I have always been a Monkees fan, especially a Micky fan. So I was delighted to read his book. It was very insightful and interesting and i couldn't put it down!! I love this book, it is written ingeniusly as only Micky can do. It also has pictures that really complete the story. I totally recommend this book to all people, and if you are not already a Monkees fan, after you read this you will be.

Of all the books I've read on or about the Monkees this is myfavorite to date. The pages just drip Micky's personality and you canalmost picture him telling you this story over a cup of coffee. It really is a must read for all Monkees and Micky Dolenz fans! Although hard to find, there are sources if you look hard enough.

I read this book twice, checking it out of the library both times. I love it (mainly cuz Micky wrote it, I just LOVE him)! I've seen all the Monkees shows, and they are SO funny! Micky is my favorite (doncha just love his 'fro), and that's why I read the book. I've also heard most of the Monkees songs.

I liked this book but i read some better books. This book is not really about Leonardo DiCaprio, it's more about the movies in which he played. But it's a pretty good book for the fans of Leonardo Dicaprio, like me. There are a lot of beautiful pictures in it and i'm very happy that i have the book home.

This is the best Leonardo book I've read! It's full of pictures and information. Most of the pictures I hadn't seen before. I'd recomend this book to any Leonardo fan! *+*Erin*+*

I really like the book because I learned so much about my favorite star, Leonardo Di Caprio. I also love the photos. Some of the pictures in the book are the ones I haven't seen before. I enjoyed reading this book so much that I didn't realize I finished it for just two hours. I have repeated reading it for about seven times. I learned some things that I did not know about Leonardo Di Caprio and his movies. I even read some news about him that I haven't heard before. I love this book!!!!It's great!!!Buy it if you are a fan of Leonardo Di Caprio.

Mark Bergo's updated edition -Blonde Ambition- book will guide you from Madonna's early beginnings all the way until the year 2000. The author takes you on a chronological timetable to help you learn more about how Madonna climbed to the top by describing the people she met, the choices she made, the ups & downs, her contributions, and how she dealt with it all.

What I most enjoyed was how he described all the different albums, movies, plays, concerts, and videos including their release date, success in the charts, and ratings-- The appendix also has a list of her albums, films, videos, concerts, plays, and movies to enjoy or gain knowledge of. There are great descriptions of all her producers, lovers, friends, childhood acquaintances, Hollywood contacts, grandparents, and family members.

There is even a picture of Mark Bergo on the inside of the book, which shows Madonna and him talking. There are other photos from her childhood, daily life, screen playing, films (A Certain Sacrifice), performances, videos, meeting with fans, posing with Jellybean Benitez, concerts, movies (Desperately Seeking Susan), pose with Sean Penn, with ex-Beatle George Harrison, paparazzi fight, a day with 1 of her trainers, a pose with Sandra Bernhard, "The L* Kiss", Madonna as Marie Antoinette, and other AIDS benefit events.

From all the books I've read I found this one to have a very nice description of Madonna--although making her look a bit too calculating and manipulating at times. There are lots of descriptions about how she was introduced into the music business, the struggles she underwent to be heard, and how she came up with her songs. Her collaborators were also mentioned as well as many of her close friends who died of AIDS. There are times in the book where you can sense Madonna's emotions, sorrows of her mother's sad death, struggles raising her brothers and sisters, conflicts with her step mother, fights with her dad, and even personal accounts of her first boyfriend.

There was a lot of stories on Sean Penn to make the reader know just how much Madonna was in love during that 3rd making of her album "True Blue". There were plenty of accounts on her different affairs throughout her life but not gory or scandalous like other books I've read. The author maintains professionalism, class, and quality. Guy Ritchie was only mentioned in the last chapter very briefly. This would be a great book for someone who isn't too familiar with Madonna. Already fans will enjoy this as an added compliment to there already collection of popular books. I like how the author ends saying, "Singer, actress, record company president, erotic sex goddess, mother, spiritual guru, and media icon, she never seems to tire of astounding the public." Excellent buy and highly recommendable!

**Note: There were a few spelling errors and 1 wrong year date (release of Like A Virgin says 1994 instead of 1984 in the appendix) on this book but it doesn't change the fact it was a fantastic purchase.

If you are a Madonna fan, you already know most of what you'll read in here regarding Madonna's career history, but the material is presented in a nice, chonological format that makes for a good night of reading.

I think that the author must be a little "square" of a person, given such mistakes as the misspelling of Charles Barkley's last name (here, he spells it "Barclay"). I'm no basketball fan, or sports fan for that matter, but I picked up on that error right away.

In his updated editorial since the original printing, he seems to have soured his attitude towards Madonna. He is a lot harsher on her, and makes her every career move since the Like a Prayer era to be calculated and cynical.

