W articles from December 2004

W archives from December 2004

Ruehl of engagement.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2004... The chairman wears flip-flops and the brand image is pure American youth, but Abercrombie & Fitch is beginning to grow up. The company's second retail spin-off concept, Ruehl, is aimed at shoppers who are ready to step out of A&F's iconic cargo...

Common scents.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2004... Judging by the random names showing up on perfume bottles these days, the fragrance industry appears to have I gone mad in its rush to sign celebrities. In recent weeks, manufacturers have announced a spate of deals for scents from Donald...

Tommy's taxes.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2004... Tommy Hilfiger is used to making fashion statements--bright, color-blocked shirts come to mind--but the company made a very different kind of statement in September: It revealed that the United States Attorney's Office in Manhattan had issued...

Fashion visionaries.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2004... This fall marked the passing of two of the industry's most legendary figures, designer Geoffrey Beene, who died on September 28, and photographer Richard Avedon, who died on October 1 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while on assignment...

Special delivery.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2004... Philatelists and preppies, rejoice: Ralph Lauren is being honored by the island of Jamaica with a commemorative postage stamp. Issued on November 9, the stamp recognizes the Polo Ralph Lauren chairman and CEO's contributions to the island,...

A good sport.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2004... Yohji Yamamoto's collaboration with Adidas proved that performance apparel can have a designer edge. Now Stella McCartney is getting into the game with a similar partnership, Adidas by Stella McCartney The spring launch includes fashion for...

Touched by an angel.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2004... In the spirit of Howard Stern's switch to satellite radio, Victoria's Secret has found a way to sidestep the stodgy mores of the FCC: It's taking its acts of titillation directly to the people with the first Angels Across America nationwide...

Chain reaction.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2004... Some of America's most venerable department store nameplates--Rich's, founded in 1867; Lazarus, in 1851; and The Bon Marche, in 1890 are about to become part of retail history.. In one of the biggest reshapings of the shopping landscape in...

Long ago logos.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2004... A December 7 sale being planned at Chicago's Wright Auctions makes it clear that the status bag is not a new concept. Consisting of nearly 300 lots of "branded luxury," the items on offer date from 1900 to 1970. Among the notable lots: a...

Hot Gstaad.(Flashback)
December 1, 2004... In the Sixties and Seventies, the normally sleepy alpine village of Gstaad turned positively posh each winter as scores of chauffeur-driven Jeeps ferried Europe's elite--along with their furs, their jewels and, often, their help--into town....

La vie moderne.(Fast Forward)
December 1, 2004... After years of good reviews and steady work on the New York dance scene, Cyprus-born dancer and choreographer Maria Hassabi is still teaching Pilates to pay the bills. "Dancers have to have at least 30 jobs to make it happen," says the striking...

December.(Chemistry Lab)
December 1, 2004... Among the world's great mysteries--the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa. how the pyramids were built the appeal of professional wrestling--is what, exactly, attracts one person to another. Though thousands of purported experts have ruminated on women...

Gender bender.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... I have to say that Steven Meisel's "ASexual Revolution" is one of the most awesome pieces of fashion photography I've ever seen (October). Everything is beautiful, from the camera angles and the boys in makeup to the L.A. backdrops (though I...

Left behind.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... Why do you presume to alienate your Republican readers by featuring not just one but two anti-Bush features, "Bushwhacker" on Maureen Dowd and "Man With a Mission" on Graydon Carter, in your September issue? Does W have an agenda? Give me fair...

Space odyssey.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... I would like to comment on Jacques Grange's "not so elegant" allegations that Peter Marino merely "designed some bathrooms" in Gianni and Marella Agnelli's New York apartment ("Haute Cabana," October). Peter most certainly was the architect. I...

Paradise island.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... Please let the Countess know how much I enjoyed her column in the September issue ("Louise at Sea") about making the best of a delayed, disastrous trip to Nantucket. That's the kind of story, that needs to be shared. It restores one's faith in...

