Interview articles from December 2004

Interview archives from December 2004

The big three-five!(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... Dear Interview, If Andy Warhol were alive today, he would surely have applauded your phone book-size 35thanniversary issue [October 2004]. If ever there was a contemporary equivalent of those glorious covers from the 1980s, it is the...

You know what they say about a book and its cover.(Claudia Cohen)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... Dear Interview, As a relatively new reader of your magazine, I wanted to say how enlightening I found Claudia Cohen's interview with Bob Colacello [October 2004]. Shocking as it was to discover that the former editor of the magazine is a...

A's all around.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... Dear Interview, Regarding Nicole Seymour's letter published in the [October 2004] 35th-anniversary edition: Television did, in fact, break up in 1978 as Camille Paglia stated in the August '04 issue, but they re-formed nearly 14 years...

Go, Behrs!(Jason Behr)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... Dear Interview, When Roswell ended and Jason Behr [November 2004] began pursuing his film career and getting away from his teen-hottie image, I let my subscriptions to the various teen magazines lapse and subscribed instead to Interview,...

Party starters: for this season's celebrations, designers created the noisemakers.(Holiday Hurrah!)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... There are the clothes you wear when you have to dress up, and then there are the clothes you wear when you want to dress up. Often there's an abyss separating the two, but this season, designers have bridged the formal and the fun. They've made...

Gaspard Ulliel: heating up movies and heading for the front lines.(Man On The Move)(Biography)
December 1, 2004... With his boyish good looks and lack of conspicuous battle scars, it's hard to believe that Gaspard Ulliel is a war-movie veteran. But in his brief career, the 20-year-old actor has already played in three: Andre Techine's Strayed, Richard...

Marilyn Monroe: the star is reborn (yet again) in a new photo show.(This Season's Sneak Peek)
December 1, 2004... Given that her career as a movie star lasted only a decade, a new exhibition may lead one to ponder just when, exactly, Marilyn Monroe found time to make films in between her countless portrait sittings. Remarkably, the photographic legacy the...

Elisabeth Harnois: charting a bright future by going to dark, twisted places.(Interview: one to watch)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... For her role as a teenager who washes ashore and kicks up a storm in a New Jersey beach community on the new Fox drama Point Pleasant--a sort of supernatural Beverly Hills 90210--Elisabeth Harnois channeled Rosemary's baby. "I basically play...

Brett Ratner: the billion-dollar boy sits down with the maverick producer for an old-fashioned showbiz swinger session.(Daring Duo)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... Brett Ratner was obsessed with movies--and the movie business--almost from the get-go: Born and raised in ritzy Miami Beach, he wrangled his way onto the set of Brian De Palma's Scarface (1983) at age 12 and wound up with a part as an extra;...

Laura Linney: talking to the woman some have called acting's snow-covered volcano.(InterWoman)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... Whether onstage or onscreen, Laura Linney specializes in confounding expectations. With her warm, honey-dipped voice and approachable beauty, it's easy to mistake her as simply the friendly heart of whatever project she's involved in--that is,...

MP3 2-in-1: how to keep the sun out (and the sounds in) this season.(Oakley sunglasses)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Putting a new spin on the phrase "facing the music," the forward-thinking folks at Oakley have imagined a brave new world devoid of tangled headphone cords and those omnipresent tiny white boxes that they're so often attached to. What you...

Dania Ramirez: with boundary-breaking boosters like Bill Cosby and Spike Lee, she's building a career by busting down stereotypes.(Movie Tip)(Brief Article)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... "Want to drive with me to Los Angeles?" was the line that aspiring actress Dania Ramirez delivered to her best friend upon graduating from New Jersey's Montclair State University. "I wasn't scared," says the 24-year-old native of Santo Domingo,...

Matthew Gray Gubler: Wes Anderson's hapless intern gives gophering another go in the director's highly anticipated new film.(Movie Buzz)
December 1, 2004... "I had to get a perm," explains actor Matthew Gray Gubler of his surreptitious jump from being an intern in director Wes Anderson's New York City production office to playing one in the dowdy filmmaker's new movie, The Life Aquatic With Steve...

