Stuck for something to buy your Mum for Mother’s Day? I have bought my Mum the new book by Diana Craig I Love You Mum. It’s a beautifully-designed compilation of writing that celebrates the art of motherhood including quotes, lists, tips and recipes. Yes, it includes a chapter on the Jewish mumma entitled ‘You Can’t Phone, You Can’t Visit?’ Much recommended.
Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
I did the newspaper review on BBC Radio London again today. If you want to you can hear it here (I come in at 1hr47mins). Among other things I discussed the hotness of Alastair Campbell, what Simon Cowell eats, Cheryl Cole, tooth-grinding and I even found time to reveal that I’m not pregnant.
I should also mention that my biography of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer was published yesterday. There’s a nice review of it in Star magazine, which describes it as “insightful”.
I’ve been updating my bestselling biography of Simon Cowell for a new paperback edition. I’m delighted by the book trade’s huge interest in the new edition which will be out in the spring.
Good old Cowell. Check this out from this week’s American Idol…
The Windsor branch of Waterstones has put up a shelf of books chosen by me as a local author. I was asked to choose two of my own books and four by other authors.
Of my own titles I chose my Simon Cowell biography and Not In My Name. For the other four I selected The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis, Cheryl by Sean Smith, Israel: A History by Sir Martin Gilbert and The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank. I had a heavy cold when I made the latter four choices and they certainly constitute an eclectic line-up.
Still, an honour to be asked. I might pop in next week, take a photograph of the shelf and post it here.
Update: here is a photograph of the shelf.
Long-term readers may recall this post of mine about my admiration of Tom Wolfe and my inability to finish his most recent novel I Am Charlotte Simmons.
Well, I can report that I gave the book one last chance during my recent holiday in Amsterdam. I again found it strangely unbreachable, so I left it propped up outside the city centre’s Waterstones branch which sells English-language books. I hope it found a good home.
You might be interested in this article on the ABC News site. They interviewed me about my book Great Email Disasters, and the article has some funny stories in it.
My biography of Simon Cowell has had a great run of publicity in the media these last few months. It’s had positive reviews in the likes of the News of The World; been discussed on countless radio shows; had news-story plugs in Woman’s Own and the Daily Star and even been featured on The One Show.
But I’ve just received word that we’ve got the big one. Guess where it’s going to be featured next? Only Extreme Fishing with Robson Green!
How to have a happy Monday:
1) Have a successful meeting at Penguin.
2) Go and watch Saw VI.
3) See your own book given a juicy close up on The One Show on BBC 1. (5mins 4seconds in on iPlayer.)
I’m very pleased with the early sales figures and reviews of my biography of Alexandra Burke. I would also recommend her album Overcome, which along with the pop classic Bad Boys includes many other winners, including the Girls-Aloud-like Broken Heels, the cheeky Bury Me (6 Feet Under) and the sublime You Broke My Heart.
Anyway, here is a brief extract from my book Alexandra Burke: A Star Is Born. For the full story of her amazing life (including her time singing at Bar Mitzvahs), you can buy it at all good bookstores or online here.
Alexandra Burke burst through the doors leading to the backstage corridor that housed her dressing room at the ITV studios. She was shaking uncontrollably and on the brink of hyperventilation. The 20-year-old north Londoner collapsed against a wall, and a tear started running down her cheek. Her shaking and breathing then became even more alarming. She whispered to herself: ‘Oh my God, what’s happened to my life?’ Falling into the protective arms of fellow contestant Ruth Lorenzo, she burst into hysterical tears.
And this was an hour before the results show crowned her the winner of the fifth series of the smash-hit musical talent show The X Factor.
It had been an emotional evening for Alexandra, and one that capped an extraordinary journey. From her childhood in a north London council flat wondering where her father was, through the school years where she endured brutal experiences. Then came the long, hard slog as she chased musical success. While many girls her age would be partying hard, Alexandra had worked hard, slaved even, taking every opportunity to sing live, however unglamorous – and some of those opportunities were very unglamorous indeed. This commitment culminated in her first crack at The X Factor, which saw her get so near to, yet so far from, success. However, she reacted to that setback as she has all the setbacks in her life: she clenched her fists tighter, held her head high and kept her eyes on the prize, however distant it seemed.