The good doctor.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... I am writing this letter in response to one printed in the October "Readers React" titled "A Step Ahead." It criticized Suzanne Levine's "deplorable behavior" for the way she dealt with bunionectomy patient Jessica Matlin, who wrote "My Left...

Go west, young ma'am.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2004... That was the lesson for Princess Michael of Kent, who recently learned that Hollywood is the perfect place for a fresh start. After the row back home and in New York following her alleged racist comments this past spring, HRH was welcomed with...

That's it.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2004... That's It Edie Sedgwick was the ultimate It girl, and Hollywood has finally found a starlet worthy of playing her. Sienna Miller, Jude Law's girlfriend, will star in George Hickenlooper's Factory Girl, a biopic about the well-born Warholite...

Click claque.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2004... If the greatest society portraitists are insiders, it's no wonder that New York social fixture Charlie Ruger has lured Serena Boardman, Allison Sarofim and Ivanka Trump into his lens. "My interest is in stylized studio portraits of women I know...

Plastic fantastic.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2004... Their ubiquitous sweat suits are the morning-after outfit of choice for young Hollywood, but there's one gorgeous blond whom Juicy Couture's Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash Taylor haven't dressed yet: Barbie. The designers will see their...

Hiltons, head-to-head.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2004... There are certainly no synergistic strategies planned between the new Paris Hilton-Hilton's just-unwrapped Arc de Triomphe hotel, that is-and L.A.'s bawdiest celebutante. In fact, the hotel, designed in high deco style by Jacques Garcia, says...

Oui are family.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2004... The fusty French social register "Bottin Mondain" is making a concerted effort to get hip. Like its 100-plus annual predecessors, the 2005 edition enumerates the complicated liaisons and various offspring of the country's 44,000 aristocratic...

Floral fixation: prints and patterns are adding spice to everything from handbags to trenchcoats.(Trend)
December 1, 2004... When it rains in New York, nobody is happy Well, maybe not exactly nobody. There might be a girl skipping down the street with a drab olive-colored umbrella, perhaps spinning it on her shoulder Singing in the Rain-style. The mason? Unbeknownst...

Glory days: the spring collections in Paris and Milan were an unabashed celebration of fashion's pleasure principle, replete with plenty of action, drama and great-looking clothes.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2004... Move over, all ye small-screen desperate housewives. Fashion is the original guilty pleasure, and the recent spring collections in Europe offered, a trove. For those who love fashion--the fashion of fashion, the business of fashion, the people...

Dinner and a show: Dries Van Noten charmed the fashion flock with a banquet to celebrate his 50th presentation.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2004... Under normal circumstances, a nighttime visitor to a poorly lit, desolate gas-tank factory positioned on the far fringes of urban splendor would likely be looking for trouble. Instead, those arriving at the site in the dark heart of La...

Studying the classics: designers at Paris's venerable fashion houses come to grips with the history in the archives.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2004... For designers at the grand old houses of Paris, a fashion archive is like Pandora's box, full of wonder--brand-defining creations and precious details ripe for the plucking--but dangerous too. Each season, they perform a delicate dance,...

The goodbye girl: while many a designer is mining vintage looks for inspiration, Norma Kamali is leaving her past behind.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2004... Norma Kamali is dealing with her past, nearly four decades of it, in quite a radical way. She has put it on the market. Five thousand items--those celebrated silk jersey jumpsuits, high-heeled sneakers, parachute ballgown skirts, the many, many...

Power complex: anti-aging breakthrough gets you looking better tomorrow than you did yesterday.(Beauty Breakthrough)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... FOR MOMENTS OF YOUTH Excellent news is about to take place on your face. The debut of the dramatic new Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Skin Transforming Complex means that you and the mirror are sure to be best friends again. Q. How can...

The plane gang: costume designer Sandy Powell is the queen of period films. Her latest is Scorsese's The Aviator.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2004... On the set of a film, a director's list of potential fears is infinite: a production-crew strike, a seriously ill star or even a stunt gone badly awry. According to Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell, you can add actors in hats to that...

