"Rupert Murdoch told me he liked the hamburgers Graydon served up (not personally), from In-N-Out burger. When he asked who I was working for and I told him Gawker, he immediately explained that he didn't talk to the likes of us. Captain Chesley Sullenberger was more hospitable. He, too, was a fan of the burgers, and he also said that all the stars were 'so nice.'"

-- Gawker's Ravi Somaiya crashed the notoriously-uncrashable Vanity Fair Oscars party last night, and describes some of what he saw. (more...)

Daily Intel's Jessica Pressler dug a pretty explosive anecdote out of a James Verini Vanity Fair article on Matt Taibbi's exploits publishing Exile magazine in 1990's Russia, and now it's making the rounds on blogs and Twitter. According to Verini, Taibbi reacted to some criticism with a meltdown worthy of Christian Bale. Verini should have known trouble was brewing when Taibbi threw coffee on him, but it didn't end there. (more...)

Political satire blog Wonkette is making its mark on magazine giant Conde Nast. Two Wonkette alums separately announced today that they are joining magazines within the Conde Nast family. Original Wonketteer Ana Marie Cox, who has also worked for Time and the now-defunct Air America Radio, became the newest addition to the GQ staff earlier today as a Washington correspondent, where she will be contributing features to the print edition as well as daily pieces on GQ.com. In a separate announcement, former Wonkette intern and current editor Juli Weiner thanked readers for their support there and directed them to the Vanity Fair blog VF Daily, where she will begin writing on Monday.

For such a mainstream print media association, acquiring talents developed at the shamelessly vulgar, hilariously quirky self-described "friendly little warblog" is a bold step to take, even if the simultaneous hirings were unintentional. While Cox has overshadowed her role as the blog's founder with many other distinguished lines on her resume and Weiner will be tempted to stray from her political pedigree at a cultural institution like Vanity Fair, both writers are direct products of a new medium that has directly caused a great number of headaches at newspapers and magazines. That their training ground was on the freewheeling extreme of the already irreverent blogophere goes beyond a statement: it's a commitment to keep one foot in the murkier waters of the political world and attracting a new audience to talent bred online, possibly hoping the favor will be reciprocated. Welcoming Cox to GQ was of particular political signficance, as Michael Calderone explains at Politico. It is a sign the magazine would like a greater voice in the political media community, and "looks like a way for the magazine to maintain more of a daily presence in the capital."

The influx of bloggers into the print world their existence threatens to destroy is a good sign for the latter, and an olive branch to the former indicating that perhaps there can be some form of peaceful coexistence. Conde Nast has nothing to lose from the merger, and blogs like Wonkette are becoming, in their own way, polished and seasoned institutions that can be trusted to produce "Conde Nast-level" talent.

The question, koan-like in its infinitude and all-meaningfulness, of whether Rupert Murdoch's self-importance outstrips his actual importance at last seems capable of an answer.  Today, one of Murdoch’s papers, The Australian, carries a story on a briefing Murdoch gave to announce the unexpectedly rosy results his media conglomerate, Newscorps, enjoyed last quarter.  Last year, around this time, Newscorps posted losses in excess of $US 6.4 billion.  This year, it posted a comparatively trivial, if emotionally satisfying, $254 million profit. (more...)

In case you haven't heard, this year's Vanity Fair Hollywood issue is extremely monochromatic. Over the years, VF has often included at least one, sometimes two, people who can check an ethnic box other than Caucasian, but not this year. The lack of color in the cover story is surprising, and -- to be honest -- pretty disappointing. Not the least because....well where is Gabourey Sidibe, whose jaw-dropping, and now Oscar-nominated, debut performance in Precious floored just about everyone. Really? Getting an Oscar nom your first time out doesn't merit a cover nod? (more...)

“Twitter is crack for media addicts.” – George Packer

New technology invariably brings, along with change, a torrent of anxiety about what that change will look like.  This anxiety can be eloquent.  It can also be less than eloquent.  Those who quailed at the prospect of a world quickened and mechanized by the Industrial Revolution, for example, had the good luck of finding a spokesperson in William Blake, the unofficial laureate of Ludditism.  “And was Jerusalem builded here,/” asked Blake mournfully, if not quite grammatically, of an English countryside raped and blackened by industry, “Among these dark Satanic Mills?”

