Search results for ""Author J. Randy Taraborrelli""

In this freshly revised edition of his classic biography, bestselling author J Randy Taraborrelli takes Frank Sinatra's vast audience where it has never been before: deep inside the private life and affairs of this complex, emotional man. The reality of the Sinatra story is all here - rife with sex, danger, inspiration and show-business politics. The author provides astonishing details of Sinatra's many tempestious romances, including those with with Ava Gardner, Mia Farrow, Juliet Prowse and Marilyn Monroe. The reader will learn about his romantic, platonic, and at times even volatile relationship with Elizabeth Taylor; the sad and touching story of Sinatra's relationship with Nancy Reagan; the long-term feud between Frank and his daughter Nancy and how his loss of memory in his final years affected his performance. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with Sinatra's closest friends and associates, and on scores of legal documents, the author explains Frank Sinatra's often tortured but always rewarding life and career in a balanced, informed and honest manner.

Read more less

For more than three decades, Madonna has been generating headlines and topping charts. Now J. Randy Taraborrelli has written the definitive biography of one of the richest and most successful pop stars in the world, whose music has constantly evolved and who has remained relevant even as she hits her sixtieth year.From the driven, ambitious young woman struggling to get a break in New York to the outrageous pop diva and more spiritual mother, the changing faces of Madonna are revealed. We see her relationships with men like Basquiat, Tupac, Prince and Warren Beatty, and what happened in her marriages to Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie. We see her embracing motherhood. And we see her today with five children, still recording and touring, finding happiness with much younger boyfriends, defiantly living life on her own terms. Madonna is based on decades of research and exclusive interviews with people speaking of her publicly for the first time – including friends, business associates and even family members. J. Randy Taraborrelli has also interviewed the star herself on numerous occasions and he draws on first-hand experiences to bring Madonna to life as not merely a sensational tabloid delight, but as a flesh-and-blood woman with human foibles and weaknesses, as well as great strengths and ambitions.

Read more less

A unique burden was inherited by the children of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his celebrated siblings, Senators Robert and Ted Kennedy. Raised in a world of enormous privilege against the backdrop of American history, this third generation of Kennedys often veered between towering accomplishment and devastating defeat. In his revelatory new book, acclaimed Kennedy historian J. Randy Taraborrelli draws back the curtain on the next generation of America’s most famous family. John Kennedy, Jr.’s life in the public eye is explored, following the Kennedy scion as he faced the challenges posed by marrying his great love, Carolyn Bessette. Riveting new details are shared about the couple’s tragic demise - and why Ethel Kennedy advised Carolyn not to take the trip that would ultimately end her life. John’s sister, Caroline Kennedy, had her own complicated relationships, including a marriage to Ed Schlossberg that surprised her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and an unexpected bond with her mother-in-law, Mae Schlossberg. Additional stories, many shared here for the first time, illuminate the rest of the Kennedy dynasty: Kara Kennedy, Ted’s daughter, and her valiant battle against lung cancer; how Ted’s wife, Vicki, introduced a new era of feminism to the Kennedy family; the lifelong struggles with addiction faced by Bobby Kennedy Jr. and Patrick Kennedy; the unexpected way pop star Taylor Swift helped Conor Kennedy heal after the death of his mother, Bobby’s wife Mary; and Congressman Joe Kennedy III’s rise to prominence. At the center of it all is the family’s indomitable matriarch, Ethel Kennedy - a formidable presence with her maddening eccentricities and inspiring courage. Based on hundreds of exclusive first-hand interviews and cultivated over twenty years of research - including numerous oral histories from the JFK Library and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute - The Kennedy Heirs is an epic drama of ambition, scandal, pride and power.

