King Of Cons : Exposing the Dirty, Rotten Secrets of the Washington Elite and Hollywood Celebrities

Rating:
Summary: An Imbecile to the End
Review: For most people, being around stars for any protracted length of time is a sure cure of being starstruck. But Aaron Tonkin tells us he couldn't get them out of his system. He was, he tells us, as enthralled with their presence and they were with his presents.

In truth, this book is a bit difficult to swallow. Tonkin might be writing it as one last con -- aimed at the reader -- but the price he extracts is too high. Is one's reputation worth the amount of $$$ that a book like this would bring in? Apparently Tonkin is too stupid either way to make much of a difference.

Falling under the spell of the Clintons is understandable. They've probably got many more former friends than they do friends. But letting wealthy Hollywood celebrities go on unrestricted spending binges would cure most intelligent people in a matter of hours or days, not months or years.

If Tonkin is telling the truth, he's an imbecile and if he's lying, he's also an imbecile. I found my greatest disappointment of this book learning about some of the people I've enjoyed watching and listening to over the years. I only met one true entertainment celebrity in my life and spent several hours with him and a Navy captain who was a Paramount consultant. The latter was not someone most people would have heard of, but he was much more fascinating and substantive than the lowlife scum we were accompanying (in preparation for a movie about a hunt for a submarine).

This book is worth the read, but it won't enhance your view of the human race much. And by publishing it, Tonkin makes no bones in admitting he's a crass loser who fails to learn from his mistakes.





Rating:
Summary: Like reading a 400+ page tabloid
Review: I don't know what is more compelling about this book, the dirt he tells on so many celebrities or the author himself. By his own admission he's a liar and a crook himself, but you can't help but believe the man when he describes dirty homes, overly inflated egos and the incredible self-centered nature of major stars. Tonken writes very well (did he really write this himself-what's real about him and what's not?) and keeps you turning the page to discover more. Believe him or not, this is what I call entertainment!

Rating:
Summary: Unbelivably Greedy Celebs
Review: I read this book during the Xmas holidays and came away rather depressed. Even as a cynical type, I had no idea as to the greed and villany of some of our 'stars'. Formmer US Presidents demanding $200,000 upfront in order to appear at a charitable event. Greedy, nasty celebs such as Cher and Joan Collins who demand jewels, round-trip private jet trips, 10's if not 100's of thousands of dollars in the hopes that they MIGHT make an apperaance at a charitable event. All monies, of course, totally out of the 'profits' from the charitable events. I hate most of my 'stars' now.

Rating:
Summary: Dishy, Dirty..and great fun
Review: Its always fun to read a beach book in December. Tonken's "King of Cons" is loaded with name-dropping, name-calling and page after page of dirty secrets of top political and entertainment personalities.

Under the guise of charity, Tonken made (and blew) millions setting up fundraisers and arranging for celebrity appearances at events. But, despite his wheeling-dealing, you can;t despise the guy because he is playing with and catering to some of the biggest names...Clinton (Bill and Hill), Cher, J-Lo,... and the "Stars" come off as vilier as Tonken.

Great fun, and a good gift for anyone who likes to read up on the side of Hollywood and Washington that isn't spin or publicist-created.

Rating:
Summary: errrrrr....
Review: Shouldn't the title be "King Of Being Conned?" Tonken was definitely a man of the 90's. He was a dot.com waiting to happen. I don't quite understand his point, though. Hollywood celebrities shouldn't accept lavish gifts from morons? It's true that government officials shouldn't accept gifts and those that did committed a crime, but Hollywood? I'll give the book 3 stars. It was way too long and repetitive. I guess that can be explained by Tonken's seeming inability to learn from his past mistakes. The book's only saving grace is as a warning to all like-minded celebrity schmoozers.

You should be locked up, Aaron. We're doing it for your own good. I shudder to think what you'd've given Michael Jackson had someone offered him to you.

Rating:
Summary: Liz Smith said it best!
Review: Syndicated columnist Liz Smith (Newsday, New York Post, etc.) said it best: ""King of Cons" is a jaw dropper in the same vein as Eddie Fisher's autobiography, "Been There, Done That," and George Jacobs' exposé on Frank Sinatra, "Mr. S." And, like those books, whatever editorial assistance or gussying up occurred, "Cons" has the same unmistakable rib-tickling, gasp-inducing ring of truth. As a holiday present it is rather on the sordid side. But, go ahead, put it under the tree. Then, take yourself to a soup kitchen on Christmas and do a really good deed."

I couldn't agree more. "King of Cons" is a page-turner in the truest sense of the term. I could not put it down. Now I have to get back to work....



Rating:
Summary: The biggest shock to me was....
Review: what a moron Tonken was. This guy was "had" by everyone he approached and he kept going back for more! I mean here's a clown who basically thumbs his way to Hollywood and in a few short years knows virtually every Hollywood star, and ultimately ends up on a first name basis with the Clintons. As I was reading I kept saying over and over, "If this guy just had a clue, he could have really been on to something really big." Instead he just kept getting "taken", time and time again. The dirt he unsparingly dishes was fairly fascinating, but not really shocking as who doesn't already know what blood-suckers movie star types are. You can tell he feels guilty for what he did(for what thats worth), but he is still very much in denial about how stupid he was. He still likes to put all the blame on all the celebrities who milked him. This guy was so willing, who could blame them?