Esquire articles from March 2003

Esquire archives from March 2003

Honoring America's best & brightest. (By invitation only: a special promotion for Esquire readers).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... On November 11, Esquire celebrated the coming revolution in culture, social change, business, and science with a fete at the W HOTEL UNION SQUARE in New York City. The event to launch Esquire's December "Best & Brightest" issue was attended by...

Raising a glass for a good cause. (By invitation only: a special promotion for Esquire readers).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... In October, SALVATORE FERRAGAMO, BROADWAY BOOKS, and Esquire hosted the publication party of master sommelier Andrea Immer's book, Great Tastes Made Simple, in Ferragamo's SoHo store. The event attracted over 300 wine and fashion enthusiasts,...

An evening of pleasure. (By invitation only: a special promotion for Esquire readers).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Noted architectural firm THE ROCKWELL GROUP and Esquire partnered to launch Pleasure: The Architecture and Design of Rockwell, the new book by David Rockwell. The event was held at DJANGO, a New York restaurant he recently designed. Sponsored...

The sound & the fury.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... OUR JANUARY ISSUE, which featured Robert De Niro on the cover, created national stir over Pulitzer prize winner Ron Suskind's profile of White House senior political adviser Karl Rove. Suskind described a White House virtually devoid of serious...

The wisdom of others. (The Sound & the Fury).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... The January issue also included our second annual special section on the Meaning of Life, featuring nearly a dozen new What I've Learned interviews. Our advice givers ranged from Ted Kennedy and Sumner Redstone to Ice Cube to a group of four...

Childhood horror. (The Sound & the Fury).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... Supplementing our Meaning of Life section was a chilling first-person account by journalist Kemp Powers. At the age of fourteen, Powers found his mother's gun and accidentally killed his best friend with a gunshot wound to the head. Powers...

The best and brightest. (The Sound & the Fury).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... We continue to receive a passionate response to our December issue, which sought to honor the Best and Brightest men and women in America today. In particular, we received a flood of letters praising Robert Kurson's profile of Baltimore mayor...

The $20 solution. (Editor's Letter).
March 1, 2003... YOU WANT TO KNOW why we publish the things we do? A big part of it is because we're curious about the world and we want to find the most enjoyable, the most entertaining, the most satisfying, the most interesting, the funniest ways of living...

Ali Larrer *. (Man at His Best).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... This nice young woman, through no fault of her own, has become a Hollywood star. Her name is Ali Larrer. and she has been on TV lots, and she has made many movies, considering her age, which is 26, and that she sort of never meant to be a...

The 7 most remarkable things in culture this month. (The Awards).
March 1, 2003... 1. Strangest Military Theory "The disintegration of Napoleon's army may be traceable to something as small as the disintegration of a button--a tin button, to be exact.... When temperatures drop below 56 degrees F, shiny metallic tin...

Ted Turner, struggling actor. (Entertainment).(Interview)
March 1, 2003... DON'T WORRY ABOUT TED TURNER. If this mogul thing doesn't work out, he's apparently got another career lined up. The media titan and founder of CNN is also, in his spare time, an up-and-coming actor. Turner plays Confederate officer Colonel...

The rules.(male social behavior )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Rule No. 503: Oddly, both of the following statements are true: Monkeys are never funnier than when they're wearing clothing. Monkeys are never sadder than when they're wearing clothing. Rule No. 596: The best mogul name is ever is T. Boone...

Style agenda: a special promotion for Esquire readers. (Promotion).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... TRAVEL THE ROAD IN LUXURY The new 302-hp LINCOLN AVIATOR. There are those who travel and those who travel well. For more information, or to find a dealer near you, please visit www.lincoln.com or call 800.688.8898. STREET ELEMENTS FOR...

Things a man should know about flowers. (The Manly Page).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR. HERE ARE SOME THINGS TO KEEP YOU FROM LOOKING LIKE A JACKASS. 1. Send flowers to her office if she's a dance-on-the-table, take-off-her-top exhibitionist type. Otherwise, home. 2. When sending flowers to a...

The endorsement: impotence. (The Manly Page).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... THE WAY DRUG COMPANIES TALK about "erectile dysfunction," you'd think it was a bad thing. It isn't. The penis may not be the smartest organ, but it always tells the truth. Always. Sure, it can hurt--the truth, I mean; if your penis hurts,...

The manliest 97-year-old in America. (The Manly Page).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... It's one thing that Norman Vaughan has a mountain in Antarctica named after him. But that he plans to climb that mountain in 2005 on his 100th birthday? It's more than we can handle. This is a man who dropped out of Harvard to explore the...

The battle over bias. (Books).(Interview)
March 1, 2003... The media does a lot of things wrong--giving Jeanne Moos a job comes to mind--but is it guilty of a liberal bias? The superlatively conservative golden-haired commentator Ann Coulter (left) sold several tons of her book Slander by charging...

