VANITY FAIR

MAY 2010 NO. 507 I VANITYFAIR.COM

FEATURES

THE PROFESSOR OF WAR | 148

Two and a half years ago, leading the Iraq surge, General David Petraeus was a pinata for top Democrats. Today, he’s the White House’s military guru, overseeing every hot spot from Afghanistan to Iran. Mark Bowden finds out how Petraeus revolutionized the way America fights, and why he’s a living army legend. Photographs by Jonas Fredwall Karlsson.

THAR SHE DEBUTS | 155

Matthew Guerrieri and Steve Pyke spotlight the opera Moby-Dick, in time for its world premiere in Dallas.

THE TEMPTATION OF TIGER WOODS | 156

Despite all the tabloid tales about Tiger Woods’s dalliances, a clear picture of how and why he conducted them has been elusive. Mark Seal peels back the curtain on Woods’s secret world, while Mark Seliger photographs the women who inhabited it.

THE MADDEST OF MAD TEA PARTIES | 165

Edward Sorel sketches Sarah Palin’s Tea Party—the Wonderland version—while Richard Lingeman eavesdrops.

THE MET’S GRAND GAMBLE | 166

After four years at the helm of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Peter Gelb has shaken things up, some say too dramatically. Can he win a new generation of fans and donors before the Met’s perilous finances implode? Nina Munk goes behind the curtain. Photographs by Raymond Meier.

BRUCE WASSERSTEIN’S LAST SURPRISE | 174

Ever secretive about his personal life, Bruce Wasserstein knew how to gain an edge by keeping his cards close to the vest. William D. Cohan probes the legacy of a famed deal-maker, whose mysterious death in October has led to a divided obituary—especially on his leadership of Lazard.

THE GREAT PERSUADER | 179

Nathaniel Rich and Norman Jean Roy spotlight showbiz Uber-macher Jerry Weintraub, who’s got a story to sell.

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IT’S RAINING, MEN | 181

Laura Jacobs and Michael Roberts spotlight the male stars of Fox’s Glee, in a designer-clad homage to Gene Kelly.

GRACE KELLY’S FOREVER LOOK | 182

Whether in a prim chiffon skirt (Rear Window), a classical gown (7b Catch a Thief), or the dress in which she married Monaco’s Prince Rainier, Grace Kelly wore white like none other. As a new show on Kelly’s style opens in London, Laura Jacobs highlights the passionate woman beneath the actress’s alabaster fagade.

FANFAIR

31 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE | 81

Bright Young Things: Nina Clemente’s culinary ambitions | 81

The Cultural Divide | 82

Elissa SchappelPs Hot Type; Night-Table Reading | 86

My Stuff—David Chang; Matt Pressman applauds American Idiot | 88

Bob Colacello tours the fashionable Chateau de Haroue; David Yurman’s dazzling new store; don’t leave home without Taxi Cards | 90

Chantecaille’s aquatic initiative; Julien Farel moves south of the border; Olivia Strand checks into Hotel Le Bristol; spring Hot Looks | 92

Casino Jack cashes in; Kick-Ass is victorious; Bruce Handy reviews Please Give | 94

COLUMNS

HOT-AIR BALLOONS | 104

Meet the pseudo-candidates—Lou Dobbs, Larry Kudlow, Mort Zuckerman, et al—basking in the spotlight as they ponder political campaigns. James Wolcott votes nay.

DISCOVERING FLORENCE | 106

Lisa Robinson and Julian Broad spotlight British sensation Florence Welch, as Florence and the Machine head into their first U.S. tour.

THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES | 108

Yale grads Henry Luce and Briton Hadden took on the media establishment in 1923 with their upstart “news-magazine.” In an excerpt from his new Luce biography, Alan Brinkley recounts the exhilarating, grueling launch of Time.

ON SPEAKEASY STREET | 122

David Friend and Edward Sorel spotlight Daniel Okrent’s spirited new history of Prohibition.

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THE GODFATHER OF SOLE | 124

With devotees including Angelina Jolie, Oprah, and Lady Gaga, Christian Louboutin can count on his most costly and unwearable shoes’ being snapped up. Vanessa Grigoriadis parses the intense triangle of designer, woman, and foot.

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF PRESTON STURGES | 134

Preston Sturges’s life was as turbulently unpredictable as his movies, which briefly made him the third-highest-paid man in the U.S. Douglas McGrath explains why the director’s vision resonated with W.W. II America—and holds up today.

THANK HEAVEN FOR LERNER AND LOEWE | 142

Michael Feinstein and Steve Pyke spotlight the New York Pops, now topping its year with classic Broadway sparkle.

VANITIES

GRAND LARSON-Y | 145

Bruce Handy and Ross MacDonald pay tribute to Corporate History Month | 146

Bruce Feirstein juxtaposes Obama the candidate with Obama the president | 147

ET CETERA

EDITOR’S LETTER | 50

60 MINUTESPOLL | 56

CONTRIBUTORS | 62

OUT TO LUNCH Amanda Burden | 68

LETTERS Here’s Looking at Hughes | 72

FAIRGROUND | 97

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE Bill Maher | 210

VANITYFAIR.COM

THIS MONTH’S ONLINE EXCLUSIVES

Pay a visit to VF Daily for the latest on scandals, movies, society, Washington, the war in Afghanistan, and more. Also: Brett Berk recaps each episode of Glee.

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