Product Description

America knows Jaime Pressly as Joy Turner, the feisty cheatin' ex-wife of Earl Hickey on the NBC hit show My Name Is Earl. Like her character, the Emmy Award-winning actress is, at heart, a smart, vibrant, small-town Southern girl. In this humorous and honest book, she recalls her journey from Kinston, North Carolina, to Hollywood, California, to motherhood, and the fortitude it took to make her dreams come true, including separating from her troubled past, overcoming her own bad choices, and dealing with success when it finally came her way.

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Book
I enjoyed this book.It was entertaining and easy to read.Her story is inspirational. 5 Stars!

Interesting and entertaining ...
The book is an easy read and is rather like sitting and listening to Jaime tell how her life unfolded to make her who she is today.I think I am most impressed with how comfortable she is with who she is and that choices she has made, right or wrong, either in her eyes or others are part of what we face everyday and that you use what you learn to grow and move on.I came away from the book, not only having "heard" an enjoyable story of her life but with the desire to be more honest with myself and focused on what I want my life to be and not what others think it should be. The advice is good ... dream bigger than the town you're from!

A good read but with something BIG missing
Let me say first that I am from Jaime's hometown of Kinston, NC so I read the book with that bias.I know the places she speaks of intimately, some of the people and - although I am 8 years older than Jaime and have never met her as far as I am aware - I attended all the same schools in Kinston that she did.While I haven't seen him in many years, I am acquainted with her older brother "Junior" (as she refers to him in the book).My friend Cheryl used to baby sit for Jaime.My nephew has waited on her at a local greasy spoon restaurant where Jaime sometimes eats when she returns to Kinston.Anyway, what I am trying to say is that there are multiple connections - the biggest being the town itself - and for those alone I was bound to enjoy Jaime's book.I found it engaging and insightful and it took me "back home" (both in place and time).Despite the critique of her book that follows, I found the book worth the read, certainly if you are a fan and especially if you've ever had the desire to break the ties that bind you in place for the sake of discovering something bigger.

The first time I saw Jaime was in a magazine - Playboy to be exact - and she was totally naked.The odd thing was that the magazine was owned by the mother of a friend of mine, the stuffy, pampered wife of a prominent local lawyer.The magazine was lying on the kitchen table prominently displayed.I had never heard of Jaime at that point so my friend's mother pointed out that she was a local girl who'd "made it big". She handed me the magazine and I flipped through it."Wow", I said."I don't know her, but I sure do wish I did".Still, I was not sure whether my friend's mother had obtained this magazine for the sake of pride, curiosity or for the promise of good gossip.I suspected the latter.

The next time I saw Jaime - a couple of years later - was in the movie "Poison Ivy 3".I had heard about this movie from other folks in Kinston - often said with a smirk - and knew that it was somewhat risqué.Still, I was shocked when I saw it.Jaime - who plays a vengeful sibling of the `Ivy' from the original movie starring Drew Barrymore - is FULLY naked for a significant part of the movie.Her character seduces the boyfriend and the father of the girl she is living with in scenes so steamy that many have called it soft porn. Again, connecting with her as a young girl from my hometown, I had to wonder whether Jaime had been duped into taking this role, whether she had been taken advantage of in some way.I could hear it in my head:"You want to be a big star, right?Then this is where it starts.You've got to do this.It's just acting."I'm making this up, of course, but this was my concern.Since then, Jaime has made further appearances in Playboy and in other men's magazines clad in "near nothing".

As I read Jaime's book, I kept hoping she would make some sense of her thinking with these career choices.There is a scene in the book where Jaime goes to a California beach for the first time and is shocked and embarrassed by how scantily clad the girls are.But when it comes to the place in her story when she would have been posing for Playboy or filming "Poison Ivy 3" she glosses over these, referring vaguely to "modeling" she was doing and "films" she was working on.How, I wanted to know, was she able to set aside the values she was brought up with in that small town among all the family members she so lovingly describes and appear fully naked, intimately posed and engaged in simulated sex acts in photos and on film for all the world to see?Was it desperation?Or was it, as I thought before, that she was somehow taken advantage of.Given the naïvete' displayed by Jamie as she describes herself at that time period in her book, I can't help but think the latter.This aspect of Jaime's career is much too prominent to just skip over, and it leaves a true hole in her story.In fact, it is important enough that it's omission puts her sincerity in question.Just search for her book on Amazon and you'll get her book followed by several Playboy covers.It is a strange juxtaposition to see simultaneously the thoughtful little girl sitting cross-legged on the rock (her book cover) with the voluptuous supermodel hugged in a tight, wet partially transparent shirt.For many people, Jaime is more recognized for her spreads in Playboy than for her current success on "My Name is Earl".Even my 75-year-old father, upon seeing my copy of Jaime's book, quipped "Where is the centerfold?"I understand that the book is written for her son, but he, too, will one day ask the same questions and will, very likely, have to contend with questions from friends as well.

