VANITY FAIR

MAY 2009 NO. 585 | VANITYFAIR.COM

FEATURES

... AND GOD CREATED GISELE 114

Gisele Biindchen’s rags-to-riches saga—of a gangly 14-year-old from the Brazilian sticks who became the world’s most sought-after supermodel, then married star quarterback Tom Brady—has included some traumas, not least the revelation that Brady’s ex-girlfriend was having his baby. Leslie Bennetts gets Bundchen’s milea-minute account of the highs, the lows, and what comes next. Photographs by Mario Testino.

HIGH C IN HIGH-DEF 126

Wayne Maser and Damian Fowler spotlight seven international opera stars who are putting to rest the “fat lady sings” cliche, via live broadcasts to movie theaters.

THE INHERITANCE 128

As a fourth-generation scion of America’s most influential newspaper family, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. wanted nothing more than to run The New York Times, preserving its proud journalistic tradition. With an in-depth portrait of the 57-year-old publisher—and an inside look at his tenure— Mark Bowden asks whether Sulzberger’s lifelong Times worship made him the wrong man for the job.

THE THRILL ROOM 136

Todd Eberle and Matt Tyrnauer spotlight an impressive lineup of power-lunchers, who gathered in the Four Seasons Grill Room to mark the restaurant’s 50th anniversary.

BOHEMIAN TRAGEDY 138

Every year, members of the ultra-exclusive Bohemian Club—who include Henry Kissinger, George H. W. Bush, and hundreds of right-wing tycoons—cavort freely among the majestic redwoods of Northern California. One thing they don’t enjoy is talk that the club is logging these trees on its 2,700-acre property. Alex Shoumatoff sneaks into the opening ceremonies to investigate.

TARANTINO GOES TO WAR 146

With an exclusive excerpt from the screenplay of his creatively spelled World War II epic, Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino reveals the suspense-filled opener of one of the year’s most anticipated films, premiering at Cannes this month, while Brigitte Lacombe captures Brad Pitt and other cast members on the set.

THERE WILL BE BEAUTY 152

In times like these, A. A. Gill writes, couture is a bet on the future, on galas, grand entrances, and extravagant gestures. With Emily Blunt as muse, Michael Roberts photographs the winners from the Paris collections.

GISELE, MA BELLE Gisele breezes down a terrace at New York's Plaza hotel 114

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HOW THE WEST WAS SAVED 156

For all his hunter’s bloodlust, Theodore Roosevelt turned out to be an environmental pioneer, preserving some 230 million acres of America’s most sublime wilderness, including the Grand Canyon. His epiphany, in 1903, was swift and dramatic. In an excerpt from a new biography of the 26th president, Douglas Brinkley follows T.R. on a crucial journey across the land he governed.

FAN FAIR

31 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE 57

Paul Cox draws inspiration from Washington, D.C.’s cherry-blossom festival. 57

The Cultural Divide 58

Elissa Schappell’s Hot Type 60

Lisa Robinson’s Hot Tracks 62

My Stuff—Jenna Lyons; Jonathan Kelly hits the nail on the head at Garber Hardware 64

Dustin Yellin resonates for Aaron Gell; Bruce Handy thinks Tyson is a knockout; Night-Table Reading 66

Meenal Mistry cleans up with Beekman soaps 68

COLUMNS

THE SWASTIKA AND THE CEDAR 78

Lebanon is a country of contradictions: a pluralist democracy, with a thriving cafe culture, and also a staging ground for Iran and Syria. As Christopher Hitchens discovered on a recent Beirut trip—involving two very different rallies and a run-in with Fascist thugs—the next Middle East conflict may already be under way.

TO BOLDLY STAR 82

Mark Seliger and Krista Smith spotlight Chris Pine, who’ll get beamed up next month in the new Star Trek prequel as an untested Captain Kirk.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH WASHINGTON 84

With a younger, hipper administration in power, the Beltway pundits sound less relevant than ever, touting Newt Gingrich as a bold thinker and Mitt Romney as an edgy Cabinet pick. James Wolcott pokes at the impenetrable conservatism of the capital’s media bubble.

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THE BUCKLEY IDENTITY 88

Over souffles and Sauvignon Blanc, Christopher Buckley tells John Heilpern why he turned his annus horribilis—with the deaths of his parents, conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr. and socialite Patricia Buckley—into his next book.

THE MAN WHO ATE THE G.O.P. 91

Rush Limbaugh has made his feelings about President Obama amply known—emerging as the standard-bearer of the G.O.P. in the process. As the party quakes in Limbaugh’s shadow and assesses the price of his support, Michael Wolff figures out the source of his power.

STEALING MONA LISA 96

On August 21, 1911, the most famous painting in the world disappeared from the Louvre Museum. In an excerpt from their forthcoming book, Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler recall an audacious theft that left Paris distraught for more than two years—and may have concealed a far cleverer crime.

REIF LARSEN’S MAP QUEST 104

Gasper Tringale and Evgenia Peretz spotlight Reif Larsen, whose new novel offers up a literary hero for the ages, 12-year-old map-maker T. S. Spivet.

VANITIES

PAQUIN’S BACK 107

Heather Mills shares the secrets of her popularity with Craig Brown; Howard Schatz captures Terrence Howard in character 108

Bruce McCall helps the still wealthy conceal their good fortune 110

Candy Spelling discusses motherhood—and the singles scene—with George Wayne 113

ET CETERA

EDITOR’S LETTER 30

CONTRIBUTORS 34

LETTERS Washington Is Not the New Hollywood 50

FAIRGROUND The Vanity Fair Oscar party 71

CREDITS 180

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE Jane Fonda 182

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