Bette Midler: Still Divine [Hardcover]

Mark Bego (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2002

Bego's biography of the Divine Miss M covers the singer and actress's life from her early years in Hawaii where she was born to her current standing among the entertainment elite. Midler's career as a brassy and bawdy nightclub act moved up a rung when her cover of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" entered the Top Ten in 1972. By 1979, she had earned an Oscar nomination and a Grammy for her contributions to the film The Rose. Since then she has won over audiences with her performances in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Beaches, and The First Wives Club, and earned a second Oscar nomination for For the Boys. As a singer, she's scored successes with "From a Distance" and the number one single "Wind Beneath My Wings." Fans of this all-around entertainer, who continues to appear in films and record music, will find that Bette Midler is the authoritative resource on the star's life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Growing up a self-proclaimed "ugly, fat little Jewish girl with problems," Bette Midler traded in her job at a Hawaiian pineapple processing plant for a trip to the Big Apple where, in the early 1970s, she re-created herself as the Divine Miss M, a brassy, bawdy cabaret act performing in a gay bathhouse. By the end of the decade, she had an Oscar nomination (for The Rose) to go with her two Grammys, two Golden Globes and Tony award. After a rough start (her 1982 movie Jinxed was prophetically titled; it was followed by a breakdown and a slump in record sales), the '80s found her excelling at writing a children's book (The Saga of Baby Divine, 1983), wedding Martin von Haselberg (1984), revitalizing her film career with a string of Disney hits (including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People and Beaches) and motherhood. Bego has churned out more than 40 star bios in the last 25 years (Cher: If You Believe in 2001 and Madonna: Blonde Ambition in 2000), and he's in top form with this fast-paced, affectionate and incredibly detailed biography of the diminutive belter. Midler fans will also appreciate the exhaustive filmography, discography, concert tours, Web sites, memorable quotes from her films and episode guide to her failed sitcom, Bette. 24 pages of photos.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Singing, acting and conceptualizing are the forces that drive Bette Midler. Her dynamism is matched by Bego's enthusiasm for her career. They are both workaholics and his pride in her accomplishments is evident. For one workaholic to admire another - there is an abundance of talent and productivity. Bette's Midler's life shines with energy and Mark scatters stardust on a diva. (Angela Bowie )

Bette Midler is so funny, blunt, shocking and adorable, and she doesn't care what people think. Mark Bego brings her to life on these pages. He is so visual and cinematic in the way he describes her acts and her songs, you walk away understanding her gift. (Sally Kirkland )

The Divine Miss M meets the Prolific Mark Bego! Still Divine tells the whole story—from her beginnings in Hawaii, to her transformation into a glamourous diva. (Randy Jones )

The Divine Miss M meets the Prolific Mark Bego! Still Divine tells the whole story—from her beginnings in Hawaii, to her transformation into a glamourous diva. (Randy Jones )

Another feather in Mark Bego's crown. . . . You can bet Bette will give you her best and all, anytime you call. She works! (Martha Reeves )

Bego has churned out more than 40 star bios in the last 25 years (Cher: If You Believe in 2001 and Madonna: Blonde Ambition in 2000), and he's in top form with this fast-paced, affectionate and incredibly detailed biography of the diminutive belter. Fans will also appreciate the exhaustive filmography, discography, concert tours, Web sites, memorable quotes from her films, and episode guide to her failed sitcom, Bette. (Publishers Weekly )

Bego has churned out more than 40 star bios in the last 25 years (Cher: If You Believe in 2001 and Madonna: Blonde Ambition in 2000), and he's in top form with this fast-paced, affectionate and incredibly detailed biography of the diminutive belter. Fans will also appreciate the exhaustive filmography, discography, concert tours, Web sites, memorable quotes from her films, and episode guide to her failed sitcom, Bette. (Publishers Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 440 pages
• Publisher: Cooper Square Press; 1st Cooper Square Press Ed edition (November 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815412320
• ISBN-13: 978-0815412328
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #762,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Bego is the author of 56 books on rock & roll and show business, including two "New York Times" Best Sellers, a "Los Angeles Times" Best Seller, and a "Chicago Tribune" Best Seller, three multi-million-sellers, and two half-million selling titles. With over 10 million books in print, he is acknowledged as the best-selling biographer in the rock and pop music field. His latest book is his 2010 memoir about his career as an author, entitled "Paperback Writer." His show business biographies have included the life stories of some of the biggest stars of ROCK (Elton John, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Three Dog Night, Billy Joel), SOUL (Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston), POP (Sonny & Cher, The Monkees, Sade, Barry Manilow), and COUNTRY (George Strait, Patsy Cline, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill). He has also written about film and television stars as well (Rock Hudson, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Matt Damon, The Marx Brothers.

