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5 comments about Jacko, His Rise and Fall: The Social and Sexual History of Michael Jackson.

1. I've read a couple of Michael Jackson books, just because he's a very interesting person. One thing I found very annoying about this book was that, the author seems to have problems staying at one chapter of Michael's life and continue with the same story until its actual finished, and then start with another. The time line is also very confusing; there were a lot of mistakes. Like, when he tells one part about Michael's life in the late 70's, it'll suddenly skip to Michael's Thriller days then back again to the late 70's and some of his facts are just absolute Bull. Another thing I got annoyed by was the fact that the author kept addressing Michael Jackson as Wacko Jacko (Thus, the cover title). Which professional writer goes by a tabloid name that was given to Michael, rather then just simply using Michael Jackson? Obviously the author believes more to that Michael, is a pedophile. Not only is the title unprofessional, the paper is very newspaper like, and plus the ads at the end of the book, that was lame. Some of the references the author made in this book are already made public as rumors, and yet he puts them as facts. There's no doubt that there are some interesting TRUE facts in this book, and you can find these facts in other more interesting Michael Jackson books.
   Now if you're an Obsessed Michael Jackson fan, who takes every word seriously and who are overly sensitive over Michael Jackson's life should not buy this book.
   When I was reading this book, I kept an open mind and I know what sounds right and what smells like BS. Most of the author's sources are from other books about Michael Jackson, and it seems like every tabloid story (That were written in the books the author used as reference) was the author's main interest. I guess this book is what the author believes, All the rumors, all the accusations, all the stories, he compiled them told Michael Jackson's story the way the author feels is what happened in Michael's life. Some are true, some are completely ridiculous. It all comes down to opinion, and my opinion is that this book is the author's point of view on Michael's life.
   For people who want to know about Michael Jackson out of curiosity/love/hate or whatever, just buy the book by J Randy Taraborrelli, The Magic and the Madness, the latest edition. It's the most realistic book ever written about Michael and very interesting. Again, if you're obsessed with Michael Jackson you should probably buy books that say "Michael the king/Angel/God" 100x, if that only satisfies you. Another book that is very good (About the trial in 2005) is Michael Jackson conspiracy by Aphrodite Jones.
   Overall, this book is based on rumors and it may be interesting but it's not factual.



2. For the start, I always considered myself a die-hard Jackson fan. I loved his music, his incredible abilities of a performer, everything. But I must say that this book goes just a little bit too far for my liking. It's full of sickening revelations I was not happy to read. Yes, it is a collection of amazing facts, a splendidly written biography, but... I feel bitter about every page i read because it seems to me that finally I got my answer to the question about MJ's sexual preferences. I have read numerous other books, but none of them made me so bitter as this one. Bitter not about the fact that MJ seems to prefer boys for company, but the reason why it happened so - all the beatings, all the childhood he never had, all these strip-shows he had to see before he even knew anything about sex, the perverse relations of many Hollywood stars he had to witness.
   
   But, honestly, I could not care less about his private life. He may be anyone and anything - a homo, a pedophile (not that I approve it), a transvestite, for all I care. I shall never stop loving him and his music because his music and his talent are above all this dirt. His music saved my life once, and I can never forget that. But I'm warning the fans - you better not read this if you don't think you can cope with what's inside. Go for some "nicer" books which create a positive image, because this one creates quite the opposite.



3. This book is an amazing compilation of hundreds of biographical notes that have been skillfully orchestrated into an excellent, well balanced composition. One attribute of the book that I particularly enjoyed was that those whose lives touched Michael's are given bios that are proportional to the influence that each had in his life. The text is interspersed with numerous small photographs that perfectly complement the thorough content without overwhelming it. The book also provides a glimpse of the enormous and often difficult forces that come upon the super famous in the course of their fishbowl lives. A superb work.



4. This is the best show-biz story I've ever read about the creation and subsequent wreckage of an American icon. It's about the very rich and the very self-enchanted as only America and its entertainment industry can produce.
   
   There are lots of anecdotes here, the kind of gossipy, late-night TV stuff you'd probably hoped for, but there's also a sense of the man behind the monster -- the Why and What and How that's been sorely lacking in previously published assessments of the star everyone loves to hate. My favorite blip within a comprehensive biography that's bursting with mini-dramas? It's the one involving Michael Jackson, Nancy Reagan, anda brouhaha inside one of the White House toilets which all by itself is worth the price of the book. Overall, this first-of-a-kind compendium of the MJ vs. America saga is absolutely fabulous.



