All Books Posts

Famed unauthorized biographer to the stars, Kitty Kelley has long been trying to get someone to back her plan to tell Oprah's life story. And it looks like someone finally saw fit to take the bait--Crown Publishing. According to Galleycat:

Signing on for editing duties is Peter Gethers - an editor-at-large with Random House as a whole who does not report to anyone in the Crown Publishing Group. When reached for comment, Gethers stated he would not be answering specific questions about the deal and referred me to Crown's Vice President of Publicity, Tina Constable (attempts to reach her by telephone and email are still pending.)

For another, sources tell GalleyCat that there's a good reason the deal language Marketplace quotes, where "Crown group president Jenny Frost takes responsibility for the buy," is deliberate. Why? Evidently the deal was news to most of the Crown editorial staff. "Between this book and James Frey, she's never going to touch another Random House author," said our tipster.

Yeah, I don't know. If it were me, I probably wouldn't F with Oprah. Personally, I may have to avoid Random House myself, because my fantasy of having my novel published has pretty much always included getting my ass into Oprah's Book Club--that's pretty much the only reason TO write a book, really.

Kitty Kelley Deal Raises Eyebrows [GalleyCat]

Kitty Kelley book due on Oprah [AP]

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Two days after the "Confessions" tour was broadcast on NBC, Madonna is returning to the airwaves as you've never seen her before. She'll be pitching her latest children's book "The English Roses: Too Good to Be True" on the Home Shopping Network.

"Launching The English Roses book series and my new title, The English Roses: Too Good to Be True, through this broadcast is a great chance to reach millions of homes," the singer said in a statement.

"HSN is thrilled to be partnering with Madonna to support Raising Malawi through the offering of her latest children's book, The English Roses: Too Good To Be True," Bill Brand, HSN's senior vice president of programming, said in a statement. "These books are terrific holiday gifts that give back by supporting a worthwhile cause."

Those interested in adding a new title to their Madonna collection can plunk down $29.95 for a special gift set that includes both the original English Roses and its sequel, Too Good to Be True, an audio CD of the Material Girl reading the first five books in her series and an exclusive illustration.

Madonna will be donating all of the proceeds from her book sales to her Raising Malawi foundation, while HSN will donate a portion of the network's proceeds from the broadcast to the organization.

Madonna: Like a Pitchwoman [E! Online]

Written by Lauren Burch

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Being Reichen Lehmkuhl doesn't sound like too much of a hardship these days. The Amazing Race winner and boyfriend of 'N Sync's Lance Bass doesn't have much to complain about. In fact, he's just published a book. From the New York Post:

His erotically charged memoir, "Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force," includes spine-tingling descriptions of his awakening as a closeted cadet. In one chapter Lehmkuhl describes an explosive afternoon with an Air Force pilot, saying, "We went at each other like two dogs that hadn't been fed in weeks." The mostly gay crowd at his New York book party last week was atwitter over Reichen rumors from years past. "He took home my friend from the W hotel in San Diego," whispered one guest, calling to mind the quip of Genre magazine columnist Joey Siesholtz: "F-ing Reichen is the new six-pack abs."

Great. Just what we need--another Carrie Bradshaw.

Written by Lisa Timmons

She's loved, and she's hated, but Paris Hilton's biographer says that he feels sorry for her.

Biographer Jerry Oppenheimer, author of "House of Hilton - From Conrad to Paris: A Drama of Wealth, Power, and Privilege," said he ended up feeling sorry for Hilton as he came to believe that her mother and maternal grandmother pushed her into using the family name and an exhibitionist streak to become a celebrity.

"Her mother, Kathy, put her in make-up and allowed her (into) nightclubs from a very young age," Oppenheimer, a biographer of Martha Stewart and Rock Hudson, said in a telephone interview.

"I feel sorry for her because in a way she had no chance to do anything else but live the dreams that her grandmother and her mother had for themselves."

More on the story and more photos of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie at Domino Magazine's Party Honoring Lara Shriftman and Elizabeth Harrison's New Book "Party Confidential" after the jump.

Celebrity Paris Hilton stirs love, hate - and pity [Reuters]

"THE Pop-Up Book of Celebrity Meltdowns" cleverly re-creates the stars' most embarrassing scandals in 3-D - but don't expect to see it on "Today" or "Good Morning America." The tome, in stores next week, was deemed too racy for depictions of Paris Hilton making her porn video, Hugh Grant getting serviced by hooker Divine Brown, and Janet Jackson baring her boob. A flack for publisher Melcher added that "Access Hollywood" axed a piece on the book "to preserve its relationship with Tom Cruise and Michael Jackson," who are shown couch jumping and baby dangling, respectively.

Luckily, we have no relationships of which to speak, and can advise you to go buy this shit cause it looks funny as hell.

More photos from Paris Hilton's Seventeen mag photo spread after the jump.

