TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER The Bookworm Sez Advertisement

Every year, as twinkly-eyed hopefuls stream to L.A., New York and Nashville, they wonder what it'll take to become stars.

Legend says that Lana Turner was "discovered" sitting at a drug store counter. Drew Barrymore was born into a famous dynasty. The Olsen Twins were toddlers when they hit the big time on the small screen. So what combination of work, good fortune, good ancestry and kismet does it take to become famous?

In the new book "Diana Ross: A Biography" by J. Randy Taraborrelli, you'll see that it sometimes takes focus and a willingness to push one's self into the path of stardom. Others might have called that pushiness.

In retrospect, nobody should have been surprised that little Diane (her birth name) Ross from Detroit's Brewster Projects would become a star.

Family members recall that she loved being the center of attention and craved approval. She was happy, Taraborrelli indicates, to curry favor with Berry Gordy, founder of Motown. Gordy was inundated with kids from Detroit who wanted to become Motown stars.

Diane was no different.

Gordy gave her her wish.

But Diana Ross's wish was, more or less, the undoing of her relationship with Florence Ballard, the original founder of The Supremes, and with Mary Wilson.

Taraborrelli hints -- and other witnesses support the contention -- that Ross schemed her way to more and more power within the group and without her singing partners.

As the group evolved from "The Supremes" to "Diana Ross and The Supremes," arguments and jealousies sprouted. Florence Ballard was fired the day after her birthday in 1967. Mary Wilson hung in after Ross left the group in 1970.

No one who listens to the radio needs to be reminded that leaving The Supremes was not the end of Diana Ross's career or even her life in the limelight. She's enjoyed more mega-selling hits and professional triumphs, but she also took many hits to her personal life.

Taraborrelli points out that Ross's chart-topping stopped almost two decades ago, but she continues to command respect, both from reporters and from her staff. She's still a star -- a diva, Taraborrelli says -- and she finally feels like it, after more than 40 years of performing.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book when I started it. I knew that author Taraborrelli was a Diana Ross fan from way back. Would that taint this biography?

Happily, no.

"Diana Ross: A Biography" is well-done; not overly-gushing or fan-struck, filled with good and not-so-good anecdotes. I was particularly interested to see that Taraborrelli included stories not only of his personal relationships with the Ross family, but also a few can't-believe-it brushes he had with the diva when he was hired to pen his former books about her.

If you grew up with Ross's music, or if you've followed along with the tabloids, you might not find anything earth-shattering in this book, but don't let that deter you from enjoying it. "Diana Ross: A Biography" is one supremely thorough bio for any Ross fan.

"Diana Ross: A Biography" by J. Randy Taraborrelli, Citadel Press, $26.95, 539 pages, includes discography, notes, and index.