Welcome to the website for Tara Hanks, author of The Mmm Girl and Wicked Baby.
Cliveden, 1961
Sir Ludovic Kennedy was born in Edinburgh in 1919, son of a naval officer. He was educated at Eton, where he played in a jazz band with Humphrey Lyttleton. After serving in World War II, Kennedy studied at Oxford, and later took up journalism and broadcasting. He married the dancer Moira Shearer in 1950, and they had four children. He died on October 18, 2009, aged 89.
Kennedy’s greatest achievement was in uncovering miscarriages of justice. In his book, 10 Rillington Place, he argued that Timothy Evans’ murder conviction was unsound. It was later discovered that John Christie was responsible. Kennedy also investigated the case of Derek Bentley, the last man to be hanged in England. He also wrote at length about the Lindbergh kidnapping and the Birmingham Six, and advocated liberal causes from atheism to euthanasia. Kennedy was a fiercely eloquent critic of the justice system, and a much-admired free thinker.
After the recent passing of Ludovic Kennedy, I re-read his 1964 book, The Trial Of Stephen Ward. It is one of the best studies of the Profumo Affair, and an invaluable record of the shortcomings of English criminal procedure. Ward’s trial and the outcry it caused was also the subject of my own first novella, Wicked Baby (2004.) Continue Reading »
Posted in Books, History, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby | Tagged Christine Keeler, Ludovic Kennedy, Mandy Rice-Davies, Stephen Ward | 3 Comments »
Celebration is Madonna’s third greatest hits package, spanning her thirty–year career. She has also released collections of remixes and ballads, as well as eleven studio albums and several film soundtracks. A two-disc compilation, showcasing such a prolific artist, seems almost minimal. It is accompanied by a double DVD featuring nearly fifty videos.
The cover, by street artist Mr Brainwash, is striking, if perhaps too obvious a riff on Warhol’s Marilyn. But Madonna is an icon in her own right, and Celebration’s booklet includes some of the best artwork on any of her albums. Browned newspaper featuring printed lyrics are overlaid by images from Madonna’s many incarnations; there are montages, a Banksy-style billboard, and my own favourite, a young Madonna surrounded by smashed records.
The artwork recreates the New York club scene of the 1970s and 80s where Madonna found her niche. That spirit of ‘reinvention’ has echoed through the following decades, and sets her apart from her imitators. Now she is a phenomenon on the scale of Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Michael Jackson – the only woman in that select club, and by far the most provocative.
Some critics would argue that Madonna’s true genius lies in marketing, but the music tells another story. While the Beatles split acrimoniously, and Michael and Elvis faded away, Madonna remains a dominant force, running ahead of the pack. Continue Reading »
Posted in Art and Photography, Film, Madonna, Music | Tagged Celebration, It's So Cool, Madonna, Mr Brainwash, Revolver | Leave a Comment »
A few sightings of The Mmm Girl across the globe. Contact me if you’d like to be added to the gallery!
Alex's cat, NYC
Colby's dorm, Florida
Posted in Art and Photography, Books, Marilyn Monroe, The Mmm Girl, Updates | Tagged Marilyn Monroe, Tara Hanks, The Mmm Girl | 1 Comment »
J. Randy Taraborrelli is the leading celebrity biographer of our time. His subjects include contemporary stars like Michael Jackson and Madonna, and he has produced a string of bestsellers. Taraborrelli’s style is best described as gossip journalism – tabloid-style, perhaps, but widely read.
Having published books on Frank Sinatra and the Kennedys, it was perhaps inevitable that Taraborrelli would turn his attentions to Marilyn Monroe, who knew them all.
But Monroe represents a unique challenge to biographers because she has been written about extensively in the 47 years since her death, more than any other actress. Furthermore, accounts of her life and character vary widely and it is difficult to find a consensus on even the most basic facts.
Taraborrelli owes a considerable debt to authors like Michelle Morgan, whose Marilyn Monroe: Private And Undisclosed was ground-breaking in its depth and authenticity.
The Secret Life Of Marilyn Monroe deals primarily with two subjects : firstly, Marilyn’s childhood and the women who cared for her; and secondly, a re-examination of Marilyn’s mental illness towards the end of her life, suggesting her depression was more severe than previously disclosed. Continue Reading »
Posted in Books, Film, Marilyn Monroe | Tagged Biography, J. Randy Taraborrelli, Marilyn Monroe | Leave a Comment »
HerStoria is a new quarterly magazine, launched in Liverpool this February. Its byline is ‘history that puts women in their place’. Women’s role in history has sometimes been overlooked, though the same could also be said for other groups such as the working class and non-whites. Focussing on their stories helps us to understand the past as experienced by society at large, and not only through the narrow perspective of ruling elites. Continue Reading »
Posted in Brighton, History, Magazines, Witchcraft | Tagged Brighton, HerStoria, Regency, Witchcraft | Leave a Comment »
Trades Of The Flesh is Faye L. Booth’s second novel – her first, Cover The Mirrors, was published in 2007. Both books are set in late 19th century Preston, and feature young, working-class women thriving in unconventional ways. Cover The Mirrors’ Molly Pinner worked as a medium, and Trades’ Lydia Ketch is a prostitute. Booth allows readers to reconsider existing views of Victorian morality, and shows how ordinary women negotiated degrees of independence in unlikely settings. Continue Reading »
Posted in Books, History | Tagged Faye L. Booth, Historical Fiction, Trades Of The Flesh, Victoriana | 1 Comment »
Death Was In The Picture is the second in Linda L. Richards’ series of mysteries, set in Depression-era Los Angeles and featuring Kitty Pangborn, a debutante fallen on tough times and now working as secretary to an alcoholic private eye, Dexter J. Theroux. Continue Reading »
Posted in Books, Film | Tagged Death Was In The Picture, Linda L. Richards | Leave a Comment »
Life was one of the most popular American magazines of the 20th century, with a strong emphasis on photojournalism. It lives on today as an online photo archive, and occasionally publishes special editions in honour of iconic Americans. During the 1950s and 60s, one of their favourite cover stars was none other than Marilyn Monroe, and this tribute is long overdue. Continue Reading »
Posted in Art and Photography, Books, Magazines, Marilyn Monroe | Tagged Life Magazine, Marilyn Monroe | Leave a Comment »
By Eve Arnold, 1955
My review of David Marshall’s speculative novel, Life Among The Cannibals: The Life and Times of Marilyn Monroe 1962-2003, appears in Issue 9 of Mad About Marilyn, the UK-based fan club and magazine. This latest edition also features the famous 1956 interview that Marilyn gave to Earl Wilson from her hotel suite, a retrospective on Jack Cardiff, and a closer look at those plastic surgery rumours.
Posted in Books, Marilyn Monroe, Updates | Tagged David Marshall, Life Among The Cannibals, Mad About Marilyn, Marilyn Monroe | Leave a Comment »
When stars collide,1984
In 1983, an upcoming singer had just scored her first international hit, ‘Holiday’. Determined to be more than a one-hit wonder, she contacted Freddy DeMann, manager of the world’s most successful pop star – Michael Jackson. In fact, Jackson had recently hired a new manager, which left DeMann free to devote his attention to the lesser-known, but fiercely ambitious Madonna. Continue Reading »
Posted in Madonna, Music | Tagged Madonna, Michael Jackson | 6 Comments »
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