And Here’s the Kicker by Mike Sacks is a deeply entertaining and enjoyable book. So deeply entertaining and enjoyable, in fact, that you seldom pause to realize how much you are learning about the delicate art of creating comedy.

You are hearing stories about how many times the makers of BORAT got stopped by the police during production (and how Sacha Baron Cohen never broke character during these encounters) and about how David Sedaris’s family feels about him writing about them and about how The Onion staff put out its pitch-perfect post-9/11 issue.

But then mid-interview you realize the co-creator of “The Colbert Report” is telling you how she and Stepen Colbert, the real person, created Stephen Colbert, the title character on the show, including what motivates him and what makes him funny. (I’ll give you a hint: “While he’s a moron, he’s not an asshole” is where it begins.) Or you are learning how a former writer on “The Golden Girls” took what he learned there and created “Arrested Development.”

This is all gold if you are interested in writing for television. Plus, you get actual concrete lists of advice from people in the know (and you know how much we love insider info here at YII) about getting hired as a sitcom writer, acquiring an agent or manager for your script (a topic we will also be covering here), and getting a job writing for late night television.

This book is a great read for anyone with a sense of humor and an appreciation for how comedy works. But for anyone who wants to be in the business of comedy, it’s required reading.

Note: If you click on the book cover at the top of the post (like most of the books and CDs pictured on this site), you will be taken to Amazon, where you can buy this book and/or anything else you want and the gremlins that put this blog together while I sleep will get four cents or something. Consider is well-earned.

Written by and about mothers of child actors, it isn’t exactly the same demo as YII, but like the background actor’s blog we profiled in December, the Hollywood Mom blog has created an online resource and community for a niche in Hollywood that often has to (or, rather, had to) make its own way, in this case through the trials and tribulations of being the parent of an aspiring (or actual) child actor.

Plus, the blogsite is top-notch and ultra-comprehensive, with sections devoted to auditions, product reviews, contents, the Hollywood Life, and our personal favorite, Momanagers (think Tish Cyrus, Miley’s mom) and the subcategory, Moms Gone Wild (which actually seems deservedly devoted to Dina Lohan, Lindsey’s mom).

So check out the Hollywoood Mom blog. You will be entertained- and definitely learn a thing or two!

Almost every writer I know has a well-worn copy of this book. Whether they’re having trouble getting started or hit a snag midway through a screenplay or TV script, these writers know that Bird By Bird by Ann Lamott has the right words to get the project on course. I would add that some of the best advice in this book can apply to any large project, and I have referred to it many times over the years when trying to move forward on a non-writing project I have been stalled on.

The title of the book comes from the author’s childhood memory of her ten year-old brother near tears the night before a big project on birds is due at school, a project he was supposed to have spent the whole summer on, but which he has not started. Trying to calm the panicked boy as he sits at the kitchen table surrounded by his school supplies and by unopened resource books for his project, her father puts his arm on his shoulder. ”Bird by bird, buddy,” her father tells her brother. “Just take it bird by bird.”

Chapters of this book are dedicated to getting started, breaking a project down into pieces, character, plot, dialogue, and many others, including my personal favorite, entitled “Shitty First Drafts.” If you are a writer, or aspiring writer, or working at any creative project (and what projects aren’t creative when done properly?), count on this book to be a treasured companion on your journey.

The MediaShift blog bills itself as “Your Guide to the Digital Media Revolution” and, I have to say, no matter who you are, it most likely will live up to the name. Created and maintained by PBS, MediaShift does an extremely thorough job of tracking new media’s effect on society and culture.

There are sections devoted to “Legacy Media” (newspapers, radio, TV, books), “Business” (content related to how business models, advertising, marketing, and PR are evolving), “Social Media,” “Global View,” “Culture,” “Education,” and “Embeds” (“first hand reports from newspapers, TV, radio, and journalism schools”).

Within each of these sections, a wide variety of writers with backgrounds in the educational field and in the “real world” report on their areas of expertise. Included in this impressive lineup (within the “Culture” section) ’s YII Inside Scoop profile subject Jason Feinberg (click here to read that post) covering “MusicShift,” most recently with this insightful post, “The Year in Digital Music and Predictions for 2010.”

My only complaint with MediaShift is that, even with it’s individual sections, it’s cumbersome to try and keep up with. I guess that’s the trouble with covering a ‘revolution’ – there are a lot of threads to follow. My advice (which I have to follow myself) is to pick a few particularly interesting writers and/or relevant areas to keep up with and leave all the rest to sort out when things calm down in the digital media world. Whenever that might be.

Thought it would be appropriate that the first recommendation of 2010 be a book by/about the patron saint of the Mogul Mindset eBlasts. (Don’t know what those are? Click here.)

Richard Branson was a mogul-in-the-making from very early in his life, starting up a publication called Student when he was still in high school and having the nerve to approach central cultural figures of the day (60s London, in this case), such as The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and The Beatles’ John Lennon, to be interviewed (they accepted!).

