VANITY FAIR

August 2003

no. 516

FEATURES

132SECRETS AND LIES John Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette looked like a fairy-tale couple, but behind closed doors tension reigned. Tormented by the media microscope, Carolyn turned to cocaine, while John, stung and bewildered, yearned to start a family. In an excerpt from his upcoming book, The Kennedy Curse, Edward Klein uncovers the truth about a marriage that was in trouble long before the tragic trip to Hyannis Port.

140THE TIMES'S RESTORATION DRAMA Jayson Blair s journalistic deceit may have triggered the coup d'etat at The New York Times, but executive editor Howell Raines engineered his own destruction—and that of his deputy, Gerald Boyd. In his zeal to remake "the Gray Lady," Raines inspired such fear and loathing that his troops set out to take the paper back from him. David Margolick reports on a newsroom mutiny.

144 A MADE-FOR-TABLOID MURDER The Laci Peterson case has turned a once sleepy California town into a journalistic battlefield, with National Enquirer reporters spreading cash, cable-TV correspondents urging the victim's friends to tears, and three families—Laci's, her husband's, and that of his girlfriend—under siege. During a long, strange trip to Modesto, Maureen Orth learns why this tragedy became America's top-rated drama.

148 SHOOTING WAR Christian Witkin and David Friend spotlight the brave souls of VII, the scrappy new combatphotojournalists' collective, whose cameras are usually focused on the world's most dangerous places.

150 THE ROAD TO SAMARRA Arriving in New York in 1928, John O'Hara quickly charmed the literary smart set, including Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and the editor of the fledgling New Yorker. But speakeasy nights and hungover days cost him job after job, plunging the young writer into debt and depression. In an excerpt from his new biography, Geoffrey Wolff reconstructs O'Hara's bohemian blowout, which ended with a retreat to his despised hometown of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, a short-lived marriage, and the creation of his first masterpiece, Appointment in Samarra.

158 ROOMFUL OF BLUES It's the year of the blues. Photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and Lisa Robinson showcase the historic lineup from February's tribute at Radio City Music Hall, as a seven-part PBS series (with accompanying book, CDs, DVDs, and traveling exhibition) hits the airwaves next month.

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160 THE GOLDEN FLEECE Aaron Tonken swindled millions out of big-name Hollywood, organizing star-studded charity events that pulled in Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Schwimmer, and Hillary Clinton— and left many of the participants under government scrutiny. Was Tonken just a financially irresponsible celebrity hound whose attempts to woo the famous went awry? Or was he the tool of more sinister forces? Bryan Burrough investigates.

164 ECCENTRICS AT PLAY After leaving California to join David Hockney in late-1960s London, artist Peter Schlesinger picked up a camera and began chronicling the highly decorative and deeply eclectic scene that drew the likes of Cecil Beaton, W. H. Auden, Bryan Ferry, and designer Ossie Clark. In an introduction to Schlesinger's forthcoming photo-journal, Checkered Past, Manolo Blahnik recalls the fun and the flair.

FANFAIR

59 31 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE Photo Finish—Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens. Hot Reels: Bruce Handy on American Splendor and Le Divorce; Coming Attractions—Walter Kirn calls in the S.W.A.T. team. Elissa Schappell's Hot Type. Veronica Byrd demystifies the art of Romare Bearden; Craig Offman on Brooklyn's Stellastarr. My Stuff: night owl Amy Sacco; Hot Looks; David Colman feels the vibes at the AKS Salon.

COLUMNS

76 GOD AND MAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE Despite his late-onset Christianity, George W. Bush didn't "turn the other cheek" when it came to Iraq. On the domestic front, meanwhile, his administration has been chipping away at the wall between church and state. Anticipating the Supreme Court's encounter with religion and the Pledge of Allegiance, Christopher Hitchens lays out the evidence of America's fundamentalist tilt.

82 THE FINE ART OF SUCKING UP Of all the newsroom schmoozers who blinded powerful editors with flattery, New York Times fabricator Jayson Blair and his New Republic counterpart Stephen Glass were the most destructive. But they're only the putrid apples in a long and not so ignoble line of sycophants, says James Wolcott, who provides a brief roster of the art's finest practitioners, along with some brownnosing tips.

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92 POWER AND PUNISHMENT Shortly before their summer evacuation, Manhattan's A-list lapped up two hot scandals, writes Dominick Dunne, noting the widespread glee over the bloodshed at The New York Times and his own dismay at his friend Martha Stewart's indictment. Plus, this month's diary asks, Why wasn't Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ranting about Michael Skakel's innocence during the trial? Portrait by Jason Schmidt.

98 HALL OF FAME Helen Schulman nominates Patricia O'Connor, Terri Grauel, Mary MacMakin, and Anna Wintour, the women behind the new Kabul beauty school in Afghanistan. Portrait by Dilip Mehta.

100 THE 80S, AFTER DARK What did the social X-rays gathered round the Temple of Dendur and the rubberdressed denizens of the downtown club culture have in common? Both defined a decade of New York nightlife, and both submitted willingly to the discreetly knowing camera of Patrick McMullan. Alongside photos from McMullan's forthcoming book, So80s, Susan Morrison reminisces with the lens of the party.

VANITIES

107 BYRNE, BABY, BYRNE A. A. Gill gets his fill of 66. George Wayne lightens up with Louis Licari.

SPECIAL SECTION

114 LIVING BY DESIGN To mark the 20th anniversary of its revival, Vanity Fair looks back at two decades of cutting-edge design and architecture coverage. In a 12-page portfolio, Matt Tyrnauer surveys modern classics from icons such as Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, and I. M. Pei. Photographs by Todd Eberle and others.

ET CETERA

46 EDITOR'S LETTER The Phony War

48 CONTRIBUTORS

54 LETTERS Media War

200 CREDITS

202 PLANETARIUM Lusty Leos

204 PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE George Hamilton

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