Shell shocked: take the plunge--then hit the dance floor--in the season's most dressed-up beach accessories.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... Accessories designers are letting the sun shine in these days, and whether you're the girl from Ipanema or a girl from Locust Valley, the new seaside stuff is as essential to a winter jaunt as the perfect beach read. Giuseppe Zanotti, known for...

Head games: forget that prissy cheerleader from 10th grade--these headbands are for the grown-up glamour girl.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... Four thousand years ago, the queens of Egypt declared their royal status by the golden headbands they wore. Since that time, headbands have tightened up manes in the Elizabethan court, on Victorian brides and in Hollywood, where Fifties...

Carat top: Jacob the Jeweler, favorite of the bling set, moves 10 blocks uptown and into a different world.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... There's something about the way the sunlight glints off the tall glass buildings of 57th Street that just feels expensive. So it's only fitting that Jacob Arabo, known in most circles as Jacob the Jeweler, should choose this luminous Manhattan...

Basket case: these wicker wonders put a colorful, countrified kick in the season's getaway wardrobe.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... Imagine how chic it would have been had Little Miss Muffet raced away from that spider wearing wicker sandals and toting a matching basket bag. Of course, even without fabulous accessories, picnics have long been an inspired setting for love,...

Against the grain: defusing the glitz of the past few seasons, designers offer a polished take on humble materials.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... Very often, the best an, architecture, food and fashion comes out of elevating the simple. That's what designers have in mind this season as they take ebony, sandalwood and even leather and add gold hardware and a smattering of colorful stones....

The world on a string: at her new Paris boutique, Marie-Helene de Taillac offers a far-reaching array of stunning jewelry.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... On a rainy afternoon just two days after its opening, Marie-Helene de Taillac's Paris shop is packed with a glamorous hodgepodge of visitors. Mobiles fashioned from candy-colored gems sparkle in the windows as a pack of Japanese jewelry hounds...

Flat liners: off the stage and onto the street, the luxe ballet flat continues its reign.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... In the fickle world of fashion, it's nice to know that some things never change. Dancers first took their ballet slippers to the asphalt in the Fifties, and the beatniks quickly picked up the trend. Then, thanks to Audrey Hepburn--think of her...

From Russia with fur.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... Surrounded by fur-clad Russian beauties on a recent trip to St. Petersburg, the Bulgari design team had a collective revelation. "We were inspired by a sense of nostalgia for the way for could be used," says Francesco Trapani, Bulgari's CEO. So...

Winged victory.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... Throughout Valentino's fall couture collection, powerful femininity dominated: extra-long gloves, jaunty fur boleros and dramatic sashes and bows. The designer's classic satin T-strap sandal was embellished with a white crystal wing-a special...

Snake charmer.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... The nighttime is clearly the right time for New York designer Melanie Dizon's Nocturne collection of bold python clutches and purses. Soft, sensual and subtly reflective, the bags come in iridescent gold and silvery blue and are hung with...

Gator aid.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2004... As if Lacoste weren't essential enough these days, now the French house has found a few reasons to tempt you away from the tennis court, its new accessories line offers an array of backpacks, canvas duffels and leather goods all in the label's...

On holiday.(Shopping)
December 1, 2004... Frightful weather getting you down? Book a cruise and set sail in these cheery, sun-worthy looks. Aaron Basha Gold, enamel and diamond pendant, $3,200, at Aaron Basha, New York [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Marc Jacobs Cotton...

Easy spirits: the spring runways reinforced what cool girls have known for years: precision is passe.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2004... Still having trouble lining that sultry cat eye, curling camera-ready ringlets or perfecting a Dietrich pout? Rest easy. Judging from the hair and makeup master class otherwise known as the 2005 spring runway shows, the pedagogy is loosening up...

This time, it's personal: Giorgio Armani revisits a childhood memory with an intensely private collection of scents.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2004... As a child growing up in the small industrial city of Piacenza, Giorgio Armani spent his Sunday mornings at Mass, dressed in his finest and sitting close by his grandmother's side. Like most of his eight-year-old peers, young Gio would squirm...