Big important book of the month. (Books).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... IN CASE JERRY BRUCKHEIMER is reading this, here's the pitch: It's Super Friends meets 19th-century American literature! Matthew Pearl's debut novel, The Dante Club (Random House, $25), is an audacious and captivating, if flawed, new book that...

Corneliani showcases latest collection. (By invitation only: a special promotion for Esquire readers).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... CORNELIANI's Made to Measure Trunk Show was the star at an October 25 cocktail reception Esquire hosted at the MR. SID men's wear store in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. David Patten, wide receiver of the Super Bowl XXXVI champions New England...

Perrier Jouet and Esquire salute Harry Benson. (By invitation only: a special promotion for Esquire readers).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... On December 5, PERRIER JOUET and Esquire, in association with the APEX FINE ART GALLERY in Los Angeles, hosted a champagne preview to celebrate the work of legendary photojournalist Harry Benson. More than 300 guests enjoyed Perrier Jouet...

Perry Ellis and Esquire in the Great White North. (By invitation only: a special promotion for Esquire readers).
March 1, 2003... On October 24, PERRY ELLIS and Esquire hosted a Toronto in store event featuring Maple Leafs star Darcy Tucker. More than 400 enthusiastic guests attended the event at THE BAY. MOJO radio on-air sports personalities Humble & Fred, who hosted...

Grooming product of the month. (The Merchandise).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2003... Maybe you think that folks who apply shaving cream with a brush are trying too hard. We were the same way. Then we got a soap-and-brush set for our birthday. The warm, unscented lather opened our pores, preventing bumps and acne. Now we can't...

Watch of the month. (The Merchandise).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2003... What do the Swiss do best in the world? War profiteering? We're going to pretend we didn't hear that. No, where the Swiss really distinguish themselves is in watchmaking. They are the best in the world at it, thanks to about 300 years leading...

Bike rack of the month. (The Merchandise).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2003... Ever drive up I-95 into Maine on a Friday in July? Navigators, Escalades, Conquistadors, each one bigger than the last, rolling up the road, burning 12 miles per gallon, that their owners might get closer to their beloved earth. Oh, well, they...

Bike of the month. (The Merchandise).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2003... Marin designed the Point Reyes specifically for city transport, so who better to test it than me, a former bike messenger? The Point Reyes gets high marks for its light, responsive aluminum frame, semislick tires for low resistance and the...

Car of the month. (The Merchandise).(Mercedes C320 Sport, $35,200)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2003... The first clue that the Mercedes C320 Sport is no run-of-the-mill luxury sedan begins on the dashboard and winds its way over to each door. The finished wood that graces every other Mercedes interior has been replaced with brushed aluminum....

A few too many. (Food & Drink).(five wine bargains)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... I'VE OFTEN WISHED I could plunge into pools of pinot or sing in a rain of Riesling. Too much wine might seem like a dream, but for the makers of California vintage 2002, it may prove to be a nightmare come true. Although tallies weren't final...

Antique meat. (Food & Drink).(heirloom meats)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... THEY JUST DON'T MAKE SOME things the way they used to--like, say, shag carpeting or El Caminos or medieval torture devices. Or meat. In the days before steroids, before factory farms, before animals were bred for their bottom-line efficiency,...

Pedicures, sweatpants, urinals & steam rooms. (Answer Fella).(Column)
March 1, 2003... ESQUIRE'S ANSWER FELLA believes that there are no stupid questions, just stupid people who don't ask questions, fearing they'll look stupid. So ask Answer Fella anything. If he doesn't know the answer, he'll find out who does, or who has a...

Four things to say to sound smart this month. (The Index).(books and movies)(Brief Article)(Column)
March 1, 2003... (1) I know, I know--it sounds, like commercial genre fiction (and indeed, that's what's being marketed as). But Michael Mewsnaw's taut, complex Shelter from the Storm is a gripping literary read. (2) Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony...

7 ways to be entertained in ... Mar. (The Index).(March 2003)(Column)
March 1, 2003... A Warning Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, a Japanese anime for grown-ups based on the brilliant Cartoon Network series, contains multiple shootings, malevolent use of crop dusters, passing mentions of weaponized smallpox and Ebola, and, of course, an...

Announcing the finest menswear specialty stores: the Esquire retail 100. (Advertisement).(Directory)
March 1, 2003... Excellence comes in many forms, not the least of which are quality and value. When you invest in clothing--tailored or casual--above all you want to invest wisely. And there's no better way than by buying from the best. Shopping at a men's...

The guide. (What to Wear Now).(Norfolk Jacket)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Norfolk Jacket We're here to tell you that there's nothing wrong with pleats. They're crucial, in fact, unless you put on clothes and then stand stock-still all day. Pleats help you move. They're a foregone conclusion with suit...