One of the most exciting books of Bego's career is his recent biography on Elton John. The book was released in June of 2009 by Hannibal books of Austria. Published in the German language under the title "Elton John: Die Story," it has been heralded in the media as "the ultimate Elton John" biography by "Manner Magazine." The book was published by Phoenix Books in America under the title "Elton John: The Bitch is Back" (2009), and in England and Australia with the title "The Elton John Story" from JR Books in London that same year. It will be published in Denmark and in Russia as well.

Thanks to Hannibal Books, in 2009 Mark had a great year in German language bookstores. As he explains it, "Not only has Hannibal published my 'Elton John: Die Story,' they also published the German language reprint of my Tina Turner book, under the title 'Tina Turner: Die Biographie.' In addition, they also published a German language exclusive: 'Whitney Houston: Die Biographie.'" All three books are available internationally through German Amazon.com and they are also distributed to bookstores throughout Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The Whitney and Tina books were released in October 2009. In 2011 Mark is due to update his critically acclaimed book, "Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul," internationally.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Best that's out there, but...., April 10, 2003

By 

Paul Katz (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bette Midler: Still Divine (Hardcover)

For years, I have searched for the ultimate Bette Midler biography - one that is chock full of never before heard or told anecdotes, a fresh perspective and insights into oft told situations or tales.

Mark Bego's book is the closest thing we've got right now to a definitive, somewhat linear bio, but it still leaves much to be desired.

I do appreciate that Bego (clearly a fan in his own right) takes the time to go in depth with Midler's albums, making sure every track is commented upon and giving us loads of quality info about the recording process. I love hearing about why certain songs were chosen, discarded, arranged the way they were, et cetera.

The most in depth album commentary in this book is in regards to Bette's *Songs From the New Depression.* The more I read about this lost possibility, the more curious I am to hear the material. It genuinely sounds like it could have led Midler's career in a completely different, more upward musical direction. I do hope Atlantic Records gives Klingman the master tapes back.

No other book has given me a clear picture of what Bette's days at the Continental Baths were like, and I am grateful for that. Such a vivid description of the place and the time. It must have been a ball.

This is also the first telling of Bette's life that gives an indication that Aaron Russo (Bette's manager in the 70's) and Bette were never romantically involved at all. However, the narrative seems fuzzy on whether or not that is entirely accurate.

The aspect of Bette's career that seems to get shortest shrift is her movies. Each one is given a full plot synopsis, which in my opinion, isn't a good idea, for it ruins the movies for newer fans or people who have not seen them. These plot synopses seem to be masking some glaringly obvious missing information. No 'tales from the set' are told. No comments from co-stars or directors (except in the Jinxed section) on what it was like to work with Bette beyond your standard "press-kit" comments.

Even so, there are still some interesting tidbits spread out here and there. One of them is that Anne Archer and Donna Mills where considered for the role of Hillary Whitney in Beaches!

One rather odd thing is the use of numbers in parenthesis after every single quote. I've never seen a device like that in a book, and it made me feel like I was reading a college term paper. Although, on the flip side, I appreciate the quotes are there -- it ensures a degree of accuracy and if I ever want to look up these articles, it's a good resource.

Also, there is serious need for a fact-checker / proof-reader here. Too many noticeable spelling errors, character or actor names misprinted or mis-spelled, etc. I don't want to blame the writer entirely, because this stuff should be checked before going to press.

All in all, I recommend this book, but more for the fact that there really isn't a quality Midler bio out there to compare it to. Perhaps there never will be, unless Bette decides to tell her own story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Bette Biography, June 12, 2003

By 

M. J. Moore (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bette Midler: Still Divine (Hardcover)

This book which was first released in the 1980s by author Mark Bego gets updated and reworked here. It is impressive to see such a comprehensive scaling of the Divine's long career. Want to hear about some current projects like Bathhouse Betty and her films such as DROWNING MONA and the like, this is the book. I am someone who enjoys reading about others' perspectives on some of my favorite artists. I especially like to read and hear about recent endeavors. Because there has not been a Bette biography since 1997's spectacular BETTE MIDLER SCRAPBOOK and 1995's BETTE by George Mair, that was a long period of no coverage of some of Midler's material. Well, here goes. Even if one is not a Bette fan, one could still enjoy this biography which provides various aspects of the entertainer in a unique form.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 15 years later ,the revised book is still under researched, February 6, 2003

By A Customer

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This review is from: Bette Midler: Still Divine (Hardcover)

After all this time you'd have thought someone would have informed Mr Bego that Billy Cunningham was a musical director more so than a piano player and that when he stopped playing for Ms Midler at the Baths he didn't exactly exit . Even after writing Cher If You Believe, he still doesn't know who Kenny (Claude )Sasha was and why the off Broadway run of French Dressing at the Village Gate (Top of the Gate) and Cher's Act had a lot more to do with the drag bar scene in "The Rose" than Bette' s wanting to be a legendary movie star. The sad part is by the time he revises the book again even more of sources he should have interviewed the first time around won't be with us.