The best in day spas and skin care salons.(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... East Coast: Elizabeth Grady Skin Care Salons (800) FACIALS 30 salons in 5 states: CT, MA, NH, NY & RI website: www.elizabethgrady.com "Where Beauty Meets Medicine[TM]"--John P. Walsh, President Elizabeth Grady skin-care products and...

Slim pickings: the skinny on how the fashion crowd stays that way.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2004... Recently, over yellowtail sashimi at Nobu, I watched with fascination as my dinner companion, a high-profile fashion insider, elegantly tapped a packet of rose-colored powder into her glass of Fiji water. "It s an L.A. secret," she whispered...

ReVive.(holiday beauty chic)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Art meets beauty this holiday season with the ReVive 'Artbox' created by American artist, Ann Craven. This limited-edition giftset, worthy of the unique style sense of ReVive customers, features five essential core products and boasts an added...

Acqua di Parma.(holiday beauty chic)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Since 1916, Acqua di Parma has defined Italian style and elegance. Now, Colonia and Colonia Assoluta, fragrances inspired by the sparkling citrus scents of the ancient Mediterranean, are offered in travel sizes. Each is presented with a...

Prada.(holiday beauty chic)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Prada's new hypnotic Amber-based fragrance is a blend of classic femininity and modern sensibility. It's a new way to wear Prada. Experience it at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

AmorePacific.(holiday beauty chic)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Introducing AmorePacific's Time Response Skin Renewal Creme. This unprecedented creme reactivates the youthful memory of aging skin. A patented 24-hour time-release, nano-delivery formula works continuously for optimum skin wellness. Available...

Mousse parfait: Italian hairstylist Luigi Murenu and a French hair-care line form a mutual admiration society.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2004... Luigi Murenu was very busy during New York Fashion Week. He wasn't doing hair for any of the New York fashion shows, but he was busy doing hair. More specifically, he was confined to his apartment soaking pieces of hair--dyed blond, red, brown...

Escada Magnetism and Escada Magnetism for men.(holiday beauty chic)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... An electrifying force of nature, ESCADA Magnetism awakens the instincts and enhances the sensual charm of a woman. Instant electricity, Magnetism for Men exudes confidence and a power that is natural, unperfected and pure, Escada Magnetism and...

Montblanc Femme Individuelle and Montblanc Individuel.(holiday beauty chic)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... For a woman who lives by her own rules, loves by her own standards and delights in doing what no one expects, introducing Montblanc Femme Individuelle--premiering this fall at Montblanc boutiques. For a forward-thinking man who is recognized by...

Foreign affairs: imported cosmetic procedures are gaining currency among early-adopter patients and doctors.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2004... Although she is blond, trim and attractive, an ambitious Long Island businesswoman (who, for obvious reasons, wishes to remain nameless) recently found herself unsatisfied with her appearance In particular, she worried that her forehead was...

Bond No. 9.(holiday beauty chic)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Little Italy, Bond No. 9's latest New York-centric fragrance, captures the essence of its namesake neighborhood in an eau de parfum, a sensual yet uplifting combination of clementine, jasmine and sheer musk. Come quickly for a sniffing session...

Awake.(holiday beauty chic)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Skin Renovation Firm Advantage--an anti-aging luxury cream developed in Japan after 12 years of research. The one and only advantage your skin needs in the fight against time. Available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus...

Guerlain.(holiday beauty chic)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Best kept beauty secret... Guerlain's Midnight Secret "8 Hours of Sleep in a Bottle". When late nights and parties have taken a toll on your complexion, the remedy is Guerlain's Midnight Secret, the ultimate "post party potion" in a bottle....

Greater gifts: for beauty aficionadas, it's the most wonderful time of the year.(Beauty Chic)
December 1, 2004... [RED PLANET] First Edition Cached in a mock book cover, Fresh Index Fragrance Chronicles offers a veritable library of perfumes: 15 of the company's deliciously exotic scents in travel-size bottles, $125. 800.FRESH20 Twinkle,...

