Esquire articles from November 2003

Esquire archives from November 2003

The newly launched Volkswagen Touareg rolls into Dallas.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The newly launched Volkswagen Touareg and Esquire took Dallas by storm on August 1st & 2nd, 2003 when the Reebok 2003 Heroes Celebrity Baseball Event took place in order to raise money for two great charities, The Mike Modano Foundation and...

Some other things we love.(Editorial.)(Directory)(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... Every fall, John Mariani, Esquire's roving food critic, chooses twenty or so restaurants to honor as the Best New Restaurants in America. This year's selection begins on page 104. He's been doing this since Reagan was in the White House, a...

The miracle of hybrid technology: Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system combines the best of electric and internal-combustion technology.
November 1, 2003... One Of The Most Advanced Cars Toyota's hybrid-drive 2004 Prius is one of the most advanced cars you can buy. Someday, this is how all cars will be built. But the Prius is here today! It combines exceptional fuel economy with near-zero...

Inside the new 2004 Toyota Prius: Toyota's newest family car can do things no other vehicle on the road can do.
November 1, 2003... It's Not Just The Engine The Prius is more than just a fuel-sipping powertrain. This is a real car, engineered in every detail to be comfortable, convenient and efficient for the people who will ride in it. Start with the body. The Prius'...

Toyota's 'miracle car' on the road: the Prius is marvel of technology. But How does it perform on the road?
November 1, 2003... Palm Springs Scenic Loop Let's see how the 2004 Toyota Prius handles on the road with a hearty test drive. Come on along. Our favorite test drive climbs out of Palm Desert, Calif., on scenic Route 74, the Palms to Pines Highway, and...

Introducing the 2004 Buick Rainier.(Style agenda: a special promotion for Esquire readers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A perfect blend of power and refinement. With an available 290-horsepower V8 engine and all-wheel drive, RAINIER definitely has the power to take your expectations for an SUV to new heights. Equipped with standard features like perforated...

World Time by Patek Philippe.(Style agenda: a special promotion for Esquire readers; watch)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... This complicated timepiece, shown here in 18 karat yellow gold illustrates the time in all 24 time zones. Its creation was inspired by the original World Time, invented by PATEK PHILIPPE in the 1930's. In April of last year, a 1939 version sold...

Jack Victor launches Fall 03 collection.(Style agenda: a special promotion for Esquire readers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... For almost 100 years, JACK VICTOR has been updating men's fashion, offering a modern yet classic approach to style. The Montreal-based clothing manufacturer's fine quality suits, sportcoats and trousers feature the finest in Italian fabrics and...

Bombay Sapphire.(Style agenda: a special promotion for Esquire readers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... BOMBAY SAPPHIRE's crisp, subtle taste can be attributed to its extraordinary combination of ten exotic botanicals and unique vapour-distillation process. Almonds and lemon peel from Spain, coriander seeds from Morocco, liquorice from China, and...

The sound & the fury.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... I sit now trying (yet again) to categorize the electricity running through my body. The story, or, more to the point, the picture and the words that follow, destroys, elates, and fascinates. There's a rage: at those who ultimately forced his...

Esquire & Longines "Casting Call for Attitude".(By invitation only: a special promotion for Esquire readers)
November 1, 2003... On Thursday, August 14th, Esquire and Longines hosted a "Casting Call For Attitude" event in celebration of the launch of the new "Evidenza" Watch collection by Longines. Over 100 hopefuls showed up at the 10 a.m. casting call, which was...

Marvin Traub Golf Invitational, presented by Esquire.(By invitation only: a special promotion for esquire readers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... On August 18th of 2003, Esquire co-hosted the 6th Annual MARVIN TRAUB GOLF INVITATIONAL at the Fenway Golf Course in Scarsdale, New York. Marvin Traub is the former Chairman of Bloomingdale's and each year hosts a golf tournament for...

Esquire & Gentleman Jack celebrate "America's Most Gentlemanly Bartender".(By invitation only: a special promotion for Esquire readers; Steve Peterson)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... On Thursday, August 7th, Esquire & Gentleman Jack celebrated Steve Peterson, of John Barlycorn, in Chicago, who was named "America's Most Gentlemanly Bartender" in a national contest conducted by Esquire. Over 4,000 entries were accepted in the...

Healed.(the sound & the fury)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... Also in September, two and a half years since the last installment of his cancer journal appeared in Esquire, writer Curtis Pesmen updated readers on his battle against colorectal cancer and his reinvigorated perspective on life ("My Cancer...

Everyone's price.(the sound & the fury)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... Writer Tom Chiarella once again tested the limits of his twenty-dollar theory of the universe in September ("The 20-Dollar Millionaire Hits the Road"). It seems he isn't the only one who knows the power of a twenty. As a private...