Step X step. (Solutions).('office casual' men's clothing)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Question: What's the best way to do office casual these days? * The Details: Three-button single-breasted wool-and-cotton sport coat ($525), cotton-and-nylon raincoat ($525), and wool trousers ($250) by VESTIMENTA; cotton shirt ($200) and...

The weekender. (The Style Guide).(leather luggage, etc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... High 1. Hogan, $1,195 You might be putting a little down for the trendy Hogan name here, but you're getting a roomy bag cut entirely from soft Italian leather, extremely well made with a great-looking modern design. Your call. 2....

Baseball legend Lenny Dykstra is forty, and he's, like, happy. (The game).(Interview)
March 1, 2003... LENNY DYKSTRA has a new set of teeth. Well, not really. Really, he has a new set of caps, big and white and straight, kept in place by the tobacco-stained stumps he became bent on hiding. But at first glance, it looks as though Lenny has a...

How to bet the next pope. (The Betting Man).(Column)
March 1, 2003... THERE IS A WAR being waged in gambling, and now's the time to profit from it. First, however, you must shed your antiquated wagering instincts. Then you must learn to get into the minds of strangers. Internet bookmakers are cutting throats...

10 things you don't know about women.(Brief Article)(Column)
March 1, 2003... 1. We revel in our own power, just like men do. We don't want to have to squelch ourselves so our man can feel strong. So rise up and meet us eye to eye in our queenliness. 2. We don't need to hear "I love you." We prefer to feel "I love...

Can one album single-handedly make jazz relevant again? Should you care? One listen to The Bad Plus's, These Are the Vistas will damn sure make you care. (music).(Sound Recording Review)
March 1, 2003... AS JAZZ APPRECIATION Month approaches, I'm planning to honor it the same way I do the Great American Smokeout: by ignoring it. It's not that I'm in denial--I've always appreciated that jazz exists--but I have a problem keeping myself tuned in...

Five more records worth your lunch money. (music).(Sound Recording Review)
March 1, 2003... Hall & Oates, Do It for Love (U-Watch). Let's face it, we've all taken a little guilty pleasure in "secretary rock" progenitors Hall & Oates. They're back with their first new album in five years--a set of instantly hummable songs offering new...

Digital music goes legit. (music).(Internet services that allow people to record music )
March 1, 2003... THIS USED TO BE SO EASY: You'd just log on to Napster and download the entire history of recorded music, sidestepping little details like cost and ethics. Good times ensued. But ever since the major labels shut down Shawn Fanning's brainchild...

The laws of fashion.
March 1, 2003... 1. Know Yourself. Then Get Dressed. Sounds simple. It isn't. It is the rare man who really understands what looks best on a person of his station--and what does not. Rarer still is the man who keeps pace with the changes in his...

The annotated man: Andy Spade.(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 1, 2003... (Founder and CEO, Jack Spade, men's luggage and accessories maker, 40) "Jack Spade has a lending library. When I was a kid, I would go to a bookstore in Arizona and see Interview magazine and think to myself, I wouldn't have known that; I...

Is Gaspar Noe the best director you've never heard of? His brilliant and offensive Irreversible will change that. (the screen).
March 1, 2003... GASPAR NOE IS SO UNKNOWN over here that I wouldn't blame you if your first guess was that somebody had finally invented an upscale perfume for asthmatics. But my hunch is that that could change soon, so here's a homegrown comparison to help you...

Q&a.(actor Kurt Russell)(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 1, 2003... * THIS MONTH, Hollywood tough guy Kurt Russell stars in the film Dark Blue as one of the greatest dirty cops we've seen. The film is based on a story by James Ellroy and set in L. A. during the Rodney King trial of 1992 and the riots that...

Sound & vision.(television set and inflatable speakers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... * GORGEOUS TVS Need more proof that tubes are going the way of VHS and Al Gore? Behold Sharp's Aquos C3U series of flatscreen TVs, which are smallish for home-theater purposes but ideal when paired with a gaming console or as an intimate second...

Wireless living: it's time to cut the cord. (the 5-minute guide).(wireless technology)
March 1, 2003... THAT TANGLE OF WIRES trader your desk is about to be a distant memory. So is the old notion that you have to be tethered to a phone line or cable modem to surf the Internet. New wireless technologies like Wi-Fi can eighty-six the clutter behind...

For twenty years, Anthony Pellicano was Hollywood's Fixer. Then, a few months ago, things turned strange. (the industry).(private investigator arrested on explosives charges)(Interview)
March 1, 2003... "SWEETIE, THE REASON I'm calling you is because you're a friend." That's how Anthony Pellicano, private eye to the stars, explains why he's returning my call. Pellicano--whose clients have included Michael Jackson, Roseanne, Kevin Costner,...

