Vanity Fair articles from August 2003

Vanity Fair archives from August 2003

The Times's restoration drama.(the New York Times and the effects of the Jayson Blair scandal)
August 1, 2003... Backed by publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., executive editor Howell Raines set out in September 2001 to shake up the venerable New York Times. He succeeded, winning a record seven Pulitzers in 2002. But a year later the Times was rocked to its...

A made-for-tabloid murder.(Scott and Laci Peterson)
August 1, 2003... On Christmas Eve, a pretty, young, pregnant wife goes missing. Right after the Iraq war, her body washes up, and her husband is arrested. With its heartbreaking details and perfect timing, the Laci Peterson murder has become America's No. 1 crime...

The golden fleece.(Aaron Tonken and charity embezzlement scandal)
August 1, 2003... By the time Aaron Tonken turned 35, his lifelong obsession with celebrities seemed to be paying off: somehow, the high-school-dropout loner had become a top Hollywood charity-event organizer, capping his resume with a glittering farewell salute...

God and man in the White House.(George W. Bush, the Pledge of Allegiance, and separation of church and state)
August 1, 2003... The Supreme Court will soon consider the 1954 addition to the Pledge of Allegiance of two short words: "under God." The Bush administration has sworn to keep them there. What is happening to the wall separating church and state-the key...

The fine art of sucking up.(professional ethics)
August 1, 2003... Plagiarist-fabricator Jayson Blair not only sullied The New York Times's name and wrecked the careers of the editors who had promoted him but also brought dishonor to every honest brownnoser in the business. Saluting a few notable suck-ups, the...

Power and punishment.(celebrity trials)(Dominick Dunne's Diary)
August 1, 2003... Joining the social rubbernecking over the crashes of Howell Raines and Martha Stewart, the author measures the Schadenfreude and hears the echo of a lunchtime conversation at his friend Martha's house in Maine. As for the Skakel debate, Robert F....

The 80s, after dark.(photos excerpted from 'So80s: A Photographic Diary of a Decade' by Patrick McMullan)(Illustration)
August 1, 2003... Shuttling from the Palladium to the Temple of Dendur to Area, Patrick McMullan chronicled the decade of Tama Janowitz's big hair, Christian Lacroix's big skirts, and Ivan Boesky's big dive. Photos from his new book, So80s, show how revealing...

Living by design.(photoessay on architecture marking Vanity Fair's 20th anniversary of its rebirth)(Illustration)
August 1, 2003... Marking the 20th anniversary of its rebirth, Vanity Fair presents a portfolio of the most innovative architecture and design to appear in its pages. From Philip Johnson and I. M. Pei to Frank Gehry and Richard Meier, MATT TYRNAUER surveys a...

The phony war.(Iraq war, 2003)(Editor's Letter)
August 1, 2003... Forget that old saw about how a nation gets the leaders it deserves. Americans do deserve better than what we've gotten. Secretary of State Colin Powell declared that questions about the justifications for the war in Iraq are "outrageous"-a...

Rose Byrne.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Krista Smith age and occupation: 24, actor. provenance: Sydney, Australia. Brad Pitt playing the heel: Later this year, Byrne stars in Obsessed opposite Josh Hartnett, and she's currently in Malta filming Wolfgang Petersen's...

Rote 66; The union of chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and architect Richard Meier gave birth to 66, where you'll find nouveau-Chinese food and New York's hottest scene.
August 1, 2003... Byline: A. A. Gill It's just a guess, but I reckon the greeting-and-seating procedure at 66 is modeled on the aliens line at Immigration-just after the Friday-night flight from Khartoum has landed. But that's O.K., we're used to that. We...

Louis Licari: king of color, long-distance runner.(Interview)
August 1, 2003... Byline: George Wayne Countless Hollywood stars and Upper East Side socialites wouldn't dream of going out in public without their Louis Licari highlights in perfect streaking order. The Tribune of the Tinfoil, who this summer began a side...

Shooting War.("VII" a collective of combat photographers and documentarians)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Byline: David Friend They live in New York, L.A., Tampa, Paris, Provence, and Bali, home ports for prowling an unjust planet. Most have covered war in Bosnia, Kosovo, and the West Bank. Seven went to Iraq, eight to Afghanistan. They are...

Roomful of Blues.("Salute to the Blues" show at Radio City Music Hall)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Lisa Robinson "It's so nice to see all of these people in one room," said Ruth Brown, "and not at a funeral." The occasion: the "Salute to the Blues" show at Radio City Music Hall last February, which kicked off what Congress has...

George Hamilton; George Hamilton's closet at one time supposedly held 350 bespoke suits and 500 shirts.(Brief Article)(Interview)
August 1, 2003... What is your idea of perfect happiness? A wife, a child, a dog, and a book to write... you said "idea." Which living person do you most admire? My mother. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Too much...

MEDIA WAR.(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... Not in recent memory at Vanity Fair has an article received a more emotional response from readers than James Wolcott's "Round Up the Cattle!" (June). John Moore of Santa Monica, California, offered a "10-gallon hats-off to Wolcott for a...

> Comic Relief.(American Splendor )(Movie Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Bruce Handy It's my job and all, I know, but damned if I can explain why this movie works. American Splendor is based on the autobiographical comic books of the same title written by Harvey Pekar and illustrated by any number of...

Modern Marriage.(Le Divorce)(Movie Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Bruce Handy Based on Diane Johnson's Parisian comedy of manners, Le Divorce is the 25th literary adaptation from Merchant Ivory Productions; among its predecessors are A Room with a View, The Remains of the Day, Mr. &...

COMING ATTRACTIONS.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Walter Kirn Trailer of the month: S.W.A.T. Directed by: Clark Johnson. Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J. Coming to a theater near you: August 8. The lowdown: An improbably multicultural...

HOT TYPE.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Elissa Schappell Lester Bangs called Bob Dylan a fraud, the Rolling Stones lazy, and Anne Murray "the real thing." Arguably the most scorchingly hilarious, drug-besotted, and ballsy rock writer ever to live, Bangs...

Harlem on His Mind.(artist Romare Bearden)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Veronica Byrd As if responding to the rhythm of jazz, the vibrant colors of artist Romare Bearden's collages and paintings seem to shuffle, glide, and leap off the canvas. His love of jazz and the blues inspired some of his...

Downtown Darlings.(musical group Stellastarr)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Craig Offman Even though Stellastarr rehearses in the drummer's Brooklyn bedroom, this intense group of art-school rockers won't be jamming on top of mattresses for much longer. The Stellas are ready to spring. The British...

Head Games.(Salon AKS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Byline: David Colman Forty years ago, Vidal Sassoon ushered in the era of celebrity hairstylist as aura sculptor and sex-appeal seer. Each fashion moment has had its hair prophet, from the 1970s' Jose Eber to today's Sally Hershberger. Now...

VANITY FAIR NOMINATES KABUl BEAUTY SCHOOL.(Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Support for Afghanistan)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Helen Schulman Because under the Taliban the women of Afghanistan risked beating and imprisonment by patronizing underground beauty parlors for the simple human reason that they needed color and light in their lives. because...