Still, with her character Joy, Jaime has come back home.Despite her desire to leave Kinston (a desire shared by many of us), it is the Kinston aspect of her that brings Joy to life.You can take the girl out of Kinston, they say, but you can't take the Kinston out of the girl.Joy is a great character, Jaime's best, and we from Kinston (whether still there or not) are very proud of her for it.We support her and love her fiercely and will continue to no matter what.

Okay, what are you waiting for?Buy it and read it!!

Great Book
I am really enjoying reading this book.It is very well written, and gives a glimpse into the life of Jaime Pressly.The book tells how growing up in the south, and the people in her life shaped who she is.The book is an easy read, and very entertaining. ... Read more

Product Description

America knows Jaime Pressly as Joy Turner, the feisty cheatin' ex-wife of Earl Hickey on the NBC hit show My Name Is Earl. Like her character, the Emmy Award-winning actress is, at heart, a smart, vibrant, small-town Southern girl. In this humorous and honest book, she recalls her journey from Kinston, North Carolina, to Hollywood, California, to motherhood, and the fortitude it took to make her dreams come true, including separating from her troubled past, overcoming her own bad choices, and dealing with success when it finally came her way.

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Book
I enjoyed this book.It was entertaining and easy to read.Her story is inspirational. 5 Stars!

Interesting and entertaining ...
The book is an easy read and is rather like sitting and listening to Jaime tell how her life unfolded to make her who she is today.I think I am most impressed with how comfortable she is with who she is and that choices she has made, right or wrong, either in her eyes or others are part of what we face everyday and that you use what you learn to grow and move on.I came away from the book, not only having "heard" an enjoyable story of her life but with the desire to be more honest with myself and focused on what I want my life to be and not what others think it should be. The advice is good ... dream bigger than the town you're from!

A good read but with something BIG missing
Let me say first that I am from Jaime's hometown of Kinston, NC so I read the book with that bias.I know the places she speaks of intimately, some of the people and - although I am 8 years older than Jaime and have never met her as far as I am aware - I attended all the same schools in Kinston that she did.While I haven't seen him in many years, I am acquainted with her older brother "Junior" (as she refers to him in the book).My friend Cheryl used to baby sit for Jaime.My nephew has waited on her at a local greasy spoon restaurant where Jaime sometimes eats when she returns to Kinston.Anyway, what I am trying to say is that there are multiple connections - the biggest being the town itself - and for those alone I was bound to enjoy Jaime's book.I found it engaging and insightful and it took me "back home" (both in place and time).Despite the critique of her book that follows, I found the book worth the read, certainly if you are a fan and especially if you've ever had the desire to break the ties that bind you in place for the sake of discovering something bigger.

The first time I saw Jaime was in a magazine - Playboy to be exact - and she was totally naked.The odd thing was that the magazine was owned by the mother of a friend of mine, the stuffy, pampered wife of a prominent local lawyer.The magazine was lying on the kitchen table prominently displayed.I had never heard of Jaime at that point so my friend's mother pointed out that she was a local girl who'd "made it big". She handed me the magazine and I flipped through it."Wow", I said."I don't know her, but I sure do wish I did".Still, I was not sure whether my friend's mother had obtained this magazine for the sake of pride, curiosity or for the promise of good gossip.I suspected the latter.

The next time I saw Jaime - a couple of years later - was in the movie "Poison Ivy 3".I had heard about this movie from other folks in Kinston - often said with a smirk - and knew that it was somewhat risqué.Still, I was shocked when I saw it.Jaime - who plays a vengeful sibling of the `Ivy' from the original movie starring Drew Barrymore - is FULLY naked for a significant part of the movie.Her character seduces the boyfriend and the father of the girl she is living with in scenes so steamy that many have called it soft porn. Again, connecting with her as a young girl from my hometown, I had to wonder whether Jaime had been duped into taking this role, whether she had been taken advantage of in some way.I could hear it in my head:"You want to be a big star, right?Then this is where it starts.You've got to do this.It's just acting."I'm making this up, of course, but this was my concern.Since then, Jaime has made further appearances in Playboy and in other men's magazines clad in "near nothing".