Quentin's endless Tarantino. (The Scouting Report).(movie industry news )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... 1. EARLY GREAT BUZZ on Quentin Tarantino's martial-arts picture, Kill Bill, has turned into speculation about what's taking so long. Sources say that shooting, which began last June, will continue into February at least, though Miramax still...

You've got questions, she's got answers. (sex).
March 1, 2003... Should a man trim his pubic hair? Yes, but it should never be apparent that he has done so. Besides the fact that a man with a close-cropped, pixieish pubic region is a truly awful thing to behold, it's unfair to give innocent bystanders a...

Sex toy of the month. (sex).(Vibra Pen)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... THE VIBRA PEN: "NO one would guess this writing implement is a tool of pleasure," promise the makers of the Vibra Pen. And they're right: The elegant "Mont Blanc style" writing instrument with a touch-activated cap is so discreet, so...

Benicio Del Toro.(actor)(Interview)
March 1, 2003... * English translation: Benny of the Bull... *... Esquire translation: lock up the womenwolf. Sometimes Benny hides things from himself. He doesn't know why. Just to do it, that's why. Just to keep himself sharp. Like he'll slip a...

Dressing the part: test-driving the new styles for spring, three of Hollywood's most promising talents show us it looks like to be a leading man.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Peter Sarsgaard You may have seen him in: Boys Don't Cry, as the bad dude opposite Hilary Swank, or The Salton Sea, with Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio. You will see him in: Unconditional Love, with Kathy Bates and Rupert Everett,...

The Pentagon's new map: it explains why we're going to war. And why we'll keep going to war.
March 1, 2003... Since the end of the cold war, the United States has been trying to come up with an operating theory of the world--and a military strategy to accompany it. Now there's a leading contender. It involves identifying the problem parts of the world...

Have you met the lips? A road trip with the emergent band the Flaming Lips, in which we learn that a) you never, ever mess with the bus, b) Beck is a dick, c) men generally should not sleep in the nude, and d) there is hope for all humankind.
March 1, 2003... The Flaming Lips Battle the Prevailing Dread OH, SHIT. This is a story about the power of love. Oh shit. Oh SHIT! OH SHIT! This is a story about the power of rock `n' roll to express the power of love, even now, in the first...

A woman we love: Connie Nielsen: she's stunning even by Scandinavian sandals. She stars in blockbusters and art films alike. And yet she's not quite famous. How is this possible?(actress from Denmark)(Interview)
March 1, 2003... Unless your household is in Copenhagen, CONNIE NIELSEN is probably not a household name. This is puzzling. After all, it's not as though the thirty-seven-year-old Dane has shied away from splashy roles. She's played the exotic Princess Lucilla...

Greetings [from the 50th State].(clothing fashions from Hawaii)
March 1, 2003... In this season's designer collections, the line between the East and the West is blurred as Asian-inspired silk print shirts and kimonos mingle with classic summer trousers and suits. To celebrate the trend, Esquire went halfway across the...

The $20 theory of the universe: there is almost nothing on earth that cannot be had for a price. The question is, what is that price? And the answer is twenty dollars.
March 1, 2003... WHEN IT COMES TO THE LANGUAGE OF MONEY, credit cards are nouns. Dull, concrete, limited by rules and restrictions and creepy fine print, credit cards have all the elan of aluminum foil. Personal checks--the coward's stand-in for cash--are ugly...

How to grease a palm.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... How to Grease a Palm IT'S ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE AND NEED. You have to have the attitude. You must discern the need. If you are the least bit hesitant or apologetic for offering the money, you are doomed. No one likes to take money if he feels as...

Roy Jones Jr.: [boxer, 134, Pensacola, Florida]. (What I've Learned.
March 1, 2003... A man who ain't got no heart, you can't give him no heart. All you got to do is say two words and I know if I wanna be around you. You got a governor on your car, it ain't gonna go but so fast. All I got to do is get a car that can go...

The dress shirt: everything you need to know to build the perfect shirt wardrobe. (Close-Up).
March 1, 2003... How It's Made The Cuff 1. The one-button barrel. Hem's your basic anywhere, anytime cuff. 2. Two-button notched barrel. A nice detail that, for formality, is just short of French. 3. The two-button turn-back. A smart look that skews...

What ever happened to anthrax?
March 1, 2003... In October 2001, a sixty-three-year-old man staggered into a Florida hospital with a case of what appeared to be bacterial meningitis. It wasn't. It was our nation's first case of inhalational anthrax in twenty-five years, and Bob Stevens was...

The dog groomer. (Acknowledgments).
March 1, 2003... Although I painstakingly worked on my sentence for more than three years, it would never have seen the light of day without the commitment of others who believed in it. To my proofreader, Becky Neiman. My sentence was once a monstrosity--a...