Staff Favorite: Holy Headshot!: A Celebration of America's Undiscovered Talent

Holy Headshot!: A Celebration of America's Undiscovered Talent 2008, Paper. $18.95.

"No. Yes! Nooooo. YEEES.

Turning the pages of Holy Head Shot creates all the excitement and fear of careening through the night sky on some ride with rusty bolts at the fair in the mall parking lot. The reason for this giddy emotional turbulence is that this collection of actual actor's headshots can be enjoyed on two completely different planes simultaneously. One, its subjects are guilelessly, bafflingly hilarious; two they are slowly, cumulatively illuminate a path of what an actor should (not) do when self-promoting.

From the misguided , ultra-beefy tough guys to the scarily ambiguous femme fatales, the collection of voluntary subjects in this book is a lovable menagerie. Career coaches could endlessly analyze cringe-inducing photo montages and flotsam-loaded resumes while doing their best to keep a straight face.

On the surface, one might see Holy Headshot as a laughable cautionary tale. But the actors headshots contained therein are being passed around and regularly looked at. When that casting director finally points at one of them and they shoot to the top of the fame ladder, the last laugh, or course, will be theirs." -- Matt Love