As I read Jaime's book, I kept hoping she would make some sense of her thinking with these career choices.There is a scene in the book where Jaime goes to a California beach for the first time and is shocked and embarrassed by how scantily clad the girls are.But when it comes to the place in her story when she would have been posing for Playboy or filming "Poison Ivy 3" she glosses over these, referring vaguely to "modeling" she was doing and "films" she was working on.How, I wanted to know, was she able to set aside the values she was brought up with in that small town among all the family members she so lovingly describes and appear fully naked, intimately posed and engaged in simulated sex acts in photos and on film for all the world to see?Was it desperation?Or was it, as I thought before, that she was somehow taken advantage of.Given the naïvete' displayed by Jamie as she describes herself at that time period in her book, I can't help but think the latter.This aspect of Jaime's career is much too prominent to just skip over, and it leaves a true hole in her story.In fact, it is important enough that it's omission puts her sincerity in question.Just search for her book on Amazon and you'll get her book followed by several Playboy covers.It is a strange juxtaposition to see simultaneously the thoughtful little girl sitting cross-legged on the rock (her book cover) with the voluptuous supermodel hugged in a tight, wet partially transparent shirt.For many people, Jaime is more recognized for her spreads in Playboy than for her current success on "My Name is Earl".Even my 75-year-old father, upon seeing my copy of Jaime's book, quipped "Where is the centerfold?"I understand that the book is written for her son, but he, too, will one day ask the same questions and will, very likely, have to contend with questions from friends as well.

Still, with her character Joy, Jaime has come back home.Despite her desire to leave Kinston (a desire shared by many of us), it is the Kinston aspect of her that brings Joy to life.You can take the girl out of Kinston, they say, but you can't take the Kinston out of the girl.Joy is a great character, Jaime's best, and we from Kinston (whether still there or not) are very proud of her for it.We support her and love her fiercely and will continue to no matter what.

Okay, what are you waiting for?Buy it and read it!!

Great Book
I am really enjoying reading this book.It is very well written, and gives a glimpse into the life of Jaime Pressly.The book tells how growing up in the south, and the people in her life shaped who she is.The book is an easy read, and very entertaining. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Book
Great Pictures and articals this is a magazine that you will want to add to your collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Full color magazine featuring Meg Ryan on the cover and in a 6 page photo-interview inside. This issue also features "nudes" of Jaime Pressly, Elisabeth Perkins, Chloe Sevigny, Aisha Taylor, & Jenna Elfman, plus fashion layouts of swimsuits, braids, fitness, and much more! ... Read more

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female ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Tyrone Willingham, Jocelyn Brown, Frank Lucas, Jerry Stackhouse, Jaime Pressly, Cedric Maxwell, James W. "Catfish" Cole, Richard C. Gatlin, Ray E. Eubanks, Tony Dawson, Johnny Shepherd, Lee Atkins, Mitchell Wiggins, George Parrott, Carl Long, Edward C. Daly. Excerpt:Carl Long - 2006 Carl Long (born May 9, 1935 in Rock Hill, South Carolina ) is a former outfielder in Negro league and minor league baseball who, along with Frank Washington , broke the color barrier in the Carolina League city of Kinston, North Carolina . Long made his debut for the Kinston Eagles on April 17, 1956. During the year, he hit .291 with 18 home runs and 111 runs batted in . The Carolina League itself had been integrated in 1951 by Percy Miller Jr. of the Danville Leafs . The 111 RBI tallied by Long in 1956 has been equaled but never surpassed by any subsequent Kinston players. Long's professional debut came with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League in 1952. He stayed with Birmingham through the 1953 season. In 1954, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was sent to their minor league team, the St. Jean Canadians of the Provincial League . During 1955, Long played for the Billings Mustangs in the Pioneer League and also saw some action for Phoenix in the Arizona-Mexico League. After playing for the Eagles in 1956, Long played for the Beaumont Pirates of the Big State League and Mexico City in 1957. A shoulder injury curtailed his career, and he left baseball to live in Kinston. Long continued to break barriers after his baseball career was over. He became Kinston's first black bus driver as well as Lenoir County 's first black Deputy Sheriff and black detective within the sheriff's department. Long often attends games at Grainger Stadium to watch Kinston's current team, the Ki... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

IT'S A LONG WAY FROM KINSTON, NC TO HOLLYWOOD!
Emmy Award winning actress Jaime Pressly comes from a large family of Southern charmers who loved to tell stories.The stories may have been true, partially true or totally imagined, but they all had a point.There was a reason for telling them, whether it was to cheer, instill confidence, console, or intended as another kind of balm for the human spirit.