He went on from this magazine to the music business, starting with a mail order service and ultimately becoming a producer and growing a record label, Virgin Music. From there, he carefully lept into other areas (the seeming contradiction of carefully leaping is deliberate), such as starting Virgin Atlantic airline based on nothing more than a core philosophy of “How hard could it be?” 

Richard Branson’s story is instructive and inspiring and he tells it with panache. It is very detailed, sometimes, in my opinion, to a fault, but maybe that’s because I’m less interested in his hot air balloon adventures than other readers, who might enjoy being along for the ride every daring step of the way.

I was definitely along for the ride of growing several businesses, recovering from set-backs, making big mistakes but also achieving huge victories. I think anyone interested in succeeding in business on a large scale would be wise to pick up a copy of Losing My Virginity. (In fact, click on the book jacket above and you can order it right now!)

There are still a few spaces open for the FREE one-hour “Entertainment Career Strategy” teleseminar on January 26th at 8pm EST/5pm PST.  The call is limited to 20 participants and subscribers to YII’s Mogul Mind eblasts (who always get special opportunities and bonus offers from YII) were given first crack at signing up to get expert entertainment industry career advice.

Here’s how it will work: Participants will email questions about their entertainment career goals in advance and, during the call, they will be provided with concrete, proven strategies and career paths to achieve them. 

Hollywood can be challenging for those who are just starting out when they have no connections and no insider information. Actors without representation or notable credits often turn to background acting to get connections, experience, and a little money. Others who want to be in the industry and on camera but without further acting aspirations pursue background acting as a profession.

The good news is that this path can actually turn into a valid way to make a living for those with the chops and the savvy to survive on a professional set. But because background work is so sought after and it can be difficult to break in, unscrupulous individuals have created various ways to make money preying on eager newbies who think they are getting a way in.

That’s why the Background Actors blogsite  is so valuable to the community. Creator and Managing Editor Lary Crews has created a place for those who are just starting out to get the dos and don’ts of background acting, as well as finding out about popular scams to avoid. Tips on breaking in, surviving, and even thirving as a background actor can be found on this site. Check it out!

As a rule, we here at YII trust whatever our readers tell us, but we find it hard to believe that Danny King of “The King Bulletin” is a high school student. The amount of effort he puts into his site, not to mention the maturity of his critical voice, bespeak an older person.

However, let’s be clear, we love that his viewpoint is untainted by film school or working in the biz. His writing is fresh, articulate, and sometimes surprising. He gives you an opportunity to experience the films he writes about in a new way, even if you have seen them several times and/or saw them long ago. He reminds you that film is forever and the great ones echo far into the future.

We reached out to Danny to ask him about what sparked in him the passion for film. He said, “For me it was THE DARK NIGHT. I saw it on opening night in IMAX and it was simply one of the best experiences of my life. Sitting in that packed theater with everyone mesmerized by the film, it was the coolest thing ever. I saw the film about 5 or 6 times in theaters and I just knew that was something special. I felt almost immediately that this is what I wanted to do, to make people feel exhilarated and mesmerized by a movie.”

He also told us that even before he subscribed to YII’s Mogul Mindset eBlasts, he was doing some of the  things we recommend for those of any age seeking or pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, such as reaching out to the people whose work he admires. (You can bet Christopher Nolan, director of THE DARK KNIGHT, is one of those he’s contacted. You’ll have to read The King Report to figure out who else is on that list.)

Our only complaint about Danny is that he hasn’t yet shot any of the short film scripts he’s been working on so we haven’t gotten a chance to hear his true voice when he is the one behind the camera. In the meantime, we’ll have to satisfy ourselves by reading The King Bulletin. And if you love movies, we recommend that you do, too!

There are a lot of reasons to love Indy Mogul- “The Reel Good Show,” for instance, is very funny. But the most valuable aspect of the site is the “Backyard FX” show.

We here at YII are constantly (annoying, isn’t it?) advocating “making it real” – whether it be finishing the script or shooting the short film- and Backyard FX shows you that you don’t need a big budget to film your script. The instructive projects demonstrate micro-budget filmmaking and the site has attracted and nurtured an active community of like-minded filmmakers sharing films and filmmaking ideas.

Visit Indy Mogul for a dose of filmmaking instruction and inspiration.

VFX producer, Julia Frey, was profiled here a while back. If you missed it, click here.

Her blog isn’t always about being on location. It’s about her life. But working on back-to-back film shoots has certainly made her blog, like her life, about being location. She recently returned from a shoot in Morocco and the UK and is currently in the US Pacific Northwest scouting a new project.

There is a very specific rhythm and tone to a movie set. It varies according to how happy the set is, which has little to do with the budget of the project (though creature comforts, such as high-end craft service, can’t hurt). Add to that being away from home and family, working odd hours, exploring new cities, becoming close with people who were total strangers just weeks ago…

Julia’s blog, Julia’s Mexico City, captures it perfectly, such as in this post, where she discusses working nights on various projects over the years. If you like reading that one, poke around. You can learn a lot about what life would be like for you if you followed a similar career path to Julia.