Gerard Butler: he ditched his suits and briefs for a life of villains, spooks, and vampires. Now he's the man behind the mask.(Movie Breakout)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... Taking on the titular role in Joel Schumacher's new film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, which Michael Crawford made famous on the stage, would be a tall order for any actor. But thankfully, broad-shouldered, 6-foot-4...

The Aviator.(Sex, Lies, And Oscar Bait)(Movie Review)
December 1, 2004... (Miramax) Directed by Martin Scorsese Martin Scorsese takes on Howard Hughes in this biopic of the aviation pioneer, film auteur, wooer of fabulous women, and ultimately, weird recluse. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the eccentric...

Million Dollar Baby.(Sex, Lies, And Oscar Bait)(Movie Review)(Brief Review)
December 1, 2004... (Warner Bros.) Directed by Clint Eastwood Following up on the psychological devastation of his Oscar-bagging Mystic River, Clint Eastwood dips into the well-trod world of boxing in this film about two former fighters (Eastwood and Morgan...

Closer.(Sex, Lies, And Oscar Bait)(Movie Review)(Brief Review)
December 1, 2004... (Columbia) Directed by Mike Nichols On the heels of his Emmy-winning adaptation of Tony Kushner's Angels in America for HBO, Mike Nichols serves up another stage-to-screener with this stylish drama tackling the daunting subject of...

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.(Sex, Lies, And Oscar Bait)(Movie Review)(Brief Review)
December 1, 2004... (Touchstone) Directed by Wes Anderson Fresh off a disastrous expedition culminating with a rare shark eating his best friend, ocean explorer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) embarks on a voyage to track down the offending animal with his would-be...

The Sea Inside.(Sex, Lies, And Oscar Bait)(Movie Review)
December 1, 2004... (Fine Line) Directed by Alejandro Amenabar As the follow-up to his stirring supernatural thriller and unexpected box-office smash The Others (2001), Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar returns with this darkly touching and strangely...

Hotel Rwanda.(Sex, Lies, And Oscar Bait)(Movie Review)(Brief Review)
December 1, 2004... (UA) Directed by Terry George Based on the true story of a luxury hotel manager (Don Cheadle) who becomes the de facto overseer of a refugee oasis amidst the horrifically bloody 1994 Rwandan civil war, Hotel Rwanda brings a human face to...

Finding Neverland.(Sex, Lies, And Oscar Bait)(Movie Review)(Brief Review)
December 1, 2004... (Miramax) Directed by Marc Forster Mired in a sexless marriage, author J.M. Barrie (Johnny Depp) becomes involved in a murky relationship with a widowed mother (Kate Winslet) and her four sons, which prompts him to write his seminal tale...

Shots in the dark: Alfred, Lord Tennyson once wrote, "'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." A handful of new films question that belief.(Sean Penn)
December 1, 2004... It's a measure of Sean Penn's range as an actor that just a year separates his performances as Jimmy Markum in Mystic River and Samuel Bicke in his new film, The Assassination of Richard Nixon. Although both men are driven to kill, only one of...

M.I.A.: shaking up hip-hop with a stirring debut.(Maya Arulpragasam)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... On paper, 23-year-old M.I.A., a.k.a. Maya Arulpragasam, is a living portrait of the rebel creative. Born in Sri Lanka, she grew up around the insurgency movement; her father was a prominent member of the notorious Tamil Tiger separatist group....

Willy Mason: a folk-singing prodigy's romantic travails and jailhouse tales.(Music News)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... He may be just 19 years old, but singer-songwriter Willy Mason is already living the life of a folk hero. The Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, native is a nomad, living out of his van. In the classic form of American roots musicians, his...

Gwen Stefani.(Sound Advice)
December 1, 2004... Love. Angel Music. Baby. (Interscope) This 1980s-inspired solo debut could have been flippantly retro in lesser hands, but Gwen Stefani's sass transforms it into girl power for grown-ups. Forget the close-to-the-bone confessionals she often...

U2.(How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)(Brief Review)(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Interscope) "Where is the love?" wails Bono, evoking Marvin Gaye, over the crashing rhythms at the end of "Love and Peace or Else," the fourth song off U2's 11th studio album, a meditation on fear and faith....