Man at his best.(about actress Sanaa Lathan )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Here, the essential things a man should know about Sanaa Lathan so that he can hold his own during upcoming Sanaa Lathan-themed Canasta parties. * Perhaps Lathan's most challenging role: playing a number-2 pencil in college as part of an...

The awards.(popular culture)
November 1, 2003... A: THE 10 MOST REMARKABLE THINGS IN CULTURE THIS MONTH 1 Drollest Telegram from Venice "Streets full of water, please advise." --From Robert Benchley to his New Yorker editor, in Telegram!, a collection of notable messages 2 Most...

Two more books for your shelf.(Everything and More; The Exact Same Moon: Fifty Acres and a Family)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... Pre-calc never got our blood pumping, like, say, health class did. But David Foster Wallace succeeds in making math--and the hard-to-comprehend nature of infinity--alive, gorgeous, and even comprehensible in Everything and More (Norton, $24)....

Big important Esquire book of the month.(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... For three years, Esquire has run the shamelessly voyeuristic "What It Feels Like" sections, with first person tales about the heights and depths of human experience, we've heard you enjoy them. So we now offer Esquire Presents: What It Feels...

Mel Brooks, Max Brooks, zombies, and Nazis.(Max, son of Mel, has new book: The Zombie Survival Guide )(Interview)
November 1, 2003... WITH THE CONSTANT threat of terrorism, a shaky economy, and a sitcom starring Whoopi Goldberg on the air, Americans don't exactly need anything else to worry about. Now comes a book from author Max Brooks warning of a new terror: the living...

The lost art of the euphemism.(Column)
November 1, 2003... In this increasingly-class and nuance-free world, a little vagueness can be a lovely thing. For instance, never say die. Say: "Answer the call, come home feet first, cross the Styx, dance a two-step to another world, fall off the perch, hand in...

The endorsement: Spam 'n' egg on toast.(opinions; visit to Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota prompts memories of canned meat product)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... LAST SUMMER WE VISITED THE SPAM Museum in Austin, Minnesota. I have been to the Louvre, to the National Portrait Gallery, to the Uffizi, to the Met, to the Guggenheim, and to a truckload of museums in several parts of the world, and the...

The indefensible position: actors playing retarded characters shouldn't get Oscars.(opinions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... I can't decide what's more offensive, making fun of retarded people or the fact that all an actor has to do to generate Oscar buzz is portray one. I'm no James Lipton, but I've always thought Serious Acting was supposed to be an attempt to...

60 seconds in the life of the American man: what happens to you and your fellow males in a single minute? In less time than it takes to read this article? Find out before you lose more brain cells.(the list)
November 1, 2003... * Every minute, the average man produces 225,694 sperm cells. And loses 35 brain cells. * Every minute, American men eat a total of 7,398 hot dogs. 12,989 pounds of beef. 40 pounds of tofu. And 1,500 Dunkin' Donuts. ...

The shape of things.(neckties)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... And why not a round-point tie? Throughout history, men have used natty neckwear to express themselves, from cravats to ascots to kerchiefs Now there's just plain old ties, with that predictable Turnbull & Asser shape. But a small Italian...

How to buy drugs online: dangerous knowledge.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... I HATE ARGUING WITH MY DOCTOR. Among my least favorite parts is his fussing around for a refill on my Xanax. He always seems to cut my dosage, reduce my refills, or refuse altogether. He always seems to think he knows better than me. The...

Liar beware.(Technical detection equipment.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Traditional methods of lie detection (polygraph machines, DNA sampling, Senate subcommittees) are costly and highly unportable. The everyday lies that lubricate polite society call for a discreet device, something inexpensive, about the size of...

The (discreetly) voyeuristic man.(digital camers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... THE (DISCREETLY) VOYEURISTIC MAN For those who prefer to snap surreptitiously, the tiny 1.3-megapixel Key 007 digital camera from Philips (at right, $99; philips.com) takes better pictures than almost any phone camera, and its 64 mess of memory...

The voyeuristic man.(Column)
November 1, 2003... My house in Telluride, Colorado, has one of the greatest views on earth. It's at the top of a 10,000-foot mountain, with 360 degree views of 14,000-foot peaks. I look down across a beautiful mesa, and in the distance, five miles away, is the...

A shameless (but self-deprecating) plug for Esquire.com.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Early in the planning process for the Esquire Cover Gallery (available now at Esquire.com), we faced a decision: Should this thing be comprehensive? Because, first of all, that's a lot of scanning. And second of all, many of our covers, well,...

The rules.(Rules for men.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Rule No. 224: Hybrid car equals hybrid man. Rule No. 611: If your PIN number is your birthday, you're an idiot. Rule No. 612: If your PIN number is your girlfriend's birthday, you're a sucker. Rule No. 649: The fat kid who brings the Jeter...