5. Everyone I know has a cache of MJ anecdotes, but none of us ever saw how the rise and fall of Michael Jackson represents a panoramic sweep across all strata of the American experience. This book has it all. Even its index reads like a "Who's Who" that illuminates the politics, priorities, and vanities of the very rich and terribly famous. While Old guard Hollywood and A-list Washington DC tended, at least at first, to indulge the emerging superstar, his fall from grace, in retrospect, makes the Salem Witch Trials look like a picnic at Neverland. Porter's book is about superstardom in America, the horrors that usually accompany it, and ritualized dementia in the entertainment industry. Even if you hate Michael Jackson and everything he represents, this book is intensely entertaining--well worth the time it takes to read it.

5 comments about Not That Man Anymore: (A Message From Michael).

1. Michael Zaslow was one of the finest actors on daytime or anywhere. He delivered a performance on par with the greatest actors today in regards to his role as the devlish Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light and the charming spy David Renaldi on One Life to Live. I was watching One Life to Live as a kid when he was on and he was just incredible despite the crazy storylines. When he returned to Guiding Light, I began watching the show on July 4, 1991 because my grandfather only had one television channel and it was CBS. Roger Thorpe and Alexandra Spaulding's marriage had come apart. More, Alexandra had fought back vigorously and humiliated him at the Springfield Country Club that night. Despite the fact that he was on crutches because of a surgery, Michael Zaslow delivered one of the most complex performances imaginable against Beverlee McKinsey. I was shocked and saddened to learn that they didn't get along or weren't friends since they had so much in common. Offscreen, Michael was devoted to his wife, writer, actress, and psychologist Susan Hufford Zaslow who just died. They adopted their daughters, Marika and Helena, from Korea. They split their time on New York's West Side apartment and a home in Roxbury, Connecticut. For Michael, life was not only good but great with a loving wife and two beautiful daughters. His illness disrupted Roger Thorpe's character on Guiding Light. He could no longer play the role because the soap couldn't have Roger Thorpe as a helpless character anymore. It saddened the cast and crew of his illness, the treatment by the soap powers, and his eventual death. During his time with Lou Gehrig's disease, Michael was never braver or couragous in showing how the disease had robbed him of his wonderful voice but not of his bravery and dignity. Michael was beloved by fans like myself who never got the opportunity to meet him in person and I deeply regret that because his performance as Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light got me through difficult personal circumstances. As Michael Zaslow, he was charming, brilliant, talented, and could have done anything. When I think of Michael Zaslow, I think he was on par with the greatest American actors of our generation like Pacino, DeNiro, and Nicholson. Yes, he's a soap actor but his role of Roger Thorpe and his performance still sends shivers down my spine. Roger's complicated relationship with Holly, his true love, was amazing tour de force performance level. They had such an intensity. Onscreen, they melted together when they were not arguing with each other. One critic described their arguments like rolls royces colliding with each other. Their onscreen performances as Roger and Holly was just amazing and the best love story on daytime. Forget Luke and Laura! Roger and Holly was complicated and sizzling to the viewers. With Roger also gone on the show, Guiding Light has not been the same without him. Despite the evil behavior of his character at times, Michael Zaslow was the Guiding Light. He was taken too soon from his fans and his family.



2. This book is so so sad. I was a fan of Michael Zaslow as Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light for years. He and Maureen Garrett (Holly) had one of the most complex, fascinating and fun relationships on daytime television. And then he got sick. I remember that Proctor & Gamble, the company which owns Guiding Light, treated him terribly when he first became ill with what was then his undiagnosed ALS. Their heartless behavior still infuriates me; if they could coldly kick to the curb a 25 year famous employee who made them LOTS of money, God help their anonymous everyday workers. From that time on, I've avoided P & G products, on that principle. In the book I came to feel like I knew his wife Susan, who was so very honest about how hard this illness was for the whole family. Learning that she died of cancer last year felt like a personal loss, and the death of the younger daughter Helena, at age 19 (in 2004) who was a cute and feisty 12 year old in the book is just heartwrenching. Yet, I couldn't stop reading about this brave and likable star-crossed family. I wish they'd had the happy ending they deserved. I also wish the only surviving member of the family, the oldest daughter Marika, all the luck and happiness in the world. I was deeply affected by this book and recommend it because ALS needs to be known and conquered. Michael Zaslow puts a human face on what it just an unimaginable horror but keeps his humanity. I'm heading to the website to make a contribution in the fight against ALS.



3. A required read for any "Roger" fans. A unique look into a horrible disease that could touch any of us and rob us of our bodies in a short amount of time.



4. I have wanted to read Michael's story for a long time. I loved his portrayal of Roger Thorpe on The Guiding Light for so many years. After reading this book I think the medical community should be ashamed that it participated in the disgrace of Michael's so called medical care. That being said, I found this book difficult to read. It's written by both Michael and Susan Huffard, his wife. Michael's words are in italics and Susan's in regular type. But this book really seems to be more about her anger and attitude about everything then it is about Michael. There were times I had to put it down because I found her anger was so pervasive. I do not blame her for it -- I would have been full of rage also at the frustration of their first finding a diagnosis and then finding a treatment. But I thought this book was about Michael but alas Susan seemed to play the bigger and in my opinion, the lesser role. Susan seemed to run out of time because Michael died before she had completed venting her rage. If you want to read a book about how incredibly frustrating their journey was (more Susan's then his) then you will enjoy this book. But I found by the end of the book I wanted to slap her. She needed therapy and I hope she got it.



