VANITY FAIR

MARCH 2008

NO. 571

VANITYFAIR.COM

FEATURES

THE 2008 HOLLYWOOD PORTFOLIO 357

Hollywood is an unsettling place these days, with writers dialing "S" for strike and awards shows circling the drain. V.F. captures the suspense in a montage of classic Hitchcock moments, featuring Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Seth Rogen, and other top stars. Text by Jim Windolf and Nathaniel Rich. Photographs by Julian Broad, Norman Jean Roy, Mark Seliger, and Art Streiber.

JERRY WEINTRAUB PRESENTS! | 386

Bronx-born Jerry Weintraub (Nashville, the Ocean's series) ascended to Hollywood's Mount Olympus in a blaze of luck, ingenuity, and sheer chutzpah. Rich Cohen is embedded at Weintraub's Palm Desert oasis, where the 70-year-old producer tells of his escapades with Elvis, Sinatra, and Clooney. Photographs by Norman Jean Roy.

BRIDESHEAD RE-REVISITED | 394

Michael Roberts and James Wolcott spotlight the second filming of Brideshead Revisited, this time for the big screen.

MAILER'S MOVIE MADNESS | 398

After becoming an overnight sensation with his first novel, The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer hung out with Brando, Burt Lancaster, and Elia Kazan, fascinated by the visceral power of performance. Patricia Bosworth recalls the late writer's experiments in film, which were as violently, maddeningly idiosyncratic as his books.

THE RIGHT FLUFF: A GUY'S GUIDE TO CHICK FLICKS | 404

Once a fan of testosterone-injected action films, James Wolcott has converted to romantic comedies. Muttering, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," he offers an analysis of the genre's classics, from The Way We Were to Legally Blonde.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE | 410

Julian Schnabel's 12-story, Pompeii-red development, as outrageous as the artist-director himself, has infuriated some West Villagers, but Bono and Madonna seem to like it. Ingrid Sischy suspects "Palazzo Chupi" will come to be recognized as an architectural marvel of 21st-century New York. Photographs by Robert Polidori.

HERE'S TO YOU, MR. NICHOLS: THE MAKING OFTHE GRADUATE | 418

An awkward audition by a young and unknown actor named Dustin Hoffman gave Mike Nichols the epiphany he needed for The Graduate, the sleeper phenomenon of 1967. As the character of Benjamin Braddock morphed from golden boy to swarthy misfit, the rest, as Sam Kashner reveals, became film history.

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FANFAIR

31 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE | 223

Fellini's dreams | 223

The Cultural Divide | 226

Elissa Schappell's Hot Type | 228

Meenal Mistry on Kova & T; Julian Sancton on the Converse centennial | 230

The Pirelli calendar bound for bookstores; dressing your favorite celebrities; Night-Table Reading | 232

Private Lives: Comedy's doyenne Phyllis Diller | 234

Lisa Eisner on Anto's bespoke shirts; A. M. Homes on the road with Frank Rich and Stephen Sondheim | 236

My Stuff—Natalia Vodianova; Michael Hogan jams with the Kills | 240

Lisa Robinson's favorite soundtracks | 242

Leslie Bennetts previews Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | 244

Fashion's rising celebrity stars | 246

Bruce Handy sounds Fellini's unconscious | 248

Edward Helmore soaks up sun and culture on Dellis Cay | 250

Eve Epstein indulges in Korres's cult creams; Jonathan Kelly tests Sally Hershberger's latest hair-care line; Hot Looks | 252

SPECIAL SECTION

THE SOCIAL WHIRL OF OSCAR | FOLLOWING 246

Where to stay, what to pack, who to call for a last-minute wax, and which parties to wheedle your way into— it's all here! Punch Hutton presents the ultimate guide to Oscar weekend in Los Angeles.

COLUMNS

THE PLOT SICKENS | 260

As Hollywood battles over residuals, the real question should be: Who needs stories when there's Survivor, Halo, and viral video? Michael Wolff does a reality check.

THE VIETNAM OSCARS | 266

The 1979 Oscars were a showdown between two Vietnam masterpieces, Hal Ashby's Coming Home and Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter. In the shadow of another unpopular war, Peter Biskind revisits the firestorm.

THE GAME HAS CHANGED | 282

This summer's blockbuster may be played, not watched. Frank DiGiacomo previews Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, LucasArts' bid to revolutionize the video game. Photograph by Art Streiber.

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FOR DETAILS, SEE CREDITS PAGE

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THE DEMON EDITORS OF FLEET STREET | 292

Lord Snowdon and Jessica Flint spotlight the powers that be in London's fabled—and flourishing—newspaper culture.

DAUGHTER DEAREST | 294

Anyone who has seen Mommie Dearest knows Joan Crawford was a sadistic tyrant. Or was she? Charlotte Chandler battles the myth.

KILLER INSTINCTS | 304

The modern horror movie slashed its way to box-office glory in the 1970s. Jason Zinoman speaks to the masters— from Wes Craven to John Carpenter—who unleashed a billion-dollar tide of faceless madmen and shrieking babes.

RAISING OBAMA | 314

Exploring Barack Obama's youth, Todd S. Purdum discovers that the senator's casual aplomb masks an aggressive, restless core. Photograph by Jonas Karlsson.

ALBERT MAYSLES | 326

Julian Dufort and Patricia Bosworth spotlight Albert Maysles, whose latest documentary captures the glory of "The Gates."

MASTERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MARIO TESTINO | 331

Marking 25 years of photographic genius in V.F.'s pages, David Friend focuses on Mario Testino, who has given new impact to the world's most famous faces.

VANITIES

VAN HOUTEN | 347

That Was Then and This Is Now; Vanities Dares—Primary Polling edition; Howard Schatz tests Whoopi Goldberg's wits | 348

Craig Brown channels Joe Eszterhas; Lawrence Levi compares Hollywood copywriters | 349

Bruce Feirstein plays Survivor. Hollywood | 350

Adam Leff and Richard Rushfield on celebrity gurus | 352

ET CETERA

EDITOR'S LETTER Twenty-five Candles | 162

CONTRIBUTORS | 170

ON THE COVER No Country for Old Men | 190

BEHIND THE SCENES It's the Hitch in Hitchcock | 196

LETTERS Inside the War Zone | 208

FAIRGROUND Paris debut | 255

CREDITS441

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE Joan Fontaine | 444

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