VANITY FAIR

JUNE 2015

NO. 658

VANITYFAIR.COM

FEATURES

92 AN EMPIRE REBOOTS By BRUCE HANDY

Given that it's been a decade since the last Star Wars installment—and that Disney paid $4 billion for George Lucas's production company and franchise— the hype surrounding Episode VII, due in theaters this December, was guaranteed. Director J. J. Abrams reveals the challenges and pleasures of taking over that "galaxy far, far away." Photographs by Annie Leibovitz.

104 V.F. PORTRAIT: JUDY BLUME

ByMEG WOLITZER With classics such as Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret,Judy Blume mirrored the growing pains of generations of young readers. Her latest (adult) novel is set against bizarre circumstances from her own adolescence. A fan and fellow author hopes the 77-year-old Blume won't stop there. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

106 THE BONDS OF BATTLE

BySEBASTIAN JUNGER The rate of post-traumatic stress

disorder among American veterans has skyrocketed, but only a fraction of cases are the result of battlefield trauma. From his personal experience with PTSD, and from experts in the field, a war correspondent reaches a startling conclusion: coming home can be the hardest part of going to war.

112 ENDLESS SUMNER By WILLIAM D. COHAN

Reports about the health of Sumner Redstone, the 91-year-old chairman of Viacom and CBS, suggest that, despite his claims of immortality, he is now largely debilitated. The jockeying for position has intensified, pitting Redstone's onetime heir apparent, his daughter, Shari, against two younger women—his live-in girlfriend and a former flame—as Hollywood holds its breath. Photographs by Douglas Friedman.

119 WOLFF ON WHEELS

Spotlight on actor-musician Nat Wolff, who follows his breakout role in The Fault in Our Stars with this summer's Paper Towns. By Krista Smith. Photograph by Neil Gavin.

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120 CHARLOTTE'S WEB

Spotlight on model Charlotte McKinney,

who has shown the world what she's made of.

By Laura Jacobs. Photographs by Miguel Reveriego.

124 THE GOOD DOCTOR By LAWRENCE WESCHLER

In February, the renowned neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks told readers of The New York Times his days were numbered, even as his memoir was going to press. A longtime friend, who once intended to write the doctor's biography, returns to his notebooks, recalling Sacks's struggle with his sexuality, affinity with his patients, and unique connection with the world.

128 THE CALL OF BEAUTY By ROBERT LACEY

In post-WW. II New York, Eileen Ford and her husband, Jerry, built a modeling agency that broke the mold, launching the careers of Suzy Parker, Brooke Shields, and Naomi Campbell, among other famous faces.

An adaptation from a new Ford biography tells how the newlywed Eileen turned beauty into big business.

139 ISN'T IT BROMANTIC?

Spotlight on the cast of HBO's Entourage, as they make the tricky transition to the big screen. By Richard Lawson. Photograph by Art Streiber.

VANITIES

57 HOLDING COURT

Bruce Feirstein on California's greatest threats.

FANFAIR & FAIRGROUND

61 30 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE

Summer splash: a roundup of the season's hottest items.

Hot Tracks: Pharrell Williams. Hot Type. Hobson Brown and Billy Nachman's Criquet Clubhouse; get vacationready with La Mer and Serge Normant.

69 AROUND THE WORLD, ONE PARTY AT A

TIME Louis Vuitton's private after-show dinner at Caviar Kaspia, in Paris, was a high-fashion affair. Brian Grazer and his new book, A Curious Mind, were the toast of the town at the Monkey Bar, in New York City.

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COLUMNS

76 DARKNESS AT NEON By JAMES WOLCOTT

Hollywood's view of Las Vegas—the playground of Elvis and Sinatra—darkened in 1995, when Martin Scorsese, Mike Figgis, and Paul Verhoeven released their Sin City movies. Two decades later, only Showgirls still has legs.

78 THEY ALL LAUGHEDBy MICHAEL KINSLEY

Like any other group, G.O.R presidential-primary candidates need someone to kick around. Texas senator Ted Cruz, the first to announce for 2016, may already be this cycle's punching bag. Illustrations by Barry Blitt.

80 TIME TO TABLE FARM-TO TABLE?

By CORBY KUMMER With menus that source every morsel, the "farm-to-table" movement has tipped into parody, making even Alice Waters despair. It's time for chefs to scrap the bucolic posturing and put taste back in the kitchen. Photo illustration by Javier Jaen.

88 HER WICKET WAYSBy PIPPA MIDDLETON

The lure of croquet ranges from fierce competition to sun-dappled dalliance, which may explain why this game has caught the fancy of prime ministers, tycoons, and movie stars. Photographs by Norman Jean Roy.

ET CETERA

46 CONTRIBUTORS

50 EDITOR'S LETTER AGELESS ICONS

52 LETTERS UBS'S FLASH FLOOD

5460 MINUTES POLL

72 IN THE DETAILS JENJI KOHAN

74 OUT TO LUNCH AZIZ ANSARI

154 PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE JAMES TAYLOR