Written by Lisa Timmons

Let us not forget that while Madonna is spending her time defending her adoption of David Banda, she's also promoting her latest children's book "The English Roses: Too Good To Be True." The scandal should help drum up book sales, all of which are donated to charity. See, something good comes out of this mess after all.

Written by Lauren Burch

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Posh sure does seem to have some fans. Victoria Beckham was signing copies of her book, "That Extra Half and Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between," and there was a huge turnout. Victoria seemed to be enjoying her time among the common people. She even managed to spend some time sifting through the racks at a second hand clothes store.

First impressions show Posh will be a more successful novelist and fashion guru than pop singer.

Over 3,000 fans queued, some for over 12 hours, at the her book signing at Selfridges yesterday.

Some pundits even travelled from Spain for the elusive chance of obtaining a Posh signature on their copy.

One fan, Javier Montagud from Valencia, Spain squealed: 'It's the perfect time to meet Victoria. She is a fashion icon - I mean, come on, she's Posh Spice!'

Posh browses Oxfam's rails [Metro.co.uk]

Written by Lauren Burch

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If a Baldwin can get a book deal so can Courtney "I don't like the drugs, the drugs like me" Love. After being picked up, brushed off, "sober" for 15 months, and covered in Chanel, Courtney gave an intimate interview with Diane Sawyer. While pushing her new book "Dirty Blonde" Love lets us into her mind, which is not just filled with coke resin and cobwebs.

The trials and details of her notorious drug addicted life are spelt out. She admits that for a four-year period she led a "wild pirate life." It was another downward spiral for the former Mouseketeer hopeful.

"If I could I would put a black page in this book and just write 2001 to 2004 across it. I was on drugs and nothing I wrote made any sense."

The drugs and her crazy ways cost her custody of her daughter several times. Courtney also talks about her husband Kurt Cobain's suicide. Saying that she couldn't have stopped the inevitable but could have been "diligent" about stopping him. The former "Hole" member seemed to give up and used drugs as a way out. But who should come to the aid of Courtney? Mel Gibson and an addiction counselor.

"Mel kept coming to the door with this cheesy grin going, 'Hi!' I just kept looking at him going, 'Blank off!' ... I know him and he's a nice guy, but it just didn't matter who it was. It could have been Jesus. I didn't care."

After her cronies were lured out of her hotel room with the enticement of cheeseburgers, Mel and the counselor managed to convince her to enter rehab. Love claims to be back on track and taking on more of a caring motherly role.

I have got my fingers crossed for her this time.

Courtney Love's Trip Back From the Bottom [ABC News]

Written by Cara Harrington

After the jump is Courtney Love's Pop magazine cover.

So, Anna Nicole Smith's half-sister, Donna Hogan, has decided to up and write a book, "Train Wreck: Anna Nicole Smith Unauthorized." Watch out English majors, cause I have a feeling this is going to be added to your American Classics syllabus by next semester. From The New York Daily News:

In her forthcoming book with Stacy Brown, "Train Wreck: Anna Nicole Smith Unauthorized," Hogan holds Smith responsible for the death of Smith's 20-year-old son, whom she buried last week in the Bahamas. Hogan charges that Anna neglected Daniel, knew about the drugs he was taking and didn't do anything. (A private medical examiner has said Daniel died of an accidental lethal combination of methadone and two antidepressants. Official toxicology tests are pending.) "[Anna] waits forever to bury him and two days after he dies, she's selling pictures of him to the tabloids and I'm thinking, 'What a freaking waste of a human being, my sister is.'" Hogan believes that for Smith, her son's death is another television opportunity.

And you know what, folks? Because I am personally so outraged by Donna Hogan's clearly exploitative and attention-getting move, I have decided to pen my own tell-all unauthorized biography of Donna Hogan. Because her story needs to be told. In an unauthorized fashion.

Written by Lisa Timmons

O.J. Simpson is sick, fucked-up son of a bitch. From MSNBC.com:

The former football great, who was acquitted in criminal court 11 years ago of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, reportedly has been paid a whopping $3.5 million to write about the double murder that shocked and riveted the nation in 1994, according to a detailed report in the new National Enquirer. But Simpson is not actually confessing to the murder -- rather, he's writing a "hypothetical" book -- which the Enquirer reports is tentatively being called "If I Did It." The early part of the book tells how Simpson fell in love with Nicole and how the marriage collapsed, reports the tab. He goes on, according to the article, to describe in gruesome detail the killing of his ex-wife and Goldman; he stipulates that the murder scenes are "hypothetical." But, notes the tab, the descriptions are "so detailed and so chillingly realistic" that readers are left with little doubt as to what really happened.

I think he has his murder trial confused with a public gaffe, similar to the one experienced by Hugh Grant involving a hooker, for which the American public will forgive him over time. Let me explain, O.J. Getting a blow-job by a hooker--bad, yet forgivable. Double homicide, one of which is the mother of your children--pretty f-ing f-ed up.