Quicklet on House, MD Season 1


Book Description

ABOUT THE BOOK First screened back in 2004, House MD has captured the hearts and minds of viewers across the spectrum. Played by the eminent Hugh Laurie, a former comedian turned actor, Dr. Gregory House is that guy we all hate, but also often wish we could be always sarcastic, incorrigibly sardonic, frequently bitter, and undeniably brilliant. An engaging, fascinating character, many watch the series as much for Laurie as they do for anything else. Many have even gone so far as to make a comparison between Dr. House and Sherlock Holmes, with good reason but more on that in a moment. Set in the modern day, House is a medical drama that centers around the title character and his team of doctors, all of whom work at the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. The team is continually confronted with rare, baffling, and downright bizarre illnesses, and it often falls to House himself to show them the cure, or puzzle it out himself. All the while, each of the team members fight through their own personal problems, moral qualms, and workplace drama. MEET THE AUTHOR Nick's been writing since he was old enough to hold a pen. After graduating from the University of Calgary with a BA in English, he spent a year working at a thrift store- before realizing his life was going nowhere. He dropped the job, took up a career as a freelance writer, and hasn't looked back since. That was almost a year ago. Since then, he's written for a number of different blogs and clients. He most enjoys writing about gaming and technology- two passions that take almost as much precedence in his life as his love for the written word. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK What do you get when you take Sherlock Holmes, give him a medical degree, replace his cocaine addiction with a Vicodin addiction, and slap him down into the modern day? You get Dr. Gregory House: a misanthropic, sardonic, bitter medical genius, a man with a chip on his shoulder and a sense of genuine disdain for most of the men around him. In many ways, House is an insufferable ruffian, but few people have the heart to put him in his place as one of the most brilliant doctors of his time, he has a degree of freedom that most medical professionals can only dream of, and is (occasionally) kept in check by his close friend Dr. James Wilson, an Oncologist. The first season of the series introduces us to the titular main character and his cast of medical specialists, Dr. Allison Cameron, Dr. Eric Foreman, and Dr. Robert Chase, along with Houses boss Dr. Lisa Cuddy and his best friend Dr. James Wilson. As we move through the series, Houses relationship with his team begins to show cracks. Cameron feels shes not a valued professional, Foreman disagrees with Houses methodology and Chase clashes with both of them as a result of his propensity for taking Houses side. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on House, MD Season 1 (TV Show) + About House + About the Director and Producer + Overall Summary + Episode-by-Episode Commentary & Summary + ...and much more House, MD Season 1




Quicklet on House Season 5


Book Description

ABOUT THE BOOK Season 5 of the hit Fox medical drama series House follows the life and times of the brilliant but sociopathic Dr. Gregory House as he and his medical team solve difficult and life-threatening cases at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. The fifth season of House provides some wonderful character-development and has a powerful finale. As a television series, House has been entertaining as a medical drama, mystery, and even a comedy. The medical terminology is relatively accurate for a one-hour television show compared to the faux science of CSI. Each episode of House is a mystery where the medical staff must locate the clues and find the diagnosis before time runs out for their patient. Sometimes even knowing the diagnosis is not enough to save the patients life. Most of the comedy comes from Houses need to undermine authority or knock people off their high horse when he feels that one deserves it. And to House, they always deserve it. MEET THE AUTHOR With a BS in Business Administration and a Technical Writing Certificate, Tom Tonthat has written anime reviews for "The Escapist," video game and television articles for Yahoo!, and the occasional instructional manual. He loves anime, origami, toys, films, television, and comics. Find Tom Tonthat on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kvalentine Twitter: TravelValenti Site: Travelingvalentine.com EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK The importance of the rational versus the intuitive is a major theme toward the end of the season when House blurs the line between the two. He manages to rationalize his intuition and blur his reality and fantasy. He feels that he is in control but Wilson knows that House lives life dangerously. When the bombshell about him and Cuddy drops, House soon realizes that he can only be hurt by those he is attached to emotionally. House is the brainchild of David Shore, whose previous television production experience includes producing two late 90s seasons of Law & Order, and writing for a variety of shows like NYPD Blue, Due South, The Practice, and The Outer Limits. He was asked to come up with a medical procedural show for NBC in 2003. David's idea was to make the medical procedural show emphasize the characters over the medicine since it made for more compelling television. He decided to base the protagonist of his medical show on Sherlock Holmes and became the creator, writer, and producer of House. NBC decided to pass on House and instead chose Medical Investigation as its medical procedural show of choice. Medical Investigation was a medical mystery drama filled with an eclectic staff of medical geniuses that no one really watched and only lasted one season. Fortunately, Fox picked up on David Shore's medical drama and the rest is television history. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on House Season 5 + About the Show + About the Director and Producer + Overall Summary + Episode-by-Episode Commentary & Summary + ...and much more House Season 5




