Here are the facts, divulged in painful and deeply moving detail, and told with an intimacy that could only be disclosed by one caught in the centre of the storm.
Helene Thornton has lived a life of unequalled passion and hartache. In her fascinating memoirs she gives the definitive account of her daughter Paula Yates really was. From frail, lonely schoolgirl to voluptuous star of the stage and screen, wife, mother, lover, author and artist, in this dramtic autobiography. After a tough childhood in bleak post-war Blackpool where she suffered from bouts of debilitating sickness, at the hands of cruel bullies and from the impact of her mother's mential illness, Helene blossomed into a renowned beauty and went on to win Miss Blackpool 1954 where she first encountered TV producer and presenter Jess Yates. Joining the famous dancing troupe the Bluebell Girls, Helene toured Europe where she broke hearts and honed her dancing and acting skills before being reunited with Jess and embarking on a whirlwind and frequently steamy romance. After mere months, however, the fairy-tale marriage took a sinister and violent turn with Helene discovering one too many of Jess' secrets, and was forced to leave her husband with baby Paula in tow, as she battled life as a single mother, roaming Britain and then Europe in search of happiness and fulfillment. Writing candidly about the difficult mother-daughter relationship, Helene reveals her anguish at Paula's unsettled infancy and early signs of mental illness. She sets the record straight about one of Britain's best-loved - but least understood - stars, fondly recalling Paula's joy on meeting Bob Geldof, and writing of the childhood incidents that formed her relationships with family, friends and assoicates and the press. For the first time, she discusses the circumstances that lead to the revelation that Paula's true father was Hughie Green, and discloses the identities of some of her most cherished lovers. Explosive, moving, frank, but above all honest, Big Girls Don't Cry is a no-holds-barred account of the exciting highs and gut-wrenching lows of a life lived to a full.
In 1997, controversial TV star Paula Yates discovered that her true father was not, as she had believed, disgraced television personality Jess Yates, but the man who had destroyed his career--Hughie Green. Devastated, she approached Green's son, Christopher, in an effort to unravel the mystery behind her two 'fathers'. Hughie Green was a huge showbiz figure and probably the first star of British TV. His show, Opportunity Knocks, launched the career of Les Dawson and many others. Christopher Green's investigation, which forms the heart of this extraordinary book, uncovered many of the dark and deeply buried secrets that Paula Yates, tragically, never lived to hear.
Bob Geldof formed Band Aid, orchestrated Live Aid, and is the driving force behind Live 8. He has rallied the forces of rock performers all over the world and inspired millions to raise millions for the starving in Africa. He has met with world leaders and demanded that they change their aid policies. He has travelled in Africa and seen famine first-hand, and he has overseen the disbursement of the millions that Band Aid has raised. In this vividly honest autobiography, written with wit, candour and characteristic energy, Geldof recounts his extraordinary childhood in Dublin and schooldays that were both horrifying and funny. He describes the origins of New Wave music and the beginnings, triumphs, and eventual eclipse of the Boomtown Rats. He writes of his years with Paula Yates, the formation of Band Aid and its achievements and he writes of his hopes for the future. Widely admired, Bob Geldof is nonetheless ferociously independent and remains the most charismatic and controversial public figure in Britain today. '(It) shows that by a combination of charm, loquaciousness and irrevocable moral certainty, a wayward, catholic, hand-reared boy can shift the world on its axis’ Sunday Times
This is the tragic true story of Michael Hutchence, by the women who knew him best. Since his death in 1997, his mother and sister have read tales spun by people who only knew him for a fraction of his 37 years, if at all. This intimate biography aims to set the record straight.
From the age of nine, Michael dreams of playing basketball for the United States in the Olympics, and with hard work and his mother's encouragement, he realizes his dream. Full color.
THE REAL STORY BEHIND INXS'S RISE TO FAME -- AND HOW THEY HELPED DEFINE THE MUSIC OF A GENERATION. INXS broke new musical ground. This Australian band, made up of three brothers and their three best mates, took the world by storm, turning rock, pop, and funk into a cutting edge, danceable style, and selling more than thirty million albums worldwide. INXS: Story to Story tells the tale of their incredible journey, from playing the world's biggest concert venues to living a high life rivaling any in rock history, filled with sex, drugs, and supermodels. Now for the first time, they reveal everything they experienced in their more than two decades of making music -- the partying, the pressure, the wild times on the road, the heights and depths of rock-star life, and the bonds of brotherhood and friendship that not only got them through the tough times but made the fun times even more intense. They also talk about the sadness of watching their closest friend and collaborator, Michael Hutchence, slipping away from them, and share their thoughts about why he left them far too soon. Fully authorized and reflecting the band's firsthand point of view, this is the real story behind the phenomenon that is INXS -- and the book every rock fan will need to own.
The Atlantean Legacy is the story of Akana, a priestess of ancient Atlantis. Filled with the details of her daily life, her friends, and her loves, Akana shares with you a glimpse into the rituals and practices of her people. She journeys through her other lives in the distant past and future, eventually revealing the crucial role she comes to play as the mythical island of Atlantis moves to the brink of destruction.
A night that began with a dinner to celebrate his eleventh wedding anniversary ended in a jail cell for Michael Bryant. He was charged with dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing the death of cyclist Darcy Sheppard. Ironically, he had helped write the legal test for the same charges sixteen years earlier. Bryant, as Ontario's attorney general, was the man responsible for administering 500,000 criminal charges every year in that province. He now faced prosecution by the same justice system. The charges were eventually dropped, but nothing could undo what had happened to Sheppard-or Bryant.