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WTF Polls Did you ever wonder how many Americans want to replace Uncle Sam with an older version of New York Yankees star and former steroid-user Alex Rodriguez? I mean, of course you did, because you smoke marijuana. Anyway, CBS News decided to take the best ideas you probably thought up while you were high and ask a bunch of Americans in the latest 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll. Click through for the results to that question and more! (more...)

Ooh-la-la! Look how sexy Twitter just got! It's got sexy ladies! In heels and trenchcoats! With gleaming hair and long legs and sleek gadgets and attitude! Ladies & gentlemen, Twitter has just been Vanity Fair-ized. (more...)

The February issue of Vanity Fair features an image that is sure to raise eyebrows: a shirtless Tiger Woods pumping iron, photographed by Annie Leibovitz before his alleged scandalous behavior became public. The featured article is penned by Buzz Bissinger, who weighs in on the apparent disconnect between Tiger's public image and private life. (more...)

2009 has been a horrible year for the magazine publishing industry. Much has been made of the perfect storm of an ad recession (brought about by a dismal economic climate), and the growth of up-to-the-second digital media. But in the midst of this blizzard of bad news, there has been one beacon of hope for editors and publishers alike: Stephen Colbert. Vanity Fair tells us that putting Colbert on the cover leads to sales! (more...)

There was a day when magazine covers could make or break a career, or a magazine (remember pregnant Demi Moore's cover for Vanity Fair? Of course you do, that was 1991). Those days are mostly long gone. I can barely remember a magazine cover from the last three years (with the possible exception of last year's Obama New Yorker cover) let alone pinpoint those that came out in the last 12 months. We are too relentlessly inundated with images for any one thing to make that much of an impact. Unless is it real life, and even then it's a challenge to hold anyone's attention for that long. (more...)

video The results from the December 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll is in, and Rush Limbaugh wins again. The talk radio host was the top pick, by far, by respondents when asked who was the most influential conservative in America. Here's more on the results of that question, and others. (more...)

I remember when Christopher Hitchens wrote that ridiculous Vanity Fair piece about how women aren't funny. I wrote a screed about it and got in a public scrap with Graydon Carter after at a very awkward luncheon. What can I say, this line of reasoning has always irritated me. Women aren't funny? Really? (more...)

Last night, the official White House Flickr feed released the official portrait of the First Family as photographed by the illustrious Annie Leibovitz. President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and even their two daughters Sasha and Malia are ubiquitous faces in worldwide media, but this shot marks the first time they have been photographed officially all together. The shoot took place September 1st in the Green Room of the White House. (more...)

There are so many things wrong with the way Conde Nast does business that this Graydon Carter anecdote (from Keith Kelly, no less!) merely feels like icing on a deflated cake. As if the McKinsey evaluation uncertainty that's been hanging over 4 Times Sq. these past few months isn't bad enough, Vanity Fair honcho Graydon Carter apparently couldn't even be bothered to show up to relay yesterday's bad layoff news himself. (more...)

In this morning's summary of shifts in the Power Grid, we noticed that former Governor Eliot Spitzer had mounted a comeback and cracked the top 5 TV Pundits, putting himself right back in the spotlight. We chalked his most recent surge in face time up to some big money real estate deals and a new scandal involving a former aide, but this explanation overlooks Spitzer's well-paced and respectable return to form. How has he once again become a man to watch? (more...)

"Although the privately held Condé Nast isn't as financially distressed as the bankrupt General Motors, and although the magazine business couldn't be more unlike the car business, the two distraught companies share woes.

Both succeeded in segmenting the market with semi-independent divisions that were once unique and distinct but that have since faded into one, much to the confusion of consumers. Both have dramatically dumped once-valuable properties. Both have allowed divisions to operate like independent fiefdoms at the expense of the company's greater financial good. Both have established cultures of privilege for top employees, and both appear to have woken up to their problems too late."

