filed under: books

MADONNA is truly the master of media manipulation. "The supposed scandal about [her brother] Christopher Ciccone's book is bull[bleep]," an insider told Page Six. "She actually ghost-wrote parts of it with him, the way Princess Diana helped Andrew Morton write his book on her. That's why there's nothing too devastating in Chris's book. He's mean to others, but not so much to his sister." In addition, Madge, now frighteningly rail thin, exploited Alex Rodriguez. "She flirted with him and manipulated him," our source declared. "She didn't count on wife Cynthia leaving him and naming her in the divorce, though." Madonna is using the buzz over her relationship with A-Rod to her benefit. "She's ordered three A-Rod Yankee jerseys she'll wear in the finale of her upcoming shows. All of this was created to sell tickets for her tour, which hasn't been selling so well." A rep for Madonna didn't return calls.

Dustin Diamond will lay bare the behind-the-scenes secrets from his years as Screech on Saved By The Bell in a new book.

The actor, 31, who played the lovable nerd on the U.S. sitcom and its spin-offs from 1989 to 2000, will expose for the first time what Diamond and his castmembers, including Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley, got up to off set.

Behind The Bell, which Diamond will pen with the aid of a ghostwriter, will reveal "sexual escapades among cast members, drug use, and hardcore partying," reports People.com.

A biography by the Queen of Pop’s brother claims to lift the lid on Madge’s sexual conquests, love affairs, drug-taking and rows with husband GUY RITCHIE.

And it will tell how Madonna, now 49, flirted with Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow at a glamorous New Year party thrown by leading fashion designer DONATELLA VERSACE.

The Like A Virgin singer was dancing on a table at 4am when she dragged Gwyneth up to join her.

Younger brother Christopher Ciconne will tell how he watched as the pair started dancing together.

Then — as party-goers watched in amazement — Madonna grabbed Gwynnie, pulled her to her and kissed the stunned Hollywood star full on the mouth.

MADONNA and Britney Spears are about to get socked with scandalous, tell-all books about their wild and crazy lives.

Madonna is sure to be the more betrayed. Her brother Christopher Ciccone, who had a falling-out with Her Madgesty several years ago, has collaborated with British journo Wendy Leigh on an exposé of his sister for Simon Spotlight Entertainment, an imprint of Simon & Schuster - and it's going to be "brutal."

"It's extremely graphic and devastating," said a source who declined to give details. "He wrote it on the sly without telling Madonna. They want to put it out before her lawyers can get a hold of it."

The book, due out next month, has a massive print run of 350,000.

A dismayed friend of Madonna said, "We'd heard rumors, but didn't realize he'd actually written it. He was there through the crazy years and has many stories to tell, I'm sure. He's seen it all. Oh, my."

Adam Rothberg, Simon & Schuster's fork-tongued flack, told us yesterday, "We don't have anything to say at this time" - but then gave the story to the AP. Madonna's rep declined to comment.

Ciccone - a gay decorator/chef once described by Rupert Everett in Everett's biography as "a solid raft for Madonna in the shark-infested waters" - was ditched by his sister after she hooked up with her now husband Guy Ritchie, who Everett said was "uncomfortable around queens."

Just how pissed is Madonna about the tell-all book her brother is currently writing?

E! reports that the Material One has been meeting with her attorneys to cease publication of Christopher Ciccone’s July book, Life With My Sister. Neither Madge’s rep nor Simon & Schuster will confirm that, but Liz Rosenberg, the singer’s longtime publicist, did tell AP that Madonna “has not cooperated with any biography” being written about her.

And guess who is likely to land the first interview with Christopher Ciccone? Diane Sawyer. Sorry, Babs!

As the 44-year-old diva with the legendary voice struggles to make her comeback, both of her exes have written scandalous things about her.

Her ex-husband Bobby Brown has come out with a tell-all autobiography, "Being Bobby Brown: The Whole Truth and Nothin' But," in which he details his and Houston's drug use and addresses the rumors of her bi-sexuality.

And now her much younger lover, Ray J, 27, has written a song dissing Brown and detailing his sex life with Houston.

In Ray J's "Boyfriend," off his just-released album, "All I Feel," which debuts this week, Ray J croons, "Is that your wife, is that your shorty, well I'm her boyfriend . . . I think the problem is you don't beat it right . . . Making love is cool, just pull her hair sometimes."

The feeling between Brown and Ray J seems to be mutual. While Ray J is more blatant in his diss, Brown tries to be subtler.

In his book, Brown writes:

"For those of you who want to know, I'm aware of the fact that Whitney had been seeing Ray J, a very young R&B artist who is most famous for being the little brother of Brandy, the multi-platinum singing artist and TV star.

"Their relationship doesn't bother me. She's open to see whoever she wants to see, just like I can see who I want to see. I know the age difference between her and the little guy is 20 years, but to each his own. The only concern I had was how our daughter felt about the age difference. As long as she's cool with it, it's fine by me."

At least Whitney hasn't starred in any sex tape. Ray J shot to national attention after he marketed a sex tape of him and ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian in flagrante.

After that video was released, with Kardashian's blessings (she also rose to fame on the wings of the tape), Ray J signed a deal with Vivid Entertainment to direct porn.

When he started dating Houston, Ray J would take any opportunity to have a picture with the diva - and friends were concerned their love life would end up on the Internet, as well.

"I never used cocaine until after I met Whitney. Before then, I had experimented with other drugs, but marijuana was my drug of choice. At one point in my life, I used drugs uncontrollably. I was using everything I could get my hands on, from cocaine to heroin, weed and cooked cocaine."