Quicklet on House Season 6


Book Description

ABOUT THE BOOK In recent years, the TV show House M.D. has become one of the most successful medical dramas of all time. Medical dramas tend to have several of the same elements, which can be packaged and arranged in a variety of different ways, but remain fundamentally the same. Medical dramas have sick patients, of course, so people in peril are part of the formula. Likewse, they routinely integrate medical terminology and technology that we may not be familiar with. The shows are full of disease names, other jargon, and high-tech machines that make viewers think that what is on the screen is new and vibrant. And they have ratiocinationthat is, they have that quality of the detective story that keeps everyone interested, the application of reason and investigative methodology to solve a difficult problem. They have one other thing, as well, of course: doctors. But if you look at the long history of the medical drama on American TV, this element of the formula has been somewhat lackluster. TV doctors, on the whole, have been pretty bland. MEET THE AUTHOR Jeff Davis is a life long educator with a Ph.D. in English Studies who has taught at both the high school and university levels. He is also an artist and an amateur anthropologist who is a proponent of First Art, that art which our ancient ancestors practiced some 30,000 years ago and even earlier. His most recent book, The First-Generation Student Experience, expanded the college student-affairs field describing the challenges of contemporary nontraditional students. Related to his interest in evolutionary biology, he is currently working on a writing pedagogy book that argues that motivation is the most important dimension of the creative process, even more important than skill and native ability. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Houses leg injury has been an important plot feature in House M.D. from the very beginning. It really isnt the leg injury itself or the pain it causes that is of interest, though; its how the injury leads to Houses drug use and addictive behavior that drives the master narrative. Although the hospital staff tolerates his drug use as just another oddity of his personality for the most part, it does crop up as a fairly serious problem from time to time. In Season Six, however, Houses addition to Vicodin comes to a head. The first two episodes place him in a psychiatric hospital where he has been admitted to wean himself off the prescription medication. He is ostensibly clean for the rest of the episodes of Season Six, although drug use is always a shadow presence as far as House is concerned. Although hes not taking Vicodin anymore, the audience has to wonder how this new clean status will affect him. Will he start up with Vicodin again? Will he start taking some other medication? Will his performance as a diagnostic genius get even better? Will it get worse? CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on House Season 6 (TV Show) + Introduction + Producer and Directors + Overall Summary: Season Six + Episode Summaries: Season Six + ...and much more House Season 6




Quicklet on House Season 2 (TV Show)


Book Description

ABOUT THE BOOK House M.D. has become one of the most successful medical dramas of all time; this is no small feat, considering the medical drama genre has been around since the inception of the TV series. Medical dramas tend to have several of the same elements, which can be packaged and arranged in different ways but remain fundamentally the same. Medical dramas have sick patients, of course, so people in peril is part of the formula. They have technology, or, more specifically, they have medical technology. The shows are full of disease names, other jargon, and high-tech machines that make viewers think what is on the screen is new and vibrant. And they have ratiocination, that is, they have that quality of the detective story that keeps everyone interested, the application of reason and investigative methodology to solve a difficult problem. MEET THE AUTHOR Jeff Davis is a life long educator with a Ph.D. in English Studies who has taught at both the high school and university levels. He is also an artist and an amateur anthropologist who is a proponent of First Art, that art which our ancient ancestors practiced some 30,000 years ago and even earlier. His most recent book, The First-Generation Student Experience, expanded the college student-affairs field describing the challenges of contemporary nontraditional students. Related to his interest in evolutionary biology, he is currently working on a writing pedagogy book that argues that motivation is the most important dimension of the creative process, even more important than skill and native ability. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK House M.D. has been running for eight seasons, since 2004, and each season has its own special flavor in terms of character and plot development. One of the main themes of Season Two is Houses attitude toward medical ethics. House obviously thinks about the ethics of his actions, but his actions often reflect questionable conclusions. Strangely, some people regard House as ethical to a fault. These people think House gets into trouble because he represents a true, pure ethical character while everyone around him takes the easy way out. This behavior can make him seem brave to some people, but what if he is just a cold, antisocial individual who doesnt care about other peoples feelings? For example, it might be full disclosure to tell a terminal patient who will die in two days that his wife has been cheating on him, but this does inflict unnecessary emotional injury to the patient as well. So what is ethical? Anyway, Season Two shows House acting brashly in many touchy, ethical situations; although he sometimes appears to get pleasure out of delivering bad news to people, he also seems to want to do the right thing most of the time. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on House Season 2 (TV Show) + Introduction + Producer and Directors + Overall Summary: Season Two + Episode Summaries: Season Two + ...and much more House Season 2 (TV Show)