Destiny's child.(Sound Advice )(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... Destiny Fulfilled (Columbia) Despite being richer than many small developing nations, Destiny's Child still sound hungry on their fourth proper studio album. And even though Beyonce has left the other two members in the dust, both famewise...

Chingy.(Sound Advice)(Brief Review)(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... PowerBallin' (Capitol) With the cocksure swagger of a nerd convinced he's Romeo, Chingy represents for the adorable, obnoxious philistines. On this follow-up to last year's breakthrough, Jackpot, he certainly can get the party started,...

Autolux.(Sound Advice)(Brief Review)(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... Future Perfect (DMZ) While the Mars probes continue probing, space rock is spiraling back toward Earth and crashing into the mainstream with high-profile releases from Blonde Redhead, Midnight Movies, and Secret Machines. The Los Angeles...

Rufus Wainwright.(Sound Advice)(Movie Review)(Brief Review)
December 1, 2004... Want Two (Dreamworks/Geffen) Ostensibly a companion to 2003's bitchy, emotional, and astoundingly excellent Want One, Want Two is the former's more studious brother--the one who stays home at night, drinks alone, and loves from afar. On...

Nas.(Sound Advice)
December 1, 2004... Street's Disciple (III Will/Sony Urban/Columbia) One of rap's fiercest lyricists, Nas still packs his thoughtful flows with hyperactive wit and biting social observations. On this double concept album, his gift for narrative are is augmented by...

The next chapter in noir: immortalized by film-noir screen sirens, vampy burgundy nails are back for winter.(Look Of The Month)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Usurping the ubiquitous faux-natural baby-pink nail, film-noir fingertips are the freshest shade for winter. Classic celluloid glamour is inspiring film and fashion alike--witness the polished looks in new movies like The Aviator and dark,...

Balancing balanchine: a pas de deux with Robert Gottlieb, whose pocket-sized new biography on ballet master George Balanchine furthers the conversation on this 20th-century giant.(Book Talk)(Interview)
December 1, 2004... As 2004 draws to a close, so too does the centenary of one of the 20th century's great creative geniuses, George Balanchine. To mark the occasion, two new biographies have recently been published: Terry Teachout's All in the Dances (Harcourt)...

Bow wow: how to gift wrap yourself.(What's In Style)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Should you need help with your holiday wrapping, call Marc, Phoebe, Kimora, or any of your favorite fashion houses. Big and little, from top to bottom, back to front, the bow has designers all tied up this season. At Chloe, Phoebe Philo used...

Shine on: 'tis the season for sequins and sparkles.(Fashion Eye-Catcher)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Is this season's fashion for the birds? Designers showed a plethora of sequins, metallics, and glittering beads on the catwalks for winter, perfect for attracting the eye of high-flying magpies in search of shiny baubles to add to their nests....

A gem of a show: a surprising marriage breeds what every parent dreams of for their offspring: brains, beauty, and the power to charm.(Design News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Design revolutionary and acclaimed architect Ettore Sottsass may seem an unlikely candidate to curate and art-direct a jewelry exhibition, but that's just what he's done for "Cartier Design Viewed by Ettore Sottsass," a traveling show making...

All the dish: restaurants that prove you can go home again.(Food Column)
December 1, 2004... As the cold hand of winter tightens its icy grip, even the most die-hard futurists can find themselves yearning for the warmth of places that earlier generations have known before. Whether it's the shared sense of community, the comfort that...

Letter from the editor December/January 2005.(View)(Editorial)
December 1, 2004... It's hard to believe we're already going into the 6th year of the 21st century. Apart from people's technological savvy--with their computers, their iPods, their BlackBerrys--signs of human progress often appear scarce. In fact, on certain...

Jared Leto: with his latest role as the reputed lover of Alexander The Great in Oliver Stone's new movie on the infamous conqueror, the once ambivalent teen heartthrob, born travel rat, budding rock star, and reluctant thespian is no longer running away from audience's expectations--he's facing them head-on.(Interview)
December 1, 2004... His handsomely brooding face may have taken center stage when he first emerged as the mysterious Jordan Catalano, the grungy object of Claire Danes's wish-fulfillment fantasies, on the mid-1990s cult TV show My So-Called Life, but the years--at...