For instance, there was a story that Granddaddy Pressly told her about their family's relationship to the one and only Elvis Presley.It seems that when Jaime was in kindergarten just the mention of her last name brought forth a chorus of "Blue Suede Shoes" or "Jailhouse Rock" from the other kindergartners.Of course,their names sounded the same; they simply were not spelled the same.To Jaime being related to Elvis would have been wonderful, and she certainlywanted the ridicule to stop.So, she went to the one person she could trust - Granddaddy Pressly.

According to him, generations ago there had been a big family fight.Sides were so unforgiving that half the family moved to Tennessee, and the other half stayed in North Carolina.The half from which Jaime was descended wanted to create distance between the two so they changed their family name, "addin' an extra s and droppin' that last e." Thus, she was probably Elvis's second counsin.

As she writes, "...the beauty of the South is that folks are darned good about fixing up things and doing whatever it takes to make `em look like the truth."Jaime listened to all of these stories, and often repeated them.Later, she would write them down so that she did not forget.

Now, she shares many of them with us in her warm memoir "It's Not Necessarily Not The Truth."We learn much about a childhood spent in Kinston, North Carolina (pop. Roughly 23,000).It was a bastion of tightly woven friendships and prejudices.There was also lots of love, but it was also a place that Jaime wanted to leave far behind.

She dreamed of becoming a model and then an actress, but how?She had no contacts, no resources, only talent, grit, and determination.This is her story truthfully told, enlivened with humor and brimming with lessons learned.

Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

... Read more

Product Description
May 2002 Playboy Espana Magazine -- Spanish edition printed in Spain -- featuring CHRISTI SHAKE on the cover plus centerfold. Also features JAIME PRESSLY for 8 nude pages in a spread slightly different than the U.S. edition. ... Read more

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62 Secret Smut-filled Photos... Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman..... ... Read more

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Celebrity Skin number 114Now ShowingAnna FrielBlue CrushCordelia BugejaErinn BartlettKira ReedLeonor WatlingMelora WaltersNatalie PortmanPaz VegaPolly ShannonPortia de RossiRebecca Romijn-StamosCelebrity Skin Hall of FameAnne ParillaudBrigitte BardotCharlize TheronJennifer Jason LeighUrsula AndressBeyond BikinisCameron DiazCatherine Zeta-JonesCindy CrawfordElizabeth HurleyElle MacphersonJordanMonica CruzBikini Bust OutBeverly D'AngeloBridget FondaCheri CaffaroClaudia UdyJaime PresslyJames KingJennifer ConnellyMarie LiljedahlMelanie GriffithPhoebe CatesSophie MarceauTara Reid ... Read more

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t Your Request350 Explicit Never - Before - Seen Photos of the Stars You Dared Us to Expose!Krista AllenKate CapshawShannon ElizabethAngie EverhartJennifer Love HewittElizabeth HurleyNicole KidmanElle MacphersonJaime PresslyMena SuvariBridgett Wilson-SamprasJulie BenzAngela BettisKate HudsonTracy HutsonErica LeerhsenHeidi LenhartRose McGowanGretchen MolJodi Lyn O'KeefeSarah PolleyVicky PrattTori SpellingCharlize TheronElodie BouchezKelly BrookPauline ChanKeeley HawesSakina JaffreyCatherine McCormackJulia OrmondRobin ReynoldsMarisol Padilla SanchezRachel WeiszSarah WynterPatricia ArquetteRosanna ArquetteDrew BarrymoreJaid BarrymoreBlythe DannerBridget FondaJane FondaAimee GrahamGwyneth PaltrowDedee PfeifferMichelle PfeifferAnnie & Alicia SorrellLisa BarbusciaMarisa BerensonRussell CroweCynthia GibbTiffany GranathJennifer GreyPam GrierJane KaczmarekSylvia KristelShelly PlimptonJustina VailMorlon Wayans ... Read more

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JUNE 2001 ISSUE OF STUFF MAGAZINE FEATURING JAIME PRESSLY ON THE COVER. OTHER ARTICLES/PICTORIALS FEATURE KIRSTEN DUNST, THE UGLIEST FILM STARS EVER, 36 GREATEST MOVIE LINES, 50 DANGEROUS MOVIES, ARE YOU HER BEST EVER? AND MORE!! ... Read more