Lord of the Bling — Mondo Cavalli

Pioneering animal prints on everything from leather to lamé, then putting Lycra in jeans, Roberto Cavalli made fashion ferociously sexy and fun, both for his celebrity clients (Beyoncé, Bono, the Beckhams, et al.) and for himself.

Author: Mark Seal
Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Aug 24, 2009
Length: 19 minutes (4,883 words)

Don and Betty’s Paradise Lost

On Mad Men creator (and former Sopranos writer) Matthew Weiner, the casting of Jon Hamm and January Jones as Don and Betty Draper, and the obsession that fuels each episode.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Sep 1, 2009
Length: 32 minutes (8,231 words)

North Korea’s Dollar Store

Office 39, North Korea’s billion-dollar crime syndicate, pays for Kim Jong Il’s missiles and cognac. Why did the Bush White House choose not to shut it down?

Author: David Rose
Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Aug 5, 2009
Length: 19 minutes (4,853 words)

The Last of Heath

When Heath Ledger died, he was deep into filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus with his friend and mentor, director Terry Gilliam. How the 28-year-old star’s last movie was rescued by a trio of friends: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Aug 1, 2009
Length: 37 minutes (9,273 words)

It Came from Wasilla

Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics. John McCain’s top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Aug 28, 2009
Length: 39 minutes (9,862 words)

Nancy Reagan’s Solo Role

Fifteen years after Ronald Reagan’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, and five years after his death, Nancy Reagan has triumphed over loneliness, grief, and a bad fall last year.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Jul 28, 2009
Length: 23 minutes (5,844 words)

Johnny Depp’s Great Escape

Plunging deep into his roles—from the self-created (Edward Scissorhands and Captain Jack Sparrow) to the painstakingly re-created (Hunter S. Thompson, and John Dillinger in Public Enemies)—Johnny Depp can drive himself to the edge of the psyche.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Jul 28, 2009
Length: 24 minutes (6,095 words)

The Code of Miss Porter’s

Last fall, at Miss Porter’s School, in Farmington, Connecticut—attended by generations of debutantes and heiresses, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Barbara Hutton—a student named Tatum Bass confessed to cheating, and was later expelled.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Jul 28, 2009
Length: 24 minutes (6,036 words)

The Hamptons Stress Test

As summer begins, what better way to measure Wall Street’s health than a real-estate tour of the Hamptons? For every mansion on the sales or rental market, there’s a story—sometimes involving Bernie Madoff—and brokers are shell-shocked. The author surveys the deals, no-deals, lawsuits, divorces, and teardowns that characterize this strange, dark season.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Jul 28, 2009
Length: 22 minutes (5,641 words)

The Paper Chase

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Jul 28, 2009
Length: 4 minutes (1,202 words)