Bear essentials: this season, designers had much in mind for the great outdoors--and for the wild (at heart).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Models: ADAM/SVM, PETRA NEMCOVA/ Next Model Management, and TRACE/ SVM. Hair: PASQUALE FERRANTE/ Cutler, NYC. Makeup: JORGE SERIO/JGK. Prop stylist: TRACY WINGROVE. Special thanks: TOAD HALL AT ABC and MOUNTAIN VIEW LOG HOME, HUNTER MOUNTAIN,...

Ziyi Zhang: watch out, superman. Run for cover, spider-man. Don't think about it, batman. Here comes the competition.(Interview)
December 1, 2004... Ziyi Zhang gives the most iconic performance of her short, illustrious career in director Zhang Yimou's latest film, House of Flying Daggers. She plays Mei, a blind brothel dancer who turns out to be a fighter for an underground rebel cadre...

Michael Stipe: up close and real personal with rock's voice of the subconscious.(Interview)
December 1, 2004... [Jarret McNeill, Interview's assistant editor, dials Michael Stipe's number. Phone rings. David Belisle, Stipe's tour assistant, picks up.] DAVID BELISLE: Hello? JARRET McNEILL: is Michael Stipe there, please? DB: Who's calling?...

Gwyneth Paltrow: when she was 20, fame came knocking, and Gwyneth Paltrow opened the door. more than a decade later, there are still a lot of callers, but the actress may have other ideas in mind.(Interview)
December 1, 2004... Eleven years ago, a 20-year-old New Yorker by the name of Gwyneth Paltrow burst onto the scene with a small but indelible role in Flesh and Bone (1993), providing the action's dark heart and effectively stealing the movie from her much more...

The house that Louis built.?(Louis Vuitton)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... FOR A COMPANY STARTED BY ONE MAN MAKING TRUNKS, LOUIS VUITTON HAS DONE A LOT OF BUILDING. AS A FINALE TO THE HOUSE'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY, INTERVIEW PRESENTS VISIONS FROM SOME OF VUITTON'S CURRENT VISIONARIES: A PREVIEW OF MARC JACOBS~S...

Elton John.(Interview)
December 1, 2004... ROBERT DOWNEY JR.: Hi, E.J. ELTON JOHN: Hello, gorgeous man. How are you? RD: I'm almost as pretty as you are, honey. EJ: Oh, I hear nothing but good things about you. RD: Oh, fine. Well, never before in the history of this...

Vanessa Carlton.(Interview)
December 1, 2004... In a sea of Britneys and Jessicas, she's the chopin-loving romantic who made waves by refusing to kowtow to the pop-music-industry rule of bare skin and attention-seeking histrionics. Now, with her new album, harmonium, the self-described "girl...

Kevin Bacon.(Interview)
December 1, 2004... MORE FIRED UP BY AN INTERESTING PROJECT THAN BY THE PROSPECT OF STARDOM, KEVIN BACON HAS TAKEN THE SLOW-BURN APPROACH, SAYING YES TO BOTH LEADS AND WALK-ONS IN EQUAL MEASURE, AND JUMPING AT THE CHANCE TO PORTRAY THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND EVEN THE...

The transformers.(Interview Gallery)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES--WHETHER CULTURAL, POLITICAL, AESTHETIC, OR OTHERWISE--HAVE LONG BEEN ONE OF THE FASHION WORLD'S DRIVING FORCES. THE SAME CAN BE SAID OF THE ART WORLD. BOTTEGA VENETA CREATIVE DIRECTOR TOMAS MAIER (NO STRANGER TO...

The magic handbag: a Christmas tale.(Short Story)
December 1, 2004... ONCE UPON A TIME there was a poor little match girl (actually a young, nubile woman) who almost never sold any matches. There were a number of reasons for this unfortunate fact: Unlike in times of yore (whenever yore was), people had cigarette...

Full-throttle night.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Rodrigo de la Serna, Gael GArcia Bernal, and Walter Salles at the New York premier of The Motorcycle Diaries, hosted by Focus Features, J. Linderg, and Interview. Johnny dynell and Vincent Gallo at NYC's Peir 54 for the party following the...