"I think it [the marriage] was doomed from the very beginning. Within the first year we separated, with several more to follow. I think we got married for all the wrong reasons. Now, I realize Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married. I believe her agenda was to clean up her image, while mine was to be loved and have children. Whitney was under a lot of pressure. The media was accusing her of having a bisexual relationship with her assistant, Robin Crawford. In Whitney's situation, the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation, whether it was true or not."

A new book by Princess Diana's biographer makes some astonishing claims about Tom Cruise and the hold that Scientology has over every aspect of his life.

In Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography, Andrew Morton launches an extraordinary attack on the Top Gun star — and on those closest to him, including his little daughter, Suri.

The U.K.'s Daily Mail has revealed some of the more scandalous allegations that Morton makes in the book:

* Tom's daughter with Katie Holmes, Suri, was conceived like Rosemary's Baby, a film "in which an unsuspecting young woman is impregnated with the Devil's child." Morton claims that some "fanatical" Scientologists believe that Suri is the result of a sperm donation by Scientology's dead founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

* Morton implies that Scientology executives contributed to the failure of Tom's marriage to Nicole Kidman. He writes that because Nicole's father was a psychologist (a science said to be frowned upon by the religion) and that she had given an interview emphasizing her roots as a Catholic that she would "compromise Tom's commitment to his faith." When the couple split in 2000, Morton claims that Nicole was worried that she might not be able to see the two children the couple had adopted (Isabella and Conor). He also states that she was worried that her Scientology "audit" tapes, which contained details of her sex life, might be leaked if she spoke out. * The author says that Penelope Cruz's father, Eduardo, feared that his daughter would be drawn into a "cult" while she dated her Vanilla Sky co-star, and "emailed an organization devoted to helping cult members and their families."

* Morton says that Tom's current mission is to recruit David and Victoria Beckham. The 45-year-old took Scientology leader David Miscavige to a Real Madrid game in 2004 and when the Beckhams moved to Los Angeles in July last year, he threw them a celebratory party.

Tom's longtime lawyer Bert Fields spoke to the Daily Mail about the book, describing it as "a pack of lies." He said that the tome is "poorly researched and badly written, and it's not really even about Tom Cruise — it's an attack on Scientology." He also said that Morton hasn't spoken to him, Tom's mother, sister, Paula Wagner (Tom's producing partner), his agent, wives, David Beckham, Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez or any of the famous directors he's worked with.

While the book isn't being published in the U.K., readers in the U.S. will have a chance to judge for themselves when it is published Stateside on January 15.

An angry Larry Birkhead has vowed to sue author Rita Cosby, days before an explosive tell-all is set to hit bookstores. In "Blonde Ambition," Cosby charts the convoluted custody battle between Birkhead and lawyer Howard K. Stern, who both claimed paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's baby girl, Dannielynn. And while Cosby has not released details of the book before its Sept. 4 publication, it is believed she will allege Birkhead and Stern were secretly in collusion over the child. Dannielynn, who turns 1 on Sept. 7, could inherit hundreds of millions from the estate of Smith's late husband, J. Howard Marshall. "None of it is true," Birkhead told The News' Jo Piazza yesterday. "I'm gonna sue Rita Cosby for it." In March, Birkhead acrimoniously split with his attorney Debra Opri. She later sued for allegedly unpaid fees, though Birkhead insists it is she who owes him money. Birkhead said he believes Opri was the source of documents Cosby obtained, "so I am going to be suing both Debra and Rita Cosby. The bottom line is Rita Cosby needed something to do. She got fired [from MSNBC in 2006], and nobody wanted her." Meanwhile, OK! magazine severed ties with Birkhead over the Cosby allegations. The weekly was to have featured coverage of Dannielynn's first birthday as the final part of a $1.7 million access deal. Editor Sarah Ivens said: "It breaks my heart that OK! has to pull out of [the] shoot ... but first and foremost, we care dearly about the well-being of the young one, and my moral obligation lies with her.... My biggest fear is that Larry and Howard may have tricked us all."

"I am a texter, I love to text. There is nothing wrong with getting a hot text. I say go for it but be subtle. Express how you are feeling but don't do anything too crazy."

Is "Hollywood Car Wash" -- the new novel about a young TV star from the Midwest who enters into a "contracted relationship" -- about Katie Holmes?

Various blogs have reported that Holmes got a copy of the book from a friend and is "furious" over it. When asked if Katie received the book, author Lori Culwell played it close to the vest; "I do know someone who knows her right now and might have given her the book," Culwell told TMZ. "I can't discuss any relationship with Katie Holmes, but I am sorry that she's upset about the book."

On her lawyer's advice, Culwell wouldn't tell us whether or not she knows Holmes, but she does maintain the book is "all based on real stories," and that "the main character is based on a person that is never, ever going to talk to me again."

"Hollywood Car Wash" is Culwell's debut novel, about a girl who lands a TV pilot and is forced to lose weight and completely change her appearance to be more marketable -- including "new teeth, blonder hair, and a megastar boyfriend with a big secret."

Holmes' rep, Ina Treciokas, flatly denies the rumors. She tells TMZ Katie has "never heard of this book, never read it and doesn't know the author."

The book has even drawn attention from a few film studios. "Three production companies are reading it for adaptation now," Culwell told us, before slyly adding, "And maybe Katie Holmes would like to play the main character." Maybe, indeed.