The diamond masterpiece collection.(Modern necessities)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... As manufacturers of the Klaus Kobec range of designer watches, Timepieces International has cut out the middleman, enabling us to sell directly to you at fantastically low prices. The Couture Diamond Masterpiece Watch includes an exquisite...

Tag, you're it!(Modern necessities)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Crafted for excellence, the Tag Collection by Cici Carter brings elegance and simplicity to fine jewelry. A natural for any occasion, Cici Carter's earrings, cuff links, bracelets and more, capture the eye. Captivating arrangements of star-like...

Just say no.(Modern necessities)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Sham (sham) n. Trick, fraud. Poo (poo) n. Well, you know what that is. But do you know that most shampoos contain detergents that are harmful to your hair? DevaCurl No-Poo is a 100% sulfate free zero lather conditioning cleanser. It cleans and...

Defy age with luxurious Caviar.(Modern necessities)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Counteract the visible signs of aging with Caviar Age-Defense Creme, an exquisite, deep nourishing creme that helps firm, brighten, refine and energize the skin to diminish fine lines and wrinkles. Key ingredients include protein rich Caviar,...

Master class: the private maitre d's of Paris insist on discretion--and on making sure every place setting is perfect.(Going Out)
December 1, 2004... At your typical Parisian care, the ornery service is as legendary as the croque monsieurs. The French, however, also invented fine dining, and when an old-fashioned maitre d'hotel takes charge in one of the city's tony private homes, the...

Fete accompli.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... It was truly a Nic fit during Fashion Week in Paris. Nicole Kidman caused a paparazzi frenzy that bordered on the perilous at both the Chanel show and the party later that evening that Karl Lagerfeld hosted for her and Baz Luhrmann, the...

Star seekers.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... From his perch just off Hollywood Boulevard, photographer Paul Jasmin sees an endless stream of aspiring models and actors who've moved to town-sensibly or not-to fulfill their fantasies. In his latest book, Lost Angeles (Steidl/Edition 7L),...

Sex symbol: Liam Neeson, the thinking woman's heartthrob, is causing a stir in the controversial Kinsey.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... PHOTO BY JENNY GAGE AND TOM BETTERTON When Liam Neeson walks into Cafe Luxembourg, an overpriced but popular neighborhood brasserie on West 70th Street in Manhattan, not far from where he lives, it's as if he owns the place. He double...

Painted love: the new woman in Arthur Miller's life is an abstract artist with concrete ambitions.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... PHOTO BY JOSEPH MAIDA It's a setup most young artists would kill for: A beautiful, book-filled, Connecticut farmhouse, a warm, windowed barn in which to paint, a New York City, pied-a-terre, no tedious day job, and an adoring,...

New York minute.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... Though she's only 15, Riley Keough, Elvis Presley's granddaughter, added a dose of star power to the social set--including Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos and Jane Lauder--at the New Yorkers for Children gala at Cipriani. The budding model chose her...

Give, and ye shall receive: how to tell your husband what you're pining for this holiday? The best hints come gift-wrapped.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... You don't need to a keep a copy of Atlas Shrugged in your to wonder, as your fingers trace the cuff link vitrine at Verdura, whether there's any such thing as altruism. Gifts are ends, of course, but they are also means. Those cuff links...

The Marfa Mafia: a new crowd of city slickers is descending on West Texas. Can Marfa go boom without going bust?(Eye)
December 1, 2004... I'm not sure if this is art wood or firewood, but it's goin' on the fire," hollers Texas Monthly writer John Spong as he enters into the campfire's glow on a moonless night near Marfa, Texas. In his arms is a picturesque load of twisted and...

Wild at heart: British diplomat and author Rory Stewart has a knack for finding himself in precarious places.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... On a cold day in January 2002, just weeks after the fall and while warplanes were still striking terrorist training camps, Rory Stewart--onetime tutor to Princes William and Harry--was winding his way through the streets of Herat, Afghanistan,...