On this evening, the prize was nearly within her grasp. She could almost reach out and touch it. One of three acts in The X Factor final, she knew in her heart that this could be her moment. As is customary among contestants, she never publicly admitted to believing she had a chance of victory, and instead insisted her rivals would leave her finishing a distant third. But all week she had been tipped as the favourite, and a sharp cookie like Alexandra will have known she was very much in with a chance of winning.
‘What’s happened to my life?’ she had asked herself. This was after she had performed onstage with her lifelong hero, soul megastar Beyonce. Onstage, Alexandra sang the first verse and chorus of her idol’s hit ‘Listen’. The lyrics were perfect for the occasion, as the young hopeful soulfully sang every line about being at a crossroads, and it being the time for her dreams to be heard. It was indeed such a time: the whole nation was sitting up and listening. To be able to sing her hero’s song to a live television audience was amazing enough. It was about to get even more amazing for her. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, I absolutely cannot believe I am about to introduce this woman to the stage,’ she said, as the silhouette of a familiar figure appeared at the back of the stage. ‘Please welcome, my hero – Beyonce!’
As Alexandra’s emotions simmered to the surface, Beyonce positively sauntered on to the stage, gave Alexandra a loving, protective look, took her hand and together they duetted the remainder of the song. Despite – or perhaps because of – her emotional state, Alexandra hit all her notes with soulful perfection.
Having nearly broken down with emotion at the song’s conclusion, Alexandra staggered to the backstage area as her emotions came simmering to the surface. She eventually composed herself and was ready to sing her final song of the evening, which was her last chance to swing the national vote in her favour. True to form, she sang ‘Hallelujah’ like a seasoned pro. They talk about performers making songs their own. Well, Alexandra was well and truly claiming ownership of this tune. Then she returned backstage to wait for the results to come through. Once more, she reflected on where she had come from, and where she was going to.
A knock came on her dressing room door. It was time to return to the stage for the results…
Alexandra Burke: A Star Is Born is out now.
I wrote this article for a local arts website about my new book, Heston Blumenthal: The Biography Of The World’s Most Brilliant Master Chef.
Heston Blumenthal: The best of Berkshire
Biography-writing is always an eye-opening, perception-confounding experience. Never have I found this to be more true than in my research for my new book about masterchef Heston Blumenthal. I’d always admired him but my respect grew the more I worked on the book. He is a man of wonderful contrasts and makes for a joyful, fascinating subject to study.
His food rarely comes cheap: a meal at The Fat Duck is going to set you back comfortably in excess of £100 per person and will cost you several months of waiting time. However, his tasting menu experience is not aimed exclusively, or even primarily, at those for whom such a hefty bill would be a commonplace experience. The theatre and multi-sensory joy of the Blumenthal experience – iPods playing the sounds of the sea, cakes having ‘orgasms’ on the plate, miniature fireworks going off, sprays to add complimentary scents etc – would most likely be lost on such souls. No, Blumenthal’s favourite customers are those who have saved up for a really special treat and want to savour every moment, every mouthful.
He understands these people because throughout his twenties he was one of them – only obsessively so. Indeed, in his work he frequently harks back even further – to the smells, tastes and experiences of his childhood. These include ice-creams in west London, picnics in Windsor Great Park, Christmas lunches and so much more. No wonder he is so happy in his work and says he can count on the fingers of one hand how many days he has not wanted to go to work. Not that he has always been such a contented soul. Blumenthal has past issues with anger that took him to the brink of tragedy on more than one terrifying occasion. He was a very angry young man before he accepted treatment and before he hit the bigtime, when the years of hard work and sacrifices finally paid off.
Even given the riches his success have earned him and the famous intricacy of his work, Blumenthal’s feet remain on the ground. When he received his OBE he said that all he does is chop a few onions. Away from work, he often eats a curry takeaway of a Monday evening, and can be spotted at the Pizza Express restaurants and even the kebab vans of the Royal County. That’s why he was such a perfect choice for the Channel 4 Big Chef Takes On Little Chef reality series: he understands the world of both the big chef and the Little Chef. The classy man with the common touch, he truly represents the best of Berkshire. I’ve written biographies of other personalities including Simon Cowell and Amy Winehouse, but (aside from a brief stay in Windsor for the young Cowell) this was the first time I’ve been lucky enough to write about a man who lives and works so near me. (The Fat Duck is a 15 minute drive from my house, and I’ll let any of you treat me to a lunch at the Hinds Head anytime. When can you make it?)
