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  • On Bette Midler: An Opinionated Guide

    On Bette Midler by Winkler, Kevin;

    An Opinionated Guide

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      • Publisher's listprice GBP 22.99
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    Availability

    Estimated delivery time: In stock at the publisher, but not at Prospero's office. Delivery time approx. 3-5 weeks.
    Not in stock at Prospero.

    Why don't you give exact delivery time?

    Delivery time is estimated on our previous experiences. We give estimations only, because we order from outside Hungary, and the delivery time mainly depends on how quickly the publisher supplies the book. Faster or slower deliveries both happen, but we do our best to supply as quickly as possible.

    Product details:

    • Publisher OUP USA
    • Date of Publication 26 September 2024

    • ISBN 9780197668320
    • Binding Hardback
    • No. of pages232 pages
    • Size 201x137x27 mm
    • Weight 408 g
    • Language English
    • Illustrations 20 color illustrations
    • 573

    Categories

    Short description:

    For more than fifty years, Bette Midler has been at the center of the entertainment world as a uniquely talented singer, actress, and comedienne. Starting in the unlikely venue of a gay bathhouse in New York City--where she developed her Divine Miss M persona--this book takes a deep dive into her successes, from movies to million-selling records, from sell-out concert tours to her memorable farewell to Johnny Carson as his last guest on The Tonight Show.

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    Long description:

    Bette Midler today is a beloved legacy star, best known for her comic witch in Disney's Hocus Pocus (1993) and its 2022 sequel. She has also gained prominence for sentimental, anthemic ballads like "Wind Beneath My Wings," her initiation of green space projects in New York City, and tussling with Donald Trump on Twitter. Her profile is that of an articulate, civic-minded matriarch enjoying thoroughly mainstream stardom. But more than fifty years earlier she emerged from the steam of the subterranean Continental Baths as the Divine Miss M, the bawdy, campy, fearless alter ego she created in front of an audience of towel-clad gay men who came to the baths seeking not just sex, but a sense of community and safety from an often-harrowing outside world. "I was able to take chances on that stage that I could not have taken anywhere else," she later wrote. "Ironically, I was freed from fear by people who, at the time, were ruled by fear. And for that I will always be grateful." Overnight, Bette Midler became a much-loved icon of the gay community.

    The Divine Miss M coalesced gay, Jewish, feminist, and show business sensibilities into an outrageously funny and emotionally compelling persona that travelled with surprising ease from the cultural margins to the entertainment mainstream. Her embrace by mom-and-pop audiences, rock fans and critics, and the guardians of middle-of-the-road show business demonstrates just how deeply the tastes and sensibilities of her original audience have been absorbed into popular culture. On Bette Midler: An Opinionated Guide traces the early development of Midler's performing ethos from New York's downtown experimental theater scene and examines her impact across media, with chapters on the soaring highs (and occasional cringe-worthy lows) of her stage work, movies, recordings, and television appearances, and considers her influence as an environmental activist and social media presence.

    On Bette Midler features performance analysis and deeply researched background information, all of it supporting informed--and divinely opinionated--consideration of Midler the artist. It judges her work by the highest standards: those she established for herself.

    Winkler's blend of dishy backstage detail, over-the-top adoration, and solid criticism befit his larger-than-life subject. Midler's fans will find plenty to sink their teeth into.

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    Table of Contents:

    Dedication
    Acknowledgements
    "Any day now": A Bette Midler Chronology
    Introduction: The Birth of the Divine
    Chapter 1: "And me, I was your hostess!": Bette Midler's Theater
    Chapter 2: "Some say love . . . ": Bette Midler's Recordings
    Chapter 3: "I'll show you a pair of Golden Globes!": Bette Midler's Television
    Chapter 4: "I've been kidnapped by K-Mart!": Bette Midler's Movies
    "Now write this down!": Selected Bibliography
    Notes
    Index

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