Vanity Fair | VF.com

Mary Ellen Mark’s Set Photography

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Only Mary Ellen Mark can claim to have documented the turmoil on the most notorious film set of all time (Apocalypse Now), as well as the making of classics as diverse as Tootsie, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Fellini’s Satyricon. With photographs from more than 50 film sets, Mark’s recently published book, Seen Behind the Scene: Forty Years of Photographing On Set (Phaidon), provides a revealing look at how the movies get made.

Evgenia Peretz on Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

The frabjous combination of Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll heads for 3-D.

When Lena Horne Played the Waldorf

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Throughout her six-decade career, Lena Horne was one of the most talented—and complicated—figures in show business. In an excerpt from his definitive new biography of the glamorous singer and actress, James Gavin examines the moment she gave up on Hollywood and its stereotypical view of African-Americans and made a triumphant debut at one of the swankiest old-line establishments in New York.

Steve King on the pearl industry

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Our fascination with pearls is thousands of years old—no other gem has been so loved, for so long, by so many. But is today’s pearl industry in danger of becoming a victim of its own success?

Out to Lunch with Denise Hale

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Over champagne cocktails and gossip in San Francisco, Denise Hale explains the Catch-22 of belonging.

August 2009: In Character, Starring …

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces. Luckily for us, he continued the tradition for the pages of Vanity Fair. Here are some of the best.

Tony Bennett on Frank Sinatra

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Tony Bennett salutes Frank Sinatra, for showing the way.

New York City’s Best Day Spas

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

If you are looking to escape in New York City, head to one of these day spas, which VanityFair.com considers to be some of the most relaxing spots in Gotham.

More “Ain’t We Got Style?” shoot photos

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

The August issue’s “Ain’t We Got Style?” portfolio re-creates scenes from classic Depression-era films with today’s rising stars. These retro shots of photographer Norman Jean Roy at work capture the mood.

James Wolcott on cultural snobbery

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Pity the culture snob, as Kindles, iPods, and flash drives swallow up the visible markers of superior taste and intelligence. With the digitization of books, music, and movies, how will the highbrow distinguish him- or herself from the masses?

August 2009: Letters to the editor

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Delighted with William Langewiesche; sizing up Madoff’s privates; New York City unbound; and cover complaints.

The Vanities Openers

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Every month, the first page of the magazine’s Vanities section features an up-and-coming actor with a hotly anticipated project in the pipeline. Catch up with the latest crop of Vanities “openers.”

Michael Lewis on A.I.G.

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Almost a year after A.I.G.’s collapse, despite a tidal wave of outrage, there still has been no clear explanation of what toppled the insurance giant. The author decides to ask the people involved—the silent, shell-shocked traders of the A.I.G. Financial Products unit—and finds that the story may have a villain, whose reign of terror over 400 employees brought the company, the U.S. economy, and the global financial system to their knees.

Laura Jacobs on Julia Child

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

The making of the cultural phenomenon that was Julia Child had three key ingredients: a man, a meal, and a TV camera. Five years after Child’s death, as Meryl Streep plays the woman who revolutionized America’s relationship with food, the author recalls the wartime romance between Julia McWilliams and Paul Child, the bride’s life-altering first lunch (sole meunière) in France, and the 1962 television appearance that turned her into a star—and her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking into a bible.

Christopher Hitchens on Britain’s Labour Party

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Britain’s Labour Party, the author’s ﬁrst political home, when he was a young idealist, now stands for nothing in his eyes. Unless one counts the Nixonian power lust—dirty tricks included—of Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

June 2009: The Brooke Astor trial sketches

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

In a lawsuit initiated by his son Philip, Anthony Marshall, the late Brooke Astor’s only child, has been accused of trying to bilk his mother out of her famous fortune as she succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease in the last years of her life. The witnesses for the prosecution have been a Who’s Who of New York society, all captured here by court sketch artist Jane Rosenberg.

Beach, Please!

