[.ca] Winchell: Gossip, Power, and the Culture of Celebrity (ISBN 0679764399)

From Amazon.com:
On our cultural radar screen, politics and celebrity are quickly merging (have merged?) into a single blip. Although this is the definitively postmodern development, it's not without precedent, and perhaps the granddaddy of it all is the subject of this engrossing book: Walter Winchell. By catching the rising star of radio Winchell was able to transform himself from poor boy to media superstar--and he was just as big as the politicians and movie stars he covered. When Winchell broadcast an unbecoming story about an actress, her career was in trouble; when he championed the cause of Joe McCarthy, the country was in trouble.

Rags-to-Riches Story:
One has to admire Walter Winchell for he had it all: fame, power, money and beautiful women. Everything a man could want. And he had it for a long time (from the 1930s to the 1950s). He also had an enormous ego which fostered many feuds with others he feared. An outstanding book.

More than just the voice for the "Untouchables.":
Although most of us remember Walter Winchell fo rhis rapid-fire narration for the old "Untouchables" television show, he was much more than that. Neal Gabler chronicles Winchell's career and life, but it's his analysis of Winchell's affect on his times and culture that makes this book transcend routine biography. Winchell's became a powerful voice for a time: businessmen wanted to be his friend, celebrities needed him, and politicians feared him. In fact, most people feared him. But somehow, Winchell created a definition of celebrity that has endured even today. Although he may be forgetton in our conscious memories, Winchell still looms large in our cultural memory. This is a stunning biography of a man who fought hard to get it all and fought equally hard to keep his fame and recognition as lost it in a blaze of self-destructiveness. One of the best books I've read in years.

Great story:
This is a great story of a strange man. Someone who got power, defined the celebrity personal interest story, exploited the influence he developed, thought he was God, and ruined his own life. It is especially compelling reading when it becomes clear that our fascination with famous people and their love lives and personal faults is really whipped up by these media people. It is also great when talking about Lucille Ball and how the public embraced her. When you see Winchell making the fateful mistake when siding with McCarthy, it seems like karma. This is a fantastic book.