Quicklet on House Season 3 (TV Show)


Book Description

ABOUT THE BOOK House M.D. is a medical-themed television show that started back in 2004, shortly after the production team of David Shore, Paul Attanasio and Katie Jacobs pitched the idea to Fox Broadcasting. While the medical procedural itself was hailed as something like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the character of Gregory House, M.D. didnt come around until Chase, Attanasio, and Jacobs were approached by the network to liven up the premise. A human element was required in order to give the show a spark. Actor Hugh Laurie was the right ingredient. The third season of House M.D. is made up of 24 episodes. The season opens with the doctor recovering from gunshot wounds received in the second season finale. Much of the season depicts House coping with his returning leg pain following his ketamine treatment at the end of Season 2, and dealing with the intricacies of the legal and human systems. MEET THE AUTHOR Christine Saint-Jean is an Ontario English teacher with a great passion for American literature in particular and the written word in general. Her two daughters, aged 3 and 7, also seem to have a love of books, as her 7-year-old just started reading Tom Sawyer herself. Saint-Jean follows global events as closely as she can but also enjoys entertainment news. Currently, Saint-Jean is working towards a black belt in karate. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK At this point in the Emmy Award-winning series, the acclaimed doctors ego and addiction to Vicodin has only grown. He has recovered from his gunshot wounds, which were sustained at the end of Season 2, and although he is starting to regain use of his leg, he is back on the Vicodin. His addiction, as always, doesnt stop him from solving some of medicines most challenging mysteries. He has, however, become more of a nuisance to his peers; Wilson and Cuddy have both grown concerned over the godlike egotism they see coming from their friend and make the decision to clip his wings a little. House M.D. continues to resonate with society, particularly the medical community and those struggling with rare medical conditions. People have suggested diagnoses for themselves because of situations which have come about on the series, leaving the medical community struggling to explain to their patients why they shouldnt base their diagnoses on what a television doctor proposes. That said, House M.D. continues to fascinate and spark discussion, both about the characters and the medical issues themselves. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on House Season 3 (TV Show) + There's a Doctor in House + About the Producers and Directors + House: The legend falters + Episode Summaries + ...and much more House Season 3 (TV Show)




Quicklet on The Closer Season 1


Book Description

The Closer introduced TV mystery fans to the prickly and intense Brenda Leigh Johnson, a brilliant CIA-trained interrogator recruited by L.A.P.D. Assistant Chief Will Pope to head a new homicide squad for high-profile cases. Johnson's thin veneer of Southern charm often cracks as she hones in on a suspect, but she gets results: "She's not Miss Congeniality, I'm aware of that, but she is a closer," Pope says. A ratings smash for TNT, The Closer won fans thanks to its twisty plots and the portrayal of Brenda by Kyra Sedgwick, showing a woman confident in her investigative skills but awkward at personal relationships. It also paved the way for the debut of other original cable-TV series during the summer-rerun doldrums -- and shows with strong female characters over 40, such as TNT's Saving Grace with Holly Hunter and Hawthorne with Jada Pinkett Smith, plus Damages with Glenn Close on FX. Go inside the initial season with this informative guide that includes detailed episode summaries, character bios, interesting trivia, and more.