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:00:00 -0700

In its 26-year modern history, Vanity Fair has photographed some of the world’s most recognizable bodies (Gisele, Angelina, Brad … Borat?) on beaches from Malibu to Amagansett. Unfold the umbrella, slap on some sunscreen, and enjoy the view.

Michael Wolff on Politico

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Four old-media veterans may have solved the future of news with the Politico Web site, whose audience of six million obsessives and insiders consumes–and feeds–a real-time download of power data. The twist? Politico’s print version is what’s helped make it profitable.

Behind the Scenes at the “Ain’t We Got Style?” Shoots

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:00:00 -0700

For “Ain’t We Got Style?,” a portfolio in the August issue, photographers Michael Roberts, Norman Jean Roy, Mark Seliger, and Art Streiber teamed up with Josh Duhamel, Mila Kunis, Emile Hirsch, and other rising stars to re-enact classic Depression-era films. Take a peek at the works in progress.

August 2009: Todd S. Purdum on Sarah Palin

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics, with a lucrative book contract for her story. But what Alaska’s charismatic governor wants the public to know about herself doesn’t always jibe with reality. As John McCain’s top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick, the author tracks the signs—political and personal—that Palin was big trouble, and checks the forecast for her future.

August 2009: Editor’s Letter

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Behind the Miracle

Heath Ledger Remembered

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:00:00 -0700

In August 2000, Vanity Fair featured a rising young star on its cover: Heath Ledger. Bruce Weber’s photographs captured the looks, character, and promise that the actor’s co-workers and friends described in the accompanying cover story. Ledger fulfilled that promise before his untimely death, in January 2008. Here, a selection of images from Weber’s shoot, both published and unpublished.

Bob Colacello on Nancy Reagan

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:00:00 -0700

Fifteen years after Ronald Reagan’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, and five years after his death, Nancy Reagan has triumphed over loneliness, grief, and a bad fall last year. At the former First Lady’s house, in Bel Air, California, the author gets her to sit down for a rare in-depth interview, covering the part she played in her husband’s White House, her dealings with the Bushes and Obamas, and her fight for stem-cell research.

A Jonathan Becker Retrospective

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:00:00 -0700

In his three decades taking pictures for Vanity Fair, Jonathan Becker has photographed some of the most distinctive characters from the worlds of film, art, literature, politics, and high society. From a preening gossip queen to a pantless designer, to a placid First Lady, here are some of his most memorable shots.

D.J. Cassidy Celebrates His Birthday with Music's Biggest Names

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:04:11 -0700

It’s My Party, I Can Wear a Red Tux If I Want To. D.J. Cassidy. From PatrickMcMullan.com. “Warm it up!” rapper Doug E. Fresh bellowed into the microphone as D.J. Ruckus filled the halls of the New York Public Library with deafening jams. Fresh was just one of the many performers, music honchos, and highly stylized trendsetters who had flocked to the Fifth Avenue institution to celebrate D.J. Cassidy’s 28th birthday last night. Cassidy Podell is one of the most sought-after D.J.’s in the music business, working parties from Hollywood to Capitol Hill; in fact, he was the official D.J. at President Barack Obama’s Inauguration Ball, in January. And D.J. Cassidy certainly draws a crowd. A slew of hip-hop royalty paid homage to the spin-master, including rappers Treach, from Naughty By Nature, Heavy D, Greg Nice, and R&B crooner Maxwell. Even Jay-Z and Nas showed up. The party was a throwback to throwdowns of the past, when the bass was heavy, the vibe was laid-back, and people actually danced—it certainly didn’t hurt that Belvedere provided cocktails honoring Cassidy’s music icon, Michael Jackson. (“Could I get one Smooth Criminal, P.Y.T., and Thriller, please?”)