5. Not that Man Anymore has been in my pile of "waiting-to-be-read" books since I met Susan recently in Studio City. I was feeling guilty that it hadn't risen to the top of my list earlier but the universe has a way of taking care of its inhabitants. My husband has been ill and this story--Michael and Susan's story--was just what I needed in this moment. Pure inspiration.
   
   My husband and I will be exploring ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) ourselves in the coming weeks.
   
   Carolyn Howard-Johnson
   Award-winning author of THIS IS THE PLACE, HARKENING, TRACINGS: A CHAPBOOK OF POETRY and BPSC's Irwin Award winner, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T

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5 comments about From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster: The Neverending Story of Film Pioneer Mark Damon.

1. This is a multi-layered book that gives the reader a great feel for the many facets of movie-making. Its structure, with is juxtaposition of Mr. Damon's dreams, goals, feelings, and fears as a young actor with the more cured and wizened insights of a Hollywood producer and innovator allows the reader a real and intriguing (and somewhat titillating) experience of a world for which we joes-public seem to have so much, at once, fascination and ignorance. Mr. Damon blends his first (and first-hand) experience with method acting (for which Marlon Brando was so well-known) and his palpable sensibility and angst regarding the friction between west coast "movie actors" and east coast "stage actors" with first-person accounts of the wars he fought while inventing the international film sales business model (and, by the way, this latter point regarding international sales really seems to be a major contribution that Mr. Damon seems to have made in the "movie industry"). He gives accounts of the politics and subterfuge that accompany an up-and-coming actor as backdrop for the politics and subterfuge that accompany Hollywood business. I would think that this would be important history for anyone interested in entering the Hollywood realm. For me, as a casual observer, Mr. Damon provides this history with humor, candor, and an openness that proved very accessible and certainly eye-opening. (Besides all this, you'll get the fascinating story of how Das Boot was translated into English, widely considered to be the best movie translation of all time.)



2. Mark Damon's life story gives the reader a peek into a world that most of us outside the film industry could never imagine. His many careers within a career intricately describe a man who was never satisfied with being good at what he does - he had a compelling need to be the best, as an actor, independent film salesman and producer. Mark continuously plays a high stakes game with his professional lives and has won way more than he lost along the way. In his continuing quest for success, Mark almost single handedly brought the independent film industry to be a force to reckon with in the entertainment business. And the format of the book, moving forward and backward in time, keeps the reader riveted to it, anxiously awaiting the next episode. You won't find another story about a man and his industry as unique as this one.



3. Mark Damon's excellent biography is a testament to determination and talent. Damon's amazing resilience to overcoming defeat and achieving success shines through again and again. The book resonates with the truth of a man who has looked at himself, warts and all, and has put it all out there for the reader. Having broken new ground in developing a new way of marketing motion pictures thoughout the world he has assured himself an important place in the history of the movie business. His book is a must read, not only for show business people, but as an inspirational statement about "picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and starting all over again." Mark Damon's multi faceted career, from a star of "spaghetti westerns" to a producer of major motion picures, with many acomplishments along the way, makes for a facinating read. I recommend the book without reservation.



4. I couldn't put it down. A real Hollywood page-turner. Very well written bio that flips back and forth between the childhood genius puzzle inventor and early age money maker to the high flying Hollywood film distributor/producer. Fast paced and inspiring, the book took me to Hollywood, via Chicago, Italy, and Cannes. I loved reading about this man who not only brought us some very important movies, like Das Boot, and Monster, but was also at the top of his game in at least three career areas, most wouldn't even attempt. I strongly suggest you try it--a great summer, or anytime read.



5. From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster is a well written, outstanding autobiography. It's a true "American Success" story which mostly covers the last half of the twentieth century. Mark Damon has led a remarkable life which most people would envy. He truly invented the international film sales business. The story of his life is entertaining reading and the book will grab your attention and not let go. I would highly recommend it to anyone with any interest in the entertainment business (particularly film). A must read!.

1 comments about Fall Guy: 30 Years As the Duke's Double..

1. This is a great read. So much insight on a number of things. The stuntman profession, John Wayne, John Ford, Hollywood, Westerns. If you have any interest in any or all of these topics you will really enjoy this book. No wonder they called it the golden age.

5 comments about Jet Set: Memoir of an International Playboy.