There were a couple of items of Madonna trivia here that I didn't know, but I'll let you find that out for yourselves.

All things considered, this is a worthwhile read for a Madonna fan.

this book is aitght yo. it has nice photos, has some accurate info. peace izzout

Author David Stanley tells the truelife story of growing up in Graceland.Stories range from daily life in Elvis' world, on tour with the King of rock & roll, to having the Beatles show up at the front door. Stanley leaves out nothing as he recounts Presleys downfall.This ones not just for Elvis Presley fans, as it shows the real life struggles in Stanleys personal life. An excellent read.

I always liked Martha Reeves - until I read this book. It's easily the most self-absorbed, preening, everyone's-at-fault-but-me autobiography I've ever seen. Every hit the Vandellas had is entirely credited to her (she even claims to have helped write every single through 1967) while every flop is attributed to Motown's bad promotion. Reeves catalogs her myriad hospitalizations for drug overdoses and frequent changes in personnel while blaming the collapse of her career on a Diana Ross/Berry Gordy plot. Martha, did it ever occur to you that while you were taking every pill that came near you, Diana was working on her career? Plus, Reeves seems not to have noticed that she lost her voice circa 1968. I won't even start ripping into the Hallmark-style poems that open each chapter. Whoever the hell Mark Bego is, he's no fact checker: among the numerous errors, James Jamerson is alleged to have died in 1974 rather than 1983, and Idi Amin is mentioned as being in charge of Egypt (which Reeves toured in the late 70's) rather than Uganda. It must be said that there is a decent amount of background info on obscure Motownies like Richard Morris, great pictures and a solid discography. Of the multiple Motown tell-alls I've read, though, this is the only one that left a sour taste in my mouth.

This was my first Motown book and I am glad to say that. I enjoyed Dancing in the Streets more than I did Mary Wilson's books. Now we all know that all of the spurned Motown artist feel burned and are out to get what's owed them, but in reading this book, I did not feel like that was the driving force behind its conception. Martha tells it like it is! I commend her for this effort! I hope she writes another one!!

I highly recommend this one!

Martha Reeves is about as far from Diana Ross as can be. She's always been in love with the music while Ross so often has seemed consumed with being endlessly reassured she is the best, she is the greatest star who ever lived, she is a living legend but, on the other hand, has never been bright enough to see that if you have to tell people to call you "Miss Ross" so you'll get the respect you deserve all you're getting back is people going through the motions (which, in the end, is indeed the respect you deserve). All this has never been part of Reeves' life. She's enjoyed her success, she's enjoyed the fame but she's never needed to constantly gobble up adoration. This has freed her to be down to earth, realistic and truly soulful as both a performer and a person. If you've ever met Martha you know she is intelligent, articulate, wise and humorous and she long, long ago left behind all about Motown that might have made her an angry old woman. In fact, there is nothing old about her--Martha looks great, sounds great and is still full of enthusiasm for her work. In England and Europe she is big big star, greatly adored. Wherever she works she is a consummate professional--she always looks terrific and gives a great show. This book is interesting start to finish--you get the Motown story for real. And, true to her own life, Martha is dignified beginning to end. No cheap shots or dirty gossip here. Martha can be VERY proud of this very successful book.

For years, I have searched for the ultimate Bette Midler biography - one that is chock full of never before heard or told anecdotes, a fresh perspective and insights into oft told situations or tales.

Mark Bego's book is the closest thing we've got right now to a definitive, somewhat linear bio, but it still leaves much to be desired.

I do appreciate that Bego (clearly a fan in his own right) takes the time to go in depth with Midler's albums, making sure every track is commented upon and giving us loads of quality info about the recording process. I love hearing about why certain songs were chosen, discarded, arranged the way they were, et cetera.

The most in depth album commentary in this book is in regards to Bette's *Songs From the New Depression.* The more I read about this lost possibility, the more curious I am to hear the material. It genuinely sounds like it could have led Midler's career in a completely different, more upward musical direction. I do hope Atlantic Records gives Klingman the master tapes back.

No other book has given me a clear picture of what Bette's days at the Continental Baths were like, and I am grateful for that. Such a vivid description of the place and the time. It must have been a ball.

This is also the first telling of Bette's life that gives an indication that Aaron Russo (Bette's manager in the 70's) and Bette were never romantically involved at all. However, the narrative seems fuzzy on whether or not that is entirely accurate.

The aspect of Bette's career that seems to get shortest shrift is her movies. Each one is given a full plot synopsis, which in my opinion, isn't a good idea, for it ruins the movies for newer fans or people who have not seen them. These plot synopses seem to be masking some glaringly obvious missing information. No 'tales from the set' are told. No comments from co-stars or directors (except in the Jinxed section) on what it was like to work with Bette beyond your standard "press-kit" comments.

