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Comment on The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:11:03 +0000

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

BOR-ing! Repetitive!, December 2, 2008

Janet P. Reagan "Inveterate wordsmith" (Elizabethton, TN (displaced Tar Heel)) -

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This review is from: The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer (Hardcover)

Perhaps because I remember so much of the controversies connected to The Enquirer, it seems boring to read. Am stymied at the half-way mark, which tells me to re-sell it for I won't read the rest of it. But I love to do the puzzle at the back of each Enquirer and their medical articles are top of the mark and current. And that's not saying the gossip isn't enjoyable, too! The puzzle is the first page I turn to; it's a dandy. I love to finish it and figure out the name of the star the pink squares spell out. But the book? Anghhhhh!

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Comment on The National Enquirer : Thirty Years of Unforgettable Images by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:29:03 +0000

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Transcends into the realm of art. Seriously!, January 25, 2002

repelli "repelli" (Virginia, United States) -

This review is from: The National Enquirer: Thirty Years of Unforgettable Images (Hardcover)

The Enquirer is infamous for its shameless portrayals of American celebrities (and the odd royalty living elsewhere). This amazing collection of photography though is something even more rewarding than the weekly grind-out of the delightful tabloid. The images are juxtaposed SO skillfully, and with great humor. A dumpy, potato-like Xaviera Hollander and beau just across the page from slender and youthful Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear - a horrible, prophetic Dorian Gray vision of the future! Plenty of foreshadowing photos of relationships doomed to failure, a gallery of mugshots and coffin shots. The famous Elvis casket photo is easily eclipsed by the very gruesome River Phoenix shot. If I had to pick one shot as a favorite, it would be the Christmas cheer of Anna Nicole Smith and her 90-year old sugar daddy, the expression on her face instantly confirming the nation's worst speculations of that relationship. The best cross-page pairing is aging-but-sexy Joan Collins in her bikini across from a braid-wearing Sean Connery in HIS futuriffic bikini from a 70s Sci-fi movie. Can anyone possibly think he's the sexiest man alive after seeing THAT??? The book also maintains that peculiar and annoying quality of the Enquirer that some soccer-mom favorite celebrities are somehow "untouchable" - Oprah and Rosie O'Donnell are visions of personal triumph and noblesse, never to be shown in an unflattering manner. Despite that minor gripe, you can't afford to miss this photo treasury of everything beautiful about the supermarket years of the Enquirer. I'm hoping they do a companion volume of the best of the Enquirer's "shock value" black & white early years.

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Comment on The National Enquirer : Thirty Years of Unforgettable Images by repelli "repelli"

repelli "repelli" — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:19:50 +0000

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

All your favorite celebrities--at their self-indulgent worst, November 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The National Enquirer: Thirty Years of Unforgettable Images (Hardcover)

A delightful collection of the "beautiful people" caught on film in some of their most embarrassing moments. You'll laugh out loud at the turn of each page. The excess, the arrogance, the shame of it all-as J.R. Ewing said-- "High quality dirt!"

What's your pleasure? Cleavage? Plenty to choose from. Weddings that went kaput? No problem. Mug shots? They're all here in living color.

In addition to these embarrassing moments, the hard cover book is punctuated with the occasional image of class, such as Audrey Hepburn in refugee camp in Somalia.

It's the perfect coffee table book for yourself or the "must have" item on everyone's Christmas list.

My favorite? Tough choice, but I'll go with the shot of a very pre-occupied Martina Navratilova.

Worth every penny!

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Comment on The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer by Janet P. Reagan "Inveterate wordsmith"

Janet P. Reagan "Inveterate wordsmith" — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:17:50 +0000

No Charisma in Tabloid Godfather, January 2, 2009

Edward S. Brown "Charisma Expert" (Atlanta, GA) -

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This review is from: The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer (Hardcover)

"The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer" is an aspirational book for those lacking every necessary ingredient for achieving success, except ambition and a good idea. In this book, Jack Vitek uncovers how Generoso Pope Jr. created the National Enquirer and changed contemporary journalism forever. While the book is a great business tome for how to construct a company, it says something about the American psyche.

One statement says it all about why the National Enquirer was able to expand the scope of journalism. "If you want to know what to put on the cover, just go down to the bar, to the barber, to the beauty shop and listen to what people are talking about." (p. 209)

"...Original ideas weren't really what tabloids specialized in. Their specialty was probing and finding popular culture's mother lode and repackaging it in tabloid form. (P. 197)

As a curmudgeon, Generoso Pope Jr., proved that charisma and personality isn't important as long as you give people what they want. I recommend this book as a testament to the foibles of the average man and the triumphant spirit that elevates him.

