'MO - September 2008 - (Page 26)

p/reviews Click here to comment on these stories. Mythology says that Madonna went to New York for the first time with $35 in her pocket. True or not, it didn’t take her long to hone in on what she wanted, or to get it. Ciccone says she invited him along for the fame-ride, repeatedly yanking away the invitation and then extending it again. Still, he went running when Madonna called, partly because he was awed by her, but mostly because he loved her. Just before her first tour, she asked him to be her dresser. Later, he decorated her homes, her sets, her clothes, and he protected her, both physically and mentally. In this book, which takes readers from the beginning through to Madonna’s latest tour, Ciccone has everything to say about his famous sister: her loves (thumbs down to Penn, thumbs up to Beatty, thumbs down to Ritchie) and her friends, both male and female; her passions, ego, tantrums, and embarrassments; the things she really did, that which she only pretended to do, and the truth behind the rumors and their spat. I was a bit taken aback at this book. I was expecting another blah-blah-blah praise-filled star bio. Instead, what’s inside Life with My Sister Madonna is a thoughtful, warts-and-everything, not-quite-tell-all from a brother who alternates between adoration, gleeful tattling, outraged pain, snarkyness, and pouting. While this is definitely a book about Madonna, artist/designer and author Christopher Ciccone also seamlessly includes his own story of life as a gay man living in the shadow of the famous, beloved sister who infuriates him sometimes. If you have a sibling, you may occasionally find yourself in this book (minus the billion$, of course), but even if you don’t, you’ll enjoy this gossipy, star-studded, behind-and-in-the-scenes book. Not for the whole family, Life with My Sister Madonna is still high-living fun to read. Terri has been reading since she was three years old and never goes anywhere without a book. BOOK REVIEW Life with My Sister Madonna By Christopher Ciccone (with Wendy Leigh) Reviewed by Terri Schlichenmeyer Did you ever wonder what it would’ve been like to grow up with a different family? If you were an Only, you might have dreamed about the fun you’d have with a houseful of kids to play with. Maybe you even gravitated toward friends with siblings, a little covetous of their raucous households. If you had siblings, you might’ve wistfully thought about never having to share toys, the bathroom, or mom. Though you loved them, there were times, perhaps, when you would have happily shipped your brother or sister to another planet, no questions asked. Undoubtedly, Christopher Ciccone felt like that, especially when his sister was hot-and-cold with him over the years. In the new book Life with My Sister Madonna (written with Wendy Leigh), you’ll read about a star’s peccadilloes, her rise to fame, her demands, and the brother who loves her, always. Born two years after his big sister, Ciccone says that he and Madonna weren’t close as children. Motherless at three, he says he has few memories of his early childhood. He does recall, though, that Madonna was their father’s favorite; even after their dad re-married and there were more additions to the family, Madonna was singled out and treated specially. 2 5 th a n ni ver sary se a son Night Must Fall By Emlyn Williams October 10-25, 2008 Fridays & Saturdays 8:00 pm, Sundays 2:00 pm Redwood Theatre presents LIVE EVENT PREVIEW SHREK THE MUSICAL Exclusive World Premiere at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre Through September 21, 2008 Fred W. Meitzer Theater 8703 160th Avenue NE, Redmond, WA 98052 Reservations at 206-525-3493 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com www.redwoodtheatre.org Sponsored by: Funded in part by: m a g a z i n e Shrek The Musical is an entirely new musical based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek!, as well as the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek, the first chapter of the Shrek movie series. Shrek The Musical features a book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize® winner, David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole), music by Jeanine Tesori (Olivier Award-winner for Caroline, or Change and three-time Tony Award® nominee), and is directed by Jason Moore, who staged the Tony Award®-winning Best Musical, Avenue Q. For tickets to Shrek The Musical, or for more information about The 5th Avenue Theatre, visit www.5thavenue.org. www.shrekthemusical.com $2 off one regular admission by presenting this ad at the box office 26 celebrating seattle’s gay community http://www.redwoodtheatre.org http://www.5thavenue.org http://www.shrekthemusical.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 'MO - September 2008

'MO - September 2008 Contents Letter From The Editor Voices Instant Activist Pet Project Legally Speaking: Starting Your Own Business EarthTalkTM: Soak Up the Sun ’mo-BIZ: Sternola-Brown Interiors HRC President Hails Biden as V.P. Pick Governor to Attend Annual GSBA Candidate Forum Form & Function: Cable Exercises Build Definition Gay City Health Project Makes a SHIFT Throw a Lifejacket Around Your Home’s Value Feature Film Review: A Jihad for Love Feature Film Review: Ghost Town, starring Ricky Gervais The Return of The Puyallup Fair Book Review: Life with My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone Live Event Preview: Shrek The Musical at The 5th Avenue Feature Film Preview: Trumbo Now on DVD: Itty Bitty Titty Committee SceneOut: People@Places Capitol Hill Guide

'MO - September 2008

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