VANITY FAIR

MARCH 2009

NO. 583

VANITYFAIR.COM

FEATURES

ENTER OBAMA | 250

Beyond the glamorous inauguration images—the oath, the walk, the dance—the new administration was rolling up its sleeves. Between high-level meetings and tough decisions, President Obama's key staffers and advisers—from 27-year-old speechwriter Jon Favreau to First Friend Valerie Jarrett to Senator Edward Kennedy and his niece Caroline—take a moment for Annie Leibovitz as Maureen Orth weighs in on a Washington dawn.

THE GODFATHER WARS | 270

There's a reason you never hear the word "Mafia" in The Godfather: the Mafia wouldn't have it. But, as Mark Seal learns from the film's pugnacious stars, director, and producers, the involvement of real-life mobsters—who began by making threats but were soon pleading for cameo roles—helped Francis Ford Coppola create an American masterpiece.

SOMETHING JUST CLICKED | 284

Woody and Penelope, Gus and Sean, Danny and Dev,

Clint and... Clint. Annie Leibovitz captures the director-actor partnerships that propelled 10 of the year's best films to Oscar heights, while David Kamp looks at the chemistry behind them—including one duo (Tom Hanks and Ron Howard) that goes back 25 years, and another (Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes) that goes home together after the wrap.

GLAMOUR BEGINS AT HOME | 300

During Hollywood's golden age, John Woolf was the architect to the stars—from Judy Garland and Katharine Hepburn to Cary Grant and John Wayne—working alongside decorator Robert Koch Woolf, whom Woolf later adopted as a son. Matt Tyrnauer examines the eternal allure of Woolf's signature style, as well as his unorthodox home life. Photographs by Todd Eberle.

CHILDREN OF PARADISE | 310

For roughly 25 years, between Gone with the Wind and The Sound of Music, it was possible to have a somewhat normal childhood in Holly wood—even if Milton Berle performed at your birthday, or Johnny Weissmuller hauled you out of the pool, or Dad won an Oscar. Recalling a time before paparazzi and gossip blogs, Todd S. Purdum talks to Candice Bergen, Tina Sinatra, and Richard Zanuck, among others, who grew up in that Beverly Hills where innocence was bliss.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 58

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40

FANFAIR

31 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE 157

The Cultural Divide | 158

Bruce Handy takes a shine to Sunshine Cleaning; H. Scott Jolley keeps an eye on Watchmen; Night-Table Reading | 160

My Stuff: Rex Lee; Wayne Lawson will always have Rick's | 162

Lisa Robinson's favorite soundtracks | 164

The power booths of Hollywood's hottest dining spots | 166

My Desk—Peter Jackson | 168

Elissa Schappell's Hot Type | 170

Michael Hogan steadies himself for a Spinal Tap Q&A | 172

Robert J. Hughes on the Los Angeles Philharmonic's dazzling new conductor, Gustavo Dudamel; Julian Sancton finds a good fit in Clarks | 174

Prescriptions for beauty from six top docs | 176

COLUMNS

FINAL-EXIT STRATEGIES 182

As the baby-boomers confront their mortality, bookstores are expanding their "death and dying" sections. James Wolcott plows through the soppy (Tuesdays with Morrie), the saintly (The Last Lecture), the whiny (The Mercy Papers), and the profound (Swimming in a Sea of Death).

BEWARE FALLING STARS! 192

Like every other industry, Hollywood is in crisis mode: perks evaporating, a strike looming, and stars in denial. Variety's editor in chief, Peter Bart, explains why the silver screen has lost its shimmer, and what might bring back the magic.

OUT TO LUNCH: SUE MENGERS | 198

Having busted into the boys' club with a Who's Who of clients (Barbra Streisand, Mike Nichols, et al.), now reclusive superagent Sue Mengers savors lobster rolls, a joint, and some choice memories with John Heilpern.

THE LOST TYCOONS | 200

Bob Shaye poured blood, sweat, and literal tears into New Line Cinema, which he founded in 1967. But less than five years after scoring his biggest payday ever with the final Lord of the Rings movie, he was ousted by Time Warner's Jeff Bewkes. Hearing from Shaye, Bewkes, and other insiders, Frank DiGiacomo has the postmortem.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 80

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58

IT HAPPENED AT THE HOTEL DU CAP | 210

Film goddess Marlene Dietrich took countless lovers, and among her illustrious conquests was Joseph Kennedy, whom she met on the French Riviera with his family, on the eve of World War II. Cari Beauchamp follows their affair to its coda: Dietrich's White House tryst with J.F.K.

INVENTING FORD COUNTRY | 218

When Harry Goulding and his wife moved into Monument Valley, on the Arizona-Utah border, they were the only white people for miles. After Goulding sold Hollywood on that sublime landscape, it became the location for countless movies, including seven John Ford Westerns. Buzz Bissinger explores Goulding's legacy.

HALL OF FAME | 228

Bruce Handy nominates the 52nd Street Project, where New York City's theater stars get neighborhood kids off the street and onto the stage. Photograph by Gasper Tringale.

WALL STREET'S $16 BILLION BONUS | 230

One by one, like reluctant dominoes, Wall Street's top C.E.O.'s have relinquished their eight-figure bonuses for 2008. But, as Michael Shnayerson reveals, the bailout has helped their troops to a bounteous payday. Photo illustrations by Darrow.

VANITIES

LET FREIDA REIGN | 239

Bruce Feirstein imagines NBC's spinoff-heavy fall schedule; Andrew Hearst imagines the future of the magazine business | 242

David Kamp reports on the crimes of Harry Madoff, baker | 244

ET CETERA

EDITOR'S LETTER | 108

CONTRIBUTORS | 112

ON THE COVER | 132

BEHIND THE SCENES | 149

LETTERS Funny Girl | 150

FAIRGROUND | 179

CREDITS | 330

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE Elaine May | 332

TO FIND CONDE NAST MAGAZINES ONLINE. VISIT www.condenet.com: TO FIND VANITY FAIR. VISIT www.vanityfair.com.

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.