Madonna: An Intimate Biography

Madonna: An Intimate Biography
by J. Randy Taraborrelli

Madonna: An Intimate Biography
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Book Summary Information

Author: J. Randy Taraborrelli
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-18
ISBN: 1416583467
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Book Reviews of Madonna: An Intimate Biography

Book Review: A peek into a very fascinating life
Summary: 5 Stars

What I love about Randy's books is that he gives you the sources, as best he can, from where he gets his info. So while this might not be 100% true, it is about as well documented as it gets.

In this book we are carried through Madonna's life from birth to the wedding with Guy Richie. We are shown that above talent---it was her marketing genius, charisma and determination--and willingness to work her behind off--that made her one of the world's richest and most famous women. She is also one of the genetic lucky ones that can get by on 3 hours of sleep per night, which definitely gives one the edge in whatever they do!

Vicariously, we get to enter her world of dating rich and famous men like Sean Penn and JFK Jr. as well as nonrich and nonfamous men such as Carlos Leon, who left her because he couldn't stand to be with someone who went to bed at 2 AM and got up at 5 AM to read the world's newspapers and see what they wrote about her (and let anything bad written spoil her whole day!)

Very interesting stories, anecdotes, and gossip in this book! It makes a great escape.

Summary of Madonna: An Intimate Biography

Madonna!

Megastar. Lover. Mother. Opportunist. Chameleon. Role model.

She's all of these things...and more.

Yet, who is she, really?

In Madonna: An Intimate Biography, author J. Randy Taraborrelli's scrupulously researched and completely balanced unauthorized biography of one of the world's most celebrated entertainers, the reader is allowed to draw his or her own conclusions. Indeed, the portrait bestselling author Taraborrelli paints here is of a truly complex woman, one who is driven and determined to succeed at any cost, yet who displays remarkable vulnerability when it comes to matters of the heart.

It is significant that Madonna: An Intimate Biography is the first such book written about the star in over a decade, because in the past ten years the ever-changing Madonna has gone through her biggest transformation yet -- from tempestuous sex goddess to happily married mother. Amazingly, as she launches her first worldwide tour in eight years, she is now -- at forty-something -- enjoying one of the most successful periods of her groundbreaking career.

Whereas other books about Madonna have been based on previously published material, Madonna: An Intimate Biography is the result of ten years of exclusive interviews with people who are speaking publicly about her for the first time, including close friends, business associates and even family members. Since Taraborrelli interviewed the star herself early in her career, he is now able to draw from such firsthand experiences to place her success story in perspective and provide new, stunning insights. The true Madonna, as presented here, is not merely a sensation-seeking tabloid vixen, but a flesh-and-blood woman with human foibles and weaknesses -- as well as great strengths and ambitions.

For the first time, the reader learns about the complex nature of her difficult relationship with her father, and how the two finally found one another after years of estrangement; how Warren Beatty broke her heart, and why the two never wed; how she and John Kennedy, Jr., became romantically involved, his mother's reaction to the prospect of Madonna as a daughter-in-law and why it could never have worked out; the truth of her relationships with the fathers of her two children and how, as a loving and attentive mother, she has evolved into a surprisingly different woman...and what the future holds for her.

Madonna: An Intimate Biography is a truly explosive and definitive account of the life of an entertainer who is undoubtedly one of the most popular, trendsetting figures of our time. Full of amazing disclosures about her private life and public career, New York Times bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli's latest work reveals Madonna in a new -- and surprisingly inspiring -- way. Not only a feast for fans, this book is great entertainment for anyone who enjoys a remarkable story, stirringly told.


What's the best part of Madonna: An Intimate Biography? The sex part! According to author J. Randy Taraborrelli, Madonna tried to insure her breasts for $6 million each. Prince dumped her because "he wanted to savor every second [of sex]; she was into multiple orgasms." Sean Penn demanded she get an HIV test. "Screw you," she said. "Not until you get tested," he said. When Penn found out about Madonna and Prince, he punched a hole in her wall. Madonna demanded that Prince plaster it ("You're responsible!"), and he did. JFK Jr. refused to give her a baby, and Jackie objected to his affair with someone called a "Material Girl." "Who in this world has been more materialistic than you?" JFK Jr. asked his mother. When he and Madonna dumped each other, he said, "Easy come, easy go." She compared her Broadway debut in Speed-the-Plow to "having really good sex." After their first kiss, Warren Beatty said, "Houston, we have lift-off." Madonna's tune "Hanky Panky" reflects Beatty's favorite sport, spanking. But Barbra Streisand helped convince him to dump the "floozy," so she picked up Tony Ward on Malibu Beach by putting out a cigarette on his back and pinching his nipple. When she realized he was more of a floozy than she was, she spent 21 and a half hours in the Carlyle Hotel trying to convince the married Penn to father her child. Rebuffed, she picked up Carlos Leon, a fitness trainer at Crunch, in Central Park, and presto, she had a baby. Dennis Rodman (whom she called "Daddy Long Legs") was a dud in bed, but she found true love in the daddy of her second child, Princess Diana's cousin Guy Ritchie, director of Snatch.

There's stuff about her career in the book, but Taraborrelli is a lousy music and film critic. I can't vouch for the accuracy of his dish, but I promise you that as a gossip he's the real thing. --Tim Appelo

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