All of us in Berkshire should be pleased and proud to have Heston in our midst. Where he fits in among the crowded arena of celebrity chefs can best be seen by what each would do were we to hand them a single egg. Delia Smith would teach us how to boil it, Ainsley Harriott would tell it an annoying joke, Jamie Oliver would take it onto his high-horse with him and Gordon Ramsay would scream at it: “Where the f**k are your balls?!” Blumenthal, meanwhile, quietly showed us how to use liquid nitrogen to create egg and bacon ice cream. As you do: he is the Willy Wonka of the masterchef world.
As such, he stands as part of a noticeable and welcome trend. From the increase in bespectacled, intellectual football managers, to the hero status of the team at Google and the millions earned by the creators of Facebook, the geeks are finally inheriting the earth. So it’s no wonder that it is the experimental, bright and boyish man from Berkshire who is cooking up a storm. Long may he reign.
Heston Blumenthal: The Biography Of The World’s Most Brilliant Master Chef by Chas Newkey-Burden is out now (£17.99, John Blake).
This week, I’m giving away a signed copy of my recently-published book Michael Jackson: Legend 1958-2009. It is the full story of Jackson’s life and the aftermath of his death. To enter, please leave the name of your favourite Michael Jackson song as a comment below. It should be interesting to see people’s choices. I’ll choose a winner at random on Friday. Good luck!
As well as this book about Jackson, I’ve also written biographies of other stars including Simon Cowell, Alexandra Burke and Amy Winehouse.
So I had coffee with the very lovely Hardeep Singh Kohli today – at The Ivy, not that I want to go on about it or anything. I gave him a copy of my Gunners Lists book (to which he contributed a hilarious list) and I am now looking forward to reading his book, Indian Takeaway: A Very British Story.
Memo to TV-land: bring back Meet The Magoons.
I’ve written before about the brilliant Don’t Tread On Me: Anti-Americanism Abroad, written by Carol Gould. It’s a juggernaut of a book that exposes and dismantles the growing prejudice of anti-Americanism and its vile, incestuous relative – antisemitism. Don’t Tread On Me… is such a powerful, gripping read. I particularly love how amid her understandable horror and exasperation Carol also writes so lovingly of America and the sheer brilliance of its people.
You can read my post about the book here.
Carol has agreed to give away a personally-signed copy of the book through this very blog. To enter the competition leave a ‘pick me’ comment below. I will choose the winner on Friday. Good luck!
Many thanks everyone for entering the Winehouse v Cowell competition. I’ve selected a winner in each camp. So congratulations to ‘Henry’ for winning the Winehouse book and ‘Beny’ for winning the Cowell one. I’ll be in touch to arrange delivery. There will be a new competition very soon.
I’m going to take a few days off from blogging, so I thought I’d leave you with a quick round-up of recent posts you might have missed:
Firstly, have a read about Boycott Israel Campaign’s ugly protest. Am I right to be suspicious of the timing?
Also, what is the maddest thing anyone has ever said to you about Israel? Do share!
On a happier note, this is what I’ll be doing during Rosh Hashanah.
Speaking of which, I wish all my Jewish readers Shana Tova.
I’ll be back…
The prize in this week’s competition is a signed copy of one of my recent biographies – and you get to decide which you win.
Including original interviews, my bestselling Amy Winehouse biography is now in updated paperback which brings the story right up to date, including her dramatic life-saving heroism in St Lucia. Look magazine called it: “A great read – four out of five.” The Jewish Chronicle said: “Until she puts pen to paper herself, this is as good as we’re going to get.” The book has been translated into seven languages.
Simon Cowell: The Unauthorised Biography also got a four-star rating from the News Of The World, which praised its “entertaining new insight”. It includes many original interviews with those who know and have worked with Cowell, including numerous finalists from Pop Idol, American Idol and The X Factor. It was published a few weeks ago and is already performing well in the WH Smiths chart. You can read the prologue to the book here.
To enter the competition leave a ‘pick me’ comment below, saying which of the two books you want to win. I will choose the winner on Friday. (The competition is open to all, I will post to anywhere in the world.)