Quicklet on Bones: Season 1


Book Description

Everyone loves a good crime drama. There's just something about impossibly hot forensics experts using computer programs (that run on magic) to solve brutal homicides that feels both enthralling and soothing. But what happens in TV World when the corpse in question is less of a pretty aspiring actress lying really, really still on a coroner's slab, and more of a squishy pile of goop? That's where Temperance Brennan, Seeley Booth, and the (impossibly hot) posse of forensic scientists at the fictional Jeffersonian Institute come in. Fox's Bones centers on the unlikely partnership of Temperance "Bones" Brennan (played by Emily Deschanel), a socially awkward forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian and part-time novelist, and Seeley Booth (played by David Boreanaz), a charismatic sniper-turned-FBI agent. Using Brennan's talent for deduction in a very specific field, and Booth's reassuring swagger and deadly aim with a firearm, the pair takes on Washington D.C.'s toughest cold or otherwise unsolvable murder cases with a little help from the scientific powerhouse (holographic visualizers!) at the Jeffersonian.




Quicklet on Grey's Anatomy Season 1


Book Description

ABOUT THE BOOK Borrowing the title from a famous medical text, Gray's Anatomy, ABC's Grey's Anatomy premiered mid-season in 2005 following Desperate Housewives on Sunday nights, as noted by "When the Scrubs Come Off" in New York Magazine. Tales of Sex and Surgery in New York Times calls it a mix of Sex and the City and ER, and praises main character Meredith Grey and her fellow surgical interns for having meaningful work, especially compared to the characters of Desperate Housewives or The O.C., two popular shows at the time of the Grey's premiere. As discussed in Tales of Sex and Surgery,Greys Anatomy taps into the hero-doctor figure, an image lost in an era of 15-minute appointments and medical treatments decided by insurance companies. Unlike Meredith Grey, your surgeon doesn't care that you both wore the same shoes that day. What is unrealistic about the show makes it successful. Meredith, Cristina, and Izzie are more focused on their career ambitions and less about how to balance their jobs, homes, and boyfriends with time left for themselves. These girls believe they can have it all and go for it. MEET THE AUTHOR EmmaLee has been writing since grade school, but professionally since 2009. She enjoys young adult novels, trampolines, and tea parties. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK The past and present are irreparably connected in Grey's Anatomy. This is demonstrated from the beginning, as the opening lines discuss Meredith's mother, who had been a great surgeon. Throughout the season, Meredith, Izzie, and Alex all reveal bits of their past that have pushed them to become better surgeons: Meredith's mother told her she did not have what it takes. Izzie grew up in a trailer park and had to wait tables to pay for college. Alex's father was an addict. Meredith's mother represents a deep past. She was a great surgeon at Seattle Grace. The Chief knew her well. Great things are expected from Meredith because she is Ellis Grey's daughter. Everyday she walks down the hallways her mother once commanded and has to find a way to live up to that past. At the same time, her mother is losing her present to Alzheimers and becoming deeply entrenched in her past, which carries extreme pain for Meredith. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on Grey's Anatomy Season 1 + About Grey's Anatomy + About Shonda Rhimes, Creator + Overall Summary + Episode by Episode Summary + ...and much more Grey's Anatomy Season 1




Quicklet on Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks


Book Description

Henrietta Lacks was a beautiful African American woman who always painted her toenails red. She loved to dance. She had a big laugh and mischievous eyes. She had five children whom she loved with every inch of her soul. No one knows what her favorite color was. Henrietta Lacks was full life, but she died in 1951, her body consumed by tumors that had started in her cervix. She was buried in an unmarked grave and even though she was greatly loved, no one talked much about Henrietta after she died. The winds of time would have quickly swept away all signs of this vivacious woman had it not been for one thing: her cells were immortal.




Naptime with Joey


Book Description

From viral Instagram sensation, lifestyle photographer, and mommy blogger Laura Izumikawa comes Naptime with Joey, a ridiculously delightful photo book of her now internet-famous daughter dressed up in various pop culture costumes—a perfect gift for new parents everywhere. Lights, Camera…Nap! Joey Marie wears many hats (or, rather, wigs): she’s dressed up as Inigo Montoya, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Pikachu, Anna Wintour, Moana, and Barb from Stranger Things. She’s taken trips to Hawaii, baked croissants, and blasted off to the moon as an astronaut (at least, in her dreams). She’s held occupations such as pizza chef, aerobics instructor, and handy-dandy-fixer-upper (figuratively, of course). She’s inspired a parenting blog, been the face of her mom Laura Izumikawa’s Instagram account—and for the first time, she’s taken the leap from the ranks of internet-baby-snoredom to the pages of a book. Naptime with Joey is chockablock full of over a hundred deliciously adorable photos of Joey dressed up as various pop culture characters, movie stars, musicians, vacationers, and holiday-goers, making this the most fun, festive, and downright delightful gift under the sun!