Edward Brown
Core Edge Image & Charisma Institute
www.core-edge.com

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Comment on The National Enquirer : Thirty Years of Unforgettable Images by David E. Levine

David E. Levine — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:43:07 +0000

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

An absolutely gorgeous volume of bad taste, November 12, 2001

David E. Levine (Peekskill , NY USA) -

This review is from: The National Enquirer: Thirty Years of Unforgettable Images (Hardcover)

This could easily be rated only two stars if you don't have the right frame of mind. However, the Enquirer specializes in poor taste so if you are inclined to consider buying this book, presumably you have a morbid curiosity about its contents. Therefore, let's not be hypocritical and cast harsh judgments as to the subject matter of the volume. In presenting poor taste in a big, glossy coffee table volume, this is a great five star effort.

Superficially, this volume is beautiful; it truly rivals the Time Magazine coffee table books in layout and colorful photos. However, as is the case with the weekly Enquirer, this book picks up where People magazine leaves off. How tasteless is a full topless photo of Nicole Simpson? How about open casket photos of dead celebrities such as Bing Crosby and River Phoenix (and no, River did not look like he was just sleeping)? Years ago I kind of thought Xaviera Hollander (the Happy Hooker) was a babe. Well, there is a photo of her at well over 200 pounds in a skimpy bikini. Guess what? According to the photo's caption, Hollander says a lot of men like her that way.

Want to see a photo of Richard Gere skinny dipping? I didn't but I'm sure many of you do. Well, it's there in this volume. Do you want to see Michael Jackson's disintegrating nose in bandages? Just open this volume and you'll find it. In short, this book is great for those of us too full of ourselves to buy the Enquirer at the supermarket. However, a beautiful volume from top name booksellers; ah, now that's respectable.

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Comment on The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer by Susanna Hutcheson "Copywriting for the Discri...

Susanna Hutcheson "Copywriting for the Discri... — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:35:30 +0000

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

The story behind a cultural icon, August 12, 2008

Susanna Hutcheson "Copywriting for the Discri... (Midwest U.S.A.) -

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This review is from: The Godfather of Tabloid: Generoso Pope Jr. and the National Enquirer (Hardcover)

Jack Vitek has written a fascinating biography of the peculiar founder of The National Enquirer, Generoso Pope and, at the same time, a biography of the American icon that he spawned.

Pope was the son of a powerful Italian-American who lived in New York. Pope senior was purported to be connected --- or as some people say --- associated with the Mafia. This connection would later provide seed money with which to start the National Enquirer.

A young Roy Cohn was a friend of the young Pope junior. And he too would contribute money to found the paper. It is thought that the majority of the money came from the infamous Frank Costello, a New York gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence like no other La Cosa Nostra boss. He was called "The Prime Minister of the Underworld."

It is into this world that Vitek takes us right from the beginning of the book. Vitek is an associate professor of journalism and English at Englewood College in Madison, WI. So one would assume his interest in this subject would be his natural curiosity of this tremendously successful, yet little written-about publication.

When I was a young freelance writer, I wrote for The National Enquirer. I was deeply impressed with the fact that it was harder to get a story published in the Enquirer than any other publication I wrote for, including the newspaper I was on at the time. The reason? They checked their facts so well. When I discovered that, I had a new respect for them and I tended to (and still do) believe most of what I read in the paper. Pope ran the publication with an iron hand.

Every reporter and editor had a hot line, a private phone, on his or her desk. That phone was for a call from Pope. When a reporter got that call, he stopped doing whatever he was doing, regardless of how important it was. A summon to see Pope came before anything else. No one called him his nickname, Gene or by anything but Mr. Pope of G.P.

In the beginning, Pope published gore. He discovered that was what people wanted and would pay for. He also published articles that may have had a grain of truth but no more than a grain. The paper later became somewhat more mainstream --- at least to the extent that it publishes true stories and it does check facts.

That may be the reason the circulation is less than it was in its "gore" days.

Pope was an illusive and private man. He had very little sense of humor. And certainly during his lifetime, he did not get the attention or respect that such people as William Randolph Hurst and Rupert Murdock got. Yet he accomplished as much and earned as much money. His was as important a publication as any in America.

I generally don't enjoy books written by professors or people with Ph.D degrees as they tend to be academic and stuffy. This book, however, is well written. He did a number of telephone interviews with people who knew, and in most cases, work for Pope.