1. I really enjoyed the author's tale.. Lighten up readers, and yeah, he is "just a gigilo" - he happens to excel at it and is able to describe it well ! Massimo starts the memoir by explaining what the Jet Set is and how it came to be. If for some reason you've lost your sense of humour or have a case of the "oh poor me , They're fabulous and I'm not" blues, then this isn't the book for you. I for one have not the slightest scintilla of jealousy of the lifestyles of the rich and social because the daily activities are a roaring bore from my perspective- Very heavy on the entertaining and social level- it's work to play.
   In any case, Massimo has figured his ticket to reaching the inner circle and staying there is simple; capitalize on his strengths: looks, a fairly pleasant demeanor, connections and his sexual aptitude. His crime? He's a man. (Does the average reader think that in all of the traditional May-December romances of the 'Jet Set' that the female isn't thinking about how to parlay her youth and appeal into some tangible assets?.C'mon- this writer tells it like it is.)
   Massimo does just that, although until he gets his bearings he is more of a pawn in the hands of the dowagers he has makes deals with. The Garbo chapters are a hoot- What a fabulous portrait of a character that kept herself shielded from prying eyes, very few people have been able to write about having any sort of intimacy with this legend. I've always suspected that there wasn't a great mystery underneath it all, and that's one of the truths that this lady kept to herself- quite cunning indeed.
   After the training wheels comeoff, Massimo cuts his teeth on a new woman, the eighty-something gazillionaire that seduces him , for a price... The "strings-attached" relationship is chronicled in full detail, I found it fascinating - grateful that the writers have decided to leave out none of the strategy and scheming of either party. The rest of the book's tales are revealing of this particular strata's social order- complex and inconsequential at the same time. Massimo seems surprised when he is spoken of highly at times by observers- In my opinion, he seems like a breath of fresh air amongst those snotty old windbags- I think he gave more that he took.



2. Excellent book written with honesty. Mr Gargia has the guts to tell what a lot of people in the world are hiding. Besides, all these stories are true which makes the book interesting and entertaining.
   Allan Starkie's style is intelligent and very enjoyable as in his previous book "Fergie".



3. I am sorry I ever picked up this book and read it.....from the writing to the tale of the male-hooker, Massimo......it's a very sad story. I feel sorry for the people involved that they would even want the world to know that such things happened in their sad and pitiful lives. They ALL need to get a life....instead of living off ALL the others. SAD.



4. I picked this up at the library on the hope that it would be entertaining. It is for about the first 30 pages and then one starts to wonder - why does this poor man have no self respect? In his early days, the pictures in the book reveal an extremely attractive man and so it is hard to figure out why he basically lets himself become a gigolo to old rich women. There are also a few details I just did NOT want to know... such as him being surprised at enjoying oral stimulation from an 80 year old woman who wore dentures (note - he is about 30 at the time). Yuck! I would be embarassed if I were him but then, he does not seem to embarass easily if it will enrich him. It is also written in a "tabloid" style which gets mindless and repetitive after a while. I guess even Allan Starkie and his "PhD" could not improve the writing.



5. Massimo Gargia has written an account of his life among the Jet Set and what you think might be great fun is instead a pathetic and disgusting reverie of the superficial lives these people live.

   After graduation from college, Gargia decided that he didn't want to work a real job so instead he used his looks and charms to worm his way into the jet set society. First up, he seduces the mannish 60 year old Cecile de Rothschild and through her, he meets her elusive friend, Greta Garbo (herself in her 60's). A brief tryst with her follows and he ends up seducing her as well, however, you can read between the lines and realize that Garbo was a woman who was not interested in sex (if anything, the chapter on her illustrates what a strange woman she was and it is evident that she probably could have used the services of a psychiatrist).

   After tiring of Garbo's eccentricies and her iciness (she ignores him and is embarrassed while he chokes on a fish bone at a dinner party), he proceeds to his next conquest, a rich widow in her 80's. (Note: A strong stomach is required for the sex scenes - disgusting is no other way to describe them!) This woman (Lydia Deterding) ends up buying Gargia several apartments but their affair becomes the laughing stock of the jet set community. Believe it or not, Gargia does have some modesty and he leaves her for a nympho Countess, whose husband dies soon after they begin their affair. They enjoy the good life for a while until her funds start to get low and she kicks him out after he won't get a job.

   By this time, Gargia has lost his looks and he romances a magazine editor and decides to start a magazine called "The Best", based on a frivolous awards event that he created (a big excuse to hold yet another big party bash). After all, can you really take an award seriously whose recipients include LaToya Jackson, Fidel Castro or Ivana Trump???

   Gargia wraps up with stories about the Royal Family and how he ingratiated himself into their circle. Some rumors about a possible Princess Diana conspiracy are lightweight, at most. If Gargia's book does serve any worthwhile purpose, it does show how frivolous and wasteful the "Jet Set" live their lives.

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