Tablets of the gods.(Tablet PCs.)
November 1, 2003... IF YOUR PALMPILOT AND YOUR LAPTOP had a precocious child, it would look a bit like the new tablet PCs. Hyped as the next revolution in computers, these gadgets allow you to scribble directly onto a magazine-sized screen in plain old...

Absurd service of the month.(musikube.com)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... FOR ANYONE OUT THERE who still listens to music on the radio but is advanced enough to have access to a cellular telephone, there is MusiKube. Hear a song you like--AM or FM--dial MusiKube, and hold your phone up for seven seconds. Based on a...

Player's football.(accessories)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... PLAYER'S FOOTBALL Makes sense that leather-goods maker Coach would come to dabble in the great sport of football, considering that it's an all American company--founded in New York in 1941--and has, throughout its history, worked in skins....

Everything new is old.(Accessories.)
November 1, 2003... WE'RE MODERN AESTHETES. We like to surround ourselves with beautiful objects, but to us beautiful is a phone that shows us a color photo of each caller, a DVD projector that turns the living room into a cineplex, or a giant watch with lots of...

The cologne question: to scent, or not to scent. Two cents.(fragrances)
November 1, 2003... Men have long tried, and failed, to attract women with their scents. (See: Steve Martin wearing the sweat of a professional athlete in The Lonely Guy.) What do women really want you to smell like? Esquire asked a few members of the...

Dust, begging, sex, socks & the diabolical metric system.(Letter to the Editor)
November 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...

The guide.(The guide to duffle coats.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Mr. Softie Ryan O'Neal in Love Story. Holden Caulfield. All those angst-ridden rich kids from Dead Poets Society. No self-respecting prep-school student would be without a duffle coat. But despite its boyish air, it's still the best thing...

Step x step.
November 1, 2003... Question: How do I wear a convertible jacket? Answer: Wear it all at once, or remove the lining for two jackets that work over a suit or just a sweater. The Details: Leather jacket ($4,570) and cotton shirt ($340) by BRIONI; yellow-gold watch...

The over-under: corduroy suits.(the style guide)
November 1, 2003... Never mind that the corduroy suit is the uniform of two of our least favorite kinds of people: philosophy professors and twenty-four-year-olds with too much enthusiasm for the seventies. Head-to-toe wales are for everyone now, so it's time you...

Things we won't be covering in the index this month.(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... THINGS WE WON'T BE COVERING IN THE INDEX THIS MONTH The Vincent Gallo truffle collection from Vosges Haut-Chocolate... Battlestar Galactica: the DMD release... Loving the Self-Absorbed: How to Create a More Satisfying Relationship with a...

7 ways to be entertained in ... Nov.(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... A Third-Date Movie In the Cut is directed by Jane Campion and stars Meg Ryan, but don't let its chick-flick pedigree scare you. Meg at 41? Daaaamn! She plays a sexy teacher who likes to take risks, especially of the sexual variety. Mark...

It feels good: that may not be the first thing you think of when you think of--if you think of--Derrick Brooks. But it will be now.
November 1, 2003... WHEN IT'S 102 DEGREES UNDER SLEEP-HEAVEY humidity, the football helmet is more than a nut safe. It's a barometer of exhaustion. After a player reaches the first level of fatigue, he'll take off his helmet and sit on it. But for a...

Sunday trading.(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN about football betting is not about football betting. But it will change your gridiron gambling life The book is the classic Market Wizards, by Jack D. Schwager, a collection of inter views with great commodities...

Holy sh*t!!! Every so often, a piece of music will force you to stop in your tracks. The Rapture's debut album will do that and so much more.(music)(Sound Recording Review)
November 1, 2003... NOTHING BEATS THE "HOLY SHIT" moment, that energizing split second when you are blindsided by something completely thrilling and unexpected. It happened when you first heard Miles or Hendrix, or when Axl gave you no choice but to follow him...

Five more records worth your lunch money.(Sound Recording Review)
November 1, 2003... Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism(Barsuk): These indie-rock stalwarts continue to make music we love. The bombast of "New Year" ushers in an often delicate but always well-orchestrated mix of brainy pop. The gem here is "Title and...

The tour de fall: the big film festivals were particularly charged up about two autumnal openings: an animated feature and a Katie Holmes vehicle. We'll be the judge of them. Plus, can we get enough of Jack Black?
November 1, 2003... THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE IS AN animated feature by Sylvain Chomet that reportedly knocked people's socks off at Cannes, something of a coup at a festival where most folks show up wearing sandals. I think it's wonderful myself-maybe the best...

Barry Sonnenfeld's gadget of the month.(Column)
November 1, 2003... THE LAST SIX WEEKS, I've been commuting between the sublime (my home in Telluride, Colorado) and the ridiculous (Los Angeles). I've also been testing the sublime (the Samsung i500 cell-phone PDA) and what many people will find ridiculous (a...

