Inside the December 2010 Issue

An Eric Spitznagel interview is like no other, probably because no other interviewer is as funny, as fearless, or as shameless. Check in every Friday for a new Q&A with newsmakers from Mary Louise Parker to Shaquille O’Neal.

Listen to audio excerpts from Salman Rushdie’s Luka and the Fire of Life (Random House), Richard Reeves’s Portrait of Camelot: A Thousand Days in the Kennedy White House (Abrams), and Richard Cohen’s Chasing the Sun: The Epic Story of the Star That Gives Us Life (Random House).

“Basic, venal political opportunism doesn’t begin to explain the magnitude of dementia uncapped by 9/11 that led to a lava flow of blood and destruction that veined through the decade.”

Revisit the wildest looks of Cher’s career. Plus, watch behind-the-scenes video of her cover shoot with photographer Norman Jean Roy.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s relationship has been a favorite subject of the tabloids for nearly a decade. See a comprehensive slide show of their life as a couple.

Mark Bowden’s article “The Case of the Vanishing Blonde” examines one man’s relentless quest to solve a heinous crime. Watch the eerie surveillance footage that was the primary clue in the case, with commentary from Bowden.

Ricky Gervais gets in character—several characters, actually—for photographer Howard Schatz.

The soothing voices of NPR’s personalities are easy enough to ID—but what about their mugs? VF.com puts faces to public radio’s biggest names.

VF.com brings you an exclusive first look of the feature-length documentary—directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter—that spotlights the legendary wit of Fran Lebowitz.

Michael Lewis and Father Matthew, of the Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi, debate its role in the Greek economic crisis.

The magician Teller spotlights a long-dead hero, Harry Houdini, whose reign of illusion is on exhibit at New York’s Jewish Museum.

FEATURES

Forever Cher

Cher doesn’t court the spotlight, but she still knows how to command it. Five decades after first stealing the show, and with a new movie, Burlesque, the iconic polymath sounds off to Krista Smith about Sonny, Meryl, and her two least favorite women in politics. Photographs by Norman Jean Roy.

Two for Tempest

Leslie Bennetts and Brigitte Lacombe spotlight Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal, the director-composer team who have reimagined The Tempest.

Crimes of the Art?

Larry Rivers knew no boundaries: the late Pop-art rebel took lovers of both sexes, thumbed his nose at the art establishment, even had his daughters strip on-camera. As the younger one fights to have that film destroyed, Michael Shnayerson dissects a feud that has placed Rivers’s legacy in question. Portraits by Gasper Tringale.

Word Champion

Wallace Shawn and Brigitte Lacombe spotlight Fran Lebowitz, star of the new Martin Scorsese documentary.

Her Change Of Heart

Told she needed open-heart surgery, Barbara Walters was more than a little scared. Recalling everything from the shocking diagnosis to the support of famous fans, the broadcasting legend reveals how her operation gave her a different view. Photograph by Jonathan Becker.

Living Large Is the Best Revenge

What to call Jean Pigozzi—playboy investor, art collector, plus-size-men’s-wear designer? Delving into his quirks (germophobia), his consorts (many and beautiful), and his connections (Murdoch, Bono, Jobs), Ingrid Sischy explains the Pigozzi phenomenon. Photographs by Brigitte Lacombe.

Take the Elle Train

Krista Smith and Sam Jones spotlight Elle Fanning, the 12-year-old star of Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere.

The Case of the Vanishing Blonde

After the police investigation into a brutal Florida rape went nowhere, it became private eye Ken Brennan’s smoldering obsession. Mark Bowden follows Brennan’s years-long, cross-country quest to prove his hunch was right. Portrait by Harry Benson.

American Comic

Cullen Murphy and Gasper Tringale spotlight Garry Trudeau’s cartoon canon as Doonesbury turns 40.

Wilde Blue Wonder

Krista Smith and Norman Jean Roy spotlight Olivia Wilde, who has taken Hollywood by storm.

Wills And the Real Girl

The nearly nine-year romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton may look picture-perfect, but it has often been tumultuous. In an excerpt from her royals bio, William and Harry, Katie Nicholl describes the breakups, the other women, and the growing bond between a future King and a country girl.

31 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE

Karl Lagerfeld shoots the Pirelli Calendar. Cullen Murphy previews Play Dead; La Perla gets intimate with Gaultier; Looney Tunes’ new direction. My Desk: Aaron Sorkin. Hot Reels: The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, Black Swan. Hot Tracks: Lisa Robinson’s Q&A with Jack White; the best new boxed sets. My Dream: John Galliano. Hot Gifts: Punch Hutton picks the season’s best. Hot Type: Henry Alford dissects dueling Passions. My Stuff: Kelly Wearstler; the new oyster cult; Fendi’s time-stopper. Beauty blitz for the holidays.

COLUMNS

Miss Manners And the Big C

Enough misery comes with having cancer—must it blight one’s social life too? Christopher Hitchens proposes an etiquette book for both sufferers and sympathizers. Photograph by Jonas Fredwall Karlsson.

The Honor of His Company

Tim Hetherington spotlights Salvatore Giunta, who has been awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in Afghanistan.

The Sound of Sanity

As National Public Radio turns 40, James Wolcott salutes the only real adults on the dial. Now, would they please just invite him onto one of their shows?

The Unsocial Network

Over the last year, with its late-night lineup tanking and affiliates rebelling, NBC was caught between Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. In an excerpt from his new book, Bill Carter has raw footage of a season finale the network never expected.

Hubris Maximus

It’s Vanity Fair’s first annual roundup of the year’s most notorious newsmakers, in which David Hirshey, Michael Solomon, and Stanley Bing mix the reprehensible and the ridiculous.

Adrift But Unbroken

When their World War II bomber crashed in the Pacific, Olympic runner Louis Zamperini and two crew-mates faced starvation, sharks, and enemy aircraft. In an excerpt from her first book since Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand tells an incredible-but-true story of survival.

Vanities

Bruce Feirstein’s guide to gadget rollouts; Howard Schatz captures Ricky Gervais in character. George Wayne gets saucy with Rachael Ray.

ET CETERA

EDITOR’S LETTER Man Up, America!
60 MINUTES POLL
CONTRIBUTORS
OUT TO LUNCH Dick Cavett
LETTERS Every Greek for Himself
V. F. CLASSIC Bitter Spoils
FAIRGROUND
PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE Harrison Ford