VANITY FAIR

November 2005

No. 543

ON YANITYFAIR.COM THIS MONTH:

•MORE NEW ORLEANS PORTRAITS

•WEB-ONLY INTERVIEWS: ZADIE SMITH. A. A. GILL. NOAH BAUMBACH

•PUNCH HUTTON'S FALL TREND REPORT

FEATURES

298 THE MUSIC PORTFOLIO 2005 It all began more than 30 years ago in the Bronx, with two turntables and a microphone. Today, hip-hop is the backbeat of modern music, and V.F.'s sixth annual portfolio showcases 44 of the talents who took it there, including DJ Kool Here, Run-DMC, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Eve, Missy Elliott, Ice-T, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, and OutKast. Photographs by Mark Seliger and other top photographers.

336 ABOVE AND BEYONCE Beyonce Knowles is a churchgoing "country girl" who has learned to let loosethanks to the alter ego she calls "Sasha"—even as she lets go of the most successful female group in the world, Destiny's Child. Catching up with the multi-platform superstar, her mother, and her boyfriend, Jay-Z, Lisa Robinson discovers what gets Beyonce mad, what keeps her going, and why she won't dance at parties. Photographs by Patrick Demarchelier.

344 DO YA THINK I'M SIXTY? Rod Stewart is one blond who has always had more fun. Mark Seliger and Jim Windolf spotlight the rocker turned crooner in an unconventional family portrait.

348 LIVE. FROM TRIBECA! The Odeon led the Zeitgeist when it planted its neon sign in darkest Tribeca in 1980, mixing burnished wood, comfort food, and cocaine into a chic stew of filmmakers, art stars, uptown celebs, and the cast of Saturday Night Live, led by the cremebrulee-loving John Belushi. On its 25th anniversary, Frank DiGiacomo relives the giddy scene with the Odeon's creators, admirers, and troublemakers.

358 HELL AND HIGH WATER When catastrophe struck the Gulf Coast, Washington's incompetence and the breakdown of social order in New Orleans dominated the news. But as David Halberstam reckons with the ugly truths Hurricane Katrina exposed, a historic 28-page portfolio by photographer Jonas Karlsson and reporter Ron Beinner showcases the survivors of the storm, and the men and women in whom it brought out the best.

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FANFAIR

145 30 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE

Baby, what a view—Top of the Rock reopens. Elissa Schappell's Hot Type. Sue Carswell in the kitchen with Iron Chef Cat Cora; Django Reinhardt inspires Emily Poenisch. Victoria Mather swoons for South African jazz. Lisa Eisner rides to the rodeo; Dee Dee Myers debates the Tennessee Monkey Trial; Bruce Handy reviews Jerry Lewis's upcoming memoir. New films Pride & Prejudice and Walk the Line. Punch Hutton on the Cloister revamp; Aaron Gell on Antony and the Johnsons. Visual books of the season. Tommy Hilfiger turns 20. My Stuff— Vanessa Getty; Christine Muhlke gets beauty tips from Paul Starr and Tom Pecheux.

COLUMNS

176 FLOODING THE SPIN ZONE Analyzing the passionate media reaction to Hurricane Katrina (starting with Brian Williams, Anderson Cooper, and Shepard Smith), James Wolcott contrasts that blast of candor with the usual spin. Could this be the comeback of real journalism?

186 MEANWHILE, IN AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION ... Most second-term presidents have a V.P. jockeying for a shot at the Oval Office. Not Bush. Aside from making one steely-jawed hurricane-relief appearance, Dick Cheney was invisible for 11 days. Michael Wolff may have figured out why. Illustration by Philip Burke.

192 THE MAN WHO ATE HOLLYWOOD When wildcatter turned Hollywood magnate Marvin Davis died last year, he was supposed to be worth $5.8 billion. Instead, his daughter claims, the estate is worth nothing. That's only one of the big surprises, as Mark Seal reports, in an outrageously epic life.

222 HIGH NOON IN CRAWFORD Welcome to Crawford, Texas, where the leader of the free world transforms into a pickup-drivin', brush-clearin' cowboy. (Don't mind the grieving Iraq-war mothers to your left.) At the president's vacation retreat, Evgenia Peretz learns why the "Howdy, neighbor" act is wearing thin. Photographs by Larry Fink.

238 25 FOR THE ROAD Whether she's touring France with Lance Armstrong, fleeing the cops in a Z-28, or cruising a Missouri summer night, rock star Sheryl Crow is an expert on winding roads. Here, she selects 25 albums no driver should be without. Photographs by Marc Baptiste.

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250 HIP-HOP HAPPENS Englewood, New Jersey, 1979: three young men climb into an Oldsmobile in front of Crispy Crust Pizza and emerge as the Sugarhill Gang—which will record rap's first hit single. Steven Daly revisits hip-hop's scrappy, sometimes shady, and always electric origins.

268 THE WAITING PLAGUE Epidemiologists warn of a potential natural disaster that could dwarf Hurricane Katrina. Tracking the deadly avian flu across Asia, William Prochnau and Laura Parker find a handful of doctors, officials, and health workers who are struggling to confront the danger.

SPECIAL SECTIONS

FOLLOWING PAGE 226

ON TIME Any watch can tell the hour, but if you want the ultimate in technology and design on your wrist, only a horological wonder will do. In a special pullout section, Taki Theodoracopulos explores the psychology of watch wearing, while Simon Mills joins Jodi Kidd on a race to ticktock heaven, and Bill Emmott extols the well-timed investment.

FOLLOWING PAGE 292

V.F.'S SECOND ANNUAL HOT TRACKS CD You can't sing along to a magazine, so this one comes with a free CD, featuring 18 tracks by established masters (Patti Smith, Emmylou Harris), reigning headliners (Ryan Adams, Norah Jones), and rising stars (Amos Lee, Keren Ann).

VANITIES

285 I, MAX David Kamp and wine expert/author David Lynch compile the Wine Snob's Dictionary. Gently aged former heartthrob Tab Hunter comes out to George Wayne about coming out. Lisa Robinson's Hot Tracks.

ET CETERA

88 EDITOR'S LETTER

92 CONTRIBUTORS

104 BEHIND THE SCENES The Rap Pack

118 LETTERS A Note from Joe Scarborough

174 PLANETARIUM Scorpios on ice

390 CREDITS

394 PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE Mike Wallace

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