David Myers's Vichyssoise with Miso, Scallop, and Lovage Puree

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:30:12 -0700

David Myers. In the August issue of Vanity Fair, Laura Jacobs writes about the late Julia Child, the chef who continues to be an inspiration to many of today's culinary stars. VF Daily asked today's top chefs around the country to create twists on Child's classic recipies. Herewith, the results. Bon Appetit! Vichyssoise with Miso, Scallop, and Lovage Puree by David Myers Sona Restaurant 401 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 310-659-7708 sonarestaurant.com Adapted from the Vichyssoise recipe printed in Julia Child's 1989 cookbook The Way to Cook (Knopf).

Pricked by Neptune's Fork: Maserati Quattroporte

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:20:33 -0700

You know how you feel when you run into someone at a restaurant, someone you’ve flirted with in the past but with whom you didn’t seal the deal, and now he’s all paired up and tan and sharing food from his date’s salad bowl, looking like they just came back from vacation in Madrid? You know what I’m talking about: that brain-biting twinge of I should have done him when I had the chance? The French call it, regret. This is just how I felt when I’d bump into a Maserati Quattroporte. I had spent a morning in the company of this handsome specimen at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, when filming the seminal Stick Shift video What is the Sexuality of the Maserati Quattroporte? with my pal Eddie Alterman. I’d lusted after it from afar, frequently mentioning it as the best-looking sedan on the market, and reveled in my ability to be in its direct company, to feed it flattering lines, and to run my hands over its muscular flanks. I even managed to get its number.

The House Shoots Down Michael Jackson’s Legacy

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0700

• The secret to winning the hearts and minds of the White House Press Pool? Grill them hot dogs! [Gawker] • Nancy Pelosi says Michael Jackson won’t get his commemorative resolution after all. (And, in other news, Peter King now knows what the first line of his obituary will be.) [L.A. Times] • John Ensign on why he gave $100,000 to his mistress’s family: I was in a gift-giving mood! [Politico] • What’s the best way to promote climate legislation? Show up to the Senate playing Daft Punk. [Daily Kos] • They’re still protesting in Iran! [Huff Post] • The newest plan to save journalism: The New York Times is considering charging $5 per month for access to its Web site. [Bloomberg] • Proof that Roger Federer is, in fact, not human. [NYT]

The World's Top Mixologists Discuss the State of Cocktails

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:54:05 -0700

The best way to describe Tales of the Cocktails, a five-day convention in New Orleans, is that it's ComiCon for barflies. "Super Bowl" is too mainstream an analogy because the people here really are, well, cocktail geeks. In its sixth year, bartenders, mixologists, liquor companies, and their entourages have descended upon the Big Easy to swap recipes, try new liqueurs, and give each other high fives while pouring behind the bar. New Orleans is the perfect location for such an event. With no open-container laws preventing the party from moving down the street, and no shortage of balconies and stoops—not to mention an excellent culinary reputation—the city is a veritable playground for carousing. When I say that these people are cocktail nerds, I'm not exaggerating. Listening in on a conversation between a group of bartenders from Los Angeles, I was intrigued to hear their heated debate about where cocktail "vortices" are located—points on planet Earth where the perfect cocktail can be created. The final consensus seemed to be Siberia because of its cold temperatures, although the Swiss Alps got similar praise because of their altitude.

In Response to John Ensign

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:00:17 -0700

July, 2009 John: Thanks to Google Alerts, I saw your apology note to Cindy Hampton where you mentioned me not once, not twice, but eight times. Why’d you drag me into your sordid sex scandal? You even admit, “God never intended for us to do this.” That’s right, buddy. I gave you Ten Commandments and TWO of them warn against doing exactly what you did: (1) Thou shall not commit adultery; and, (2) Thou shall not covet your neighbor's wife. (You and the Hamptons all lived in Summerlin, right?) So you ignore my laws and then claim, “I know He loves me + I know He loves you.” Don’t put words in my mouth. Maybe I’m not as free with my love as you are with yours. And don’t be so certain when you say, “I know He wants to restore Darlene and me + wants to restore Doug and you.” Honestly, you guys are not a high priority for me. I’m too busy trying to get Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn back together—they’re Hollywood royalty! So you gorged on sin and now you’ve crawled back, insisting “He wants to restore our relationships to Him.” What am I, sloppy seconds? Or worse, your wife? You make me sick. And that goes for Governor Sanford, too. I heard him the other day, comparing himself to King David. I knew King David. King David was a friend of mine. Mark Sanford is no King David. Still, I hope you learned one thing from this mess. The next time you break up with a mistress, don’t send a letter that her cuckolded husband can find and plaster all over the Internet. You’re better off ending things with a phone call. Sincerely, God p.s. When you told Cindy, “I was completely self-centered + only thinking of myself,” you do know that’s redundant, right? Like if I called you “a moron + an idiot.”