Magic makers.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... Who better to kick off Milan's Fashion Week party scene than Glorqio Armani? The designer hosted a luxe party at his subterranean Armani Prive club, where he schmoozed a crowd packed with retail heavyweights. Meanwhile, the scene was heating up...

Power Puffy.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... Puffy AmiYumi's album Asia No Junshin sold more than a million records in their native Japan, but the kitschy female rock phenomenon, who often draw comparisons to ABBA, chose an unorthodox way to introduce themselves to the United States. On...

Caviar nouveau: with Caspian sturgeon on the decline, connoisseurs are training their taste buds on American roe.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... Last December Tom Ford, known for his discerning taste, gave his close friends the gourmet delicacies once enjoyed exclusively by Russian czars: Cristal champagne and beluga caviar. On the Upper East Side, social fixture Nan Kempner was sending...

Fit to print: the wife of architect Norman Foster is a shrink, a sex expert and now an art-publishing heavy.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... Lady Foster of Thames Bank isn't your classic English chatelaine: understated, self-effacing, uncomfortable in the spotlight. She's got a sultry Spanish accent, heavy beaded jewelry fit for Nefertiti and an unabashed exuberance about her work,...

Join the club: in the wake of Soho House, a new wave of members-only fever has hit the New York scene.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... Deep inside Frederick's, a subterranean nightspot opposite New York s Plaza Hotel, the speakers are blasting a techno remix of The Doors' "Break on Through (To the Other Side)," and a herd of social strivers is trying to do just that. Under the...

Artistic license.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... The big news at the Museum of the City of New York's fall gala was that Celerie Kemble and her longtime boyfriend, fund manager Boykin Curry, had gotten engaged. Kemble showed off her new ring as Nina Griscom, Valesca Guerrand-Hermes and Tara...

Princesses of the vine: in some of Italy's most venerable wineries, women are breaking with tradition--and ruling the roost.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... At Guado al Tasso, a 2,400-acre retreat on the rough, windswept Tuscan coast, where boars and wild horses roam freely, the Antinori family has converged for lunch. There's the doting patriarch (Marchese Piero Antinori), his three grown...

A league of their own.(Eye)
December 1, 2004... Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti is one of Tuscany's top winemakers and a former president of the influential Chianti Classico consortium. But as recently as 1991, the onetime theater actress was hardly what one would consider an expert. "I was at a...

The players.(Los Angeles)
December 1, 2004... For years, Los Angeles residents have been claiming--perhaps a tad defensively--that there's more to their city than box office and boob jobs. If today they're arguing the point more calmly, perhaps that's because it's undeniably true. With a...

The entrepreneur: forget the billion-dollar name--25-year-old Jay Penske has his own big ideas.(Los Angeles)
December 1, 2004... JAY PENSKE Jay Penske is a billion-dollar heir but he wants to be a self-made man. Instead of joining the family automobile and trucking business, he's building his own company--make that companies--from scratch. Penske's Zen-like calm...

The first lady: California's most famous Democrat, Maria Shriver, on marriage to its famous Republican.(Los Angeles)
December 1, 2004... MARIA SHRIVER "I think California needs to be rebranded," says the state's first lady, Maria Shriver. "That's what I'm doing." Shriver isn't belittling her adopted home, she's just explaining one of her goals. After husband Arnold...

The producer: in Hollywood, all eyes are on Dede Gardner, the new president of Plan B.(Los Angeles)
December 1, 2004... DEDE GARDNER During her seven years as a studio executive at Paramount, Dede Gardner forged alliances all across the industry, but there were three major players she had never even met: Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and management-production...

The doctor: bridging East and West, Soram Singh Khalsa is Hollywood's ultimate medicine man.(Los Angeles)
December 1, 2004... SORAM SINGH KHALSA M.D. Anyone who still believes that money can buy happiness might want to have a little chat with Soram Singh Khalsa M.D. At his plush Beverly Hills office, where the waiting room rivals the Ivy for its concentration of...