Not for Book Club: Kitty Kelley Takes on Oprah

By Marc Schneider Posted Jan 22nd 2010 07:48AM

Kitty Kelley, the queen of gossipy and unflattering (but extremely best-selling) celebrity biographies, has a new subject that isn't gonna like it: Oprah Winfrey.

The author's publisher announced Thursday that her 544-page unauthorized 'Oprah: A Biography' will be released April 13, with a huge first printing of 500,000 copies. We've got a hunch Oprah won't be adding this biography to her book club.

Kelley says she has high regard for Winfrey, but also felt committed to writing the truth. Kelley says she devoted the past three years to examining Winfrey's life. She says she came away "full of admiration for her accomplishments and fascinated by her complexity."

David Drake of Crown Publishers said it was time to get a closer look at the TV icon.

"Oprah has spent years eliciting intimate confessionals from her subjects, but she herself has a carefully guarded persona," Drake says, according to EW's Shelf Life blog. "This is the first complete portrait of her -- it will reveal Oprah as she has never been seen before."

But what will it actually reveal about her? "It will cover all aspects of her life...It will be evenhanded. Kelley understands Oprah's cultural importance and that is something she covers at length."

Winfrey has apparently known about Kelley's book for some time. Drake says that a few years ago she said "something along the lines of, 'I'm not encouraging it, I'm not discouraging it; this is America.'"

Kelley is known for her salacious biographies about the Kennedys, the Bush's, Nancy Reagan and Frank Sinatra. Critics have called her books "Kitty litter" and she's been accused of libel, but has never been sued.

Tags: Kitty Kelley, oprah winfrey

Comments

(27)

Saturday 23 January

By Sheryl

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You would really wish something bad on a person, and expect nothing bad to happen to you? Hmmmm...Ignorance IS bliss, and you are ecstatic!!

Friday 22 January

By olzues

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When you write about a celebrity the question isn't is it true or not, it's whether the writing is malicious or not. Malice is defined in these cases as a reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of the story. Suing Kitty for liable is more likley than not a costly waste of time.

By Tim

Oh, boo hoo, the women that wants America to think she is perfect might get proven otherwise...Its about time someone takes her off her high horse

By Asparagus Tip

Maybe we'll find out once and for all that she's a donut bumper.

Wednesday 27 January

By miguel

Oprah and our First Monkey, Michelle Osama, love to talk sh@t about Whites behind closed doors, BELIEVE IT!

Tuesday 13 April

By mercy

i think that its a publicity stunt on kelley's part because who the hell is she anyway? i for one did not know her up until all this oprah talk which is clearly nonsense...

Tuesday 20 April

By Randall Barfield

It's Bushes, not Bush's. A plural isn't the same as a possessive. :)

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