gaining currency as one of the classics of modern comedy. The brainchild of Larry David, CURB's five seasons have gained legions of fans on both sides of the Atlantic, simultaneously aghast and delighted at the world in which LD makes most of the people around him, and frequently himself, miserable during the pursuit of his own happiness. CURB: THE BOOK is a fascinating account of ingenious improvisational comedy in the making. With unprecedented access to the set, the book provides a compelling picture of how things go from bad to worse in Larry David's Los Angeles, and represents a wonderful insight into the show for fans: full of episode summaries, transcripts and backstage gossip. It also features original interviews with the show's stars, including LD himself, and the many guest stars, as well as unique insights into the storyboarding of this improvised show. With reproductions of Larry David's original scene outlines, readers get to trace the actual evolution of classic scenes from "real life" to the cutting room. CURB: THE BOOK is a lovingly crafted tribute to each of Larry David's most outrageous routines -- their origins, inspirations, development, and fruition.

From the comic genius behind Curb Your Enthusiasm—a play with “a perfect second-act twist, and a solid last-minute kicker” (Vulture). Fish in the Dark marked Seinfeld co-creator Larry David’s playwriting debut, his Broadway debut—and his first time acting on stage since eighth grade. David starred as Norman Drexel, a man in his fifties who is average in most respects, except for his hyperactive libido. As Norman, his more successful brother Arthur, their elderly mother, and a host of other characters try to navigate the death of a loved one, old acquaintances and unsettled arguments resurface—with hilarious consequences.

In a promotional video for the eighth season of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David appears as Godzilla, walking through the streets of New York City, terrorizing everyone who sees him. People scream and run for their lives. Larry, meanwhile, has a quizzical look on his face and asks, “What, are you people nuts?” What makes Larry a monster, and why doesn’t he know that he’s a monster? Curb Your Enthusiasm and Philosophy discusses several answers to these questions. This book revolves around Curb-Larry, the character that the real Larry David plays on HBO’s popular television series: his outlook on life, his unusual ways of interacting with people, his inability or unwillingness to conform to the world. Many of the chapters discuss ethical and existential issues, such as whether Larry is a “bad apple.” Larry doesn’t ask questions about free will, or wonder whether the world outside our minds really exists because he’s more like Socrates than Descartes. He tells bitter truths about how we live our lives. There's something heroic about Larry's independence from social conventions, and something tragic about his tendency to hurt people with his frankness. It's hard not to ask, should we curb our enthusiasm?

Jeff Garlin shares his hysterical and eye-opening journey to reduce his waistline and his carbon footprint during the production of the seventh season of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm Jeff Garlin has dedicated the filming of an entire season of Curb Your Enthusiasmto completely making over his lifestyle in two major waysby lightening his physical andhis ecological footprints. After many false starts, he believes that writing a book about the experiment is the only possible way to help him lose weight and go green. The hardest part of the endeavor is overcoming his food addictionespecially when craft service has a constant buffet of everything delicious you could imagine on set. In addition to cutting calories, Jeff accidentally falls into a love affair with pilates, sweats with Richard Simmons, and twice visits the Pritikin Longevity Center, which he says is "rehab for people who eat too much pizza." Larry David's rooting for him. Jerry Seinfeld's plotting against him. And his wife is just plain annoyed by everything. As far as going green, Jeff has always been a big recycler, but he has a lot to learn. For example, actor Ed Begley Jr. is the guy to call if you want to reduce your environmental impact. Jeff does, and it changes everything. He hopes that being healthy and green becomes a big part of who he isif not now, when?

Larry David has an inspiring way of making a long story short and getting to the heart of the matter with these selected poems and Scriptures. A Way in the Life offers comfort and hope for negative emotions such as worry, loneliness, rejection, anger, and fear. Other topics include contentment, perseverance, joy, encouragement, and learning from past mistakes.

As a comedian, then producer of Seinfeld, and now the creator and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David has a fanatical following. In his early stand - up days, if he walked on stage and didn't like the crowd, he would walk off. Together with Jerry Seinfeld, he pitched NBC on a sitcom where nothing happens. A whole show could be about waiting in line at a Chinese restaurant. And somehow Seinfeld became the most successful comedy show of all time. After nine years of writing and producing Seinfeld, and after making a huge amount of money, Larry David began to create a new show for HBO. Without much separation between himself and the character he plays, Curb follows the daily routines of Larry David. Being politically correct is far from Larry's mind, and the audience cringes as he berates, torments, and blusters his way into the hearts of TV watchers. Follow the early exploits of Larry's stand - up career, his days writing for Seinfeld, and learn how Curb was conceived and developed. Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good - titled after Larry's key catchphrase - also explores Larry's on - and off - screen relationships with famous pals like Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, and the cast of Seinfeld, and contains an in - depth episode guide to Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Cut to the Monkey is the story of a filmmaker's journey through Hollywood—revealing the techniques behind how the experts find the funny in any project—by a filmmaker who has worked with some of the funniest people in the business and has edited Emmy-nominated episodes from series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, and Who Is America? Nobody knows who first said, "Dying is easy, comedy is hard." But almost everyone in the film business agrees it's true. Roger Nygard shares his anecdotal experiences in television, features, and documentaries as a filmmaker and editor—struggles and successes any filmmaker can identify with. Nygard also includes tips for Hollywood professionals and fans alike on how to successfully navigate the business of being funny. Along with a major focus on film editing, the author shares filmmaking stories that will leave readers feeling inspired and better prepared to deal with their own struggles. The book also features contributions about writing, creating, and editing comedy from some of the biggest names in the comedy business, including Judd Apatow (Girls, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Alec Berg (Silicon Valley, Barry), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Who Is America?), Mike Binder (The Upside of Anger, Black or White), Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep), David Mandel (Veep, The White House Plumbers), Jeff Schaffer (The League, Dave), Krista Vernoff (Shameless, Grey's Anatomy), and others.

In The Sopranos: Born under a Bad Sign, Franco Ricci presents an insightful analysis of the groundbreaking HBO series and its complex psychological themes.