Read more less

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!From the New York Times bestselling author of Jackie, Janet & Lee comes a fresh and often startling look at the life of the legendary former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.Based on hundreds of interviews with friends, family, and lovers over a thirty-year periodas well as previously unreleased material from the JFK LibraryKennedy historian J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an unforgettable new portrait of a woman whose flaws and contradictions only serve to make her even more iconic. I have three lives, Jackie told a former lover, public, private and secret. In this revealing biography, readers will become intimately familiar with all three. New insights from the book include: Jackie's cold feet before her wedding to Jack Kennedy and her secret plan to avoid moving into the White House with him. Jackie''s plan to meet with the woman with whom her husband, Aristotle Onassis, was

Read more less

NOW A REELZ MINISERIES STARRING KATIE HOLMES AND MATTHEW PERRYFor more than half a century, Americans have been captivated by the Kennedys - their joy and heartbreak, tragedy and triumph, the dark side and the remarkable achievements. In this ambitious and sweeping account, Taraborelli continues the family chronicle begun with his bestselling Jackie, Ethel, Joan and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the years "after Camelot." He describes the challenges Bobby's children faced as they grew into adulthood; Eunice and Sargent Shriver's remarkable philanthropic work; the emotional turmoil Jackie faced after JFK's murder and the complexities of her eventual marriage to Aristotle Onassis; the the sudden death of JFK JR; and the stoicism and grace of his sister Caroline. He also brings into clear focus the complex and intriguing story of Edward "Teddy" and shows how he influenced the sensibilities of the next generation and challenged them to uphold the Kennedy name. Based on extensive research, including hundreds of exclusive interviews, After Camelot captures the wealth, glamour, and fortitude for which the Kennedys are so well known. With this book, J. Randy Taraborrelli takes readers on an epic journey as he unfolds the ongoing saga of the nation's most famous-and controversial-family.

Read more less

A number 1 bestseller, this definitive biography of Michael Jackson is now completely updated to include the events leading to the untimely death of the star. J. Randy Taraborrelli is the expert on Michael Jackson, having known him since they were both teenagers and having interviewed the singer and his family many times. So much has been written about the life and career of Michael Jackson that it has become almost impossible to disentangle the man from the myth. J. Randy Taraborrelli cuts through the tabloid rumours and innuendo, the conflicting stories and lurid accusations, to reveal the real man. From his drilling as a child star through the blooming of his talent, from his ever-changing personal appearance to his marriages, from his addictions to his love for his children, we see what motivated one of the greatest performers of all time. Objective and revealing, this book combines impeccable research, brilliant story-telling and a clear-sighted understanding of the forces that shaped Michael's life and his death. 'The most authoritative book ever written about Michael Jackson' Daily Mail 'A superbly researched investigation' heat

Read more less

Over the years there have been many books published about the Kennedy family, individually and collectively but only this book provides a powerful and detailed look at the complex relationships shared among the three women who were not born Kennedy but who married into the family: Jackie Bouvier, Ethel Skakel and Joan Bennett. For each of the Kennedy wives, the Camelot years provided an entirely different experience of life lessons. These were the years when Jackie's dreams became reality but at a hefty price. For Ethel, these were years of frustration where her dreams of being First Lady were dashed and she sank into a deep depression. For Joan, her years as a Kennedy wife were the most confusing of her life and she is now a recovering alcoholic. This fascinating story is set against a panorama of explosive American history, as the women cope with Jack's and Bobby's alleged affairs with Marilyn Monroe, their tragic assassinations and other tragedies and scandals. Whether dealing with their husbands' blatant infidelities, stumping for their many political campaigns, touring the world to promote their family's legacy or raising their children, the Kennedy wives did it all with grace, style and dignity. In the end, JACKIE, ETHEL, JOAN is a story of redemption and great courage.

Read more less

Elizabeth Taylor is known internationally as one of the most beautiful and talented women ever to grace the silver screen. She has won two Academy Awards and starred in over sixty films. She is just as well known for her tempestuous personal life, marrying eight times and suffering through innumerable health problems. A cultural icon, she has been written about before . . . but never like this. This moving book traces for the first time Elizabeth's journey through the dark and often lonely world of a fame unparalleled in the 1960s and 1970s, a time during which alcohol and drugs played a major part in her life. It would be with her fifth (and sixth) husband Richard Burton (with whom she made twelve movies, including Cleopatra) that she would learn life lessons about love and loyalty that would inform the rest of her life and, finally, be the catalyst for her recovery from alcoholism in the 1980s. This book also details her philanthropic work as an AIDS activist in the 1990s as well as her stunning success as a business woman today (with a multi-million-dollar fragrance). Based on years of research, this is not just a star's biography . . . it's an unforgettable woman's story.

Read more less