Trashy Celebs

What is he thinking? Mega-star Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, is writing a memoir called Life With My Sister Madonna. Oh Chris. Are you sure that is a good idea? Wouldn’t it be easier to just ask her for some money? She has all the money in the world, except for the loose change Amy and I throw into an empty pickle jar as our “iTunes Fund.” (Which we will probably use to buy Madonna albums.)

NEW YORK - The mystery is solved: Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, is writing a memoir about his sister, to be released in mid-July by an imprint of Simon & Schuster, the publisher told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The imprint, Simon Spotlight Entertainment, had been promoting a celebrity memoir for July, without identifying the author or contents. “Life With My Sister Madonna” will have a first printing of 350,000. Financial details were not disclosed.

“Ciccone’s extraordinary memoir is based on his life and 47 years of growing up with and working with his sister — the most famous woman in the world,” the publisher said Wednesday in a statement.

Persuading stores to make “blind” orders has been tried before. In 2006, William Morrow offered a mysterious tell-all that turned out to be by Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, who had already written about her. Retailers were angered and the book sold poorly.

Ciccone will work with Wendy Leigh, who has written biographies of Liza Minnelli and Grace Kelly and a highly critical book about Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ciccone, 47, has worked often with his older sister, designing and directing her “Girlie Show” tour in 1993 and serving as artistic director of her 1991 documentary, “Madonna: Truth or Dare.” But according to Madonna’s spokeswoman, Liz Rosenberg, they are no longer close.

Madonna, who turns 50 this summer, is among the most popular recording artists in history, with such hits as “Like a Virgin,” “Material Girl” and “Vogue.”

Rosenberg had no initial comment on the book, but told the AP that “Madonna has not cooperated with any biography about herself.”

You gotta wonder what happened to cause these two to “no longer be close.” They seemed pretty tight in Truth or Dare, especially when they were trash talking their other brother, Marty, who apparently was too busy getting drunk to show up for Madonna’s show. Which is just dumb! Who turns down free Madonna tickets?

What I think is funny is how this news story keeps going on about how the book is about Madonna, when really the book is about her brother (since it is a memoir and he is the one who wrote it). I mean of course it is going to have stuff about her and all, and everyone is hoping he’s going to dish some good Madonna dirt (although really, what is left to know? We all saw Truth or Dare, we’ve all seen the Sex book, we’ve all seen the picture of her hitchhiking naked. What’s left?)

The questions is, will the true Madonna fans read this book or just the gossip hounds? I mean, we love Madonna in the Trashy Celebs household, but we also love some gossip as well. I have a feeling if this book ever does make it to press and is released, we will buy a copy (used), read it, and then feel horribly guilty about it. Sorry, Madonna.

Madonna, Truth or Dare, Girlie Show, Christopher Ciccone, My Life With Madonna