The author does take the liberty to guess what might have happened in a number of cases. But he says things like, "It may have . . ." so you know he is considering a possibility and not stating a fact.

The National Enquirer would, and will, send a reporter anywhere, anytime to get the big story. It will spare no expense. And it very often scoops other publications.

When I was doing a story on Roe Messner and Tammy Faye Baker, I was in the courtroom. Next to me was a friend of Messner's former wife. She looked at me and said, "Are you with the National Enquirer?"

"Yes", I replied.

"I could tell. You dress better than the local media," she said.

And that in essence is why the Enquirer can get the get better than anyone else. It pays well. Pope set a high standard. The paper may have been an investment and, perhaps even a tool, of the mob. But it was and is one of the greatest parts of the average American citizen's life.

When the paper published a photo of Elvis in his coffin, it sold more papers than at any other time and the circulation continued to grow. It now is not doing well and stopped doing well right after Pope died and the paper was sold.

However, the author tells us that mainstream publications and tabloid television have now turned to yellow journalism and that the National Enquirer is basically now mainstream and even respected by traditional media.

Whether a person admits it or not, he is drawn to The National Enquirer. Pope was not the kind of journalist that Hurst was. But he knew his reader. And that knowledge paid off.

Pope was a man of privilege but he split with his family after his father's death. He was close to broke when he started the publication. It was the investment of the Mob and Cohn that... Read more

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Comment on Satan’s Sisters: A Novel Work of Fiction by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:22:21 +0000

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Catch a falling star, May 11, 2011

F. J. Urkums "teacher for real" (Fort Washington, MD United States) -

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This review is from: Satan's Sisters (Kindle Edition)

Good grief! I wasn't expecting a barnburner, but I didn't even get a good candle light in a shed. I paid the Kindle price, but about a fourth of the way through I gave up. Why so many characters with so little definition? I had to keep turning back to reconnect them to the plot. Plot?? So much gratuitous sex. It was like someone just discovering it. I am told good writers write what they know. Star is an attorney and a television personality. She's nobody's dummy. There must be a wealth of information from which she can glean enough for at least one really good book. I gave her one star for just having the courage to write a book and another just because I can't give up on her after her first try.

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Comment on Satan’s Sisters: A Novel Work of Fiction by F. J. Urkums "teacher for real"

F. J. Urkums "teacher for real" — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:52:07 +0000

9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

Funny and a Real Page Turner, March 25, 2011

Tiger Lily "Who Shot John" (USA) -

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This review is from: Satan's Sisters (Kindle Edition)

This is a good book that is at its best when dishing dirt and making droll judgments about the characters and the places they go (the comparison of Atlantic City and Vegas as being the difference between a fish sandwich and a lobster dinner is spot on). The book is at its most annoying when taking cheap anti-conservative political shots (the conservative people in the south, especially the people of Alabama, wouldn't want to free someone who was wrongly convicted of a crime -- really?) That comes from bias, not facts.

The book starts off slowly as character after character is introduced and their roles remain unclear. I almost gave up on the book but am glad I continued. When the queen bee has a power lunch at The Four Seasons grill room, things heat up and the stories get juicy and hilarious. As improbable (and funny) as some of the stories may be, they have the ring of truth. Those parts of the book reminded me of "Valley of the Dolls." I didn't find the ending to be credible but I enjoyed the book anyway. The sisters are the most fun when doing the work of Satan.

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Comments (2)

Comment on Satan’s Sisters: A Novel Work of Fiction by Tiger Lily "Who Shot John"

Tiger Lily "Who Shot John" — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:46:52 +0000

great page turner, February 15, 2012

D. Ford "dalejim" (Burlington, IA USA) -

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This review is from: Satan's Sisters: A Novel Work of Fiction (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was so much fun to read! It has it all. Betrayal, sex, secrets, shame, you name it. Woven in such a way to make the reader want more and more. Kudo's to Star Jones!

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Comment on Handwriting Analysis How To: 2012 GOP Hopefuls: The Truth! by Gael Struck Riverz

Gael Struck Riverz — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:06:16 +0000

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2012 GOP Hopefuls, January 31, 2012

Gael Struck Riverz (Hartland, WI) -

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This review is from: Handwriting Analysis How To: 2012 GOP Hopefuls: The Truth! (Kindle Edition)

Wonderful introduction to handwriting analysis with a slant to a topic of present interest. Who wouldn't like to get a glimpse into the true character of presidential candidates beyond the hype of political and media skew. I found this book extremely interesting.

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