Even so, there are still some interesting tidbits spread out here and there. One of them is that Anne Archer and Donna Mills where considered for the role of Hillary Whitney in Beaches!

One rather odd thing is the use of numbers in parenthesis after every single quote. I've never seen a device like that in a book, and it made me feel like I was reading a college term paper. Although, on the flip side, I appreciate the quotes are there -- it ensures a degree of accuracy and if I ever want to look up these articles, it's a good resource.

Also, there is serious need for a fact-checker / proof-reader here. Too many noticeable spelling errors, character or actor names misprinted or mis-spelled, etc. I don't want to blame the writer entirely, because this stuff should be checked before going to press.

All in all, I recommend this book, but more for the fact that there really isn't a quality Midler bio out there to compare it to. Perhaps there never will be, unless Bette decides to tell her own story.

After all this time you'd have thought someone would have informed Mr Bego that Billy Cunningham was a musical director more so than a piano player and that when he stopped playing for Ms Midler at the Baths he didn't exactly exit . Even after writing Cher If You Believe, he still doesn't know who Kenny (Claude )Sasha was and why the off Broadway run of French Dressing at the Village Gate (Top of the Gate) and Cher's Act had a lot more to do with the drag bar scene in "The Rose" than Bette' s wanting to be a legendary movie star. The sad part is by the time he revises the book again even more of sources he should have interviewed the first time around won't be with us.

This book which was first released in the 1980s by author Mark Bego gets updated and reworked here. It is impressive to see such a comprehensive scaling of the Divine's long career. Want to hear about some current projects like Bathhouse Betty and her films such as DROWNING MONA and the like, this is the book. I am someone who enjoys reading about others' perspectives on some of my favorite artists. I especially like to read and hear about recent endeavors. Because there has not been a Bette biography since 1997's spectacular BETTE MIDLER SCRAPBOOK and 1995's BETTE by George Mair, that was a long period of no coverage of some of Midler's material. Well, here goes. Even if one is not a Bette fan, one could still enjoy this biography which provides various aspects of the entertainer in a unique form.

"Whenever you read a good book, it's like the author is right there, in the room talking to you, which is why I don't like to read good books." -Jack Handey

No, this wasn't a good book, but it often felt like the author was there talking to me, which is why I found this book annoying. It seemed Mark Bego can't end a paragraph without verbally winking at the reader. Once he concluded with "Oh that Cher, always so practical!" Please, sir, just tell it like it is. This book could have done without the constant reminders that the author is there.

I love this CD and Recommend it to everyone who likes to have fun and dance. Cher is simply the greatest female performer since Patsy Cline.

I think this If you Believe is fantastic and recommend it to everyone who likes to feel good. Is fun fast and makes you want to Dance.

I cannot say enough about this book,George is my all time favorite and the book says it all.How George got started and how he kept on going even after the death of his daughter,it had to be so hard for this man to sing some of the songs he does,George to me is real country and I am so glad I purchased this book.

It is so hard to find memoribilia of George Strait, so when I saw this book I knew I had to have it. The only way you can get other stuff of his is to join his fan club, and that is expensive after awhile.

I thought the book was very interesting. At times it is dry reading but it was very factual and I learned alot about George.

This book is a great disappointment! Bego's sequel to The Queen of Soul happens to be nothing more than what he clips from past articles! If you value your money, don't buy this book. Because all you will read is his first book on her and just old articles about her.

After reading Ms. Frankin's lackluster autobiography, it was almost refreshing to read an unbiased account of the legendary life and career of this soul matriarch. This book is very detailed in tracking the career of Ms. Franklin and tells of the accolades as well as the lowpoints in her career. I found most comical the section in relation to Aretha's infamous fashion sense, but ultimately appauled by that tasteless photo of her in a one peice bathing suit with fishnet stockings showing her backside in concert. How disgusting was that!
I, too, hailed the Queen after her riveting performance of "Nessum Dorma" on the 1998 Grammys and I continue to follow her career in hopes that her legacy continues to be upheld with the upmost respect. I hope that in twenty years, the author can add another update of amazing accomplishments to this edition. Good read.

Now in an updated and expanded edition, Aretha Franklin: The Queen Of Soul is the compelling and inspiring biography of one of the most amazing, remarkable singers with a five-octave voice. The many challenges Aretha Franklin has faced in her life, from parental abandonment to the illness of her sister, are candidly recounted, along with her will to survive and prosper, which can clearly be heard in her soul-stirring music. Highly recommended reading for students of twentieth century American music history, as well as a "must" for all Aretha Franklin fans.