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speculation Today was not a good day at Conde Nast. It looks like upwards of 200 people will lose their jobs as a result of the shuttering of Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride. The New York Observer reports that Pilar Guzmán, editor of Cookie and wife to Wired Media publisher Chris Mitchell, is out and that there may be a publisher shake-up over the next few days to make room for Nancy Berger Cardone, the publisher of Gourmet, and Carolyn Kremins, the publisher of Cookie, who "are both valued internally." (more...)

-- Vanity Fair pokes fun at the ongoing McKinsey evaluation -- which may or may not have made a stop at Graydon Carter's office -- and the 'benefits' Condé employees are most worried about losing. The results of the real evaluation are set to be made public some time this month. (more...)

"You can feel inadequate almost anywhere on the island, but to connoisseurs of masochism there is no better spot than the Condé Nast headquarters at 45th Street and Madison Avenue." -- John Tierney, New York Times, June 16, 1996. (more...)

Well this puts a new spin on the whole Condé Nast, McKinsey saga. WWD's Memo Pad is reporting that despite all the recent focus on the recommended 25% budget cuts across the board, reported earlier this week, the powers that be at Condé might still opt to close down some magazines altogether. (more...)

The McKinsey consultants came and went at Condé Nast, and the gist of what their conclusion is rumored to be is what you'd expect: the money's not coming in like it used to, and the company's days of lavish spending have to end. But the specifics of their conclusion are likely to put fear in the heart of any well-paid midlevel Condé editor: according to Ad Age, there may be a sweeping budget cut of as much as 25% across the board. No more six-figure Vogue photo shoots, no more luxury company cars for editors and publishers, but the company was already moving in that direction. In addition to the frills, the rank-and-file are likely to take a huge hit. Also according to Ad Age, Vanity Fair's ad revenue is down more than 35% since this time last year. But one question seems iconic of the decisions that will define the new Condé: will Graydon Carter, who reportedly makes over $2 million a year plus lavish perks, be able to survive at the company in his current incarnation? (more...)

Unlike, say, Maureen Dowd, Tina Brown appears to be able to write about accomplished women of her own age without being patronizing, snarky, or undermining. Today in The Daily Beast, Brown remarks on the somewhat remarkable image recovery Anna Wintour has undergone since the release of the documentary The September Issue. (more...)

It might just be wishful thinking on his part -- up until now, the only person exempt from the McKinsey inquisition has reportedly been The New Yorker's David Remnick -- but here's what Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter had to say to the New York Observer at a book party last night about. A good attitude can get you far in life, you know. (more...)

video Perhaps in lieu of a well-followed Facebook page, Levi Johnston chose to take his story about life with the Palins to the once-powerful pages of Vanity Fair. Earlier this week a preview of the October issue went online, and last night VF opted to make excerpts of Johnston's 'Me and Mrs. Palin' piece available online, though just enough of it to whet your appetite (maybe VF is finally figuring out the internets!). (more...)

There is nothing populist about Vanity Fair's annual top 100 Information Age powers list -- it is brazen in its celebration of the worldwide corporate aristocracy. But what can we say, we're suckers for power rankings. Still, the VF list occasionally confuses wealth and excess with actual power or influence. (One category in certain entries is simply "Crib" and runs down details of the glitterati's domiciles.) But as the media's old guard works on curbing its exorbitance in the midst of a shifting economic realities and technological innovation, is there any room on the list for the Elite Media? (more...)

Gawker is reporting that Levi Johnston has penned an article entitled "Me and Sarah Palin" for the forthcoming October issue of Vanity Fair. And while it's not difficult to guess what will be discussed in the piece, what other revelations should we expect from the book? Mediaite has a few guesses. (more...)

It was no easy feat becoming Dominick Dunne. Think about it. He was the most celebrated chronicler of downtrodden socialites. He feasted on their famine with little sympathy or admiration for their formerly exalted positions. Yet somehow they invited him back. Not only was he invited back to the most exclusive and social-est of socialite events, but his attendance celebrated. If Dominick Dunne’s cackle could be heard in the room, it was, by definition an A-list event. (more...)