A Summer Romance for Queen Noor and Her Mexican Billionaire?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:04:42 -0700

Queen Noor, widow of the late King Hussein of Jordan, is reportedly being wooed by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú. According to an admittedly shaky source, the Jordanian royal visits Mexico City with some regularity and has even taken Spanish lessons. Don't expect to read about this potential romance in The New York Times, however—Slim, the world's third richest man, is also The Times's largest shareholder outside of the Sulzberger clan. Slim, a widower, lost his wife to a kidney ailment in 1999, the same year that King Hussein passed away after complications from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Can America Call Mexico Out on Alleged Torture Use?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:20:00 -0700

Members of the Mexican army salute during a ceremony in Mexico City in March. The army has been accused of employing torture in its war against drug traffickers. Dick Cheney does not want to hear you complain about torture being uncouth. Don’t even start him on the “contrived indignation” and “phony moralizing” inspired by the use of interrogation techniques like waterboarding. “People who consistently distort the truth in this way are in no position to lecture anyone about ‘values,’” he declared in his widely publicized sermon on terrorism in May. Cheney meant that as an attack on Democrats, but the same argument is now being made about the American government on the whole—that is, how can a country that has used torture tell another country not to do the same thing?

The CIA and Murdoch Will Get Away With It

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:21:18 -0700

The CIA tells lies to the rest of the American government. Rupert Murdoch’s tabloids engage in nefarious means, including illegal electronic eavesdropping, to get dirt on celebrities. The current director of the CIA, Leon Panetta, has apparently admitted as much to Congress. The Guardian says Murdoch has paid out $1.6 million to secretly settle cases of phone hacking. Each of these stories ought to be seismic. The CIA, at the center of the intelligence debacles of the last decade, ought to be investigated at least as intensely as it was in the late '70s after revelations of its internal spying. The Murdoch organization in the UK, which has as much influence on the British government as any other private business, ought to face the kind of independent examination that could, free from outside influence, send an impressive number of Murdoch lieutenants to jail. And yet, the overwhelming likelihood is that Washington and London shrug. The CIA and the Murdoch organization are protected by their own consistently bad behavior and negative image. People don’t get excited about what they already know. CONTINUE READING at Newser.com »

Ward Churchill's Wild Ride

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:05:50 -0700

By now you may have forgotten about Ward Churchill. He is the angry professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado whose perspective on the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, was so cruel and grotesque that school officials immediately tried to fire him when they learned of his published writings on the topic. In a rambling, often incomprehensible 2002 article entitled “On the Justice of Roosting Chicken,” Churchill called the victims who died at the World Trade Center “little Eichmanns” complicit in their own murders by virtue of their support for America’s military and diplomatic policies going back to the Persian Gulf war in 1991. He wrote: “True enough, they were civilians of a sort. But innocent? Gimme a break. They formed a technocratic corps at the very heart of America's global financial empire—the ‘mighty engine of profit’ to which the military dimension of U.S. policy has always been enslaved—and they did so both willingly and knowingly.” Churchill continued: “More likely, it was because they were too busy braying, incessantly and self-importantly, into their cell phones, arranging power lunches and stock transactions, each of which translated, conveniently out of sight, mind and smelling distance, into the starved and rotting flesh of infants. If there was a better, more effective, or in fact any other way of visiting some penalty befitting their participation upon the little Eichmanns inhabiting the sterile sanctuary of the twin towers, I'd really be interested in hearing about it.”