Is it just me, or is the hand job making a comeback?
November 1, 2003... Of course it's not you. More and more people are rediscovering the timeless elegance of a good hand job. According to Caressa Kisses of the Kit Kat Guest Ranch in Nevada (a legal brothel with no actual candy bars), "The current popularity of...

Side effects may include death: those over-the-counter painkillers you pop at the first twinge or cough are more dangerous than you think.
November 1, 2003... THE MOTHER OF THE YOUNG MAN WHO died from taking too much Tylenol had flown from Florida to Washington, D. C., to tell her son's story. In the room full of doctors, she was anxious, not herself. Kate Trunk, fifty-two, had practiced for weeks...

What's wrong with DreamWorks? After several years of Oscar and box-office triumphs, the studio--and the controversial producer who runs it--suddenly seems to be stumbling.
November 1, 2003... "THIS IS OUR FIRST SHITTY YEAR." SO declares Steven Spielberg, acknowledging what everyone at DreamWorks film studio already knows only too well. DreamWorks has had an anemic year at the box office, and the animation department--originally...

10 things you don't know about women.
November 1, 2003... 1. Women are innately self-conscious. This is not a choice; it's a genderwide condition. On a bad day, I look in the mirror and see my ten-pound-heavier alter ego. Her name is Bertha. On a really bad day, Bertha sees her...

The best new restaurants in America 2003: Esquire's twenty-second-annual survey: you like to eat? You like a bargain? You like cocktail waitresses?(Directory)
November 1, 2003... These are strange days in the dining World--and that would be true even if one of our best new restaurants weren't in Atlantic City. Tougher times for restaurateurs means better food for people who want to eat well without the attendant...

Bending spoons with Britney Spears: a deeply weird encounter with the sexual savant of American pop twenty feet away from me.(Interview)(Column)
November 1, 2003... Britney Spears is pantless. Her sculpted hair makes her look like Marilyn Monroe on a date with DiMaggio, assuming they're going to Manhattan's finest pantless restaurant. She's wearing a sweater that probably costs more than my parents' house,...

The women we've loved: 70 years of the American female.
November 1, 2003... According to our calculations... * Esquire has featured approximately 9.247 pictures of women. * We've outfitted women in Santa Claus suits, in hockey jerseys, and in a very provocative pair of diapers. * We've covered women in...

The greatest car ever built: yeah, there are only 140 of them in the country. And, yeah, they cost $400,000 each. But a guy can still dream. Can't he? Behold the Mercedes-Benz SLR. The new king of the supercars.
November 1, 2003... "It WILL CHANGE YOU," SAYS KLAUS, the affable German, with a big smile. "You will see. You will not be the same after you drive it." [paragraph] When I was eleven years old, my stepdad strapped me into his Porsche 911 and gave me my first taste...

Luxury watches: Esquire takes you through the ins and outs of high-end watches, including the ten most important questions to ask yourself before you go out and drop big coin.(Close-Up)
November 1, 2003... [SPLURGE OR NOT?] Luxury watches range from just under $1,000 to $100,000 and more. Among the most expensive are the prized tourbillions, which only an elite group of master watchmakers has the skills to produce. (The two-hundred-year-old...

The league of extra-ordinary gentlemen: recently, an eminent, varied, large, and unlikely delegation of Americans, led by the Reverend Al Sharpton, went to Africa to heal a wounded continent. They took the whitest man in America with them.
November 1, 2003... FIVE MINUTES BEFORE WE boarded the plane to Africa, Al Sharpton called the group into a circle to pray. It struck me as a fine idea. Sharpton's plan to lead a delegation of American civil-rights activists into the middle of the Liberian civil...

"Nice shoes" and six other fashion essentials you can't live without.(Interview)
November 1, 2003... * We love clothes and we love supermodels, so we figured we might as well use one to exhibit the other. Herewith, seven pieces to help you weather the season in style. As a bonus, some information about our models, including their views on...

Elvis Costello: what I've learned.(Interview)
November 1, 2003... [Songwriter, 48, Dublin] What have I learned? Well, you can answer that on so many levels, can't you? You can answer it on a philosophical level, or you can say, "I know this restaurant," or "Always get the foam pillow." I was in a...

The endless disaster: the breakup and sinking of the Prestige one year ago has become the worst oil-tanker disaster in history--far more costly than even that of the Exxon Valdez. And though her fate was predictable, the tale of her final seven days is more than strange.
November 1, 2003... The world used to end on a finger of stones curled alcove the surf or maybe just beyond, out past the shallows, at the sharp line where the sky met the sea and both fell away into nothing. In the near distance, there were fish and crabs and...