In 2000, Britney Spears shocked VMA viewers when she grinded up against the stage in a nude ensemble dusted with sparkles, proving she was far from innocent.  From a distance, Spears looked like a naked teenager.  She was nineteen years old.  And still, she said, a virgin. (more...)

Vanity Fair has released its 2009 Best-Dressed List. Does anybody care? It wasn't that long ago that these sorts of lists, from publications like Vanity Fair, were powerful measures of a star's clout, or their clout-to-be as the case may have been. Vanity Fair in particular had a sharp sense of the zeitgeist and was once very good at plucking young stars out of the mix just before they hit the big time. (more...)

• This was probably cooked up by a gaggle of disgruntled 4channers, but it's still pretty hilar. (RQ) • Well this is fairly creepy. Michael Jackson had a "young protégé" who he called "Little Monkey. But things were all good: "He was always like, 'Please be careful with Little Monkey. When you ride on the four wheelers, PLEASE be careful because Little Michael lives with me." (SK) (more...)

Monday's news that Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend had announced plans to bring in McKinsey to reevaluate the publishing giant's core business model and increase efficiencies made some serious waves in the media world. Since then, the media blogs have been atwitter with McKinsey mania! Everyone wants to know what McKinsey will do with Conde Nast? And how will they do it? And what will it feel like? (more...)

Looks like the reality has finally caught up to Conde Nast. A tipster passed on this email, which was just sent out to all Conde Employees informing them that the company has been forced to rethink "the way we do business in many instances and incorporate efficiencies in every step of our process." Short version: tighten your Gucci belts kids and put on your walking shoes, no more Town Cars in your future! (more...)

In an article in this week's Time titled "Business Journalism: A Vanishing Necessity?" Belinda Luscombe uses the recent demise of Portfolio and the current financial struggles of BusinessWeek as some sort of measure that business journalism itself is under threat (more...)

Had Law and Order's Olivia Benson and Eliot Stabler picked up the August issue of Elle magazine, they would have known from the first paragraph of the Miley Cyrus feature that something wasn't right:

“There are giant oatmeal cookies, thick, chewy brownies, and milk chocolate bonbons galore; sugar sweet cereals, buckets of Twizzlers, hot buttered popcorn, and more; strawberry shortcake with baseball-size berries and homemade whipped cream to explore…”

Seriously, a poem? (more...)

The Washington Post salon scandal, first reported by Politico, has kicked off a response in the media chattering classes that just won't die. Everyone wants to have their say! Today's installment comes from Ken Silverstein of Harper's who points a finger right back at Politico, accusing the online powerhouse of being guilty of its own shady canoodling with politicians and the people with deep pockets who fund them! (more...)

The A.I.G. Financial Products unit is to the global financial crisis what rickety levees were to Hurricane Katrina. But as Michael Lewis points out in his excellent article in the latest issue of Vanity Fair, F.P., as it’s called, used to be the envy of Wall Street. In 2001, the elite unit accounted for a stunning 15% – roughly $300 million – of the insurance giant’s overall profits. And it charged fees that would make most hedge fund operators blanch. (more...)

...unless you put her on the cover twice in a year and a half, and the first time the headline is "Viva Brazil!" with an ultra-glam hair-blowing sparkly-mini-dressed plunging-neckline endless-legged tanned-shouldered party girl, while the second time she's pale, covering herself with crossed-arms and closed body language, appears to be wearing a diaper alongside the headline "How I'll Solve The Financial Crisis!" Sure, it's a joke and they promise naked shots, but...ha, ha? Maybe there are better ways to not make the second in-depth interview with a supermodel in 20 months sound fluffy. So that's two reasons why this cover might not have done as well - a better, more appealing cover was just out, during a way less fraught time. There's a third reason, of course, via VF spokesperson Beth Kseniak — "It might be that she's losing her looks" — but it could also be that Graydon is losing his touch. (more...)