International Social Calendar: Kimberley

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:00:02 -0700

What: Kimberley. When: Sometime in July (rumored to be July 11). Where: Kimberley Hall, Norfolk, U.K. Relevance: Established in the early 1990s by Peter Buxton and his younger brother Robbie, Kimberley (or “Toffstock” as Tatler calls it) is part festival, part rave, and part private party. You must be invited to buy a ticket, making it one of the more exclusive dates on the summer social calendar. Those lucky enough to score an invite swarm the grounds of the stately home for a long weekend of debauchery. Highlights: The festival and acts are a closely guarded secret and media is actively discouraged, but most of the entertainment involves D.J.’s and dancing until dawn. Who: Society libertines. More information: kimberleyhall.co.uk Related: More events on the International Social Calendar.

Now Might Be the Time to Buy That Private Island

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:30:33 -0700

What are private islands going for these days? Not as much as you might think, it turns out. VF Daily surveyed the global private-island market and found that prices have been slashed—in some cases by half—as anxious sellers are hurrying to unload their properties. So if you weren’t Madoff’d, or if you’ve been hiding a stash of money under your mattress and not in a stock portfolio, then consider investing in one of these gems.

Rebecca Guinness Meets Harley Viera-Newton

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:45:50 -0700

VF Daily's resident social scribe, Rebecca Guinness, meets those people whose names you always see bolded in society columns, but whom you never know anything about. Name: Harley Viera-Newton. Age: 21. Hometown: London/L.A. Occupation: Student/"D.J."

Jackson Memorial Service Was a Ratings Flop

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:59:00 -0700

• A humbled Ruth Madoff goes apartment shopping. Among the amenities of the tiny Upper East Side one-bedroom that could be her new digs: Orange linoleum floors and yellow Formica counters. Welcome to the real world! [NYP] • Michael Jackson has nothing on Ronald Reagan or Princess Diana—ratings-wise, at least. [Hollywood Reporter] • Also, a fun fact: His brain was not in the coffin during Tuesday's memorial service. [The Sun] • Nancy Pelosi is vindicated: The C.I.A. admits it made a regular habit of snookering Congress throughout the Bush years. [NYT] • Michelle Obama is spotted carrying a $6,000 purse while going for a stroll in Russia. They probably don't sell that at J. Crew! [NYDN] • Michael Moore has his next target: Wall Street. [Variety]

Irv Brecher's Comedy Advice From Beyond the Grave

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:15:15 -0700

For Mike Sacks, finding out how comedy writers do what they do was no joke. It’s a task he took seriously enough to interview 21 writers (including David Sedaris, Harold Ramis, Alison Silverman, and Dan Mazer) in depth about their craft for his new book, And Here’s the Kicker, out today from Writers Digest Books. He was so thorough, in fact, that he kept one of his subjects—93-year-old Irv Brecher—on the phone long enough that he accused Sacks of “killing” him. As it happens, it would be Brecher’s last lengthy interview before he died, several months later. But in the following excerpt from the book, the back-room comedy legend, who wrote for Milton Berle and the Marx brothers and polished up The Wizard of Oz (“Put ‘em up, put ‘em up,” is his touch), is lucid enough to take razor-sharp potshots at both modern comedy writers and modern comedy writer interviewers (sorry Sacks), and to dole out advice for future funnymen. How did you get the job writing for the Marx Brothers? By 1938, I was under contract at MGM, and I received a call from Mervyn LeRoy, a producer [and director] for the studio. He told me, “You’re going to write a movie for the Marx Brothers.” This would have been At the Circus, which came out in 1939. I was shocked. I just couldn’t believe it. I was going to meet the performer I imitated and loved! Incredible. The next day I went to LeRoy’s office on the MGM lot, and you can only imagine how excited I was. Terrified, really. I couldn’t believe I was seeing the real Groucho. Just couldn’t believe it. And there he was, standing in the office. A screen image come to life!