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Rosie O'Donnell: Her True Story

Life has come full circle for Rosie O'Donnell. The little girl who sang to a wooden spoon in her bedroom and survived early tragedy is now today's hottest TV talk star. She has her own production company, fame, fortune, family, and her future looks very rosy indeed.From her beginnings on the '80s standup circuit to a break on Star Search, Rosie plowed a steady path for herself to Standup Spotlight, to the big screen, with the hit movie A League of Her Own (1993), and currently to her own talk show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

Rosie O'Donnell: Her True Story reveals:

- Why Rosie never wanted to become a stand-up comic

- How wholesome Rosie survived in the drug-soaked, sex-obsessed nightclub scene

- Why her father won't watch her perform

- How Rosie overcame a drinking problem

- Why she chose to adopt a baby boy

Born in a middle-class family, she has always been obsessed with show business. According to her sister, Maureen, Rosie was "equal parts tomboy, cutup, and dreamer".

At the age of ten, however, Rosie was forced to confront family tragedy when her mother died of cancer. From then on, Rosie and her siblings essentially grew up alone. Their father, physically and emotionally withdrawn from his children, was heavily involved in a secret government job developing satellites to spy on the Soviet Union. As a result, the five children raised themselves, with a lot of help from television. The set was on twenty-four hours a day and transformed Rosie into the self-proclaimed "Queen of All Trivia".

Rosie retreated with her hopes and dreams into a showbiz fantasy world. She cut classes frequently to sneak home to the TV, once faking mono for a week just to watch a weddingon Ryan's Hope. As an adolescent, the stars she most adored were Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand. She later said that having Bette on her talk show was "a dream come true".

Her unabashed delight at meeting other performers looks real and unrehearsed: She had to have Tony Bennett on twice, because the first time she was too nervous to say much of anything. Due to her great connections (and on-screen begging) Rosie has showcased most of Hollywood's A-list. And because she quickly puts them at ease, she has already provoked some classic television moments. She once compared tattoos with Cher and showed that she knew the lyrics to her songs better than Cher did.

Opening up her life to us with candid stories about the death of her mother as well as the daily travails of a working more who has to stand in line for diapers, Rosie has grown into a study of contrasts. She has old-fashioned Girl Scout values, yet one of her best friends is Madonna. She leads a fascinating and controversial private life, which includes being an unofficial yet outspoken advocate for the Size Acceptance Movement — "Listen up people — we come in different sizes...get over it!"

Rosie O'Donnell: Her True Story offers an intimate look at the woman who has reinvigorated daytime television. Rosie is everywoman, everyfan, every one of us who has ever hoped to come face to face with an idol.f

  • Format
  • hardcover
  • Pages
  • 288
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9781559724166
  • Release date
  • 1997